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  • Southwest Airlines Pilots Union Bracing for Potential Acquisition

    Southwest Airlines Pilots Union Bracing for Potential Acquisition

    The Southwest Airlines Pilots Association (SWAPA) is gearing up for what could be a significant move by the carrier. The union recently announced that it has retained several law firms in anticipation of Southwest Airlines potentially acquiring another airline. This move signals that SWAPA is taking proactive steps to protect its members’ interests in the event of a merger or acquisition. Does SWAPA know something we don’t?

    One of the law firms retained by SWAPA specializes in labor issues and would be tasked with ensuring that the pilots’ seniority list is integrated fairly. This is a crucial issue for pilots, as seniority determines many aspects of their career progression and benefits. The other firms would handle the business and equity side of the transaction, ensuring that pilots have a stake in the new entity’s capital.

    Last month, SWAPA made the decision to retain several law firms if Southwest attempts to acquire another carrier. One of those firms would be an experienced labor firm tasked with protecting SWAPA Pilots in a seniority list integration. The second — and possibly third — firm would handle the business and equity side of the transaction to ensure our Pilots were invested in the capital of the new entity. In 2010, then-SWAPA President Carl Kuwitsky and then-CEO Gary Kelly failed to follow Delta/Northwest’s lead in allowing the Pilots to be equity partners in the transaction when Southwest acquired AirTran. SWAPA will not make that mistake again.

    Message sent to Southwest pilots from SWAPA (h/t View from the Wing)

    This proactive approach by SWAPA is in response to past experiences. In 2010, when Southwest Airlines acquired AirTran, SWAPA was not involved in the decision-making process, and pilots were not given the opportunity to be equity partners in the transaction. SWAPA is determined not to repeat that mistake and is taking steps to ensure that pilots are involved in any future acquisitions or mergers.

    While SWAPA’s actions suggest that a merger or acquisition may be on the horizon for Southwest Airlines, the airline itself has not confirmed any such plans. In a message to pilots, SWAPA stated that neither the union nor its representatives have any knowledge of an acquisition or merger in Southwest Airlines’ future. However, the union emphasized that “hope is not a strategy,” indicating its belief that a merger or acquisition is a real possibility.

    One potential target for Southwest Airlines could be JetBlue. Once renowned for its reliability and quality of service, JetBlue has seen its reputation take a nosedive as it struggles financially. Despite limited non-stop overlap between the two carriers, a merger could have significant implications for the industry. Southwest Airlines is already the nation’s largest domestic carrier, and a merger with JetBlue could further solidify its position in key markets.

    Another perhaps less-likely target could be Sun Country Airlines. While much smaller, their all-Boeing 737 fleet would be a perfect fit for Southwest, as it would enable fleet commonality. I suppose time will reveal exactly what’s going on behind the scenes at Southwest.

    LCCs have had a rough time in the last year or so. Domestic travel has taken a nosedive, disproportionately affecting LCCs, while the relative stability of international travel has kept the engines running at legacy carriers like Delta and United. Southwest is struggling too, but they do have a very deep war chest and could still very easily purchase a competitor.

    However, any potential merger or acquisition involving Southwest Airlines would likely face scrutiny from the Department of Justice, especially under a Biden administration. The outcome of the presidential election could also play a role in the feasibility of such a deal; if Donald Trump returns to the White House, it’s likely we’d see the DOJ quickly become much more hands-off on antitrust matters such as this.

    As much as I wouldn’t want to actually fly on JetBlue right now, competition benefits us all by placing downward pressure on airfares across the board. I’d hate to see JetBlue be acquired, removing another competitor from the market; however it seems the alternative would be allowing the airline to collapse altogether.

    While the specifics of any potential merger or acquisition remain uncertain, SWAPA’s move here indicates that significant changes could be on the horizon for Southwest Airlines and the industry as a whole.

