All the Right Points

Thai Airways Business Class Lounge & Royal Orchid Spa Bangkok

Singapore Airlines 777 Business Class Bali to Singapore

Exploring Bali

Conrad Singapore

Exploring Singapore

Singapore Airlines The Private Room

Singapore Airlines A380 Suites Class Singapore to Los Angeles

This is my 150th blog post and it's going to be my best post ever. So grab some coffee (or a cocktail) and sit back, relax and enjoy the long and luxurious ride from Singapore to Los Angeles.

After a great breakfast in The Private Room, we went for a walk around Changi's T3 and did a bit of shopping. The terminal is beautiful and has so many amenities (great shopping, butterfly garden, koi pond, etc...) that it would be easy to kill many hours during a layover. But alas out flight was about to depart so we headed over to the gate to go through security and board our whale jet home.

SIN - NRT

I wanted to snap a few cabin pics so we got in line and ended up being the first people on the plane. We were warmly welcomed by an army of cabin attendants who showed us to our suites in the front of the first level. My first impression of the suite was phenomenal. The sheer size and personal space, layout, materials, colors. We were seated in suites 3C and 3D which I think are the best seats for couples (there are only two rows of two in the 14 suite cabin layout). While having a window would have been awesome, having the double bed was an unique experience and I think more memorable than the view. Courtesy of Seat Guru, here's the seat map:

Our bags were stowed and we began to relax when the cabin manage came over to introduce himself. He informed us that "a celebrity" would be sitting in front of us today and seemed to be pretty excited. I'm not exactly sure of the protocol here but it seemed somewhat odd that they proactively told us. But perhaps it reduces over the top reactions later. Last time we flew on Singapore with Chelsea Clinton, this time it would be Zoe Saldana and her husband so our celeb streak stayed intact.

August 30, 2014

How to Request Starwood Missing Stay Credit

A couple of weeks ago, we stayed at the Westin Riverfront Resort & Spa. The stay was great but when I logged on to my account to check that my stay posted correctly, I didn't receive any points for actual spend at the property. I did receive my SPG Platinum amenity (500 points) and points (1,000) for making "the green choice." I also received proper night/stay credit toward elite status.

No points for my "award stay"

I spent $270 at the property which should have earned my 3x points (since I'm Starwood Platinum) so I waited until a week after checkout and submitted the "report a missing stay" form within my SPG account. This is really easy - you can find the form in several places but on the activity screen, it's on the right hand side.

The right hand navigation contains the "Report a Missing Stay" link

You'll need the dates of your stay, property, and rough amount you spent during your stay. It's really VERY simple. I filled out the form and within a few days I had an email from Starwood explaining that my account had been updated and the stay "properly credited." This amounted to 810 points which I value at around $25 so it was definitely worth it to take the 3 minutes out of my day to ensure they posted correctly.

Interesting enough, I also received 2 nights/1 stay towards elite qualification. Either it was my lucky day, someone made a mistake, or there's a bug in their system when retroactively fixing these issues.

All in, I spent $270 at the property for two nights (Cash and Points) and earned 2,310 Starwood points. Total value for me is around $70 so not a bad rebate on the spend. The fact that I received 2 stays and 4 nights toward elite qualification was a bonus:)

August 25, 2014

Review: Singapore Airlines The Private Room

Sheraton JFK Hilton JFK Conrad New York

Thai Airways Business Class Lounge & Royal Orchid Spa Bangkok

Singapore Airlines 777 Business Class Bali to Singapore

Exploring Bali

Conrad Singapore

Exploring Singapore

Singapore Airlines The Private Room

Singapore Airlines A380 Suites Class Singapore to Los Angeles

We woke up around 6:30 AM and finished packing before heading out to grab a cab to the airport. It was Sunday morning and it took around 15 minutes to actually get a cab with the hotel's assistance. I was about to pull the trigger on an Uber but was glad I didn't since the cab (~$17 USD) cost about a third of the price.

Singapore Airlines First Class Check-In

We informed the driver that we were headed to the dedicated first class check-in facility at T3 and we were on our way. When we arrived, there were half a dozen people outside waiting to grab our bags and escort us into the facility. Once check-in was completed, we were handed boarding passes and lounge invitations and pointed in the direction of fast track immigration. Last time we were here we were escorted all the way to the immigration line but not this time. Certainly not a big deal as the terminal was quiet.

August 24, 2014

Review: Conrad Singapore

Sheraton JFK Hilton JFK Conrad New York

Thai Airways Business Class Lounge & Royal Orchid Spa Bangkok

Singapore Airlines 777 Business Class Bali to Singapore

Exploring Bali

Conrad Singapore

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.

My Hyatt Targeted Promotion - 5,000 Bonus Points

There has been a ton of buzz about Hyatt's targeted promotions of late. While I did not receive the big offer that provides 50,000 bonus Hyatt Gold Passport (HGP) points for 20 stays, I did receive a pretty solid offer of 5,000 bonus points for just one stay.

I value 5,000 HGP at around $100 so will be taking advantage of this promotion. I don't have a stay booked at the moment (offer is good 9/1 through 11/30) but will likely "mattress run" to get the points if I don't end up needing a stay over the next few months. The promotion also excludes MGM properties in Las Vegas which is a bummer since I do have a trip planned in October. This is a pretty solid promotion since the list of exclusions/requirements is short and only one night/stay is required.

