Category Archives for Hotels.
Hyatt “is adjusting how it markets its loyalty program to reflect new realities” of reduced business travel and increased leisure travel. Hyatt’s CEO says that experiences now matter, with leisure, more than points. But that isn’t correct.
American Airlines AAdvantage status members can register for 90 days of elite status with Hyatt, with an expedited path towards keeping or increasing that status next year.
A manager at MGM’s Aria hotel in Las Vegas has been arrested and charged with generating $770,000 in reservation refunds – that he put on his own personal credit card.
The 10 year operations manager with MGM Resorts spent the money “at Louis Vuitton and Versace, flying on private jets, doing spa visits, going to shows and even purchasing a home.”
Hilton and Tesla have entered into a deal to add up to 20,000 Tesla Universal Wall Connectors to 2,000 U.S., Canada, and Mexico properties, with a minimum of 6 per hotel. These charging stations will work with other electric vehicles as well, though consumers will need to download the Tesla app to use them. This project will begin next year and take several years to complete.
Anyone could have put something in those bottles that shouldn’t have been there. Housekeeping clearly didn’t clean them, either.
And what in the world are they thinking using Marriott’s own 39 Degrees North branded shampoo and conditioner at a Westin?
A wedding planner wanted a full length photo of the bride’s dress, and so she hung the dress on the sprinkler head in a hotel room. The sprinkler head broke, spraying water, and this “ruined hair and makeup for the entire bridal party, the wedding dress” as well as $3,000 worth of the makeup artist’s equipment – not to mention damage to the room.
You should register even if you don’t have any Marriott stays planned this year because one might crop up, and you will never remember to go back and register later. It’s easy and quick to register now, and if you don’t you may wind up losing out on points later.
The welcome message from the Marriott Courtyard Lake George, which explains that it explicitly will not honor Bonvoy elite food and beverage credits because their restaurant is operated by a third party.
A new private lawsuit has been filed against Hyatt over resort fees. Consumer group Travelers United has filed a class action in Washington, D.C. against the chain. Especially highlighted in the complaint is the Grand Hyatt Washington and its ‘destination fee’.
Travelers United is suing under the District’s Consumer Protection Procedures Act requires businesses to sell products at their advertised prices. But Hyatt advertises prices for this hotel at rates consumers cannot pay, since the hotel adds on a fixed amount to its prices in the form of destination fees.
Guests took it upon themselves to remove two snakes from the pool. But there was still one in the hot tub. On the way back from the pool area, these guests were confronted by another snake, and watched it enter a guest room. She heard a TV on in the room, so knew someone was inside. She knocked on the door to let the guest know. The man inside tried to catch it with a plunger from the bathroom.
A woman who declined to stay on property reported they refused full refunds, with the hotel requiring 50% forfeiture of the room rate. A manager claimed, that despite photos, guests were “overreacting.”
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 »
