#hotel-loyalty

#hotel-loyalty

Luxury hotels are supposed to provide exceptional hospitality, yet many seem to prioritize profit over guest satisfaction, leading to feelings of exploitation during stays.

"As Delta's brand started to move and people started to see it as a premium brand, as a differentiated experience, Amex was critical to that because we see Amex as the premium credit card in the business."

AwardWallet has long been the leading tool for tracking rewards programs. In most cases, setting up accounts to track is pretty straightforward.

Robinhood's Platinum credit card, with a $695 annual fee, includes travel rewards, $250 in DoorDash credits, and a free Amazon One Medical membership.

In a world where third spaces are dying, and consumers are being segregated between haves and have-nots at every turn, the airport bar has quietly endured. But the airport bar is not-so-quietly under siege. Airport concessions took a hit during the pandemic, and while they benefited from the subsequent revenge travel, the rebound has stalled.

It isn't a universal truth, but a vast number of goods and services have their own full-circle moments. While there are still plenty of travel agencies in the U.S., the overall number is still down considerably from a peak in the 1980s. For some industry forecasters, though, the future looks a lot like the recent past, except that instead of travelers trusting human agents with making their travel plans a reality, they'll use AI agents for the same purpose.

I think I'm worth more than 2,000 miles an hour. Her most recent travel headache came courtesy of a U.S.-based airline during a trip home from Cap Juluca in Anguilla. Vanderpump found herself stuck for 12 hours with little explanation. And though the airline eventually offered 25,000 miles as compensation, she was unimpressed.

The biggest change is that starting on April 2, United MileagePlus cardholders can earn up to four times more miles on travel booked with the airline than non-cardholders—and even if the flight wasn't booked with that card. That provision ensures that cardholders, which United deems its "most loyal members," still reap more rewards for travel, even if they have to book with a different credit card.

Used strategically, though, points and miles can unlock far more than a free domestic flight, from business-class seats on long-haul routes to the ability to book expensive trips without paying cash. To make sense of it all, we spoke with travel experts and points pros about how airline miles actually work today-and how to use them wisely. Ahead, you'll find guidance on earning miles more efficiently, building a credit card strategy that fits the way you spend, avoiding common mistakes, and redeeming points in ways that truly pay off.

Can you earn credit card rewards on train travel? It's easy to earn credit card rewards on train travel, even if you don't have an Amtrak-branded credit card. Nearly all rewards credit cards offer at least 1 point or mile per dollar spent on train tickets, and many credit cards offer boosted rewards rates for travel purchases like airlines, cruises and trains.

When I tell fellow tech executives that every employee at sunday, from our engineers to our finance team, must complete a restaurant shift before they can fully onboard, I usually get confused looks. "You mean like, shadow someone?" they ask. No. I mean they tie on an apron, take orders, run food, and yes, deal with the 15-minute wait for the check that our product was literally built to eliminate.

As we look ahead, one of the air-travel trends worth watching has to do with airport lounges - and, more specifically, who can and can't access them. Later this year, American Express is updating its policies to make it a little harder for some travelers to access its Centurion Lounges. That's in keeping with broader trends in the industry, which makes it all the more interesting to see an airline going in the opposite direction.

On-time performance used to be something airlines discussed quietly - in boardrooms, with investors, or behind the scenes with select partners. Now, it's becoming a consumer-facing badge of honor.

Airline miles and points can feel unnecessarily difficult to navigate, and I say that as a seasoned traveler with airline status - one who's spent more time than I'd like to admit squinting at award charts and fine print. I'm constantly inundated with social media posts from people claiming they've booked flights to Europe for something like 3,000 miles, while I'm left wondering what algorithm they've managed to crack that I haven't.

Years later, after countless nights in hotels from budget chains to five-star establishments, I've noticed something interesting. Those of us who grew up in lower-middle-class households carry certain behaviors with us into these spaces. They're not necessarily bad habits, but they're telling. They reveal a childhood where every pound mattered and waste was practically a sin. I've seen these patterns in myself, in friends from similar backgrounds, and in countless fellow travelers over the years.