Reviews

Review: The Club MSY

💡tl;dr—I've visited The Club MSY a few times, and this review is an amalgamation of at least three visits over a two-year period. The Club MSY is a simple, cozy lounge that can get busy quickly. The food is serviceable, though it's the friendly

News

Alila Marea Beach Resort Encinitas Goes Rogue: "Kids No Longer Welcome Overnight"

💡Tl;dr - The Alila Marea Beach Resort Encinitas recently announced it's transitioning to an adults-only resort, citing the ability to 'provide a serene and tranquil environment." In early February, Alila Marea Beach published a banner on its landing page indicating that the resort would be

Musings

The Other Shoe Has Dropped: Bags No Longer Free on Southwest

💡Tl;dr - Southwest Airlines announced today that it will begin charging fees on checked bags, breaking a long-standing policy of allowing all passengers two checked bags for free. For the last few weeks, I've had a blog post drafted titled "When will the other shoe drop?

Trailborn Pops Up on Marriott App as the Outdoor Brand Unveils its Newest Grand Canyon Location

💡Tl;dr—Trailborn is set to open its newest location at the Grand Canyon, and it appears the outdoor brand's partnership with Marriott will soon result in Trailborn hotels going live on Bonvoy. Trailborn, an upstart hotel brand focused on hip-adventure forward accommodations near popular outdoorsy destinations, recently

Deals

Deal: Purchase Alaska Airlines Miles with a Bonus of Up to 50%

💡tl;dr—Alaska Airlines just launched its latest points sales of 2025 (the second of the year) and the airline is offering a bonus of up to 50% when you purchase miles. If you've identified a good redemption using Alaska miles, this might be a good deal for

News

Opening Soon: Patina Osaka, New Luxury Hotel in the "Nation's Kitchen"

💡Tl;dr—The Patina Osaka is scheduled to open on May 1, 2025, marking a significant addition to the Luxury Hotel Scene in Osaka. This week, I'll be starting the recap of a trip to Japan, Australia, and New Zealand I took last year, and as such, I

News

Bummer: The Waterfront Hotel Oakland, A Hyatt JDV Property, Abruptly Shutters After 34 Years

💡Tl;dr - The Waterfront Hotel in Jack London Square of Oakland, CA, shuttered in late January, citing financial issues. After 35 years of service and stewardship as an anchor tenant in Oakland's Jack London Square, the Waterfront Hotel has closed. Notably, the Waterfront Hotel became part of

Deals

BTMFF: Solid Starlux Business Flight Availability This Fall for 75,000 Miles

💡Tl:dr - There’s solid availability through Alaska Mileage Plan for TPE - LAX for many dates in Fall 2025. TPE - SEA is also available on a handful of days.  If you’ve been looking for lie-flat seating to take you from Asia to the West Coast of

PAMU

Transferring HawaiianMiles to Alaska MileagePlan and Vice Versa

💡tl;dr - As I recently did it for an upcoming redemption, I thought it’d be helpful to do a step-by-step walkthrough of turning HawaiianMiles into Mileage Plan Miles.  By now, you may have heard that Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines have merged. One of the first items checked

Deals

Deal: Easy Status Match to National or Enterprise Rental Car

💡tl;dr—Both National and Enterprise are offering status matches to over 40 different loyalty programs. Rental car status isn't super rewarding, but this offer is low-hanging fruit on the vine! Here's a quick deal that can net you elite rental car status. Even if you

Musings

Hotel Loyalty Growth Over the Last 7 Years: Hyatt is Cookin'

💡Tl;dr—A recent report reveals that Hyatt's loyalty over the last seven years far outpaces its bigger rivals on a percentage basis. The other day, I stumbled upon a post in the Hyatt subreddit titled "Hyatt is by far the fastest growing loyalty programme since 2018.

PAMU

Quick Hack: Use Your Browser's Developer Tools to See Hyatt Promotions You've Registered For

💡Tl;dr - A browser hack to view the Hyatt promotions you've previously registered for.  Yesterday, I wrote about Hyatt's current promotion at Hyatt Vacation Club properties and how you could get some solid value if you meet the right criteria. While writing this piece, I

Musings

The Math Might Work Out: 3,000 Bonus Points Per Night At Select Hyatt Vacation Club Properties

💡Tl;dr - You can earn 3,000 points per night for stays at Hyatt Vacation Club properties through March 30, 2025, but you'll have to start scheming quickly. Today, I received an email reminder from Hyatt about this deal from Hyatt - where travelers can earn 3,

