Tag Archives: Hyatt Hotels

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Maybe You Can’t Avoid Resort Fees, But You Can Pay Less For Your Hotel Room

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Resort fees, destination fees; call them what you want, they all stink. Hotels have a menu (except we don’t get to pick and choose) of junk fees that are attached to our bills for all kinds of “services and amenities” that used to be complimentary or something we could choose to pay extra for. I don’t think any of us really believe hotel claims about why they’re now adding on these fees. From what I’ve read, it seems like these fees enable hotels to still claim their rates are lower and also pay less to travel agents since commissions are paid based on the base rate, not the total rate.

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Keep, Cancel or Convert? Chase IHG Rewards Select ($49 Annual Fee) & Hyatt Credit Cards ($75 Annual Fee)

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Good morning everyone.  Earlier this month, my annual fees posted on my Chase IHG Rewards Select Credit Card ($49 annual fee) and Chase Hyatt Credit Card ($75 annual fee).  The main reason I hold onto these credit cards is for the annual free night certificate.  As a reminder, the free night certificates are not really free, since you pay the annual fee before getting the free night certificate – they are more like prepaid free night certificates with a strict expiration date.  Unfortunately, both of these credit cards are no longer available to new applicants, so if you do not have these credit cards right now, there is no way for you to get them now.  Both cards have been replaced by the new Chase IHG Rewards Premier Credit Card and the new Chase World of Hyatt Credit Card.  Anytime one of my credit cards charges me an annual fee, I take a moment to evaluate the credit card and decide if it is still worth keeping.  Here are my thoughts on both of these credit cards.

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Is Amex’s Platinum Business Card Worth $12 Extra A Month?

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No denying this has been a big year for change in the credit card landscape. Hyatt changed its policy on how cash and points nights are determined, the Citi Prestige 4th night free benefit is fading into the sunset, and Amex updated the Gold card benefits. Just when you’re catching your breath, ouch, American Express strikes yet again with an annual fee increase on the Business Platinum credit card.

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Hotel Buy Points Promos Ending Soon: Choice, Hyatt, Radisson, IHG, La Quinta & Hilton

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Good morning everyone.  Since Black Friday and Cyber Monday are right around the corner, several hotels are running buy points promos now.  I wrote about 7 airline buy miles / points promos yesterday and I have all the latest offers on my Buy Miles & Points Page.  Always check the math to make sure that buying points makes sense for you.  Do not buy points speculatively unless you have a use in mind.  With that said, here are the 6 promos that are ending soon. First up, Choice Hotels is offering a 25% discount when you purchase Choice Privileges points.  This offer expires on November 26.

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$50 Off SELECT Membership: Exclusive Discounts on Airlines, Hotels, Restaurants, Events & More

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Good morning everyone, happy Friday!  A few weeks ago, I was at the Chicago Seminars travel conference and learned about SELECT, an elite membership that offers exclusive discounts on travel, dining, events and much more.  According to their website, “SELECT members enjoy unpublished rates at over 500,000 hotels & resorts and VIP perks and treatment at thousands of premier restaurants, travel partners, nightlife venues, retailers, and experiences. Enjoy airfare discounts, rental car savings, complimentary elite status and more – opportunities you won’t find offered to the general public.”  Here are some of the benefits SELECT members have access to:

  • 5% off Hawaiian Airlines flights
  • 12% off Air New Zealand flights
  • 20% off Silvercar
  • 15% off Hyatt
  • 15% off Brooks Brothers
  • 30% off Tumi
  • 25% off Tommy Bahama
  • 15% off Bose and much more.

I signed up for a SELECT membership since they were running a promotion at the Chicago Seminars.  You can get a $50 discount by using my SELECT link.  As you can see, there are 8 distinct headings when you sign into your SELECT account.  I will go through each heading and show you a sample deal available.  I did not pick and choose the best deals from each heading, just deals that stood out to me.  Lastly, new deals are constantly being added to SELECT, so check back often.  Under the Hotels heading, they offer up to 70% off bookings at 200,000+ hotels and 10% cash back at 300,000+ hotels.

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