Earlier today I received the following email with the subject SPG Participation from Starwood:
As a valued Starwood Preferred Guest member, we are pleased to share some refreshing news with you. Beginning August 2013 through Spring 2014 the Westin St. John ...
Its a good problem to have; 3 free nights at any Starwood property in category 1-6.
I'm asking you, dear reader, for suggestions for where to go.
Starwood tends to be my primary hotel chain. I have a lot of stays in cities for my business travel, and ...
It's been quiet on RegionalFirst of late, but that is because I'm really enjoying my time mostly disconnected at the Park Hyatt Maldives.
reflections on the main pool at the Park Hyatt Maldives
I recently spent a week at the Aloft Bangkok. If you read my blog you know I'm a huge fan of the Starwood Aloft brand for both the consistency and reasonable prices. This property is by far the largest property of the 20+ I've stayed at across the 60 properties. The staff ...
This Spring/Early Summer the hotel reward program bonuses are abundant and no one is missing an opportunity to provide you with bonus points. While Marriott is offering bonus points after xx amount of nights, SPG is upping the ante and providing guests with points after EACH stay! That’s ...
Lifetime status sounds really impressive, especially since I hope to have many decades of travel in my future. I have just attained a lifetime status for the first time:
This took a few days after my last stay posted putting me over the ...
Delta Airline SkyMiles program is FAR from perfect and has some of the WORST redemption availability in the industry (Yet I still find amazing use for my Skymiles). In addition, the recent MQD requirement is such a devaluation of the program, words alone cannot describe my anger and annoyance at ...
American Express has a number of cards that I am a huge fan of and love to use them both to earn and burn points for free travel. Traveling can be EXTREMELY expensive, but when done right, traveling can cost next to nothing. One of ...
I knew Princeville was beautiful, but as we enjoyed a drink at dusk soon after our arrival, we were treated to views like this. It was remarkable.
No filter or anything like that. It was just the perfect conditions. Subsequent nights ...
Late in 2012, work was keeping me very busy, but thankfully we had planned a trip to Hawaii to relax before the holidays. Hawaii is probably not be best place to go for an affordable beach location, but it holds a special place for my wife and I since that is where we had our ...
2012 has come to an end. Soon all of our elite qualification meters will be reset to zero, and it will be time to play the game again in 2013. As I reflect on the different status levels I have earned, I can say that it isn't too different from my previous year. Check out my 2011 status ...
As the new year approaches, it is time again to reflect on the past year, and look ahead to plans for 2013.
Here is my route map for 2012.
2012 was a pretty busy year for travel for me, I had some great experiences with new aircraft and new ...
Beatles cover band? Huge suite upgrade with river views? Excellent club lounge? My stay at the Sheraton was very brief, but it was pretty memorable.
I've read mixed reviews of the Royal Orchid Sheraton, but I enjoyed my stay. ...
Long layovers and travel delays after a series of flights can either be a lot of fun or horrible, depending on where you are and what you have planned. If planned correctly, an 8 hour layover can become a perfect opportunity to explore a city. Some cities are clearly made for exploring while ...
After my overnight stay in Bangkok, I had a morning flight to Chiang Rai. Sadly my stay in Northern Thailand was just one night, but I was able to spend almost 2 full days exploring the area. I arrived in Chiang Rai in the morning, and the cab ride ...
While much of the attention in the travel blogosphere has been directed towards Chase Ultimate Rewards points this year, Air France’s announcement earlier this fall about their deepening relationship with Etihad piqued my attention to wonder if I was mentally under-valuing American Express ...
both bonus offers have expired, The Choice card is now only offering 8,000 points and the Starwood American Express is only offering 10,000.
Canadians!!! There are 2 amazing credit card offers going on right now and both are set to expire within the next month! BOTH offers are ...
Minneapolis is a relatively frequent destination for my business travels. I've previously talked about my stays at the W Minneapolis and the Aloft near the Metrodome. As I was preparing for another trip back in Minneapolis, I was expecting to stay at the Aloft, which has become my ...
Finally, American Express Canada has upped the Starwood Preferred Guest Credit Card bonus from 10,000 to 15,000 POINTS! This offer isn’t contributing as many points as we’ve seen with AMEX USA, however it’s still better than the 10K normally offered! This is a limited deal and ...
Overview: A better-than-average W hotel
Strengths: Rooms, dining, location
Drawbacks: If you like the W experience, probably none
After a mediocre stay last time at the purportedly haunted Grand Hyatt Taipei, I decided to try my luck with Taipei’s relatively new W ...
