Delta Points - SWAG Saturday: What is your aspirational “fun”!

This past Friday, before a PVT BoardingArea conference, I had the amazing privilege of flying with MJ from MJ on travel. As many readers know when I started in college I was going for my pilot's license. I chose not to follow that but MJ did and flew for AA way back when. What a fun time we had buzzing around Colorado Springs and I think you will see more about the day and some photos on his blog soon (and maybe a few photos here as well)!

But that brings up my question for today's swag giveaway. What would you like to use points to do for the "first time ever". I love love love to scuba dive. It had been a while since I "got wet" and Lisa & I had a stupid amount of fun last year in Grand Cayman on points that I mostly got from both of us EACH getting an INK BOLD and an INK PLUS card each last year.

So for today's giveaway, all you need to do is tell me what you have always wanted to do and hope to use points to get that done? As always the rules are HERE and I will be picking the winners for the fun mix of travel stuff you see below! – René

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My SPG Platinum Requalification Gift Choice: Double Starpoints or 35% Award Discount

Starwood offers elites who requalify for their tier in 2013 a choice of elite gifts. Golds who requalify (10 stays/25 nights) get the choice of a 25% discount on one award stay or double points for a month, and Platinums (25 stays/50 nights) get the choice of a 35% discount on one award stay or double points for a month.

I just requalified for Platinum with 50 nights year-to-date thanks in part to starting the year with 10 elite nights thanks to my SPG Personal and Business Amex cards which give 2 stays/5 nights each towards elite status. To get notification of the gift, make sure you're opted in to Starwood's promotional emails, but even if you do not receive Starwood's promotional emails, you can still register for this promotion here.

Preferred members who achieve Gold status and Gold members requalifying are eligible for the Gold gift. Gold members who achieve Platinum status and Platinum members requalifying are eligible for the Platinum gift. If a member obtains Gold status by meeting the spend threshold on their SPG Amex co-brand credit card, they will also be eligible for the Gold gift. Lifetime Gold members who hit the Gold stay or night thresholds and Lifetime Platinums who hit the Platinum stay or night thresholds will also be eligible for gift selection.

Comped Gold status from the Amex Personal and Business Platinum cards will not get you the Gold gift. Also, those who are Platinum, but don't requalify for Platinum – even if they get Gold, they won't get a gift.

The promotion is ongoing, so you can qualify and register throughout 2013, and those who qualify in December of 2013 for the Gold or Platinum gift can register and up until early in 2013.

Per the promotional terms and conditions, if I choose the double points option, I earn double points just on my base earning. So whereas right now I earn 2 Starpoints per $1, plus 2 more Starpoints per $1 as a Platinum and an additional 2 points per $1 with my Starwood Amex, for a total of 6 Starpoints per $1. If I choose this option, though, I'll earn an additional 2 points per $1 on base spending for a total of 8 Starpoints per $1. You get to choose from three possible months provided as options at the time I register. That just gives me until September, so I find this option fairly limited.

I'm personally much more interested in the 35% off redemption gift. To book a discounted award stay, you must get the Award ID on your registration confirmation and call the SPG number at 1-888-625-4991 to book (you can't do it online). This benefit is also only available at Category 1-6 hotels for stays up to a five-night stay up to six months from registration and applies only to standard room categories.

To max out the point savings at a Category 6 hotel like the Hotel Imperial in Vienna, you could book four award nights at a peak time when award nights 25,000 points each (and get the fifth night free) for a total of 100,000 Starpoints, when rooms are going for 419 EUR ($550) per night.

With the 35% off elite gift, you'd get 35,000 points back, so your five nights would cost a total of 65,000 points instead of $2,750, getting a value of about 4.2 cents per point.

To earn more than 35,000 points (the equivalent of what you're saving) with the double points promotion, you'd need to spend at least $17,500 during your selected double points month. That's something I won't be doing, but if you plan huge events or are a road warrior, the double points may be the way to go.

This option has the potential to be extremely lucrative at lower category hotels as well. To take an example, I'm thinking of going to Sydney for New Year's.  The Westin Sydney is a Category 5 property that normally requires 12,000 Starpoints for an award night.I could book four nights at 12,000 points and get a fifth night free, spending a total of 48,000 Starpoints. However, I'd then get 25%, or 16,800 Starpoints back.

