Hotels Archives - TravelSkills

Hyatt tightens its cancellation policy

December 26, 2017

Downtown Denver’s new dual-branded Hyatt Place/House is near the convention center. (Image: Hyatt)

Hyatt has joined other major hotel groups in imposing a stricter cancellation policy.

According to a notice on Hyatt’s website, the company’s new default policy requires a guest to cancel a booking at least 48 hours in advance in order to avoid a cancellation fee. The policy takes effect for reservations made or changed after January 1, 2018.

Like its competitors, Hyatt suggested the policy change would allow it to “manage guestroom availability more effectively.”

The company didn’t say what the penalty for a late cancellation would be, but the industry standard is generally the cost of one night’s stay. Hyatt added that the new policy is not binding on all its properties. “Because each Hyatt hotel may continue to set its own cancellation policy based on local market dynamics and expectations, we always encourage guests to check the cancellation policy at the time of booking. It will continue to be transparently communicated at the time of booking and in guest emails,” the company said.

There’s an exemption for elite World of Hyatt loyalty members: Explorist, Globalist and Lifetime Globalist members will be able to cancel up to 24 hours in advance without a penalty when the hotel’s policy is a 48-hour cancellation. (It does not apply if an individual hotel’s policy requires cancellation more than 48 hours in advance.)

Earlier this year, Marriott and Hilton both adopted minimum 48-hour advance cancellation policies, and InterContinental Hotels Group set a 24-hour advance cancellation standard.

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U.S. cities top the cost charts for business travelers

December 21, 2017

Business travelers really rack up the expenses in the Big Apple. (Image: Jim Glab)

What’s the most expensive destination for a U.S. business traveler? You might think it’s some pricey overseas city like Tokyo or Geneva or Paris. Nope – not even close. The most expensive business destinations are right here in the USA.

That’s according to an extensive new ranking of daily business travel costs compiled by the trade publication Business Travel News, using data from actual January-November 2016 bookings provided by the global corporate travel management company BCD Travel. The study looked at average daily spending for a hotel, rental car and meals at scores of cities in the U.S. and abroad.

And the most expensive of all those destinations was New York City, with average daily spending of $549 – an increase of 5 percent year-over-year. San Francisco ranked second, at $534, followed by Boston at $510.

Source: Business Travel News

By contrast, the foreign city with the highest average spending level was Tokyo at $489 a day, followed by Zurich at $471 and London at $468. (All overseas prices were recorded in local currencies and converted to U.S. dollars. Click on the above link for an explanation of the study’s methodology.)

Three of the five most expensive foreign business destinations were in Switzerland; in addition to Zurich, they included Basel at $442 a day and Geneva at $432. And in the U.S., four of the 10 most expensive cities were in California. Besides San Francisco, they included Los Angeles ($419), San Jose ($418), and Santa Barbara ($395).

Source: Business Travel News

Hotel rates accounted for the biggest difference in costs. The average daily cost of a business hotel stay in New York was $385, followed by $379 for San Francisco, $337 for Boston and $320 for Washington D.C., the fourth-place U.S. destination.

By contrast, no hotel spending at foreign destinations exceeded $300 a day. The average hotel spend was $239 in Tokyo, $265 in Zurich and $279 in London.

Readers: Which U.S. and foreign cities have you found to be the most expensive in your travels? How do you keep costs down on business trips?

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Hilton offers winter bonus points

December 20, 2017

Hilton’s DoubleTree in Hilo, Hawaii. (Image: Hilton)

A day after Marriott/Starwood came out with a winter bonus points plan, Hilton has unveiled its own bonus earning program for Honors members.

Called Points Unlimited, the Hilton promotion applies for stays from January 1 through April 30. Honors members can register here to participate.

For every stay during the promotion period, registered Honors members will get 2,000 bonus points. Those who complete five stays during the period will earn an additional 10,000 bonus points, or a total of 20,000.

Members who travel a lot can keep racking up the extra points for additional stays during the January-April period. There’s no cap on the number of points that can be earned, no minimum stay requirement, and no weekday/weekend differential.

The bonus offer applies for stays at all Hilton brands and locations except Hampton by Hilton Hotels in mainland China – a total of more than 5,000 participating hotels worldwide. Reservations already booked for stays during the promotion period also qualify, as long as the member is registered for Points Unlimited.

Hilton has published a page of frequently asked questions about the promotion on the Honors website.

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New winter promotion from Marriott & Starwood

December 19, 2017

Starwood’s Westin San Diego is a participant in the Great Weeks, Grand Weekends promotion. (Image: Jim Glab)

Marriott International has rolled out a pair of point promotions for members of its Marriott Rewards and Starwood Preferred Guest loyalty programs for winter trips.

Marriott Rewards’ bonus plan is called MegaBonus, and SPG’s is Great Weeks, Grand Weekends. They both apply for stays from January 16 through April 15, with a registration deadline of March 31.

Registered members of Marriott Rewards can earn 2,000 bonus points per stay, beginning with their second stay, plus another 1,000 points for staying on weekend nights (i.e., Friday and Saturday nights most places, Thursday and Friday nights in the Middle East and Egypt). There’s an earnings cap of 50,000 bonus points. The promotion includes the entire Marriott family of brands except ExecuStay, Executive Apartments and Vacation Club.

Don’t miss: New credit cards coming from Marriott and Starwood

Breakfast on the Makana Terrace at the St Regis Princeville: great food and killer views (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

SPG members who register will earn double Starpoints for each stay, starting with the second, along with another 500 bonus Starpoints (the equivalent of 1,500 Rewards points) for stays over a weekend night. The SPG promotion has no limit on the number of bonus Starpoints that can be earned. Here’s a list of participating Starwood hotels.

Here are links to the registration pages for Marriott’s MegaBonus and for SPG’s Great Weeks, Grand Weekends.

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Hotel rewards: Not all chains are created equal

December 9, 2017

The Wyndham Orlando Resort is part of the Wyndham Rewards program. (Image: Wyndham)

In its latest annual study of hotel loyalty programs, WalletHub found significant differences in the value of rewards and the rules governing the plans. Which one is best for any given individual depends on which aspects of a program the traveler values most, and how much he or she spends on hotels in a year.

The company examined the loyalty programs of the 12 largest U.S. lodging groups, and scored them on 21 different metrics. Overall, it rated Wyndham Rewards as the best loyalty program for the third consecutive year.

Why? For one thing, “Wyndham Rewards offers the most redemption flexibility, allowing members to book award nights at consistent point values and without brand restrictions,” a WalletHub spokesperson said.

But other hotel companies’ programs have their own distinct advantages. For instance, the geographical coverage offered by Marriott Rewards is tops for international travelers, since it has participating properties in 126 nations. Hilton’s Honors plan has the most travel partners – 49 in all – making it the best program for pooling and transferring points, WalletHub said.

Source: WalletHub

In other categories, Best Western is the only chain whose points don’t expire when the loyalty member shows no account activity. And La Quinta members get the best return on their spending, with an average reward value of $13.65 per $100 spent.

On the other end of the scale, the Starwood Preferred Guest ranked 12^th out of 12 in the value of its rewards (i.e., return on dollars spent), and in 11^th place for the variety of redemption options.

You can see the study’s full results here, including a calculator that lets you see the best program for you based on your annual hotel spending level.

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New credit cards coming from Marriott/Starwood

December 5, 2017

Marriott/Starwood has a new credit card lineup coming in 2018. (Image: Marriott)

As Marriott International continues its slow but steady integration of Starwood, it is planning a major revamp of its co-branded credit card lineup in 2018.

The company said it has just signed new “multi-year agreements” with JP Morgan Chase and American Express to issue new credit cards for its Marriott Rewards (including Ritz-Carlton Rewards) and Starwood Preferred Guest loyalty programs.

Currently, the Marriott and Ritz-Carlton Visa cards are issued by Chase, while Starwood Preferred Guest cards are provided by American Express. But that will change next year.

“Marriott expects to introduce new, co-brand products starting in 2018 with enhanced member benefits – super-premium consumer and small business co-branded products from American Express and mass consumer and premium consumer co-branded products from JPMorgan Chase,” the company said.

Screenshot of the combined Marriott Rewards Starwood Preferred Guest program

Marriott said details of the new card products won’t be announced until next year. Until then, “both companies will retain their existing portfolio of accounts and continue to offer their current products,” the lodging giant said.

Late in 2018, the company added, it expects to deploy “a single technology platform” for its three loyalty programs. “The new technology platform will also take Marriott one step closer to the goal of having a single loyalty program for the company’s 100+ million members in the current Rewards and SPG loyalty programs,” Marriott said.

Currently, SPG members earn two Starpoints per dollar spent on their affiliated AmEx cards at hotels that belong to either SPG or Marriott Rewards. Marriott Rewards and Ritz-Carlton Rewards members earn five program points for every dollar spent on their affiliated Chase Visa cards at properties in either loyalty program.

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Hotel ‘resort fees’ are moving into the Big Apple

December 4, 2017

Many hotels near NYC’s Times Square now tack “destination fees” onto guests’ bills. (Image: Jim Glab)

Business travelers heading to New York may no longer be immune from a daily add-on to their hotel bill that used to be limited to leisure destinations like Hawaii and Las Vegas. And hotels in other big cities might not be far behind.

At the leisure destinations, the hotels call these contentious charges ”resort fees,” supposedly covering the hotels’ costs of providing things like pool towel service, fitness center use, phone calls, daily newspaper and so on – and the fees are mandatory whether the guest actually uses any of the covered services or not.

Probably the most notorious destination for charging exorbitant hotel ”resort fees” is Las Vegas, where big hotels routinely tack more than $30 a day onto guests’ final bills. And they are not included in the quoted room price during web searches.

Now, according to a report in the U.K. newspaper The Independent, resort fees are coming to many hotels in New York City under another name – the Urban Destination Charge.

The newspaper found that a number of hotels in Manhattan – especially those in the Times Square area – have started tacking a mandatory “destination fee” or “facility fee” onto guests’ bills, with the amount ranging from $15 to $25 a day. The fees are being charged by properties belonging to major chains like Marriott/Starwood and Hilton.

A Marriott spokesperson told the newspaper the fees were imposed at some of its properties as a four-month test program, and estimated that about 40 New York hotels are now charging them.

Las Vegas hotels are notorious for the size of their resort fees. (Image: Jim Glab)

Like the resort fees, the new charges are supposedly covering hotel services like Internet, fitness rooms, newspaper and so on, whether or not the guest uses them. They may also include a one-time food and beverage credit (even though the charge is imposed for every day of the guest’s stay), or discount vouchers to use for city tours, etc.

Hotel resort fees have been drawing scrutiny from the Federal Trade Commission for years, but so far the agency hasn’t done anything to rein them in except to warn hotels back in 2012 that they ought to be more transparent in disclosing such fees to customers.

In 2015, the FTC rejected a request from a consumers’ group that hotels should be required to incorporate resort fees into their regular room rates. Earlier this year, the FTC’s Bureau of Economics issued a report on hotel resort fees that concluded they can harm consumers by making their room searches and price comparisons more difficult. That report was issued in the final days of the Obama Administration during early January. With the changeover to Republican rule in Washington, it is considered unlikely that the FTC would come out with any new regulations restricting hotels’ freedom to assess resort and/or destination fees.

So don’t be surprised if more hotels in other urban centers take note of the New York experience and decide to tack on some new fees of their own.

Readers: Have you encountered any unexpected mandatory hotel fees recently? Where, how much, and what were they for?

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Coming to Washington, DC & SF: An anti-Trump hotel

November 14, 2017

Rendering of the exterior of the Eaton Workshop hotel in Washington, previously a Four Points on K & 12th. (Image:Gachot Studios/Eaton Workshop)

The year-old Trump International Hotel in Washington D.C. has become the de facto gathering place of choice for right-wing, pro-Trump politicians and lobbyists. So should the Left have its own hotel in the nation’s capital?

Pretty soon, it will.

It’s called Eaton Workshop, a 209-room property located just north of the National Mall at 12^th and K streets that’s expected to open sometime next spring.

The hotel will inhabit what was previously a Four Points hotel, as you can see on TripAdvisor.

Bloomberg News is calling it “the world’s first politically motivated hotel.” It’s the brain child of Katherine Lo, whose father runs Hong Kong-based Langham Hospitality Group, the parent of Langham Hotels. And it’s expected to be the first in a chain of similar hotels, with another one opening in Hong Kong later next year, followed by newly-built locations in San Francisco and Seattle.

