Hack My Trip - New Hyatt.com Offers Numerous Improvements, Few Complaints

Going into my second year of Diamond status with Gold Passport I use their website quite a bit and became accustomed to its glitches — for example, never being able to change my destination without going back to the main homepage. But now that the website has undergone a radical redesign I am impressed by the results. Some features, like new home pages for individual properties, have been rolling out for at least a couple weeks. But over the weekend the design and function of the reservations system itself was upgraded significantly.

Most features remain exactly where you last saw them, but some designs have changed. For example, boxes with sharp corners and boldly colored outlines highlight most information. There has also been an effort to reduce clutter. When beginning the booking process on Hyatt.com, you can pick the dates and location, but the option to select a special rate code requires you to click on a button first. Annoying? To me, yes, since I always pick the AAA and Costco discounts, but it's probably an improvement for most people.

The search results look much as they did before. I like that the logos for individual brands have become more prominent, allowing one to distinguish between an Andaz, a Hyatt Regency, and a Hyatt, for example. However, the rates for these different properties are not so obvious.

The map at the top of the results page is also new, and it was especially buggy. I don't remember if it was always provided by Bing, but it my tests I found that it loaded slowly and then spontaneously zoomed all the way out. Very annoying. But in the process I found a new featured: numbers that indicate how many hotels are in a geographic region. Clicking on the number will zoom in and show you more detail until eventually each dot indicates an individual property.

I imagine this feature will turn out useful when I am visiting a new place and just want to get a sense of how many hotels are nearby. I like exploring maps more than just entering a city and searching.

After selecting a hotel from the search results, I was presented with several rate options organized with tabs instead of in a list. This is a great improvement. Before, the lowest price on the search results might have said $107, but the list of rates could have started with $127 because that special $107 discount was hidden near the bottom. Now, if you want to choose between a prepaid rate, refundable rate, AAA rate, or Costco rate (or more) they are all presented in their own tabs with the lowest price for each.

Upon selecting a rate and room type, I was taken to a reservations page that looked much the same except that entry fields have been separated into a main section and a sidebar. The body contains the rate information and a breakdown with taxes. The sidebar contains all the optional information, like a room preference, arrival information, or other notes. It's nice to see that they're still available but easy to ignore if you don't find them important.

For those who book at a lot of international properties, you can easily choose a new currency and the page will update to show the local and selected currencies side-by-side.

I've been told things are always cheaper in Mexico, so I selected the Mexican Peso. Interestingly, "Mexico Peso" is also an option, and it returns a rate of USD $0.00. If anyone knows how to acquire Mexico Pesos, I'd love to be able to pay with those instead.

It has become much simpler to book Gold Passport awards for free nights directly from the main page of Hyatt.com. In the past you needed to first go to Gold Passport's page and then search through a separate system. Now, you can just click on a box to "Show Hyatt Gold Passport Points." I don't know why I need to click on the box at all — it seems like an extra step — but it is faster than before at lets me compare the cost in points vs. cash more easily.

It's bears mentioning that I had to check that box twice, both on the search results page and on the individual hotel page. If I do have to click it, I would like to click it only once.

Hyatt also prepared a website and video introduction if you'd like to learn more about their changes. I've heard in the past that they are looking at lots of new ideas, including things like Cash + Points reservations, so keep your eye out in case any of those bear fruit.

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Point Me to the Plane - The Newest NYC Tourist Attraction – The Pay Telephone Time Device

Yes, we still have pay phones in NYC, although today they are much more used as wifi locations than for actually placing calls. Bill Weir, Andrew Lampard, David H. Brad and Miller Marxer over on Yahoo come up with the modern use for these phonesajust make sure to carry your anti-bacterial solution alonga Itas hard enough to admit to your self that 1993 was twenty years before, but itas even harder to imagine New York City circa 1993.ATimes Square was an position, subways were covered with graffiti and the city had a crime problem. All that's changed today, but what if you could travel back in time and experience the city as it once was?ANow you can a' just grab a Brand New York City pay phone. No, it doesnat transport you in a literal sense, but you'll hear what was happening on that phoneas block in 1993 from a person who was there, if you face a1-855-FOR-1993a from any of the cityas 5,000 pay devices. The exhibit includes audio reports from designers, activists, acelebutantesa and aclub kidsa a' also the metropolisa only homegrown New York City Marathon winner.AThis great active campaign is known as aRecalling 1993,a and it was prepared by the New Museum as a promotion for its current exhibit, aNYC 1993: Experimental Jet Set, Trash and No Star.a Named following a Sonic Youth cd, the exhibit includes art that was shown or created in New York City in 1993.aWeare locating a purpose to create those pay phones back,a explained Ray Del Savio, a co-employee creative director at Droga5, the advertising company that applied aRecalling 1993a for the New Museum. aThere are so many New Yorkers who werenat here in a93. You will experience what it absolutely was like.aAHow did Droga5 control the seemingly gargantuan task of assigning an authentic history to every town pay phone? After locating all the cityas pay phones in working order, Droga5as staff built a of all the working payphones. When a1-855-FOR-1993a is dialed, the database finds the pay phone that made the phone call and then feeds back a story particular to the pay phoneas location.ASo the next time youare in the town, pick up any pay phone and revisit 1993. BothAaRecalling 1993aAand the Newest MuseumasAaNYC 1993: Fresh Fly Collection, Waste and No StaraArun until May possibly 26. Posted by adam