So my total redemption would be 31,200 Starpoints for five nights in Sydney over New Year's – a breakdown of 6,240 Starpoints per night.

Room rates at the same time are a whopping $750 AUD ($770 USD), so those five nights would cost me $3,750 AUD ($3,845), giving me a value of 12.4 cents per point. Thanks SPG! Even though I'm not maxing out the rebate with a category 5 hotel, I'd still save 16,800 Starpoints- to get that many during a double points month I'd need to spend at least $8,400.

The one chance I would have to take on that particular redemption is that I can only book up to 6 months out, so I will have to wait to register until the end of June to book this award and hope rooms are still available.

All in all, I think it's nice that Starwood rewards loyal customers for qualifying for their tier early, even if it's just under the deadline, and a 35% points discount can be a great way to save a ton of points if you plan your redemptions carefully.

Double Starpoints® Month: Registered member can choose to earn double Starpoints on all eligible stays during the calendar month of their choice from the three months provided as options. Retroactive selecting of the member's bonus month is prohibited. Members who earn double Starpoints will earn an additional two Starpoints per eligible US$1 spent (for a total of four Starpoints per dollar). Elite-level extra Starpoints earnings and other bonuses will not be doubled. Only the base two Starpoints per dollar earnings are doubled. There is no limit to the number of bonus Starpoints that can be earned during the promotion period. Bonus Starpoints will post to the registered member's account within 2–4 weeks after the qualifying stay posts. An Eligible Night is a night at any of the over 1,100 SPG®-participating hotels and resorts paying an Eligible Rate during the promotion period. An Eligible Rate is any rate that is eligible to earn Starpoints in the Starwood Preferred Guest® program. SPG-participating hotels and resorts and a description of Eligible Stays and Eligible Rates can be found at spg.com under program terms and conditions. See Section 1.4 b iii for the complete definition of Eligible Rates, but note that certain prepaid rooms where the booking is made through a third party (including but not limited to travelocity.com, expedia.com and orbitz.com) are not Eligible Rates and do not earn Starpoints or qualify toward promotional earnings.s

35% off Starpoints® Redemption: Registered member chose one (1) 35%-off redemption award. SPG® members must call 1-888-625-4991 or their nearest Starwood Preferred Guest® Customer Contact Center and mention Award ID PP2POR. Offer is valid for one award at Category 1–6 hotels and resorts for up to a five-night stay through November 30, 2013. This 35%-off redemption offer excludes Category 7 properties, upgrade awards and award reservations booked online. 35%-off redemption and no blackout dates applies to standard room categories only. 35%-off redemption stay will count toward elite qualification. Member forfeits percent-off redemption when modifying award reservation outside the offer dates. If a percent-off redemption award is cancelled, only the amount of Starpoints used to order the percent-off redemption award will be credited to the member's account. Other restrictions may apply. Advance reservations required.

Qualifications and Starwood Terms: Offers are nontransferable and void for Starwood employees. Once a member chooses his or her offer it cannot be changed at any time. All promotions are subject to the Starwood Preferred Guest program terms and conditions, which are subject to change without notice and can be found at spg.com. Offer is applicable to individual members only and not to groups. Not responsible for omissions or typographical errors. Starwood reserves the right to discontinue this offer at any time. To update your communication preferences or learn about our privacy practices, view our Privacy Statement on spg.com/privacy, or access our privacy information line by calling 1-877-782-0071 in the U.S. and Canada or +353-21-4930474 in all other countries. Starpoints, SPG, Preferred Guest, Sheraton, Four Points, W, Aloft, The Luxury Collection, Le Méridien, Element, Sheraton, St. Regis and their respective logos are the trademarks of Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc., or its affiliates. Void where prohibited by law. ©2013 Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. All rights reserved.

This content is not provided or commissioned by the company whose products are featured on this site. Any opinions, analyses, reviews or evaluations provided here are those of the author's alone, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by the Advertiser. This site may be compensated through the Advertiser's affiliate programs.

