hotels

Hotel Chains – Hyatt, MLIFE and IHG

July 5, 2018 By Jason Kinney Leave a Comment

For us and many others, vacation and travel include more than just the plane tickets. Some things you have to consider when planning your vacation is what hotel chains to use, the car rentals, the food. All of these things help us in making memories. Between Cheyenne’s taekwondo tournaments, training trips for work and all my travels I spent over 60 nights in hotels in 2017. When you travel that much, you start to have preferences with specific hotel chains. Using one or two hotel chains to book the majority of your stays helps with building up those point balances instead of spreading them thin at tons of locations leaving you too short to do any redemptions. Below are my three favorites.

MLIFE/MGM Grand Group

MLIFE/MGM is my favorite of all the hotel chains when traveling to Las Vegas. They have multiple resorts in Las Vegas such as Bellagio, MGM Grand, Mandalay Bay, Vdara, Aria, and others. Some people do prefer the Caesars program, but I have found that I prefer to stay with MLIFE due to the overall feel and experience at these hotels. The Caesars group has recently gone through bankruptcy so, some of the resorts are showing more wear and tear than the MLIFE casinos. The MLIFE hotel chain has a partnership with Southwest and Hyatt. You can provide your Southwest Airlines account number at check-in, and you will receive bonus points if you booked through them. Besides, you can submit your Hyatt account number, and you get points and stay credits towards their program on all purchases and your hotel rooms.

*** Pro Tip: When I eat at a handful of the resort restaurants or get show tickets, I make sure to bill them to the room to get the double bonus of Hyatt points along of MLIFE points.

Hyatt

Hyatt is one out of all the hotel chains I prefer for all my other travel. I love their rooms, and they have smaller point redemptions available. We have enjoyed many stays in Milwaukee, Chicago and Minneapolis areas from this great program and take advantage of their park and fly options. Sometimes the site will even allow you to use points to reserve the hotel but pay a small amount for parking before flying out. The only downside is it is a smaller hotel chain than some others, and there are not many Hyatt’s in Wisconsin which is where the next program comes in.

IHG

IHG is my secondary program. Most people will not recognize IHG, but they will know Holiday Inn. IHG owns multiple hotel groups including Holiday Inn which seem to be all around us. IHG almost always has some kind of program available for extra points. Sometimes it’s just as simple as 5,000 bonus points for your first stay, take advantage of these if you can.

Pro Tip: You always need to check your account before checking in as these programs do not have automatic enrollment and you have to sign up before checking in.

Other Hotel Chains Tips

We do use other hotel chains at times depending on the trip or vacation but prefer to stay with these three if possible. We do like the Disney resorts or some of the specific Cancun resorts that do not fit into a ‘rewards program’ when visiting those locations. Mostly due to location and proximity to what we are doing. For us, the reward points aren’t worth the extra travel time to and from places and free transportation/parking benefits we get at the other hotel chains.

My recommendation is to focus on a small handful of hotels when you start out, and always try booking there. But don’t get so caught up in using that hotel chain that you don’t take advantage of other factors including convenience, location and other hotel chain deals.

Hotel chains a closer look at Mlife, Hyatt and IHG. Maximize those reward points! #travel #travelhacking #traveltips #hotels #hotelpoints #hotelgroups #hotelchains

Preferred Options – Las Vegas – MLIFE Casinos and Hotels

June 27, 2018 By Jason Kinney Leave a Comment

MLIFE Casinos has a large number of hotels in their portfolio on the Las Vegas Strip. Most of my stays in Las Vegas are at one of their casinos. Below I will highlight some of my favorites that are in my rotation after scoring a good flight deal.

