As Washington struggles with legislation to let people already in the country stay here, there’s insistence on ‘beefing up the border first’. It may be ‘easy’ to sneak across unguarded portions of Arizona, but it’s not easy to enter the country through its airports. Plenty of countries’ citizens don’t have to get visas to come here. But they have to request permission in advance. And pay for the privilege (that ‘fee’ is supposed to, somehow, promote rather than discourage tourism). They call that visa a ‘visa waiver’. It’s even easier to come to the U.S. if you’re Canadian. Unless you were found with two ounces of marijuana in 1981. Myles Wilkinson a fantasy footbacl contest – besting 4 million people — and the prize was a trip to the Superbowl. Only he was denied entry…
Monthly Archives
Monthly Archives for February 2013.
When is the Best Time to Book Airline Tickets and Other Travel Myths
This past week Time featured a piece on ‘6 myths about travel spending that cost you money’. What I learned from the piece is that when Time links to your blog, lots of other mirror sites pull their content and link to your blog as well, sending you trackback pings which are essentially spam that you need to clean up. Hah. (This wasn’t my first time quoted in Time, for instance over the summer they included me on inflight reading styles explaining why I still travel with a physical book and not just an e-reader. But it was strangely the first time they linked to me that I can recall.) When to Book Airline Tickets The first myth they cover is when to book your ticket, and the correct time is not ‘as soon as…
Grand Hyatt San Francisco: A Large Modern Hotel With a Small Hotel Feel
This past Monday I reviewed the Hyatt Regency San Francisco down on the Embarcadero. It’s a large atrium-style hotel that feels busy though I quite liked it (even though they failed to honor my confirmed suite upgrade). If I wanted to be in that part of the city I’d gladly stay there again. During the past week I made another trip to San Francisco and stayed at the Grand Hyatt. The Hyatt Regency is about 800 rooms, the Grand Hyatt about 660 so still a very large property but it feels much smaller. That’s mostly, I think, because the Grand is a much taller building with smaller individual floors and also a smaller lobby area. So you don’t feel the size of the property, since you aren’t walking around a ton, and you also aren’t…
Competitours Dates Announced for Summer 2013
My award booking partner Steve Belkin puts together Amazing Race-style trips called Competitours. Are you one of those folks who watch ‘The Amazing Race’ and mutter to yourself- ‘I could do that’. You love the competitive travel and surprise destinations concept, but you don’t have 60 days to kill or you hate the drama queens teams or there are no auditions in your city. You can see past coverage from Jaunted, JohnnyJet, and Gadling. Competitours is a travel competition where up to 14 pairs of teams accomplish a series of challenges over a 9 day trip through 4 Western European countries. Winners pick up a prize of up to $9000. Great for parent/child bonding, best friends, and couples. The 2013 trip is scheduled for July 5-14 and costs $2950 for East Coast airfare, lodging, 3…
Instant Platinum Top Tier Status with Leclub Accor Hotels is Back
.. and right on the heels of yesterday’s instant hotel status offer, too. Instant Platinum (top tier) status in the Accor Hotels loyalty program comes around with some frequency, each time it does the signup link won’t stay active for long — sometimes a couple of days, sometimes just hours. Here’s the offer for instant Platinum status. Note that the signup page is just a signup page, no indication on that page that accounts will start at the Platinum level, but indeed it’s currently working as of this writing. You must open a new account, it cannot be applied to existing accounts. And when you do so you must use an email address that’s not currently on file with them. Even if you don’t frequently stay at Sofitel, Novotel, Pullman, Mercure, and other related properties…
Faster Free Nights are Back!
It was just back in September that I pronounced the famous Faster Free Nights hotel promotion dead. Not just resting. Not just simply ‘stunned’ or ‘pining for the fjords.’ Definitely deceased. And yet I opened up the front cover of February’s Inside Flyer to find this: Now, Faster Free Nights was the Greatest. Hotel Promotion. Ever run. Two stays — even one nights — with Hyatt and you earned a free night at any Hyatt in the world. Two airport nights and you’d have a night at the Park Hyatt Tokyo. Back in the day it was even better, because as long as there was some sort of charge on your folio a Priceline room would count. What’s more, as long as something billed to your room when staying on your free night, your free…
A Cheaper Way to Buy Those American Airlines Miles
For the past day or so I’ve had a browser window open with the latest US Airways purchase miles offer which runs through February 28. Because I’m being offered a 100% bonus, but not only is it ‘targeted’ this time (only some people have the offer) the offer varies for different folks. And I’ve been trying to sort out US Airways’ thinking here. Some people get a 100% bonus, some people as little as 50%, and some people no bonus at all. When you go to the purchase miles page they make you identify yourself. Then they present you with your offer, here’s the one I got: If you didn’t get a 100% bonus, but you want one and know someone that did then remember that the bonus applies to buying miles and gifting miles.…
Free Hotel Platinum Status with GHA Discovery
Reader Nils shares that GHA Discovery, the loyalty program for Global Hotel Alliance (14 hotel brands with 300 hotels in 53 countries) is offering mid-tier Platinum elite status at signup. Clearly one of the smaller programs, but status benefits you with chains like Anantara Hotels, Kempinski, Omni, and Pan Pacific amongst others. Benefits include free internet, bottled water, upgrade to next room category, guaranteed room availability with 48 hours notice, and 3pm late checkout. They also have ‘local experience awards‘ earned each time you stay at one of their brands for the first time. The offer is pitched to MasterCard World Signia Cardholders (their high-end version of the card outside the U.S. though rebranded in some places as World Elite). Status is valid for a year. Limited applicability, probably, but I rarely turn down free…
50% Bonus on American Airlines Purchased Miles – Almost Worth It!
For the last six months of 2012, American offered up to a 50% bonus on purchased miles. For a purchase of exactly 40,000, 50,000, or 60,000 miles that meant a price of 2 cents a mile, the lowest price I had ever seen American sell miles direct to consumer for. Through February 28 that offer is back. For A Limited Time Only: Earn Up To 30,000 Bonus Miles, A 50% Mileage Bonus As we move towards the new American, and continue to modernize and innovate, we would like to share the excitement of our new look, with you – our valued customer. Now, through February 28, 2013, you can earn up to 30,000 bonus miles when you buy AAdvantage® miles. This is a price at which I’m almost a buyer. I won’t be taking advantage…
Million Miler Lawsuit Against United Moving Forward
The Million Miler lawsuit against United is going forward. Via Milepoint, a judge refused to dismiss breach of contract claims, “It is undeniable that plaintiff claims he has and continues to suffer an injury based upon his lost benefits,” Leinenweber wrote. “At this stage of the litigation, the court finds it plausible that defendants had a contract with Million Miler members which differed from the contract they had with other Mileage Plus members.” So while United claims they a right to change the terms of conditions of their program, the argument here is that there are additional and separate commitments that were made to million milers. It’s unclear to say the least whether this suit will prevail on the merits, or even ultimately get to trial (now that United has failed to get the whole…
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