Hotels

Hotel news and reviews.

Travel Goals and Status Check Up – 2017 Mid-Year

ByJennifer Moody June 28, 2017

Jennifer checks in on her 2017 travel goals, what her progress towards status looks like, and whether she is achieving those travel goals at mid-year. Airline status, hotel status, leverage of travel technology, credit card strategy, and travel/life balance are just a few of the areas where she weighs on in the state of the union.

Hyatt brands

Watch Your Hyatt Globalist Suite Upgrades For Errors

ByJennifer Moody May 25, 2017

It is not a secret that I am less than enthralled with the new World of Hyatt program. I totally understand (and even support) the change even though I think the marketing campaign is pretty lame. But I did NOT expect that I would have to watch my Hyatt Globalist suite upgrades like a hawk within the new…

Hyatt brands

World of Hyatt Commercial Highlights My Frustrations With Frequent Travel Marketing

ByJennifer Moody May 5, 2017May 5, 2017

I’m becoming cranky in my middle age. That much I know. Perhaps I am far enough away from my halcyon days of travel when weekend mileage runs were quick cultural skinny dips. And week-long vacations were reserved for deeper dives exploring the underbelly of geographic stretches far away. Frequent travel programs were important – earning or using…

Relive TWA Jet Age at JFK Hotel

ByJennifer Moody April 18, 2017

The Eero Saarinen airline terminal that marked the TWA jet age at New York’s Idlewild Airport was a true work of beauty. The terminal housed TWA jet operations at what is now JFK International Airport until American Airlines acquired the bankrupt airline in 2001. By that time, the once-iconic TWA had largely been sold off in…

Hotels | Marriott brands

In-Room Snake – New Marriott Amenity?

ByJennifer Moody April 12, 2017

Forget the free bottle of water or complimentary points for hotel status. That’s so 2016. Hotel chains are looking for new ways to impress guests. So why NOT an in-room snake?! That’s the first thing I thought when I read this headline in Travel + Leisure. It seems a housekeeper at a Marriott Residence Inn in Massachusetts…

New Orleans | Starwood brands

New Orleans Food and Wine Festival and Other Events with SPG Moments

ByJennifer Moody April 4, 2017

Starwood has long offered the opportunity to redeem Starpoints for SPG Moments. These are various unique experiences curated specially for Starwood Preferred Guest members. The experiences are often one-time events – tickets to concerts, sporting or culinary events, or unique experiences arranged specially for Starwood and often part of their marketing partnerships. They can include insider…

Dallas | Marriott brands

High-End Hotel Heist

ByJennifer Moody March 28, 2017

File this hotel heist under made-for-Hollywood plot lines. Thieves in the know make their way into a five-star hotel room while guests are occupied at dinner and make off with six figures worth of cash and jewelry. While this was a fictitious storyline last season on ABC’s The Catch, it played out in real life last…

Hyatt brands

When to Call it Quits – World of Hyatt Replaces Gold Passport

ByJennifer Moody November 23, 2016April 12, 2017

Sometimes you face the inevitable. Either a situation takes a turn for the worse or continues on a downhill slide. Eventually you find yourself wondering if what you want is realistic. Or facing the reality that the goal you’ve been working toward is perhaps not worth the hassle. That’s when you have to figure out…

American Airlines | Marriott brands | Starwood brands

“Sorry I’m Not Sorry” – Two Days of Shakeups in the Points and Miles World

ByJennifer Moody November 18, 2015

It has been a tough couple of days in the points and miles world for hobbyists (those who collect points and miles with airlines, hotels, and other travel providers) and low-fare leisure travelers. On Monday the announcement came that frequent traveler darling Starwood was being acquired by Marriott. And then yesterday American was changing almost all the rules of…

Starwood brands

SPG Lifetime Platinum

ByJennifer Moody August 28, 2015

Yesterday I was starting on my second martini, lazily setting my fantasy football draft rankings while watching the sail away from Livorno (I am on vacation – 1/3rd of the way into my Grand Mediterranean adventure) when I received the most delightful of frequent travel emails – I finally achieved SPG Lifetime Platinum Status! I consider this…

Hotel Reviews | Hyatt brands

Hotel Reviews – Grand Hyatt Bali

ByJennifer Moody August 8, 2015August 8, 2015

I’m trying to put my 2014 vacation trip report to bed before I head off on my next long vacation in two weeks (a “grand” Mediterranean adventure on Norwegian Spirit). I’ve put off writing about Bali because this part of the trip was probably the most disappointing to me. I’ve been to Bali so many…

Meet Me Halfway… The Six Month Status Checkup

ByJennifer Moody July 3, 2015July 3, 2015

How can it be July 4th weekend already? I feel like I was just ringing in the new year. If you follow Jetsetter’s Homestead, then you know this has been a whirlwind year for me – I’m at a new firm after an acquisition which means my travel patterns have been altered a bit as I…