Hotels

Category Archives for Hotels.

One Hilton Hotel Banned Staycations

by Gary Leff on November 21, 2019

Nov 21 2019

A couple was having work done on their home so they needed a one night hotel stay and booked the Hampton Inn nearby. When they handed over their ID and credit card at check-in they were told they couldn’t stay a the property.

The Hampton Inn Bourbonnais Kankakee in Illinois had a policy against staycations by Kankakee residents. The property owner decided not to welcome anyone with a Kankakee address, though after publicity from a recent incident they’ve backed off of the rule.

One Hyatt Now Charges Extra For Use of an In-Room Desk

by Gary Leff on November 16, 2019

Nov 16 2019

First we had deceptive resort fees – part of the room rate is hidden, called a fee, and you don’t see it included in the total cost of a room when you’re comparing hotel rates on a website. Resort fees spread to hotels that aren’t resorts. In cities they started to call resort fees urban destination fees.

I thought we had reached peak absurdity with the spread in Las Vegas of ‘venue fees’.

When I covered this new type of fee back in September I asked, ‘Karl Marx said history repeats itself first as tragedy then as farce. If venue fees is hotels repeating the resort fee as tragedy, can the farce be far behind?” Apparently we’ve already reached farce.

Expedia Drops Hammer: Hotels Punished in Search Listings for Resort Fees

by Gary Leff on November 15, 2019

Nov 15 2019

Expedia is about the last travel company to do anything pro-consumer and yet with its muscle it could come late into the game and make a real difference.

Disgusting: Hyatt Moving to Wall Mounted Shared Toiletries

by Gary Leff on November 12, 2019

Nov 12 2019

Hyatt has announced that they are copying IHG and Marriott in eliminating single use plastic toiletries as soon as possible but company-wide by June 2021. They’re doing this instead of recycling the plastics and instead of using biodegradable single use packaging.

Hyatt In Advanced Talks To Buy Several Kimpton Hotels

by Gary Leff on November 11, 2019

Nov 11 2019

They’ve tried to grow through strategic partnerships with MGM and SLH hotels, and through acquisitions such as Two Roads Hospitality which has given them Alila, Destination Hotels, Joie de Vivre and Thompson Hotels (as well as the nascent tommie brand).

Hyatt has actually tried and failed at other acquisitions. They were in the running for Starwood, probably even offering more money than Marriott, but their complicated stock structure (the Pritzker family retains outsized control) got in the way. Hyatt tried at the last minute to acquire NH Hotels but that door was already shut. They were also a bidder for Kimpton, but IHG beat them out by $100 million. (Hyatt was right not to overpay the way IHG did.)

IHG Launches Cyber Sale, At Least 20% Off And Bigger Discounts For Black Friday/Cyber Monday

by Gary Leff on November 11, 2019

Nov 11 2019

IHG hotels – Kimpton, Holiday Inn, Intercontinental, and related brands – has launched a Cyber Sale running through December 17th, with extra discounts for Black Friday and Cyber Monday coming up.

These rates stack with IHG’s bonus offer up to quadruple points.

Marriott CEO: People Prefer Bonvoy Over Starwood 8-to-1

by Gary Leff on November 8, 2019

Nov 08 2019

We’re all familiar with lies, damn lies, and statistics. The new program has higher redemption prices than Marriott Rewards. It has weaker elite recognition than Starwood Preferred Guest. There is virtually no enforcement of elite benefits at the property level, at best paying our rewards to hotels for elite satisfaction scores.

Do you like Marriott Bonvoy more than both Marriott Rewards and Starwood Preferred Guest? I’d love to see if we’ve got an 8-to-1 margin here… or if this is just Sorenson being Sorenson.

Hyatt Airport Hotel Has Boeing 787 Simulator You Can Use For $173

by Gary Leff on November 6, 2019

Nov 06 2019

Spending less than $300 for simulator time with an instructor is a great deal – a reason that some people may force an overnight for themselves at Haneda airport even. For an aviation geek there’s nothing like flight simulator time.

But what if I told you there’s an airport hotel where you can spend points to stay the night, that has a Boeing 787 simulator and where sim time is even cheaper?

How Much Hyatt Pays Hotels When You Redeem Points for Free Nights

by Gary Leff on November 5, 2019

Nov 05 2019

A hotel program books your room on points. They take the liability on their books for your point balance, and use it to pay the hotel.

Since hotels are mostly independently owned, they need to get real cash from the chain for your stay. Hotels actually benefit by filling unsold rooms with reward night guests, getting revenue from the loyalty program for a room that would have sat empty.

That Didn’t Last Long: Hyatt Adding New Category 8 Hotels, and Many Limited-Participation Properties