  • 2024 Hyatt Award Category Changes: What You Need to Know

    2024 Hyatt Award Category Changes: What You Need to Know

    Once a year, usually around late February, Hyatt announces a slew of hotel award category changes. So far, unlike their competitors which have all gone to fully-dynamic award pricing, Hyatt still maintains an award chart, and opts to make changes all at once, one time per year. This can lead to outsize value, particularly during peak times and large events.

    I predicted this would be the year Hyatt went fully dynamic, and luckily, Hyatt has disappointed me in the best of ways. Hyatt has released its annual list of category changes for 2024, and while undoubtedly, like most years, this represents a devaluation of the program, it’s not as bad as I think many of us were bracing for.

    At first glance, this sounds bad: 137 hotels are going up in category, and only 46 are coming down. However, the segments getting hardest hit aren’t the aspirational properties that are typically the target of these category changes. In fact, it seems to be the lower end of Hyatt’s portfolio getting impacted the hardest this time – which will be painful for me, as there will no longer be any Category 1 mattress run opportunities here in Tulsa. Hyatt Regency Tulsa and Hyatt Place Tulsa/Downtown both go up from Cat 1 to Cat 2, while that horrible old Hyatt Place in South Tulsa exited the system entirely to become a “Hyad” or a Homewood or something (a recent drive-by suggests it will be the “Hyde Park” and the cheap signage doesn’t exactly inspire confidence).

    These changes go into effect March 26, 2024 at 8am Central. Some key points to remember here:

    • Hotels moving from Category 4 to 5 will no longer be accessible using a Category 1-4 free night award – unlike Marriott, Hyatt does not allow “topping off” a free night certificate with points
    • Hotels moving down from 5 to 4 will become accessible using a Cat 1-4 certificate
    • Apply this same logic to Category 7 and 8 for the Cat 1-7 award certificates

    This means if you have any of these Cat 4 or Cat 7 properties on your radar that are going up a category, you should book now before the changes take effect and lock in the lower categories (and therefore the ability to use your FNCs). Just pay attention to any relevant cancellation policies.

    Some notable changes:

    • Manchester Grand Hyatt in San Diego from 4 to 5 (ouch)
    • Thompson Madrid from 5 to 6 (double ouch)
    • Grayson Hotel in Manhattan 5 to 6
    • GH Denver, HR Denver Convention Center, and HC Denver/Downtown all 3 to 4
    • Lost Pines & Gainey Ranch both go from 5 to 6
    • Thompson Chicago from 4 to 5
    • HR Lake Tahoe drops from 6 to 5

    I’m probably missing some but these are the ones that stick out to me at first glance. There are some that sting here, but am I the only one that was bracing for worse?

    First of all, I think Hyatt is still in damage control mode from losing SLH and MGM. That shrank their footprint… a lot. Mr. & Mrs. Smith should mitigate the loss of SLH a bit, but Hyatt needs to mitigate the perception that their program has been gutted. They’ve done about as decent of a job as I think any of us could have asked for on that front.

    The other thing is the economy, and broadly travel demand. The recent wave of layoffs and hiring freezes has sent a chilling effect through the travel world, causing demand to slow. As a result, there’s less need to artificially chill demand through devaluation.

    What do you think about these changes? Comment below.

  • Fact Check: No, Cinderella’s Castle Didn’t Burn Down

    Fact Check: No, Cinderella’s Castle Didn’t Burn Down

    If you’ve been on TikTok lately, you might have seen a video claiming that Cinderella Castle at Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom burned down yesterday. The video shows images of the castle engulfed in flames, and suggests the Reedy Creek Fire Department took an hour to arrive on scene, at which point the castle was unsalvageable.

    Before you panic and cancel your Disney vacation, let me assure you that this is fake news. Cinderella Castle is just fine, and there was no fire at the Magic Kingdom yesterday. The video is based on a satire article from Mouse Trap News, a website that posts fake news stories about Disney for entertainment purposes.

