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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AI Makes Travel More Important Than Ever—Teaches What AI Can’t And Gives You An Edge Over ChatGPT

Mar 16 2025

The AI knows everything that isn’t secret. Your knowledge of public information will approach zero value. What isn’t published, then, becomes relatively more unique and valuable. Trading secrets’ – getting out and having discussions with people, trading off-the-record information and gossip becomes more valuable.

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Hotel 50 Bowery Review, Hyatt’s Hidden Bargain In Chinatown With Stylish Albeit Small Rooms And Friendly Staff

Mar 16 2025

After arriving into Manhattan by BLADE helicopter I caught a Lyft over to Hyatt’s Hotel 50 Bowery in Chinatown.

This was actually my first JdV property. I was a little bit excited over it because this is one of the brands that Hyatt acquired as part of its Two Roads Hospitality purchase seven years ago – news that I broke several days before it was announced.

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Marriott Took This Guest’s Booking—But The Hotel Was Shut Down, Parking Lot Empty, And Phones Disconnected

Mar 15 2025

The guest reports that hotel’s direct phone number was disconnected. After about ten minutes, someone emerged from the open front door stating that the hotel was closed and that canceling the reservation—even late—would incur no charge. How could it possibly incur a charge? Eventually they found a room at a Residence Inn in Port Arthur, stuck with a rate of $300 per night.

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“You Need Therapy”: American Airlines Told Employee to Stop Caring About Clean Planes—Now They’re Scrambling to Fix Cabins and Lost Trust

Mar 14 2025

Part of the ‘premium pivot’ means paying attention to cabin maintenance and appearance, but that will entail a huge culture shift. One commenter explains just how much the airline is up against if they are to make this shift. This American Airlines employee says they were offered therapy for their insistence on getting aircraft clean between flights.

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United’s CEO Thinks He Knows Why Passengers Pick Airlines—But Are You Choosing The Wrong One?

united-plane
Mar 14 2025

Some customers choose on schedule and price. They may not value the difference in product across airlines, or may not be aware of them. To Kirby, those are basic economy customers – show them the lowest price and give them the least. (This may be a mistake, I will explain below.) Others choose on product elements. Those are the customers to fight for.

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