Global Hotel Brands

A few days ago, I asked for advice on which room to choose, and for anyone wondering, the garden view was definitely worth it. I was in town for a conference, but my wife and I arrived a day early to attend the funeral of a close friend in Virginia. Unfortunately, our flight...

I’m looking for some advice from fellow IHG members regarding a stay in Porto during an upcoming Spain and Portugal vacation. I currently have two nights booked at both the Vignette Collection property and the InterContinental, but I’ll only be keeping one reservation. As a...

We recently celebrated our 10th anniversary and planned a 7-night trip—4 nights at Milaidhoo and 3 nights at the Waldorf Astoria Maldives, booked using Free Night Certificates from the Hilton Aspire card. Having previously stayed at Waldorf Astoria Cabo multiple times, this...

Hi everyone, I am using the “pay with points” option in the Marriott Bonvoy app for the first time. When selecting rates and using points, I see a “redemption” option showing 53.5K points, but it does not mention whether breakfast is included. There is no separate option that...

Hi everyone, is it normal for a Marriott property to add a 10 percent service charge that wasn’t clearly disclosed during the booking process? This happened during my stay in San Jose del Cabo, and I wasn’t aware of the charge until later. It was my first time visiting the area,...

I booked a room at the Waldorf Astoria New York using my Hilton Aspire free night award and received an email three days before arrival informing me that I have been upgraded to a Lexington Avenue Junior Suite. I am really excited about this upgrade and will share an update...

As someone who has been traveling for over 25 years, I’ve generally avoided using in-room coffee makers at hotels because I assume they are not consistently maintained. Recently, I decided to test this again by running plain water through the machine and collecting it in a clean...

I recently stayed at the WestHouse Hotel New York after booking through Hilton. The main reasons for choosing it were its proximity to a special concert we were attending and the opportunity to experience a Small Luxury Hotels (SLH) property for the first time. Before arriving,...

I recently completed a three-night stay at The Livingston, a JdV by Hyatt property in Downtown Brooklyn, and it exceeded my expectations. For anyone seeking a comfortable New York City base with quick access to Manhattan, this hotel is well worth considering. One of its biggest...

I am using Marriott Bonvoy’s “pay with points” option for the first time. While choosing rates and redeeming points, I see a “redemption” option showing 53.5K points, but it does not clearly state whether breakfast is included. There is no separate rate shown that mentions “with...

I’m planning a stay in Rome for an upcoming wedding and am considering Le Méridien Visconti Rome. My main reason for choosing it isn’t the price but the location. The wedding will be near the Vatican, and the reception is at a venue just across the river, making the hotel seem...

Long shot… I stayed at the Hyatt Regency Bangkok a few years ago and somehow slept amazingly well. I took a quick photo of the mattress tag back then, but I’m now trying to figure out exactly what kind of mattress it is. If anyone happens to stay there and remembers this post,...

I recently stayed 2 nights at the reopened Park Hyatt Tokyo, booking through a combination of points and Hyatt Privé since award availability was limited due to high demand during a Lady Gaga concert. The first night was booked on points and the second through Hyatt Privé, which...

What is the real value of the complimentary 35,000-point annual free night benefit if it is rarely enough to book decent hotels? I tried to use my annual free night and found that a hotel costing around $250 per night requires about 81,000 points. That feels like a very poor...

Anyone else make Ambassador status for next year yet.

New flair in $44… I’ll have to wait till Thursday morning. Unless….

It looks like Hyatt has rolled out a pretty major overhaul of their iOS app. I am assuming Android has either received the same update or will get it soon. The interface now seems more aligned with native iOS design patterns, and I am noticing much better performance overall. In...

This is finally the year I hit Lifetime Platinum and I feel like I have been working toward it forever. Now I need to know... is there some secret handshake I should be learning, or do the instructions arrive in the mail 6 to 8 weeks later? 😄 For those who already made it...

Does anyone know if there is a new Kimpton secret code for Summer 2026? The previous "Life of a Kimpton Guest" code seems to have ended back in February and I have not seen anything replacing it yet. Curious if anyone has come across a new seasonal code, promotion, or recurring...

I’m fairly new to World of Hyatt but have started traveling more frequently for work, so I’ve been staying at Hyatt properties over the past couple of weeks. I stayed at three different hotels recently, and for two of them both qualifying nights and points posted correctly....

I was browsing my Hilton Honors offers and noticed this promotion appearing quite often. I decided to look into it, and the offer is for HGV on the Boulevard hotel. Has anyone actually taken this deal? If so, what was your experience like? It seems a bit too good to be true, so...