Skift: "Regulators in the United Arab Emirates approved the first license for a lottery on Sunday, and made public its casino and gambling regulations – a major step towards the Arab state being the first in the Gulf to allow legalized gaming."
Points Wire Note:
I've often joked that Dubai is like Vegas without the gambling. Well, I guess it might not be a joke soon.
Point Me To The Plane: "The new guest service fee of 2%, before taxes, will be added on the total rate if a booking is made where the local currency differs from the currency set in your Airbnb account."
"To get around the new 2% fee, all you have to do is change the default currency your Airbnb account is set to. It needs to match the local currency of your next destination."
One Mile At A Time: "Just under a year ago, the Lufthansa Lounge Newark closed, as it was undergoing a major renovation. This wasn’t just any renovation, though, as this lounge was intended to serve as the prototype for the carrier’s lounge concept going forward, in line with the new Allegris concept."
"Well, the Lufthansa Lounge Newark has just opened. While the airline hasn’t yet put out a press release about this, the Lufthansa Group station manager for Newark has shared pictures of the new lounge on LinkedIn, and has stated that the first guests have been welcomed to the lounge. Not only has the lounge been fully redesigned, but it has also been expanded compared to the previous setup."
Upgraded Points: "American Express will open its fourth Centurion Lounge at Mexico City International Airport (MEX) on August 1.
"The new lounge will be located in Terminal 1 and will feature 8,400 square feet of space. Here is a look at the various amenities travelers can enjoy when flying out of Mexico’s capital and most populous city."
One Mile At A Time: "Hyatt has just introduced an exclusive alliance with Under Canvas, opening up some unique new lodging options that many World of Hyatt members will appreciate."
"For those not familiar with Under Canvas, the company has 13 outdoor resorts, which are primarily at national parks and other notable outdoor destinations. Properties include Under Canvas Bryce Canyon, Under Canvas Grand Canyon, Under Canvas Lake Powell-Grand Staircase, Under Canvas Moab, Under Canvas Zion, and even ULUM Moab."
This new partnership is being rolled out as Mr. & Mrs. Smith properties. While you can redeem Hyatt points for stays at Under Canvas properties, it's often not a great use of Hyatt points.
Live And Let's Fly: "Let me add to the chorus calling on Delta Air Lines to accept more responsibility for its meltdown over the last five days. Paying for out-of-pocket expenses, including tickets on other carriers, is a good start, but not enough. Today’s letter from Delta CEO Ed Bastian is insulting and tone-deaf. It’s time for Delta to take accountability for its meltdown, not brush it under the rug."
Upgraded Points: "Among the benefits JetBlue offers to its Mosaic elite members is Move to Mint, a benefit you can use to upgrade yourself to the airline’s famed business class product. And we’ve got good news: Using these is now easier than ever."
"The number of certificates needed for an upgrade varies by flight, and you can now find this information before booking. Better yet: It’s all online."
One Mile At A Time flags nine new first class products that are currently in the works and what we know about each. Here' s quick rundown on the airlines launching a new first class and the aircraft on which you'll find them:
Qatar Airways wasn't the only airline to announce a new business class product at the Farnborough International Airshow this week. Turkish Airlines revealed its new Crystal business class product as well.
The cabin will be arranged in a staggered 1-2-1 layout and each seat will have a privacy door. Apparently, they'll be using marble at the seats - seems unnecessarily heavy to me. Each seat will also have wireless charging.
It looks a lot like the new business class product on Japan Airlines.
Turkish plans to retrofit its Boeing 777-300s with the new product and install it on new Airbus A350-1000s.
One Mile At A Time: "The Winston Hotel in Rosebank, Johannesburg, will be joining Hyatt’s portfolio. The hotel is in the process of undergoing an extensive renovation, and once that’s completed, it will be branded as the Park Hyatt Johannesburg. While the renovation is taking longer than planned, the hotel is now accepting reservations for stays as of October 15, 2024."
Points Wire Note:
The Park Hyatt Johannesburg is not part of Hyatt Privé yet. I would expect it to be added soon i if you want to book with perks such as an upgraded, daily breakfast for two, and a $100 property credit. When it's available, you can book the Privé rate here.
If booking with points, this is a Category 5 property. The off-peak, standard, and peak award rates are 17,000 points, 20,000 points, and 23,000 points, respectively.
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