Travel Guide - ThePointsOfLife

Andaz San Diego Review: The Right Way to Lounge

thepointsoflife

-

September 20, 2015

Andaz San Diego Review: The Right Way to Lounge

This is part of the Trip Report: The Greatest Diamond Challenge of All Time. Check out how I planned my Hyatt Diamond Challenge and how it cost next to nothing here.

In this report, I will cover:

Getting There: Uber is authorized to pickup at the airport. I Ubered the two block walk from the US Grant.

After the white glove service of the US Grant, it was time to return to the chic lifestyle. In San Diego, this means staying at one of two hotels: The W or the Andaz. Even though I love SPG, I’m not a big fan of the W brand. Stays at the W Hollywood and W Scottsdale were memorable for the wrong reasons.

The Andaz, on the other hand, has the same cool factor as the W without the pompous arrogance. I booked a standard room at the Andaz and informed the front desk that I was participating in the Hyatt Diamond Challenge. Unlike challenges of old (see Diamond Challenge Argentina) participants aren’t given temporary diamond status, making suite upgrades a thing of the past, or so I thought.

To my surprise, I was upgraded to a suite on the sixth floor, the top floor. During check-in I was offered red wine and told of the open wine bar happy hour during the evenings. Since my room was not ready, I was also given two free drink tickets to be used at the rooftop pool bar.

The Pool

The pool had a DJ spinning chillout tracks and a good man grilling delicious tacos, 3 tacos for $5. The clientele that day featured a popular member of the adult entertainment industry among other interesting characters. Maybe because it was San Diego not Scottsdale or West Hollywood or maybe because it wasn’t the W but the people were a lot more friendly.

After finishing a locally brewed, commendably made saison, I went back to the lobby to get my room key.

The Lobby

The lobby is cool, man. It has great ambiance, funky art, and interesting decorations. The mobile front desk featured in the Andaz where laptops are all over the place is a silly idea as I was paraded from one computer to the next until we found one that worked.

The Room

The Andaz Suite is a perfect room most notably comparable to the suite at Le Parker Meridien NYC. There is a great king size bed, large TVs, and plenty of space to make a mess.

The Bath

The only necessities in life are a great bed and shower. This has now come to include reliable Wi-Fi. Still, the original two features are why it is worthwhile to graduate from hostels to the points good life. The Andaz Suite had an infinity shower and bathtub for unwinding.

The Treats

Nothing is worse than hotels that don’t include a free bottle of water. I will never pay for the Evian no matter how thirsty I am. The Andaz takes it a step further and offers free refreshments and snacks including Coke, Diet Coke, orange juice, and candy. After a day at the pool and a night out on the town, these treats come in handy.

The Price

Paying cash instead of points is advisable for this hotel. I paid the full rate of $180 for a Sunday night because spending 20,000 GoldPassport points is better saved for the Park Hyatt Shanghai. Even there, I’d use the cash n points option.

andaz san diego review — With a better camera, hopefully.

<==Back to US Grant San Diego – Onto Omni La Costa: Legends Golf Course==>

The US Grant Hotel San Diego: So Nice, But Not the Price

thepointsoflife

-

September 20, 2015

0

The US Grant Hotel San Diego: So Nice, But Not the Price

This is part of the Trip Report: The Greatest Diamond Challenge of All Time. Check out how I planned my Hyatt Diamond Challenge and how it cost next to nothing here.

In this report, I will cover:

Getting There: Uber is authorized to pickup at the airport.

It’s the small, some may say trivial things, that transcend a hotel from good to great. Does the bellman ride in the elevator or allow the guest to go on his own? Does the staff greet the guest with a genuine, warm smile as he passes by or do they carry on about their business?

The US Grant Hotel San Diego is the model of greatness. No detail is overlooked. Like the living room in an Arab house with white furniture that is scotch-guarded, the decor of the US Grant is too nice to touch. The lobby is grand. The chandeliers are majestic. The artwork is some other superlative.

While I didn’t receive a suite upgrade thanks to Taylor Swift in town the same weekend as TPOL, I have no reason to complain aside from the fact that I could not afford to stay at this hotel on a daily basis. Rooms go for well over $500/night on the weekends and 16,000 SPG points. If you valet a car, add in another $40. These cost-prohibitive rates, much like the strict rules in my aunt’s house, are enough to keep out the points churning riffraff. That may be a reason why the US Grant stays as nice as it does.

