News and Notes from Around the Interweb:
- Best Western is offering a $50 Best Western Travel Card valid through November 1 after 3 stays between April 22 and June 9, plus 1000 bonus points if you pay for all three with their co-branded credit card. Registration required. (HT: NotiFlyer)
- My comment reported on whether major airlines will adopt the ‘pay by weight’ concept: Not. Going. To. Happen.
- Head for Points reports that Virgin Atlantic will offer intra-UK redemptions for just 7500 points roundtrip and £30 in taxes/fees. That trumps British Airways’ 9000 points roundtrip, and matches them on fees, though flight frequencies are more limited.
- Chase is temporarily waiving the fee for online gift card purchases, although they say you won’t be able to get a ‘PIN’ for the gift cards meaning it’ll be tough to get the funds off of the gift cards without actually just using them for spend.
- For every three eligible nights between April 5 and May 5, Starwood will give you a $50 Ticketmaster Concert Cash code. Registration required. (HT: Mommy Points)
- I was in Austin recently and wanted to give the Driskill hotel a try. It’s an old-time top shelf Austin hotel, at least that’s its reputation, and it has recently been acquired by Hyatt. Unfortunately it was sold out. I was pleased as usual with the Hyatt Regency instead, especially its patios overlooking the river. But Mommy Points stayed at the Driskill and offers a detailed account.
Someone should really talk to these hotels about making their images on their websites, pin-able to pinterest. Whenever you mention a good hotel-I like to put it on my travel pinterest boards but I have to jump through so many hoops to do it. They need to get with the program here!
When I’m in Austin, which is about 50 nights a year, I always stay at the Omni downtown. It’s one block off 6th street, and you don’t need a car since you are downtown. The staff is by far the best I have ever encountered and the lounge breakfast is free and worlds ahead of that of any Sheraton and evening cocktails and hor dourves is best and let me tell you this, you CAN make a meal out of them, and yes they do refill the food very often. Granted there is no points cards for the Omni hotels but the level of service is by far better then any Hyatt, Sheraton, or Marriott’s I have stayed in. I would say that the Omni’s give you the same level as Fairmonts and Ritz Carltons for less money.