Earn 2,500 points by giving Hilton’s Facebook page a like and make a reservation this morning for a hotel stay by September 30, 2013. Limit of one Facebook bonus points offer per member. The catch is this offer is only for the first 4,000 bookings and the booking must be made by 10:59am ET this morning, Friday May 24, 2013.

• Like this Hilton HHonors Facebook page.

Here’s how to earn 2,500 points:

1. Starting at 11:00 a.m. ET May 23 and ending on 10:59 a.m. ET May 24, book a stay between May 23 and September 30, 2013 at any hotel within the Hilton HHonors™ portfolio.
2. Return here to enter your reservation confirmation number, HHonors number, and required information. Act fast – to earn Bonus Points you have to be one of the first 4,000 Hilton HHonors™ members to book and register.
3. Complete your stay by September 30, 2013 and earn 2,500 Bonus Points.

I dislike promotions like this where they are limited to a specific number of people. As the consumer do you know if you are one of the first 4,000?

Hilton HHonors Flash Sale T&C.

2,500 HHonors points are worth about $12 to $18, so this offer is pretty much for someone who plans a Hilton stay anyway.

Remember this offer lasts only to 10:59am ET Friday May 24 and bonus points only apply to first 4,000 registrants.

Something called me to Death Valley last week.  An irrational idea came to me that I could pass through Death Valley unaffected by the desolation and mid-May heat. But it didn’t turn out that way.

California Highway 190 and 30 miles to Furnace Creek, Death Valley.

A detour in life took me to a place where I was hanging out at a hotel in a desert oasis during the middle of the day, literally with no other people to be seen during the time I was there. The Twilight Zone experience at the historic 1927 Furnace Creek Inn, Death Valley, California was my California adventure ride.

The Inn at Furnace Creek Death Valley.

Death Valley was a totally unplanned road diversion last Thursday when I was driving home to  California from Las Vegas.

I can drive Las Vegas to Monterey in 9 hours over a distance of 520 miles via I-15 (150 miles), Highway 58 Barstow to Tehachapi and Bakersfield (130 miles), cross the big valley from Bakersfield to Paso Robles (110 miles) on Highway 46 then Highway 101 up the Salinas Valley (110 miles) and crossover to California Highway 1 (20 miles) and home.

About two-thirds of the road distance is on what reasonably is considered freeway driving. The Mojave Desert and California ‘Big Valley’ drive can be a drag of a trip when the temperature is 110 degrees in the Mojave Desert and Bakersfield. The thought of stepping outside of the car to hike in some of the desolate desert scenery is an idea long faded by past experiences.

Driving Las Vegas to Monterey via Death Valley and over Tioga Pass through Yosemite National Park only added 90 miles via the direct route; the route I did not take. Death Valley ended up delaying me a day as I spent the day driving the lows and highs of remote desert lands on little used paved back road highways of western Nevada and eastern California.

Amargosa Mountains.

The Amargosa Range forms the eastern boundary of Death Valley National Park. The Amargosa River flows mostly underground along the east side of the Amargosa Range and then turns northward to drain into an underground Death Valley aquifer on the west side of the Amargosa Range at Badwater Basin, –262 feet. This is the deepest point of land in North America. Argentina’s Laguna del Carbon is –344 feet.

Going to the Historic Road House at Furnace Creek

The cooler weather while driving in the Nevada desert was a sign to me that this might be the perfect day to drive Death Valley. On a day when I was driving on U.S. Highway 95 in Nevada and the temperature was only in the low 80s some fifty miles north of Las Vegas, I got the idea that I might be able to take a 70-extra-miles detour through Death Valley National Park and pass through the valley without the temperature hitting 100 degrees.

That didn’t happen.

Death Valley National Park, California. The temperature topped out in one spot north of Furnace Creek at 104 F around 1pm.

Zabriskie Point is one of the first pullouts after some 25 or so miles of driving from Death Valley Junction into the park.

f

Zabriskie Point, Death Valley

The road signs showed the elevation had dropped from 2,000 to 1,000 feet alongside the road.  Zabriskie Point is five miles from where the valley floor drops to sea level and below. Zabriskie was a long-term Vice President of the Pacific Coast Borax Company who started work in 1885 and spent nearly 50 years with the company.

