Category Archives for Trip Reports.
Hyatt Regency Aruba can be an outrageous points value over peak dates—especially with a confirmed suite upgrade and Globalist breakfast at a resort where cash rates can hit four figures. The catch is that it runs like a resort factory: if you want decent beach or pool chairs you need to reserve in advance and be there by 9 a.m., and the stay can come with real operational friction even when the location and room deliver.
I’ve redeemed points for resorts and received upgrades to rooms with $2,000+ sticker prices, but this was my first time on a cash rate at a $1,000 all-in The Peninsula New York. The renovation has the place feeling current, the base room is unusually large for the city, and the bathrooms still feel legitimately top tier. Chase The Edit helped too, with breakfast (including room service) plus a $100 property credit.
I wasn’t sure I’d feel at home at a ‘female empowerment hotel’ – but Hotel Zena (1) gave me a suite as a status upgrade, and (2) has a portrait of Ruth Bader Ginsburg that’s just awesome.
Spirit’s first class was cheaper than extra-legroom coach on American, Delta, or United — and it was the only way for my whole family to sit together. The booking was a headache, but the flights themselves were surprisingly good, and the math made the decision easy.
It’s sad the depths to which American’s Flagship First Class product has fallen. They are eliminating the product, but the truth is going the other direction wouldn’t have been hard.
The Park Hyatt London River Thames has only been open for 10 months. It still has that new hotel feel. It’s located in the Nine Elms district on the south side of the Thames, and many find it to be an odd location other than proximity to the U.S. Embassy.
I’d say that the hotel’s decor and interiors feels somewhat dated and my room felt very much like a Hyatt Regency that could have been anyway. The bed was good and blackout shades excellent.
But given the beachfront location and that the room was large, plus good food and overall pleasant ambiance I’m not sure I’d rate any Hyatt Regency other than the property in Danang more highly?
After deciding we’d visit Venice before my daughter started back to school, my wife decided that we ought to travel to the South of France next. After all, they’re pretty close! But only one airline with a published schedule flies Venice – Nice, and only two days a week. That’s why I wound up flying Volotea, and it was the segment I was most excited about on this trip – a new airline, with an interesting business model!
I figured if I showed up in Venice during the week, rather than a weekend; after true peak of peak dates (when the city stopped imposing its transient tourist tax); and stayed in a more residential area, away from the tourist sites (Piazza San Marco and St. Mark’s Basilica, the Doge’s Palace, Rialto Bridge) I wouldn’t mind so much.
Overall value across the Atlantic was fantastic. The seats are mostly fine, though the new suites are better. Food was below average for American, and service was pretty ordinary, but a good way to cross the Pond. Getting any of American’s other seats would have been better, food is usually better, and many crews are too. So I don’t hesitate to fly them, I just feel like they can do better than they did here – but I did get my points worth as it were.
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 »
