voco Gold Coast Review IHG has a new hotel brand: voco. In the trend of endless branding, voco seems to be aiming for upscale hip. Not sure how it is hoping to differentiate itself from Kimpton. Perhaps voco is to Hyatt Centric as Kimpton is to Andaz. So far there … Read more
Holiday Inn Express Brisbane Central Review I don’t write up a review of every hotel I stay in. I definitely skip a lot of the cookie cutter, chain hotels like Holiday Inn Express. However, I was quite impressed by this new property so thought it worth a post. There are … Read more
Hyatt Hotel Canberra Review The Hyatt Hotel Canberra is a historical hotel located in the Australian capital, a short distance from the Parliament House. Originally built in the 1920s by the government, the Hotel Canberra closed in the 1970s and reopened with an update and addition by Hyatt in the … Read more
Caesars Rewards Diamond Status Explained For the past five or so years I have been an M life loyalist when it comes to Vegas. I typically stay at M life properties as they are partnered with Hyatt. Recently I status matched my IHG Platinum status to Wyndham Diamond, and then … Read more
Daily Getaways Caesars Palace Package Back in May, I purchased the 2-Night VIP Getaway at Caesars Palace for $450 as part of the annual Daily Getaways promotion from the US Travel Association. I tend to be an M life guy with it comes to Las Vegas, but figured it would be … Read more
SingleFlyer Turns 4! On November 9, 2014, I registered the domain “singleflyer.com”. The points and miles world was still relatively new to me, but I was finding ways to travel more and more. I loved reading travel blogs to learn ways to travel smarter. Before starting my own website, I … Read more
Hyatt Palm Springs Review The Hyatt Palm Springs is an older property in the heart of downtown Palm Springs. Formerly titled the Hyatt Regency Suites Palm Springs, it has the feel of a Regency with 193 rooms built around an indoor atrium. A new Andaz is being built just down … Read more
Wyndham Rewards Status Match I am planning a trip to Australia to drive the Great Ocean Road next month. Along the drive, there are very few chain hotels (and none of the big chains — Hyatt, Hilton, IHG or Marriott). I am kind of excited as I rarely stay at … Read more
Hotels Should Limit Their Brands Today news came out that Hyatt would acquire Two Roads Hospitality. Currently Two Roads Hospitality has a portfolio of (at least) five brands: Joie de Vivre Hotels, Thompson Hotels, Destination Hotels, tommie and Alila Hotels & Resorts. Hyatt currently has 13 brands (plus exhale spa). If … Read more
Status Match Hyatt to M Life It is October 1. That means that M Life Tier Status is reset based on play at M Life casinos over the past 12 months (October 1-September 30). Now is a good time to status match Hyatt to M Life if you think you’ll … Read more
Why I am continuing my loyalty to Alaska Airlines I recently wrote a post on why I am giving up my loyalty to Alaska Airlines. In Part 2, I explore the reasons to stay loyal to Alaska. Earlier I wrote about all the reasons not to stay loyal to Alaska. … Read more
Why I am giving up my loyalty to Alaska Airlines Part 1 of a series where I debate the pros and cons of staying loyal to Alaska Airlines. This past year has seen a number of negative changes to Alaska Airlines. It is no secret that I have been an … Read more
Alaska Lounge Day Pass for $25 with Bank of America Alaska Visa Card Recently the Alaska Lounges in Seattle stopped accepting guests using a Priority Pass. I wrote about my plan to purchase an Alaska Lounge Membership later this year. After a trial run at the JFK Lounge, Alaska started … Read more
Dining on the Amtrak Coast Starlight One of the nice things about booking a Room or Roomette on Amtrak is that all your meals are included. For the Coast Starlight from Los Angeles to Seattle, that works out to five meals (lunch and dinner on Day 1, breakfast, lunch and … Read more
Amtrak Coast Starlight Train LA to Seattle The Amtrak Coast Starlight route along the West Coast begins in Los Angeles and ends in Seattle (or you can take it the other direction). You can also get on and/or get off at any of the stops along the way. During my … Read more