News and notes from around the interweb:
- There’s been widespread online discussion of a major Hilton devaluation a week ago with tons of properties going up 10,000 points per night. Of course Hilton no longer has an award chart and no longer announces hotel prices changes. I queried Hilton over the weekend and will share what I learn.
- Hilton’s CEO has been sufficiently shamed and says he’ll start tipping hotel housekeeping. Since tipping doesn’t really raise housekeeper wages it’d all be so much better if the room rate included actually cleaning the room and housekeepers were paid their entire wages by their employer.
- The Air Italy flight stranded in San Francisco for 35 hours when American wouldn’t lend or sell a part messed with Brian Boitano!
24 -yes 24 hours of delays. Plane still isn’t here. No communication with customers. Lots of angry people—Got to get it together @airitaly_official Going through growing pains. pic.twitter.com/mcU5swBliI
— Brian Boitano (@BrianBoitano) June 2, 2019
- In the fall I wrote that South African Airways was bankrupt and just not publishing financial statements but would survive on more government subsidies (which partner United doesn’t seem to mind in this case). Are we reaching the end of the government’s willingness and ability to keep the subsidies running?
Copyright: tupungato / 123RF Stock Photo - Microsoft is introducing a new version of Flight Simulator next year
@ Gart — Screw every hotel, airline, and car program. It’s all about cashback now.
Agree with you 100% Gene! I switched to cash back cards almost a year ago. Constant bait and switch where the goal posts are always being moved! Won’t be the last devaluation anyone will see. Fortunately, I refuse to be suckered any longer. Not to mention all of the annual fees I’m saving…
At long last we know the answer to “What would Brian Boitano do?”
Unfortunately it appears the answer is “send an angry tweet”
@Gary: “t’d all be so much better if the room rate included actually cleaning the room and housekeepers were paid their entire wages by their employer.”
But that doesn’t incentivize them to do a good job.
Instead of a dirty room you have a more expensive dirty room.
Too bad DCS isn’t around anymore to troll troll troll away…Marriott isn’t anything great these days, but at least they typically wouldn’t pull BS like that.
What happened to DCS.?
Hilton had to raise the cost of points redemption rooms so the CEO can afford to tip
the housekeepers for his free rooms
Maybe we can stop “valuing” hotel points by some arbitary “cents per point” metric and instead by the specifics of each redemption opporunity.
Hilton points are so easy to obtain, I find it laughable that we are going to get bent out of shape over some some increase.
– signed a Hilton diamond