Zabriskie Point is also the name of a 1970 movie featuring music from Pink Floyd, Grateful Dead, Youngbloods and Rolling Stones. Death Valley was one of the film locations for the Michelangelo Antonioni film.

The temperature was rising as the road descended deeper into Death Valley; rising from 82 F on Highway 95 in Nevada to 87 F at the entrance sign for Death Valley National Park in California to 93 F at Zabriskie Point, the lowest elevation I had reached in  Death Valley National Park.

The sign at Zabriskie Point said this valley was filled with lakes three to five million years ago. Volcanic activity and earthquakes resulted in ash filling in the lakes to create layers of sandstone, clay and siltstone that have been subsequently crumpled by earthquakes into the layers of earth creating the Furnace Creek geologic formation.

The French invasion was here in Death Valley National Park too, just as I had encountered in each of Utah’s five National Parks during the previous week.  Bus loads of French tourists accompanied me in exploring Zabriskie Point and taking their own photos on cameras, phones and iPads.

Furnace Creek, Death Valley

As the road wound around from Zabriskie Point to the left, I came down to Furnace Creek with the appearance of a few buildings, palm trees and hotel on the hillside.

I had already made up my mind to visit the hotel at Furnace Creek for a respite from driving. The parking lot had only a few cars.

There were no people around though.

The Furnace Creek Inn, Death Valley National Park.

I walked up the drive to the hotel passing the cave space with the elevator sign in the now 100 degree noon heat.

There was nobody around.

View of Death Valley at sea level. Badwater Basin, the lowest point in North America, is about 13 miles to the left, heading south in Death Valley from the Inn at Furnace Creek. My trip took me to the right, traveling north, deeper into Death Valley and eventually to Scotty’s Castle. I added another hour or two of driving with this route.

Furnace Creek Inn, Death Valley National Park.

The historic Furnace Creek Inn buildings, surrounded by rock and the Funeral Mountains, seemed like a place that would bake in summer heat even though a garden oasis is right outside the door. The historic hotel does not have central air conditioning in its 66 rooms and suites. The hotel operates seasonally from mid-October to mid-May and opens on a limited basis for tour groups in July and August.

Furnace Creek Inn rates run $345 to $475 per night for 2013.

I met a manager last year for one of the Death Valley hotels, possibly Furnace Creek Inn, who told me that Europeans love being in Death Valley in July and August when the temperature some nights does not drop below 100 F degrees before dawn and the next day’s sun stirs the valley heat upward again.

There is another hotel nearby, Furnace Creek Ranch. open year-round, with more affordable rates of $139 to $199. The Furnace Creek Ranch hotel is  by the Death Valley National Park Visitor Center, about one mile north of Furnace Creek Inn.

Plenty of room in the swimming pool.

The grounds at the Furnace Creek Inn offer an oasis of green grass, palm trees, flowering shrubs and ponds with streaming water flowing downhill out of natural springs. Leave the hotel’s immediate oasis and the Furnace Creek area is surrounded by hot rock and dust all around.

The Furnace Creek Inn facilities pre-date the designation of Death Valley as a National Monument in 1933.

Pacific Coast Borax Company and the 20 Mule Team

Before tourism and folklore of the wild west from 30 years of Death Valley Days radio and TV shows where even President Ronald Reagan served a hosting stint in 1964-65, Death Valley was a mining operation in possession by the Pacific Coast Borax Company.

Borax was a chemical ingredient used for soap and ceramic glazes.

Furnace Creek Inn opened February 1, 1927 as a destination resort for desert tourism and Hollywood film crews. Many actors have stayed at the Furnace Creek Inn including Clark Gable and Carole Lombard who stayed their honeymoon at the Death Valley hotel.

The story is tourism was another revenue stream for the Tonapah & Tidewater Railroad that was originally built as a mine railway for shipping borax out of Death Valley.