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AirBnB Flexes Its Muscles: May be the Hotel Industry Worried?

Where: Various Locations The chatter surrounding Airbnb has found in the last few months because of its now simple reputation within the lodging industry, although it is been around for a couple decades now. Based on Yahoo News, Airbnb listings -- aka rooms for rent -- have risen from 10,000 at the end of 2009 to 300,000 across 192 nations today. At the conclusion of this past year, the numbers proposed Airbnb could surpass Hilton in number of rooms booked. That's a serious growth spurt! Obviously, Airbnb's rise in popularity shows it's no longer an alternative limited to hippies and free spirits, a well known fact that has caught the interest of some within the hotel industry. The major question becomes: Can Airbnb really pose a threat to resort income and occupancy? Well, considering the fact that both business and leisure travelers are using the service, nightmare yes it can! Price, range, and the concept of having a traditional experience appear to be driving Airbnb's achievement as travelers turn to not only cut costs but to throw themselves locally while on the way. "It is obviously painful to discover a nice and inexpensive place to keep particularly when you travel alone and do not know concerning the place you're likely to visit," mentioned Lu Cao, from Portland, OR. Airbnb several times were used by "i around different U.S. Towns and they all ended up to be good. You can always learn a large amount of local information from the hosts, and the always check in/out time can become more flexible than the usual hotel. Also, the majority of them offer free WiFi connection." For example, a of the Airbnb entries in NYC for this weekend showed over a rooms available for less than $100 a night. Meanwhile, a of hotels.com for the same time frame and same cost range pulled up a listing of accommodations generally located in Nj-new Jersey, many poor reviews had been received by of. In addition, in case you didn't know, New Jersey is not New York City! Therefore, if Airbnb has more options at lower costs and culture begins to see it to be secure (aka we work through thinking every stranger is a serial killer), why could not the service contend with resorts? Especially considering all of the "support local" movements happening in the united states. Speak about promoting the neighborhood economy and people -- your tourism pounds would actually go directly into their pockets. We see opposition as a very important thing, so we're looking forward to seeing what Airbnb continues to accomplish and the way the hotel business reacts. [Photo: ABC News]

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5 Famous People From Florence, Italy

Florence is more than just a beautiful Italian city; over the years it has been the birthplace of many very important people in history, from Donatello to Catherine de Medici.

Although there are probably as many notable people who have hailed from this city as there are places to stay in Florence, let's take a look at five you will certainly recognise…

Florence is known as the birthplace of Renaissance, and was the home of many famous Renaissance artists such as Donatello and Michelangelo.

Donatello revolutionized the 15th century art scene. One of his most famous works is "David," a bronze statue commissioned for the court of the Palazzo Medici.

It was the very first free-standing nude sculpture made since ancient times and it was like no other work at the time.

Michelangelo is another important Renaissance artist associated with Florence. He too created a "David" statue, which is perhaps even more famous than that of Donatello.

The statue is meant to be a representation in marble of the perfect male form – so why did his creator not make him – how would one say – a little better endowed?

The mystery is said to have been solved, apparently his "male organ" is supposed to have shrunk by the fear of Goliath..!

Where: Although the real statues of David are in Museo Nazionale del Bargello and Galleria dell'Accademia, you can see a replica of Michelangelo's David at Piazza della Signoria.

Born in Florence in 1940, Roberto Cavalli is a fashion designer who is known for created the "sand-blasted" style of lighter-coloured denim jeans, which is now a standard style for many denim makers.

He began his career in 1965 when he was only in his 20s, creating hand-painted T-shirts. He went on to become one of the most well-known Italian fashion designers.

Elton John is a huge fan and is said to spend hours in the store picking out clothes. Cavalli's designs are synonymous with rock-and-roll and they utilize a lot of leather, colour, silk, feathers and much more.

Where: Next to his shop is Caffe Giacosa, a great cafe which Cavalli actually owns (and designed of course!). It has a great atmosphere and delicious food and coffee!

Daughter to Lorenzo ll de Medici, Catherine was a French/Italian noble woman born in Florence in 1519. She would eventually take the throne as the Queen of France after marrying King Henry II when she was only 14.

