Park Hyatt Chicago

Wrapping Up Hotel Status At The End of 2012

December 29, 2012By Edward Pizzarello8 Comments

Well, almost. I still have two stays with SPG to post, though I doubt one will post by the end of the year, as I detailed here. As the year comes to a close, I’m taking time to summarize my year in travel as it relates to earning points and status. I also have an update on lifetime status planned along with my thoughts for next year. A lot of this is just mental housekeeping for me, but some may find it interesting as they plan where and how to […]

Hyatt Lodge At McDonald’s Campus, Oakbrook Illinois:Review

October 8, 2012By Edward Pizzarello6 Comments

It’s been a fairly busy year in travel for me. I’ll hit 120,000 miles flown next week, and after a while travel can be a bit of a drag, especially when you’re not going somewhere exciting. So, when I had a pop-up trip to Chicago, I was a bit more excited since I knew I could grab a good meal at one of my favorite Chicago restaurants. There are so many great places to dine in Chicago, it’s definitely one of my favorite towns. Then, I realized the meeting wasn’t […]

Auctions Are Live! Great Auction Items For A Great Cause!

I’ve got 4 exciting auction prizes up for grabs to help raise some money for life-saving cancer research. Make your travel better and help a great cause! Can I count on you?

Hey, Frequent Travelers! I Think You’re Going To Like This….

Combining two of my favorite things!

Why Is Delta Reducing Seat Recline On The Airbus A320?

It’s worth trying ways to make the passenger experience more pleasant on airplanes, even if some of the proposed solutions don’t sound like they’re actually better. But, is Delta creating more space for passengers? No, not even if they say they are.

Bali In 10 Minutes or Less And A Review Of Moxy!

A big thanks this week to our sponsor AutoSlash! What does AutoSlash do? They just save you a bunch of money on car rentals. Give them a try and drop me a note about your experience! Continuing with our new “10 minutes or less” segments after our inaugural Hawaii feature, we’re talking about Bali this week. The goal of these 10 minute segments is to cover how and why you want to travel somewhere, and the sorts of activities you can expect to enjoy while you’re there. All in 10 […]

The Pizza Family Is Doing Something Crazy (And Needs Your Help)!

Psst! Hey, you. Yes, you. I need your help.

I Flew Frontier, Saved $400 And Didn’t Die. My Frontier Airlines Review

Those low-cost carriers always have very appetizing fare sales. Who wouldn’t want to pay $20 to fly somewhere? But, what does $20 really buy you? I found out exactly what Frontier does (and doesn’t) offer customers on my first flight with them recently.

How To Use New Metro Silver Line To Get Between Dulles and Reagan National Airports

People talk about how bad the traffic is in places like Los Angeles with plenty of adjectives. And, it is quite bad. But, the traffic in DC is what I refer to as “stealthy bad”. It doesn’t get the same press that LA traffic does, but a trip that normally takes an hour can easily turn into a 3-hour ordeal. With visiting dignitaries, protests and construction as variables, weather can also wreak havoc on a system that consistently backs up during rush hour. For those of us that live in […]

A Summary Of United Airlines Global Services Benefits

As travel has gotten more stressful the benefits of elite status are even more valuable. In some cases, what used to be free for everyone is now only free for those customers that fly most frequently. I value my American Airlines Executive Platinum status more highly than any status I’ve earned, including 1K service with United Airlines. However, Global Services is another matter. For those not aware, Global Services is an invitation-only status level that United bestows on their best customers. What defines a best customer? Well, United doesn’t list […]

Update: American Airlines Variable Choice Plus Pricing A Feature, Not A Bug

I have to admit, I was pretty pleased with the original announcement that American Airlines was creating bundled pricing that included change fees at a lower apparent cost. Things got a little better when American also announced they were expanding the timeframe you could request a same day change to your flight. And, then things started to get a bit screwy. It started with just one flight I couldn’t get to price right with Choice Plus as an add-on. But, then I did a bit more digging and found out […]

Is Foursquare Dead?

Venture Beat doesn’t think so, and I’m not 100% sure they’re wrong. But, before I discuss the article, a little background on why someone allergic to social media like me became a Foursquare nut. A few years ago, a company called TopGuest came up with this concept where you could earn airline miles and hotel points for checking in at various places on Foursquare. I can’t say I thought it was a terribly good business model, but they convinced a bunch of hotel chains to hand out miles for this. […]