Is The Pandemic The End Of Hotel Book-Direct Supremacy?

by Gary Leff

Jun 21 2020

For several years hotel chains have worked to get customers to ‘book direct’ rather than through third party agents because it lowers their distribution costs. They’ve imposed contracts that limit the ability of their properties to offer discounts, and they’ve advertised to convince you that booking directly through them gives you the lowest price, but that’s often not true.

Now that the global pandemic has decimated hotel occupancy, properties are doing everything they can to cut costs and look for business – and that includes cutting more deals with third party distributors.

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Isn’t It Risky To Lend $5 Billion To MileagePlus When United Keeps Devaluing The Program?

by Gary Leff

credit card with chains wrapped around it
Jun 20 2020

Lenders are putting up $5 billion against United’s MileagePlus. They have a huge interest in making sure the currency remains as attractive – or becomes even more attractive – to program members, to assure the revenue stream needed to pay back the loans.

Yet credit card companies have had ‘anti-devaluation’ clauses in their co-brand agreements for years and it hasn’t done any good. Here’s why.

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Here’s Why People are Losing Global Entry

by Gary Leff

passport getting stamped
Jun 20 2020

US Customs and Border Protection responded to a FOIA request (.pdf) detailing each instance where Global Entry was revoked between November 6, 2016 and June 6, 2017.

There are several reasons someone might have their Global Entry participation revoked: bringing snacks into the U.S. that you fail to declare, being investigated for or convicted of a crime, or bringing people with you through Global Entry who aren’t in the program.

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Dozens Of Puppies Die On Transatlantic Flight

by Gary Leff

dog with puppies
Jun 20 2020

Dozens of puppies were found dead on a Ukraine International Airlines flight from Kiev to Toronto last weekend. And come on, we all love puppies.

On June 13 the aircraft landed with 500 puppies on board. Many were “suffering from dehydration, weakness and/or vomiting and 38 of them were found dead.” Ukraine International Airlines ‘feels bad’ for allowing this.

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Dangerous New Practice: Hotel Adding 3% To Bill For Accepting Credit Cards

by Gary Leff

Jun 20 2020

The Home2 Suites by Hilton at the Kansas City airport adds 3% to customer bills for ‘credit card processing’ though apparently when pushed they’ll remove the fee.

The truth is that it’s cheaper to accept credit cards than other payment methods, and it’s an underhanded tactic no different than a resort fee to impose a hidden add-on on customers. Why should a customer have to cover a business’s cost to accept their money, on top of the cost of the product they’re buying?

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