Eaton Workshop describes itself as “a new global brand merging hospitality with progressive social change.”

Lo told Fast Company that “Pretty much anyone can stay there…but we do believe that [the customer base] is almost self-selecting,” since Eaton is gearing itself toward leftist beliefs.

The hotel will have a liberally stocked library. (Image: Gachot Studios/Eaton Workshop)

The Eaton Workshop will weave progressive and liberal ideas into the guest experience in various ways, e.g.

TV screens in the lobby broadcasting vintage footage from the 2012 and 2016 elections.
A series of liberal-oriented talks and lectures open to guests and to the public, and streamed as podcasts.
Specially created works of art that emphasize progressive themes.
Providing “a co-working space” for progressive groups and activists.
Creating a wellness program with holistic treatments (yoga and meditation classes, acupuncture, etc.) aimed at the guest’s “inner health” rather than the traditional workout room and spa services.
Hosting art, film and music events with a focus on social change.

Eaton Workshop’s website describes its new lodging concept as “a hybrid model of a hotel, co-working members club, and wellness center, with extensive content and cultural programming supporting the intersection of arts, consciousness and impact. As a gathering place for an inclusive tribe of change-makers and creatives, Eaton Workshop invites activists, artists and entrepreneurs from around the world to instigate meaningful and positive initiatives on both a local and macro scale, as well as to hang out, indulge and follow their bliss.”

The hotel’s small and simple front desk. (Image: Gachot Studios/Eaton Workshop)

Unlike the red-meat specialties (or breakfast popovers) at the Trump Hotel’s steakhouse, the Eaton Workshop’s restaurant menu is expected to show an emphasis on vegetables grown in the property’s own garden, and guest rooms will have information on how to contact members of Congress. You get the picture.

The hotel will also have one non-political amenity that almost all new urban hotels have these days: a rooftop bar.

No word yet on rates.

Would you stay at the Eaton hotel in Washington or elsewhere? Please leave your comments below. And even though we don’t normally take political comments on TravelSkills, they are likely unavoidable in a post like this!

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Pushing the Peninsula’s buttons

November 9, 2017

View of Victoria Harbour from my room on the 22nd floor at the Peninsula Hong Kong, a hotel that pushed all my buttons (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Last week I took a two-day trip on Cathay Pacific’s new A350 between San Francisco and Hong Kong. While the airline has had the plane for two years, the SFO-HKG flight is the first A350 nonstop to/from the US. (Stay tuned for my Trip Report about that flight.)

One of the nice things about jumping on one of these inaugural flights is that the airline usually teams up with a local hotel to accommodate media guests– and show off their properties.

In this case, the hotel partner was the renowned Peninsula Hong Kong, the hotel in which I stayed on my first trip to Asia in 1992.

While it’s the oldest hotel in town, it has definitely kept up with the times. For example, this ever-evolving grande dame added a brand new tower with a hip club in the penthouse and a helipad on the roof back in 1994. It had to in order to keep up with the frenetic pace of the city’s luxury hotel market.

This Peninsula has also kept up with in room technology– so much so that I’m going to devote a whole post to all the buttons I pushed in my room on the 22nd floor overlooking Victoria Harbour. Rooms at the Peninsula typically go for about $500 per night, but I was a guest of the house there for two nights.

I’m a lifelong button pusher. Just ask my parents. I was the kid who could not get in the car without pushing all the buttons or turning all the dials just to see what happened. In electronics stores, I poked and pulled every button I could find. And at the grocery store, the button on top of a can of shaving foam was irresistible.

So I was immediately hooked as I walked into my room at the Peninsula this time and counted about 20 buttons to push. Seriously. All of them quietly, elegantly beckoning me. Here’s a rundown– and a look at my plush room:

Entry with key

A big round button read my room key (Chris McGinnis)

Light switch at entry

Right by the door is the button for the foyer light, the master switch for the entire room, plus buttons for housekeeping, messages, do not disturb, a service call, and even a quick check of the weather as you head out the door. (Chris McGinnis)

Shoe bin

Next to the door is a bin where guests place their shoes to be shined. Attendants access the bin from a separate door in the hallway when you press this button to alert them (Chris McGinnis)

Bathroom light switch.

What’s nice about this switch is its simplicity– just what you need when waking up in the middle of the night. Even better is that the switch is a rheostat- lights turn on dim, and the longer you hold the button down, the brighter it gets (Chris McGinnis)

The Bathroom

The Peninsula’s luscious all-marble bathroom has two sinks, an oval tub, separate shower & toilet, lots of mirrors and buttons, too! (Chris McGinnis)

Sink switches

Mounted on the mirror next to the sink is a control panel that does all kinds of things for you like brightening the light, turning off the bathroom TV or radio, adjusting volume. You can turn off the phone if you’d like and turn on do not disturb if you can’t answer the door. Time and date, too for early jetlagged risers who can’t remember what day it is 🙂 (Chris McGinnis)

Hands free phone

Above the sinkside control panel is this hands free phone just in case that call to close the deal comes in while you are brushing your teeth (Chris McGinnis)

Bathtub video– watch and listen to what happens when I push the SPA button

Bathtub buttons

Endless array of buttons next to the bathtub, including time/date, privacy, a full suite of music selections, a dimmer, the all important SPA button and an emergency call button (Chris McGinnis)

I could have had room service delivered at the touch of a button but opted instead for a mango parfait by the dramatic pool deck (Chris McGinnis)

Vanity/magnifying mirror button for day and night

The button on the vanity mirror switches between daylight and evening light settings (Chris McGinnis)

Toilet buttons

While it does not come close to the number of buttons on a Japanese toilet, you can control phone, room privacy and make an emergency call (Chris McGinnis)

Safe buttons

Nothing special about the safe, but it’s more buttons to push! (Chris McGinnis)

Room main switch

Enter the bedroom, and there’s a simple switch by the door for room lights, air conditioning fan and temperature controls. Again, what I like here is that it’s easy to understand- no electrical engineering degree required (Chris McGinnis)

The room

A cushy king bed with the softest pillows ever. Each room has a delicate laser cut bronze peach blossom work in the wall – each one is different (Chris McGinnis)

Bedside tablet- there are two of these tablets in the room- one by the bed, the other on the desk. Both can be removed from their docks to be used anywhere.

This bedside tablet controls everything in the room accessed by menu buttons at the top. It can open and close curtains, operate the 46-inch flat screen TV, set wake up calls, moderate temperature, call the valet, check the weather and choose from a broad in-room music menu. It can be customized into 11 languages. It’s also the bedside clock. Next to that is the cordless phone. (Chris McGinnis)

Bedside light switch

A switch like this on both sides of the bed controls reading lights and overhead lights (Chris McGinnis)

A nice, easy to understand TV remote is nice, but duplicative since the tablet controls the TV, too (Chris McGinnis)

Make up mirror up and down on and off.

Across from the bed a shiny wooden vanity has a pop-top button- push it and a mirror pops up. Push it again and it goes back down (Chris McGinnis)

Nail dryer buttons!

Tucked into a drawer in the vanity is this portable nail dryer. Push the button on the top, slip your fingers underneath and you’ll feel a nice gentle breeze. (Chris McGinnis)

Coffee maker

Push this button for a quick cup of espresso to beat back the jet lag! (Chris McGinnis)

Desk power

This power and data bar pops up and retracts into the desktop when you push the button on the top (Chris McGinnis)

Curtains sheers/black outs

There are two of these curtain buttons- one opens and closes the sheers, the other opens and closes a black out screen that rolls down from the ceiling (Chris McGinnis)

Two buttons for two functions: sheers and black out both show here (Chris McGinnis)

Phew! That’s a lot of buttons. And a very nice stay. Thank you, Peninsula Hong Kong!

Looking up at old and new at the Peninsula Hong Kong, overlooking Victoria Harbour on the Kowloon side (Chris McGinnis)

What’s the most high-tech hotel you’ve ever stayed at? Your favorite Hong Kong hotel? Please leave your comments below.

Disclosure: I was a guest of the house at the Peninsula Hong Kong for two nights.

New Hilton – American Express card: big perks for big spenders

November 4, 2017

American Express and Hilton have a new lineup of Honors cards for 2018. (Image: Hilton/AmEx)

As part of an overhaul of credit card products for Honors loyalty members, American Express and Hilton are introducing a high-end Aspire Card next year that pays point bonuses as high as 14 times the number of dollars spent.

The new Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card – which will be available starting in January, along with the other card versions – costs a hefty $450 a year. But it will return bonus Honors points worth 14 times the amount of dollars spent at hotels in the Hilton family of brands, and seven times the amount spent on flights booked directly with airlines or with amextravel.com, on car rentals booked from “select car rental companies,” and at U.S. restaurants. All other purchases get a triple points bonus.

The new card carries plenty of other benefits, too: Diamond status in Honors; a free weekend night for signing up, and for each year of card membership; a second weekend night after you spend $60,000 in a calendar year; unlimited entry to Priority Pass airport lounges; a $250 credit for airline fees, and another $250 credit for Hilton resort spending. AmEx said the new card is targeting “frequent travelers seeking premium experiences and elevated experiences.”

The new Aspire card pays 14X Honors points for spending at Hilton properties like this one at Chicago O’Hare. (Image: Hilton)

Too rich for your wallet? The new card lineup also includes a Hilton Honors American Express Ascend Card for a $95 annual fee. That provides a 12X Honors point bonus for spending at Hilton properties, 6X bonus points for spending at U.S. grocery stores, restaurants and gas stations, and 3X for other purchases, along with Honors Gold status, a free weekend night after spending $15,000 in a year, and 10 Priority Pass lounge passes.

For “the occasional traveler,” the no-annual-fee, basic Hilton Honors American Express Card has eliminated foreign transaction fees, and offers Honors point bonuses of 7X for spending at Hilton properties, 5X for purchases at restaurants, gas stations and grocery stores in the U.S., and 3X for other purchases. It also provides Honors Silver status.

Designed for small business owners, the Hilton Honors American Express Business Card includes access to the AmEx OPEN platform for small businesses, and returns 12X bonus points for Hilton-related purchases, and 6X bonus points for spending on mobile phone services, U.S. shipping services, and purchases at U.S. gas stations and restaurants as well as flight and car rental bookings. Cardholders get Honors Gold status, 10 Priority Pass lounge passes, and more. That card costs $95 a year.

You can see full details of the new AmEx/Hilton card lineup here. Hilton announced earlier this year it was ending its Honors card relationship with Citi and making American Express its exclusive co-branded card provider.

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How to earn Marriott Rewards for shopping

November 1, 2017

Marriott Rewards members can now shop online at Macy’s and other retailers and earn points. (Image: Jim Glab)

With the holiday shopping season approaching, members of Marriott Rewards can now earn and spend points for purchases at a number of leading retailers.

The lodging giant’s new Marriott Rewards MORE feature is available via a downloadable app and/or a desktop extension that ties the member’s loyalty program account to online purchases at more than two dozen retail sites.

Participating retailers range from Amazon and Macy’s to Walgreens, from Apple and Best Buy to Sunglass Hut. You can see a full list of retailers here.

Members who use the new feature can earn Marriott Rewards points for each purchase at a participating retailer; the amount earned varies – e.g., four points per dollar spent at Amazon, two points per dollar at Ann Taylor. Members can also pay for their purchases entirely with program points, or with a combination of points and cash.

Paying with a Marriott card earns a point bonus. (Image: Marriott)

The first purchase for $25 or more earns the member 1,000 bonus points, and those who pay for their purchase with a Marriott Rewards card will get a 25 percent point bonus for each transaction. Starwood Preferred Guest members can link their accounts to earn Marriott Rewards points while shopping with the app or desktop extension.

Members who shop from a personal computer with the browser extension should first be logged in at more.marriottrewards.com with their member ID and password (or Ritz-Carlton Rewards ID and password). The browser extension can be used with Google Chrome, Safari and Mozilla Firefox.

For smartphones, the new app is available on Apple’s App Store and the Google Play Store. You can see all the details of Marriott Rewards MORE here, including an FAQ page.

(Just a word of caution: Some bugs might need to be worked out. The download page for Marriott Rewards MORE at the Apple App Store has a couple of negative reviews from early users.)

