Tag Archives: Hotel Loyalty Points

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Come Say Hi to Me at the Chicago Seminars (Friday-Sunday October 19-21)

Good morning everyone. I am heading to Chicago this weekend for the Chicago Seminars travel conference. Registration is still open if you can get to Chicago this weekend. I’ve gone to the Chicago Seminars several times over the last few years and it is my favorite travel conference (shhh, don’t tell FTU). I’ll be there wearing my Travel with Grant shirt, so feel free to stop me and say hello. I love meeting readers and putting faces to names. Here are a few of my friends who I’ve met at previous Chicago Seminars:

If you have any questions, please leave a comment below. Have a great day everyone!

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Has Working With My Hyatt Concierge Gotten Any Better?

I make no apologies for being the Hyatt fan girl here at TWG. Though as I write this I’m sitting in a Hilton property lounge :)

My Hyatt Globalist status comes with benefits and perhaps my favorite one is having a concierge to work with. My Hyatt concierge relationship did not go well in 2017 and turned into quite a frustrating saga. I shared this with you in a few blog posts.

Recently a reader asked me how things were going with my current Hyatt concierge, so I thought it might be interesting to share an update with you. This may not be of interest to everyone, but if it’s interesting to some of you, then I’m glad I took the time to write this out.

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Buy Miles/Points Promos: United 70% Bonus, IHG 100% Bonus, American 42.5K Bonus & Choice Hotels 40% Bonus

Good afternoon everyone.  I was working on my Buy Miles & Points Page and found a few new offers.  Always check the math to make sure that buying miles & points makes sense for you.  Do not buy miles & points speculatively unless you have a use in mind.  With that said, I have 4 promos to share with you.  First up, United Airlines has a tiered bonus where you can get up to a 70% bonus on United Airlines miles.  This offer expires on October 16.

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Which of Hyatt’s New Properties Excite You Most?

Some rumors stay rumors and some materialize. In the case of Hyatt’s acquisition of Two Roads Hospitality, I’m thrilled the rumor materialized. Bringing Two Roads Hospitality under the World of Hyatt umbrella adds 23 new markets and potentially 85 properties. Any increase in Hyatt’s footprint is a good thing. More opportunities to both redeem and earn Hyatt points are always welcome.

I wasn’t living under a rock yesterday when this news broke, but I was preoccupied with drinking coffee and talking with baristas in one of my favorite cities thereby creating another Bean Around the World post for TWG readers. I’m late to the announcement party, but in this case better late than never.

Even though the integration of these new properties won’t happen until 2019, I’m looking ahead and was actually surprised when I looked at the list of properties being added to the Hyatt portfolio how many I’ve either stayed at, knew about, or would be interested in visiting. I may even have to get my skis out of storage for some of these fun locations!

It will be interesting to watch this unfold, see which properties do become Hyatt properties, how elite benefits will be honored, and the points award charts for some of these unique properties. For me, one major disappointment in this acquisition is that even though Hyatt’s expansion with Small Luxury Hotels increases its scope in Europe, this acquisition does not. Come on Hyatt, show Europe more love!

Do any of the properties Hyatt’s bringing on board through this acquisition peak your interest? Any you’ve already stayed at you’d recommend?

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Westin Desert Willow Villas Palm Desert Vacation Package ($389 for 5 Days / 4 Nights + $75 AMEX GC)

Good afternoon everyone – happy Friday!  I must be the king of getting timeshare vacation package offers, since I just got another offer.  The Westin Desert Villas in Palm Desert, CA has a timeshare vacation package for $389 that includes 5 days / 4 nights in a one bedroom villa plus a $75 American Express Gift Card.  This offer is supposed to be only for recipients of the invitation letter, but you can try calling 800-326-2481 or emailing westinexclusive@westinvacations.com to see if you are eligible.  Just tell them your friend got this offer and you are interested in the offer too.  Here are some photos from the property:

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