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Hey Sebby! Hope you've been doing well since we met at the Vancouver travel event last year! I actually work as a Virtuoso travel agent now, would love to collab on your hotel tool/list! :)
🏩I'm on the Marriott system and with rare exceptions like staying at airport-attached Hyatt's, I'm pretty loyal for a couple reasons. Being dedicated to one brand, I've managed to hit Titanium partially thanks to the Bonvoy Brilliant card. We just got back from the JW Marriott Cancun, where we got upgraded to a 1-bedroom oceanfront suite from a base room. The most baller recent status upgrade was at St. Regis Houston, where we stayed as part of an extended date night (nearby omakase + saki pairing), and we got the unexpected bump to the Astor St. Regis suite, including a butler and some amazing desserts in room.
I haven't found the Diamond worth it unless you eat their breakfast and they haven't loopholed them out like many hotels are doing now by holding them under a separate entity/contracting out.
Thanks as always, love the content, you may want to mention partnerships for status match. Wyndham and Caesars are status match, Hyatt and MGM were partners but now Bonvoy and MGM. A few extra steps but you get more benefits for having some of these cards beyond what the card itself offers.
Hilton in my experience has offered me the best experiences and value for my loyalty. I went to the Maldives alone for diving and they upgraded me to a grand overwater villa valued at 1600$ a night. Ever since then I decided to start going for a multiple aspire set up. Though I receipt have gained platinum status at marriot, while working towards the ritz Carlton card. So I hope that my Marriot experience is as good as Hilton if not even better. We’ll see 🙏
@@7איעך Understood. So far, I am "saving up bonus days" through Sheraton, but I have never spent bonuses yet. I made a video on my channel just about this hotel. There will be a Hilton too, but I paid $350 per night. but at the reception I was not offered to download a mobile app for guests. I learned from you that the Hilton also has a loyalty system
I really like the little Easter eggs you have on your channel like the little blip in the like button when you say to like the video and the investments showing in the video description. I’m sure that takes more work but it shows.
Not a Hilton fan, been diamond for years and they have no loyalty unlike Marriott who gives you platinum lifetime after 10 years but not with titanium that stopped when they bought Sheraton. Hilton keeps upping their points per stay which I haven’t seen with Marriott. I stay at hotels over 100 nights a year
They technically do have a LTD program but agreed broadly that Marriott > Hilton for loyalty, especially in the US. Not sure why, but a lot of the owner operators focus on upselling vs. a good experience for elite members.
I have Hilton Honors and started with the base HH card back in 2019/2020 for the 100k and after a year or so upgraded to Surpass then the Aspire and I'm so glad I did. The fee is what it is BUT I believe it's worth the benefits of being a Diamond member.
I love the Hilton aspire and Marriott brilliant. Got my lifetime platinum bc of the brilliant card. Love the diamond status at Hilton. Both cards are awesome since I can’t use Amex portal to book my work travel but can use my personal cc for those stays. Points rack up quickly with these cards.
Love a good hotel credit card video. My next card will probably be a Hyatt personal card. I just don't want to be at 5/24 and miss out on a great bonus.
A big 🏨 emoji for you, my friend. Love your content and I always enjoy watching these videos as if I'll ever get any of these cards/statuses 😂 Popping out kid #1 soon and don't know how often we'll get to travel. We'll get back on the horse eventually!
I've been the kind higher higher-status guest that got there first waiting in the lobby for a room that was given to someone lower that came later with plenty of vinegar, unfortunately.
I like my IHG Platinum status with the IHG Premier card. Hilton Gold is great for free breakfast internationally. I eventually want to get the World of Hyatt card and I'm staying away from Marriott for now. Great video!
🏨 Great video Sebby! I’m curious how you value the hotel lounge access across Marriott and Hilton? I’ve heard great things about M Club lounges in Europe, but wonder what the footprint / experience is like in the U.S. I see a lot of TH-camrs talk about airport lounges but there isn’t much out there regarding the top hotel lounges that these cards give you access to. Would love to hear your thoughts!
US it really depends on how expensive the brand is. Heard good things about JW lounges for example. Hilton ones have been pretty meh of the 10+ I've been to). Asia it's usually amazing. Like absurdly "I could spend all day here" levels lol It helps that a lot of them have breakfast, afternoon tea, AND happy hour for food and then drinks and snacks throughout the day. Also good views in most cases (i.e., top floor for some of the major cities).
