Just in time for the heart of Labor Day weekend, thousands of hotel workers at a number of major chain hotels have gone on strike. Hotels in big cities such as Boston, New York and San Francisco are part of the hotels affected. In…
Better late than never? I’ve been tied up with some family health issues but wanted to get caught up on my 2024 outlook for elite status. First, let’s look at the various elite status levels I achieved in 2023. 2023 Elite Status 2023 was…
I recall a conversation with my father-in-law a number of years ago where he was taking about points he earned with a Navy Federal credit card. He felt like no matter how much he spent on the card he never got any worthwhile travel…
When Marriott announced that they were moving to a dynamic award chart, it was mostly bad news. One meaningful improvement they announced was that members would be able to add points to a free night certificate for higher value award stays. This feature is…
One of the things I consistently preach is that a credit card needs to consistently justify its place in your wallet. There are some pretty solid credit cards out with no annual fee (Bilt Rewards Mastercard) or very low annual fees (Chase Sapphire Preferred). …
It was an interesting week on the road, for sure. My original plan this past week involved four airplane flights, which changed into five (across four different airlines), and then ultimately four flights on three airlines. This is the unfortunate cross-section of business travel,…
Since Marriott acquired Starwood Preferred Guest a few years ago, the number of paid stays I’ve had with Marriott have been steadily dropping. It didn’t start out intentional, but I did find myself booking fewer and fewer Marriott stays . I don’t go out…
What’s the saying, one bad actor spoils it for everyone else? There are over 5,600 Marriott hotels in the US and Canada. There may be more than one bad apple, but only one hotel that recently made news for charging guests a 2% convenience…
Most hotels that are good for families are also good for other types of travelers. With the exception of people looking for a secluded, romantic getaway at a boutique hotel, most hotels in vacation destinations meet the needs of most travelers. Families usually have…
I’m a pretty big Costco fan, but I’ve only used their travel division to book a few cruises over the years. Still, I’ve heard good things about the deals. An e-mail popped up this morning about some travel deals Costco had. I’ve got a…