Showing posts with label Hilton. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Hilton. Show all posts

February 5, 2017

New Marriott & Hilton Amex Offers

Amex is out with some pretty lucrative Amex Offers for stays at Marriott & Hilton properties.

Earn 3,500 Amex Membership Rewards Points after spending $250 at Hilton or Curio Collection hotels and resorts.  The offer is good for one-time use through 4/15/2017.  I had this offer on my Amex Business Platinum.


Earn 3,000 Amex Membership Rewards Points after spending $200 at Marriott properties (almost all brands) by 2/28/17.  This offer is good for two uses.  I had this offer on my Amex Everyday card.


I randomly have both a Marriott and Hilton stay coming up so will get to take advantage of two of these offers.  That's 6,500 additional MR points.

I value MR points around 2 cents so that's like $130 in travel value for spend that I would have made anyway.  Yes, I'll divert the spend to these cards from my Chase Sapphire Reserve (3x on travel and dining) but I'm still coming out way ahead even if I'm giving up 2x points on $450 in pend (900 points).

January 15, 2017

Citi Hilton HHonors Reserve Card $50 Statement Credit

Citi's offering a $50 statement credit (targeted) for adding an authorized user and spending $3,000 on the card by 3/31/2017.  While I won't be taking advantage (too many other spending requirements to meet) this is actually a decent deal if you don't have anywhere better to put the spend.


The card earns 10x points on Hilton spend, 5x on airfare and car rentals, and 3x everywhere else.

Even if all of your spend is unbounded (unlikely) you'd be earning 9,000 Hilton HHonors points and $50.  I value the HHonors points around .6 cents/point so you're getting $104 in value from $3,000 in spend.

That's a roughly 3.5% return.

October 15, 2016

Review: Transfer from Male to Conrad Maldives

Introduction
Introduction Part Two
Planning & Booking
Sheraton JFK Airport
Lufthansa Business Class Lounge JFK
Turkish Airlines Business Class 777-300ER New York (JFK) to Istanbul
Turkish Airlines Istanbul Arrivals Lounge
St. Regis Istanbul
Turkish Airlines CIP Lounge Istanbul
Turkish Airlines Business Class A330-300 Istanbul to Male
Transfer from Male to Conrad Maldives
Conrad Maldives
Transfer from Conrad Maldives to Male
Singapore Airlines Business Class 777-200 Male to Singapore
Crowne Plaza Changi Airport Singapore
Singapore Airlines SilverKris Business Class Lounge to Singapore
Singapore Airlines Business Class 777-300ER Singapore to Tokyo (HND)
Andaz Tokyo
ANA Suite Lounge Tokyo (NRT)
ANA First Class 777-300ER Tokyo (NRT) to San Francisco

After a great overnight flight on Turkish Airlines, a Conrad associate helped us check in for our Trans Maldivian seaplane ride to the Conrad.  Bags were weighed (we were not) and tagged and we were given boarding passes for the 30 minute flight.  We were then shown to a waiting Conrad minivan which took us to the seaplane terminal.

Trans Maldivian Airways check-in counter

September 10, 2016

I Earned How Many Points at the Conrad Maldives?

Hilton's HHonors program seems to be especially lucrative on the surface.  When you consider that as a base member, you're earning 10x points (vs. 2x at Starwood) per dollar spent on rooms, you can earn a lot of points quickly.

Earning HHonors Points
On top of that you can earn an additional 5x points if you choose "Points and Points" as your "My Way" option.  Gold status (easily obtained with several credit cards) will add another 25% on top.  Frequent bonuses (like the current 2x bonus) add to the bounty.

Conrad Maldives Rangali Island
I knew that we'd be earning a ton of points in the Maldives.  I was planning to put all of our incidental spend on the Hilton Reserve card which earns an additional 10x points on Hilton portfolio spend.  I had read mixed reports that the seaplane journey (1120 USD) would earn points but was hopeful.

We've returned from our trip (review forthcoming) and points have posted to my HHonors account.  I expected that I would earn 40x in total on $2,100 in total spend.  It was WAY more than that.  I earned 140,516 points during my stay.

