Newbrew

Hola

A few seeks ago Rena and I decided to waste a nice some of money on a trip to celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary.  I would say it was hard earned money.  But, in fact, we used money my father left for me after his passing in March.  And for that, I say, thanks Dad!  We spent a great week in Cancun, Mexico on his dime.  I wish I knew how to repay him.  Perhaps this thanks and post puts a smile on his face as he looks down on me.

We decided to cut no corners.  We flew business/first class on Delta between Atlanta and Cancun.  We hired private transportation in Cancun for travel between the airport and the hotel.  And we stayed at the Ritz Carlton, the best hotel there.  We ate poolside and in a cabana on the beach.  We visited downtown Cancun to shop at a typical tourist market.  And we took a tour bus to Chichen Itza.  On the ride we were served wine, beer and tequila.  Lunch was included.  And we were taken to the markets where we could blow a small sum on sombreros, clay pyramids and Mexican blankets.  Once we arrived at Chichen Itza, our tour guides were not only knowledgable, there were also funny.  And they expressed great love of their home and took great pride in calling themselves Mayan.

Needless to say, we had a great time.  But, I have to say, the best part of the trip may have just been the greetings and smiles we received.  Sure, Cancun has no other industry than tourism.  No people, no economy.  But, so many places that rely on tourism aren't always that friendly.  I'm a native Floridian.  and I do love my home state.  However, many people there forget who pays their bills.  Or perhaps they aren't really that nice.  In Cancun, we constantly received "Hola" from everyone.  "Buenos dios", "buenas tardes", "buenas noches" and "gracias".  Sure, these are Spanish words and sound nice to my ear as I usually only hear English.  But, I'm not used to people at, say,  the Ritz Carlton Amelia Island, saying to me, "good day", "good afternoon" or "good evening".  Yes, I do get "hello" and "thanks".  But, not with a big smile that says "thanks for choosing our hotel and staying with us, please let us know what you would like and we'll go out of our way to help you".   We didn't just receive a hello, we received a heartfelt "hola".  I think I'll try and practice this.  You get more flies with honey than with vinegar.

How Not To Earn Loyalty points

I have been traveling heavily for over 20 years.  To those who don't travel much, on their own or with their work, my world sounds very cool.  I must admit, I do like to travel.  But, not for the reasons you would think.  I don't sightsee.  I don't visit the clubs.  I might shop some.  Mostly though I like the quiet time in a hotel where I can catch up on work or continue reading a book.  I can stay up a little late watching TV.  Or just enjoy the new surroundings for a few days.

Heavy travel can mean heavy irritation.  So, I like to build as much routine as possible to limit surprises.  I fly Delta, I stay at Marriotts and I rent cars from Hertz.  Done!  But, after yesterday, that all has changed.  OK, I'll still fly Delta.  They are based in Atlanta and go everywhere.  Sure, they are more expensive than the other airlines.  But, they are very generous with air miles with easy ways to use them.  I'll still rent from Hertz.  Yes, they are the most expensive.  But, their Hertz Gold service is great and you can find them in every city in the world and in every part of that city.  And they too give rewards points generously to your program of choice (Delta!).  And then there's Marriott.  They are a huge hotel chain with great hotels from the lowest (Fairfield Inn) to the highest (Ritz Carlton) ends of prices.  They too give points and easy ways to use those points.  But, I've just learned that Marriott doesn't care about their loyalty program much anymore.  Here's my story.

My wife and I went to Cancun last week to celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary.  I wanted this trip to be great.  So, I used American Express to put together a package for us.  We traveled business class from Atlanta to Cancun.  And we stayed in an ocean front room at the Ritz Carlton.  Had I needed to rent a car, it would have been from Hertz.  But, we chose to use private transportation to and from the hotel given its not so easy driving around Mexico.  And we really weren't planning to go anywhere except for an excursion to Chichen Itza to see the Mayan ruins.  The trip was great.  Delta gave us our money's worth (and our air miles).  And the Ritz was impressive.  I forgot to hand the hotel staff my Marriott card so I called them yesterday to find out what I needed to do to claim my points.  It was then I was informed I would not be able to receive any points for my stay.  They informed me that when I purchase Marriott stays through one of their resellers, I was not able to receive any loyalty points.  WHAT?  I thought this had to be a joke.  But no, it was no joke.  I was quoted the section in the Terms and Conditions which states that stays booked through 3rd parties such as Expedia, Travelocity and Orbitz are not eligible for Marriott Rewards Points.  