    Seriously guys, do you really think that the Reedy Creek Fire Department (created by Disney to protect Disney property and its occupants, though Governor Ron DeSantis signed a law in 2022 seizing control of the district by the state) would allow an hour-long delay to an active structure fire at the iconic landmark? That castle is a huge part of WDW’s core identity… that wouldn’t be allowed to happen, ever. Let’s think critically here.

    Mouse Trap News is known for its outrageous satire articles, such as “Disney Officially Launches Only Fans with Adult Content,” “Disney Building Roller Coaster That Jumps Track,” and “It’s a Small World Closing Permanently For Being Offensive.” The website clearly states:

    Mouse Trap News is the world’s best satire and parody site. We write fake stories about Disney Parks stuff. From Disney Park announcements to Disney Hotel and resort news to made-up Disney partnerships, you can be assured that anything you read here is not true, real, or accurate, but it is fun. So technically our slogan The Moused Trusted Name in Disney News isn’t true, but we thought it was creative and funny, so we are running with it.

    Mouse Trap News was created on a whim to have some fun and write stories about Disney we wish were true. Some Disney sites write deceptive stories for clicks. We write 100% made-up parody and satire stories for your enjoyment. We also hope that Disney sees how much people like some of our stories and decide to actually make one of our stories a reality!

    While you read our articles, be sure to keep your hands, arms, feet, and legs inside the vehicle at all times, and remember these are strictly fictional for your enjoyment. Please share any articles you enjoy reading with your Disney friends and on social media to help us grow and continue to put out fun articles

    Mouse Trap News About Page

    However, someone decided to take the satire article about Cinderella Castle burning down and turn it into a viral TikTok video, without any indication that it was a joke. The video has been shared over 150k times, and has caused a lot of confusion and outrage among Disney fans.

    @mousetrapnews

    We aren’t crying, you are… okay we are too 🥺 #disneyworld #disneynews #cinderellacastle #disneyworldfire #magickingdom #aigenerated #ai

    ♬ Married Life (From “Up”) – Sergy el Som

    The images of the castle on fire are clearly generated by some kind of generative AI, likely OpenAI’s highly-regarded DALL-E 3. DALL-E 3 is a neural network that can create realistic images from text descriptions, such as “a dragon made of flowers” or “a snail wearing a sombrero”. It’s scary how good AI has gotten at creating fake images that look real. And yes, I and other bloggers have been guilty of using DALL-E to create artwork for posts when we just don’t have a great photo to use to keep things visually pleasing – though I would never go so far as to imply the product of an AI model is real imagery. It’s purely there as “filler” when I otherwise don’t have a great image to use.

    As someone who works in IT, I am blown away at the quality and accuracy of some of the images coming out of these AI models. They can create anything you can imagine, and sometimes things you can’t. However, while this satire article is all good harmless fun that’s been blown way out of proportion, it underscores the importance of thinking critically for yourself, especially during an election year.

    Regardless of who you plan on voting for, expect that the advent of generative AI will cause “deepfakes” to be a bigger problem than ever this election cycle, and remember to not necessarily take everything you read (or watch on TikTok) at face value. Always check the source, the date, and the facts before you share or believe something online. And don’t worry, Cinderella Castle is still standing, and will be there for you when you visit the most magical place on earth.

  • AA: Book With a Third-Party? No Points for You!

    AA: Book With a Third-Party? No Points for You!

    American Airlines has announced some changes to its AAdvantage program that will affect how you earn miles and Loyalty Points on flights, depending on where you book.

    Starting with tickets issued on May 1, 2024, you will only earn miles and Loyalty Points on flights when you:

    • Book directly with American and eligible partner airlines.
    • Book travel anywhere as an AAdvantage Business member or contracted corporate traveler.
    • Book through preferred travel agencies. American will share a list of eligible preferred agencies on aa.com in late April.

    This means that if you book through a third-party site like Expedia, Orbitz, or Priceline, you will not earn any miles or Loyalty Points on your flights. American says this is to “provide the best possible experience” and “reward our AAdvantage members”7. I say this is to discourage customers from shopping around for the best deals and to push them to book directly with American, where they can charge higher fares and fees.