HHonors Earnings

I've yet to receive the points from the spend on my Reserve card but expect that to be 21,000 points.  Add that to the 140,000+ points earned and I nearly earned enough points to return to the property for a couple of nights (190,000).  I still can't quite figure out the math but I can confirm that I earned points (at least from HHonors) for the seaplane expenditure.  That's a nice return on what is a mandatory (and very expensive) 30 minute ride to the resort.

I value Hilton Honors points at around .7 cents per point meaning the total rebate I received was around $1,130.  On $2,100 in spend.  Maybe I should consider a full time move to the Conrad?

July 31, 2016

Introduction Part Two: I'm Going Going, Back Back to Maldives, Maldives

Introduction
Introduction Part Two
Planning & Booking
Renaissance Newark Airport Hotel
Turkish Airlines 777-300ER Business Class New York (JFK) to Istanbul
Turkish Airlines CIP Lounge Istanbul
Turkish Airlines A330-300 Business Class Istanbul to Male
Transfer from Male to Conrad Maldives
Conrad Maldives
Transfer from Conrad Maldives to Male
Singapore Airlines 777-200 Business Class Male to Singapore
Crowne Plaza Changi Airport Singapore
Singapore Airlines SilverKris Business Class Lounge to Singapore
Singapore Airlines 777-300ER Business Class Singapore to Tokyo (HND)
Andaz Tokyo
ANA Suite Lounge Tokyo (NRT)
ANA 777-300ER First Class Tokyo (NRT) to Houston
American Express Centurion Lounge Houston (IAH)

I've updated the post below based on changes made to our itinerary.  I'll post the Planning & Booking section in the next week or so.

I've eluded to our upcoming RTW adventures in posts about the brand new Houston Centurion lounge as well as getting the most out of Hyatt Gold Passport points.  We're leaving next month and the trip is almost complete so figured I'd provide a bit more of a teaser in the form of an introductory post.

We were in the Maldives last year and just loved it.  There is something completely magical about the remoteness of it all.  There's no denying the fact that it's an incredibly challenging to get there.  Especially from the US.  But once you are there, it's the most beautiful place on earth (at least that I've seen).  So we set out to return later this summer.  While we loved the Park Hyattgetting there is more of a challenge than other resorts.
Our 23,000+ mile RTW itinerary (courtesy of the Great Circle Mapper)

July 3, 2016

Introduction: I'm Going Going, Back Back to Maldives, Maldives

Introduction
Planning & Booking
American Express Centurion Lounge Houston IAH
Turkish Airlines 777-300ER Business Class Houston to Istanbul
Turkish Airlines CIP Lounge Istanbul
Turkish Airlines A330-300 Business Class Istanbul to Male
Transfer from Male to Conrad Maldives
Conrad Maldives
Transfer from Conrad Maldives to Male
Singapore Airlines 777-200 Business Class Male to Singapore
Crowne Plaza Changi Airport Singapore
Singapore Airlines SilverKris Business Class Lounge to Singapore
Singapore Airlines 777-300ER Business Class Singapore to Tokyo (HND)
Andaz Tokyo
ANA Suite Lounge Tokyo (NRT)
ANA 777-300ER First Class Tokyo (NRT) to Houston

I've eluded to our upcoming RTW adventures in posts about the brand new Houston Centurion lounge as well as getting the most out of Hyatt Gold Passport points.  We're leaving next month and the trip is almost complete so figured I'd provide a bit more of a teaser in the form of an introductory post.

We were in the Maldives last year and just loved it.  There is something completely magical about the remoteness of it all.  There's no denying the fact that it's an incredibly challenging to get there.  Especially from the US.  But once you are there, it's the most beautiful place on earth (at least that I've seen).  So we set out to return later this summer.  While we loved the Park Hyatt, getting there is more of a challenge than other resorts.

24,000 miles RTW - map courtesy of the Great Circle Mapper

May 21, 2016

Why Buying Points at the Margin is a Good Idea

I'm working on another trip to The Maldives and unfortunately was a bit short of points to lock in the hotel (the most important part of any Maldives trip).  Especially given the challenge of finding hotel award availability along with flight awards, locking in the hotel portion when it matches with flight availability is key.