Henry's death thrust her into the political arena. In 1560 her frail 15-year-old son, King Francis II died, leaving her as regent on behalf of her 10-year-old son, King Charles IX. She also played a key role in the reign of her third son, Henry III.

Although she is thought to be unforgivably ruthless, she is considered by many historians to be the most powerful woman in 16th century Europe.

Where: The Uffizi museum (one of the most famous in the world) was once a palace of the Medici family full of art treasures. Today visitors can view the art collected by the family and others at the museum.

Botticelli was born in Florence circa 1445 and went on to become an Italian painter during the Early Renaissance. He studied at the Florentine school under the esteemed patronage of the famous Lorenzo de Medici during what would later be considered the "Golden Age."

His best known works are "The Birth of Venus" and "Primavera" (also known as the "Allegory of Spring"). The latter is said to be one of the most written about and most controversial paintings in the world.

These are just five examples of famous people who have hailed from Florence, Italy, but of course there have been many more over the years. This city just seems to have something special and inspiring and when you visit you will see it for yourself.

About the Author: Sarah Sherman is a freelance writer who has spent the last two months making her way slowly across Italy and writing about what she discovers. She has fallen in love with this city.

Delta Points - Swag Saturday: What is your best SPG upgrade?

I will have a review soon of my stay at the SPG LAX. It was a great stay. I slept well and was 100% recharged for my final two legs of my 12 leg mileage run. I even scored my first battlefield upgrade and the LAX-JFK flight was very very nice and will cover that soon too! But for today, let's power up again.

On my trip I have used my ANKER ASTRO2 power brick a bunch. I have one more to give away So the rules, as always, are HERE! Then, you need to answer this simple question:

That simple. I have found SPG to be one of the best hotels in both product and service. If you don't have an SPG card yet, you are missing out! – René

Via: Is very easy: photos from abroad this week, following American Adventure

New York: Dream Friday: Flatiron Hotel's $8,000 Birthday "Pimping" Package

Here's the most recent happening in the luxury hotel world as told by JustLuxe.com. Got a question about luxury resorts, the journey industry, and where to stay? Send it in and we'll have JustLuxe answer it. Whoever came up with that little slogan aItas the thought that countsa for special-occasion gifting is really a more spiritually developed creature than we (or Kristen Stewart aor Johnny Deppas new piece) will ever be. Caring feelings are appreciated, but when you really wish to make our next birthday unforgettable, please book us the VIP birthday package at the Flatiron Hotel. Particularly, the one which comes with a private sushi cook, a classic Cadillac Deville a65 with chauffeur, four tickets to the New York Giants, and all-day spa treatments for all the friends who're remaining with us in the 4000-square-foot Toshias Penthouse. Along with a few more little things we havenat comprehensive (full offer details following the leap). Itas $8000 per individual, plus tip and tax, but if someone is loved by you, moneyas a small price to pay for, right? aThese customized, over-the-top festivals could only be available in the greatest city in the world,a says resort owner Robert aToshia Chan. His resort can be providing two more cost-effective birthday packages, on the more reasonable tip. The entry-level Preening package includes treat, a Birthdaya serenade from your house group, and wine package support (with fireworks delivery!!) for $95 per person (room charge maybe not included). That is available to non-guests as well. The next level is Strutting, and generally includes sets from Preening along with a 5-course gourmet selection, a cake and VIP sitting in the lounge. Price: $195 per person, on top of room rate. Also offered to non-guests. But that is Fantasy Friday, therefore letas concentrate on the $8K Pimping offer. Cap tip to Toshi Chan, because it more or less reads like a common weekend itinerary for Jay-Z and Beyonce, the couple that defined major pimpina. Behold: aPremium bottle of French Champagne aPersonalized cocktail produced by mixologist aOriginal birthday song played by Toshias band aChoreographed unique dance with a corps of wonderful professional Broadway performers (gender recommended ) aPremium lounge section aToshias personal sushi cooking makes new sushi at table-side Over 10 lb. Alaskan King Crab (flown in live from Alaska) prepared with garlic and new butter over a bed of pasta aOvernight stay in Toshias Penthouse aChauffeured trip door to door in Toshias classic Cadillac Deville a65 convertible or Ford Galaxie a66 aFour (4) quality New York Jets or New York Giants Football Tickets (in-season just ) aFull human body massage, cosmetic, reflexology, and aromatherapy remedies in Toshias Penthouse for all members of the Agroup A modern urban store resort neighboring Madison Square Park and Mario Batalias Eataly, Flatiron Hotel is well known because of its live music displays six evenings weekly in the lobby lounge. If you plan on hitting the sack early request an area on a top floor. [Photos: Flatiron Hotel]

