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

News

Another Marriott Safari Property? Yep, The Ritz-Carlton Masai Mara Safari Camp is Coming This Summer

💡Tl;dr - Marriott continues to grow its footprint of safari properties in Africa, and this newest opening will be under the Ritz-Carlton brand. Scheduled for a debut in August 2025, The Ritz-Carlton Masai Mara Safari Camp is the latest addition to Marriott's burgeoning safari footprint. If you&

Deals

Deal: Get a 100% Bonus on Your Purchase of IHG One Rewards

💡tl;dr - IHG is back with another points sale, offering a 100% bonus on purchases of 11,000 or more points. This sale is a solid opportunity to save money on future pricey cash rate reservations, or top off your points balance to make an immediate reservation. Most leading

PAMU

Capital One Adds JetBlue As a Transfer Partner: Ratio is Not Competitive

💡Tl;dr - You can now transfer Capital One rewards to JetBlue's TrueBlue. While learning about new uses for your versatile bank points is always great, the transfer ratio is not promising. Capital One has added JetBlue's TrueBlue as a transfer partner, allowing you to freely

News Featured

The Brand New Waldorf Astoria Costa Rica Punta Cacique Opens May 1st: Here's How to Book it 'On the Cheap'

💡Tl;dr - An exciting new Hilton property in Costa Rica - the Waldorf Astoria Punta Cacique - will soon open its doors. Did you hear that? That howling wind sound? That's the collective exhale of one million Hilton loyalists, letting out sighs of relief. They just finished

News Featured

Dawn of a New Age: Southwest Launches Its First Redeye Flights

💡Tl;dr - Southwest Airlines has started flying redeye flights for the first time in its nearly 60-year history, and more routes are in the pipeline. Big changes keep coming at Southwest Airlines: The Dallas-based carrier now flies redeye flights, with its first few flights lifting off (and landing safely)

Deals

Act Fast: Buy Finnair Avios with a 40% Bonus (Transferrable to other Avios Airlines)

💡Tl;dr - Finnair is running a quick miles sale (ending February 23, 2025) where you'll receive a 40% on your purchase of Finnair Avios. Through February 23, 2025, you'll receive a 40% bonus on your purchase of Finnair Avios. Avios is the loyalty currency of

Deals

Deal: Get a 2-Month Companion Pass with this Southwest Airlines Promotional Offer

💡Tl;dr - Southwest is back, providing travelers with another shot to earn a promotional Companion Pass, good for two months of travel this summer into fall. Southwest Airlines has been in the news lately as changes to its leadership, seating policy, red-eye routes, and recent layoffs - all pushed

Musings Featured

Don't @ Me: Hyatt Globalist Is Not Worth It Anymore and Hyatt Is Better Off For It

💡Tl;dr - Hyatt's recent improvements to its loyalty program, specifically the expansion of Milestone Rewards and introduction of 'gifting' awards to fellow members Controversial take incoming, so to the lords of points and miles fandom, consider yourself triggered-warned: Hyatt Globalist is not worth the chase

Deals

Turn Citi ThankYou Points into Qatar Avios Avios with a 20% Bonus

💡tl;dr— You'll receive a 20% bonus when you transfer Citi ThankYou points to Qatar Airways. 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 15, 2025, you'll receive

Deals

Deal: Receive an 80% Bonus on Your Purchase of Air France / KLM Miles

💡tl;dr—Air France / KLM just launched its first points sales of 2025 and the airline group is offering a bonus of up to 80% when you purchase miles. If you've identified a good redemption using Flying Blue miles, this might be a good deal for you. Through

Deals

Turn Chase Ultimate Rewards into Marriott Bonvoy Points with a 50% bonus

💡tl;dr - Chase is back with another transfer bonus, this time with Marriott Bonvoy. You'll receive a 70% bonus when you transfer Chase Ultimate Rewards to Marriott. This may be a helpful offer if you need a handful more points to complete an Marriott redemption. Through March

Deals

Turn Amex Membership Rewards into Hilton Honors Points with a 25% bonus

💡tl;dr - American Express is back with another transfer bonus, this time with Hilton. You'll receive a 25% bonus when you transfer Membership Rewards to Hilton Honors. This is not a great deal to me since you can likely buy Hilton points at a clip cheap enough