While we loved our stay at the Park Hyatt during the last visit, we wanted something a bit closer to Male to maximize our time.  There are only a handful of point redemptions at the moment and the Conrad was essentially our only other option that met our requirements.


Conrad Maldives

May 8, 2016

Getting Started With Credit Card Signup Bonuses

This is an update to a post I wrote back in 2014.  While the specifics have changed a bit, the strategy remains the same.

The last few years of traveling have been unreal.  We've taken trips to Hong Kong, Maldives, Dubai, London, Singapore, Amsterdam, Paris and Bangkok!

Hong Kong!
Many of you have asked us how we afford to go on all these trips.  The answer is pretty simple…we pay less per trip than the price of an economy ticket from the US to Europe.

Etihad First Class Apartments

January 2, 2016

2015 Year in Review: Hotels

I recently posted about my 2015 year in flight.  You can also read about my hotel stays in 2014 (45 nights) and 2013 (55 nights) for comparison purposes.

In 2015, We stayed in really great hotels although didn't receive as many "upgrades" as in prior years.  I ended the year with 46 total nights.  Virtually identical to 2014.  Starwood (15 nights) and Hyatt (11 nights) brands made up the bulk of my stays.  Interesting to note that 15 of the 46 nights were related to business travel...vs. 0 in 2014.  5 of the nights were at independent properties where we were unable to earn/burn points.

None of the nights were business travel although 10 of the "nights" were credit from the Starwood American Express cards and two additional nights were "mistakes" credits.  So I actually stayed in hotels 45 nights during 2014.  I will be dropping from Starwood Platinum to Gold (lifetime) which I'm okay with.

Here's the full breakdown:

  • 15 Starwood nights across 8 properties and 5 brands
  • 11 Hyatt nights across 4 properties and 3 brands
  • 7 Marriott nights across 3 properties and 3 brands
  • 5 Hilton nights across 2 properties and 2 brands
  • 5 Independent nights across 3 properties and 3 brands
  • 2 Fairmont nights
  • 1 Shangri-La night
I think 2016 will look pretty similar - large concentration on both Starwood and Hyatt with Marriott/Hilton as backups.  I don't expect the Starwood/Marriott merger to impact my stay habits at this point but we'll see how the merger/loyalty program integration goes.  That said, both of us are becoming very fond of Hyatt - especially the Park Hyatt and Andaz brands.  For the most part, Park Hyatt blows St. Regis out of the water and Andaz beats W hotels in terms of substance so I think we'll continue to ramp Hyatt stays when possible.  

We had some amazing stays across the year.  My favorite by far was the Park Hyatt Maldives Hadahaa.  Close second (same trip) would be Al Maha outside of Dubai.  Third would be the Waldorf Astoria in Amsterdam.

It was another great year in travel - we're both excited for a new year exploring new places!

June 14, 2015

Brothers in Asia: Introduction

Introduction
Planning & Booking
Sheraton Gateway LAX
Cathay Pacific 777-300 ER First Class Los Angeles to Hong Kong
The Wing Cathay Pacific First Class Lounge
Cathay Pacific A330 Business Class Hong Kong to Bangkok
Le Meridien Bangkok
Thai Airways First Class Lounge & Spa
Thai Airways 747-400 First Class Bangkok to Hong Kong
Conrad Hong Kong
Air India 787-8 Business Class Hong Kong to Seoul
Asiana A380 First Class Seoul to Los Angeles

I have one more post to write about our trip to Europe which I will try to complete this week.  Next weekend, I'm mixing it up travel companion wise and taking my brother Jonathan (who lives in San Diego) to Asia for the week.  He turned 30 late last year and has never flow international first class or been to Asia and we both figured this would be a good time to check both of his list.  Emily and I have now flown 11 international first class segments together - it is going to be fun to show someone else the ropes.

There are so many places to see in Asia it is sometimes hard to decide where to go.  I wanted to head to cities that I had been to previously but also places that I considered my favorites.  So naturally Bangkok and Hong Kong fir the bill.  Once we had destinations picked out, I set about finding award flights for both of us.  With enough miles to go roundtrip on either Star Alliance or OneWorld carriers, we had plenty of flexibility.  But it was actually tricky to find an outbound flight leaving on Sunday from LAX to Asia so we settled on a Monday morning outbound.  That will give us a couple of days in Bangkok and 3 days in Hong Kong.


