Tech & Travel Guru
Today, Marriott & Starwood have officially merged. After months of negotiations and talks about the merger might fall apart, it’s officially done. As a very loyal Starwood member (100+ nights this year), I was afraid it would mean poor award redemptions but Marriott did the right thing and is offering...
It’s been a busy year of traveling in the first 6 months of 2016. I’ve surpassed 75 nights at Starwood Hotels worldwide thus far. I received the following email after hitting 75 nights and can’t wait to earn more SPG points. I can always use more SPG points so earning...
Everyone would rather pay a cheaper price for a trip if possible but sometimes you can’t plan too far in advance due to other limiting factors. Most people know if they will need to travel somewhere during the holidays and somewhat know their vacation days at work. Unfortunately, almost 99% of...
While traveling over the past 2 weeks, there have been some major developments in the travel industry. Below are the highlights… Marriott has decided to buy Starwood Hotels and the deal will close mid-2106. This is a major negative for SPG members who have seen the program to have the best redemption...
Today, British Airways announced an increase in the required miles for short haul award flights. They will increase from 4,500 to 7,500 miles each way. This has been an excellent value which I’ve used for SFO-PDX and MLE-CMB flights. You have until February 1st, 2016 to book at the old rate...
This past weekend I was able to try out SPG Keyless on my iPhone 6 at Aloft San Francisco Airport. It allows you to checkin to your hotel room from your phone and obtain a digital room key. Your phone becomes the room key and communicates with your hotel room...
When I started to earn points using credit cards, the best all around card I could find based on my research was the Starwood Preferred Guest card from American Express. Since 2010, I’ve earned over 475,000 SPG points with ~300,000 SPG points within the 1st year of carrying the card....
I’ve maintained Starwood Preferred Guest Platinum status for 5 years now and have stayed over 190 nights at SPG hotels around the world. It’s the best hotel loyalty program in my opinion. The hotels and their locations are ideal for almost 100% of my travel. Starwood contains 9 brands ranging from...
I was excited to try my 1st cruise which would be on board one of the largest cruise ships in the world, Allure of the Seas. This ship was massive compared to others at the port. The cruise departed from Fort Lauderdale and the ports of call were: Nassau, St. Thomas...
I’m often asked which credit card is the best to use. Unfortunately, there are so many factors it is hard to give a quick recommendation. During the past couple of months I’ve been recommending my favorite credit cards to friends and family. 2 Best Personal: -Starwood (SPG) American Express -Chase Sapphire Preferred 2...
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