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Trying out the new Wall Street Journal travel service

October 31, 2017

If you don’t have a corporate travel department behind you, this could help snag discounts and perks. (Image: Jim Glab)

Now this is interesting. The Wall Street Journal has teamed with Upside Travel and launched “The Wall Street Journal Business Travel Service” which it says is designed “exclusively for the 200 million do-it-yourself business travelers.” Primarily, these are travelers who don’t work for large corporations with tight travel policies and entire departments or agencies set up to enforce them, and reap the savings of bulk buying. They are also known as unmanaged travelers or rogue travelers.

We’ve written about Upside Travel before (see post). It’s the new service started by Jay Walker (the guy who invented Priceline) that works like this: Instead of booking your usual first-choice airline, flight time and hotel, you let the Upside website put together an air-hotel package for you. Once you decide if the alternatives work, and if the discounts and gift cards offers are enticing enough, you book the trip. Gift cards come from 50 different retailers, including Amazon.com and Whole Foods, so they are pretty much as good as cash rebates.

Unlike traditional travel agencies, neither Upside or the WSJ Business Travel Service charge fees. Users earn frequent flyer miles for bookings, but do not earn the all-important elite qualifying miles. Delta and Southwest are not participants in the program. Users do not always earn hotel program points. A customer service rep I spoke with said that they will take your program number and call the hotel and try to get the points, but that does not always happen. Also, these bookings do earn points with credits cards and are coded as travel-related purchases for bonuses.

Front page of the new WSJ Business Travel Service site

While Upside has pushed the discounts and gift card aspect of the service, the WSJ seems more focused on the service aspect. It says, “With this new service, any business traveler now has the level of comprehensive service and access previously only available to employees of the very largest companies, with no fees, commitments or corporate approvals required. Business travelers can connect with travel experts for instant service via phone, chat or email.”

Since anyone can use the Wall Street Journal Travel Service (no membership, subscription or other fees required) I’m wondering if there’s any difference in using it or the Upside site. Customers booking through the WSJ service get day passes to airport lounges via a deal it has with LoungeBuddy. A spokesperson added that Wall Street Journal subscribers ($400-$500 per year) who use the service get a set of Bose QuietComfort II headphones ($350) after their first trip

I put the new WSJ service to the test and it did produce some substantial savings for a two day trip to New York City from San Francisco in mid November. Here’s what I found.

When I fly to New York, I usually like to fly Delta (for the service, the miles and elite perks) and stay at at Marriott branded hotel for the points and the recognition my elite status brings.

When I enter my dates on the WSJ site, it comes back with flights on American, Alaska/Virgin, JetBlue, United. It also offers up the Marriott Courtyard on Fifth Avenue (rated 4.0 on TripAdvisor). Total package price: $786.78.

If I accepted the site’s first offer of a United roundtrip and stay at Marriott Courtyard, my company would save $15, and I’d get a gift card worth $30. Not bad!

But here’s where this service is different. It also offered me three other alternatives for hotel stays in NYC. If I chose to stay at the NH Jolly Madison hotel (rated 3.5 on TripAdvisor and only a few blocks away) instead, my company would save $42 and I would get a gift certificate of $130. Hmmm. Now that seems worth the switch to me, even with the loss of my Marriott points.

First offer is a United flight and a Marriott Courtyard stay for $786.78

The most valuable alternative is a combo of the same United flights and a stay at the Jolly Madison hotel for $758.99, plus I get a $130 gift card to use at Amazon or Whole Foods or other retailers.

Have you or would you try The Wall Street Journal Business Travel Service? Have you tried Upside? Please leave your comments below.

Popular: 747 Tears + Delta’s new jet + United burger + Dreamliner + Madrid nonstop

October 22, 2017

Nostalgia for the 747 is booming as the Queen’s retirement nears. United flight attendant wearing a maxi-skirt in the 747 upper deck lounge (Image: United)

TravelSkills’ 10 most popular posts over the last week (descending order):

1 “Fond farewell to our 747”- a tearjerker video from United

2 Delta unveils new seats on new Airbus A350 & sets routes

3 Passport needed for domestic travel? Come on!

4 United bags a new cheeseburger for $10

United’s new smoked gouda cheeseburger from seat 7A (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

5 Routes: Aeromexico at SJC, Southwest, Air New Zealand, BA, United, AA, Etihad + more

6 Qantas unwraps its Dreamliner, coming to LAX soon (photos)

7 Iberia adds San Francisco – Madrid nonstops

As we boarded this sleek Embraer plane, you could look east and see the San Jose International terminal across the runways (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

8 New Hotels: Hilton LAX, Nikko SF, Mondrian NYC, Marriott Denver, Ritz Chicago, Hilton DC

9 Shocking bomb simulation at Singapore Changi Airport [VIDEO]

10 The newest Embraer jet you may never fly on

Don’t miss: Kimpton Karma and IHG Rewards finally hook up

Rooftop pool deck at Kimpton’s Hotel Wilshire in Los Angeles (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Links to stories from other sources that we thought you’d like to read:

Former United CEO selling his Trump Tower condo

United Clubs doing away with paper passes

Did you hear about this attempt to bomb Asheville Airport?

Apple iOS 11 adding more indoor airport maps

Here’s a first look a Beijing’s gorgeous, largest airport in the world

Will rising jet fuel costs lead to higher fares? Not for a while

More debate on how “Southwest effect” will change Hawaii market

Moving photos from behind the scenes at Virgin America

As with the 747, nostalgia for Virgin America is building as the airline approaches extinction (Photo: Virgin America)

Baller! Former GE CEO Immelt reportedly used TWO corporate jets on some trips

JetBlue revises boarding procedure

FAA wants airlines worldwide to ban electronic devices from checked luggage

Singapore Airlines expected to order 39 Boeing wide-bodies for $13 billion

JetBlue stops selling tickets through several online travel agencies

Delta offers meal pre-selection for international Delta One passengers

After Brexit, EU passenger protection rules will no longer apply for U.K. flights

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InterContinental finally absorbs Kimpton’s loyalty program

October 20, 2017

A room at the new Kimpton De Witt in Amsterdam, the group’s first European hotel. (Image: Kimpton)

Even though it’s been two years since InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) acquired Kimpton Hotels, the new parent company has left the Kimpton Karma Rewards program alone – until now.

But in early 2018, IHG said this week, it will fold Kimpton Karma Rewards into its own IHG Rewards Club. Kimpton members don’t have to do anything – their accounts will be automatically transferred into IHG Rewards Club, and existing accruals toward Karma Reward Nights will be converted into points in the IHG program. If a Kimpton member already has an IHG account as well, his Kimpton account will be merged into it.

As participants in IHG Rewards Club, Kimpton customers will earn 10 points for every dollar spent at any of IHG’s 5,200 properties worldwide, which are organized into 12 brands. They’ll be able to claim reward nights at any of those hotels, taking advantage of online award redemptions. They’ll encounter no blackout dates for reward stays, and will be able to use IHG’s app to manage their accounts and bookings, IHG said. Members will also be able to redeem points with many program partners and for “experience” awards like concert tickets.

Kimpton Karma members who currently hold tier status in that program will be given an equivalent level in the IHG program. Kimpton Karma Rewards’ Inner Circle “will remain as an invitation-only tier within IHG Rewards Club Spire Elite,” the company noted.

Here’s a summary of what’s changing and what’s not for Kimpton members:

Source: IHG

And here’s a quick look at new tier levels and benefits:

Source: IHG

Since IHG acquired Kimpton, it has been actively growing the brand, and recently expanded Kimpton’s property roster beyond its North American base. Earlier this year, the brand opened its first European location – the Kimpton De Witt in Amsterdam – and a Paris property is in the works as well. And just this week, IHG announced it has signed management contracts for the first three Kimptons in Asia – a villa resort in Bali, a resort in China’s Hainan Province at Haitang Bay in Sanya; and a 150-room/120 villa property in Shanghai.

Rendering of the planned new Kimpton hotel at San Jose’s Tech Museum. (Image: Kimpton)

Kimpton is also adding new U.S. hotels at a rapid pace. It recently cut the ribbon on a new property in Los Angeles, the Kimpton Everly (see Chris’s review here), as well as its second hotel in downtown Denver at the city’s recently renovated Union Station. Next month, Kimpton is due to open new properties in Charlotte and Palm Springs. Longer term, Kimpton is developing a new hotel in San Jose as part of an expanded Tech Museum of Innovation in that city, among other projects.

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New Hotels: Hilton LAX, Nikko SF, Mondrian NYC, Marriott Denver, Ritz Chicago, Hilton DC

October 16, 2017

Hilton’s dual-branded H Hotel/Homewood Suites near LAX. (Image: Hilton)

In hotel news, Hilton cuts the ribbon on a dual-branded project near Los Angeles International Airport; Manhattan welcomes a pair of new properties; Marriott opens a Meridien/AC Hotel combo in downtown Denver, and Hilton gains a new presence there as well; an iconic hotel in the nation’s capital joins the Hilton family; and a Chicago classic reopens.

Less than a mile from LAX at 6151 West Century Boulevard in Los Angeles is a newly-opened, dual-branded Hilton affiliate. Its two parts are the 122-unit Homewood Suites by Hilton Los Angeles International Airport, and the 168-room H Hotel Los Angeles, Curio Collection by Hilton. The double hotel offers 24-hour shuttles to the terminals and car rentals from MCar Rental. The Homewood Suites has studio and one-bedroom accommodations with full kitchens and separate living/sleeping areas. The H Hotel provides “high-end accommodations that currently do not exist at LAX,” Hilton said. Its rooms feature Nespresso machines and Google Chromecast on their TVs. Breakfast and dinner service is available to guests of both properties at Waypoint Kitchen in the H Hotel – “an American-style pub with modern California cuisine.” There’s also a coffee shop and a Subway Fresh in the lobby. Each hotel has its own fitness center, but they share a pool. The H Hotel has an open-air rooftop deck called H Overlook with views of the LAX runways, and guest-requested amenities and snacks are delivered to their rooms by a robotic butler. Rates begin at $160 for the Homewood Suites, and at $170 at the H Hotel.

All rooms in the Hotel Nikko San Francisco have been remodeled (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Did you know that the Hotel Nikko San Francisco closed down for three months for a top to bottom re-do earlier this year? It reopened this past spring and, based on our recent visit, feels like a brand new hotel. TravelSkills was there last week as the hotel celebrated its 30th anniversary in the spectacular white-marble-sheathed lobby– part of the $60 million renovation that included all public spaces and rooms (seen above.) Even if you are not staying there, it’s worth a walk through or a meal or drink next time you are in SF near Union Square. Rates start at as low as $180 per night but of course vary based on demand. Check out this video walk through.

In New York City’s NoMad neighborhood, at Park Avenue South and 30^th Street, a former 15-story office building constructed in 1915 has added five floors during its conversion into the 20-story Mondrian Park Avenue Hotel. The newly opened Mondrian has guestrooms with “plush bedding and spacious bathrooms, as well as neutral woven leather furnishings and floating desks,” the hotel said. Managed by Journal Hotels, the Mondrian has a signature restaurant called Cleo with Eastern and Southern Mediterranean-inspired cuisine; a rooftop lounge and outdoor terrace called Fifteen Stories; and an underground nightclub called Yours Truly “catering to the who’s who of New York City with a dedicated hidden entrance.” Rates start around $350.

Innovative guest accommodations at the Moxy Times Square. (Image: Marriott)

Across town at Seventh Avenue and 36^th Street, meanwhile, the 110-year-old New Mills Hotel building has been overhauled and converted into Marriott’s new Moxy Times Square. (How far does a hotel have to be from Times Square before it’s not allowed to have Times Square in its name?) It has 612 guestrooms ranging from 150 to 350 square feet, each with fast, free Wi-Fi; Bluetooth soundbars, and big HDTVs that can stream Netflix, Hulu, and YouTube. The hotel has a seafood restaurant, an “egg-centric all-day breakfast spot,” a big rooftop bar/lounge that Marriott says is New York’s largest, a lobby bar, and a grab-and-go market, as well as a newsstand/convenience store called New Stand. Marriott Rewards member rates start as low as $148 (after the holidays).