Our routing courtesy of the Great Circle Mapper

This actually worked out great as I will get a couple of days in San Diego and LA visiting family before overnighting in LA and leaving the next morning.  I was able to secure a couple of first class seats on Cathay Pacific's direct service from LAX to Hong Kong.  A great first experience for my brother as Cathay's first class is one of my favorite products.  We'll also make sure to check out the Qantas OneWorld First Class lounge at LAX which is supposed to be spectacular.

After our flight from LAX, we have a few hours to clean up and chill at The Wing.  Cathay's new first class lounge (The Pier) is slated to open prior to our departure so I hope to check that out as well.  After a quick hop to Bangkok, we'll start our adventure at the Le Meridien Bangkok.  Emily and I stayed here during our honeymoon and loved the hotel.  I'm excited to see what's changed over the past few years.

The bar at The Wing Hong Kong

Getting back to Hong Kong was hard.  Well it was easy but there are lots of fun ways to fly.  We could have paid cash (~$650 each) to fly Emirates first class and shower at 35,000 feet.  But I decided to forego the cash, use miles, and fly Thai's 747 first class service which will get us an hour long massage in the Royal Orchid Spa prior to departure.

In Hong Kong, I've previously stayed at the W and Grand Hyatt and wanted to check out something different.  So we have three nights booked at the Conrad Hong Kong.

After exploring all that Hong Kong has to offer, we'll head home on Air India (can't wait for this one) to Seoul followed by Asiana's A380 suites service to LAX.  I'm really excited to fly Asiana again - our last trip was awesome.  It will be Jonathan's first time on the A380 (also first time on the 747) which should be fun for both of us.

I am really looking forward to this trip - will post the Planning & Booking segment prior to our departure.  Thanks for following along!!

May 31, 2015

Review: Waldorf Astoria Amsterdam

Introduction
Planning & Booking
British Airways 747-400 First Class Denver to London
British Airways Concorde Room LHR
Waldorf Astoria Amsterdam
Andaz Amsterdam
Park Hyatt Paris-Vendome
Singapore Airlines A380 Suites Class Frankfurt to JFK

Arriving at Amsterdam's Schiphol airport is far better than Europe's other monster gateways (London, Paris, Frankfurt).  By comparison, the airport is far smaller and easier to navigate.  Immigration was a breeze and our bags were among the first on the carousel.  We walked out of the terminal around 8:30 PM to find a bright blue sky - still 2 hours of daylight left - awesome!

There really isn't a "cab line" in the traditional sense as you can just grab any cab - they're all the same price (~45 Euros).  So of course we opted for the blue Tesla Model S and were on our way to the Waldorf in a matter of minutes.  Our driver was super friendly (perhaps overly friendly) but explained a few sites on the way in and warned us to watch out for the cyclists that dominate the city's streets.

Amsterdam is really a gorgeous city and both of us were glued to the windows as we marveled at canal after canal.  The Waldorf Astoria Amsterdam is located right on one of the canals in the center of the city - just a couple of blocks from Rembrandt Square.

One of many canal shots

December 16, 2014

2014 Year in Review: Hotels

I recently posted about my 2014 year in flight.  You can also read about my 2013 hotel stays here.

In 2014, We stayed in really great hotels although didn't receive as many "upgrades" as in prior years.  I'll end the year with ended the year with 57 total nights (I was at 55 last year) across Starwood, Hyatt, Hilton, IHG, and independent brands.  Interesting to note that 5 of our stays and 13 of our nights were at independent properties where we were unable to earn/burn points.

None of the nights were business travel although 10 of the "nights" were credit from the Starwood American Express cards and two additional nights were "mistakes" credits.  So I actually stayed in hotels 45 nights during 2014.  I will be dropping from Starwood Platinum to Gold (lifetime) which I'm okay with.


