Category Archives for Hotels.
This Marriott is reportedly hiding parking charges as mandatory “City Fees” — even for guests without cars. It’s not the first hotel I’ve heard of doing this.
A Hilton Garden Inn guest found her light blue swimsuit turned white and yellow after she and her friends took a dip in the hotel’s hot tub, which smelled like bleach. They reported it to the property, which tested the water, and began treating it. The jacuzzi was then closed.
Hilton is out with their fall promotion, “Stay More, Earn More” and you can register to earn 1,500 bonus points per stay October 1 – December 31, 2025. That’s generously worth about $6.
This makes me sad, especially because it comes on the heels of another weak offering from Hilton Honors.
Hotels have been embedding RFID chips in towels for years, but they’re taking the crackdown to another level. Guests caught slipping towels into their bags have faced jail time and fines soaring to $17,600. And it’s not just towels—travelers have tried to make off with everything from mattresses to fireplaces. How far will hotels go to stop guests from stealing?
Park Hyatt Tokyo is finally back. After an 18-month closure, the hotel reopens December 9—and for now, award reservations are wide open for the Lost in Translation hotel.
Hotel art is supposed to be forgettable. Instead, this panda painting behind the TV gave one guest the creeps
Hilton has quietly devalued Honors points yet again. Standard “free night” awards at top properties can now reach 250,000 points — the third hike since December. With no award chart and no notice to members, Hilton continues to erode trust while gutting the value of its loyalty program.
Free breakfast is a common feature of many hotel brands, especially in the limited service category. You’ll find it at Hampton Inn, Best Western and Holiday Inn Express among numerous others.
Here’s the thing: I don’t think I’ve ever seen a hotel actually check that you’re a guest before giving you access. If you look like you belong there, you can park in the lot, walk in, and eat.
Many airlines, hotels, and rental car companies all ‘overbook’ meaning they sell more seats, rooms, and cars than they have. That usually works out just fine. They know some people will cancel or no show, and they want to use up all of their inventory.
Here’s what to expect if your hotel is overbooked, and how to avoid getting ‘walked’ in the first place.
Trivago, the Expedia-controlled hotel metasearch site, has a new side hustle: panhandling for tips.
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 »