@@LK_EBM hopefully this clears it up. You stay one night, $18 per day credit. You eat dinner (-$18.00). You sleep…. Eat breakfast (-$18.00)… checkout. Times that by two persons. That’s how you get $72 back.
Hi Sebby, I am just discovering the world of hotel CC's. As an AMEX platinum holder I already have gold status with Hilton and Marriott. My question is; is there any upside in obtaining a Hilton or Marriott CC, or would it just be "redundant" in your opinion?
Im on the fence. Have the CSR Trifecta & Inks Aspire and a Surpass for Hilton. Marriot Business. Brilliant has a nice sign up offer but considering a second Aspire. Seems like the value return on spend is the second aspire. Or less return with the Brilliant but could get perks for a stay. What to do. Thinking gold is good enough with marriot. Advice or experience welcome
I have Marriott lifetime platinum status. Still have personal and business Chase Bonvoy cards for the free nights and to accumulate a few points for vacation stays. Still hoping that Marriott reinstates a pathway to lifetime titanium status. I also have a business Amex Delta SkyMiles Reserve card. Accumulated enough MQMs to earn SkyMiles platinum status through January 2027. So, not spending much on that card, either. Instead, I just picked up an Amex Hilton Honors Surpass card. Attractive intro offer and appears to be a decent value for the $150 annual fee. Will give it a try for a year or two.
So exactly how do theses hotel cards work for upgrades/benefits? I have a stay coming up in Anchorage in an IHG hotel (the Crown Plaza) which I booked with a different card a few months ago. Can I get up grades by just getting the IHG card or should I have had to book the hotel with the IHG card. Sorry in advance for the rookie question.
Cards give you status. If you have status at check-in, you're eligible for upgrades. As long as you booked directly with the hotel (i.e., NOT with Expedia, or a 3rd party), then you're fine. Eligible but hotel can still have their own policies, so YMMV :)
🏨 Hi Sebby, As far as upgrades, you say that a late arrival helps. My tentative counterpoint was that the availability of the upgrades themselves might be gone if they've already handed them out to others who came in earlier. I also remember that you like to check in early to enjoy the property... does that mean you don't score as many upgrades as you might otherwise? I don't know how many last-minute walk-in customers they might expect... I'm picturing this would vary severely depending on where the property is - and maybe the level of the property. Like - we're not likely to see someone just show up and buy a room at Conrad Bora Bora, for example. Surely they have their reservations set days or weeks in advance, if not months. A property like the Hilton Maui Waldorf Astoria might be almost as unlikely as Bora Bora to have a last-minute reservation... and then maybe the Hilton San Francisco Union Square - still a nice property, but more likely to have quite a few last-minute arrivals. ...indeed we saw several airline crews there - and I bet they come at all times and sometimes without much notice. Thanks!
Really depends on the brand and property. Hilton XLR in Vegas was super proactive. If I had to guess, optimal check-in time is 5pm to 8pm. That's when they have a good idea of occupancy (and have already tried upselling to people who checked in earlier). If you check-in at 2pm, you're usually opting for a smaller room (obviously YMMV). For a lot of our work trips (i.e., NYC) that's kinda what we do, especially if we're doing a redeye or did an all-nighter on the way there. If you don't need the room, you can also have them hold your luggage while you use the facilities. But yeah, lots of factors. Vacation ones are also different since no one is going to show up last minute to the island vs. NYC. TLDR: It's hard to get upgraded with early check-in :)
🏨 For a retiree traveling (solo) perpetually in east Asia (Japan, Taiwan, Korea, Phils, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia) and Europe (Scandinavia, Baltics, France, Spain, Germany, Portugal, Italy, Balkans) among the programs (Marriott, Hyatt, Hilton, IHG) which should I focus on?
My take as somebody that earned status the “hard way” by hundreds of nights per year - I don’t want to see shortcuts to status, at least the top levels. It sucks being on the road all the time, so missing out on upgrades when some people just have it from paying an AF can be lame after a long trip. I’m lifetime Titanium with Marriott, but domestically would never get upgraded. Even when I had Hilton Diamond, it would be rare in the U.S. This is the main reason I moved to Hyatt. You get the upgrade basically every stay with Globalist. I still use Marriott as backup since the Hyatt footprint isn’t as big, but best I can hope for is the breakfast benefit with them. The cards are definitely great for earning and giving at least lower tier status makes sense as part of the AF, but the highest tiers and benefits should ideally be reserved for those that are actually staying the most.