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Compromise My Trip - Rocketmiles Fizzles after Launch

Thereas been plenty of excitement about Rocketmiles within the last two weeks. You all know from my previous threads that Iam a lover of PointsHound, and the programs are extremely similar: generate miles in a existing airline commitment program when scheduling hotels on top. I knew what made PointsHound great: the opportunity to earn even more miles as a buyer and adouble dipa by making both airline miles AND resort points/status. Nevertheless the main appeal to Rocketmiles appeared to be just lots and lots of miles. Thatas wonderful a' if you earn enough miles to create up for the tradeoffs. Up to now I've maybe not been impressed. PointsHound does that, also, having its aBig Earningsa costs at select houses. So how exactly do the 2 companies assess? Hereas my present impression of Rocketmiles: But I know generalities aren't enough. A few test comparisons were run by me for future travel times, picking to credit my reward miles to United Airlines in all cases.AI conducted some test searches using a fresh PointsHound account at Level 1. That is an important qualifier because theAnumber of miles you generate can more than doubleAas you book more times and development to raised levels. Depending on your scheduling patterns, the winner in these evaluations may change. Also donat forget that when you want to visit Wichita, as I will in June, PointsHound will help you out but Rocketmiles arises nothing. My searches were restricted to markets served by both businesses. Letas skip directly to my home town. June is peak tourist year in Seattle, and the resort industry is ridiculous. Remember my Insideras Guide from the couple months ago? It may be clear in winter and then book full months beforehand in summer time. Luckily we have a lot of good hotels, nevertheless the capacity issue shows that decision is essential. Rocketmiles offeredAonly two hotels for this weekend trip. Resort Max was offered at $219 per night and 7,000 miles total, while Hotel Vintage Park was offered at $240 per night and 2000 miles total. These are reasonable rates and good hotels. PointsHound matched those rates but offered only 1,900 miles for the Hotel Max while getting closer to the competition with 1,800 miles for Hotel Vintage Park. What enjoyed about PointsHound is that in addition it provided dozens more hotel possibilities beyond both supplied by Rocketmiles. A number of these were at similar or cheaper prices and included significant restaurants that will honor your elite benefits if you'd status. Like, the W Seattle was $289 per evening with 1,800 miles total. Access was also provided by pointshound to Double Dip prices including hotel details and standing. In some instances, theseADouble Dip rates also have AAA savings! (This really is something PointsHound could do a better work advertising.) When I engaged to see Double Dip alternatives for the W Seattle, I saw that the price dropped only $249 per night for a AAA rate that involved 1,400 miles plus most of the common SPG factors and elite keep credit. Nevada is known for the deep reductions and scarcity of important hotel chains (well, not necessarily, but handful of them are on the Strip). In cases like this, I ruled out PointsHoundas Double Dip element and assessed choices fully on price.ABoth companies provide large usage bonuses, hitting five numbers for a three-night stay. I wonat quibble with the hotel possibilities supplied by Rocketmiles. Most of them are quality resorts, like the Wynn, Venetian, Caesars Palace, and Trump Hotel. Iall even venture out on a limb and say it was great to start to see the Tropicana there (which seems to have eventually recovered after being renovated; it now works as a DoubleTree). But Vegas is about finding a deal, and there have been no offers to be had here with Rocketmiles. Wynn Nevada Rocketmiles: $302 per night and 15,000 miles total PointsHound: $212 per night and 2000 miles full The Venetian Resort Hotel & Casino Rocketmiles: $196 per night and 5,500 miles complete PointsHound: $196 per evening and 2,200 miles complete Tropicana Hotel & Casino Rocketmiles: $230 per evening and 15,000 miles overall PointsHound: $57 per evening and 700 miles total Trump International Hotel Rocketmiles: $133 per night and 3,000 miles overall PointsHound: $125 per night and 1,600 miles whole Whoa, that Tropicana price