Upcoming Hotel Reviews

I have been doing quite a bit of traveling lately (thus the reason for sparse posts).  I have quite a few hotel reviews in the works including:

Park Hyatt Milano, Italy

Grand Hyatt, New York

Clarion Collection Hotel Griso, Lake Como Italy

Hotel Monaco Philadelphia

Lorien Hotel and Spa, Alexandria VA

Andaz Maui

Courtyard Kauai at Coconut Beach

Crowne Plaza LAX

Sheraton Edison Hotel, NJ

Sheraton Fuerteventura Resort, Canary Islands

SPG Hot Escapes

SPG Has been offering "Hot Escape" rates on their hotels for a little while now and I just realized that I have yet to post about them.  Essentially, every Wednesday Starwood will publish a list of hotels around the world offering discounts ranging from 20-50% off.  Rates are valid for stays over the next 6 weeks.  SPG members get an additional 5% off.  The full list of hotels can be found here: http://www.spghotescapes.com/all



Hyatt.com Elite Rate: Save 20%

Hyatt recently introduced an added benefit for gold passport platinum and diamond members.  This rate is easy assessable simply by logging onto your account and making a booking.  If the elite rate is available for those dates it will show up as shown below.  Platinum status is obtainable after 5 stays/15 nights or by simply by signing up for the Chase Hyatt credit card.

Travelpony.com: Save 85$ on hotel bookings

Travelpony.com is a new hotel booking site along the lines of Orbitz, Expedia, etc.  I stumbled upon this site because I was in need of a hotel in New York City for a few days before my upcoming trip to Milan.  Having checked all the usual outlets and still unsatisfied with the price, I decided to give travelpony.com a try.  For my specific dates the prices were very comparable if not better than those I found elsewhere.  Whats even better is that there are currently 2 discounts with travel pony that are ongoing simultaneously which allowed me to get an amazing deal:

First, new members receive 35$ in credit just for signing up using this link here

Second, there is currently a promotion which allows you to get 50$ off a booking of $200 or more; simply enter KATE50 or PROWINNER at checkout.

By combining these two deals, I was able to book the Grand Hyatt New York for 115$ a night all taxes included.  For comparison, the same room booked on Hyatt.com is $210

The only caveat that i have found with the site is that the cities are somewhat limited at this point, but they are apparently expanding quickly.

Great deal alert: LAX to Santiago, Chile for under $300

Title pretty much says it all.  Round trip flights from Los Angeles to Santiago Chile for $285 round trip on Avianca Airlines.  Dates are pretty wide open in March and possibly other months.

Earn 50% bonus miles on American or US Airways

Now through March 2nd you can earn 50% bonus miles on USair and American Airlines flights.  As this is to promote the new codeshare agreement between the airlines, remember that if you are planning on flying on American you should register for the promotion via USair and vice versa.  Once the merger is complete all USair dividend miles will become AAdvantage miles.
Register for AA promo here
Register for USair promo here


AA details and terms:
Enjoy more choices and more miles! Now, you can earn AAdvantage miles when traveling on US Airways, and for a limited time, you will earn a 50% AAdvantage mileage bonus for travel on all US Airways flights. 
Through our merger with US Airways, we’re bringing you an expanded global network and greater schedule options with more than 6,700 daily flights to more than 330 cities in more than 50 countries. This includes better access to the East Coast through the US Airways Shuttle, which offers hourly departures from Boston Logan (BOS), Washington Reagan (DCA) and New York LaGuardia (LGA).
As we build the new American, we will bring you:

• The ability to earn and redeem miles on each airline and on many of our oneworld/global partners
• A codeshare agreement with US Airways that allows you to travel seamlessly on a single itinerary
• More flights to more destinations
• The most service across the East Coast and Central regions of the United States
• A stronger network in the Western United States
• Convenient gateways to Latin America and the Caribbean

So, start planning your next trip. Explore a new destination or enjoy more flights to existing destinations.
Participating Airlines:
US Airways
Award:
Bonus Miles
Offer Dates:
January 13, 2014, through March 2, 2014
Promotion Code:
AAUSM
Register by selecting the REGISTER button below.

Register Here


USAir Details and Terms:

Eligibility:

Offer void where prohibited by law. Registration required. You must be a member of the Dividend Miles program to register for this offer. Registration begins on January 13, 2014 and will continue through March 2, 2014. Registration may occur at any point during the promotion to qualify for any eligible flight activity. Only flight activity on and between January 13, 2014 and March 2, 2014 is eligible. Bonus miles do not count toward Dividend Miles Preferred status.

Earning Miles:

Earn a 50% mileage bonus when you register and fly an American Airlines (“AA”) operated flights on and between January 13, 2014 and March 2, 2014. AA flight activity is defined as a segment of regularly scheduled passenger air service operated by American Airlines, Inc. including flights operated by “American Eagle” and “American Connection”. Please note that flights marketed as American Airlines, but operated by another carrier are not eligible to receive the 50% bonus miles. Please inquire prior to making your booking if your flight is operated by American Airlines. Please ensure you include your Dividend Miles number when you’re making your booking to receive mileage credit. The 50% mileage bonus will be applied only on base miles earned for the eligible AA flight activity, excluding any other bonus miles. Please allow up to 60 days for bonus miles to post to your Dividend Miles account. Further information regarding earning miles, rules and any restrictions can be found here: Dividend Miles Member’s Guide

Eligible Activity Date:

Only AA flight activity between January 13, 2014 and March 2, 2014 is eligible (“Eligible Activity Date”). Eligible Activity Date is based on the date that AA records the flight activity (the day the actual flight activity occurred), and is not when the flight was purchased or booked.

General Terms:

All Dividend Miles terms and conditions apply. Offer open to all Dividend Miles members except where prohibited by local law. Members may only participate in this offer with one Dividend Miles account. All Dividend Miles partner terms and conditions apply. Offer is subject to change without notice.

Register Here

What a fare error looks like

Earlier today there was a glitch in Delta's fare chart.  Here is what kayak explore looked like from the Washington DC area.  A sub 70$ fare to Hawaii or St. Thomas sounds pretty good just about now doesn't it?