This weekend at SXSW in Austin
Tonight, I'm flying to Austin, Texas for 5 days at SXSW. Flights were insane, of course, but I still made the trip free - using ~16,000 Chase UR points to fly Southwest outbound and...
How I got $3,300 worth of 5* hotel nights for $803 during a peak...
If you read my post about how my AirBnB host cancelled a reservation I'd made for Dusseldorf (6 months in advance, mind you) for a big trade show less than a week before travel,...
Another lousy PreCheck redemption option
Lately many of the frequent flyer programs have been offering points redemption for PreCheck. Not a bad idea in general, except all the redemption rates have been horrendous. I already warned about this with...
Hotel Review: Westin Palace, Madrid, Spain
It’s been a week of fantastic hotel stays. The start of the week was at the Intercontinental Le Grand in Bordeaux, France which lived up to all expectations of grandeur. After stops in San...
Hotel review: Hotel Alfonso XIII – Seville, Spain
One of the things I like most about collecting miles and points is the possibility of an aspirational flight or hotel stay. What I mean is that sometimes, while you are saving up your...
The Spring Starwood Preferred Guest Bonus offer is out
And it's another targeted one. Last time around I was gifted a free night for every 2 stays, up to 2 free nights.
The Spring offer is available at this link.
This time, I was given...
Review: Intercontinental Le Grand Bordeaux – France
Prior to my trip to Bordeaux I had spent hours lusting after the Intercontinental Le Grand Hotel. It was bit pricey, starting at about 280 Euro per night, but there was just nothing comparable...
Wyndham’s Go Fast (Cash and Points) awards can be a steal
I'll be the first to admit I haven't paid much attention to Wyndham's loyalty program - Wyndham Rewards. Their hotels just haven't been on my radar.
But this weekend I discovered a sweet spot in...
Always check a hotel’s “Offers” page before you book (3 nights for price of...
Sometimes, in hotel booking land, deals are hidden around corners. I don't know why they are - but they are.
Case in point: The W Hollywood. I just had an excellent three night stay there.
If...
Four Points by Sheraton – Havana now taking reservations in Cuba
I'm pretty excited to see that the first of Starwood's planned hotels in Cuba is now taking reservations - it's the Four Points by Sheraton - Havana
It's in Havana, located in the upscale Miramar...