Marriott’s Le Meridien/AC Hotel is close to Denver’s convention center. (Image: Marriott)

Dual-branded hotels are getting ever more popular. Besides the Hilton project at LAX mentioned above, Marriott has just opened its own double hotel in downtown Denver, a block from the Colorado Convention Center at 15^th and California. The 20-story structure includes the upscale 272-room Le Meridien Denver Downtown and the 223-room AC Hotel by Marriott Denver Downtown. Le Meridien has 12,000 square feet of meeting space, lots of original artwork, and coffee and cocktail service in the lobby. The European-inspired AC Hotel “is designed to feel like a modern ski lodge, with peaked roofs, strong lines, geometric language, and bold interior gestures,” Marriott said. Guests of the hotels can get American comfort food at Corinne, open for three meals a day; imbibe at The Lobbyist, Le Meridien’s cocktail lounge; and check out the mountains from 54thirty, Denver’s “highest open-air, seasonal rooftop bar.” Rates start at $162 at the AC Hotel and $229 at Le Meridien.

Given Marriott’s big new double-hotel presence in downtown Denver with Le Meridien and the AC Hotel, it may no longer need the 613-room Denver Marriott City Center, two blocks away at 17^th and California – and that’s good, because the owner of that hotel, Chesapeake Lodging Trust, plans to change its affiliation on December 1, when it will become the Hilton Denver City Center, according to the Denver Post.

A corner room at the Madison Hotel in Washington, (Image: Hilton)

Long a landmark in downtown Washington D.C. not far from the White House, the Madison Hotel has ended its affiliation with Loews Hotels and has been rebranded as The Madison Washington DC, a Hilton Hotel, making it part of Hilton’s Honors program. That makes it Hilton’s third major property in the nation’s capital along with the Capital Hilton and the Washington Hilton. The 356-room Madison has 27 suites, eight meeting rooms, a 24-hour business center, restaurant and bar and a fitness center. Rates start at $131.

Part of the renovated lobby at Chicago’s Ritz-Carlton. (Image: Ritz-Carlton)

After a $100 million renovation job that kept the property closed for a year and a half, The Ritz-Carlton, Chicago has finally reopened. The big renovation of the property started just after it became an official member of the Ritz-Carlton group; before that, it was a Four Seasons hotel – even though it carried the Ritz-Carlton name. The work included the creation of a 15th-floor Ritz-Carlton Club lounge, an expansion of the hotel’s spa, and the addition of an Italian steakhouse restaurant. The hotel, located along North Michigan Avenue – the “Magnificent Mile” – is known for its spacious guest accommodations, which start at 300 square feet. Advance purchase rates start at $275.

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Airbnb’s newest lure for business travelers

October 9, 2017

WeWork rents out desks and other office services in cities worldwide. (Image: WeWorks)

Alternative lodging company Airbnb has taken several steps in the past couple of years to make its rental accommodations more attractive to business travelers – creating filtered searches for member properties that have business amenities, building links to corporate expense reporting systems, and so on.

Now the company is testing the addition of one more service that many business travelers require but Airbnb properties can’t provide on-site: A way to reserve professional office space and/or a meeting room at the destination.

The company has targeted six major cities – New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Washington, Sydney and London – for a test program that will let Airbnb guests reserve those kinds of facilities at a location close to their lodging.

This Airbnb guest house in Santa Monica lists for $160 a night. (Image: Airbnb)

The program involves a partnership with WeWork Companies, which operates rental space worldwide for business travelers who need a desk, high-speed Wi-Fi, printers, and meeting rooms, according to a report in Bloomberg News.

WeWork is one of the world’s largest providers of such services, claiming 228 buildings in 53 cities and metro areas, including 23 in the U.S. Its customers include not only business travelers but also companies looking for temporary quarters and the growing number of local freelancers and other self-employed workers looking for desk space in a professional environment.

The partnership has not yet been formally announced, so there was no immediate information on the kinds of rates WeWork might be offering Airbnb guests for its office space, Bloomberg said.

Other recent initiatives from Airbnb to pry business travelers away from traditional full-service hotels include earning opportunities in some frequent traveler programs, and the creation of a luxury category of Airbnb member properties.

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Popular: Centurion lounge changes + United miles + Fall fare deals + Upgrade bidding

October 8, 2017

It’s rare to see a Centurion lounge with this many seats available- AMEX is working to change that. (Image of Miami lounge: American Express)

TravelSkills’ 10 most popular posts over the last week (descending order):

1 American Express changes Centurion lounge access policy

2 What are a million United miles worth?

3 Fall fare deals flourishing on United today

4 Will Southwest Airlines go to Hawaii with its new plane?

5 A United Club closes at SFO, another reopens

Clusters of egg chairs lend a mod feel to the temporary mezzanine club at SFO (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

6 A look inside Delta partner China Eastern Airlines

7 Bidding for upgrades proves a success

8 Routes: Air France, China Airlines, Aer Lingus, Scoot, Finnair, Seattle seaplanes

9 Don’t miss these 10 hottest ‘hoods in the U.S.

10 American Airlines eyes new perks – and packs in more seats

Did you hear about these Virgin America flights that will soon be disappearing?

Virgin America’s A320 flights to disappear first (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Don’t miss out on this new promotion from Best Western that’s twice as nice!

Links to stories from other sources that we thought you’d like to read:

Lyft & Budweiser offering free weekend rides

The world’s shortest scheduled flight lasts just 80 seconds

New Google earbuds offer instant language translation

Hilton decides that 14 brands just isn’t enough

Twelve-passenger electric-powered jet expected to fly in five years

Icelandair’s new Economy Light fares have checked bag fees of up to $95 one way

Germany’s Eurowings lets passengers vote on preferred new routes

Survey: The way an airline treats customers is more important than price

Chris flew to Germany and France on Lufthansa this week– and was eager to check out the unusual staircase down to a bank of lavatories in the belly of the A340 flying SFO-MUC. Seen ’em before? Stay tuned for a Trip Report!

Stairway down to lavatories on #Lufthansa #340 #avgeek #aviation #lufthansatravels
A post shared by Chris McGinnis (@chrisjmcginnis) on Oct 4, 2017 at 9:52am PDT

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A new offer from Best Western that’s twice as nice

October 3, 2017

Warm up this winter for just 10K Best Western Rewards points at The Dana on Mission Bay in San Diego (Image: Best Western)

Nearly every hotel chain has pushed out a fall promotion recently. One of the most unique and valuable this year is Best Western’s two-pronged offer.

Prong #1: Best Western Rewards members earn double points on all stays between now and November 30. You earn 20 points per dollar spent (up from the standard 10), so you’ll see your points balance skyrocket after just a few stays. Plus there is no limit to the number of eligible stays or points that can be earned during this timeframe.

Prong #2: Best Western has reduced the number of points needed for redemptions to just 10,000 at all its hotels in North America for stays between November 1 and January 31, 2018. That means all those points you earned in the fall (or before) can be redeemed at deeply discounted levels– 10,000 points is cheap when you consider that the average Best Western redemption goes for about 16,000 points. And at many of its very best Premier hotels, rooms typically go for a lot more.

You saw that right! Just 10,000 Rewards points for a stay in NYC in January.

To get the deal, members must first register here.

What’s remarkable about this promotion is the breadth of that redemption offer– you can get a free night for just 10,000 points at some of the nicest Best Western Hotels & Resorts out there where rooms typically go for close to 40,000 points per night. How nice? Well, we’ve cherry picked some of the best below– some are perfect for business travel, others might be better suited for a mid-winter long weekend.

View from my room at the new Best Western Herald Square in NYC (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

New York City: The Big Apple has become freakishly expensive this year, so a room for just 10,000 points per night is quite a deal at two of the highest rated Best Westerns in the area: The Best Western Premier Herald Square (on West 36th Street) and over in New Jersey, the new Best Western Premier NYC Gateway.

San Diego: Soak up the SoCal sun overlooking Mission Bay and Marina at The Dana on Mission Bay, BW Premier Collection (pictured at the top). From there you can jump in your car for a long walk on the beach, or hop into town for meetings or dinner.

A big bright lobby on the street level at the Best Western Blake Hotel (Photo: Best Western)

New Orleans: Slide into the Big Easy at the Blake Hotel New Orleans, BW Premier Collection located in the center of the action at St. Charles Avenue and Poydras Street. The hotel was recently redone from top to bottom- and some rooms overlook historic Lafayette Square.

Snuggle in next to the lobby fireplace at the Best Western Cartwright hotel near Union Square (Image: Best Western)

San Francisco: Like New York, San Francisco hotels have become painfully expensive- especially when there’s a big convention in town. You can stay in the thick of things at the The Cartwright Hotel, Union Square, BW Premier Collection and walk everywhere… Moscone Center is about 10 minutes away (downhill from the hotel). The Financial district and Embarcadero are about 15 minutes away. And it’s also an easy walk from the Powell Street BART station.

The iconic Stratosphere n Las Vegas is now a Best Western Premier hotel (Photo: Stratosphere Hotel)

Las Vegas: The 2,427-room Stratosphere Hotel, Casino and Tower, BW Premier Collection is located on the north end of The Strip, close to the Convention Center and downtown Las Vegas. Opened in 1996, it’s the tallest structure in Vegas, rising 1,149 feet above the ground and includes a spectacular observation deck with sweeping 360-degree views of the Vegas strip and surrounding areas.

Look out over the city from a Superior King Room at the Best Western Plus Chateau Granville in Vancouver (Image: Best Western)

Vancouver: Enjoy recently updated rooms and suites with views from balconies overlooking the center of this vibrant and diverse Canadian city at the Vancouver Best Western Plus Chateau Granville.

Yes, that’s just 10,000 points for stay this winter in Vancouver

You can check out all of Best Western’s high-end Premier and Premier Collection Hotels on this helpful map.

To get the deal, members must first register here.

What’s your favorite Best Western? Please leave your comments below.

This post originally appeared on Best Western’s YouMustBeTrippin.com blog

Disclosure: Thank you for reading TravelSkills! We will periodically send out messages like this one from commercial partners about topics relevant to frequent travel. Our sponsors’ support, and yours, help us keep TravelSkills a free publication.

TWA Hotel takes shape at JFK & in Manhattan (slideshow)

September 29, 2017

Reception desk at the TWA Hotel pre-opening sales office at the World Trade Center. (Image: Emily Gilbert)

The foundations have been laid and construction is proceeding on the new TWA Hotel at New York JFK Airport, a 505-room property that incorporates the original 1962 TWA Terminal as its centerpiece.

A pair of guest room structures will soon rise on either side of the old terminal, which is being preserved and restored, and will also be linked to JetBlue’s Terminal 5 at the airport. The hotel construction and terminal restoration is a project of MCR Development.

Designed by renowned architect Eero Saarinen, the terminal – also known as the TWA Flight Center — is distinguished by its sweeping curves, a striking example of the Midcentury Modern style. The TWA Hotel – the only on-site hotel at JFK – will also offer 40,000 square feet of meeting and event space, eight food and beverage outlets, and a 10,000 square foot observation deck where plane spotters can watch aircraft take off and land.

The hotel this week cut the ribbon on a pre-opening sales office on the 86^th floor of the World Trade Center in lower Manhattan. The office has many design elements taken from the TWA Flight Center, along with TWA memorabilia. A press release states: “With views from Manhattan to JFK Airport 12 miles to the east, the TWA lounge at 1WTC on the 86^th floor, designed by Lubrano Ciavarra Architects, is informed by key design features of Eero Saarinen’s iconic TWA Flight Center.”

Wanna see the lounge at WTC in Manhattan? While it’s not really open to the public, here’s what a spokesperson told TravelSkills: We are thrilled to welcome partners, friends, and fans of the TWA brand at the TWA lounge. We will be hosting special opportunities to visit the space so stay tuned. For now, appointments can be made by emailing 1WTC@TWAHotel.com.

The hotel already has a website at www.twahotel.com.

Here’s a look at both projects:

Carpeting inside the TWA Flight Center at JFK is still “TWA Red.” ((Image: Max Touhey)

The sweeping curves of the TWA Terminal’s exterior. (Image: Max Touhey)

The spacious interior of the TWA Flight Center. (Image: Max Touhey)

The foundation for the TWA Hotel is complete. (Image: MCR)

View of the construction zone from the JetBlue Terminal next door. (Image: Max Touhey)

Reception desk at the TWA Hotel pre-opening sales office at the World Trade Center. (Image: Emily Gilbert)

The TWA Lounge at the World Trade Center reflects the design from the TWA Flight Center. (Image: Jesse David Harris)

Vintage uniforms are on display at the TWA Lounge. (Image: Emily Gilbert)

Readers: Did you ever use the TWA Terminal at JFK? Are you glad it’s being preserved? Do you miss TWA?