August 16, 2014

Westin Green Choice is the Right Choice

We're currently in the Colorado mountains for the weekend staying at the Westin Riverfront Resort & Spa which is located in Avon at the base of Beaver Creek. This is a great property and we've stayed here a number of times both in the winter and in the summer. It is an easy drive from Denver (<2 hours with no traffic) and there is plenty to do on property and around town.

Amazing sunset last night in Avon

I'll have have more details to come in the future but just wanted to point out at this resort offers Westin's "Make a Green Choice" program where they provide resort vouchers/SPG points in lieu of housekeeping. We took advantage of this promotion for the first time in Toronto were they offered 500 points to forego getting our room cleaned. Note that you have to stay a minimum of two nights to take advantage of this promotion.

Here, the offer is increased to 1,000 SPG points (which I value at around $30) given their commitment to sustainability. Free points, not having to worry about returning to someone cleaning the room, and saving the environment - I can definitely get on board with that. This is really a great offer and something that we are taking advantage of and will during future stays as well.

August 13, 2014

Review: Airlines 777 Business Class Bali to Singapore

Sheraton JFK Hilton JFK Conrad New York

Thai Airways Business Class Lounge & Royal Orchid Spa Bangkok

Singapore Airlines 777 Business Class Bali to Singapore

Exploring Bali

Conrad Singapore

Exploring Singapore

Singapore Airlines The Private Room

Singapore Airlines A380 Suites Class Singapore to Los Angeles

I'm going slightly out of order here (skipping the "exploring Bali" post) in order to finish this series as soon as possible. After a great escort from the curb to immigration, we found ourselves airside with a couple of hours to kill. The Bali airport opened in 2013 and it is gorgeous. We enjoyed the architecture (the exterior is designed to mimic the ocean and the mountains of the island) and the decor inside.

DPS boarding area

August 10, 2014

Is the American Express Platinum Card Worth It?

In the last couple of weeks, several people have asked me if they should apply for the American Express Platinum Card. I think the answer depends on your travel patterns and goals but here are my thoughts.

First, it's important to note that there are three versions of the card:

American Express Platinum
American Express Mercedes-Benz Platinum
American Express OPEN (Small Business) Platinum

The annual fee for the card (not waived for the first year) is $450 or 475 thus the debate over whether the card is "worth it." I have actually had all three versions of the card over the last few years (rotating through sign-up bonuses) but don't currently have one. Emily does have one open as we can justify one $450 annual fee but not two. The cards offer a ton of value but here are the features that we get the most value from:

$200 annual (calendar year) airline incidental credit. You pick an airline and American Express will reimburse $200 of your annual expenses. We pick United and purchase low dollar amount (i.e. $50) gift cards which have always been reimbursed with no issues. If you apply for the card right now, you'll actually get your credits now and in January of 2015. So you're essentially getting $400 worth of airline certs for free. That almost offsets the annual fee.

$100 Global Entry or TSA Pre-Check reimbursement. Both Emily and I have Global Entry which has saved us a number of times returning to the US. It is possibly the greatest international travel tool out there.

American Express Fine Hotels & Resorts Access. Something we use probably once a year. We stayed on a FHR rate in Bali recently and received several hundred dollars worth of value (free breakfast, an upgraded room, and massages) for booking the rate that was identical to the lowest rate on the Four Seasons website.

Complimentary Priority Pass. We use our Priority Pass a few times a year (most recently in Toronto and Cancun) where there isn't another lounge we get access to. There are hundreds of lounges around the world in their network.

Centurion Club Access. The only way to get into these lounges for free (otherwise they are $50) is to hold an Amex Black or Platinum Card. We have spent time in the Las Vegas and DFW lounges and are very much looking forward to the opening of the La Guardia and San Francisco locations.

There are dozens of other benefits to the card but these are the five benefits that I think provide the most value. The sign-up bonuses for these cards are also strong. The typical bonus is 40,000 - 50,000 points upon reaching a spend threshold but the OPEN card is currently targeting card members with a 150,000 point bonus! I value those points at ~$3,000 so if you get that offer, jump on it!

In terms of everyday use, I wouldn't recommend actually putting any spend on the card once you've received the initial bonus. Instead, keep it in your wallet and leverage all of the benefits noted above. The card certainly isn't for everyone but can be extremely valuable if you travel often.

August 9, 2014

Review: St. Regis Bali Resort

Sheraton JFK Hilton JFK Conrad New York

Thai Airways Business Class Lounge & Royal Orchid Spa Bangkok

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 Suites Class Singapore to Los Angeles

The ride to the St. Regis took about an hour as we wound our way through villages and down to the coast through a mix of rain and sun. We had arranged transportation through the St. Regis so when we arrived, they were expecting us and our room was ready despite it being a couple of hours before check-in. Check-in was processed in the lobby while seated enjoying a welcome drink. All of our Platinum benefits were explained (a few extras given that breakfast is included for all resort guests) and then we were shown to our room. The only odd part about check-in is that you're seated in chairs in the lobby but the agent has to run back and forth to the desk with your credit card, passport, etc...which seemingly makes things inefficient. But we were relaxed and on vacation so didn't really care.

Welcome to the St. Regis Bali

Welcome drink

Lobby shot

The grounds of this property are beautifully maintained. There are 110 rooms (vs. about 60 at the Four Seasons) many of which are villas so the guest to room ratio is higher. My guess is that there were about 300 people staying at the resort during our stay. But between the size of the beach, lagoon pool, and other stuff to do in Bali, it never really felt crowded.