2015-08-30 11.49.14 (Copy) — The US Grant

2015-08-30 11.48.44 (Copy) — From the street

2015-08-30 11.48.01 (Copy) — The building

2015-08-30 11.44.35 (Copy) — Across from my alma mater sports bar, Umich and ASU

2015-08-29 15.47.44 (Copy) — Elevator to my floor

2015-08-29 15.53.18 (Copy) — Great light

2015-08-30 10.17.29 (Copy) — View from the room

2015-08-29 15.51.28 (Copy) — The bathroom

2015-08-29 15.52.06 (Copy) — Great soaps

2015-08-29 16.31.25 (Copy) — The exterior

Cheers to the US Grant San Diego: Champagne not included

<==Back to Hyatt Place Vegas – Onto Andaz San Diego==>

Booking EgyptAir: The No Points Problem

thepointsoflife

-

September 19, 2015

0

After running 26.2 miles in the Athens Marathon, I’ll still be a ways away from my next destination, Egypt. Pre United devaluation, I would’ve flown EgyptAir on Star Alliance but that option is no longer viable. I’m talking to you CEO Munoz. I scoured the Internet and consulted with fellow experts as to the best way to travel to the following places:

Cairo
Luxor
Sharm el Sheikh

In the end, cash was king. The problem with cash is that it means spending money. Not everything can be free obviously but how do I know I’m booking the right flight on the right date to get the best price. Points alleviates the stress of the fluctuating ticket market since the saver award is or isn’t available. In cash bookings, there isn’t a sure-fire way of ascertaining whether the fare you are booking is great or terrible apart from hitting refresh for weeks on end and seeing the fare rise. “I should’ve booked it two weeks ago!”

But, there are ways to improve your chances of getting a better fare that I will outline below:

Step 1: Use ITA Matrix for searching for fares even though the flight can’t be booked there. Create a handy Excel chart with routing options to track all the fares. Be sure to price each leg separately.
The beautiful colors are optional.

Doing it as one trip yields a much higher price.
Step 2: Head to the carrier’s website and select the company’s home country. In this case, I went to EgyptAir.com and chose Egypt, not the United States as my country in order to receive the best fare.
Step 3: Input the flights from above. Take note of the total. 6,974.00 EGP or $890=$450/pax is cheaper than my Excel price of $470.
Step 4: Book the flight with the right credit card. I used the Citi Prestige card which gives me $250 off the fare and no foreign transaction fees.
Step 5: Take note that you don’t have to put your domestic carrier as your preferred mileage program. United miles may not be as desirable as Singapore.
Put your first name in the right spot.
Step 6: Enjoy dealing with the fraud alert.

Overall, no one likes to pay for tickets but what’s worse than paying is spending more than you should. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to get back to confirming ‘my favorite food’ with this helpful agent.

The Hyatt Place Las Vegas Review: No Dice

thepointsoflife

-

September 18, 2015

10

The Hyatt Place Las Vegas Review: No Dice

This is part of the Trip Report: The Greatest Diamond Challenge of All Time. Check out how I planned my Hyatt Diamond Challenge and how it cost next to nothing here.

In this report, I will cover:

Las Vegas, Nevada
San Diego, California
Carlsbad, California
Scottsdale, Arizona
Mexico City, Mexico

Getting There: From McCarran International Airport as of writing this post your best bet is to hope for an honest taxi since Uber is frowned upon in Vegas. The fare varies on the integrity of the driver but getting from LAS to the Hyatt Place should not cost more than $10. On the way back to the airport, I took the free hotel shuttle.

The Hyatt Place Las Vegas Review: No Dice but why?

The Casino

The title is applicable because there is no casino at the Hyatt Place. This is to be expected but the absence of gambling does not mean that the hotel can’t be nice. (see THEhotel at Mandalay Bay.)

The Location

The Hyatt Place is located next to the Hard Rock which would be convenient if it was a decade ago and the Rehab pool party was still cool.

The Quiet

If you’re looking for quiet and isolation then you shouldn’t go to Vegas in the first place. The isolation and quiet of this hotel in particular made an energetic city seem depressing.