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Popular: Final 747 flights + LA Tips + New routes + Elite tiers + more

September 24, 2017

Did you get a seat on United’s final 747 flight to Honolulu? Hilton Hawaiian Village (Chris McGinnis)

TravelSkills’ 10 most popular posts over the last week (descending order):

1 United’s final 747 flight to HNL sells out in 2 hours

2 Trip Report: 3 exciting days in Los Angeles

3 Routes: Frontier at SJC, Alaska/Virgin, Delta, AA, Sun Country

4 Routes: Delta at LAX, More Mexico for United, BA 747s, Norwegian, Icelandair,

5 Aloha Delta 747

6 5 ways to prevent “shoulder surfing”

Worried about wandering eyes when you travel? Here’s some help (Photo: 3M)

7 Reader Report: Air France Premium Economy to Paris, Airbus A380

8 Show U.S. Customs the contents of your phone…or else!

9 Like Delta, United to implement bump auctions

10 Comparing airlines’ elite status tiers

Can you still get you UBER on in LONDON? Yes, but….

Links to stories from other sources that we thought you’d like to read:

Are Basic Economy fares messing up the boarding process at United? (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Is this the real reason United scaled back its Basic Economy fares?

About time> Gmail finally adds conversion of phone numbers & addresses to links

A really interesting guide to Chicago O’Hare by Curbed

Red Roof adds gift cards and consumer products to its guest rewards perks

Some big changes on tap for Red Roof Inn’s rewards program (Image: Red Roof)

Hilton Honors members can now shop on Amazon with points

New app lists bag fees on 79 airlines

Airline fee revenues hit $44 billion

InterContinental offers details on its new mid-scale brand, Avid Hotels

China ends its ban on using electronic devices in-flight

CBP plans new website for Global Entry applications, management

Like my new O’Keeffe traveling shoes? Picked these up last week in Los Angeles 🙂

New Italian shoes 👠 getting first #airport workout 👍 #style #shoes #fashion #travel #travelskills
A post shared by Chris McGinnis (@chrisjmcginnis) on Sep 22, 2017 at 10:57am PDT

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Trip Report: 3 exciting days in Los Angeles

September 20, 2017

Looking north to the Hollywood sign from the 14th floor of the Kimpton Everly Hotel (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Booming Los Angeles has seen a bloom in new hotel construction in recent years. As readers may recall, I was there in June for the opening of the city’s tallest hotel– the InterContinental Los Angeles Downtown. (See our review)

Last week, I checked in to check out the brand new-from-the-ground-up, 216-room Kimpton Everly Hotel, located a few blocks uphill from the famous intersection of Hollywood and Vine. Plus I was there for a handful of meetings and to see other new hotels and hotspots.

The brand new Kimpton Everly is located uphill from the famous Hollywood & Vine intersection (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

What’s best about The Everly (aside from the fact that it’s a Kimpton, and only about six weeks old) is its location.

If like me, you have business meetings all over town, it’s perfectly positioned. Need to head up to the Valley for a healthy business lunch at Hugo’s in Studio City? Just jump on the 101 freeway– the entrance is a block away from the front door. Need to go downtown to the Convention Center or poke around DTLA? Just walk down to Hollywood and Vine and jump on the Metro Red Line.

Meeting with your agent for breakfast in West Hollywood (at Butcher, Baker, Cappuccino Maker) or lunch in Beverly Hills (at Jean-Georges)? Maybe you’ll get invited to have dinner with a member of the showy, private Soho House. Or a little late night fun at Giorgio’s at MMHMMM at the Standard hotel. Lyft or Uber is easy to call (about $12 with tip between Hollywood and WeHo)– just budget enough time to be stuck in the area’s famous traffic jams where a 15-minute ride can easily bloat into a 45-minute slog.

(I did all of the above packed into a busy three-day trip! See photos below.)

Kimpton Everly sits just north of Hollywood and Vine- Smack in the middle of everything (Image: Everly Hotel)

Rates at the Everly are decent for a four-star hotel in a good location– they start at around $259 per night and vary based on demand. (I accepted a media rate of $190 per night for my stay.)

What else did I like about this hotel? It’s full of tall windows, high ceilings and plenty of light. Which brings me to another big plus: the views! Wow! I stayed at the Everly for two nights. On the first night from the 9th floor I looked south over the cranes and construction of Hollywood and the W Hotel tower. On the second night from the 14th floor I looked north over Beachwood Canyon with the clearest view of the Hollywood sign I’ve ever had. Wow! So if you like views, be sure to ask for a room on a high floor.

View from the 9th Floor looking south toward Hollywood Boulevard (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

There’s an outdoor pool on the fifth floor looking out over Hollywood, which gets southern exposure, perfect for picking up some rays- so pack your sunglasses.

Cool at the pool before morning fog burns off (Photo: Kimpton Everly)

The lobby is bright and lively, filled with mid century modern vibe, comfy furniture, a pool table and a big busy bar. It’s a nice place to spend a few hours in the late afternoon when the wine is on the house and tasty snacks are lined up on the bar.

Well designed, fun lobby bar space (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

As usual for most Kimpton hotels, the Everly gets all the little things right. Wi-fi is fast, easy to sign on and free for Karma members. Members also get a $10 “Raid the Bar” credit for mini bar purchases. In the bathroom, there are full sized bottles of shampoo, conditioner and shower get that are plainly marked. Lights are bright and beds are covered in Frette linen.

Something new I saw on this trip– a new type of thermostat that has a haptic touch… when you push it to raise or lower the temperature, it vibrates. And thankfully, it felt like it was not motion sensitive, and did not turn off in the middle of the night. The only thing I did not like about the room set up was the sliding barn door to the bathroom— these are fine when traveling alone, but do a poor job blocking sounds and smells when someone else is in there!

Plenty of goodies in the mini-bar (Chris McGinnis)

Big comfy bed covered in Frette linen (Chris McGinnis)

Big bright bathroom with walk in shower- and a sliding barn door (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Full sized, plainly labeled potions and lotions (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

A new thermostat with haptic controls (Chris McGinnis)

I flew into Burbank and I had a rental car for this trip, which proved expensive (parking is $42 per night + tip) and a bit of a hassle as getting in and out of the entrance is a little counterintuitive.

Breakfast is a quick, easy and casual affair at the hotel’s perky Jane Q restaurant on the street level– great coffee (I just went for the drip variety, which is free for hotel guests) plus there’s plenty of pastries and egg dishes to choose from while taking in the view out onto the street.

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Breakfast at Jane Q at the Kimpton Everly (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

For my morning walk around the ‘hood I headed down Argyle Avenue four blocks to Hollywood Boulevard to see the famous stars embedded into the sidewalk. Down there the neighborhood feels a bit sketchy. I was fine walking around there in the morning, but would probably avoid being on foot at night.

Down on Hollywood Boulevard it’s a little gritty (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

While there, I was lucky enough to have time to check out the spectacular new Waldorf-Astoria Beverly Hills (where rates start at about $600/night), located next door to the Beverly Hilton on the triangle where Santa Monica and Wilshire Boulevards intersect. While the lobby of the hotel is gorgeous, the real show is up on The Rooftop— take a ride up for lunch and soak up the spectacular views (of the city and the people watching).

Also new on the hot LA hotel scene is the recent opening of the 286-room Jeremy Hotel on Sunset Boulevard on the western edge of West Hollywood– it was first going to open as The James hotel, but that fell through and the showy property sat vacant for months. Now it’s the Jeremy, but not for long– word on the street is that the hotel will soon be the first West Coast outpost of Barry Sternlicht’s popular new One Hotels.

Plus, Kimpton is not done with LA yet… in a few months it will open the new 105-room La Peer Hotel between Santa Monica and Melrose in West Hollywood. Details here.

Entrance to the Everly hotel along Yucca Street (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

No photos are allowed inside the members-only Soho House so I had to grab this one from its website. It’s located on the top of an office building on Sunset Boulevard on the western edge of West Hollywood.

The latest outpost of the Jean-George Vongerichten empire at the Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills (Chris McGinnis)

Don’t miss the ahi tuna tartare at Jean-Georges– tastes great and looks beautiful! (Chris McGinnis)

Power lunch at Jean-Georges with Tom Kiely, President & CEO of the West Hollywood Convention and Visitors Bureau (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Up on the rooftop of the new Waldorf-Astoria Beverly Hills– perfect perch for people watching! (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

The new Waldorf-Astoria Bev Hills is located on the triangle where Santa Monica and Wilshire Boulevards intersect- next to the Beverly Hilton (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Valet circle at the Waldorf-Astoria is a luxury car circus! (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Don’t miss an outdoor breakfast at Butcher, Baker and Cappuccino Maker on Sunset Boulevard in West Hollywood! (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

I’ve been flying into Burbank’s Bob Hope Airport instead of LAX lately. You? (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Fred’s restaurant at Barney’s Beverly Hills #travel #shopping #la #california #fashion #design
A post shared by Chris McGinnis (@chrisjmcginnis) on Sep 17, 2017 at 12:58pm PDT

I flew Southwest Airlines SFO-Burbank on this trip. It canceled my 11 am flight, and rebooked me on the 3 pm flight (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

What’s your favorite place to stay or play in LA?? Please leave your comments and suggestions below.

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Hotel news: Ritz in Atlanta, Marriott in Chicago, Hilton in NYC + Los Angeles, Austin

September 14, 2017

A luxurious suite overlooking Phipps Plaza at the Ritz-Carlton Buckhead in Atlanta. (Image: Ritz-Carlton)

In recent hotel news, a classic Atlanta property gets rebranded; Marriott cuts the ribbon on a big convention hotel in Chicago, and Viceroy Hotels adds a property there; a trendy independent property makes its debut in LA’s West Hollywood district; Hilton adds a major location in Manhattan, near the United Nations; and Marriott/Starwood adds a dual-branded hotel in Austin.

Atlanta’s Ritz-Carlton Buckhead, across the street from Lenox Square in Atlanta, has been a fixture of the city’s upscale Buckhead district for 30 years. It was even the brand flagship when the company had its HQ in Atlanta. But it will be rebranded within a matter of weeks. The hotel’s owner, Host Hotels & Resorts, has reached an agreement with Ritz-Carlton parent Marriott to take the property out of the Ritz-Carlton group and convert it into a property “under independent operation” called The Whitley. But it will still be part of the huge multi-brand Marriott family: The deal calls for The Whitley to be a part of Marriott/Starwood’s Luxury Collection when it changes its name December 1. Existing reservations will be honored, as will Ritz-Carlton Rewards and Marriott Rewards redemption nights, the companies said. Have you stayed at the R-C Buckhead lately? How was it?

The new Marriott Marquis near Chicago’s McCormick Place. (Image: Marriott)

The largest hotel to open in Chicago so far this year is the brand-new Marriott Marquis, located next to (and connected to) the huge McCormick Place convention center. The 1,204-room, 40-story Marriott Marquis Chicago is the city’s sixth-largest hotel; in addition to its modern glass-walled tower, the hotel also includes the historic red-brick American Book Company building next door. True to its convention-oriented location, the hotel boasts 93,000 square feet of meeting space, including a pair of 25,000-square-foot ballrooms. The hotel’s Woven & Bound Restaurant is an American brasserie open for three meals a day. Guest amenities include an M Club Lounge with workspace, snacks and drinks, open to Marriott Rewards members (or non-member guests for a fee); a 24-hour fitness center; a big grab-and-go market; business center and FedEx office; and fiber optic high-speed Internet. Rates start around $299, but can vary considerably based on the level of convention activity.

A room at The Viceroy in Chicago’s Gold Coast neighborhood. (Image: Viceroy Hotels)

Farther north, in Chicago’s Gold Coast neighborhood, Viceroy Hotel Group has opened the 180-room Viceroy Chicago, a luxury property on the site of the former Cedar Hotel. It’s at the corner of Cedar and State streets, just south of Division Street. The 18-story Viceroy has a rooftop pool and year-round rooftop lounge, and an adjacent restaurant called Somerset run by chef Lee Wolen, a James Beard Award finalist. Guest rooms have floor-to-ceiling windows, and the hotel will offer guests weekly classes in meditation and yoga starting in October. Opening rates start at $281 for bookings made by September 30.

