Category Archives for Hotels.
Hyatt, which has been on an acquisitions tear, is in talks to acquire Playa Hotels, which owns 24 all-inclusive resorts in Mexico, Jamaica and the Dominican Republic. Hyatt already has a 9.99% stake in the company which operates under the Hyatt Zilara, Hyatt Ziva, Hilton All-Inclusive, Tapestry Collection by Hilton, Wyndham Alltra, Jewel Resorts and The Luxury Collection brands.
Hilton Honors quietly raised free award night redemption prices on the last Friday before the holidays. Since they stopped publishing award charts, they did not tell anyone that they did this, but your Honors points are now worth less than they were on Thursday.
Maybe the most Marriott thing ever is allowing a hotel using their brand to get away with failing to meet brand standards and treat customers well – with a sign about how they aren’t going to do housekeeping, and proving it with a used band-aid in front of it that hasn’t been cleaned up by housekeeping.
The hotel’s operating income fell by around three quarters compared to 2017. Travel to San Francisco declined, especially business travel, and meetings revenue fell off.
The property will be its own brand for earning Brand Explorer category 1-4 free nights, which is cool. And it’s great to have a much nicer Hyatt option in Las Vegas. Instead of complaining how ghetto Rio is at $42.50 per night, members can complain about how expensive Venetian is.
A Hilton property in Budapest emailed a guest saying that they’ve discovered about $325 still owed from a stay 15 months earlier. Another guest reports receiving a similar note from the property. Despite the hotel giving themselves more than a year to identify the underpayment, they’re demanding that the customer make good within two weeks.
The Federal Trade Commission has finalized a rule banning deceptive bait-and-switch pricing for hotels, short-term rentals like Airbnb, and event tickets. They’re targeting resort fees, cleaning fees, and other add-ons that aren’t clearly disclosed during pricing display prior to booking.
It appears that the water inside the bottle is complimentary – but the bottle is $12 if you take it with you.
The agent upgraded the guest, and then tried to pocket an upgrade fee in cash. But since the guest was already upgraded, and they wouldn’t want them complaining to management, the guest kept the room they were already in. It seems clear to me that the agent processed the upgrade (whether they were supposed to or not) angling to line their own pockets. And the solicitation to pay in cash is always a giveaway.
The Aloft Rogers-Bentonville hotel in Arkansas apparently has a laminated sign in guest rooms outlining the property’s “Hotel Towel Policy.” It says that guests will be charged a variable fee up to $50 per dirty towel.
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 »
