As I continue to try out Marriott brands during my status challenge period, the Renaissance Hotel in Oklahoma City seemed like a perfect property to review. All hotel brands put their best foot forward in key destinations, like the...
Why I Suffer Through T-Mobile Service
Competitors offer better domestic service but either little-to-no coverage abroad, or way too expensive to be useful. But is it worth it to suffer through bad T-Mobile service most of the year just to make my time abroad easier?...
Review: Hyatt Regency Houston Galleria
I often travel to Houston for business and find myself staying in the Galleria area about half of the time. While the Hyatt Regency Houston Galleria has been open for some time. I hadn’t the chance to stay, however,...
Challenge Accepted – Switching to United 1K
I wrote previously about my surprise status match to United 1K. Despite my previous posts declaring my independence from American, I had trepidations when it came time to actually make the switch. In the comments from readers I was forewarned that...
WalletHub Saves Me From Credit Disaster
I subscribe to many credit tracking apps, most of which are free but none have been as responsive as WalletHub. Both credit card issuers and consumers make genuine mistakes but just because it may have been an error, doesn’t...
Matthew Is Wrong About Gulf Carriers
There has been an awful lot of debate regarding major US carriers and the Gulf “ME3”. US airlines are simply trying to defend their home turf against an onslaught of new traffic. Why are they being derided by bloggers like...
Review: JW Marriott Houston (Galleria)
I travel to Houston for business regularly, but I always stay at the same haunts. On this trip, I needed to unexpectedly stay over the weekend and decided to shop around. I found a tremendous rate from the JW...
Travel Caching: Checked Baggage Hacking
A friend recently referred me to a Tim Ferriss post about travel caching, something I had never heard of before. Mr. Ferriss used the Jason Borne movies as his reference point but the method might just work, depending on...
Review: Hilton Hanoi Opera
My wife and daughter have spent the summer in Asia and I have spent every other weekend visiting them. On my final trip back to Asia to bring them home, we re-visited Vietnam, this time trying Hanoi for the...
The Southwest, No, The Spirit Effect
Southwest was not only the perennial discount airline, but their mere presence in a new city could lower flight prices across the departure board from all airlines. It seems, however, that their position has been replaced by Spirit and other...
Review: JW Marriott Hotel Bangkok
On my last of several trips to Bangkok recently, I had a long layover in the city and have wanted to try new properties in the city. I have already secured top-tier status with IHG, Hilton, and Hyatt for...
Pittsburgh – Vegas Now $20 Each-Way
Earlier in the week, Ed Pizzarello from Pizza in Motion highlighted a deal from Spirit of $62 roundtrips from Pittsburgh (new market) to Las Vegas. While Spirit isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, casual travelers from another site Matthew and I contribute,...
Why MileagePlus Go Card is Actually Great
Critics have come out against the MileagePlus Go Visa Prepaid Card early and often. But I think many of their criticisms are unfair and don’t accurately reflect the wider market for this product. This card is a great value...
United Status Matched Me to 1K!
I have previously noted that American Airlines has gutted their Advantage frequent flyer and because of that I am leaving American. Loyalty is a two-way street and American has worked hard to make it a one-way street, well I’m...
Interview: Aaron Glick – VP Hilton Honors
During the 2017 Freddies in New York City I had an opportunity to meet the Vice President for Hilton Honors, Aaron Glick. We didn’t have enough time to conduct a proper interview at the event, but Aaron was kind...
Review: Conrad Bangkok Hotel – Suite Upgrade
Though I’ve previously stayed at the property, I haven’t had a chance to review the Conrad Bangkok. In fact, despite dozens of visits to Bangkok, this would be my first stay for more than a single night. I looked...
Why Are Status Hotel Upgrades Tough?
Some hotel chains offer room upgrades of varying levels to their elite guests. These are typically listed as “if available upon checkin” but often moving up from a double queen room to a coveted suite seems like hard work....
Quick Review: Cathay Pacific Lounge Bangkok
In an effort to provide short posts of relevant and updated information I have compiled some quick reviews to help readers benefit from my travel experiences. If you are considering booking travel or signing up for a new credit card please click here. Both...
Must Do In Bangkok: Central Embassy Food Court
As part of a series of quick writes/reads about things to do in a given location, this post focuses on an absolute Must-Do in Bangkok, the Central Embassy Food Court. If you’re already familiar with the Thai Capital, you’ll know why...
Review: Hilton Mexico City Airport Hotel
For shorter stays where I have had limited exposure to the facilities (this stay was less than 18 hours) I will keep my review brief. On this stay I tried to explore a little bit of the Hilton Mexico...
