About Gary Leff

Gary Leff is one of the foremost experts in the field of miles, points, and frequent business travel - a topic he has covered since 2002. Co-founder of frequent flyer community InsideFlyer.com, emcee of the Freddie Awards, and named one of the "World's Top Travel Experts" by Conde' Nast Traveler (2010-Present) Gary has been a guest on most major news media, profiled in several top print publications, and published broadly on the topic of consumer loyalty. More About Gary »

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Review: Santa Monica Proper Hotel (Design Hotels Marriott Redemption)

Dec 08 2019

My wife, daughter and I spent the night at the Santa Monica Proper hotel in late November. It was stylish, staff were friendly, and the location was fantastic for our needs.

For us it was an airport layover hotel without staying by the airport, a place that gave us a sense of place and allowed us to take advantage of a walkable neighborhood with our daughter.

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Trip Report: Introduction to Thanksgiving in Bora Bora on Miles and Points

Dec 07 2019

My wife and I were thinking of going back to the Maldives for Thanksgiving. We’ve cancelled stays at the St. Regis there several times. I’ve still only stayed (5 times) at the Park Hyatt. We even had a redemption stay booked at the St. Regis at the old 60,000 point level, and Etihad First Apartment awards – although at the time there was a problem booking infant tickets in conjunction with AAdvantage redemptions on Etihad that’s since been fixed.

The idea, though, of traveling all the way to the Maldives with our daughter was daunting. At three months we took her to Paris. At five months we took her to Sydney. She’s a great traveler but she’d be over a year old come Thanksgiving and wanted something a bit easier to manage. That’s when business class awards on Air Tahiti Nui popped up and I booked those to give us another option. We were meeting friends for Thanksgiving and had to coordinate those plans as well.

Here’s a brief synopsis of what to expect, with reports coming describing each leg of the journey from booking and cost to the actual experience.

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New Restaurant Serves Airplane Food on the Ground

Dec 07 2019

Did you ever think that your airline meal was so good you wished you had it at home? In 2014 Air Food One attempted home delivery of LSG Sky Chefs meals. They were delivering leftover airline food throughout Germany. That effort didn’t make it.

Now there’s a new attempt – a real restaurant that serves an airline’s meals on the ground.

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Why the Hyatt Visa is the Only Hotel Rewards Card I Want to Spend Money On

outside hotel patio
Dec 07 2019

In general hotel rewards cards are good for their initial bonus offer, for status they give you just for having the card, and for an annual free night that’s worth more than the annual fee — making the card worth keeping.

That’s how I think about most hotel credit cards, but I go out of my way to spend on the World Of Hyatt Credit Card for 3 reasons.

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