August 24, 2014

Review: Conrad Singapore

Sheraton JFK Hilton JFK Conrad New York
Exploring Bali
Exploring Singapore
Singapore Airlines The Private Room
Singapore Airlines A380 Suites Class Singapore to Los Angeles

As we cleared immigration, our bags were already rounding the carousel.  We grabbed the bags, hit the ATM, and were in a cab on our way into Singapore in a matter of minutes.  We arrived during this day which made it easy to find the somewhat hidden Conrad which is located in the middle of a sprawling group of office skyscrapers.

View from our room

We stayed at the Conrad during our last trip to Singapore and really enjoyed our stay.  The location is ideal in that it's close to public transportation and the Marina Bay area where we spent most of our time.

I had emailed the property prior to our stay to ask if there was availability on the club floor.  I received a response basically saying "if there's availability we'll upgrade you."  Upon check-in, there was no availability but we were (thanks to our Hilton Honors Gold status) upgraded to a room on the "business" floor that provided complimentary breakfast by the pool vs. the restaurant/lounge.

Conrad Singapore exterior

Our room was standard Conrad fare.  Modern but slightly boring from a decor standpoint.  We did receive a complimentary fruit amenity, waters refreshed daily, and truffles during turndown.  Of course, the highlight was the Conrad bear and rubber ducky which lives quite the life on the edge of our tub at home.

Who doesn't love the Merlion?

Gorgeous Singapore skyline

Other than our room and breakfast, we didn't spend a ton of time at the hotel but we did enjoy our stay and recommend this hotel (especially if using HHonors points) as the location is ideal.  If you can score an upgrade to gain access to the lounge, you are in for a treat as it is one of the best hotel lounges in the world.

July 4, 2014

Review: Conrad New York

Introduction
Sheraton JFK Hilton JFK Conrad New York
Asiana 777 First Class Suite New York to Seoul
Asiana First Class Lounge Incheon
Asiana 767 Business Class Seoul to Bangkok
Novotel Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport
Thai Airways Business Class Lounge Bangkok & Royal Orchard Spa
Thai Airways 777 Business Class Bangkok to Bali
Four Seasons Bali at Sayan
St. Regis Bali Resort
Exploring Bali
Singapore Airlines 777 Business Class Bali to Singapore
Conrad Singapore
Exploring Singapore
Singapore Airlines The Private Room
Singapore Airlines A380 First Class Suite Singapore to Los Angeles

After making several changes to our hotel reservation for our New York overnight, we decided to spend the night in the city.  Our flight from Denver was scheduled to land around 10PM and our departure to Seoul wasn't until 1PM.  So we decided a morning in the city would be much better than staying out by the airport.  I was able to book a discounted premium room with a river view for (standard rooms normally go for 70,000 HHonors points) for 68,000 points a few days before departure.

I used to stay at this property when traveling on business (it was an Embassy Suites) before it was converted Hilton’s premium Conrad brand.  So I was interested to see what they had done with the place since my last stay a few years ago.

Conrad New York Atrium

May 25, 2014

Suite Trip to Bali: Planning & Booking

Introduction
Planning & Booking
Sheraton JFK
Asiana 777 First Class Suite New York to Seoul
Asiana First Class Lounge Incheon
Asiana 767 Business Class Seoul to Bangkok
Novotel Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport
Thai Airways Business Class Lounge Bangkok & Royal Orchard Spa
Thai Airways 777 Business Class Bangkok to Bali
Four Seasons Bali at Sayan
St. Regis Bali Resort
Exploring Bali
Singapore Airlines 777 Business Class Bali to Singapore
Conrad Singapore
Exploring Singapore
Singapore Airlines The Private Room
Singapore Airlines First Class Suite Singapore to Los Angeles

As I mentioned in the introduction, we originally booked this trip for February of 2014.  So the planning process actually started late last summer when we had amassed enough Amex Membership Rewards points to book two first class return tickets from Singapore.  We knew we wanted to go to Bali and we knew we wanted to fly Singapore Suites.  So once we got that piece of the trip booked, most everything else fell into place.  Since we booked one-way tickets, I've broken up the booking thought process for each leg of the trip below.  If you have questions about the trip, let me know in the comments or email me.