@@AskSebby booo to the peeps getting angry for you giving info....and it's simply a product change, but yeah...are there any other cool secret cards like RC card???? Some of the other product change cards are not as awesome as the RC Card. $300 credit on $450 card, Priority Pass Select (formerly with restaurants), all the good insurances... I would love to a high level United/IHG super card with airport lounge access (united & priority pass)....mashing amex plat, IHG Premier, United Pres card into one but hopefully less of a coupon book
In Ecuador, the holiday inn (IHG) really surprised me in the quality - was way better than in the States. However...Ritz Carlton Card (Marriott) gives you gold status & would get you airport lounge access (Priority Pass Select)
Thinking about the IHG. I do not stay in hotels much but will be staying in Honolulu for 45-60 days with my hotel paid for me. I don’t want to lose a cool benefit. I still don’t know which card would be best. Help!
I have a question. Both my parents had IHG Premier for 2 years and closed accounts back in August 2023 after they redeemed all the points and free night certificates for the overseas trip. I just realized that the new free night certificates were posted even though they closed the accounts. The AFs were posted and Chase waived the AFs after the cancelation. Free night rewards were posted right on the anniversary date. They surely didn't pay for the AF renewal. The bank didn't claw back the free night awards Is that bank's error? Are the free night certificates good to use? BTW, their status changed to Gold now So IHG knows that they don't have IHG Premier anymore.
hi sebby. another non sequitur here.....i am lucky to have a robust business with a lot of monthly spend on amex, chase, citi and C1 cards. fly 1-3 times a month. looking to fly more to europe and asia very soon. i got gold executive status with British Airways recently via a status match with my Delta Platinum. your thoughts on status with BA or an Asian based airline, for future travel to europe and asia? and if yes, its worth it, which do you recommend. tyvm
We did the same match! I think it's worth "completing" it. In the past, status matches were more region locked (and often didn't include the US). Hoping the trend continues though.
Pretty much just spend at Hilton, right? I'm hesitant on LTD since the marginal value (vs. the Aspire) feels minimal. Let me know if I'm mistaken though!
Easy upgrades in Asia really? Maybe Bonvoy Titanium Elite will give me an upgrade in Tokyo before pigs fly. I always need to press hard “how about if I switch rooms tomorrow?” Rarely get an upgrade - Marriott, Autograph, Ritz, more. Hilton - they will bend over backwards for me. 6:22
Are you doing short stays or longer ones? We usually do 1-2 days at a hotel so maybe that's impacting things on our end? Tokyo's also been a mess the past year because of the insane demand.
@@AskSebby alway 4-5 days at Marriott props. Usually 11-14 nights total. When doing full trip in one hotel, Hilton will still pull through for me. For past 7 years
@@AskSebby hey. Thanks for the replies. I usually do 10-14 days and book hotels in blocks of 4-5 days (5 days if using points). Indeed Tokyo demand has been crazy. I have seen the “sold out, but “as a diamond member” I can book” message several times in the past 18 months. Coming in July, I got a good “deal” at Marriott Autograph MESM hotel which is running ~55k points per night (vs. ~$700-800) for 4 nights using Bonvoy free-night certs and points. (One 2024 75-night reward cert, two Amex Biz card certs, and 65k points. But the 5th night, a Saturday, is 120,000JPY (~$800.00). Unbelievable. I’m staying at Hilton Yokohama (fabulous hotel, cheap, terrible location) and Hilton Tokyo (good, expensive, great location) the remainder of the stay.
Does it still make sense to get the Platinum before the gold you think since once you get that one, you locked out of getting the bounce on the gold? What do you think @AskSebby
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Hey Sebby! Hope you've been doing well since we met at the Vancouver travel event last year! I actually work as a Virtuoso travel agent now, would love to collab on your hotel tool/list! :)
Chase considers Airbnb to be a 4X category on the sapphire reserve where the AMEX Platinum does not give you the point multiplier.
