Monthly Archives for July 2016.
“3 Nights for the Price of 2 at Starwood Hotels” That’s the headline version of a new promotional offer from Starwood and MasterCard. As headlines are wont to be, it’s a bit of an oversimplification. And arguably a misleading one at that. It’s actually not one offer, but several. Through December 31, buy two or…
For travelers to, from, or through Los Angeles International Airport, it may seem as though the airport, the world’s seventh busiest, is in a semi-permanent state of modernization and remodeling, with all the construction, traffic, and delays that entails. A pretty picture it ain’t. Any hopes for a reprieve from the disruptions were dashed with…
To overseas observers, the U.S. must look like a pretty scary place right now. What with the breakdown in law and order represented by the recent string of shootings, protests, and more shootings, and the generally vicious tone of the nation’s politics (Google “Kill Hillary” or “Trump Nazi”), anyone viewing this country through the lens…
Paris Hilton hasn’t been much in the limelight lately, and now we know why. The 35-year-old socialite and media magnet has been busy developing a new line of luxury hotels to open in Dubai, New York, and Las Vegas. As the great-granddaughter of Conrad Hilton, founder of Hilton Hotels, Ms. Hilton presumably had an inside…
While it’s unlikely to ever become a standard hotel feature, flexible check-in and check-out is an obvious traveler-pleaser. Really, who wants to be locked into the hotels’ arbitrary definition of when a hotel stay can begin and end? Hotels are well aware of the demand for such flexibility, and indeed have made it a perk…
Do new free onboard snacks warrant a press release? JetBlue thinks they do. The airline, which for the purpose at hand claims to have been “made famous by its unlimited free blue chips and live seatback televisions,” has added Cheez-It crackers and Ocean Spray Craisins to its menu of complimentary snack options. “Tasty!” was my…
There’s nothing new about discounted hotel rates available only to members of the hotel’s loyalty program who book direct. Of the major chains, Starwood was the first to offer member-only rates, beginning last year. And Hilton, Hyatt, Marriott, and InterContinental have since followed suit. Such rates, in short, have become a go-to tactic in hotel…
On Friday evening—traditional timing for bad-news announcements that companies hope will go unnoticed by the public and unreported by the media—American published the new mileage-earning rates, effective from August 1, for travel on AAdvantage partner airlines. As the timing would suggest, there’s more bad news than good news for AAdvantage members. While earning rates for…
Enter the Williams-Sonoma “Trip to Spain” sweepstakes by August 19, 2016, for a chance to win the grand prize: a six-night trip to Spain for two, including air, accommodations, meals at two Michelin-starred restaurants, a cooking lesson, winery visits, and city tours. Related: Win a 7-Night MasterChef Caribbean Cruise for 2 To enter, provide the…
Following is our regular summary of the latest travel news and best frequent traveler promotions reviewed during the past week. If it was a good deal—or a notably bad deal—from an airline, hotel, or car rental loyalty program, you can read all about it here, and plan your travel accordingly. No U.S. Airlines Among the…
At this week’s Farnborough Airshow, airline-rating service Skytrax announced the results of its 2016 World Airline Survey, rating more than 200 of the world’s airlines from best to worst. The rankings were based on responses to 19.2 million customer surveys. Skytrax boasts that it uses sophisticated data-weighting algorithms to compensate for different sample sizes, and…