Latest Posts

Your Marriott Bonvoy Checklist

Well, it’s officially a few days past February 13, 2019 which means Marriott Bonvoy is upon us. It also means that Starwood Preferred Guest (a favorite among frequent travelers) is dead. Likewise, Marriott Rewards is also dead. What’s left is a single combined loyalty program called Marriott Bonvoy. While I’ll admit I’m not a fan…
An Odd Reason I Regret Combining My Marriott And SPG Accounts

Well, it’s been a few weeks since the SPG Marriott systems merger and in my eyes things went great. Sure I’ve read about various glitches and issues that have come up, but from my point of view it’s been fine. However, there is one tiny thing that keeps bugging me and I wish I had…
Act Now To Combine Your SPG And Marriott Accounts

Well, it’s official, after this weekend Marriott and SPG are now one program. While there have been a ton of chances that I intend to cover in a few days or weeks, one thing I want to cover today is how to combine your Marriott and SPG loyalty accounts. You have have remembered a few…
Hotel Review: The Mira Hong Kong, A Design Hotel

After an incredible night’s stay at the Ritz-Carlton Hong Kong I needed to switch hotels. While I loved the Ritz-Carlton I simply couldn’t afford spending two nights on the property. I paid 70,000 Marriott points for a single night stay and cash rates were in excess of $500/night. Instead of burning even more Marriott Rewards…
Marriott Rewards Hotel And Air Mile Packages

There are currently two different promotions to transfer hotel points to AAdvantage miles. One is to transfer 140,000 Marriott Rewards points to AAdvantage for a 30% bonus. The second is to transfer 80,000 SPG Starpoints to AAdvantage for a 30% bonus. Both seem enticing at face value, but when you dig into the value of…
Extended: Convert SPG Starpoints To AAdvantage With A 30% Bonus

Yesterday I wrote about a unique offer from Marriott Rewards and American AAdvantage. The offer is to convert Marriott points to AAdvantage miles with a 30% bonus. Transfer ratios varied based on the number of points transferred. In the end, it only sort of made sense to take AAdvantage (sorry bad pun) of the promotion…
Earn Bonus AAdvantage Miles During SPG Stays

I love double dipping. It’s fantastic when I earn two points currencies from a single activity. Most loyalty programs call this activity a crossover rewards. For example, when I stay take Uber rides I earn the 3X points from my Chase Sapphire Reserve card, but I also earn SPG Starpoints. When I stay at SPG…
Review: Le Metropolitan, A Tribute Portfolio Hotel, Paris

After navigating our way through the Paris metro system we finally found our way to our hotel for the week, Le Metropolitan Hotel in Paris. I decided to book the hotel for several reasons, but most importantly, price. At the time of booking I paid a pre-paid rate of €213.00 a night. Also important, the rate…
SPG Reducing Points Earning With Uber

One of my favorite aspects of the Starwood Preferred Guest program is the ability to earn SPG points with various parters. I earn quite a few Starpoints annually by flying on Delta Air Lines or using Uber (especially when staying at an SPG property). Currently, SPG members who have linked their accounts to Uber earn…
Earn 155,000 Marriott Points While You Still Can

Late last night news broke about what the new combined Starwood Preferred Guest and Marriott Rewards program will look like. Many SPG members were relieved to hear their SPG points would transfer to Marriott Rewards at a 3:1 ratio. It was fairly clear the points would not transfer at 1:1, but 3:1 also seemed unlikely.…