Do you have to book the bnb through chase travel?
@@genovaz No
Ooh good to know!
🏩I'm on the Marriott system and with rare exceptions like staying at airport-attached Hyatt's, I'm pretty loyal for a couple reasons. Being dedicated to one brand, I've managed to hit Titanium partially thanks to the Bonvoy Brilliant card. We just got back from the JW Marriott Cancun, where we got upgraded to a 1-bedroom oceanfront suite from a base room. The most baller recent status upgrade was at St. Regis Houston, where we stayed as part of an extended date night (nearby omakase + saki pairing), and we got the unexpected bump to the Astor St. Regis suite, including a butler and some amazing desserts in room.
You not only know credit card benefits, but also an expert in hotel statuses! Yay😊
Thanks for watching Dennis :)
Glad you're talking about IHG, definitely an underrated hotel chain. I've really enjoyed my year of Diamond ambassador status
Awesome! Any good stories? :)
I love IHG purely because of kimpton letting my dog stay free
@@AskSebby Stayed in 2 Intercontinentals and 3 Kimptons this past year. Really enjoyed the free breakfast perks (valued at $40 - 80 a night)
I haven't found the Diamond worth it unless you eat their breakfast and they haven't loopholed them out like many hotels are doing now by holding them under a separate entity/contracting out.
Kimpton was super basic "continental breakfast" very separate from off the menu stuff
Thanks as always, love the content, you may want to mention partnerships for status match. Wyndham and Caesars are status match, Hyatt and MGM were partners but now Bonvoy and MGM. A few extra steps but you get more benefits for having some of these cards beyond what the card itself offers.
Hilton in my experience has offered me the best experiences and value for my loyalty. I went to the Maldives alone for diving and they upgraded me to a grand overwater villa valued at 1600$ a night. Ever since then I decided to start going for a multiple aspire set up. Though I receipt have gained platinum status at marriot, while working towards the ritz Carlton card. So I hope that my Marriot experience is as good as Hilton if not even better. We’ll see 🙏
What, in your experience, brings more benefits: using the hotel loyalty program or booking through Booking?
Hilton stateside has no standardized policy for upgrades, unfortunately. Plenty of upsells to go beyond one jump or to jump a large gap.
Diamond isn't giving Diamond.
@@7איעך Understood. So far, I am "saving up bonus days" through Sheraton, but I have never spent bonuses yet. I made a video on my channel just about this hotel. There will be a Hilton too, but I paid $350 per night. but at the reception I was not offered to download a mobile app for guests. I learned from you that the Hilton also has a loyalty system
Free night certificate with Hilton misleading. It only applies to ‘standard’ room availability, and those are rarely found at nicer hotels
I really like the little Easter eggs you have on your channel like the little blip in the like button when you say to like the video and the investments showing in the video description. I’m sure that takes more work but it shows.
Congratulations on 300K 🥳
Thank you!! :)
i think getting marriott gold with ritz ,and hilton gold with surpass cost less than platinum
Not a Hilton fan, been diamond for years and they have no loyalty unlike Marriott who gives you platinum lifetime after 10 years but not with titanium that stopped when they bought Sheraton.
Hilton keeps upping their points per stay which I haven’t seen with Marriott. I stay at hotels over 100 nights a year
They technically do have a LTD program but agreed broadly that Marriott > Hilton for loyalty, especially in the US. Not sure why, but a lot of the owner operators focus on upselling vs. a good experience for elite members.
I have Hilton Honors and started with the base HH card back in 2019/2020 for the 100k and after a year or so upgraded to Surpass then the Aspire and I'm so glad I did. The fee is what it is BUT I believe it's worth the benefits of being a Diamond member.
I think Diamond pays for itself. The card (FNC, credits, etc.) also feels pretty reasonable to me :)
I love the Hilton aspire and Marriott brilliant. Got my lifetime platinum bc of the brilliant card. Love the diamond status at Hilton. Both cards are awesome since I can’t use Amex portal to book my work travel but can use my personal cc for those stays. Points rack up quickly with these cards.
Personal DP: I've been upgraded 100% of the time to suites at Marriott and Ritz Carlton. As a Gold and Platinum. South America and Asia.
Congrats, they don't "have to" at Ritz until Titanium.
