Helping you and your family save money on your vacations to Disney and beyond
I recently stayed at the Elara in Las Vegas, which is a Hilton Grand Vacations property. At the time of booking, I wanted to earn as many Hilton points as possible, but of course, now I don’t care since HHonors got devalued. Still, I kept my reservation because it was the most economical 1 bedroom suite I could find and there were four of us staying there. Here are my impressions of the property.
Burn Notice: Delta Skymiles Part 1
Burn Notice: Delta Skymiles Part 2
Burn Notice: American AAdvantage
I lost track of this series a little bit, so I wanted to finish it. Hilton devalued its award chart MAJORLY back on March 28, 2013. I had saved up about 150,000 HHonors points, so I needed to use them ASAP. I decided that it’d be best to use them for an aspirational property that we’d never otherwise stay at: the Hilton Bora Bora Nui Resort and Spa in Tahiti.
First Flight with an Infant: Hopes and Fears
First Flight with an Infant: Preparation and Planning
First Flight with an Infant: A Quick and Uneventful Hop from BOS to DCA
First Flight with an Infant: Tyson’s Corner, Dairy Godmother, and Mount Vernon
First Flight with an Infant: AMEX Platinum Makes the Flight Home Easier
I’ve decided to turn this “first flight” series into a trip report since I think we learned some things about how travel differs with an infant. We arrived in D.C. at 8:00 AM on Saturday, and by 8:00 PM Sunday both we and the baby were exhausted. Here’s what we did and the lessons we learned each step of the way.
A quick illustration of why it’s foolhardy to hoard miles and points. Hilton just announced a major devaluation to points redemptions that you can read about here. The fact of the matter is, the points and miles that you earn are only as valuable as the companies that are giving them to you make them – and they can change that value at any time if they think they’re not making money.
Thus, the best strategy is to earn and burn points. I’m not saying don’t keep high mileage balances – just don’t hoard points. Otherwise you might end up sitting on a pile of points that are worth a lot less than you thought they were. Devaluations happen all the time, so don’t get too miserly with your points. Earn them and then get out there and have some fun!
A quick tip that is useful to any traveler, even those not obsessed with points. On Christmas Eve, my wife and I stayed at the Le Meridien in Cambridge since my family was staying there and we wanted to unwrap presents in our pajamas. The rate was very low and included breakfast since it’s such a slow time for them.
When checking in, I had a pretty simple conversation:
Me: I was wondering if there might be any room upgrades available? It’s kind of a special occasion, my wife and I blah blah blah.
Employee: Don’t you know upgrades cost money, man?
Me: Yes, I know, I just figured I’d ask. Thanks anyway.
Employee: Here are your room keys, room ***, it’s one of our regular rooms, I think you’ll like it.
This was the “regular room” he gave me:
Not the greatest picture, but the red thing is the huge sectional in our room – he upgraded us to a suite. This isn’t the first time I’ve been upgraded just for asking, so it never hurts to ask! The only thing you risk is slight embarrassment if they say no.
Anyway, we had a wonderful Christmas and a great stay at the Le Meridien!