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Focused Offer: 50% United Elite Miles Reward

United sent a qualified offer to particular elite members for a 50% bonus on Premier Qualifying miles on United-operated flights from now through May 23, 2013. To qualify, register with the link provided particularly for you by United and buy a roundtrip ticket in United Global First, United First, United BusinessFirst, United Business or United Economy (F, A, J, H, N, Z, P, B, N, M, Elizabeth, U, H, Q and V fareAclasses). Ticket lessons D, S, T, L, K, G and N aren't qualified to receive this offer. Vacation must certanly be completed by May 23, 2013. As I mentioned, this supply is targeted, but there's actually a live enrollment page where you could try registering a it never hurts to try! The suitable fare classes unfortuitously banish the lowest priced instructor tickets that many folks go for, but if you received this offer and have plenty of travel to book during the promotion period, you must always check the fare classes of one's tickets before buying because you could end up paying only a little bit more for that 50% distance push and that could be worth it to you depending on how many more miles youad be earning. As always, do the math. Itas wonderful to see United getting in on the elite-qualifying usage advantage sport. We havenat seen a present such as this from the legacy carriers up to now in 2013, nevertheless American offered dual EQMas to its elite pamphlets back November. Iad want to see something similar from United, and probably this can promote some of Unitedas opponents including American and probably Delta to offer elite usage bonuses of these own. For the time being, in the event that you received this qualified present, I'd absolutely register and think about strategizing your journey accordingly. Conditions and conditions:

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JW Marriott Makes Healthy Menus for Kids. But Who Wants 'Em?

You may not want your children to read this, but it's for their own good, so keep it a secret, if you know what's best for you. In keeping with the well-intended goal of some hotels to provide healthier food choices for the smaller set, JW Marriott Hotels & Resorts partnered with nutritionist and author Keri Glassman to create a new JW Kids Menu, helping the 'tween set try to build better eating habits that can be continued at home.

The idea is to present an interactive menu, which will debut in JW hotels this spring with kids favorites, but with a healthy twist. In other words--nix the fake chicken nuggets in favor of grilled organic chicken tenders and say "peace" to processed meatballs and instead, offer the fresh, turkey-made variety.

We like anything that will keep our kids away from The Colonel, but will it go over well when the little ones want to let their hair down (just like parents do), while on vacation?

�With kids� food choices becoming increasingly diverse, we are looking to create dining options that are fresh, healthy and imaginatively tasty,� said Mitzi Gaskins, vice president & global brand manager for JW Marriott Hotels & Resorts. �These items will not only delight kids from a culinary standpoint, but will also let parents know the JW Marriott brand cares about the well-being of their entire family.�

As parents, we love the idea of organic foods nd no doubt we'll try this out with our little ones, not yet jaded by BK and McDs ads. But we can't help feel hesitant that our older kids will go for the whole "locally-sourced" spiel. Has JW met a 12-year old growing boy? We've rarely seen a carrot or celery stick win in any food choice with this set--ranch dressing dip or not, without a buffalo wing on the side.

And who wants to do food battles when you're at a hotel or resort? We're tired enough trying to cajole our 8-month angel into eating her applesauce without battling tweens and teens. We want our vacations to be fun, not filled with food angst. However, we're not giving up hope yet until we see how everything is presented.

The JW Kids Menu, available for breakfast, lunch, and dinner is divided into three sections in order to appeal to pain-in-the-tookus tasters. And we're grateful for that.