Love a good hotel credit card video. My next card will probably be a Hyatt personal card. I just don't want to be at 5/24 and miss out on a great bonus.
There should be a tool to find and review what properties have lounges. Like lounge buddy only for hotel lounges.
A big 🏨 emoji for you, my friend. Love your content and I always enjoy watching these videos as if I'll ever get any of these cards/statuses 😂 Popping out kid #1 soon and don't know how often we'll get to travel. We'll get back on the horse eventually!
I've been the kind higher higher-status guest that got there first waiting in the lobby for a room that was given to someone lower that came later with plenty of vinegar, unfortunately.
Reached Globalist twice but will miss it this year as im staying home snd hustling
Do people ever cancel hotel "keeper card" to reapply for and get a new sign up bonus? I think Hyatt, you can get a bonus every 2 years?
Yep! Most are on 2 year "clocks" other than Amex ones.
@@AskSebby could you do a video covering this?
@@effys7716 Second this
Never knew about the checking in later angle for upgrades!
I think you mean check out later or check in earlier. I personally prefer check in earlier more than out.
I like my IHG Platinum status with the IHG Premier card. Hilton Gold is great for free breakfast internationally. I eventually want to get the World of Hyatt card and I'm staying away from Marriott for now. Great video!
Hilton Gold is great value compared to the other hotel groups!
Why does he have a clip of Disney when referring to non hotel benefits while talking about the Platinum?
🏨 Great video Sebby! I’m curious how you value the hotel lounge access across Marriott and Hilton?
I’ve heard great things about M Club lounges in Europe, but wonder what the footprint / experience is like in the U.S. I see a lot of TH-camrs talk about airport lounges but there isn’t much out there regarding the top hotel lounges that these cards give you access to.
Would love to hear your thoughts!
US it really depends on how expensive the brand is. Heard good things about JW lounges for example. Hilton ones have been pretty meh of the 10+ I've been to).
Asia it's usually amazing. Like absurdly "I could spend all day here" levels lol
It helps that a lot of them have breakfast, afternoon tea, AND happy hour for food and then drinks and snacks throughout the day. Also good views in most cases (i.e., top floor for some of the major cities).
Don’t sleep on Hilton. You can basically get back $18x 2 people per day for food in high cost areas. You basically get $72 back for one night.
Especially given how easy status is to obtain :)
How'd you get to $72? Isn't it $36 per night?
Some hotels are per calendar day. Really depends on their policy :)
@@LK_EBMAgreed. I'm still confused by this.
@@LK_EBM hopefully this clears it up. You stay one night, $18 per day credit. You eat dinner (-$18.00). You sleep…. Eat breakfast (-$18.00)… checkout. Times that by two persons. That’s how you get $72 back.
It is one of few people I watch on 0.75 sometimes 😅
If you were to start over keeping travel and a player 2 in mind -which 5 cards would you apply for and in what order?
Nobody knows about Accor hotels status. You can pay their club and earn status and points. Pretty neat
Hi Sebby, I am just discovering the world of hotel CC's. As an AMEX platinum holder I already have gold status with Hilton and Marriott. My question is; is there any upside in obtaining a Hilton or Marriott CC, or would it just be "redundant" in your opinion?
One point to mention is Hilton will award FNC after the card is open but Marriott and Hyatt only award FNC after renewal. Is that correct?
I like Marriott. They have 9000 hotels, the most of any chains. They also have more luxury hotels than the other 3 chains put together.
World of Hyatt is the hardest to earn
Yes, but it’s also powerful even domestically
It won't be once "Destination Fees" become illegal
Im on the fence.
Have the CSR Trifecta & Inks Aspire and a Surpass for Hilton. Marriot Business.
Brilliant has a nice sign up offer but considering a second Aspire.
Seems like the value return on spend is the second aspire. Or less return with the Brilliant but could get perks for a stay. What to do. Thinking gold is good enough with marriot. Advice or experience welcome
I have Marriott lifetime platinum status. Still have personal and business Chase Bonvoy cards for the free nights and to accumulate a few points for vacation stays. Still hoping that Marriott reinstates a pathway to lifetime titanium status.
I also have a business Amex Delta SkyMiles Reserve card. Accumulated enough MQMs to earn SkyMiles platinum status through January 2027. So, not spending much on that card, either.
