Online Travel Review reports that Eliot Spitzer’s prostitute wasn’t so high-end after all. He paid for her travel… on Amtrak Regional service, not the Acela. The indictment notes that the woman took the 5:39pm train which, you’ll note, is Amtrak’s slow regional service, rather than the faster, more comfortable Acela…the 5:39 regional train arrived 15 minutes AFTER the 6pm Acela train. He did manage to save $220 on this part of the transaction… Would have been a better story if he’d signed up for an Amtrak Mastercard and redeemed the signup bonus for her tickets.
About Gary Leff
Summary of Starwood Preferred Guest
I’ve written up a summary of the Starwood Preferred Guest program for Webflyer.com’s Head2Head feature. It’s as follows: Introduction: The Starwood Preferred Guest program began in February, 1999 by combining the old Westin Premier and Sheraton Club International Programs. Its key selling point from the beginning was ease of points redemption: no blackout dates or capacity controls, if a participating hotel had a standard room available you could pay for it with points. Only in 2008 has Hilton begun to follow Starwood’s lead on redemption, and all other programs remain clearly behind. The Starwood brand includes Westin, Sheraton, Le Meridien, St. Regis, W Hotels, Luxury Collection, and Four Points (and element and aLoft brands on the way). With over 860 hotels, it’s a larger program than Hyatt’s but much smaller than Marriott, Hilton, and Priority Club. …
American Dining for Miles Bonus – for AA Elites Only
Via Free Frequent Flyer Miles, iDine (ok, Rewards Network, it’s probably time I start calling it that) is offering American Airlines elite members 500 bonus miles in each month you spend $150 in qualifying dines through their program. There are bonus mile offers like this all the time but they’re usually short-running. This one lasts through February, 2009.
New Intercontinental in Bali, But A Greater Variety of Locations Would Be Nice
Intercontinental Hotel Group is opening a second Intercontinental property in Bali and has signed on an existing hotel to become a Holiday Inn. The luxury resort’s 104 rooms and suites will be located in low-rise cluster pavilions and will be complemented by 54 private villas, all featuring private pools with underwater seating, outdoor showers and private landscaped courtyards. The resort will also offer a wide selection of premium facilities, including a luxurious Spa InterContinental with spacious indoor and outdoor treatment areas, an all-day beachfront restaurant and specialty dining. Now, the existing Intercontinental in Jimbaran Bay is one of the very best Intercontinetnal properties in the world. Their club guests are met prior to customs and immigration and the airport and brought to the lounge while hotel staff process such formalities on their behalf. The club…
Hooters Hotel to Be Sold and Re-Branded
First there was the demise of Hooters Air. Not comes news that the Hooters Hotel & Casino, off the strip in Vegas, will be sold and re-branded. Somehow wings and breasts aren’t enough to leverage restaurants success into other markets. In fact, the financal performance of the hotel has been dreadful. Bond analysts during the past few months have questioned the feasibility of the deal if the property kept its Hooters brand. Under the Hooters Hotel brand, cash flow has been falling at the property. Cash flow, defined as earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization, dropped 32 percent to $1.1 million for the third quarter ended Sept. 30. It was $1.7 million in the same period a year earlier. The property has yet to report its fourth-quarter earnings. Relative to the capital investment in…
Budget Rental Blows Off Their Promises — Limits Delta Bonus Miles After the Fact
The Budget Rental Car 5,000 mile Delta bonus has gone bad. Frugal Travel Guy writes that the terms and conditions of the offer have been changed after the fact. There was originally no limit to the number of times you could earn the bonus, now they’re limiting each person to (3) 5000-mile bonuses. For folks who have already rented more than three times in the promo period, with the express purpose of earning the 5000 Delta Skymiles, this is a huge deal. Hopefully Budget will do an about face here and do the right thing — At the very least, post the bonus miles for folks who have already rented and have receipts which say they’re earning their 5000 miles for the rental But what about folks who read about the bonus, saw that it…
Disgruntled Low-end Hotel Franchisees Tilt at the TripRewards Windmill
Some franchised hotel properties see a lot of value in their chain’s loyalty program. And others do not. (Hat tip to boazs.) In particular, several owners of Baymont Inn properties are displeased at chain parent Cendant’s move to include them in TripRewards, and impose the associated costs. TripRewards – This customer-loyalty program was designed to encourage repeat clientele by awarding guests points for each stay at a Wyndham property, thus benefiting the individual properties. But TripRewards has achieved neither of these goals, according to Patel, who said the methods that Wyndham uses to assess points are unfair to the owners because they generate profits for the company at the expense of the individual properties. “Wyndham has TripRewards structured so that when a guest checks into the hotel, they don’t have to show their membership card…
United Elites Now Have Aloha Airlines Lounge Access
It’s a minor new benefit, but United Mileage Plus elites now have access to Aloha Airlines lounges when flying Aloha. Simply present your Mileage Plus Premier, Premier Executive, Premier Executive 1K, Global Services card or Red Carpet Club card with a same-day boarding pass for an Aloha Airlines-operated flight.
Quote of the Day
Describing Atlantic City, via Joe Sharkey. “Atlantic City is one of the most disgusting places in the world.. It’s like Las Vegas got drunk and slept with South Jersey and this is their bastard child.”
The Death of the Restaurant Wine Pairing?
The Wall Street Journal carries a piece on restaurant wine pairings that suggests they don’t always offer the best thoughtfulness or creativity… and even use the pairing option as a way to push off bottles that have been open awhile and might otherwise go to waste. When the idea of wine pairings with each course was new, it seemed sommeliers were genuinely excited. Not only that, it seemed the only people who would order it — and pay the sometimes high freight — were wine lovers, so there was a certain connection between diner and server. Now that pairings have become routine, some restaurants see it simply as a way to move some wine and move along the diners. The romance is largely gone. We have found that when we order wines by the bottle,…
