This Week in Travel – Memorial Day Weekend 2021 – The Hotel Edition

Happy Memorial Day weekend. . .welcome to the Hotel edition of This Week in Travel.  Sit back, relax and we’ll catch you up on the latest right now.

As much as we’ve all been wanting to start traveling again, our European hosts have been missing us as well.  They may sometimes decry our lack of proper manners and sophistication (a sometimes-deserved criticism), but they’re really looking forward to having Americans back.  There are dozens of exciting new hotels opening all over the world to entice a visit plus a baker’s dozen in the Caribbean.  Marriott just opened their first hotel in Bermuda, a beautiful St. Regis (pictured at the top of this post), and their first in Belize, part of their boutique Autograph Collection.   And if you think a luxury all-inclusive resort is an oxymoron, Hilton plans to change your mind with their new Hilton Cancun, opening in November.

Jasmin Cottage, Faro, Portugal.  Photo courtesy of Airbnb.

 

If you favor a stay at an Airbnb, here are ten family-friendly places scattered all over the world that should be on your wish list.  Airbnb has responded to changing customer needs in a nimble way, adding several enhancements to their website.  In the process of doing so, they may emerge as the leader of a lodging revolution.

While many travel companies are experiencing high pent-up demand, it’s not too late to find some great deals.  Here are a few to consider as you think about summer travel plans over this holiday weekend.

Hotel loyalty credit cards with annual fees typically give you a free night or two every year.  It’s a great perk, and as cash rates for hotel rooms have risen sharply over the last month, those free night certificates have become much more valuable.  But they come with expiration dates.  Thankfully, because of the pandemic, nearly all of the major hotel companies have now extended those expiration dates to at least the end of 2021.  Hilton was one of the last to do this, announcing Friday morning that their free night certificates won’t expire until January 3, 2022 at the earliest.  Check out all the details of their announcement here.

Morrison House, Alexandria, Virginia.  Photo courtesy of Morrison House.

 

Our friends over at FrequentMiler.com have been running a series of posts detailing some of the best hotels at which to use those free night certificates.  Check these out. . .they’re a terrific way to get top value and perhaps a nice weekend getaway from your free nights.  So far, they’ve covered Hyatt, Marriott  and IHG.  We’ll let you know when we see similar posts for Hilton, Choice and others.

Lots of additional good news on the hotel front:

• If you’re an IHG customer, there’s a best-ever sign-up bonus of 150k points for their Premier credit card from Chase. . .and no annual fee in the first year. And when the annual fee kicks in starting in year two, a free night certificate.
• 15% back at IHG brands when you use your Chase card.
• Spend $200 at Marriott, get $40 back when you use your Amex card.
• “Twice the Perks” at certain Hilton properties, including a $200 hotel credit, free breakfast for two, and double Hilton points.

Photo courtesy of Hyatt.

 

• There are some phenomenal rates from Hyatt all over Europe for longer term stays of at least 29 days.
• Even Red Roof is getting in on the act, offering a free night after just two stays.
• Staying at an all-inclusive hotel or resort means you can take care of lodging and all of your meals with one daily rate. Using hotel points for that stay means you can vacation for FREE.  Here are 100 all-inclusives across all of the major hotel chains where you can vacation for ZERO cost.

As always, there’s some bad with the good. . .Hilton has at least temporarily ended their free breakfast for elite members in favor of a food and beverage daily credit.  And Marriott is curtailing the ability of Bonvoy members to book with points they haven’t yet earned.

Volcan de Fuego, Guatemala.  Photo by Alain Bonnardeaux on Unsplash

 

Regular readers of these posts know that we have a peculiar fascination for volcanos and their rumblings.  Here’s a look at what might happen if the largest supervolcano in the world were to blow.  And we in the US would have a front row seat. . .it’s located a few miles beneath the surface of Yellowstone National Park.  Don’t worry, though. . .even though it’s due to happen soon in the geological sense of the word, we probably have about 10,000 years to book that trip out to Wyoming to see Old Faithful.

Wishing you a terrific Memorial Day weekend, along with the hope that you’ll thank a Veteran sometime soon and reflect on the sacrifice that he or she and millions of others have made on our behalf.

Pine Grove Cemetery, Lynn, Massachusetts.  Photo by Justin Casey on Unsplash