The Resort Traveler, Author at TravelUpdate

Review: Alaska E175 First Class SJC-LAX

Posted by The Resort Traveler | Apr 3, 2019 | Airlines, Flight Reviews | 0

Background: I booked this flight specifically because I noticed that on the 5:30 PM Saturday flight, the First Class Cabin often left with empty seats with no one on the upgrade waitlist! My plan worked! My parents and I were upgraded 24 hours before departure after I split up our reservations once I arrived back from Iceland. As I wrote before, if you have a party of 3 or more, regardless if everyone has MVP status, you must split the reservations so that you may receive an upgrade. So I split off my parents at about T24 and shortly...

Review: Plaza Premium Arrivals Lounge LHR T2

Posted by The Resort Traveler | Apr 2, 2019 | Lounge Reviews, Uncategorized | 0

Background: After landing in Heathrow from my Icelandair flight, I wanted to grab a quick bite. Right after exiting customs, there was a Plaza Premium Arrivals Lounge in Terminal 2. Perfect for me! I gained access to this lounge through my Priority Pass Select Membership and was able to let in two guests with my Hilton AMEX Aspire Card. The lounge is open from 5:00am to 10:00pm daily. Entrance Interior It was much smaller than I imagined as it literally was just one small room. There were probably no more than 20 seats, but it was nicely appointed. On...

Update: Marriott Bonvoy HONORS Points Advance Reservations!

Posted by The Resort Traveler | Mar 13, 2019 | Hotels, Uncategorized | 12

Last weekend, I was a pretty bummed that Marriott Bonvoy wouldn’t attach my 7 Night Travel Package certificate to my Points Advance Reservation. On top of that, I was told that points advance wouldn’t be honored and that you would have had to attach certificates prior to the category increase. So after that I emailed marriott.bonvoychampion@marriott-service.com and on Monday I got the following reply from the Social Media Specialist. As of now, Points Advance bookings made before the category changes went into effect are being honored at the original rate booked. Our best suggestion is to call back and if...

Marriott Bonvoy NOT Honoring Points Advance Reservations!

Posted by The Resort Traveler | Mar 9, 2019 | Hotels, Uncategorized | 8

Update: Marriott Honors My Points Advance Reservation! Yikes! Marriott is Not Honoring Points Advance bookings for me. I thought everything was going smoothly, when I attached my Category 5 7 Night Travel Package on Thursday after the category increase on Tuesday. It was for the Ritz Carlton Coconut Grove, that jumped from a Category 5 to a Category 6. I made a 2 Points Advance Reservations prior to the category increase, and just this Thursday I tried attaching my certificate and everything went smoothly. Or so I thought. The agent was nice, but she attached it to the reservation with the...

Review: Waldorf Astoria Las Vegas at CityCenter

Posted by The Resort Traveler | Jan 29, 2019 | Hotel Reviews, Hotels, Uncategorized | 6

Background: I’ve previously stayed at the Waldorf Astoria Las Vegas when it was managed by Mandarin Oriental a little over a year ago. That stay left much to be desired, and I reviewed it previously. Now, I had a Hilton Weekend Night Certificate from my Hilton AMEX Aspire Card that was set to expire in 2 months, and decided to use it to my visit to Vegas during the MLK Weekend. As a Hilton Diamond Member which came from my AMEX card, I was curious to see what Diamond benefits would be offered and decided to give the Waldorf...

Is Bacchanal Buffet Really The Best in Las Vegas?

Posted by The Resort Traveler | Jan 28, 2019 | Hotels, Reviews and Reports, Travel Tips, Uncategorized | 10

Background: I’ve always wanted to try Bacchanal Buffet at Caesars Palace as it claims to be the “best in Vegas”. Having tried the Buffet at Wynn, Bellagio and Wicked Spoon at the Cosmopolitan, I needed to try Bacchanal! After status matching my Hilton Diamond to Wyndham Diamond, which then gives Total Rewards Diamond, a perfect opportunity arose. I could use my $100 Celebration Dinner at Bacchanal! Bacchanal Buffet at Caesars Palace: Weekend dinner is $64.99 at Bacchanal which is a pretty hefty price tag. In comparison, a personal favorite of mine, the Buffet at Bellagio is only $43.99 for weekend...

I Status Matched Wyndham Diamond to Caesars Diamond and got $100 Credit!

Posted by The Resort Traveler | Jan 22, 2019 | Commentary, Hotels, Travel Tips, Uncategorized | 13

Premise: Just this past weekend I visited Vegas to celebrate my 21st, and was very happy to have gained Caesars Diamond status through some status matching! The whole process only took less than a week, and I completed it earlier this month. In short I used: Hilton Diamond to Wyndham Diamond to Caesars Total Rewards Diamond Wyndham is providing status matches for three months, and so I matched my Hilton Diamond Status that I acquired from my Hilton Aspire Card. After the match, you have to stay 14 qualifying nights in 90 days to keep Diamond and you can maintain that...

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 | 4

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...