This is the last pre-trip post.  Get ready for the actual trip reports coming in July.

Denver - Bali:

Getting to Bali is hard.  It's not that close to anything and from Denver, you're in for three flights at a minimum.  Last summer, I booked one-way business class tickets flying from Denver to Toronto United.  Then Toronto to Taipei on EVA with the final leg on EVA continuing on to Bali.  In December, first class space opened up (see:  importance of gardening reservations) on the Asiana New York to Seoul route.  This is the only Asiana (until they launch their A380) flight operated from the US with the closed door suites so it was an easy decision to change the routing.  The change required a nerve racking call to United (they weren't sure they could book the ticket and I was on hold for almost 30 minutes) but it ticketed and we have seats and an Asiana booking reference number.  There was no cost to change the routing - just an incremental 10,000 miles a piece for the first class segment.

Asiana First Class Suite

Because of the routing change, we'll have four flight segments and two overnights (first in New York then in Bangkok).  It's a lot of flying but we'll get to experience the Asiana suite, first class lounge in Seoul, and the Royal Orchard Spa in Bangkok.  Our final itinerary looks like this:

DEN - LGA in United First
JFK - ICN in Asiana First
ICN - BKK in Asiana Business (Two Cabin Flight)
BKK - DPS in Thai Business (Two Cabin Flight)

Total Cost:  140,000 United Miles & $28.80 in taxes and fees

Bali - Denver:

First, we had to figure out how to get from Bali to Singapore which was pretty easy.  I booked us in Singapore Airlines for the 2.5 hour ride to Singapore using United miles.  There are no fuel surcharges on this route which is great.

Singapore Airlines used to only make Suites class tickets available for around 1,000,000 miles per ticket.  They changed this policy at some point and now enable their own frequent flyer members (KrisFlyer) to book at the standard first class price.  Finding one seat at the lowest level (saver) is pretty easy but it's virtually impossible to find two seats on a flight to the US.  So if you want two seats on the same flight, your best bet is tell book one at the saver level and one at the standard level.  Luckily, we had been stocking up on American Express Membership Rewards points from multiple credit card sign-up bonuses.  Once I found the flights, I transferred the points in my KrisFlyer account and waited.  The transfer took a couple of days and it was time to book the flights online.

Singapore Airlines A380 Suites

Singapore Airlines provides a 15% discount if you book online.  The saver award ticket cost us 91,375 miles and the standard ticket cost us 178,500 miles.  Certainly a lot of miles but worth it considering this is the only way to fly this product together.  We also had to pay the fuel surcharges which total $796 USD.  During the 19 hour flight, I am pretty sure we will polish off a few bottles of Krug.  So we're getting a good amount of value for the fuel surcharges:)

Since the Singapore - LA flights using Singapore KrisFlyer miles, I had to pay our own way back to Denver.  I booked one way economy tickets on United for $290.  Our final itinerary looks like this:

DPS - SIN in Singapore Business (Two Cabin Flight)
SIN - NRT in Singapore Suites
NRT - LAX in Singapore Suites
LAX - DEN in United Economy

Total Cost:  35,000 United Miles, 269,875 Membership Rewards Points, and $1,086

Hotels:

Emily and I have traveled a fair amount together but we've only had a couple of airport overnights.  So we are doubling that with this trip!  We land at LGA around 10PM and will take a cab over to JFK and stay at the Sheraton JFK.  Rates were reasonable ($180) given the holiday weekend and I've heard the hotel is serviceable for a quick overnight (our flight leaves at 1PM the next day).

In Bangkok, we land around 10:30 PM and have a 9AM flight the next day to Bali.  We both want to be at the airport early the next morning to enjoy the Royal Orchid Spa for a bit so we decided to stay at the Novotel at the airport.  We found a prepaid rate on hotels.com for $130 and we can walk to the hotel.  I'm pretty happy with the decision especially given the current situation in Bangkok.

In Bali, I booked three nights in a pool suite at the St. Regis for 113,250 SPG points.  I have heard amazing things about the hotel...the rooms, property, service, and food are all supposed to be among the best in the SPG portfolio.  It was certainly a lot of SPG points to spend on a few nights but  a pretty good redemption given that rates for this room category (2,000 square feet, pool, butler service, breakfast included, airport transfer included, etc...) typically go for around $1,000/night.

