October - Will Travel for College Football: NorthWestern
October - Omaha Mileage Run
November - Memphis Mileage Run
November - 10 Year High School Reunion
December - Buenos Aires with Mom
December - Will travel for College Football: D3 Championship???
December - End of Year Trip
Things I am Working On For The Blog
A stand along website - almost done!
Blog Logo
Anatomy of a Mileage Run
Maybe Another 31 Ways to Earn
Some other things....
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In full disclosure, I was given the suite for free. I was offered a comped due to problems with a previous stay.
In August, I held a small get together for the blog's anniversary in a suite at The Grand Hyatt in DC.
The stay did not go so well, as I wrote about here. Problems with the suite and staff made my stay feel like I was staying at a Hyatt Place rather than a Grand Hyatt. In the morning, I spoke with a manger, who was apologetic and offered me a free night in a suite, just contact him. At the time, I was skeptical that this "offer" would be honored.
Since I try to be an honorable man, I wanted to give you an update. Two weeks ago, I contacted the manager to try to secure a suite for last Saturday night. I had an event in the city and wanted host friends for an after party. My email went unanswered for close to a week, but ultimately, the manger confirmed my reservation for my free suite night.
The stay was 1000% better than my last stay. At check-in, I was thanked for my Platinum status and immediately asked if I would like the traditional 2pm check-out and free newspaper. I accepted the late check-out and declined the paper.
The Grand Suite was exactly the same as the one before except on the 9th floor.
Here is a video tour of my last suite:
Unlike my last stay, the chiller/refrigerator and whirlpool hot tub worked. Both of these helped make the after party much more fun, we had time to do this:
Instead of spending time doing this:
Also, this room had electronic controls for the curtains, my last room did not.
Where the stay was lacking was the staff on the "guest line." I forgot a cork screw and waited a few minutes before it was answered. About 15 minutes later, I noticed that I did not bring toothpaste. Again I had to wait a few minutes to speak to someone. Both times, the person who answered the phone seemed bothered by my call, but told me the item would be on there way.
Overall the stay was much better than my last. Lets call the last stay outside of the normal. I would definitely have family stay here.
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A few months back, a reader left the following comment:
"This is a little random--but do you guys have any tips or tricks on booking hotels in NYC? Unfortunately, i'm still in the paying off my credit card debt stages in terms of point earning and cannot even qualify for a card with free nights, etc (probably a bad idea even if I did). I was just wondering since DC is so close and thought maybe you'd have ideas. Thanks! -c"
I haven't responded to this comment, because I didn't have an answer to the question. Credit cards are the easiest way to get free nights:
Chase Hyatt Visa = 2 Free Nights At Any NYC Hotel
Chase Marriott = 50,000 or 60,000 Points = 1 Free Nights At Any NYC Hotel
Citi Hilton HHonors = 2 Free Weekend Nights At Most NYC Hotel
Chase IHG Visa = 60,000 Points = 1 or 2 Free Nights At Any NYC Hotel
Starwoood AMEX = 25,000 Points = 1 or 2 Free Nights At Any NYC Hotel
Like the reader states in the comment, not everyone is able to earn points via credit cards. "C" is doing the right thing by paying off credit card debt before applying for more credit cards in the name of points. No number of points or miles is worth damaging your credit score.
So, we are all back to square one? How do we earn points to trade for free nights in New York City?
Stay twice at any Marriott hotel, earn a free night at any category 1-5 hotel. I completed a $50 mattress run to earn my free night. Sounds like a great way to stay for free in New York, right? However, all of the hotels in New York City proper are category 7 and above. Therefore, MegaBonus free nights can't be used. However, there are a few Marriott's located near the City that are category 5, thus the free nights could be used there.
My next thought was IHG's The Big Win, which I wrote about here. Complete stays at IHG hotels like Holiday Inn, Candlewood Suites, Intercontinental and earn from 50,000 to 150,000 points. IHG points can be turned into free nights a multiple of ways:
All Points
Cash & Points
PointBreaks (5,000 a Night Hotels)
Flash Sales for points
Here is a sample of availability at two NYC IHG hotels on a random Friday night:
50,000 points will get you a $450 a night room at the Intercontinental on a Friday night. Pay $40 and the amount of points drops to 45,000. Pay $30 more ($70 total) and you only need 40,000 points for that night.
If you don't have any stays at IHG branded hotels, the only way to succeed is to complete mattress runs. Mattress runs are throwing money out the door. Money the could be used to pay down credit card debt.
Again, I am back at zero. My last idea is to think small. Companies like eRewards,eMiles, Dining Rewards have options to transfer points at hotels. You won't earn a ton of points from these options, but its a start.
As I have stated before, small steady will help you win the marathon. The points game is a marathon, not a race.
Do you have any suggestions for reader "C"?
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For the blog's 1st Anniversary Party, I decided to get a suite at Grand Hyatt located in downtown Washington, DC. The hotel is located at the corner of H and 11 Street.
Picture from Trip Advisor
The hotel was $125 a night. I booked on the AAA rate. To get the suite, I used my last suite certificate provided to me from Chase Hyatt Visa for being a platinum member.
When you enter the Grand Hyatt, your first impression is wow. The place is huge and some much is going around. The first thing you notice is how big the place actually is. The lobby is a circle with much natural light.
When I arrived, a tour bus just pulled up and unloaded 50 guests. I was a little nervous as I only had 2 hours before the party started. However, the bell hop asked me if I had status. After I told him I had platinum status, he brought me right to the front desk cutting 40+ waiting in line. Thank you Chase Hyatt. The check-in desk is to the left of the lobby.
The center of the lobby looks down into a water with a piano.