Pacific Coast Borax Company moved its headquarters to Boron, California in 1927. There is the 20 Mule Team Museum in Boron for a free tour of Death Valley mining history right off Highway 58 between 40 miles west of Barstow. There is also the Harmony Borax Works for mining history information in Death Valley.

Garden oasis at the Furnace Creek Inn.

Garden at the Furnace Creek Inn.

Empty seats and benches awaited me at every turn walking around the garden in the noon day 100 F sun.

The Inn at Furnace Creek originally opened in 1927 and is a current member of “Historic Hotels in America”.

A good read on the history of Furnace Creek Inn is by Joe Zentner in DesertUSA magazine.

A room window air conditioner was running in a hotel room I walked by.

The setting looked like a great environment for a day in the 80s in late February or early-March.

Last year in 2012 Furnace Creek set a temperature record for the hottest April temperature in the USA.

The Inn at Furnace Creek, Death Valley.

My plans to check out the inside of the hotel, buy something to drink and use the toilet did not happen that way.

The signs taped onto the glass windows of the Lobby doors stated

“Closed for renovation”.

Ghost like hotel experience as I stayed and left the Inn at Furnace Creek, Death Valley without ever encountering another living person. Life here in the Death Valley desert was all around me in rocks, plants, water and ghost tales from a historic inn.

Outside the Inn at Furnace Creek, Death Valley.

“If the doors of perception were cleansed every thing would appear to man as it is, infinite.” – William Blake.

Ray Manzarek, musician, radio and TV personality, and co-founder and keyboard player for the Doors, died Monday, May 20 in the town of Rosenheim, Germany, about 50 kilometers southeast of Munich, Germany.

1975 and the opening of my doors of perception.

In summer 1975 I was 15 and a child-man having experienced so many new perceptions after 18 months living around Mainz and Wiesbaden, West Germany in the Rheinland-Paltinate.

Mainz was established as a Roman fort city over 2,000 years ago.

Lost in a Roman wilderness of pain

And all the children are insane

All the children are insane

Waiting for the summer rain, yeah

The Doors – The End

Teenage Mediterranean  vacation mania

My family took a summer 1975 road trip from Mainz, Germany to Barcelona, Spain and then across the Mediterranean coastal beaches to Pisa, Italy in a used 1972 Volvo sedan my mechanic dad was always working on. And he towed a travel trailer pop-up tent behind the Volvo that two adults and two kids could comfortably sleep in. I really don’t recall how five of us squeezed into the trailer tent to sleep when my older sister came to Germany during her California summer college breaks.

At the age of 15 this trip seemed like it might be unendurable. Spring 1975 had provided months of new experiences with so many interesting people I had met, helping me open new doors to thoughts of the world around me. The thought of spending two weeks with my parents, all day and night, well…

I had gotten use to having the privacy of my own room at home. Eighteen months in Germany with my own bedroom had been the longest period in
my 15.5 year life to have a space of my own to relax and read and listen to music without my younger sister being a noisy child around me.

Two weeks on a road trip sitting in the back seat of a car would require a minimum of 1,500 pages of reading material to occupy a good three
hours a day when I could tune out and fantasize.  I packed the entire Lord of the Rings trilogy to keep me occupied on the long two-week car camping trip to France, Spain and Italy. I had read it a couple years before and I wanted a re-read to take my teenage angst thoughts into dreams far away from my high school friends.

Wiesbaden High School, a US Armed Forces school, is where some 1,500 teenagers from a large radius of communities attended high school in Wiesbaden, Germany in 1975. The girl who captivated my eyes from Day 1 of English class had finally connected with me by the end of the school year.

Hello, I love you

Won’t you tell me your name?

Hello, I love you

Let me jump in your game

The Doors – Hello, I Love You

She was Swiss American and lived in the hills north of the Rhein River, some fifty miles away from where I lived. The small Army helicopter base where I lived nearly two years was ten miles south of Mainz on the south side of the Rhein. Summertime meant a bridge too far for two 15-year olds to maintain a relationship through high school summer break.