St. Regis Bali
The St. Regis is on the beach and we wanted to spend a few days in Ubud to get a feel for that part of Bali.  We agonized over where to stay since there are SO many places none of which can be reserved with points.  We finally settled on the Four Seasons at Sayan which we are both really excited about.  I booked through American Express Fine Hotels and Resorts.  The hotel is pricey but it's the Four Seasons and daily breakfast and a couple of massages are included.  Since most everything else was paid for with miles and points, we figured we could splurge on this hotel and pay cash.

In Singapore, we booked the Conrad using points.  We stayed here last year and loved it.  It is in a great location with a phenomenal lounge.  We hope to explore a bit more of the (albeit small) country and this is a great jumping off point to do just that.

Total Cost:  113,500 SPG Points, 120,000 Hilton Honors Points, $310 plus cash for the Four Seasons

Summary:

This is our second anniversary trip so we wanted to go pretty big.  We managed to redeem 678,375 points and miles for this trip.  Our total out of pocket (with a significant portion going toward our hotel in Ubud) cash expense for the entire trip should be under $3,500.  Considering coach paid tickets to Bali would have set us back about $2,000 each, I feel pretty good about the cost.  We leave in early July so look for the next installment in the next 6 weeks or so.  Thanks for reading!

May 4, 2014

Suite Trip to Bali: Introduction

Introduction
Planning & Booking
Sheraton JFK
Asiana 777 First Class Suite New York to Seoul
Asiana First Class Lounge Incheon
Asiana 767 Business Class Seoul to Bangkok
Novotel Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport
Thai Airways Business Class Lounge Bangkok & Royal Orchard Spa
Thai Airways 777 Business Class Bangkok to Bali
Four Seasons Bali at Sayan
St. Regis Bali Resort
Exploring Bali
Singapore Airlines 777 Business Class Bali to Singapore
Conrad Singapore
Exploring Singapore
Singapore Airlines The Private Room
Singapore Airlines First Class Suite Singapore to Los Angeles

We are rapidly approaching our next big trip to Bali and Singapore and getting pretty pumped.  We originally booked this trip for February of this year but had to move it due to a family commitment.  More on this during the Planning & Booking post.  I'm posting this a bit early to motivate me to write a complete trip report this time for your enjoyment.

The change actually worked out for the best.  We are now taking the trip at the same time as our second wedding anniversary so while it wasn't the original plan, we now have a pretty "suite" anniversary trip booked.  Plus the weather is better in Bali in July vs. February.

Four Seasons Bali at Sayan Pool








Over the past few years, I've put together half a dozen "big" trips for Emily and me and also helped a few others do the same.  But I have to say this is the best I've ever done in terms of destination, itinerary, use of points, etc...

The route to Bali and back - 23,309 miles in the air

We knew we wanted to go to Bali and it was just a question of when to go, how to get there, and where to stay.  I knew that I wanted to fly Singapore Suites First Class (with the famed "double bed") on one leg of the trip but I knew that scoring two tickets would be challenging.  What I didn't know when setting out to book this trip was that we would end up in suites first class (defined as a seat with a closing door) on both legs of the trip - all made possible with miles and points!  We also decided to break up the trip with a couple of nights in Singapore before flying home.

Next, I will cover the specifics of the booking process, miles/points used, and itinerary so you can think about how to take your own trip to Bali!

March 16, 2014

Flying with Chelsea Clinton on Singapore Airlines: Conrad Centennial Singapore

Booking
Exploring Singapore
Conrad Centennial Singapore
Singapore Airlines 777-300ER First Class Singapore to San Francisco

After arriving on SQ flight 11 at 3AM, we made our way to the Conrad Centennial Singapore where there was no line to check-in.  I had booked the hotel prior to Hilton's point devaluation and was able to book 5 nights in a standard room for 160,000 points (the stay would now cost 240,000 points).  We were actually only staying 4 nights but needed to "pre-block" the night before given our very early morning arrival.

