Tag Archives: Marriott Hotels

Business Travelers: What Do You Look for in a Hotel?

Posted on August 9, 2018 by Shelli. 10 Replies

As much as I travel, and as great as my own gusto for travel is, I’m always impressed by the stamina of business travelers. You know, those travelers who week after week head out either to the same location or various locations due to living in one place and conducting business in another. I don’t actually have many friends who spend their weeks living this life, but recently I sat down and talked with my friend Rachel who has been a business traveler for a few years now and travels three weeks out of every month. I was curious about what she looks for in a hotel and how she makes accommodation choices.

Rachel’s Story

Due to a change in business travel locations, about two years ago Rachel switched from Marriott Rewards loyalty to Hilton Honors loyalty. She was pleased with Marriott, so the switch was based purely on Hilton property locations that worked better for her business location. She’s enjoying Hilton properties and has quite a huge accumulation of Hilton points now! For her, hotel location being close to her business is always more important than being close to an airport. Rachel easily maintains Hilton Honors Gold Elite Status. Continue reading →

Don’t Miss These Huge American Express SPG & Delta Credit Card Sign-Up Bonuses

Posted on August 5, 2018 by Shelli. 1 Reply

The competition has heated up in August with banks, credit card companies, and airlines stepping up to the plate with some of their best sign-up offers. If you qualify for these cards, now is a great time to give them a go!

Up to 175K SPG Points

Good news on the American Express front. American Express announced significant changes to their two co-branded SPG cards this week.

Starwood Preferred Guest® Credit Card from American Express

The card is currently offering 75K points after spending $3K within the first three months as well as 6x points on Marriott/SPG purchases and 2x points on all other purchases. You’ll also receive a free night award every year after your card account anniversary (good for redemption up to properties going for 35K per night). Beginning in 2019, you will receive 15 elite qualifying nights for holding the card. The card comes with a $95 annual fee that is waived for the first year.

Earn 75,000 Bonus Points after you use your new Card to make $3,000 in purchases within the first 3 months.
Earn 6 points for each dollar of eligible purchases at participating SPG® and Marriott Rewards® hotels and 2 points on all other eligible purchases.
No Foreign Transaction Fees on International purchases.
Receive 1 Free Night Award every year after your Card account anniversary. Award can be used for one night (redemption level at or under 35,000 points) at a participating hotel. Select hotels have resort fees.
Enjoy complimentary, unlimited Boingo Wi-Fi on up to four devices at more than 1,000,000 Boingo hotspots worldwide. Enrollment required.
$0 introductory annual fee for the first year, then $95.

You have a limited window to obtain this card until 8/26. AmEx normally limits the card to those applicants who have not had it before, but additional restrictions will be put in place come 8/26: Effective 8/26, welcome offer not available to applicants who have or have had The Marriott Rewards® Premier Credit Card from Chase, The Marriott Rewards® Premier Plus Credit Card from Chase, Marriott Rewards Credit Card from Chase, or The Ritz-Carlton Rewards® Credit Card from JP Morgan in the last 30 days. Continue reading →

Westin Denver Airport Review: Go from Gate to Hotel Room in 25 Minutes (or Less)

Posted on August 3, 2018 by Grant. 13 Replies

Good morning everyone, happy Friday. Last week, my girlfriend and I had a late night flight into Denver International Airport (DEN). Due to a slight delay, we landed after midnight. If you’ve ever flown into DEN, you know the airport is in the middle of nowhere, with no hotels closeby. That was true until recently when the Westin Denver Airport hotel opened. Nightly rates were $300+, so I opted to use 12,000 SPG. Thankfully, the hotel is attached to the main terminal, so I was able to get from the gate to our room in 25 minutes.

According to the DEN Airport website, the Westin Denver International Airport has 519 guest rooms, 35 suites, and was “designed to resemble a bird in flight—its curved roof mimicking the concave shape of Jeppesen Terminal’s white peaked roof.” Underneath the hotel, is the RTD train that connects DEN airport to Denver’s Union Station. The one-way trip takes 40 minutes, costs $9 per person and runs pretty frequently. In this post, I will share how to get to the hotel from the various terminals and show photos of our room. Enjoy!

Image source: https://www.starwoodhotels.com/westin/property/overview/index.html?propertyID=3685

Continue reading →

SPG Amex Cards: Important Updates!

Posted on August 2, 2018 by Shelli. 5 Replies

Updates to both the personal and business Starwood Preferred credit cards from American Express went into effect on August 1. The one-time Starpoints conversion in SPG loyalty member accounts and the updates to Elite status will occur along with the broader Marriott loyalty program updates on August 18.

On August 1, the following updates were made to SPG Amex Cards:

How You Earn Points with Your Card

When you use your card you can earn:

6X points for each dollar of eligible purchases at participating SPG and Marriott Rewards hotels
2X points on all other eligible purchases
4X points for each dollar of eligible purchases at U.S. restaurants, at U.S. gas stations, on U.S. wireless telephone services purchased directly from U.S. service providers, and on U.S. purchases for shipping. (this update only applies to The Starwood Preferred Guest Business Credit Card from American Express) Continue reading →

Did I Upgrade My Chase Marriott, Hyatt & IHG Credit Cards?

Posted on July 5, 2018 by Grant. 6 Replies

Good morning everyone, I hope you all had a great Fourth of July holiday. Lately, there has been a lot of news about new Chase credit cards and upgrade options for 3 Chase hotel credit cards. I have all 3 Chase hotel credit cards (Marriott, Hyatt and IHG) so I had to decide if I wanted to upgrade any, all or none of my credit cards. The old and new credit cards are good for some people, but everyone’s situation is different. I will share my thought process about keeping or upgrading each credit card. Since everyone travels differently, you may agree or disagree with my decisions.

Before I share my decisions, here is where I stand on hotel loyalty programs. I am very loyal to chain hotels and would rather stay at a chain hotel than an independent hotel or Airbnb. But I do not have loyalty to a specific hotel loyalty program. I consider myself a free agent and do not care about hotel elite status unless it is given to me free for having the credit card. Lastly, I spend 1-2 nights a year at Marriott, 4-8 nights a year at Hyatt, and 5-7 nights a year at IHG (I divvy the rest of my hotel stays between Hilton, SPG, and Radisson Rewards). I use points and free night certificates for the stays as much as possible, unless the cash rate is cheap. Without further ado, let’s get started.

Upgrade Chase Marriott Rewards Premier Credit Card to Chase Marriott Rewards Premier Plus Credit Card?

: Chase Marriott Rewards Premier Credit Card

: Chase Marriott Rewards Premier Plus Credit Card