    Basic Economy fare tickets will only earn when booked directly with American and eligible partner airlines – the key distinction here from “normal” economy being that it seems even bookings made with an accredited corporate travel agency won’t earn miles or LPs.

    Of course, for most of us, booking direct is the way to go anyway, unless you are forced to use a corporate travel agency. It’s so much easier in the event of irregular operations (IRROPS) to just work directly with the airline to fix things, rather than trying to work through a third-party. Which would you rather do… wait on hold for 6 hours to speak to a third party who may or may not be familiar with airline policies? Or stop by a ticketing/customer service desk (or even the Admirals Club)?

    Until now, however, there hasn’t been any real penalty to booking flights with an OTA (so long as nothing goes wrong). Hotels have been a different story for a long time. None of the “majors” will typically grant any points or elite credit/recognition on a third-party booking, unless that third party is an accredited corporate travel agency. Back in 2018, Hyatt Place even experimented with restricting its complimentary breakfast only to World of Hyatt members who booked direct (though that’s hardly a loss given the breakfast quality at your typical neighborhood Hyatt Place). Hyatt suspended this policy during the pandemic, and there’s currently no reason to think it’ll be reinstated anytime soon; the mediocre breakfast product just isn’t worth the manpower to protect, I guess!

    The message from AA is clear: book direct, or else. The major airlines tend to move in lockstep with each other, so time will tell if this is just an AA thing, or an industry-wide shift. What do you think of these changes? Will they affect how you book your flights with American?

  • Marriott Property near EWR has Legionella Problem, Still Accepting New Bookings?!

    Marriott Property near EWR has Legionella Problem, Still Accepting New Bookings?!

    Travel can be yucky, no doubt. But I can’t help but be a little taken aback at the callous and utter disregard for public health & safety displayed by an Elizabeth, NJ Marriott property. The Renaissance Newark Airport hotel, typically regarded as one of the few properties at EWR that don’t completely suck, recently discovered their water system was infested with legionella bacteria, which can cause Legionnaires’ disease, a pneumonia-like illness with a death rate around 10% according to the CDC.

    So Marriott did the responsible thing and immediately shuttered the hotel until this could be safely remediated by professionals… right?

    Well, not exactly. It appears things are largely business as usual at the New Jersey property. In fact, they are still taking new bookings for as soon as tonight! The Marriott website doesn’t even appear to offer any warning to unsuspecting guests who might want to book a stay there tonight. Talk about getting Bonvoyed!

    The hotel is still taking new reservations for as soon as tonight!

    The letter being distributed to guests (which I had archived here for posterity) lets us know that the risk of contracting this deadly disease from a building’s water system is “low.” How reassuring! However, it tells us that anyone with any risk factors should avoid showering at all (even a cold shower) and use caution when brushing teeth. Those risk factors include smokers, those with chronic lung disease, weakened immune systems, and anybody age 50 or older. Basically, more or less copy-and-paste the risk factors for COVID here… but with much higher mortality rate if infected!

    This is a really big deal. Gary Leff over at View From the Wing called the hotel, and apparently they expect to need 6-8 weeks to resolve this issue. Common sense would dictate you just close the freaking hotel until then… but I guess the potential legal liability doesn’t scare them? Or maybe they’re still recouping their losses from 2020 and shutting down for two months would spell the end of the property.

    The letter states that they are working with both the New Jersey state health department, as well as the City of Elizabeth’s health departments. You’d think if Marriott corporate didn’t shutter the hotel, one of these two entities would?

    You go into Newark with a certain expectation of cleanliness (after all, you can’t spell “sewer” without “EWR”), but this may just be a new low. We’ll see if Marriott corporate does the right thing and shuts this operation down.

  • Can Your Family Cost You Your Global Entry Membership?

    Can Your Family Cost You Your Global Entry Membership?