Just Another Hyatt Place

The Hyatt Place Las Vegas is just another Hyatt Place, a chain that pales in comparison to the Hyatt House. There’s nothing wrong with the brand but there’s nothing impressive either. It’s basically an upscale Hampton Inn. The room is large, the couch is welcoming, and the bed is comfortable. If I was a business traveler in Omaha, Nebraska then I’d appreciate the amenities of the Hyatt Place. As for a location in Vegas, I find it to be pointless (aside from the Diamond Challenge).

Here are the pictures of the hotel of which I was a resident for a mere two hours thanks to Vegas being Vegas.

<==Back to Allegiant Airlines – Onto US Grant San Diego==>

Churn Answers Via Chase’s Secure Message Center

thepointsoflife

-

September 18, 2015

4

Churn Answers Via Chase’s Secure Message Center

The best bank for online support is Chase via their Secure Message Center. They will quickly change due dates for cards even if the online system doesn’t allow it because the card is too new. They will confirm the meeting of the min spend on the card when tracking a dozen .csv file becomes overwhelming. They will also advise about which cards have been in the portfolio for the last 24 months.

This was sort of useful for me. I knew I had the United Business Card before but no clue as to when I had it. A quick message to Chase and a day later I heard the good news that Chase had no records of me having the card. This tool avoids the unfortunate result I had with Delta Amex because it puts their decision in writing. The reason it was sort of useful was because I still got rejected for the card despite calling recon. Barclays and Chase Business not lovin TPOL lately.

Another great enhancement of the Secure Message Center is the ability of the agent to match offers. Chase upped the 50k British offer to 100k and despite my skepticism, the good folks at the Message Center were able to match the offer without screenshots, back stories, and typical yelling.

Mad Chase Raised British Card to 100k Avios!

thepointsoflife

-

September 17, 2015

0

Mad Chase Raised British Card to 100k Avios!

The luck comes and goes with the points game. One day you’re patting yourself on the back because you managed to get Amex Platinum, Gold, and Green, oh my, on the same day. The next day you’re asking the points gods why they didn’t tell you to hold out for the better offer.

Usually, when there is an offer within the 90 day period of approval, banks have no problem matching your offer with the new one. However, there’s still the hassle of sending a secure message, getting rejected, and realizing that the only way to do real work is to call it in yourself. From there it’s anyone’s guess how many agents you have to speak to before someone reasonable honors your request.

I recently wrote about Amex devaluing its Avios transfer ratio on October 1st and how my application for the British card which came with 50k miles after 2k spend negated an immediate need to move over a substantial amount of MRs from those great Amex approvals. Then today Deals We Like has revealed the following offer from creditcards.com.

50,000 bonus Avios after you spend $2,000 on purchases within the first 3 months of account opening.
Plus earn an additional 25,000 bonus Avios when you spend $10,000 on purchases for a total of 75,000 bonus Avios.

Plus earn another 25,000 bonus Avios when you spend a total of $20,000 on purchases within your first year for a total of 100,000 bonus Avios.

I sent a message to Chase and hope they match this offer as I haven’t even received my card yet. The spend requirement would pile on to the current mins that are keeping me up at night but it will be well worth it in the long run.

The churns never end. The calls never end. The spends never end.

The adventure continues.

Insomnia from Minimum Spends

thepointsoflife

-

September 16, 2015

4

Deep in the bosom of the gentle night
Is when I search for the light
Pick up my pen and start to write
I struggle, fight dark forces
In the clear moon light
Without fear… insomnia
I can’t get no sleep

The rush of applying for one card, then another, then another culminates when the postal worker drops off those thick Christmas envelopes from Omaha, Nebraska. Rip open the envelopes, discard the T’s & C’s and get right down to the plastic. Rip off the stickers, go to www.xxx/activate and admire the curation of the new cards in the portfolio.

From there the stress begins as I question what I’ve done. Why did I apply for all of these at once? Besides paying for the compensatory minimum fees that some cards have, there is the more pressing concern- how am I going to hit all these minimums?