Singapore skyline from the Conrad

Rooms were going for ~$300 USD all-in so I was getting .94 cents/point.  That is actually pretty good for HHonors points.  I had emailed a bit with the hotel to see if we could score an upgrade to the Executive Lounge floor which I had heard was one of Conrad's best.  As a Hilton Gold (earned through signing up for the Citi Hilton Reserve Card) they promised they would do their best but couldn't guarantee anything.

January 23, 2014

My Latest Round of Credit Card Applications: Results

Over the weekend, I applied for the following cards (read this post first if you haven't already).  This was one of the easiest rounds of applications ever.  I was done in less than 30 minutes all all three cards were auto approved onscreen.  It's not always this easy - sometimes you have to fight for an approval by calling the issuer and explain why you want the card.  In some cases I've had to move credit lines around when I have multiple cards with the same issuer to obtain an approval.  But at the end of the day, the banks want to approve vs. decline and keep you as a customer.  Agents are typically super friendly, knowledgeable and genuinely want to find a way to earn/keep your business.

I managed to grab screen caps of 2 of the 3 but missed on the Amex Surpass upgrade.  I'm always shocked at the credit lines these companies doll out. 

Barclays Arrival Auto Approval
Alaska Airlines BofA Auto Approval

All in, I value the points/cashback earned on these cards at $1,190.  Not my best haul but after a couple years of doing this, there aren't unlimited earning opportunities.  I am looking forward to diversifying my point mix a bit and earning Alaska miles definitely plays into that strategy.  I hope to be riding on the Emirates A380 one day soon!!  Stay tuned for the next round of applications in 90 days or so.

January 22, 2014

My Latest Round of Credit Card Applications - January 2014

As I discussed in this post, I apply for a new round of credit cards every 90 days.  Remember, this is not for you if you are a) working on improving your credit b) planning on applying for a loan such as a mortgage in the near future or c) if you periodically carry a balance on your cards.  The rewards that you'll gain in these cases will be heavily offset by either not being able to qualify for the lowest lending rate (due to recent inquiries on your credit report) or actually paying interest if you carry a balance.  Each application will typically ding your credit 2-5 points (those inquiries fall off over time and your score will go back up) thus the reasoning for applying for cards every 90 days on the same day.  The inquiries fall off roughly at the same time and on the day you apply, the other banks don't see that you applied for a card earlier in the day.  My FICO score has only approved over two years of doing this every quarter.  Before this round of applications, my score ranged from 765 - 780.

Now that the disclaimer is out of the way...My quarterly "churn" happened to be this past weekend so here's an overview of the cards I applied for and why.  I'll provide an update on the results later in the week.

1)  Bank of America Alaska Airlines Visa Signature(R) Card

This card offers 25,000 miles upon approval.  Meaning no minimum spend required.  The card does offer an annual fee of $75 which is not waived for the first year.  I've been meaning to start stocking up on Alaska Miles since they introduced their partnership and award chart with Emirates.  For 100,000 miles, you can fly (one-way) from the US to the Middle East in First Class on the Emirates A380.  Not a bad way to travel especially when you know you can shower on-board.  I value Alaska miles at $.02 each making the sign-up bonus worth $500.


December 28, 2013

The Status of Status

As we enter the new year, it’s also the end of the status earning year.  Here’s where things stand going into 2014:

  • United Premier Gold (50,000+ PQM)
  • Starwood Preferred Guest Platinum (25 stays)
  • Hilton Gold (Citi Hilton Reserve Credit Card)
  • Marriott Gold (Chase Ritz Carlton Credit Card)
  • Hyatt Platinum (Chase Hyatt Credit Card)

United and Starwood are my main programs so things are well setup next year.  While certainly a downgrade from 1K, United Gold still allows Economy Plus access at booking, CPUs, Star Gold, free checked bags, same day changes, etc...While I didn’t hit 50 nights to receive the ten suite awards, (will end the year with 44 stays) I’m satisfied with Platinum.  I usually take the breakfast if traveling with Emily or the points if traveling alone.  We were pretty lucky in terms of both treatment and upgrades in 2013.  Let’s hope that continues into 2014.