The room I was given was a Grand King Suite. The suite consisted of a living room and a bedroom.
As you see, the room was spacious and very modern. I liked the different color of greens throughout the living room.
The bedroom had a king bed, a desk and large cabinets:
The bathroom had a separate shower, jet hot tube (did not work) and vanity. The bathroom was the only thing that did not fit in the room. It had an old feel to it.
The suite was a perfect size for the party.
I used the gym in the morning.
One of the coolest things in the hotel is the American Flag hanging from the glass ceiling in the lobby. One a sunny day, the flag is amazing. I recommend going to the top floor for the best view.
The hotel has a restaurant on the floor below the lobby. I did not get to try it out due to front desk not telling me the breakfast ends at 10am. The front desk failing to tell me my breakfast vouchers expired at 10am was just the tip of the iceberg on the qualify of the customer service level of the staff. In addition, the whirl pool hot tub and the refrigerator in my room did not work. I wrote here about the problems with the hotel. So far my complaints have gone unanswered.
Would I stay here again? Maybe
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This week, I came home to a letter from Chase notifying me that of changes to my Hyatt credit card. I kinda freaked out. Are they taking away the Platinum Status? Anniversary Free Night? I opened the envelope with my fingers cross.
The change is to a benefit that I didn't know I had, ID Theft Protection.
Losing this benefit is no big deal. It should be a reminder that your credit card offer a variety of different secondary benefits. From car rental insurance to purchase protection and free movie tickets, secondary benefits provided by credit cards can save you money. The one catch to saving money through these benefits is knowing that these benefits exist.
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Yesterday, Chris wrote about summer bonus for Chase Hyatt cardholders. This is the second bonus, this year, that the Chase Hyatt I have been targeted. Both times, what has impressed me more than the actual size and ease to obtain the bonus is the promotional material.
This packaging stands out from one’s normal junk mail.
Excuse me trying to rip the shipping label off\
Inside, the promotional material is clean, eye catching and easy to follow.
Kudos to the marketing folks at Chase for such amazing promotional material!
Do you like Chase's promotion material?
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Credit cards are valuable tools in "winning" in the points & miles game. To often, people focus only on the sign-up bonus when choosing whether to sign-up for a credit card; overlooking the other benefits the card may provide.
One of the questions that has been swirling in my head is, "what makes a great credit card?"
Image taken from random Google search
All of my favorite credit cards tend to have similar secondary benefits:
No foreign transaction fees
Status of some kind
Anniversary Bonus (free night, extra points)
Bonus for spending x dollars in a year (status, extra points, free night)
Primary rental car coverage (I don't have car or car insurance)
Lately, my favorite two credit cards is the Chase Hyatt and Priority Club. Both offer a no foreign transaction fees, anniversary bonus, and hotel status. In addition, the Hyatt credit card offers the ability to earn night credits towards higher status after spending specific amount of money within a year.
No single card will have all of your wants on it. However, put two or three credit cards in your wallet and one can check all of their wants off their list.
If you could build your perfect credit card, what benefits would your card have?
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On my recent trip to Austin, I decided to stay at the Austin Hyatt Regency.
The hotel is located off the South Congress Bridge, where one can view the bats at dusk.
The hotel's parking lot/garage is under renovations. One has two options, self-park for $10 a night or valet at $24 a night. I valeted, because the self park option was limited and tight. However, the parking situation was not a surprise to me. There were notices about the lack of parking on the Hyatt website, I was told about the parking situation when I called to book an upgrade and received an email from the hotel a few days before arriving. I applaude Hyatt for their proactive communication.
The reception desk is to the left of the lobby. Check-in was smooth. They welcomed us to the hotel, acknowledged my Platinum status and asked about my parking choice. What was not discussed was our breakfast vouchers. I booked with a AAA rate that provided for breakfast for 2 each day. It wasn't until later that I noticed the lack of vouchers. A quick call to concierge gave me the answer: charge it to the room, it would be removed later.
I decided to use one of my suite upgrades provided to me by my Chase Hyatt Visa for being a platinum member prior to applying. We were given keys to room 503 and 504.
When we opened the door, my sister and I were pleasantly surprised:
This was my first real suite. So, I was giddy like a child in a candy shop. The suite had two double beds, a living area and two full baths. The suite can turn into a three room suite by the unlocking of this door below. The room next door has a king bed and another full bath turning the suite into a two bedroom, three bath suite.
The views from the room were amazing.
The lobby of the hotel has plenty of places to sit and relax. It was inviting, but also invoked a night club feel at night.
There is additional seating outside on the patio with multiple TVs and fire pits. Great for warm Texas nights.
Also, on the ground level is the gym which is open 24/7. The gym was a good size for the number of rooms in the hotel. Each elliptical and treadmill had its own TVS. The gym was stocked with cold towels, dry towels, headphones and citrus flavored water.
The pool is located outside and opened late.
The hotel has a business center on second floor. The center has four computers, but the price to use was extremely expensive. $6.95 for 15 minutes...exessive.
Breakfast is served in the Southwest Bistro located on the second floor.
As I stated, the AAA rate came with breakfast for two of us. The breakfast buffet was amazing with every option that one could want. I especially liked the fried french toast with the berry compote.
My sister ordered off the menu and got the Austin Eggs Benedict, which she enjoyed:
Our bill came to over $50 and was removed, as promised, on my final folio.
The hotel is located on the southside of Austin, but it is a short walk over the bridge to the major tourist bar scene. If walking is not your style, there were always cabs right outside the hotel waiting for fares.
This is was amazing hotel stay. The staff was attentive, the product clean and modern and food amazing. I wish I could have afforded to stay here more than one night.
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