The outdoor pool at The Jeremy in West Hollywood. (Image: The Jeremy)

At the corner of Sunset and La Cienega boulevards in Los Angeles is The Jeremy West Hollywood, a newly opened 286-room (including 50 suites) property. Its owners say the hotel has “an iconic cool presence that cultivates the best of WeHo’s notable culture.” The hotel’s all-day Etcho Café offers up “Cali-fresh cuisine” that is locally sourced and its JOAO Bar features “elements of old Hollywood.” The Jeremy also has a pool, fitness center, and a pair of large conference rooms. Rates start at $269.

A corner room at the Millennium Hilton at UN Plaza in New York. (Image: Hilton)

Members of Hilton’s Honors program have a new lodging option in New York City. A hotel at One United Nations Plaza on the east side of Midtown Manhattan (across from the UN Headquarters) has become a member of the Hilton family. The 439-room hotel opened as a Hyatt in 1976, then became the Millennium UN Plaza after it was acquired by Millennium & Copthorne Hotels in 2000. A few years ago, it was renamed the One UN New York, and now it is under Hilton Hotels management, and has been renamed the Millennium Hilton New York One UN Plaza. It’s the seventh Hilton Hotels property in New York. Rates start at $290.

The new Aloft/Element dual-branded hotel in Austin. (Image: Marriott/Starwood)

In downtown Austin, Texas, it’s one building but two new hotels. Marriott’s Starwood Hotels division has cut the ribbon on a dual-branded property that includes both an Aloft and an Element hotel, at Congress Avenue and Seventh Street, a few blocks south of the State Capitol. Both brands offer free Wi-Fi, and they share a 24-hour fitness center, business center, and 1,380 square feet of meeting space. The 32-story building includes a 278-room Aloft Austin Downtown along with a 144-room Element Austin Downtown. There’s also an on-site restaurant/coffeehouse/bakery called Caroline’s, and an “urban background playground” and bar called Upstairs at Caroline’s with live music. The Aloft offers high-ceilinged, loft-like accommodations with platform beds while the Element features studios and one-bedroom suites. Rates start at $349 at both hotels.

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6 sexy new hotels in LA, NYC, Seattle, Honolulu, Charlotte

July 26, 2017

A room at the new Dream Hollywood. (Image: Dream Hotels)

In new hotels news, Dream Hotels comes to Hollywood; a legendary hotelier opens a new hotel in Manhattan; greater Seattle welcomes a W and another Hyatt Regency; InterContinental adds 600 rooms in Honolulu; and a small boutique gem opens in Charlotte.

Dream Hotels, which has two locations in Manhattan and one in South Beach, has cut the ribbon on a new property in Los Angeles. The 178-room Dream Hollywood is at the intersection of Cahuenga Boulevard and Selma Avenue in Hollywood. It features a big rooftop pool, a rooftop restaurant and lounge with views of the Hollywood Hills, and a 1,000-square-foot fitness center and ”wellness program” run by celebrity trainer Gunnar Peterson. Other food and beverage outlets include a big Asian restaurant called Tao; Beauty & Essex, with a multi-ethnic menu; and a bar/pizzeria. For film industry moguls, the Dream Hollywood has an 1,800-square-foot Guest House suite with a private screening room. Rates start at $292.

Unusual sleeping layout at Ian Schrager’s PUBLIC Hotel in Manhattan. (Image: PUBLIC Hotel)

In New York City, boutique hotel pioneer Ian Schrager has opened a new downtown property called PUBLIC. Located on Chrystie Street, near the intersection of Houston Street and The Bowery, the hotel has 370 rooms and nightly rates that start at just $150 (if you select the prepaid, nonrefundable option). The hotel keeps its costs down with innovative tactics like eliminating the front desk – guests check in on iPads that send a bar code key to their phones. There are no bellhops and no room service, but there is a restaurant under the direction of celebrity chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten. There’s also a rooftop bar with expansive city views, and a “cutting edge, progressive and avant-garde multi-media performance space.”

Don’t miss: Hilton, Marriott and IHG impose new cancellation penalties

Accommodations at the new Hyatt Regency in Renton, Washington. (IMage: Hyatt)

The Seattle metro area has two newly opened business hotels. Hyatt has cut the ribbon on its third Seattle-area Hyatt Regency, this one in Renton. It’s called the Hyatt Regency Lake Washington at Seattle’s Southport, a 12-story, 347-room property on the shore of that lake. Its main restaurant, Water’s Table, features “Northwest-inspired pan-Asian cuisine,” and the hotel offers a 24-hour fitness center, a Regency Club, a grab-and-go market, and 60,000 square feet of meeting and event space. Rates start at $225 for World of Hyatt members.

Don’t miss: Singapore Air contest winner Lacie R is on her way to Hong Kong! See pics

The new W Hotel in Bellevue, Washington. (Image: W Hotels)

Just north of Renton in Bellevue, Washington is Marriott/Starwood’s new W Bellevue, located in that city’s downtown at 10455 NE 5^th Place, 12 miles from Sea-Tac. The new W has 245 rooms, a spa, a fitness center, a business center, and a library with board games and books. Contemporary Northwest cuisine is served up in The Lakehouse restaurant, while “craft cocktails” are available in a bar with the unusual name Civility & Unrest. The W has 10,000 square feet of meeting and event space. The property is linked by a skybridge to sister property The Westin Bellevue, and it is half a mile from the Meydenbauer Convention Center. Rates at the W start as low as $338 for SPG members but are generally in the $400+ range.

The 44-story Holiday Inn Express in Honolulu. (Image: InterContinentsl Hotels Group)

Got some InterContinental Hotels Group Rewards Club points to burn with Hawaii on your mind? That lodging group has just cut the ribbon on the largest Holiday Inn Express in the Americas, and it’s in Honolulu. The 596-rooom, 44-story Holiday Inn Express Waikiki Hotel at 2058 Kuhio Avenue is three blocks from the eponymous beach and four blocks from Hawaii Convention Center. Amenities include an outdoor pool, sun deck with cabanas, a 24-hour fitness center, video game room, nine-hole mini-golf course, and free cooked breakfast. Rates start at $135.

Posh digs at The Ivey’s Hotel in Charlotte. (Image: The Ivey’s Hotel)

If you do a lot of business in Charlotte and you’ve had your fill of chain hotels, there’s a small new luxury boutique hotel in the city’s Uptown district, just across the street form Bank of America headquarters and the Blumenthal Performing Arts Center. Called The Ivey’s Hotel, it has just 42 rooms. The hotel is at 127 North Tryon Street in a building that opened in the early 1900s as a department store. Guest rooms have luxury furnishings and linens, and come with free Wi-Fi, Sony 4K TVs, and Bose sound systems. No two rooms have the same design. Dining is available at 5Church Charlotte, with modern American cuisine, and cocktails flow at the wraparound bar in Sophia’s Lounge. Rates start at $197.

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Hilton, Marriott, IHG impose restrictive new cancellation rules

July 18, 2017

New cancellation policy coming to all Hilton brands later this month (Image: Hampton Inns)

Starting July 31, you’ll have to cancel your Hilton hotel reservation a minimum of two days ahead of time or face paying full price for that first night. That’s right. All Hilton brands will soon join Marriott/Starwood in this restrictive new 48-hour cancellation policy.

The new last-minute cancellation policies are going into effect at Hilton at the end of this month.

We checked today and found the 24-hour policy still in effect at some hotels, so we assume this applies to all reservations made on July 31 and beyond. Hilton already has restrictive cancellation policies of 2-3 days in effect in high demand cities like San Francisco or New York.

A Hilton spokesperson told TravelSkills: “…we have proposed an update to our policy guidance for US and Canada hotels that will begin at the end of the month (July 31). We have proposed updating the default house cancellation policy to 48-hours (72-hours in select locations) for our managed properties and have suggested the same for franchised hotels (this decision will be made at the property level). As always, the cancellation policy associated with any reservation is made clear to our guests throughout the booking process and in the confirmation emails they receive…We regularly review guest booking and cancellation patterns across our 5,000+ properties, and have seen cancellation rates rise the last few years These insights have led to the proposed update, which will allow us to maximize the number of available rooms for guests seeking accommodation. Both guests and hotel owners will benefit from rooms that would previously have gone unused.”

Listen to Chris discuss this with KCBS anchor Rebecca Corral.

Some observers suspect that hotel chains impose these rules to prevent travelers from booking a standard rate, then canceling the reservation at the last minute and re-booking at a cheaper rate using popular new last-minute booking sites and apps.

UPDATE: July 25: InterContinental Hotels Group brands (Crowne Plaza, Holiday Inn, etc) imposed a 24-hour cancellation policy effective this August. (It’s only a matter of time before it moves to a 48-hour policy, we expect)

In high demand cities, Hilton already imposes a 2-3 day cancellation penalty (Image: Hilton Parc 55 San Francisco)

This sucks for business travelers because our schedules can change on a dime, and frequently do so with much less than 48 hours advance notice. Remember the good old days when you could cancel without penalty up to 6 pm on the day of arrival? In 2015, both Marriott and Hilton did away with that, upping the deadline to 24 hours- which did not sit well with TravelSkills readers at all (see post). Now this.

Now that both Marriott and Hilton are imposing the new policies, we’ll likely see the rest of the industry follow suit. Also keep in mind that several brands or individual properties have their own policies in place, so always check before you buy!

Another tip: Many hotels will work with travelers individually on these fees, so try to work it out with the hotel if you can. It can’t hurt to ask for an exception, especially if the cancellation is beyond your control, such as bad weather or flight cancellation. A polite plea might do the trick.

See New York Times story here.

How do you feel about a 48 hour cancellation policy? Please leave your comments below.

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Surprises in new JD Power hotel survey

July 15, 2017

The JW Marriott Beijing (Photo: Marriott)

Results are in for the latest J.D. Power and Associates consumer survey of hotel guest satisfaction, and they include some pleasant (and not so pleasant) surprises for specific Marriott and InterContinental brands.

In the luxury hotels category – the highest of the eight segments in the survey – the leaders in guest satisfaction are two Marriott brands – JW Marriott and Ritz-Carlton, which tied for the #1 spot. What do you think about that? Which brand do you prefer? Four Seasons is close behind at #3. Four Seasons beat by JW Marriott? Yep. The trendy W brand ranks at the bottom, tied with InterContinental Hotels. Remember when W hotels was the spunky fun new kid in town that everyone loved? (See JD Power Luxury rankings here)

Rooftop pool deck at Kimpton’s Hotel Wilshire in Los Angeles (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Hyatt was the most highly rated brand for 2017 in the “upper upscale” category, but in second place was a relatively new InterContinental Hotels Group brand – Kimpton. That brand won highest ratings for its food and beverage, the quality of its guest rooms, and its check-in/check-out experience. (I love Kimpton because it’s so good at getting so many “little things” right. See 10 little things few hotels get right.) Ranking dead last in the upper upscale segment, however, was Marriott’s Sheraton brand, which like W was part of its Starwood acquisition – despite the millions of dollars spent in recent years to upgrade and modernize Sheraton properties. Could this lead Marriott to start thinking about eliminating Sheraton from its portfolio of 30 brands? See upper upscale rankings here.

The pool at the Hilton Garden Inn Waikiki in Honolulu. (Image: Hilton)

Taking the guest satisfaction trophy in the upscale segment was Hilton Garden Inns – the only first-place finish for a Hilton brand in the whole guest satisfaction survey. Hilton Garden Inns outscored Marriott/Starwood’s Aloft, Hyatt’s Hyatt Place and Marriott’s Springhill Suites brands. Coming in at the bottom of the 10-brand category were tired old Radisson and Four Points by Sheraton (another brand that could be on Marriott’s chopping block). See the upscale rankings here.

What is it about Drury Hotels? It’s hardly a household name, and unaffiliated with the major chains, but it ranked highest in the survey’s upper midscale category – as it does almost every year. (Have you ever stayed at a Drury property? What’s so great about them?) Winning the midscale category was Wingate by Wyndham, a group of independently-owned hotels that is part of the Wyndham family, with Best Western finishing a close second. At the bottom of the nine-brand midscale group were Ramada and Quality.