    Global Entry is one of the best travel perks money can buy (and that assumes you don’t have a credit card that will reimburse you for it!). It allows you to breeze through immigration and customs when returning to the U.S. from abroad, and it also includes TSA PreCheck, which lets you skip the long security lines at the airport.

    But what if you have a family member who is not so squeaky clean? Can their criminal record or immigration status affect your Global Entry membership?

    The answer is yes, it can. According to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) website, Global Entry eligibility is determined on a case-by-case basis and may be denied or revoked for various reasons, including:

    • Providing false or incomplete information on the application.
    • Having a criminal history or being the subject of an investigation by any federal, state, or local law enforcement agency.
    • Having a record of customs, immigration, or agriculture violations or penalties.
    • Being inadmissible to the U.S. under immigration regulations, including applicants with approved waivers of inadmissibility or parole documentation.
    • Being unable to satisfy CBP of your low-risk status.

    That last part is very subjective and open-ended, and that’s a feature, not a bug. If CBP or DHS finds anything that casts any shadow of a doubt that you’re extremely low-risk, they can refuse, non-renew, or even revoke your membership. This means that if you have a family member who has any of these issues, they may not be able to join Global Entry themselves, and they may also jeopardize your own membership if you are associated with them.

    For example, if you live at the same address as a family member who has a criminal history or an immigration violation, CBP may flag your application or revoke your membership after a periodic review. Generally, outside of authoritarian regimes, the very notion of collectively punishing an entire family for the actions of their kin is unthinkable. However, trusted traveler programs are a privilege, not a right, and may be revoked at any time, for pretty much any reason – so the loss of GE privileges may very well be a punishment a family must suffer collectively.

    There have been reports of people who have had their Global Entry memberships revoked or denied because of their family members’ actions, such as:

    • A woman who had her Global Entry revoked because her husband was arrested for drug trafficking.
    • A man who had his Global Entry denied because his brother was on a terrorist watch list.
    • A couple who had their Global Entry revoked because their son was arrested for DUI.

    Sometimes the revocation is triggered when the family member in question applies for Global Entry themselves. Reddit user XxTOHMExX posted such a cautionary tale on /r/GlobalEntry:

    My family got their GE revoked because of Me
    by inGlobalEntry

    Another unlucky member of /r/GlobalEntry had their GE membership revoked after their wife was involved in some kind of unspecified customs violation. While we can’t help but think there’s more to the story here, what is clear is his wife’s actions while he wasn’t present were enough to get his membership pulled.

    Global Entry Revoked after my wife gets a customs violation
    byu/TeiamNYC inGlobalEntry

    Of course, these are extreme cases, and CBP does not automatically disqualify anyone who has a family member with a criminal record or an immigration issue. But it does mean that you have to be careful and honest when applying for or renewing your Global Entry membership, and be prepared to explain any potential red flags that may come up during the background check or the interview. It’s worth remembering that GE is a program for travelers who carry almost zero risk, and membership is never guaranteed to anyone.

    By joining Global Entry, you consent to a certain degree of ongoing monitoring by DHS even when you aren’t traveling. In fact, DHS performs queries on every single Global Entry member every 24 hours for changes in “risk.” In FY2022, about 12,000 Global Entry members received the boot, primarily by becoming the subject of an ongoing investigation by law enforcement.

    If you do have a family member who is ineligible for Global Entry, you may still be able to enjoy the benefits of the program by traveling separately from them or by using alternative programs such as Mobile Passport Control or Automated Passport Control, which are free and do not require a membership or an interview. You can also use CLEAR Plus and CLEAR Reserve at selected checkpoints; contrary to popular belief, there is no background screening involved in CLEAR – it’s just a private service to get escorted to the front of the line. CLEAR Plus costs $189 a year (though some AmEx cards will reimburse this), while CLEAR Reserve is free of charge and available in selected airports outside the US, too. You could try your luck at getting a standalone TSA PreCheck membership, but we’d hazard a guess that previous denial or revocation of another trusted traveler program would pretty much be a permanent disqualifier here.

