When Marriott acquired Starwood, many die-hard Starwood fans were worried about what would happen to the many more upscale hotels and their beloved rewards program. Marriott addressed the rewards program issue on the day the acquisition became official – and allowed to link the programs and exchange points immediately. They are now addressing the management […]
Planning a trip to Manila, but can’t find a good, affordable hotel where you want to be? Airbnb has arrived in Manila to help! But having lived in Manila for more than three years, there are a few pitfalls for the first-time visitor when picking a place to stay. Let me help you find a
Choice Privileges is the rewards program of Choice Hotels and has been rated the second best hotel rewards program by US News & World Travel, coming in behind budget competitor Wyndham Rewards, but ahead of Marriott! Similar to Wyndham, this program has been widely ignored by travel bloggers and point enthusiasts, but Choice has made
Intercontinental Hotels Group has for years now run reward promotions tailored to the individual member, based on their stay history, credit card ownership and even contract rates. It’s one of the best hotel rewards promotions out there, especially if you don’t stay regularly with IHG – and that’s true again this quarter. Check out what
Quality is one of the core brands of Choice Hotels with over 1,700 hotels around the world. They are priced as a midscale brand these days and their marketing is pushing modern amenities, but they have their roots firmly in the roadside motel market. Find out who they are and what experience you can expect
United launched it’s new Polaris Business Class in June this year, with new pod-like seats, new Polaris lounges and new inflight amenities (read all the details here). On December 1, they opened the first Polaris lounge in Chicago’s O’Hare airport and started offering the in-flight amenities and food as PolarisFirst and PolarisBusiness class, replacing the
As part of my “Battle of the Budget Hotels” tour of America, I booked a stay at the Super 8 Monterey hotel during a getaway along California’s Highway 1. It was better than some of my other budget hotel experiences – but at an upscale price of $221/night in expensive Northern California during a peak
One of my favorite getaways from San Francisco is Monterey – from the beautiful drive on Highway 1 to the fantastic Aquarium, there is a lot to take your mind off after your crazy work week. It’s also a great stop on my favorite road-trip along California’s Highway 1, so I have stayed here numerous
airberlin has been mostly in the news for their restructuring (I reported here), but they continue their deeply discounted reward “topdeal” sales as part of their topbonus rewards program – or maybe because of the news! You can get free tickets from 1,500 miles and discounts of up to 80% – that’s a great deal. Check
Super 8 is Wyndham Worldwide’s largest hotel brand with more than 2,700 hotels, making it also the biggest budget hotel brand worldwide. When Super 8 launched in 1974, the price for a room was $8.88 – giving it the iconic name. A lot has changed since – so read my review to get the background
airberlin recently renounced a major restructuring of its business after years of financial losses, including the wet-lease of planes to competitor Lufthansa, the focus on business-travel to North America, Scandinavia, Eastern Europe and Italy and changes to the leisure business. Now, the changes for the leisure travel arm have been announced: airberlin is selling its
My “Travel Made Easy” posts are meant to provide easy access to new destinations, hotel groups or airlines, with a quick summary and links to more in-depth information you might be interested in about the brand. Today’s post provides a summary of all the information around the Wyndham Worldwide Hotel Group, their brands, the experience you can