The iconic Stratosphere hotel in Las Vegas will soon be a Best Western Premier hotel (Photo: Stratosphere Hotel)

The 2017 survey – which polled 63,000 hotel guests in the U.S. and Canada – also found that use of a hotel company’s app both for booking and for various tasks at the property leads to higher guest satisfaction. But who really uses them? J.D. Survey said: “Among guests who have a hotel’s app on their mobile device, 38% don’t use it during their stay. Only a tiny percentage of check-ins (4%) and check-outs (1%) occurs through mobile apps, but when it is used, it is associated with higher guest satisfaction.”

Are you a regular user of hotel apps? I have become one over the last year and watched those apps improve immensely, but wonder about other frequent travelers. Please leave your comments about the survey and app usage below.

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4 brand new hotels for San Francisco

July 12, 2017

The trendy new Proper Hotel opens in San Francisco’s Mid-Market area in August with “bunk rooms” (Image: Proper Hotels)

It sounds crazy, but very few new-from-the-ground-up hotels have opened in booming San Francisco since the InterContinental by Moscone Center opened in 2008. The city’s “newest” boutique property, the perennially pricey (and popular) Hotel Vitale is now nearly 12 years old. About the only “new” hotel that’s opened recently is the Hampton Inn on a seedy stretch of Mission Street.

That nearly decade-long drought of new hotels will end in a splash with at least four new hotels opening in the next year (and up to 12 more on the way) according to a real estate story in Sunday’s San Francisco Chronicle.

The newspaper points out that none of these properties fall into the hotel behemoth category that dominated the city’s hotel scene in the 80s and 90s with the opening of giants like the 1,362 room Marriott Marquis (known locally as “the jukebox”.) Instead, these are newer, smaller more “neighborhoody” hotels built near tech hubs, and focused on the younger millennial set. Keep in mind that some of the neighborhoods where these hotels are popping up are where the city’s homeless problem has been most intractable. It remains to be seen if the new projects will change that.

Here’s what’s new:

The 159-room, new-from-the-ground-up Hotel Via opened last month across the street from AT&T Park in the South Beach/Mission Bay area of town, a few blocks southeast of the financial district and Embarcadero area. In keeping with the tech focus, guests’ mobile phones can double as room keys. Rooms have Illy coffee makers and mini-fridges and wi-fi is free. Rates start at around $300 per night.

The Park Suite, Room 1205, at San Francisco’s new Hotel Via overlooking AT&T Park (Photo: Hotel Via)

On August 14, the new San Francisco Proper will open in the gritty Mid-Market Street area, which as been enjoying a bit of a renaissance as big tech companies like Twitter, Uber, Square, Dolby and several new residential high rises have moved in. The triangular flatiron shaped hotel inhabits the shell of the old, dilapidated Renoir Hotel, and will have four restaurants and bars, including a new venue on the roof. Rates will start in the $400 per night range– but cheaper “bunk rooms” (yes, with bunk beds) will start at around $250. More about rooms here.

Later in 2017 or 2018, a new-from-the-ground-up, 196-room Virgin Hotel will open South of Market on Fourth & Folsom Streets near Moscone Center– and eventually across the street from the new Central Subway Station which opens in two years. I don’t have a good image of the building exterior yet, but below is a rendering of what the rooftop deck will look like. Currently, there is no firm opening date (only “this winter”), and there’s no hotel website. To get a good idea of the vibe of Virgin hotels where rooms are called “chambers,” check out the Virgin Chicago website.

Rendering of rooftop lounge at Virgin Hotels;’ new San Francisco property. (Image: Virgin Hotels)

Also opening later this year: the new Yotel San Francisco at Market and 7th Streets in the mid-Market area. The hotel is built in the historic Grant building, which survived the 1906 earthquake. What I have heard about the Yotel brand is that those who’ve stayed at its New York City property don’t mind the capsule-like, but cleverly designed rooms (referred to as “cabins”) since it usually offers such good rates. At the SF property, guests can check in via kiosk and rooms sport monsoon rain showers, adjustable mood lighting and copious power outlets. Plus guests will enjoy great views from, you guessed it, a rooftop lounge. Another brand new Yotel just opened in Boston’s Seaport district last month. (Rates for the SF Yotel not yet available.)

Here’s a look at a Yotel “premium queen” Cabin in its brand new Boston property- intro rates around $120 (Photo: Yotel)

UPDATED INFO: We previously wrote about a new Marriott Hotel that was reportedly opening this winter in the Mission Bay – China Beach area near AT&T Park. Upon conversing with the architectural firm involved in the project, we found that this hotel is hoping to break ground this year, but will not be open for two more years. It is expected to be a full service, four star hotel, but we still don’t know which Marriott brand flag it will fly.

This is just the beginning of the boom– the Chronicle found 12 more hotels (totaling 4,000 rooms) working their way through the city’s labyrinthine approvals process. (Including a new Waldorf-Astoria near the Transbay Center.) Most of these are slated for the once-blighted, now hot SOMA or South of Market area of the city.

Link to the SF Chronicle’s full story here.

What’s your go-to San Francisco hotel? Why? Please leave your comments and tips below!

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Best Western adds iconic Las Vegas hotel

July 5, 2017

The iconic Stratosphere Casino hotel in Las Vegas will soon be a Best Western Premier hotel (Photo: Stratosphere Hotel)

Until this month, the only Best Western option on the Las Vegas Strip was the Casino Royale- a low slung hotel easily missed in the cacophony of Las Vegas Boulevard. While there are a few other Best Westerns in town, they are located by the airport or non-central locations.

In the largest deal in its history, Best Western joined up with the iconic Stratosphere Casino Hotel and Tower in late June. In the same deal, it also joined with the Aquarius Casino Resort, located in Laughlin (about 100 miles south). Both will become part of Best Western’s upscale Premier Collection.

The addition will allow Best Western Rewards members with the opportunity to earn and burn points whether they are there for a weekend of fun, or at a big convention.

A double room at the Stratosphere Casino hotel in Las Vegas (Photo: Stratosphere Hotel)

The 2,427-room Stratosphere Hotel is located on the north end of The Strip, close to the Convention Center and downtown Las Vegas. Opened in 1996, it’s the tallest structure in Vegas, rising 1,149 feet above the ground and includes an spectacular observation deck, which provides sweeping 360-degree views of the Vegas strip and surrounding areas. It also boasts a bunch of thrill rides at the top.

A spokesperson tells TravelSkills that rooms at both the Stratosphere and Aquarius hotels can be booked for cash or Best Western Rewards points on BestWestern.com starting on July 31. Currently, midweek all-in rates (including taxes and um, resort fees) for July stays start at around $100 per night.

On TripAdvisor, the Stratosphere has over 11,000 reviews and earns 3.5 stars, ranking #114 out of 262 Vegas hotels.

Where do you stay when visiting Vegas, baby? Please leave your comments and suggestions below.

Disclosure: Best Western is a frequent sponsor of the TravelSkills.com blog

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Overnight sleep pods for $115 between L.A.-San Francisco

June 28, 2017

Cabin offers sleep pods for overnight trips. (Image: Cabin)

Last year, we told you about a startup called SleepBus that sold overnight rides between Los Angeles and San Francisco, with bunkbed-style accommodations in the back of a big truck. Now the folks who brought you SleepBus are back with an upgraded product for the same kind of trip.

It’s called Cabin, and the vehicle has changed from a truck to something that looks more like a big two-level Google bus. The passenger accommodations are now individual sleep pods – or as the company calls them, “private cabins” — stacked in a double-decker layout. And one-way fares have nearly doubled– from $65 at launch to $115 each way today.

The company says that when Sleepbus first launched in 2016, it sold out its inventory in just three days, and had a waiting list of 20,000, which proved that there was a strong market for the new concept. After running for a few months using a rented bus, company founders shut the operation down went back to the drawing board to create something more sustainable. Here’s our previous story about Sleepbus.)

Cabin operates between Los Angeles and San Francisco. (Image: Cabin)

“By consolidating both transportation and accommodation into one simple and delightful experience, Cabin’s one-of-a-kind moving hotel experience enables people to travel without travel time,” the company says.

Cabin’s sole route is still Los Angeles-San Francisco, with an 11 p.m. departure and a 7 a.m. arrival, although it promises that “additional expansion (is) on the horizon.” One-way SF-LA fares start at $115. A spokesperson told TravelSkills that it is currently operating two of the big buses, with one used as a backup.

Here’s a screenshot of a booking showing pick up and drop off locations- Santa Monica in LA and 1 Bryant St near AT&T Park in SF

There’s a shared bathroom and a “communal lounge” on board, along with a full-time attendant. Customers are allowed two pieces of luggage, and are provided with nighttime tea, morning coffee, free Wi-Fi and ear plugs. Cabins are equipped with clean bedding, a reading light and an electrical outlet.

Pods are private and stacked on two levels (Photo: Cabin)

DON’T MISS YOUR CHANCE to fly from SFO to Hong Kong and write about it for TravelSkills! Details here.

Cabin has upgraded its product since its SleepBus days. (Image: Cabin)

Contrasting its service with the airline experience, the company notes that its vehicles have scheduled departures and arrivals at central locations in both cities and passengers only need to show up 10 minutes before departure. (And we presume there are no security screenings.)

For more info about Cabin, see this.

The company says its SleepBus venture last year was a pilot test of the overnight sleep-and-travel-by-road concept. As the new and improved Cabin, it has secured $3.3 million in seed money that it says “will allow Cabin to scale operations both on a regional and national level.”

Hmm. I like the concept, but I’m probably not the target market for this. If I did it, I’d be sure to pack my Mack’s earplugs and Bucky eye mask. Maybe I’d sleep like I did on my recent Qantas flight to Australia. Or maybe not. But I’m curious.

Would you try Cabin? Why or why not? Please leave your comments below.

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Popular: Free trip to Hong Kong + Marriott cancellation + Delta A350 + Hyatt SFO + Cheeseburgers

June 25, 2017

If you win the trip to Hong Kong, don’t miss a ride on the Star Ferry! (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

TravelSkills’ 10 most popular posts over the last week (descending order):

1 Contest: 2 Singapore Airlines tickets to Hong Kong!

2 Fly thru SFO’s new on-airport Hyatt hotel

3 Marriott/Starwood confirms restrictive new cancellation policy

4 United’s NYC taxi tip: Newark is quicker

5 Trip Report: What’s a Marriott AC Hotel like?

6 Cheeseburgers, pizza take off in economy class

Chris took his first trip thru Delta’s new digs at Terminal 3 at LAX. A beeline to the plane was helped along by PreCheck & Clear, but the facilities are pretty dismal, tired and gritty. Looking forward to the upgrade! (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

7 Airport news: LAX, Alaska lounge deal, O’Hare, Phoenix, Vancouver, Pittsburgh

8 New food options coming at United, Delta, JetBlue

9 Helping travelers on the worst days of their lives

10 Seats (and suites) for sale on new Delta A350

Don’t miss! Tallest hotel in the West opens

Skyscraper clouds #LA #DTLA #intercontinentalhotel #losangeles #bluesky #travel #travelskills
A post shared by Chris McGinnis (@chrisjmcginnis) on Jun 24, 2017 at 2:57pm PDT

Links to stories from other sources that we thought you’d like to read:

AirAsia X cancels plans for low-fare flights to California

Delta starts test of ‘pushing’ change fee waivers to customers

New Lufthansa-backed website handles online check-in for all airlines

Rooms at InterContinental’s new brand will cost less than Holiday Inn Express

Qatar Airways wants to buy a 10 percent stake in American Airlines

Qatar Airways unveils new business class cabin

Study: Airlines could be facing a huge pilot shortage in the years ahead

Boeing rolls out the largest version of its 737MAX

Does the recirculated air in passenger cabins contain toxic materials?

Radical hyperloop concept: Ride your hotel room from city to city

Aircraft manufacturers see declining orders for the largest wide-bodies

ICYMI, see the 25 most recent TravelSkills posts right here

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Quiet hotel hallways bathed in natural light from the sky-lit atrium at Trump International in DC (Chris McGinnis)

In this post: A look inside the hallways, rooms and towers of the Trump International hotel in DC, an interview and tour with the managing director, and conversations with people who work there…plus lots of photos!

I was in Washington DC recently for meeting of Boarding Area bloggers and could not resist the opportunity to report on what is likely the most talked-about hotel in the U.S. these days: The brand new Trump International Hotel Washington DC.