Kids Nosh � This section will include items such as fresh-cut cucumber and carrot sticks with a low-fat yogurt ranch dip or cheese cubes and grapes. Served with an activity book, crayons and reusable cup, it leaves parents a few minutes peace to choose their own meal.Big Kids � Catering to the junior set, this menu will feature the aforementioned turkey meatballs and grilled organic chicken along with �mini� adult offerings for more sophisticated palatesThis, That & the Other � Designed to "empower kids to make their own healthy choices" (old-school parents will roll their eyes here) these offering let young guests mix-and-match menus with guidance from their parents, "letting them explore a variety of nutritious offerings while encouraging their imaginations." Um, this sounds to us like "Plan C in case Junior throws a tantrum from the damned carrot sticks." But we're trying not to judge! �

�Just as adults should maintain their diet and exercise routines while traveling, kids should as well,� said Keri Glassman.� �Travel presents opportunities to try new things and even lets kids bring new food favorites or habits home with them. The new JW Kids Menu helps kids accomplish just that.�

We agree, in theory. And yet, we like to indulge on the road, too. Why should kids be any different? And we also have seen wasted food left behind from programs like these. And it bugs us.

Here's the thing--good yogurt doesn't have a lot of sugar in it and most adults know that, can accept it (or have accepted it through their doctor's warnings). We rarely see children on vacation who will choose a tart yogurt and fruit over a stack of pancakes. Unless they're from Europe--where Aunt Jemima doesn't live.

Don't get us wrong, we would love these programs to succeed, but we hope that JW is going to seriously present these dishes in a way that veteran parents have been doing for years--with tricks and mirrors.

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Great Snails Invade Florida

Massive African land snail A U.S. Department of Agriculture It sounds like the plot of an comic book or reduced rent science fiction. Large snails, as big as rats, have invaded Florida and are eating whateveras within their course. Who'll save yourself the Sunshine State from these marauding molluscs? Obviously the giant African land snail could be the worldas many harmful invasive species. It eat plaster and stucco and will eats every natural thing it comes across. South Florida is experiencing an invasion of epic proportions. Simply because they were first spotted in their state in 2011 up to now 117,000 of the unwelcome guests have now been caught. A lot more than 1000 are captured weekly in the Miami-Dade area. The snailsa hunger is not the only real risk they pose. They release (and by areleasea after all poop) slime on streets, developing a slippery mess that presents a danger to pedestrians. Their shells could strike out a tire if you run over one, and the shells become dangerously sharp projectiles if run over by way of a mower. An critical African Land Snail Science Symposium has been convened in Galveston to organize a counterattack contrary to the invaders. Have a look at ore about this in The Toronto Star You may be thinking about related articles described with: Environmental, Florida, Sidelines Stephanie Spencer is really a freelance travel author from Canada who has been held captive by the travel business for over 13 years. An incurable wise aleck, infamous purple nut, cap person, and ukulele person of doubtful talents, Stephanie explores the nerdy side of travel on her blog A Nerd Most Importantly, and dispenses arbitrary quirkiness as @ANerdAtLarge on Twitter. She certainly believes that such a thing is achievable with enough determination and copious amounts of chocolate.

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Usually Flying - World’s Top Flight Amenity Systems of 2012 – TravelPlus Honors

The other day I submitted the next yearly TravelPlus Airline Amenity Bag Award champions over on my Road Warrior website. But Iad be remiss easily didnat also as numerous of you realize Iam a requirement package fan, mention them here. And in addition, the utmost effective honors in each category went along to non-U.S. Insurers. A readersa choice nod was however, received by united Airlines, for acollaborative initiativea for its Global First amenity kit. Here were the results: First Class Woman a Emirates Airways supplied by Harmony-gategroupFirst Course Guy a Etihad Airways supplied by WatermarkFirst School Unisex a Singapore Airways supplied by Harmony-gategroup Business Class Female a Virgin Australia supplied by buzzBusiness Class Male a Qantas supplied by buzzBusiness Class Unisex -ATurkish Airlines supplied by FORMIA Advanced Economy a Condor supplied by SkysupplyEconomy a Virgin Atlantic supplied by Harmony- gategroupIn-flight Amenity Gift a Singapore Airlines supplied by Harmony- gategroup Childrenas under 6 a Qantas supplied byAbuzzChildrenas over 6 a Qatar Airways supplied by news Legally Sustainable a Finnair supplied by Skysupply with a Very Commended Award going to Cathay Pacific supplied by Watermark Iave got lots of work to do to develop my collection, as I only have certainly one of the over a the Virgin Australia girl organization school system. TravelPlus photographer David Jenner features a good photo collection of the winners here. Itas a conference Iall be marking on my calendar to wait next year in Hamburg and in addition, it coincides with the Aircraft Interiors Expo the same week. Connected posts: Requirement Package Opinions The Fee and Attraction of Airline Requirement Sets Ranking the Top Amenity Kits Reviewed (by June 2012) Requirement Equipment Review: United Airlines Worldwide First Class Published by Darren

Tags: flight, amenity bag, amenity system, business class, condor, emirates, etihad, finnair, first class, Qantas, singapore airlines, turkish airlines, united, united airlines, Virgin Atlantic, Virgin Australia

Hack My Trip - Do I Keep My MileagePlus Club Card?

