Tag: Hotels & Accommodation

A few days ago, 80% of Airbnb listings in Japan disappeared. The total number of properties available plummeted from over 62,000 to a meagmeager800. According to the Japan Times, the move comes in response to a new law in Japan as of June 15, 2018.

Airbnb has introduced the ability to split your payments for a stay. The new system, called “Pay Less Upfront”, came into effect January 15, 2018. According to the Airbnb press release, the functionality comes in response to the fact that 40% of its customers opted to use this option in testing. Most of those who opted for a split payment also opted to take up higher priced bookings when making a split payment.

We’ve rounded up free night award change and cancellation policies for the major hotel programs, and thrown in an example to show when you need to cancel to receive a full refund of your points. Make sure you know the policies of your favorite programs so you don't get caught at the last minute and lose your points.

Exploring the beauty of a foreign country, flying to exotic locales in luxury, sampling outlandish foods and opening yourself up to new experiences. At least, that’s what we all hope rewards travel will be. The reality can sometimes fall spectacularly short of our expectations.

Currently there are two Amex Offers providing statement credits for hotel bookings made through HotelStorm.com/Amex.

SPG has been a market leader when it comes to strategic partnerships to enhance the value of their reward programs to Elite members. Recently we reported that SPG Platinum members will now benefit from upgrades to Comfort+ with Delta Air...

For travelers with an eye for details and the time for some online research, a Best Rate Guarantee can offer enormous value in the form of free and discounted hotel stays. IHG, for example, offers a free night on top of...

While the perks and benefits of hotel elite status play a prominent role in loyalty programs, ultimately, what determines a program’s value is the different ways you can redeem points, and how difficult they are to accumulate. A significant part of...

After opening the 20th tab in your web browser and retyping the same destination, arrival, and departure dates, you'd be forgiven for thinking you’re working a full-time job rather than an enjoyable and lucrative hobby. Searching for award availability can...

You’ve booked your hotel reservation, you paid the amount of points or cash required, and received a confirmation of your booking. You arrive at the hotel, only to be told that there are no rooms available. Just like airlines, hotels...

The use of peer-to-peer vacation rentals has exploded over the last decade. It took Marriott 60 years and numerous acquisitions to establish itself as the world's biggest hotel operator. But in just 9 short years, Airbnb has grown to eclipse the largest global hotel chains in value, and with over 4 million listings, has more rooms available than the top 5 hotel chains combined.

Another security breach and your financial data might be out there. A significant number of popular U.S. hotel properties have fallen victim of  “…point-of-sale (PoS) malware which may have exposed customer financial data”, according to ZD Net. As you can see,...

A few weeks ago marked the opening of Starwood Hotels & Resorts first luxury hotel in Tokyo, Japan. The Prince Gallery Tokyo Kioicho was unveiled by Starwood's The Luxury Collection and joins SPG's other Tokyo properties, The Westin Tokyo, Sheraton...

Update December 31, 2016 – It looks like they've terminated this service and are redirecting the site elsewhere… London's largest hotel owner-operator, GLH Hotels, has launched the first hotel booking site that allows customers to choose a specific room prior...

For a long time, the biggest incentive of booking hotels directly (via hotel's website or phone number) instead of using online travel agencies (OTA) was to ensure you would be able to earn points and night/stay credits with the corresponding...

Yahoo! has published a list of the ten most expensive hotels in Europe based on the results of a survey conducted by Luxury-Hotels.com. The list is based on European properties' lowest available rates for a double room during the months of...

Marriott International has hit another bump on the rocky road to acquiring Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide. Having already outlasted Anbang Insurance group in a four-week bidding war, Marriott's latest hurdle surprisingly comes from within Starwood's ranks. Dream Team Hotel...

When news dropped last week of a Chinese conglomerate signing a deal to purchase a U.S. hotel chain, the Anbang-Starwood takeover was likely the first to jump to mind. However, it was Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group that announced it has...

This promotion has ended; please review current/active promotions. Starwood is continuing it's big push to retain members following the final merger approval with Marriott, with a new second-quarter promo landing in SPG members inbox's last week. The SPG Triple Up...