Orbitz will give you a credit in your rewards account for taxes on hotels you book today, tax day.
This offer stacks with the current 10% back on Orbitz hotel bookings from Ebates.
Hyatt is offering 20% – 100% bonuses at MGM properties in Las Vegas, through May 15 stackable with their 1000 bonus points per night offer.
Mostly I’m a fan of Hyatt’s annual status match with MGM, which makes things a bit nicer in Vegas for someone that doesn’t go regularly and certainly doesn’t gamble a lot.
StarLux airlines, wants help naming its frequent flyer program and elite status levels.
The Taiwanese startup is planning to commence operations early next year, and is being launched by the former Chairman of Star Alliance carrier EVA Air who was the victim of an estate squabble stemming from plural marriage.
When the President of the United States, himself a successful promoter whose primary asset is his brand, gives free marketing advice it’s actually worth listening to, even if he’s just cribbing it straight from Stringer Bell in The Wire.
A roundup of the most important stories of the day. I keep you up to date on the most interesting writings I find on other sites – the latest news and tips.
I stumbled upon a treasure trove of current data on frequent flyer programs published at the beginning of the year. Some airlines have disclosed newer data in investor filings over the past three months since this was published, however it’s still largely current.
How many members do frequent flyer programs have? When will miles be redeemed? How many miles will never be redeemed? How much will redemptions cost the airlines?
Here’s what I’ve done in a similar situation. I once checked in at the Park Hyatt Sydney early in the morning after a long transpacific flight. They told me they did not have any standard rooms available (I had redeemed points) but they did have an Opera View King available and if I wanted that room it would be an extra AU$100 per night for my 5 night stay. (Since they were ‘full’ they wouldn’t offer any complimentary upgrades.)
Unquestionably this is a room type eligible for elite upgrade. And by definition it was available for the entire length of my stay (as with Marriott, a requirement for Hyatt) since they were offering it to me. I was tired and wanted to go to my room, so I accepted…
First they came for the straws, but I don’t drink from plastic straws so I said nothing. Now they’re coming for miniature shampoo, conditioner, and bath gel as California considers outlawing single use toiletries.
That means hotels would install wall dispensers in the shower but wall dispensers are awful and must be stopped. And it turns out this is a gift to corporate hotel interests under the fig leaf of the environment.
American Airlines, in a letter to employees, announced this morning that they had extended their grounding of the aircraft through August 19th.
They were explicit, though, that they believe the plane will be flying before then – and that an earlier return to service will mean using the MAX as spare aircraft to help during peak summer travel.
In many ways this is the golden age of rewards. There are big initial bonus offers, fast earning for spend, and rich benefits. And rewards expense is higher than ever for card issuers.
There are risks though, and challenges for issuers. Here’s how rewards are going to have to change to be successful.
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 »