Because I flew in from the West Coast, I had to arrive a day early to attend sessions beginning on Friday afternoon. The meeting was at the Marriott Marquis, but it was full on Thursday night, so I began my search for options.

During my search, the Trump International popped up several times at $404 per night while many of the city’s other four and five star hotels were sold out. Seeing the Trump hotel show up reminded me that I know the managing director there, Mickael Damelincourt, an old friend of TravelSkills I’d met when he opened hotels in Chicago and Toronto. So I sent him an email letting him know was coming to DC and that I’d like to meet up with him to find out more about his the hotel for a post on the blog. I wrote, “The post would be completely and purposefully non-political. I just think it would make a really well-read item considering the brouhaha around the election the curiosity about the new hotel.”

Key to room 721 (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

A few minutes later, bingo! I heard back from him with an offer to comp my one-night stay, which I accepted. Here’s what I experienced and learned and heard from all kinds of folks connected to the hotel.

I flew into Washington Reagan National Airport on Virgin America (arriving 4 pm) and called up Lyft to pick me up for a ride to the hotel. I was a little worried about what the driver might think when he learned of my destination. So when I got in the car, and realized that the driver was from Africa (Ghana he later shared) I made a joke and said, “You have my destination right? Take me to the devil’s house!” He let out a big laugh and said, “I have been wanting a pick up or drop off at the Trump hotel ever since it opened last week! You are my first! I don’t care who wins this election, I just want it to be over. So let’s go see his house!”

Tourists snagging selfies at the Pennsylvania Ave entrance to the Trump DC (Chris McGinnis)

Clearly the driver had never been to the hotel before, because when we arrived, he could not find the entrance, and dropped me off on 12th Street. Both the 12th St and Pennsylvania Avenue doors were closed, so I dragged my bag around to 11th Street where the main entrance is.

As I approached the door, a smiling bellman in top hat and tails rushed out to greet me and take my bags, and asked my name. Within seconds of entering the hotel, it felt like I was in Asia– why? Because the bellman had somehow let the staff know that my name was Mr McGinnis, and soon they were all greeting me by name, and did so throughout my stay. Last time I experienced that kind of name recognition was in Hong Kong. Impressive.

Guests enter the hotel through a dark wood-paneled portico, and are led into the huge, bright eye-popping lobby, which used to be the factory floor of the US Post Office, full of sorting machines and workers. Now it’s full of blue velvet, marble, crystal chandeliers, a big bar with four giant TV screens. Soaring 200 feet above is a new glass ceiling that allows natural light to flow into the lobby atrium and the nine floors of corridors leading to 263 rooms and suites. It’s a lot to take in!

The lobby of the Trump International used to house a mail sorting facility. Now look! (Chris McGinnis)

As I was standing there soaking it all up, Damelincourt appeared to welcome me and set up our appointment for a tour the following morning. He pointed up to the old Post Office clock tower through the glass ceiling and said, “I’ll take you up there tomorrow- it’s the second highest building in Washington and has been off limits to the public for years. The US Park Service will open it to public tours later this winter.”

There’s been plenty of speculation about whether or not the Donald’s controversial campaign has affected business at this hotel, so I was on the lookout for signs, and I do think it seemed rather quiet. At 5 pm on Thursday, the big bar area had about 50 customers being served by white-coated staff. “How’s business?” I asked. Damelincourt said that the bar has been quite popular and he’s averaging between $18,000 and $25,000 in receipts per night. He said the biggest nights in the lobby so far were during the debates when they had it tuned in on all four lobby screens. He said a big crowd from both sides showed up to cheer on their candidates in a good natured fashion and the nights were a big success. He’s expecting a similar crowd on election night as well as Super Bowl Sunday.

The Trump hotel was once the Old US Post Office building on Pennsylvania Avenue (Chris McGinnis)

As far as hotel business is concerned, he said that he’s opened two other Trump hotels before, and that early bookings at this one seem to be in line with those. It’s true that a brand new hotel takes time to establish itself in a market. Plus hoteliers like business to build up slowly in order for staff to get up to speed. But still, I was on the lookout to see just how slow business was.

Once I checked in at the desk, a beautiful Latina woman escorted me to my room on the seventh floor. On the way to the room, she pointed out the details of the restoration of this one-time office building. From the old radiators surrounding columns in the lobby to the crown molding in corridors, it’s gorgeous. We were having a great chat as we walked through the long corridors to my room. She told me she was from Miami and that she’d worked in the hotel business for a while, but that this was the best job she’d ever had. I had to ask, “So what do your friends back in Miami have to say about your working for Mr Trump?” She looked at me and said, without skipping a beat, “Trump is very popular in Miami, so most of my friends are supportive of my job or don’t really care. It’s not an issue, really.” Fair enough, I thought.

Room 721 at the Trump International Washington DC- 14 foot ceilings, crystal chandeliers and lots of gold leaf (Chris McGinnis)

She showed me around my “premier” room, which is one step up from the entry level “deluxe” rooms. Since the hotel officially opened just last week, I felt like I could have been the first person to sleep in this room- it sure smelled that way! It was huge with 14 foot ceilings, two brilliant, freshly scrubbed crystal chandeliers (there are 628 throughout the hotel), a big king bed with an ornate gilded headboard that screamed Trump, plus a wonderful nook for a gilded desk in a corner turret with stunning views of the Washington Monument and the surrounding sandstone buildings in the Federal Triangle. The big bright bathroom was sheathed in Carrara marble and includes a dual vanity, huge soaking tub and walk in shower.

Carrara marble everywhere in the big bathroom in room 721 (Chris McGinnis)

As I was unpacking, the doorbell rang, and it was a butler with bottle of sparkling wine and some strawberries as a welcome from the hotel. The brand was Trump Blanc de Blanc ($26) of course! I had a glass and it was actually very good, but I’m no wine connoisseur.

I was eager to get out of the room, take my own mini-tour of the hotel, then find a place for dinner. Walking out of my room to the corridor, I peered over the balcony and saw the entire hotel…every floor down to the lobby. Damelincourt told me that as a manager, he loves this since it’s easy for him to look out and see what’s happening all at once– something that’s tough to do without a big atrium like this. The hallways were gorgeous and lit with crystal chandeliers, lamps and sconces, chairs, tables, chintz and views. They are also super long, which, due to the Halloween season, made me think of the movie The Shining and the word Redrum 🙂 . But there was not a soul in sight. I wondered if I was the only guest on the seventh floor.

On my way out of the hotel I approached the concierge who greets me by name. I asked him for suggestions saying, “I’m just off the plane from San Francisco, and did not eat much since breakfast. I’m starving for a good walk and an early dinner. I’ll be dining alone so would like a place that’s easy and casual.” He lit up when I said San Francisco. “Did you know that there’s a Tadich Grill right across the street? You can go there and sit at the bar and they’ll take good care of you. Tell ’em Robert from the Trump hotel sent you.” He insisted on walking out the door to show me exactly where it was.

The new Tadich Grill in Washington is across the street from the Trump International (Chris McGinnis)

So I took a nice spin down Pennsylvania Avenue, then went to Tadich Grill for a delicious dinner of lump blue crab cakes (perfection!) and a glass of chardonnay. I had a nice chat with the bartender and asked, “So what do you think about having the Trump hotel across the street? Do you get much business from there? Does it seem busy?” He lit up at that and had plenty to say. First, he said that competition among bartenders was fierce for a job at the Trump because “he pays top dollar [$19/hr + tips] to bartenders and pays for health insurance, too. At other places, you’ll get about $9 per hour and you are lucky if you get insurance.” He has friends on staff at the Trump who tell him that the hotel is running about 50% full, while others in the area are oversold- he said, “Just go look at the windows and see how many lights you see on and you’ll get an idea.”

He said that much of the hotel’s business is driven by the curiosity factor for now, and that anyone who won’t stay there for political reasons will forget about that soon after the election. I have to agree. Location is typically the primary factor business travelers use when choosing a hotel, and the Trump is ideally located midway between the White House and the Capitol. Plus, during recent elections I heard from readers swearing that they’d never stay at a Marriott again after the Marriott family donated so much to the Romney campaign… that obviously had little impact on what is now the largest hotel company in the world. Time will tell….

The Trump International at night (Chris McGinnis)

So when I left Tadich and resumed my walk I looked up a hotel windows. From the street, The Trump looked about half full. But when I looked up at the nearby Willard InterContinental or JW Marriott, both were nearly 100% full.

Plenty of lights on at the nearby JW Marriott Hotel in DC (Chris McGinnis)

I slept well and woke up the following morning for breakfast at BLT Prime in the lobby. Since I was on Pacific time, I was a little late, sitting down at about 9 am. There were only about six other patrons in the restaurant. I ordered a delicious breakfast popover stuffed with scrambled eggs and chunks of smoky bacon served with fresh berries. The coffee was good, and naturally Trump branded. From my perch on the balcony overlooking the lobby, I could see the four giant TV screens at the other end and noted that none of them showed Fox News.

My breakfast popover at the BLT restaurant in the lobby (Chris McGinnis)

At 10 am my tour started with the Damelincourt. Here are some highlights from that spin through the property:

-Despite their political persuasions, Damelincourt says that most Washingtonians are most happy that something was finally done with the the beautiful but dumpy old building that had struggled since the post office moved out long ago.

-Trump leased the hotel from the federal government for 60 years and invested about $200 million in the refurbishment. The hotel shares the space with the U.S. Park Service, which oversees the iconic clock tower that stands above the hotel, and will begin offering tours in January.

-There are 263 rooms in the hotel. That includes 35 suites which go for $1,000-$20,000 a night. Deluxe rooms start at around $400. Premier rooms (larger, with better views) start at about $550. Executive rooms and junior suites start at around $650 per night. (Rates of course are based on demand, so can vary widely.)

Looking up at the clocktower through the glass ceiling at the Trump Hotel (Chris McGinnis)

-The best entry-level rooms? “Well if you are a history buff, ask for a deluxe room with an atrium view- from your room, you can look up through the glass roof to see the famous clocktower.”

-The Presidential Suite was at one time the office of the US Postmaster General– it’s huge (three times the size of the Oval Office!), ornate and covered in with masculine wood paneling. The bathroom once served as the Postal Service safe, and retains a two-foot thick doorway to enter.

Suites at the Trump International decorated in Navy blue and white- and lots of crystal (Chris McGinnis)

-The clock tower houses bells given to the US by the UK that do not fit in the Capitol (down at the end of Pennsylvania Avenue, so they were put in the Post Office Tower. Soon those bells will be rung by hand during the opening and closing of Congress.

-There are three Presidential Suites in the Trump. The Postmaster suite is 2,000 square feet. The Presidential Suite (the most secure) is 4,000 square feet and the Trump Townhouse (two levels on the first and second floor with dedicated entry from the street) is 6,300 square feet.

Check out the presidential toilet in the presidential suite! Paging LBJ! (Chris McGinnis)

-The 628 crystal chandeliers throughout the hotel are cleaned about every eight weeks by a private contractor. Nice contract, I bet!

-A few nice touches Damelincourt insisted on: a standard alarm clock in every room (they are made of brass and very heavy). He has installed handheld garment steamers in each closet, which he says remove wrinkles quickly without the muss and fuss of an iron an ironing board. And best of all (to me at least) the hotel provides real half & half with the in-room Nespresso machine! Also, in-room wifi was lightning fast, and when you sign on, it’s good for three days…no irritating daily sign on required.

View of the Washington Monument over the roof of the IRS building from the desk of my room at the Trump hotel (Chris McGinnis)

-When we were in the tower, I wondered aloud if the hotel required any sort of special security detail due to the controversy surrounding Trump. He looked around and said, “We are surrounded by the IRS and the FBI is across the street. This is one of the most secure areas in the whole city, so if anything funny happens, police usually respond within minutes, if not seconds. Every day we get a few protesters on the sidewalk who hold up placards for a photo, then disappear.”

-The Trump children (primarily Ivanka) visit and consult with the hotel frequently. The Donald is not involved in the day-to-day like they are.

The majestic view from the clock tower at the Trump International Hotel in Washington (Chris McGinnis)

So what do you think? Once the election brouhaha has cooled off, would you darken the door of the Trump International Hotel in DC? Why or why not? Please leave your comments below.

Disclosure: The Trump International hotel comped my one night stay and TravelSkills paid for my flights, meals and transfers related to this trip.

–Chris McGinnis

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