Vdara

Vdara is my favorite Mlife resort. Notice I did not say casino for this one. This resort is a ‘suite only’ hotel that does not have a casino. Aria is right next door and is a quick walk to the nearest slot machine. This hotel is also non-smoking. Keep in mind; Las Vegas allows smoking in their casinos. This Mlife hotel is a place where there is no smoke to worry about. It has the tram just outside the doors that will get you from Bellagio to Aria to Monte Carlo (will be known as “The Park”) within a couple of months. This tram is free and gets you to and from areas very quickly. You can also get some of the best views high up in some of the rooms of the Bellagio Fountains,. Also one of the most essential features to Joni, there is a Starbucks in the lobby.

MGM Grand

Besides Vdara, this is one of the three hotels I stay at the most. This Mlife resort is across from T-Mobile Arena. This is a great option when you finish up after a Las Vegas Golden Knights hockey game, UFC fight or music concert. They have the MGM Grand Garden Arena attached which also has many events. Sometimes after walking all day then going to a show, having a close room nearby is worth it. They do have some of the comfiest beds that I have ever slept in, and the rooms always have been in excellent shape. I recommend their Executive Suites. These suites are an excellent value for the room, especially if you need the extra space when traveling with family or friends. If you have a rental car, they provide easy access to get in and out without having to go down the Las Vegas Strip. This hotel has one of my favorite spots for breakfast, MGM Grand Cafe. I will not complete a Las Vegas trip without stopping at least once to get my “Cornflake Crusted Fried French Toast” which is my favorite! Joni approves this hotel due to having multiple Starbucks (I know how important that feature is to some.)

Mandalay Bay

Mandalay Bay is one of the other Mlife hotels in the rotation. Some people may tend to stay away due to the Route 91 festival incident. I was staying there days after and had planned at one point to attend that concert. That will be a personal choice for some to consider before booking. Mandalay Bay does have my favorite pool/beach for swimming in. It has a calm wave pool with a sandy beach. Mandalay Bay is another location that has a tram attached that will get you from Mandalay Bay to Luxor to Excalibur. Having a tram nearby helps cut down on the amount of walking between resorts. With it being at the far end of the Strip, some will look at that as a deterrent, but that means its easier to get in and out if you chose to use a rental car.

MGM Grand and Mandalay Bay have been providing some great deals over the last year. My next trip I am trying the newly upgraded casino called “The Park.” This newly named hotel is the remodeled Monte Carlo. “The Park” and “New York New York” are the two closest hotels to T-Mobile Arena. Since I will be going for UFC fight week which will take place at T-Mobile Arena, this was a perfect opportunity to try the remodeled Mlife hotel. The fact that I got two free nights did not hurt either. 🙂

To learn more about how we get free hotels and airfare check out our articles about travel hacking.

Mlife hotels and casinos. Find out what we recommend and why. #mlife #mgm #mandalaybay #bellagio #fountains #lasvegas

Disney World: Cheap Airfare

May 30, 2018 By Jason Kinney 1 Comment

Disney World is a hard trip to do on the cheap. One of the most common questions is: how can I get cheap airfare to Disney World? There are so many different costs that make it challenging. Getting it for free is very hard, so sometimes you do steps to minimize the costs. The easiest is to start with airfare.

You may also find our article on Disney World hotels of interest to you to help you save money on your vacation.

How do I get cheap airfare to Disney World?

One of the easist ways to get cheap airfare to Disney World is to fly from a main hub. When flying with kids, you don’t want to have to deal with possible delays, missed flights or stop overs. If you are flying from Wisconsin I do recommend Milwaukee as there are many nonstop flights from Southwest.

Southwest Rapid Rewards

By using these miles you can get great deals on these flights. Southwest miles are easy to accumulate and Southwest is a partner with Chase. You can transfer your Ultimate Rewards points to your Southwest account.

To get an idea on costs, for one of our trips to Orlando I was able to get round trip flights for around 13,000 miles. For a family of three, you can get to Orlando for under 40,000 miles if you are flexible with the dates. Chase offers sign up bonuses for their credit cards higher than this. If you are able to do the minimal spend, this will get you enough miles for your family to fly for the cost of an annual fee under $100. Southwest does not charge bag fees, which provides extra savings. Just knowing this can save your family compared to other airlines.