European Vacation 1975

My parents were frequent road travelers in Europe.

Once, while living in Germany, I asked my mom,

“Everyone else I know has a house in the States. Why don’t we own a house?”

My mother responded by asking me,

“Do you know any other kids who travel around Europe as much as you do?”

I ran through my mental catalog of people I knew and I had to confess.

“No.”

She gave me back another reply saying something like,

“Would you rather we spend our money to keep a house we don’t live
in or do you want to travel?”

That was a no-brainer choice for me.

The Travel Music Bag

One of my travel bags was always filled with cassette tapes of music and I had a portable 8- inch high x 12-inch long x 3-inch wide cassette tape player. No belt strap for that piece of machinery. It was handheld or backpack material.

My 19-year-old sister, on summer vacation from University of California Santa Cruz, had brought a few dozen cassette recordings of rock albums with her to Germany. She was my conduit to music civilization. She had turned me on to early Rod Stewart, Laura Nyro, Bonnie Raitt, The Kinks, Yes, CSNY and in summer 1975, the Doors.

I think Lou Reed, an influential rock star for me at the time, is an artist I had found myself in 1975.

Jenny said, when she was just five years old
you know there’s nothin’ happening at all
Every time she put on the radio
there was nothin’ goin’ down at all
not at all
One fine mornin’, she puts on a New York station
and she couldn’t believe what she heard at all
She started dancin’ to that fine-fine-fine-fine music
ooohhh, her life was saved by rock ‘n’ roll
hey baby, rock ‘n’ roll

Lou Reed – Rock n’ Roll

Buying record albums or cassettes was expensive in Germany at the time and U.S. Armed Forces radio, even German radio, was virtually nonexistent for listening to rock music. That genre was not part of radio programming in 1975.

My good fortune is the Volvo had an 8-track player and my dad had a cassette tape adaptor for the 8-track player. The 8-track was already out of style in 1975 and I picked up a number of good rock albums on 8-track format in the dollar bargain bins at U.S. Army exchange stores in Germany. This was a time when regular vinyl albums were typically selling for $4 to $6.

My dad tolerated my 8-track tapes of John Lennon and Neil Young albums and gave me turns listening to my tapes when he was not listening to
musical soundtracks like Camelot and West Side Story and operas.

The summer 1975 Mediterranean vacation is most defined by my repeated listening of several Doors recordings on the beaches of Spain, France
and Italy. The Doors opened me to a new world of perception in 1975 .

Take a long holiday, let your children play

The Doors – Riders on the Storm

That trip took us to a mountain town in the French Alps where we camped surrounded by managed forest in a Heidi-like place. A week later we were on the beach in France where a baguette cost the equivalent of one U.S. penny, a liter of soda was 3 cents and a beach bonfire party across the road lasted most of the night.

This is the best part of the trip

This is the trip, the best part

I really like

What’d he say?

The Doors – The Soft Parade

The Doors’ use of words to create a dynamic fantasy with a musical soundtrack left an even deeper impression on me than reading Lord of the Rings on that trip through the French Alps and the Mediterranean beaches where we camped from Barcelona to Pisa, Italy.

Singer/poet Jim Morrison had already died four years earlier, July 3, 1971 in Paris.

My memories of 1975 sharing rainy days on Spanish beaches with the Doors is one where I was captivated by song lyrics, yet also turned on by the musical ingenuity compared to much of the rock music I had heard in the previous four years.

The second week of the 1975 European vacation was more socially engaging as a vacation experience when my sister, her boyfriend and I went to Rome without the parents.

But, that is another story.

Good-bye Ray.

Made the scene, week to week

Day to day, hour to hour

The gate is straight

Deep and wide

Break on through to the other side

The Doors – Break on Through

Ray Manzarek is the voice I personally associate with the Doors legacy. In many different cities and towns, on radios and on TVs over the intervening years since summer 1975, I caught Ray’s distinctive voice and listened to a man speak about life and music and spirituality as if he truly had a view through clean doors of perception.

