Euro Trip 2019 Planning: Booking initial hotels (Part 1)

In the previous installments in this series, I wrote about having a blank slate for this year’s journey and selecting our transatlantic flights. I then discussed how I decided where we would actually go once we arrived in Europe. Today’s article is the first of two which will cover booking our initial hotel stays. I will describe my general strategy for making lodging reservations, along with the short-list of properties that I am considering and why they made the list. I will use Milan, Italy for this detailed discussion though I employed this approach for all bookings for this trip.

IHG and MasterCard bring you "Priceless Experiences"

IHG and MastercCard are teaming up to allow you to earn up to a $100 reward card and 4,000 IHG Rewards points with "Priceless Experiences."

Loyalty Programs, Hotels, Points and MilesDerek CookOctober 20, 2017Priceless Expriences, IHG, IHG Rewards, MasterCard, promotions

Fall 2017 hotel promotion: IHG Rewards

For fall 2017, IHG is offering a new version of "Accelerate." I have not been a big fan of previous "Accelerate" promotions, but I am surprised at just how lucrative the fall 2017 edition is. Let's take a closer look.

Winter hotel promotions

If you will be traveling in winter or early spring of 2017, you will want to be registered for the promotions of your preferred hotel chain. Get the details here for Starwood, Marriott, Hilton and IHG.

IHG summer promotion: Share Forever

"Share Forever" is IHG's spring promotion that offers bonus points for achieving various thresholds of stays. I can earn as many 73,400 bonus IHG Rewards points for completing 24 stays before September 5, 2016. I have a more realistic chance for 6,400 points after four stays.

Hotels, Loyalty ProgramsDerek CookMay 14, 2016promotions, IHG Rewards, IHG

New IHG PointBreaks list goes live

It's time again for a new IHG Rewards Club PointBreaks list for early 2016. The promotion offers rooms at select properties for only 5,000 points per night.

Hotels, Loyalty ProgramsDerek CookJanuary 26, 2016IHG Rewards, IHG, Chase IHG Rewards Mastercard, PointBreaks

Why the IHG Rewards MasterCard is so valuable

The IHG Rewards Club Select MasterCard is one of the most valuable credit cards I carry

Hotels, Loyalty Programs, Credit CardsDerek CookJanuary 11, 2016IHG, IHG Rewards, Chase IHG Rewards Mastercard, points and miles

New Hotel Indigo coming to downtown Atlanta

Famed architect John Portman has unveiled a new Hotel Indigo in downtown Atlanta. He has now renovated one of his earliest buildings, 230 Peachtree "into a 206-room Hotel Indigo, upscale restaurant JP Atlanta and office space."

HotelsDerek CookJanuary 6, 2016John Portman, Atlanta, architect, architecture, Hotel Indigo, IHG

Hilton and IHG unveil first quarter promotions

Hilton and IHG unveiled their first quarter promotions for 2016. "Double Your HHonors" offers double points on stays at worldwide Hilton properties. IHG's "Accelerate" presents a list of offers that allows you to earn bonus points as you complete individual offers.

One multiple-night stay or multiple one-night stays?

For my recent trip to Miami, I had to decide between a two-night stay at one hotel or two one-night stays at two properties. The decision came down to whether immediate bonus points or SPG Gold Preferred status for 2016 was more valuable.