PAMU Featured

PointsCalendar: A Lightweight, Powerful, and FREE Hotel Award Availability Tool

💡Tl;dr - A quick look at another award tool that can help you find hotel award night availability - PointsCalendar A few weeks ago, I wrote a triad of pieces covering some of my favorite tools I used for award travel. (Parts 1, 2, and 3 are here). I

News

(Re)Opening Soon: Westin Palace Madrid Rebranded to The Palace, a Luxury Collection Hotel

💡Tl;dr - A popular and historic hotel in Madrid - the Westin Palace - will be rebranded to a Luxury Collection property next month. While researching an upcoming trip to Spain, I came across something interesting—there were two search results for the same property. The Westin Palace and

Deals

Marriott's First Point Sale of 2025 - 45% Bonus on Your Bonvoy Points Purchase

💡tl;dr - Marriott is back with another points sale, offering a 45% bonus on purchases of 40,000 or more points. This sale is a solid opportunity to save money on future pricey cash rate reservations, or top off your points balance to make an immediate reservation. Most leading

Reviews

Review: Sofitel London Heathrow - Drop Those Bags

💡tl;dr - The Sofitel London Heathrow is a convenient airport hotel attached to London’s Heathrow Airport. With enough amenities to get you by, the Sofitel is a good option whether you’re facing a long layover or need a place to drop your luggage for a few hours.

News Featured

Hyatt Continues to Stockpile Arms With $2.6 Billion Playa Hotel Purchase - (And Other Thoughts)

tl;dr - After a few months of negotiations, Hyatt entered into an agreement to purchase all-inclusive resort specialist Playa Hotels for 2.6 Billion. Big news out of Hyatt today as it officially announced it's purchase agreement for Playa Hotels & Resorts at a cost of 2.

Deals

Chase Ultimate Rewards and British Airways 20% Transfer Bonus Pulled Early

💡tl;dr - It looks like the 20% transfer bonus between Chase and British Airways is no longer. A few days ago we wrote about a new transfer bonus allowing British Airways Executive Club member to transfer Chase Ultimate Rewards points to British Airways and receive a 20% bonus on

News

FYI: Cabana Suites Back in Action at The Concorde Room

💡tl;dr - A lightning-quick update to inform you that British Airways reopened its Cabana Suites at The Concorde Room. Yesterday, I reviewed my experiences at the British Airways Concorde Room. While I thoroughly enjoyed my experience, I failed to mention a meaningful update to the lounge's amenities

Reviews

Review: British Airways - The Concorde Room (LHR)

💡Tl;dr—The Concorde Room is British Airways' most luxurious lounge at London's Heathrow Airport. I had the chance to experience it prior to flying to New Orleans, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. For me, The Concorde Room has long held a bit of a mystique. This

Musings

Marriott's Decreased Earnings "Error" Reminds Me of a Fantastic Recent American Airlines Gaffe

💡Tl;dr - Earlier this week, the internet noticed that Marriott had published a page depicting decreased earnings for some of the hotel brands in its portfolio. While Marriott quickly cleared up the mistake, citing a 'simple' error, this reminds me of a recent quasi-NSFW mistake by American

Deals

More Avios for Your Dollar - 20% Transfer Bonus When Moving Chase Ultimate Rewards to British Airways Avios

💡tl;dr - Chase is back with another transfer bonus, this time with the British Airways. You'll receive a 20% bonus when you transfer Chase Ultimate Rewards into Avios. This may be a helpful offer if you need a handful more miles to complete a redemption with any

Musings

6 Easy Tips for Anyone Who Rents Cars Frequently

💡Tl;dr - A quick rundown of to-dos to make your future car rental experiences a breeze.  Over the last 15 years, I've rented a lot of cars. I went about 15 years without owning a car until a few years ago, but as I recently sold my

Purchase Virgin Atlantic Flying Club Points with a 70% Bonus

💡tl;dr—Virgin Atlantic just launched its first points sales of 2025 and the airline is offering a bonus of up to 70% when you purchase miles. If you've identified a good redemption using Flying Club points, this might be a good deal for you. Through March 7,