Ray Manzarek’s life and his death meant something to me.

Successful hills are here to stay

Everything must be this way

Gentle streets where people play

Welcome to the soft parade

All our lives we sweat and save

Building for a shallow grave

The Doors – The Soft Parade

Starwood Hotels says the future of luxury hotels is catering to the luXurY traveler, according to an exclusive interview given to Melanie Nayer in her column at 4Hoteliers.com.

The article says 85% of Starwood’s luxury guests are Generation X and Generation Y wealthy travelers. These are the people who were born 1966-1976 Gen X, and 1977-1994 Gen Y.

Generation X and Generation Y are the two age groups that encompasses most of the BoardingArea bloggers, although a few of us are older Baby Boomers and there is even a Generation Z blogger or two who were born after 1994.

Generation X in the USA is also called the ‘lost generation’ since they were exposed to a much higher divorce rate and time in daycare than baby boomers. This cohort of 40 million or so is considered to be the generation of people who tuned out the news and politics. They had the lowest voter participation rate of any generational cohort. Yet, this is the best educated cohort with nearly 1 in 3 earning a college bachelor’s degree.

Generation Y is a cohort of 70 million in the USA born from 1977 to 1994. This generation is supposedly characterized by their immunity to advertising and marketing pitches. They are characterized by diversity and segmentation due to the expansion of cable TV, internet, and satellite radio during their lifetime. This cohort is less brand loyal.

In the USA the Generation X and Generation Y cohorts are less likely to become the millionaires and billionaires of tomorrow.

Starwood appears focused on its Asia properties for revamping and expanding luxury.

The new luxury hotel environment is geared for the tech savvy with personalization catered to the guest’s interests. One of the topics I frequently read articles about is using social media for data mining to build a personalized profile for hotel guests. This is a rapidly growing area in hotel and revenue management.

[Three bottles of Stella Artois and a fruit plate please! That makes this hotel traveler a happy guest upon arrival.]

Generation X and Generation Y are big on credit cards. This is another great source of data mining on personal spending habits and interests.

Melanie Nayer is a popular hotel industry columnist I read regularly.

Her Starwood luXurY trends article was focused on the Chinese traveler.

Do Generations X and Y in China have the same characteristics as Americans?

Chinese Gen X/Y traveler desires, according to Starwood Hotels:

• full-service urban hotel.
• breakfast option at hotel.
• dual sinks, shower and separate vanity make-up area to reduce congestion in the bathroom.
• in-room amenities like coffee/tea maker, WiFi and internet access.

That does not sound too demanding to me.

I like those same features in hotels.

My other primary request is an ice machine where I can cool the warm bottles of Stella Artois. Sometimes I just can’t squeeze enough beer bottles in between all the other items in the electronic mini-bar.

Choice Privileges brings back 8,000 points for two stays disguised as a $50 gift card offer.

Earn 8,000 points after two qualifying stays from May 23 through August 31, 2013.

Choice Privileges promotion registration required prio to completion of first stay.

The offer is promoted as “Take Two Trips and Earn a $50 Gift Card.” What actually happens is after two stays the Choice Privileges members receives bonus points added to base points earned for the two paid stays to reach 8,000 total points. Generally there is a minimum bonus of 5,000 points for members who earn more than 3,000 base points from the two paid hotel stays ($300 to $600 in spend.)

All Choice Hotels properties globally are participating (except Nordic Choice countries which have their own separate loyalty program).

Trips must be a minimum of two consecutive nights at:

• Econo Lodge®,
• Rodeway Inn®,
• Suburban Extended Stay Hotel®, or
• MainStay Suites® hotels

$50 Gift Cards

The price to redeem points for a $50 Gift Card from a variety of merchants is reduced during this promotion to 8,000 points per card.

