Tag Archives: IHG Hotels

a woman holding her hands up with a man in front of him

Travel Predictions for 2016 Part 1: Airlines and Hotels

Update: Travel Predictions for 2016 Part 2: Credit Cards and MS is now live!

Good morning everyone, happy New Years Eve!  To prove how smart or dumb I am, I wanted to make a few predictions for 2016.  In Part 1, I will share my thoughts and predictions about airlines and hotels.  In Part 2, I will share my thoughts and predictions about credit cards and MS.  If you strongly agree or disagree with any of my thoughts or predictions, please leave a comment below and we will see who is right next year.  Without any further ado, let’s make some guesses!

Airlines

Southwest – Southwest points used to be worth 1.67 CPP, then they were worth 1.43 CPP, now with route variability, I have no idea how much Southwest points are worth.  I wish Southwest points would be worth a fixed amount, maybe 1.5 CPP for all flights.  I hope Southwest continues to announce new routes, especially a few routes from the West Coast to Hawaii.  Lastly, for the last several year, credit card sign up bonus points have counted toward the Southwest Companion Pass.  I think this might change in 2016.

American – after the devaluation goes into effect, I hope award space improves considerably (it can’t get much worse).  I hope American gets rid of the close-in booking fee for booking award flights within 3 weeks of travel.  I also hope that Citi adds the ability to transfer Citi Thank You Points into American Airlines miles.  I hope Citi Prestige Credit Card holders retain the ability to book American and AA codeshare flights for 1.6 CPP.

Continue reading

a sign on a brick wall

Las Vegas to Zion National Park Roadtrip and Chain Hotel Options

Good morning everyone.  Last month, my brother and I went to Zion National Park for Labor Day Weekend (September 4-7).  The trip was amazing and I definitely recommend everyone go to Zion National Park for a few days if you are ever in Southwest Utah.  A few weeks ago, Frequent Miler wrote a post about his recent trip through Zion National Park where he stayed at the Zion Lodge (log cabins) for ~$200/night.  I thought it would be a good idea to share my experience at the Holiday Inn Express Springdale / Zion National Park and show what other points hotel options were available at Zion National Park.

Getting to Zion National Park is tricky.  You can fly into St. George, Utah, but that is a very small/expensive airport.  I recommend flying into Las Vegas (easily accessible from every airport with many flights from many airlines) and then driving ~3 hours to Zion National Park (Google Map).  My brother and I landed in Vegas around 8:30pm and then made our way to the Las Vegas rental car lot and then toward Utah.  We arrived at the Holiday Inn Express hotel a little after 1am (1 hour time change from Arizona to Utah).

Las Vegas Airport to Zion National Park Google Map

Continue reading

a black and blue card with a circular design

Random News: Citi Prestige & Premier, US Bank, British Airways, IHG, and Southwest Airlines

Good morning everyone, it’s been a while since I did a random news post, so I have accumulated quite a bit of random news.  So much news, that I will have to do a random news afternoon special.  Check back at noon for that.  In the meantime, here is the morning edition of the random news.  My first Citi Prestige statement closed and I received the full $250 airline travel credit.

Citi Prestige $250 Airline Credit Used

Continue reading

a woman holding her hands up with a man in front of him

Hotel Credit Card Free Night Certificate Comparison Table

Good morning everyone!  With the impending demise of the “old” US Bank Club Carlson Credit Card, I thought it would be a good idea to compare the “new” Club Carlson free night certificate with other free night certificates from other co-brand hotel credit cards.  Here is the table comparing Intercontinental, Hyatt, Marriott, Club Carlson, Hilton, Fairmont, and Starwood:

a list of a number of items

Continue reading

a close up of a logo

4 Day IHG Flash Sale: 30% Off Hotels in Mexico (Travel March 13 – June 15)

Good morning everyone, my IHG insider sent me news on an upcoming IHG promo.  Between March 13-16, you can book all participating IHG hotels in Mexico and automatically receive a 30% discount on the nightly rate.  This promo only applies to paid stays between March 13 and June 15.  The landing page is a little barren at the moment, but presumable tomorrow there will be more information available.

IHG MExico Sale

Continue reading