Marriott quietly made a change that’s likely to have a big impact on frequent travelers. Loyalty program members will no longer have elite benefits on stays booked through online travel agencies (OTAs). Will all Marriott properties be enforcing this rule, or will it be selectively enforced? Are you willing to risk it?
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Just Because You Can Book A Ticket Through An Online Travel Agency……
Sites like Expedia and Orbitz make it so easy to search for travel, don’t they? But, they’re not a replacement for a real travel agent. Nor are they a replacement for common sense. A recent situation yields some tips for how to protect yourself from issues booking with an online travel agency.
Hyatt Rolls Out Members Only Rates (Again)!
After testing out a members only rate in a few markets last year, Hyatt has rolled out a bigger commitment. Find out the details on this plus a cool new tech feature they plan to roll out shortly!
Cheap Flights To Rome And Hyatt Gift Card Discounts!
The Best of the Rest is my effort to summarize all the travel/miles & points stories that interested me on a daily basis but didn’t have time to write about in length. Culled from over 100 blogs/authors I follow, some are passed along without comment, while I add my analysis to others. This is your shortcut to find out what’s going on in the travel world without having to read dozens of travel blogs to get all the best info. Here’s what I’m reading about today: Cheap Flights of The Day: Uh, where to […]
How Marriott’s Partnership With TripAdvisor May Deliver Them Higher Ratings (And Profit)
The Marriott partnership with TripAdvisor is an interesting one. Marriott is the only major top-tier chain to negotiate a direct booking deal with TripAdvisor (Best Western has one as well). What does this mean for the accuracy of TripAdvisor’s rankings? How about the future of companies like Expedia and Orbitz?
Is TripAdvisor Selling Out With Their Marriott Deal?
TripAdvisor has been shifting from a company that just provides objective 3rd party reviews to one that can book your next vacation for you. Now that Marriott and TripAdvisor have a deal for direct bookings, have TripAdvisor’s motives changed? Read more…
$200 GIVEAWAY: Test Driving A New Hotel Booking Engine
I’ve been testing a new hotel booking engine that I really like and I wanted to share it with you. There’s a lot to cover, including how it works, a first-time booking discount and a pretty cool giveaway. Full disclosure, I don’t make a lot of my bookings through online travel agencies (OTAs). I use them to search for what I need and ultimately book at the hotel chain’s website for virtually 100% of my bookings. I don’t stack some of the small rebates out there, though I know plenty that […]
A Solid New Tool For Hotel Award Searches
Heard of Travelocity? Expedia? Orbitz? Of course you have. You’ve likely used one or more to book a trip. But, if you have a lot of hotel points, you needed to search multiple websites to find award inventory while you were balancing airline ticket prices. A bit of a pain in the butt. That’s why I was pretty excited when I saw a new tool from my friend Seth, Hotel Hustle. The premise behind his new creation is the ability to search award inventory for multiple hotel chains at the same […]