$50 Gift Card Options

U.S. Resident Options
Amazon.com
BP
Bahama Breeze
Chevron/Texaco
Chili’s
Exxon/Mobile
LongHorn
Macaroni Grill
Macy’s
Maggiano’s
Olive Garden
On The Border
Red Lobster
Seasons 52
Shell
Sunoco
Canada Resident Options
Canadian Tire
Esso
FutureShop
The Gap
Harvey’s
Kelsey’s
Milestones Restaurant
Montana’s Cookhouse
Petro Canada Gift Card
St- Hubert
Swiss Chalet

Take Paris rather than the gift card

The better redemption option, in my opinion, is saving points for international travel. Through June 30, 2013 there are dozens of hotels in Europe for 8,000 points per night in places like Paris and London where the published room rates are in the $200 per night range.

Great Paris value Choice Hotels 8,000 points reward nights (4-15-13)

*Terms and conditions: Member must register at ChoiceHotels.com before arrival and book their trips at ChoiceHotels.com or 800.4CHOICE at qualifying rates. Member may also book through a travel agent or corporate online booking system. Choice Privileges member number must be provided upon check-in. After a second qualifying trip with arrival between 5/23/13 and 8/21/13, member will be awarded enough bonus points to reach the 8,000 point level, which can be redeemed until 11/1/13 for one (1) $50 gift card at defined retailers on ChoiceHotels.com/giftcard. Only members earning this bonus qualify to redeem for the $50 gift card. Only members that register for the promotion are eligible to earn the defined promotional gift cards during the promotion. Terms and conditions apply to $50 gift card options. See card for details. Choice Privileges Diamond and Platinum members who register and book through ChoiceHotels.com will receive an additional 100 Choice Privileges bonus points with every qualified trip during the promotional period. For Comfort Inn, Comfort Suites, Quality, Sleep Inn, Clarion, Cambria Suites or Ascend Hotel Collection hotels, a trip is defined as a stay that is any number of consecutive nights at one hotel regardless of check-ins or check-outs. For Econo Lodge, Rodeway Inn, Suburban Extended Stay Hotel, or MainStay Suites hotels, a trip is defined as a stay that is two (2) or more consecutive nights at one hotel regardless of check-ins or check-outs. Allow 72 hours from check-out for points to post. You must maintain an address in the U.S. (including U.S. territories) or Canada to be eligible for this promotion. For Choice Privileges program details, eligible rates, eligible countries and point redemption rules, visit choiceprivileges.com.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the “Two Stays Pays. Earn a $50 Gift Card.” promotional offer?
Choice Privileges® members will receive enough Choice Privileges points to redeem for a $50 gift card of their choice for a participating dining, shopping, or gas retailer after completing their second qualifying trip when booking at ChoiceHotels.com or 800.4CHOICE. Members must register at ChoiceHotels.com/giftcard in advance of their trip to be eligible.
What are the dates for the “Two Stays Pays. Earn a $50 Gift Card.” promotion?
This promotion applies for trips with arrival between May 23 and August 21, 2013.
Is registration required to participate in the “Two Stays Pays. Earn a $50 Gift Card.” promotion?
Yes. Choice Privileges members must register at ChoiceHotels.com before their first trip to earn an unlimited amount of gift cards during the promotion.
How is a “Trip” defined?
For Comfort Inn®, Comfort Suites®, Quality®, Sleep Inn®, Clarion®, Cambria Suites® or Ascend Hotel Collection® hotels, a trip is defined as a stay that is any number of consecutive nights at one hotel regardless of check-ins or check-outs.  For Econo Lodge®, Rodeway Inn®, Suburban Extended Stay Hotel®, or MainStay Suites® hotels, a trip is defined as a stay that is two (2) or more consecutive nights at one hotel regardless of check-ins or check-outs.
Is there a booking requirement to be eligible for the “Two Stays Pays. Earn a $50 Gift Card.” promotion?
Yes. Trips must be booked at ChoiceHotels.com or 800.4CHOICE with arrival between May 23 and August 21, 2013.
Are bookings made through my mobile device on ChoiceHotels.com eligible for the “Two Stays Pays. Earn a $50 Gift Card.” promotion?
Yes, bookings made through your mobile device are eligible for this promotion.
As a corporate traveler, are bookings made through a travel agent or corporate booking system eligible for the “Two Stays Pays. Earn a $50 Gift Card.” promotion?
