Hyatt Regency Bangkok ‘One Million Baht Club’ Lets You Become A Resident For A Year

by Gary Leff

Dec 07 2020

Your year-long Bangkok City Center stay is in a club room, so you get club level benefits including breakfast, light snacks, evening hors d’oeuvres and cocktails. Think of it like rent, without having to pay extra for utilities for housekeeping, and meals thrown in. You even get complimentary parking. And they throw in club lounge meeting room use, too, so call it your office.

They rebate 20% of the price (200,000 Thai Baht) as a statement credit for use in the hotel’s restaurants and bars, or for room service and even hosting events. That’s over $6500 in room service, on top of the club lounge food.

They even throw you a birthday party.

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I’m Not Your Mother, And This Plane’s Not Your Living Room

by Gary Leff

Dec 07 2020

When passengers see a messy cabin, they tend to leave it that way themselves and perhaps even in worse condition (Cf. lavatories). It’s the ‘broken windows theory’ of policing applied to an aircraft cabin. Slovenliness begets slovenliness. But the reverse is also true. Hold up your end, keep things looking respectable, and your fellow passengers are more likely to do so as well – and an airline’s employees and contractors will have a much easier time maintaining the plane for the people flying in your seat next, too.

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A Theory Of Complaining: How To Get Satisfaction From Airlines, Hotels And The DMV

by Gary Leff

american airlines front desk
Dec 06 2020

If you’re reasonable, nice, and persistent – in other words, if you’re easy to help and easier to help than not help – you’re going to do well complaining in almost any circumstance whether it’s the cable company, an airline, or the DMV.

A bureaucrat may go out of their way because they sympathize with you or at least because you’re nice, nicer than most of the people they deal with. A hotel may offer you compensation because they genuinely feel they’ve shortchanged you in some way, or because it’s cheap to make you feel better about your experience. An airline’s rules are so complex you might get what you want just by finding someone who doesn’t search the rulebook for a reason not to give it to you (call center roulette).

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Short-Term Opportunity, Place Sure-Thing Political Bets And Earn Money, Spending Rewards

by Gary Leff

gambling
Dec 06 2020

Set up an account with PredictIt. Whatever your political stripes, you can still bet that President Trump will lose re-election – and earn your full bet back and then some.

As of this writing betting markets still have Trump with about a 10% chance of winning Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Arizona, Georgia, and Nevada, as well as a 9% chance of winning the Presidency.

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As Kauai Shuts Down Again, The Grand Hyatt Closes. Who Knows When It Will Re-Open?

by Gary Leff

Dec 05 2020

The Grand Hyatt Kauai will remain closed for the rest of 2020 and into 2021, though it is not yet clear when the property will re-open. Kauai is one of Hawaii’s most beautiful islands, and the Grand Hyatt a top spot for frequent travelers – but not right now since the island’s Mayor has decided to stop accepting travelers with a negative test for Covid-19.

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