Instead, I just picked up an Amex Hilton Honors Surpass card. Attractive intro offer and appears to be a decent value for the $150 annual fee. Will give it a try for a year or two.
So exactly how do theses hotel cards work for upgrades/benefits? I have a stay coming up in Anchorage in an IHG hotel (the Crown Plaza) which I booked with a different card a few months ago. Can I get up grades by just getting the IHG card or should I have had to book the hotel with the IHG card. Sorry in advance for the rookie question.
Cards give you status. If you have status at check-in, you're eligible for upgrades. As long as you booked directly with the hotel (i.e., NOT with Expedia, or a 3rd party), then you're fine.
Eligible but hotel can still have their own policies, so YMMV :)
🏨 Hi Sebby, As far as upgrades, you say that a late arrival helps. My tentative counterpoint was that the availability of the upgrades themselves might be gone if they've already handed them out to others who came in earlier. I also remember that you like to check in early to enjoy the property... does that mean you don't score as many upgrades as you might otherwise? I don't know how many last-minute walk-in customers they might expect... I'm picturing this would vary severely depending on where the property is - and maybe the level of the property. Like - we're not likely to see someone just show up and buy a room at Conrad Bora Bora, for example. Surely they have their reservations set days or weeks in advance, if not months. A property like the Hilton Maui Waldorf Astoria might be almost as unlikely as Bora Bora to have a last-minute reservation... and then maybe the Hilton San Francisco Union Square - still a nice property, but more likely to have quite a few last-minute arrivals. ...indeed we saw several airline crews there - and I bet they come at all times and sometimes without much notice. Thanks!
Really depends on the brand and property. Hilton XLR in Vegas was super proactive.
If I had to guess, optimal check-in time is 5pm to 8pm. That's when they have a good idea of occupancy (and have already tried upselling to people who checked in earlier).
If you check-in at 2pm, you're usually opting for a smaller room (obviously YMMV). For a lot of our work trips (i.e., NYC) that's kinda what we do, especially if we're doing a redeye or did an all-nighter on the way there.
If you don't need the room, you can also have them hold your luggage while you use the facilities.
But yeah, lots of factors. Vacation ones are also different since no one is going to show up last minute to the island vs. NYC.
TLDR: It's hard to get upgraded with early check-in :)
🏨 For a retiree traveling (solo) perpetually in east Asia (Japan, Taiwan, Korea, Phils, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia) and Europe (Scandinavia, Baltics, France, Spain, Germany, Portugal, Italy, Balkans) among the programs (Marriott, Hyatt, Hilton, IHG) which should I focus on?
Doesn't the United Infinite card give IHG Platinum?
Yes, it does
Hi Sebby,
I’m wondering what is the best cc for active duty military? I guess which is most bang for buck and which chain has the largest footprint?
All Amex cards are annual fee free for AD, so I would get the platinum and top Hilton Aspire at a minimum
My take as somebody that earned status the “hard way” by hundreds of nights per year - I don’t want to see shortcuts to status, at least the top levels. It sucks being on the road all the time, so missing out on upgrades when some people just have it from paying an AF can be lame after a long trip. I’m lifetime Titanium with Marriott, but domestically would never get upgraded. Even when I had Hilton Diamond, it would be rare in the U.S. This is the main reason I moved to Hyatt. You get the upgrade basically every stay with Globalist. I still use Marriott as backup since the Hyatt footprint isn’t as big, but best I can hope for is the breakfast benefit with them.
The cards are definitely great for earning and giving at least lower tier status makes sense as part of the AF, but the highest tiers and benefits should ideally be reserved for those that are actually staying the most.
What about the Ritz card?
Ritz comes with Gold status :) Didn't include it since some people get angry that I'm talking about something they can't apply for.
@@AskSebby booo to the peeps getting angry for you giving info....and it's simply a product change, but yeah...are there any other cool secret cards like RC card????
Some of the other product change cards are not as awesome as the RC Card. $300 credit on $450 card, Priority Pass Select (formerly with restaurants), all the good insurances...
I would love to a high level United/IHG super card with airport lounge access (united & priority pass)....mashing amex plat, IHG Premier, United Pres card into one but hopefully less of a coupon book
I plan to travel in Latin America extensively. What would be the best card use?