    Global Entry is a great way to save time and hassle when traveling internationally, but it is not a right or a guarantee. It is a privilege that can be revoked at any time by CBP. So make sure you and your family members follow the rules and stay out of trouble, or you may lose your Global Entry membership for good.

  • AmEx Strikes Again: Green Card Now Affected by “Waterfall” Rule

    AmEx Strikes Again: Green Card Now Affected by “Waterfall” Rule

    Just when you thought the lifetime language situation with AmEx couldn’t get any worse, they’ve gone ahead and added another restriction to their signup bonuses. This time, the victim is the AmEx Green Card, which now falls under the dreaded “waterfall” rule.

    If you’re not familiar with the “waterfall” rule, it’s a sneaky way of preventing you from getting a signup bonus on a lower-tier card in a card family if you’ve ever had a higher-tier card in that same family. For example, if you’ve ever had the AmEx Platinum, you’re now ineligible for a bonus on the AmEx Gold or the AmEx Green. In other words, your ineligibility “waterfalls” down, but does not go the opposite direction. This means the optimal order in which to obtain these cards is from the Green, to the Gold, and then finally the Platinum.

    This rule was first introduced on the personal Delta cards a few months ago, and then expanded to the AmEx Gold Card shortly after. Now, the AmEx Green Card has joined the club, making it even harder to earn those valuable Membership Rewards points.

    Here’s the new language on the Green Card:

    You may not be eligible to receive a welcome offer if you have or have had this Card, the Platinum Card®, the Platinum Card® from American Express Exclusively for Morgan Stanley, the Platinum Card® from American Express Exclusively for Charles Schwab, the American Express® Gold Card or previous versions of these Cards.

    American Express Offer Terms

    This is a huge blow to anyone who was planning to get the Green Card for its 40,000-point welcome bonus and its unique benefits, such as the $189 annual CLEAR credit and the $100 annual LoungeBuddy credit. The Green Card was also a great option for those who wanted a lower annual fee ($150) than the Gold ($250) or the Platinum ($695).

    Now, the only way to get the Green Card bonus is if you’ve never had any of the other cards in the AmEx family, or obtain an elusive “no lifetime language” offer. That’s a pretty narrow window, considering how popular the Platinum Card and Gold Card are among points & miles enthusiasts.

    The good news is that the business cards are still safe from the “waterfall” rule, at least for now. You can still get the bonuses on the Business Green, the Business Gold, and the Business Platinum, regardless of your personal card history. But who knows how long that will last, given AmEx’s track record.

    The bottom line is that AmEx is making it harder and harder to earn their points, which is a shame because they have some of the best transfer partners and redemption options in the business. If you’re looking to maximize your Membership Rewards points, you’ll have to be strategic and careful about which cards you apply for and when. And don’t forget to check the fine print before you pull the trigger.

  • Hyatt’s New Promo is Pretty Meh; Here’s How to Make the Most of It

    Hyatt’s New Promo is Pretty Meh; Here’s How to Make the Most of It

    Hyatt has announced its first global Bonus Journeys promotion of 2024, which runs from March 1st through April 30th. While Marriott’s promo offered 1,000 points and double elite credits per night, Hyatt’s new promo is pretty lukewarm by comparison. But there are still some ways to maximize your earnings and get some value out of it.

    The Details

    With Bonus Journeys, World of Hyatt members can earn 3,000 bonus points for every three qualifying nights (up to a total of 21,000 bonus points). This is valid at all Hyatt properties globally, including Small Luxury Hotels of the World (SLH), which are still part of the program for now (though that’s changing).

    If you have either the World of Hyatt Credit Card or World of Hyatt Business Credit Card, you can earn an additional 1,000 bonus points for every three nights at properties in 18 international destinations. These include: Australia, China (including Hong Kong and Macau), Germany, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, South Korea, Spain, Taiwan, Thailand, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, and Vietnam.

