The Resort Traveler, Author at TravelUpdate

Priority Pass Review: Air France/KLM Lounge at SFO

Posted by The Resort Traveler | Nov 26, 2018 | Airlines, Lounge Reviews, Reviews and Reports | 0

Background: I was flying Icelandair out of San Francisco’s International Terminal A on a Thursday afternoon, and I was happy that my terminal had a Priority Pass Lounge! You have to be flying out of International Terminal A to access the Air France/KLM Lounge at SFO lounge as it’s not connected airside to the other terminals. SFO also has 2 restaurant Priority Pass options in Terminal 3. Front of Lounge Back of Lounge Inside the Air France/KLM Lounge at SFO: As I entered the lounge I was happy to see that there wasn’t a sign stating no access to Priority...

Get Up To 30% Off My Favorite Travel Suit For Cyber Monday!

Posted by The Resort Traveler | Nov 26, 2018 | Commentary, Deals, Uncategorized | 0

Happy Cyber Monday Everyone! I wanted to point out that my favorite travel suit from Bluffworks is on sale for Cyber Monday! The Gramercy Blazer is on sale for $220 (Reg $295), and the matching pants are on sale for $95 (Reg $140)! I have the Blue Hour color as pictured below, but they also have the suit in a light grey and a dark grey! As a college student, and intern, I’ve had my fair share of trying out many suits from Topman to Banana Republic and my favorite suit is without a doubt my Bluffworks Gramercy...

Priority Pass: Alaska Lounge At LAX Terminal 6 Revisited

Posted by The Resort Traveler | Oct 22, 2018 | Airlines, Lounge Reviews, Reviews and Reports | 2

My Last Visit: Earlier this year in April, I flew on a Thursday and at 9:30 am the sign was out saying saying it was full for Priority Pass Select holders. I have Priority Pass Select from my Hilton AMEX Aspire Card, so I get access to this lounge and get to bring 2 guests. I went back at 10:35 and the sign was gone, granting me access! This lounge is known for being very full and restricting access to Priority Pass members. My Recent Visit to the Alaska Lounge at LAX: On Thursday in mid-September, I arrived at...

Alaska Didn’t Add Me to The Upgrade List, How Should you Avoid it!

Posted by The Resort Traveler | Oct 16, 2018 | Airlines, Travel Tips, Uncategorized | 2

Hi everyone, this post opens the beginning of my travel summer series: London + Iceland End of Summer Adventure! It’s October? I know it’s October already, but last month I managed to squeeze in a last minute vacation. 🙂 My blogging has been almost non existent but I hope to have the posts up soon (sorry for the delay!). Adjusting for school, recruiting for full-time and getting ready to graduate is much busier than I thought it would be! But certainly, an exciting time and thanks for all of your support. Now on to the drama: So for our...

Waldorf Astoria Las Vegas Opens August 29th!

Posted by The Resort Traveler | Aug 27, 2018 | Hotels, Uncategorized | 2

The Mandarin Oriental, Las Vegas is rebranding to the Waldorf Astoria Las Vegas this Wednesday, August 29th. Arguably one of the best hotels in Las Vegas, my recent stay left much to be desired. The Mandarin Oriental Las Vegas was a nice boutique option on the Strip but it had tired rooms and ordinary service. Waldorf Astoria Rebrand: But I’m excited for the change in management, and I’m hoping the planned $50 million renovation will help revamp the rooms back to a luxurious state. Additionally, I’m happy it is joining the Hilton Portfolio as I can earn Hilton Points and...

Review: The US Grant San Diego, a Luxury Collection Hotel

Posted by The Resort Traveler | Jul 17, 2018 | Hotel Reviews, Hotels, Reviews and Reports, Uncategorized | 2

I recently enjoyed a weekend getaway in San Diego at the US Grant, a Luxury Collection Hotel. I had a SPG Category 5 certificate to use and I’ve always wanted to try out the US Grant, so this was the perfect opportunity. The only downtown San Diego hotel I’ve stayed at previously was the Manchester Grand Hyatt, which I enjoyed very much, so I was excited to compare the two! MY OVERALL SCORE: 4.5 5: Excellent, Highly Recommend 4: Very Good, Solid Choice to Consider 3: Ok, Check Other Options Before Booking 2: Below Par, Try to Avoid 1: Terrible,...

CAREFUL! Earning Points Through Marriott Tweets Doesn’t Extend Expiration

Posted by The Resort Traveler | May 30, 2018 | Hotels, Uncategorized | 2

Earn Points With a Tweet! But they DON’T extend expiration. Marriott Rewards started their #RewardsPoints program earlier this summer where you can earn up to 45,000 Marriott Rewards Points a year for interacting with Marriott on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. One great part was the 1,000 points weekly during the NFL seasons by answering a question with a tweet! So of course, I had my whole family do it! What I just found out though was somehow all my dad’s points expired even though he had all these points from tweeting! Since my dad’s last Marriott stay was 4...

Priority Pass Review: The Club at SEA Lounge

Posted by The Resort Traveler | May 25, 2018 | Airlines, Lounge Reviews, Reviews and Reports | 2

Background: After having already checked out the New Alaska Lounge at Concourse C, I decided to try out The Club at SEA Lounge before my flight home. I have Priority Pass Select from my Hilton AMEX Aspire Card, so I get access to this lounge and get to bring 2 guests. This lounge is all the way at Concourse A, so I had a nice exercise coming in after security. To make things better, my departing gate was in Concourse D, the complete opposite side of the airport. Thankfully, it was only a 10-15 minute extra walk. The Club at...

Rental Car Review: Silvercar Seattle Audi A4

Posted by The Resort Traveler | May 24, 2018 | Reviews and Reports, Uncategorized | 0

Background: My dad has always wanted to try Silvercar and I saw that they had a $50 off your first rental offer and a decent weekend rate of $59 a day so we booked a Silvercar to try it out! For those of you who are not familiar with Silvercar, it is a rental car company that only rents out silver Audi A4’s and Audi Q5’s. They also aim to make rental cars hassle free with free toll tracking, wifi, and fair refueling prices. Currently, their fleet only consists of 2017 and 2018 models! Pickup at Seattle A Bit...

Boeing Everett Factory Tour Review

Posted by The Resort Traveler | May 23, 2018 | Airlines, Uncategorized | 0

Background: Even though I’ve been to Seattle like 5 times, it never dawned on me that I should visit the Boeing Factory! So I made sure to do it on this trip! The Future of Flight Aviation Center & Boeing Factory Tour is located in Mukilteo, Washington which is about 25 miles north of Seattle. Reservations: I made reservations about 3 weeks in advance. Tours start from 9am to 3pm every 30 minutes. It’s $25 for adults and $15 for youth 15 and under. My friend came to join me on the tour and he reserved tickets 3 days prior...