The Novotel Araneta in Manila is a brand-new, upscale Accor Group hotel a little away from the main business and tourist areas. Thanks to another Accor Promotion, I was only two stays away from reaching Accor LeClub Platinum status and its many perks, so we planned a weekend staycation – and were pleasantly surprised what […]
On my recent trip “Bali on a Budget” I was looking for an affordable hotel under $50/night in Ubud that is a reflection of the town: a small, independent guest house near the center of town, with typical Bali decor, friendly service and modern amenities. Based on online and a site inspection, I picked the
In my introduction to Bali – an island that fulfills many dreams – I pointed out that you can enjoy all that Bali has to offer at any budget. You will find anything from hostels for a few dollars to private pool villas with butlers for hundreds of dollars per night. At any price point,
Singles’ Day, November 11th (11/11) is the biggest online sales day in China and it’s expanding across Asia and anywhere Chinese want to shop. There will be a Singles’ Day online sale in Manila and Accor Hotels is getting into the action with a big worldwide sale. Continue after the break to see if there
As part of my “Bali on a budget” trip, I visited Lovina Beach on the North Shore of Bali to get away from the crowds of Southern Bali and explore the quieter side of Bali. I was looking for a hotel close to the beach for under $50/night and found Hotel Melamun from online reviews – and it is
One of my favorite hotel rewards promotions is Intercontinental Hotel Group’s (IHG) quarterly PointBreaks promotion: You can book a select number of hotels worldwide for only 5,000 points/night. IHG just released the Winter 2016 promotion and you can book stays until January 2017 – find out where I saved big and great value destinations you could,
Last week, I reviewed the Experience you can expect at Best Western hotels and I mentioned that Best Western was working hard to move their brands into the midscale and upscale segments and has kicked out more than 1,200 properties that do not meet their brand standards. They have also embarked on a redesign of
For my stay in Faro on Portugal’s Algarve coast as part of my Iberian Explorer Trip, I selected the Best Western Dom Bernardo hotel. I want to explore Best Western, their rewards program and promotions this year (together with Choice and Wyndham) and this was one of the few options on the Iberian peninsula. Like
Travel rewards programs stopped being about loyalty a long time ago. Today, they are profit centers that manage a currency of points and miles and you can earn them not only at hotels and airlines, but by using a credit card, earning them for shopping or dining – and even buy them. Check out current
Best Western is one of the largest hotel companies in the world with over 4,100 properties and one of the oldest, having started in 1946. It is a privately held company that allows the individual properties to stay independent, charges some of the lowest brand membership fees in the industry and some of the least
If you are looking for a place to stay in Ubud, you will find many small independent hotels around town – or beautiful resorts among the rice paddies. If you are looking for a thoroughly modern hotel that can handle larger groups in the center of town, your choices are few. The evitel is addressing
Doubletree is a full-service brand of Hilton Worldwide, positioned next to the name-giving Hilton Brand, below the luxury Conrad and above limited service brands Hampton or Hilton Garden Inn. It is the conversion brand in the portfolio, allowing hotel operators to join the Hilton group without meeting the tighter brand standards of the Hilton brand.