Popular Conrad New York Midtown To Join Marriott

Loyalty Lobby: "The new home for the Conrad New Your Midtown is now confirmed to be affiliated with Marriott, where it will be called The Luxury Collection Manhattan Midtown Hotel."

"The London NYC joined Hilton’s Conrad brand in 2019 but leaves it five years later to become affiliated with Marriott’s Luxury collection."

ATONA Brings Japanese Ryokan Brand To Hyatt Portfoliio

Hyatt "announced that ATONA, the modern hot spring ryokan (Japanese-style inn) brand, will open properties in Yufu, Yakushima, and Hakone. The ATONA brand was announced in 2022 under a joint venture between a Hyatt affiliate and Kiraku, a Japanese company dedicated to preserving valuable assets for future generations. The first ATONA ryokans are slated to open in 2026 across some of Japan’s top hot spring destinations and areas of natural beauty."

Are Avianca's New Lifemiles+ Subscriptions Worth It?

Frequent Miler: "I am actually very excited about the new LifeMiles+ subscription. I initially assumed this wouldn’t be attractive, but the new benefits are making me seriously consider a subscription."

"As you can see, for your subscription fee, at first glance, it looks like you’re buying a monthly allotment of miles for a price that isn’t attractive."

"However, I think the real star of the show here is the 10% discount on all Avianca LifeMiles redemptions, which applies to all of the LifeMiles award tickets you book (including for others). "

Finnair And British Airways Avios Can Be Combined As Of May 22

Danny the Deal Guru: "The Finnair Plus program switched to Avios on March 9, 2024. Finnair also has a new award charts, with surcharges that are actually decent. Finnair Plus will have a separate award chart for each partner airline. You can see all the details here."

"Now Finnair has revealed that starting May 22, if you’re a member of both Finnair Plus and British Airways Executive Club, you can link your accounts and transfer Avios between them."

Turkish Miles&Smiles 50% Transfer Bonus From Citi

Turkish Miles&Smiles is running a 50% bonus on transfers from Citi ThankYou Points through June 15, 2024.

While Turkish massively devalued their award chart recently, this could be a great use of Citi points thanks to the massive transfer bonus. For example, you need 65,000 Turkish miles to book a one-way business class on Turkish Airlines from between the US and Turkey. With the transfer bonus, you'd only need 32,500 Citi ThankYou Points.

Please note that the terms state that the bonus miles will be added after the promo ends on June 15.

This transfer bonus is run by Turkish Airlines, so you want see the bonus miles reflected on Citi's site when transferring points.

Direct link to promo

Add Economy Flight To Business Class Award, Use Fewer Alaska Miles

Thrifty Traveler: "Most business class fares between the U.S. and Europe now clock in at 55,000 miles each way – or more flying to and from the West Coast. But if you add a connection in economy in the States or on the other side of the pond, you can cut the final price as low as 45,000 miles each way."

AutoCamp X Hilton Partnership Announced

Monkey Miles: "Hilton just announced that they’re partnering with AutoCamp ( ummmm who? ) with the ability to earn and burn points at AutoCamp sites starting with their property in Cape Cod."

"It looks like, from what I can ascertain, is it focuses on the segment of traveler that love the outdoors, but don’t necessarily want to completely rough it, so they provide campsites with a large, communal clubhouses, where you can individually rent out cabins, tents, and luxury AirStreams that surround it."

Park Hyatt Kuala Lumpur Expected To Open Late 2024

One Mile At A Time: "The Park Hyatt Kuala Lumpur is currently expected to open in late 2024, though isn’t yet accepting reservations. The hotel will be located in Kuala Lumpur’s new Merdeka 118 building, which isn’t only the tallest skyscraper in the city, but the tallest building in all of Asia-Pacific."

Points Wire Note:

Traditionally, luxury properties in Kuala Lumpur have some great rates. I'll be curious to see how the Park Hyatt Kuala Lumpur compares. It certainly has the potential to be a great Hyatt Privé option for cash stays!

Hyatt Expanding Footprint in Latin American And Caribbean

Market Watch: "Hyatt Hotels plans to open more than 30 new hotels in the Caribbean and Latin America through 2027 as it seeks to grow its presence in holiday destinations across the region."

"With openings planned in the beach town of Miches, Dominican Republic, and on the island of St. Lucia, the company said Friday it's tapping into strong travel demand across all customer segments"

Could IHG One Rewards Changes Lead To A Devaluation?

View From The Wing: "IHG’s One Rewards loyalty program isn’t nearly as profitable as Hilton’s and Marriott’s. They’re working to change that."

"However IHG has negotiated changes to it’s “System Fund” that allow it to keep part of the revenue from points sales while owners will pay less into the program."

"At the end of the day, hotels spending less on the program and IHG taking more money out of the program, probably shouldn’t be encouraging from a member perspective."