If you do chose a different airline, do take a look at their credit card as they do provide miles bonuses and free checked bags for some. Not all points are equal when you are trying to maximize your flight advantages. Odds are it will not be enough for all three of you to fly down, but every little bit helps. Also through United, American Airlines and Delta, they do offer a better boarding positions. Sometimes the ability to board early to make sure you can keep your carry on close to you is worth it just to make sure you have access to whatever you will need for your flight.

Trying to figure out how to get cheap airfare to Disney World? Come check out what we prefer #airfare #disneyworld #disneyairfare #disneyhotels #disneyworldresorts

Disney World Hotels

May 26, 2018 By Jason Kinney Leave a Comment

I do prefer to stay at the Disney World hotels on our trips down to Florida. They may cost a little more, but the benefits easily cover the costs. Come and read some of our favorite Disney World Hotel benefits and check out how to get cheaper airfare: Disney World: Cheap Airfare.

Disney World Hotels Benefits

Magical Express Bus

What we consider our most significant benefit to the Disney World hotels is they provide transportation to/from the Orlando International airport for a lot of different airlines. Using Disney’s Magical Express means no long taxi ride, shuttle bus fees, or car rental worries.

The Disney Bus services also provide transportation to all the parks, and you can even get to all the other Disney World Hotels. If you do decide to travel away from Disney properties, you can always catch a bus from Disney Springs, or they will even take you to the Disney Car Rental service to rent a car for a day or two.

Luggage Delivery

Luggage Delivery is one of my favorite little perks. When you use the Disney Magical Express Service, you get your luggage delivered to your Disney hotels room at no charge. A few weeks before your trip you get special luggage tags to attach to your bags if you are flying into the Orlando International Airport.

The special tags, allows Disney to grab your bags and deliver them straight to your room, completely free. Luggage delivery frees you and your family up to explore your resort, and you don’t need to cart heavy bags around.

Free Parking

There is no need to pay another parking fee for going in and out of the resorts or parks. Disney hotels guests get free standard parking at theme parks, water parks and in the Disney Springs area.

Extra Magic Hours Disney hotels

If you are staying at the Disney hotels and visiting one of the Disney theme parks you can take advantage of Extra Magic Hours. These are hours the theme park is only open to resort guests. The Extra Magic Hours are either before the park opens for the day or they stay open later after the park closes to normal guests. We try to take advantage of these Extra Magic Hours at Magical Kingdom when they stay open late.

Travel Points

Since we love travel hacking, we are always looking for good travel programs to take advantage of. Disney does not have a real active rewards program and push more of a timeshare approach; it is hard to work towards a free trip using points. Instead of a Disney Reward Program, this is where a cash back card that gets at least 2% builds up those balances or Ultimate Rewards points through Chase.

You can book Disney hotels through Chase using their travel portal using your points. You will get 1.25 cents per point for all cards except if you have a Chase Sapphire Reserve which receives 1.5 centers per point. Watch the Disney website for deals also. They do offer deals at times where you can get better pricing.

Other Hotel Options

Another option is through Hotels.com. Amazon and eBay love to post sales on gift cards for hotels.com. If you can pick up these cards at the 10-20% sale discount over time, it makes a big dent on the hotel stay. Even if you don’t find one of those deals take advantage of getting Disney gift cards at Target to save a few dollars. If you use your Red Card to make those purchases, you will save yourself some money before you even get to Disney World.

With Disney, you have to be creative to beat the costs, but you can get an affordable family vacation. For additional Money Savings tips sign up for our free ebook and money savings guides.