    Registration is required prior to your first eligible stay, and is open between February 22nd and April 15th. There is zero harm in registering, so even if your plans don’t include a Hyatt stay, we’d recommend everyone go ahead and register as soon as it opens so you don’t forget. The promotion is valid on your first stay. The good news is that nights are cumulative. You don’t need to stay three nights on one stay to earn the bonus points. Award stays count as well.

    Analysis

    If you max out this promotion over 21 nights in the selected international destinations and have a Hyatt credit card, you could potentially earn up to 28,000 bonus points. This is not enough to get excited about, but I value World of Hyatt points at approximately 2.0 cents per point, so if you are in a position to max out every requirement, you could potentially milk ~$560 in value out of this. I imagine most of us realistically won’t come close, if nothing else because the full value requires an extended international stay.

    This is a slower time of the year for travel. Hyatt knows this… that’s why these promotions tend to come at inconvenient times of the year. Sure, you’ll have the spring break crowd, but most of these people aren’t going to be spending 21 nights in Macau.

    We probably shouldn’t expect to ever see the Bonus Journeys promos of 2020 ever again. High inflation, high labor costs, and persistent demand for Hyatt’s quality product means there just isn’t an incentive for Hyatt to invest much in marketing anymore. I shudder to think about what this year’s category changes will look like, assuming they don’t go all-in on dynamic award pricing (which I think Hyatt very well might). We should know this relatively soon.

    Bottom Line

    Hyatt’s new promo is not very impressive, but it’s better than nothing. If you have some Hyatt stays planned in the next few months (or even if you don’t as there’s no penalty to register), you might as well register once it opens and earn some bonus points. But don’t go out of your way to chase this promo.

  • Hyatt Dumps SLH, Hilton Picks Up The Pieces?

    Hyatt Dumps SLH, Hilton Picks Up The Pieces?

    The past year has been rough for Hyatt on the partnership front. First MGM dumped Hyatt for Marriott. And the losses continue…

    Hyatt has just confirmed that it will end its partnership with Small Luxury Hotels (SLH) in the near future, while Hilton simultaneously announced a new partnership with the group of boutique and luxury properties. This is a huge loss for Hyatt loyalists, who could use their points and enjoy elite benefits at over 300 SLH hotels around the world. Some of these hotels were truly aspirational, such as the Grand Hotel Victoria in Lake Como, Italy, or the Calala Island resort on a private island in Nicaragua.

    At this time, World of Hyatt members can still book participating SLH Hotels on Hyatt’s booking channels, and nothing changes as of now for existing World of Hyatt member reservations. More information on the end of this relationship will be shared with guests and members in the coming months.

    Quote from Hyatt spokesperson (ht The Points Guy)

    The writing has been on the wall for some time that Hyatt and SLH would eventually break it off, especially with Hyatt’s acquisition of similar platform Mr & Mrs Smith (causing the company to cut ties with IHG), and now last month’s announcement of SLH’s new partnership with Capital One Travel. This alone seemed like an odd partnership, given SLH is undoubtedly a premium travel brand, and “premium” usually isn’t what comes to mind when we think about Capital One or their target audience (though admittedly they do seem to be trying with the Venture X?).

    But Hilton!?! I’ve written ad nauseam about the decline of what was once one of my favorite travel brands. Pre-COVID, I was all-in on Hilton, but the brand’s standards declined to the point where I switched to Hyatt and never looked back. The quality delta between Hilton and Hyatt, at least domestically, is tough to overstate. It really seems like Hilton has given up on competing with Marriott and Hyatt, and has instead decided to go duke it out with Wyndham, Choice, and Radisson, much like a struggling NCAA team moving to a lesser conference where they can easily beat the crap out of their new rivals.

