Hotels

Category Archives for Hotels.

Marriott’s CEO Defends Resort Fees, Says They’re Good For You

by Gary Leff on July 14, 2019

Jul 14 2019

Washington DC is suing Marriott over its resort fees. “Resort fees” are extra charges, on top of a room rate, that aren’t optional. In other words they’re part of the price of a room, but the hotel advertises a lower price instead. That’s on face deceptive.

Marriott CEO Arne Sorenson, who thinks you have to enter a passport number to make a reservation at Marriott.com (so their unprecedented data breach was just the result of saving information for your booking convenience) and who thinks problems with the Bonvoy program were just “noise around the edges” gave an interview where he defended the undefendable resort fee. Naturally he did so disingenuously.

Tokyo Airport Hotel Now Offers a ‘Superior Cockpit Room’ With a Boeing 737 Simulator ($233/Night)

by Gary Leff on July 10, 2019

Jul 10 2019

Forget the TWA Hotel as an avgeek’s paradise, the Haneda Excel Hotel Tokyu attached to terminal 2 at Tokyo Haneda airport has them beat, hands down.

The property has just introduced a “Superior Cockpit Room” which includes a full sized Boeing 737-800 flight simulator. And they offer one of the best deals anywhere for experiencing a sim.

Resort Fees are a Huge Lie, and Washington DC is Suing Marriott for a Refund

by Gary Leff on July 10, 2019

Jul 10 2019

“Resort fees” are extra charges, on top of a room rate, that aren’t optional. In other words they’re part of the price of a room, but the hotel advertises a lower price instead. That’s on face deceptive.

Marriott Got Bonvoyed by the EU: $123 Million Fine Does Nothing to Protect Meaningful Data

by Gary Leff on July 9, 2019

Jul 09 2019

Marriott hasn’t talked about the really valuable data that’s been breached, preferring to focus on expired credit cards and passports. The EU proposes to fine Marriott for a criminal hack of their systems, which is how the law works, but it’s not clearly the best way to drive collaboration between large companies and government agencies protecting against nation state attacks.

And indeed it’s government agencies that are the biggest violators of data privacy.

Destination Hotels Start Joining Hyatt August 20

by Gary Leff on July 9, 2019

Jul 09 2019

So far only 8 out of three dozen Destination Hotels have dates set for joining, and there’s no list of properties which won’t become part of Hyatt. Of course some Destination Hotels will become part of other Hyatt brands.

Park Hyatt New York Proves Why Hotel Loyalty Makes Sense

by Gary Leff on July 6, 2019

Jul 06 2019

I’ve reviewed this property several times, and a review (there’s a great pool!) isn’t the point of this post. Instead it’s elite benefits on a simple trip that I didn’t have to go halfway around the world to take advantage of.

There’s an important lesson for airlines, too. Increasingly airlines treat you based on how much you’re spending on a given ticket. But when you’re spending a lot on a ticket, at least when it’s not transatlantic business class where you need a night’s sleep before going straight to work on the other end, you may not even care much about the treatment. Real loyalty is secured on cheaper stays or points redemptions when you’re creating moments with family.

Accor Hotels Introducing New Elite Benefits Including Confirmed Suite Upgrades

by Gary Leff on July 4, 2019

Jul 04 2019

The introduction of a new top Diamond tier doesn’t take anything away from existing Platinums (like club lounge access). Most hotel chains don’t offer confirmed suite upgrades, but Accor is driving towards this unique benefit.

I’ve Had Some Miserable Hotel Stays, But Never This.

by Gary Leff on July 2, 2019

Jul 02 2019

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.

IHG’s New Most Expensive Awards May Be 100,000 Points Per Night

by Gary Leff on June 26, 2019

Jun 26 2019

On the one hand a new highest price is always concerning, since it creates a path for other hotels to creep up in price as well. On the other hand these properties aren’t ‘really’ part of IHG, and perhaps the agreement that brought them into the chain just makes them expensive (IHG has to overpay to get these redemption nights, and is charging members accordingly).

Nonetheless prices of 75,000 and 100,000 points per night are concerning to say the least.

IHG Rewards Club Scores Two New Casino Resort Properties, Introduces New Highest Award Price

by Gary Leff on June 25, 2019

Jun 25 2019

The Venetian and Palazzo hotels in Las Vegas are part of IHG Rewards Club, even though they’re separately owned by the Las Vegas Sands Corporation.

Las Vegas Sands has a Macau subsidiary, Sands China Ltd, and two of their properties are now a part of IHG Rewards Club – effective immediately.