Cheap or Splurge – Las Vegas Strip Hotels

March 21, 2018 By Jason Kinney Leave a Comment

Las Vegas Strip Hotels

On the Las Vegas Strip there are two companies that own majority of the casinos. The two companies with the most Las Vegas Strip Hotels are MGM Resorts (MLife) and Caesars (Total Rewards). Most die hard “Vegas Trippers” have their favorite and tend to stick to one of those two groups. I personally prefer MGM Resorts and I have stayed at several Caesars properties over my last thirty or so trips. My personal opinion is for the cost of the hotels I have found I got a nicer room; that I personally enjoyed more with MGM Resorts. Caesars has recently gone through Bankruptcy but are in the process of updating some of their casinos. It will be interesting to see within the next couple years.

How do you choose where to stay?

One of the reasons I have stayed with MGM Grand is the snowball effect. The more you visit, the better deals you would continue to get through their hotels. Keep in mind one thing you will see at almost all hotels in Las Vegas is the dreaded “Resort Fee”. These will cost about $30-$40 a night depending on the hotel. You should consider this fee this when deciding where to book.

When booking my rooms I go through three groups of choices.

If you have been to Las Vegas before, always sign into your account online to see if you have any good offers. You can sometimes get free rooms, discounted rooms, or free play and free food/beverage towards your stay with MGM Resorts and/or Caesars Resorts.
One other group of hotels/casinos is owned by the Sands Group and those are the Venetian and the Palazzo. I do stay at those usually once a year because they are also partnered through www.IHG.com which is the hotel group that includes the Holiday Inn. By having a Chase IHG credit card that has an annual fee of $49.00, I receive one free hotel night at any IHG hotel. I have been able to pair this free stay up last year for a December 30th stay that was asking over $300 a night. That alone was worth the $49 annual fee.
My favorite site I use for hotel bookings in Las Vegas is My Cheap Vegas. They do all the leg work for you by search all over for the booking codes that you can use to book at a discount. I’ve used this and ended up with a reduced rate along with an additional $120 food/beverage credit for the trip.

Keep in mind most of the time these are refundable rates. You can book your room months out from your arrival date. If a different deal comes along that is better, you can cancel and book that new offer with no penalty. A few do have “Non-Refundable” rates so make sure you read the fine print before booking.

On the Cheap:

If you really wanted to go on the cheap, you can always stay down on Fremont Street or one of the Travelodges on the strip. My option I do not consider ‘cheap’ but more as frugal. When I am on vacation, I do prefer having a bed softer than a plywood board and some place better than the standard hotel room. I have found my two choices most recently have been MGM Grand and Mandalay Bay. I have stayed at these two hotels for most of my trips the last year. Some people may question the Mandalay Bay choice. I did stay there a week after the incident in Vegas. That would be a choice only you could make. Some of the nicest staff and great rooms I have had have been here. I have started to move towards MGM Grand also due to more of a convenience. Both locations are easy to get in and out with a rental car. Both locations have good buffets and restaurants that I frequent for breakfast or lunch. The reason for the nod towards MGM Grand is that it is closer to T-Mobile Arena. Most of my trips now revolve around the UFC fights. When you have so many people going to and from the arena after a UFC fight or a Vegas Golden Knights hockey game, I found it beneficial to be just a casino away from my room.

Room to Splurge:

When I splurge, I still try to stay within a budget. You could say a penthouse at the Bellagio, but not many could that be realistic. When Joni and I go down to Las Vegas, I will always try to get a couple nights at the Vdara which is an Mlife Hotel. Notice that I did not say casino, because there is no casino at this all-suite, non-smoking hotel. It is right on the strip and steps away from the Bellagio and Aria when you have that itch to gamble. I usually book a “Vdara Fountain View Suite”. Many nights we have just gone back to the room early and watched the Bellagio fountains from the comfort of our room. The non-studio suites come with a full refrigerator with chilled water, which is awesome after a full day of walking around. In addition you get a Dishwasher, Laundry washer and dryer and other amenities. These rooms are up for purchase as living quarters so you have all the comforts of home while over looking the fountains. These rooms are a little more expensive but can be rented for $125-200 a night depending on the week night. If money was no issue on any of my stays, these rooms would be my choice each time due to space, location, comfort and views.

Want to know more? Check out these other articles you may be interested in.

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