Mar
24
2021
The Westin Fort Lauderdale Beach Resort has been charging guests a 2% fee for paying their bills by credit card.
Marriott Hotel Tries To Charge Guests 2% For Paying With A Credit Card. Will It Fly?
Hotels
Category Archives for Hotels.
This Marriott Resort Imposes A $30 Loyalty Tax On Free Night Redemptions
Mar
21
2021
In a move that may be ‘the most Bonvoy thing ever,’ the J.W. Marriott Los Cabos Resort says they charge guests using points a $30 redemption fee. This fee, or loyalty tax, applies only to free night awards and is not billed to guests paying cash. It’s not even disclosed in the rate details when booking a points stay.
Marriott’s New CEO Continues To Flatter China’s Authoritarian Rulers
Mar
21
2021
Late Marriott CEO Arne Sorenson lent international support for China’s argument that their response to Covid-19 was world-leading. Sorenson knew that crushing the pandemic through any means necessary was good for travel and the hotel business. And he knew that flattering Chinese officials and supporting their narratives is key to staying in their good graces. China is a key growth market for Marriott.
New Marriott CEO Tony Capuano appears to be taking a similar approach.
Will Hyatt’s New Multi-Brand Las Vegas Complex Jeopardize Its MGM Partnership?
Mar
19
2021
The old Rio Las Vegas will become several Hyatt-branded properties with Hyatt Regency the first to come online, expected in 2023. Full service Hyatts in Las Vegas will be something new, but Hyatt isn’t telling us what other brands they’ll have yet and none of this will happen for several years. So that’s only of limited interest today.
What’s more intriguing I think is what this means for Hyatt’s MGM M life Rewards partnership.
Hilton Isn’t Actually Tightening Points Expiration Rules
Mar
19
2021
The Hilton Honors terms and conditions rolled back and started showing 12 month expiration again. That’s a mistake. Hilton points still only expire after 15 months of inactivity (and expiration remains paused throughout 2021).
Wu Tang Clan Luxury Hotel Scammer Sentenced To 7 Years In Federal Prison
Mar
16
2021
A group of identity thieves posed as Wu-Tang Clan to scam hotels out of more than $100,000. They also scammed a Rolls Royce. They stiffed The Georgian Terrace Hotel for $45,000 and Hyatt Regency Atlanta for $39,000. But they were no match for a suburban Fairfield Inn.
After Promising To Suspend Hotel Category Changes, Hyatt Will Make Category Changes
Mar
11
2021
Back in the fall Hyatt announced 15 hotels that would change redemption category but otherwise declared they would ‘suspend 2021 hotel category changes’.
That didn’t turn out to hold.
10,000 Free Hilton Points For Taking One Survey
Mar
10
2021
Taking surveys for miles was super lucrative twenty years ago. Now I very often don’t bother. The rewards tend to be much lower, and I’ve wasted too much time on screening questions to even qualify for a survey that don’t pay out at all, only to learn after that effort that I’m not eligible.
Here’s an exception to the rule. There’s a new offer to earn 10,000 Hilton points as a bonus for your first Guest Opinion Rewards survey, increased from just 1250 bonus points.
This $99 Per Night Resort Fee Is Marriott Bonvoy’s “Loyalty Tax”
Mar
09
2021
Marriott charges resort fees on supposedly free nights. When you use your points you still have a cash co-pay or ‘loyalty tax.’ Neither Hilton nor Hyatt does this. And these resort fees can be $99 per night, plus tax, or even more.
Most Bonvoy members don’t learn there’s a fee to redeem their points until they’ve stayed with the chain, spent time in the program, and accumulated enough points to be ready to redeem. That’s why it’s a loyalty tax.
Leaked Memo Exposes British Resort Chain Refusing Reservations Based On Ethnicity
Mar
08
2021
Britannia Hotels has 61 properties across the U.K and has been called ‘Britain’s worst hotel chain’. Their Pontins brand includes 6 resorts.
An internal memo from Pontins resorts leaked showing that the chain made an effort to avoid accepting bookings from people with Irish surnames, or who booked by phone with Irish accents. They even cancelled bookings that made it through in error.