was decent! To acknowledge, $57 is one of PointsHoundas periodic one-day sales, but also the normal rate was only $116, about half that of Rocketmiles. You're keeping therefore much money that it's difficult to justify the extra miles provided by Rocketmiles (and I would assume PointsHound to raise its benefit after the price returns on track). In most case I looked at, even those perhaps not shown here, PointsHound had an equal or greater rate. But, these four cases do suggest that PointsHound now offers fewer miles. How large of an issue is that? With the Tropoicana, you pay $519 more ($173/night) to earn 14,300 miles a' properly getting them for 3.6 dollars each. With the Wynn, you pay $270 more ($90/night) for 13,000 miles a' buying them for 2.1 cents each. I'd not suggest paying more to Rocketmiles merely to earn more miles. And again, PointsHound had more possibilities in the event that you desired to choose something cheaper. Washington, DC, was a good bargain. It may be a pricey industry, and there are lots of resorts either separate or part of key organizations. Many more options were provided by rocketmiles than I got for either Seattle or Nevada, which I thought would make it simpler to compare them to your competition. The Dupont Circle Hotel, where Megan and I remained throughout certainly one of her recent business trips, is a great hotel and available for $249 a night with 4,500 bonus miles. That seems compelling, but PointsHound had exactly the same resort for only $239 and 3,100 bonus miles. $10 more may be worth the additional 1,400 miles, but such close numbers show you should check both websites in the future to evaluate their differences. The Washington Marriott was $299 on both sites, but miles were earned 5,000 by you with Rocketmiles and only 800 with PointsHound. In this case, the thing protecting PointsHound is that it presented a Double Dip rate for hotel details and status. However, Iam uncertain itas worthwhile to give up therefore many miles on a one-night stay. (But like in Seattle, selecting Double Dip will provide different reduced charges, also, like a AAA rate for $284.) In fact, few miles were offered relatively by many of the hotels in Washington, DC, when I check always PointsHound. In this case, Rocketmiles won, but I still loved that PointsHound provided many more possibilities. Iam a guy who likes to see his choices and crunch the numbers, and I think that'll often bug me about Rocketmiles. I can comprehend the appeal of Rocketmiles. If you donat care one bit about hotel elite status, and if a lot of choice may be overwhelming, then the choices and Double Dip functions supplied by PointsHound mightn't matter. If major markets are only visited by you, then Rocketmilesa limited choice could possibly be adequate. A year people who travel only once or twice might care more in regards to the upfront miles compared to the potential to earn more with PointsHound as a repeat customer. But I discovered that Rocketmiles wasnat only ahand selectinga its resorts. Why could it discover six to 12 resorts in certain areas like Washington, DC, but only produce two in downtown Seattle?AThis gave the impression to me that its options were based strictly on the size of the fee it could disagree from the hotel. Certain, a big percentage suggests more miles for you personally, too, but I love option. Why bother disclosing the name of the hotel at all, if miles are all that issue? Rocketmiles could just like easily take on Hotwire. PointsHound continues to earn my benefit thanks to Double Dip rates so I can earn my resort things and elite status. I do believe that's enough to create up for fewer airline miles. You'll earn greater awards more comparable to those made available from Rocketmiles, if you guide enough. Ultimately, PointsHound also offered aBig Earningsa charges that are just like the big bonuses stated by Rocketmiles a' circumstances where PointsHound has gotten larger commissions and could afford to share more of it with you. If you care less in regards to the hotel and want plenty of miles, look for Big Earnings choices the very next time you try PointsHound. Disclaimer, I earn a few bonus miles if you use my link to sign up for PointsHound, but only after you make your first booking. If you have a look and choose itas perhaps not for you, nothing is earned by me. But I would be interested in understanding more about why you decided to book elsewhere.