In Ecuador, the holiday inn (IHG) really surprised me in the quality - was way better than in the States. However...Ritz Carlton Card (Marriott) gives you gold status & would get you airport lounge access (Priority Pass Select)
Thinking about the IHG. I do not stay in hotels much but will be staying in Honolulu for 45-60 days with my hotel paid for me. I don’t want to lose a cool benefit. I still don’t know which card would be best. Help!
No IHG hotels in Honolulu
@@mkuch11 there is a Holiday Inn Express in Honolulu.
Get the Premier, it's a no brainer.
I have a question. Both my parents had IHG Premier for 2 years and closed accounts back in August 2023 after they redeemed all the points and free night certificates for the overseas trip. I just realized that the new free night certificates were posted even though they closed the accounts. The AFs were posted and Chase waived the AFs after the cancelation. Free night rewards were posted right on the anniversary date. They surely didn't pay for the AF renewal. The bank didn't claw back the free night awards Is that bank's error? Are the free night certificates good to use? BTW, their status changed to Gold now So IHG knows that they don't have IHG Premier anymore.
Yep, should be good to use!
"Bank error in your favor collect [free night reward]"
@@AskSebby Thanks!
if i have Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant for 10 years, do i get marriott lifetime?
No, lifetime status is earned.
hi sebby. another non sequitur here.....i am lucky to have a robust business with a lot of monthly spend on amex, chase, citi and C1 cards. fly 1-3 times a month. looking to fly more to europe and asia very soon. i got gold executive status with British Airways recently via a status match with my Delta Platinum. your thoughts on status with BA or an Asian based airline, for future travel to europe and asia? and if yes, its worth it, which do you recommend. tyvm
We did the same match! I think it's worth "completing" it. In the past, status matches were more region locked (and often didn't include the US). Hoping the trend continues though.
Sebby basically listed the hotels from his favorite to his least favorite😂
Team IHG
Would love a guide to getting Hilton Lifetime Status now that spend doesn’t count anymore
Pretty much just spend at Hilton, right? I'm hesitant on LTD since the marginal value (vs. the Aspire) feels minimal.
Let me know if I'm mistaken though!
@@AskSebby Would be interesting to see different ways to get base points I think. Tips and tricks, thinking out of the box ideas, etc
Rip Choice, earned diamond status in 2020-2021
IHG 🐐
Easy upgrades in Asia really? Maybe Bonvoy Titanium Elite will give me an upgrade in Tokyo before pigs fly. I always need to press hard “how about if I switch rooms tomorrow?” Rarely get an upgrade - Marriott, Autograph, Ritz, more. Hilton - they will bend over backwards for me. 6:22
Are you doing short stays or longer ones? We usually do 1-2 days at a hotel so maybe that's impacting things on our end? Tokyo's also been a mess the past year because of the insane demand.
@@AskSebby alway 4-5 days at Marriott props. Usually 11-14 nights total. When doing full trip in one hotel, Hilton will still pull through for me. For past 7 years
@@AskSebby hey. Thanks for the replies. I usually do 10-14 days and book hotels in blocks of 4-5 days (5 days if using points). Indeed Tokyo demand has been crazy. I have seen the “sold out, but “as a diamond member” I can book” message several times in the past 18 months.
Coming in July, I got a good “deal” at Marriott Autograph MESM hotel which is running ~55k points per night (vs. ~$700-800) for 4 nights using Bonvoy free-night certs and points. (One 2024 75-night reward cert, two Amex Biz card certs, and 65k points. But the 5th night, a Saturday, is 120,000JPY (~$800.00). Unbelievable.
I’m staying at Hilton Yokohama (fabulous hotel, cheap, terrible location) and Hilton Tokyo (good, expensive, great location) the remainder of the stay.
Evening glass of wine #squuuuuuuad
What's your wine of choice? I tend to lean towards cabs :)
Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and when all else fails......red blend 😅
First to Thumb-up as well!
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First?
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First?😊
Almost!
Does it still make sense to get the Platinum before the gold you think since once you get that one, you locked out of getting the bounce on the gold?
What do you think @AskSebby
🏨 WWSD (What would Sebby Do?) should be in every video!
Personal WoH cc for now 🏨
Looking to get the IHG business premiere next!
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🏨 heart ❤️ it!!
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