Well, Santa came to TPOL’s house yesterday and it brought a hefty list of mins. Though not as severe as the 44k requirement last time around, it still is still large enough to prevent me from getting a good night’s sleep. The stupid amount that I have to spend is not the biggest issue. Life bills, my crushin IT digital marketing agency, and job in manufacturing should take care of that provided that no one takes out the target. For me, the anxiety comes from knowing I have work to do and I want it done now. Late into the night, I stare at Excel plotting how I’m going to execute my spends. My strategy is to take care of the big-ticket items first- the Amex Gold, the SPGs, then focus on the multiple cards that pay homage to the 49th state in order to recover the annual fees.

This time around I have 13 cards in the collection and 90 days to hit 35k.

I can’t get no sleep.

My Response to United CEO Munoz’s Letter to Me

Professor

thepointsoflife

-

September 15, 2015

2

With the debacle of the CEO of United Airlines getting fired and enjoying his 4.9 million dollar parachute on the way down, United appointed Munoz to run what used to be my favorite domestic airline (in terms of points).

Here’s his personal letter addressed to me:

Dear Mr. Munoz,

Congrats on the new job! I trust you will settle in nicely and not provide transport to any of your friends to isolated cities in exchange for political favors. Having said that let me address a few of my gripes with United and what you can easily do to fix them.

To begin, I understand United’s commitment to safety. It should be first and foremost. At this point, it is given that we want a safe flight. But, let’s stop using safety as a convenient excuse for why things are the way they are. Hardly anyone in the United States chooses a major carrier because of its safety record. I think it’s fair to say that they are all equally safe.

We choose airlines based on on-time arrivals, customer service, and most importantly, the points program. I’m sure you know what has to be done to fix the first two but let me tell you how to fix the last one. It’s quite simple: return it back to the way it was. United is a global airline but it is damn impossible to fly anywhere in the world without being taxed hard for points. Flying United metal is a decent deal but United First doesn’t fly everywhere I go nor do I think it is even in the top ten of first class products out there. Why should first class on Lufthansa be unattainable? How do you expect me to fly to SE Asia and not use a partner?

I could go on with other improvements but I’m sure my fellow bloggers will take over from where I have left off.

Let’s make the skies friendly again.

All the best,

TPOL, 1k Standard MileagePlus member

Allegiant Airlines Review: Expect Everything, Carry Nothing

thepointsoflife

-

September 14, 2015

4

Allegiant Airlines Review: Expect Everything, Carry Nothing

This is part of the Trip Report: The Greatest Diamond Challenge of All Time. Check out how I planned my Hyatt Diamond Challenge and how it cost next to nothing here.

In this report, I will cover:

Many say that Allegiant Airlines, the minibus of the sky, is so bad that it makes Spirit and China Eastern Airlines, the Greyhound of the sky, look good. Is it? Here is TPOL’s Allegiant Airlines review:

The booking process is a headache. First select where you hope to fly:

allegiant airlines review — Do you really think it’s this cheap to go to Vegas?

Then say no to the following:

You’re not done yet. The fun has only just begun:

Planning on sitting somewhere in this cramped plane? Allegiant charges for seat assignment. Though that’s become the standard across airlines, it doesn’t make it right.

Want to carry on a bag? That’ll be an extra charge you must prepay. If you aren’t crafty in trying to sneak in a bag that doesn’t fit under the seat in front of you it’s a $50 fee at the airport. Checking in the golf clubs for the prepaid rate of $25 was reasonable.

Forgot to print your boarding pass? That’ll be $5 buster.

Now let’s board the plane:

This review doesn’t include photos of the inside of the plane as I will leave that to your imagination. Needless to say there is no Wi-Fi, soft drinks are not included, and the seats don’t lie flat.

Still if you don’t get delayed, don’t get caught holding the bag like Frontier Airlines says, and if you arrive at your destination, I guess Allegiant might be OK.

<==Back to How I Qualified for Hyatt Diamond – Onto Hyatt Place Vegas=>

Week 9: Marathon Update

thepointsoflife

-

September 13, 2015

0

Nine weeks of ‘training’ is done for the Athens marathon and in order to keep myself honest and motivated, here’s my weekly diary of all things marathon.

Here’s what happened this week:

Nothing.
I got fatter.
I haven’t ran at all.

7 more weeks to go. Did you see those shitty Lions lose?