Tag Archives: Marriott Hotels

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Marriott 2018 Changes: Rollover Nights, Status Buy Back & New Hertz Benefits

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Marriott is making changes for 2018 that are worth noting! Being able to rollover nights in excess of our elite requirements is a great benefit of some hotel chains. But now with Marriott, we’ll have to track nights more closely! Going forward, in 2018 our excess nights earned will no long roll forward into 2019. It was great while it lasted! Do you track your hotel nights closely? If not, and you’re a Marriott loyalist, will you start keeping closer tabs on qualifying nights, or does this change not matter much in your hotel choice patterns?

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Wednesday Wakeup: How to Get a Good Night’s Sleep in Hotels

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Do you sleep well in hotels? Maybe that’s even too broad a question to be asking, or maybe you have a simple yes or no answer. Friends, knowing I spend a lot of nights each year in hotels, often ask if I sleep well in hotels and if I have any tips for them. It turns out, when I started talking with other travelers about this, many people don’t sleep well in hotels! That being the case, I thought I’d offer up some ideas and tips. As we all know, sleeping well, and especially when we travel, really is essential to functioning well and enjoying our travels. Hotels are unfamiliar territory and often offer us obstacles to sleeping well, so we have to be strategic and creative in order to get a good night’s sleep.

Tip #1

Many of us are hotel loyalists. And with each hotel chain, comes a certain bed type and mattress brand. Chances are you’re nodding your head and thinking about how you sleep better at a Westin on their bed versus at a Hyatt on their bed. It does take our bodies time to get accustomed to mattresses, so take this into account when looking at and booking your hotel options. You can also ask the hotel what their mattresses are made of. If you’ve ever slept on foam, for instance, you’ll know that these mattresses don’t breathe well. No matter how high you turn up your air conditioning, it’s likely you’ll still sweat and heat up. Cotton mattresses do tend to keep you cooler and this often leads to a better night’s sleep.

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Image source: https://www.pexels.com/photo/alone-bed-bedroom-blur-271897/

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Keep, Cancel or Convert? Chase Sapphire Reserve ($450 Annual Fee) & JPMorgan Chase Ritz Carlton ($450 Annual Fee)

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Good morning everyone, I have a dilemma on my hands.  The $450 annual fee is posting in the next 2 months on my JPMorgan Chase Ritz Carlton Credit Card and I need to decide if I should keep both my Chase Sapphire Reserve Credit Card and JPMorgan Chase Ritz Carlton Credit Card.  Both credit cards have $450 annual fees and I don’t *need* both credit cards, but what should I do?  As a reminder, I recently converted my Chase Freedom into a Chase Sapphire Reserve, but I have had my JPMorgan Chase Ritz Carlton Credit Card for almost 3 years (I applied for this credit card when the sign up bonus was 140,000 Marriott Points).  I will walk through all the perks for both credit cards and see if I have a clear answer by the end of this post.

Contender 1: Chase Sapphire Reserve Credit Card

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Coronado / San Diego Week: Part 2 of What to Eat, See & Do in Beautiful Coronado

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Coronado is a gem, and one that I’ve been enjoying for many years now. Whether you stay at Hotel Del Coronado or use other lodging on Coronado, or just come for a day from San Diego, there’s a lot to explore. If you like to walk or bike, or just want to know more about what to see/do in Coronado, you’ll like Shelli’s Coronado Loop! The whole loop takes you by the ocean, through town, to the bay side, along the Coronado Golf Course and back to the ocean. The whole loop is just under 7 miles, but of course it can be done in parts, too. It can be enjoyed both riding a bike and walking. It works in either direction.  If you haven’t done already, please check out Part 1.

Part 2 takes you through the bay side of Coronado, under the Coronado Bridge, along the golf course through beautiful residential areas, and circles back to the ocean. Doesn’t get better than this!

Starting from the bay park and what’s called Ferry Landing, you’ll see a few restaurants and shops. On weekends, especially during the summer, there’s often live entertainment, and some of the bands can be very good. The area is not just called Ferry Landing. There’s actually a ferry that’s been in business since 1915. The Coronado Ferry takes 15 minutes to cross the bay and goes to two different stops in downtown San Diego. It’s a great way to get into San Diego from Coronado and vice versa.

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Coronado Ferry Landing

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Italian Vacation Part 1: Gelato in Venice, Park Hyatt Milan Meat Slicer and the Last Supper

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Are you taking advantage of Europe being on sale these days? I know many readers are heading over the pond. If Italy is in your plans, either now or sometime in the next year or so, be sure to read this post. After all, who doesn’t plan on visiting Italy sooner or later. I’ve got four Italian destinations for you, so let’s get started.

VENEZIA (Venice, Italy)

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Venice, Italy by water

Venice is an amazing place. I could easily sit all day and watch the waterway life. But of course, I had to stay somewhere, eat something, drink coffee and indulge in gelato, so here are some tips for you. When I’m in Italy, I have my priorities, so let’s start with gelato :)

There’s actually a place in Venice I’d suggest staying AWAY from. It’s called Gelateria Alaska. It was on some lists of top gelato in ALL of Italy, which totally baffles me. First off, the guy working there was plain nasty. “Can I taste a flavor?” I asked him. He responded with a gruff NO. I should have walked out at this point because his energy was plainly foul, but I didn’t. And the gelato was not very good at all. Oh well. Lesson learned, stay away from Gelateria Alaska. My preferred gelato in Venice is Grom. They’ve been around for a while now and can be found throughout Italy. I’m definitely partial to their pistachio and chocolate with hazelnut flavors.

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Grom Gelato in Venice, Italy. Image source: http://comradechufood.blogspot.com/2011/12/grom-venice-italy.html

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