Musings

Wedding Crashers Sequel? - Sofitel Legend Leaks Blocked Room Rate Allowing Anyone Join the Party

💡Tl;dr - While searching for rooms for an upcoming trip to Panama, I noticed a special discounted rate for a wedding party that I'm pretty sure shouldn't have been publicly available.  While searching for rates for a stay at the Sofitel Legend Casco Viejo in

Deals

Choose Your Avios Flavor: Transfer Chase Ultimate Rewards to Iberia, Aer Lingus and British Airways with a 20% Bonus

💡Chase launched transfer bonuses with three airlines - Aer Lingus, British Airways, and Iberia - all airlines using the Avios currency. Through March 31, 2025, you'll receive a 20% bonus on Chase Ultimate Rewards transfers to three Avios airlines - Aer Lingus, Iberia and British Airways. I previously

Deals

Purchase Avianca Lifemiles Points with a 160% Bonus

Through March 14, 2025, you'll receive a bonus of up to 160% on your purchase of Avianca LifeMiles. This could be a decent opportunity to up your Lifemiles balance for a savvy redemption. It's worth mentioning that Avianca sells miles multiple times throughout the year. The

Musings Featured

Rising Sun to the Long White Cloud: Upcoming Reviews on You Are Travel

💡Tl;dr - Expect fun reviews spanning Japan, Australia, New Zealand, and Hong Kong this week and next here at You Are Travel. After putting the final touches on my three-week journey through Brazil, South Africa, and London (see the bottom of this article for all those reviews), I’ll

News Featured

Book Now: Salterra, a Luxury Collection Resort & Spa, Turks & Caicos Opening March 8th

💡Tl;dr—A hotly anticipated property in Turks and Caicos is now open for reservations from March onwards.  While researching some properties in the Caribbean today, I noticed that the long-awaited Salterra, a Luxury Collection Resort & Spa in Turks and Caicos, is now accepting reservations for its March debut.

Reviews Featured

When You Get 'Heathrow'd'Skip the Airport Hotel and Stay Here - Review: The Langley, a Luxury Collection Hotel

💡Tl;dr—The Langley, a Luxury Collection Hotel in Buckinghamshire, is a superb hotel choice for the next time you're stranded at Heathrow or simply looking for a comfortable place to rest before kicking off your UK countryside adventures. I heavily cosign this property.  I spent the final

News Featured

I Stand Corrected: TWO New Marriott Safari Properties to Open in Kenya - JW Marriott and Ritz-Carlton

💡Tl;dr—Marriott's official press release included a surprise: Two new safari properties, a Ritz-Carlton and another JW Marriott, will come to Kenya. A few months ago, I compiled a comprehensive list of all the points-bookable safari properties in Africa. Since then, we've received news of

PAMU

Hyatt Releases its 2025 Property Category Reshuffling: Nothing Too Drastic

💡Tl;dr - Hyatt released its 2025 property category chart, and as is usually the case, some notable properties have moved up a category while others have moved down. Each year, usually sometime in mid-Q1, Hyatt will release an updated property category chart where travelers can see which properties have

Deals

Turn Amex Membership Rewards into Qatar Airways Privilege Club Avios with a 20% bonus

💡tl;dr— You'll receive a 20% bonus when you transfer American Express Membership Rewards to Qatar Airways Privilege Club Avios. This may be a helpful offer if you need a handful more miles to complete an Qatar Airways Privilege Club or other Avios redemption. Through March 31, 2025,

News

Now Open: Two New Exciting Hyatt Hotels For Your Next Panama Adventure

💡Tl;dr - Hyatt recently opened two new properties in Panama - the Hyatt Regency Panama City and the Hotel La Compañia del Valle. If you're headed to Panama anytime soon, you'll have two new promising Hyatt hotels to consider for your accommodations, as Hyatt opened

Deals

Purchase World of Hyatt Points with a 25% Bonus

💡tl;dr - Hyatt is back with another points sale, offering a 25% bonus if you purchase 5,000 or more points. This sale is an good opportunity to save money on pricey cash rate reservations, stock up points for future redemptions, or top off your points balance. Most leading

News

New High-Speed Train to Take Travelers from Toronto to Montreal in 3 Hours

💡Tl;dr—Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced plans for Alto, a high-speed train service connecting several of Canada’s marquee cities. This past week, the Canadian government announced plans for ‘Alto’ - a new high-speed rail service that would connect Toronto with Québec City. Billed as ‘the largest infrastructure project