I then sent their customer support department a note on this.  I received back an email stating the same thing and in this email the representative copied the language from the T's and C's so I would fully understand.  Well, I guess I know where I, the loyal customer, stand.  The customer service rep on the telephone explained to me that by using a 3rd party to book my travel, all the profit went to them and not Marriott and thus they could not reward me for my loyalty.  I guess by using one of their resellers, I wasn't being "loyal" by their defition.  So, this is their way of keeping costs in line.

Well, Marriott, it's been nice knowing you.  But, I will not be staying in any of your hotels under any circumstances.  I will no longer stay at a number of hotels I have frequented over the years including:

 - The Ritz Carlton at Amelia Island
 - The Ritz Carlton in Cancun
 - The Alpharetta Marriott
 - The Springhill Suites in Jacksonville
 - The Renaissance at Heathrow
 - The Huntsville Marriott
 - The Courtyards in Nashville and Brentwood
 - The Courtyard at SFO (San Bruno)
 - The Renaissance in Makati, PH (you sold this anyway)
 - So many more in Chicago, Minneapolis, Tampa, Indianapolis, Dallas, Houston, Washington D.C., Boston and more.

I have no idea how many stays haven't been counted.  While I spoke to the agent on the phone, I checked a stay I had made in St. Charles, IL in March and sure enough, I booked it with Expedia and it was not counted.  

So, now I must find a new primary hotel partner.  Hilton?  Starwood?  Guess I better read the T's and C's first. 

 

 

 

Fly British Airways

I live in Atlanta.  And I do like and support Delta Airlines.  BUT, I have a special great feeling for British Airways (BA).  I flew them for years when I was working in London.  They were always a bit more special than other airlines.  The flight attendants were always a bit more concerned about my comfort.  The service always a bit more "timely" and cultured.  Their planes were always cleaner.  They were early with the 777 (a great plane.)

But, 2 things lately have made them a GREAT airline in my mind.  First, BA granted my company, Salestrakr, a "Business Opportunity Grant".  10 round-trip tickets, to anywhere in the world, business class.  5 Regus Gold cards.  Canon office equipment.  $1K in Marriott stays.  And more.  I just finished a trip to Sydney from Atlanta.  WOW.  I head to London in July.  And there will be more.  Again, WOW. 

On the way back from the trip to Sydney on the approach to Atlanta, we were told a thunderstorm had shut down the airport.  So, we were re-routed to Charlotte.  But, Charlotte was closed.  So, we were again re-routed to Orlando.  DAMN.  We landed in Orlando at 10pm on a Friday (when we were supposed to land in Atlanta at 7pm.)  After getting my bags, I headed to the ticket counter.  It was there I found out we were going to be put up in a hotel and then taken on to Atlanta on the following day.  At 4pm.  EEEK.  So, I rented a car and drove to Atlanta (8 hours.)  Luckily, 2 guys I met in the plane rode with me making the trip not so boring.  The car cost me $114.  But, I didn't care, I was home.

I decided to call BA Customer Relations and ask them if they would reimburse me for that $114.  I did save them a hotel room (3 actually since I had 2 other passengers with me.)  I saved them food and sundries costs too.  The Customer Relations agent said they would.  I needed to fax them the receipt they'd take it from there.  Yesterday, the check was in my mailbox.

FLY BRITISH AIRWAYS!

Trip to Subic in the Philippines

Trip to Pagsanjan Falls, Laguna in the Philippines