I am within reach of my 100th night at Starwood properties this year. The 100th night is the point at which a guest may earn a Starwood Ambassador, which is a single point of contact for all your hotel requests. Most of my stays are at run-of-the-mill business hotels so I want to make sure…
About alex
Alex loves to travel and does so a lot. Logging 100,000 flight miles each year over the past 4 years, Alex uses points and miles to power his passion. Alex is continuously striving to experience the far reaches of the globe. In his day job, Alex is a Management Consultant frequently on the road advising Technology organizations. I love thinking about, reading about, and talking about all things travel. Feel free to reach me at pmmalex@gmail.com
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A special treat from Lufthansa First Class
Six weeks ago we flew from Denver to Frankfurt in First Class and the very friendly flight attendant offered us a bottle of Champagne to take with us off the plane. We thought that was pretty cool to add a little something to an already great experience. Yesterday lightning struck twice when we arrived from…
Southwest opens up schedule into April 2014
Southwest has opened up another month of their schedule with bookings now available through April 6, 2014. Most airlines allow new bookings around 330 days out whereas Southwest generally opens up their schedule around 90-180 days. There are no federal holidays over this newly opened period but booking early never hurts with Southwest. The Southwest…
Even IT geeks love the Park Hyatt Tokyo
Unrelated to points and miles, I was doing some IT research and found myself on Brocade’s website. Brocade is a large data and storage networking specialist, AKA IT geeks like myself. The background photo shows a big vast city with two semi-large buildings that aren’t particularly distinguishing. That could be a lot of places but…
Confirmation emails go out for amazing AA Elite challenge
One of the benefits of feverishly checking Boarding Area is getting in on the quick-to-be-pulled deals. I was lucky enough to get in on the (probably a mistake) American Airlines Executive Platinum Challenge alerted to me via AAdvantage Geek. I heard rumblings they planned to honor the offer but today AA sent out an email…
2013 Airline and Hotel Status Checkpoint
As we approach the completion of 2/3 of the traveling year, I decided to take inventory of the progress I’ve made towards my status goals of 2013. As a reminder, my four status goals for 2013 were Hyatt Diamond via 25 stays, Starwood Platinum Ambassador via 100 nights, the Southwest Companion Pass the hard way…
Live TV on Southwest still free, still awesome
On July 1st, Southwest begin allowing customers to stream free live TV and on-demand television shows on every internet-enabled flight. When the service launched they did not announce an end date and there was some murkiness on which devices would work. Well the great news is that it is still free a month and a…
Forget credit cards for international travel and find a good debit card!
In an ideal world, I would use one of my no foreign transaction fee credit cards for all purchases internationally and rack up major points with spending abroad. In reality, almost all countries in the world are more cash-centric than the US so in some situations using credit cards overseas is simply not an option.…
The 50,000 mile credit card I got approved for this week
I am sure by now you have all seen the sharknado of posts surrounding the recent credit card bonus bump of the trusted and true SPG Amex. While this is certainly a good card to have in your arsenal and the current offer is the highest it has been, I tend to get more excited…
Easy way to find AA record locator when booking through BA.com
The ‘Amadeus Check My Trip’ tool is so simple I often forget that it exists. It is no secret that Avios are extremely effective for booking short haul domestic flights or west coast flights to Hawaii on American or Alaska Airlines. Yesterday I was booking a family trip to the Big Island and decided Avios…
The European capital you should visit sooner rather than later
Every few years, there seems to be a shift in what I call Europe’s ‘IT city’. The ‘IT city’ is the hottest new (not in age of course) European city that has recently improved infrastructure and/or safety to attract droves of first time tourists where previously there may have been some apprehension. Travel coverage in…
Do First Class pajamas waste your closet space?
I remember my first time like it was yesterday…. There I was, a lifelong Economy Class flyer onboard a Lufthansa A330 at Washington Dulles bound for Munich sitting in the front cabin. I knew they were coming but the moment was so tense with anticipation. Down the aisle the lovely flight attendant came and presented…
Austrian’s new Business Class is a real winner
Having just stepped off the Vienna to Washington flight in the new Austrian Business Class I can confidently say this product is a real winner! As I was making my observations during the flight, I was constantly comparing the experience to other First Class products because Austrian’s new Business Class can really compete on almost…
A REALLY gaudy hotel in Vienna but a lot of fun no less
I just checked into the Hotel Bristol in Vienna and received one of the most gaudy, over-the-top hotel rooms I have ever seen. There are 4 chandeliers, 16 paintings, 7 doors off the bedroom alone, 30 mirrors, 1 borderline useless foyer, and about 50 pieces of furniture that don’t exactly ‘jive’ with my personal design…
Is guaranteed early check-in impossible?
While in Berlin this week I learned our train to Prague had been cancelled and we would not be able to arrive in The Czech Republic until the next morning. I had a points reservation for two nights in Prague at a hotel where I have status. I emailed the hotel immediately upon learning of…
The best furniture store is an office supply store
Are you ready to revitalize your house with some new furniture? Your first stop shouldn’t be Pottery Barn, Macy’s or West Elm. It should be Staples, Office Max or Office Depot. Major purchases can turn into major points earnings. Admittedly I ignore trying to optimize small purchases but when it comes time to make a…
Analyzing Lufthansa First Class award space can make your head spin
I like sharing specific details about acquiring Lufthansa First Class award seats as partner awards because frankly it is really easy. I put together a Lufthansa First Class toolkit here. People generally shy away from Lufthansa First Class because you cannot lock in a trip before 15 days out. That being said, you can almost…
Japan’s two secret Park Hyatt hotels
If you peruse the Park Hyatt website you will find that Hyatt lists the Park Hyatt Tokyo as Japan’s lone Park Hyatt. Technically this is true but in reality it is false. There are two properties in Japan that easily meet the Park Hyatt threshold in terms of service, location and overall quality. For reasons…
Choosing Lufthansa’s “Retro” First Class over New First Class
I am proud to be passing on Lufthansa’s New First Class, adding 6 hours to my journey, and risking a possible missed connection and this is why. Folks whose home airport is one of the large international gateways like JFK, LAX or SFO probably get used to seeing exotic foreign wide bodies circling the aerodrome…
Blogger Confessions: Really bad redemptions
Bloggers have a tendency to write only about the ‘right’ ways to earn and burn miles. As is the case with many learned skills, it is often from the dumb mistakes we’ve made along the way that help us get to the where we are today. In the first, Blogger Confession, we’d like to share…