    Hyatt says that it will focus on integrating more hotels from Mr & Mrs Smith, after announcing last year that the platform would be integrated into World of Hyatt in “early 2024.” However, the Mr & Mrs Smith portfolio is much smaller than SLH, and the integration has been very slow and limited so far. Hyatt also says that nothing changes for existing reservations at SLH hotels, but it’s unclear how long the partnership will last and when the last date to book will be. It’s worth noting that SLH has a standard set of on-property benefits for bookings through World of Hyatt, and Hyatt tier status is not otherwise honored; presumably, Mr & Mrs Smith will honor the full range of tier benefits.

    On the other hand, this is a great opportunity for Hilton to expand its luxury footprint, which currently consists of brands like Conrad, Waldorf Astoria, and LXR. Hilton says that it will add more than 200 SLH hotels to its portfolio, and that Hilton Honors members will be able to earn and redeem points, as well as enjoy elite benefits, at these hotels (unlike when they were partnered with Hyatt). This could make Hilton points much more valuable, especially if they price SLH hotels at reasonable rates and don’t exclude them from using free night certificates. Maybe I won’t need to cancel my Hilton Surpass Card after all?

    However, there are still many unknowns about the Hilton-SLH partnership, such as when it will start, how it will work, and what benefits will be offered. Hilton says that it will share more details soon, but I’m not holding my breath.

    What do you think of this news? Are you excited or disappointed by the changes?

  • Your Wallet Might be Getting Heavier: Chase Brings Back Metal Ritz-Carlton Card

    Your Wallet Might be Getting Heavier: Chase Brings Back Metal Ritz-Carlton Card

    Chase just dropped a pleasant surprise for existing Ritz-Carlton Credit Card holders, and if you’re among them, your wallet might be getting a bit heavier. Why? Because the metal version of the card is making a comeback, and you won’t need to lift a finger – all current cardholders will automatically receive the new design sometime this month.

    The card’s benefits remain unchanged for now, but the return of the metal design is likely to bring a sigh of relief to those who found the plastic version less than satisfying. Many complained that the plastic design made the card feel cheap, especially when most cards with comparable annual fees are now metal.

    For points and miles enthusiasts, the Ritz-Carlton card holds a special place in the hearts (and wallets) of many. It stands out as one of the very few, if not the only, cards offering unlimited guests when utilizing Priority Pass lounge access – a perk that’s hard to beat, and makes this card a favorite among those in the know.

    Although the card officially closed its doors to new applicants back in 2018, there’s a nifty workaround. While a direct application is a no-go, you can snag the lower-tier Marriott Bonvoy Boundless card by Chase. After holding it for a year, a call to Chase requesting a product change to the Ritz-Carlton card is all it takes.

    But does this subtle change hint at the card reopening for new applicants? Don’t get your hopes up. Marriott’s credit card partnerships have been complex since the SPG merger. The current arrangement seems to allocate the higher-tier cards, like the Bonvoy Brilliant, to AmEx for new applicants, while Chase handles the lower-tier cards such as the Bonvoy Boundless and Bold.

    Yet, as they say, never say never. In a curious turn of events in 2022, Marriott simultaneously introduced the Bonvoy Bevy and Bonvoy Bountiful. These two cards are nearly identical in every aspect, with the Bevy being an AmEx card and the Bountiful a Chase Visa.

    Oddly enough, the Bountiful seems to have been all but forgotten since its launch, overshadowed by the Bevy. However, it’s still available for new applications on Chase’s website. The Bountiful’s only potential edge over the Bevy? It might appeal to those who frequent Costco or need wider acceptance abroad, given Visa’s global footprint. Depending where you go in Europe, it seems like either everyone accepts AmEx, or nobody accepts it.

    Speculating on what would happen if the Ritz-Carlton card reopened to new applicants, my hunch is that there could be some adjustments to the Priority Pass benefits. The current unlimited guests feature, especially for those with families, might be too good to last. If the floodgates were to open for new applicants, a plausible scenario could involve capping Priority Pass guests at two per visit, mirroring the setup of the Sapphire Reserve. Chase has surprised us before, and it’s likely they’ll surprise us again, so stay tuned.

    (h/t Mike Jones)