I'm faced with my first real dilemma in the world of credit cards. Do I keep or cancel my MileagePlus Club credit card? This is the United co-branded card that includes a complimentary membership to the United Club — pretty much the only way to gain access to United's domestic lounges. Although Star Alliance Gold members do have access to international lounges, a membership is needed to get access to domestic lounges.

One workaround is to get Star Gold status with a foreign carrier like Turkish or Aegean. Then, your "domestic" flights in the U.S. would really be international. I'll talk more about these later this week. But I'll cut to the chase and say I've decided the MileagePlus Club card is a much easier path for me.

For $395, I get a United Club annual membership with all the same guest privileges. Due to recent membership fee increases, a club membership can cost up to $500 a year with a few minor discounts if you have elite status. But still, the $395 credit card fee is the cheapest option. On top of that, Premier 1K members receive a $60 annual credit on their co-branded credit cards. So this is really only a $335 annual fee for me.

On this basis alone, I feel the $335 might be worthwhile. It comes out to less than $30 a month, and I do travel at least once a month. I like the showers when I connect in Houston or Newark. I like being able to take Megan with me.

I like my American Express Platinum Card for many reasons, but the lounge benefit is not one of them. Although I can use my Platinum Card for access to Alaska's Board Room even when I'm flying with someone else, I would have to pay each time I guest in Megan. Once United moves its Seattle gates to the opposite side of the airport, it will be even more inconvenient to use a different carrier's lounge.

There are several other benefits that make this a superior card for the frequent traveler compared to the cheaper MileagePlus Explorer:

The first three don't apply to me as a Premier 1K since I already get them. The upgrades on award tickets, however, are nice. Friends and family benefit from them more than I do, since I'll use my miles to book their award and leave my MileagePlus number on the reservation. But it still earns me some bonus points when they arrive. Usually these are people who never or rarely fly in first class.

If you are Premier Silver, the MileagePlus Club credit card might make more sense than the MileagePlus Explorer. You'd have to really like the Club membership because it's harder to justify the cost, but I know a few infrequent business travelers who have still decided it makes sense for them. On the other hand, the other three benefits are a step up from what you get through your United elite status. At best, the MileagePlus Explorer card matches many low-tier benefits.

You also get 1.5 miles on every dollar spent anywhere. With no foreign transaction fees. The MileagePlus Explorer card only offers 2 miles per dollar on United purchases. Those infrequent business travelers I mentioned above had a lot of expenses, but not all on flights. Getting a lower bonus on more purchases made more sense for them. I think the Sapphire Preferred card might be even better with 2.14 points on all travel purchases, but it does not come with a club membership.

I described in last week's post how the MileagePlus Club card might be a reasonable candidate for manufactured spend, although if you are able to buy lots of $200 gift cards with an Ink Bold or Ink Plus business card, that is still a cheaper route to earning miles with United.

Finally, the MileagePlus Club card offers free Gold Passport Platinum status with Hyatt and free Avis First status when renting cars. You can get Platinum status more easily, and get a free night each year, by paying a $75 annual fee for the Hyatt Visa (which I recommend). But Avis First is a downgrade from the previous offer of Avis President's Club — not so easy to obtain through other means. I already have Diamond status with Hyatt and don't rent from Avis, so these don't matter to me.

What it comes down to, I guess, is that I've identified lots of ways this card makes sense for me, with a discounted lounge membership, bonus miles, and a few perks when I use my miles for award travel. It really isn't that expensive, after my elite discount, when compared to the full advertised cost without the card. I can even redeem my miles through the United Choices program to pay the card's annual fee — the only way I know to use miles for a United Club membership.

But it's still darn expensive. I've never had a card that cost this much before, and I've always been happy in the past to just cancel a card if I'm not offered a retention bonus. This is the first time I will want to keep it either way, and I'll be happy if they throw another $100 my way as they do now for new cardholders. (You may luck out and get the full fee waived if you read this post. There is a targeted offer for certain MileagePlus accounts.)

Am I completely off my rocker? Some people cancel cards with a $50 annual fee, and here I want to keep one that will cost $335. I'm interested to hear your thoughts.

Disclaimer: I have some application links in this post, but at the time the time this post was published, I did not receive any compensation if you choose to apply using my links.

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