Yes, bookings made by Choice Privileges members through a travel agent or corporate booking systems are eligible for this promotion.
Is there a booking requirement for Elite Diamond and Elite Platinum Choice Privileges members?
Elite Diamond and Elite Platinum members can book directly with a hotel, however if they book through ChoiceHotels.com and are registered for the promotion, these members will receive 100 additional Choice Privileges points with every qualifying trip.
How do I redeem my Choice Privileges points for a $50 gift card for dining, shopping, or gas?
You can redeem your Choice Privileges points for a $50 gift card for a participating dining, shopping, or gas retailer only through your online profile at ChoiceHotels.com or by calling Choice Privileges Reservations. During this promotion, a $50 gift card for a participating dining, shopping, or gas retailer is discounted to an 8,000 Choice Privileges point level.
Can any guest earn a $50 gift card for a participating dining, shopping, or gas retailer?
Choice Privileges members must maintain an address in the U.S. (including U.S. territories) or Canada and register at ChoiceHotels.com/giftcard in advance of trip to be eligible for this promotion.  Only members earning this bonus qualify to redeem for a $50 gift card for a participating dining, shopping, or gas retailer.
Is there a deadline to redeem a $50 gift card for participating dining, shopping, or gas retailers?
Yes. Members have until November 1, 2013 to redeem their Choice Privileges bonus points for a $50 gift card for a participating dining, shopping, or gas retailer.
What are the participating retailers included in the “Two Stays Pays. Earn a $50 Gift Card.” promotion?
For U.S. resident members, the participating retailers includes: Amazon.com, BP, Bahama Breeze, Chevron/Texaco, Chili’s, Exxon/Mobil, LongHorn, Macaroni Grill, Macy’s, Maggiano’s, Olive Garden, On The Border, Red Lobster, Seasons 52, Shell, and Sunoco. 
For Canadian resident members, the participating merchants includes: Canadian Tire, Esso, FutureShop, The Gap, Harvey’s, Kelsey’s, Milestones Restaurants, Montana’s Cookhouse, Petro Canada Gift Card, St-Hubert, and Swiss Chalet.
How many times can I receive a $50 gift card bonus during the promotion?
Choice Privileges members can earn an unlimited amount of gift cards during the promotion. A $50 gift card bonus can be earned after completed each second qualifying trip with arrival between May 23 and August 21, 2013.
Can I use the Choice Privileges points earned any way I choose?
You may redeem the Choice Privileges points earned for any redemption option you wish, however during the promotion you can redeem your bonus points earned through November 1, 2013 for a $50 gift card for a participating dining, shopping, or gas retailer for 8,000 points.  You can use the points as soon as you receive them, or retain them until you accumulate enough points for higher reward levels or other redemptions.
Are international trips included in the promotion?
Yes.  All hotels included in the Choice Privileges program will count towards the promotion, as long as a qualifying trip is booked at ChoiceHotels.com or 800.4CHOICE.
When will the bonus points post to my account?
After completing your second qualifying trip, allow 72 hours from check-out for the bonus points to post to your Choice Privileges account.
When do my Choice Privileges points expire?
Choice Privileges points expire on December 31, two years after the year in which they were deposited into your account unless forfeited or canceled earlier due to membership inactivity or otherwise in accordance to these rules and regulations.
Who do I contact if I have further questions?
If you have further questions please contact Choice Customer Support.
Where can I learn more about the Choice Privileges program? 
To learn more about the Choice Privileges program visit choiceprivileges.com.
What is the Advanced Purchase Rate?
Advance Purchase Rate means that the reservation must be made on ChoiceHotels.com using your Choice Privileges number and must be made at least 7, 14, 21 or 30 days in advance, which will vary based on the hotel for which a reservation is being made. The rate starts at 15% off Best Available Rate, is non-cancellable, non-changeable and non-refundable. Your credit card will be charged for the total reservation amount within 24-48 hours of booking. Learn more.

Best Western has a high-value offer of 2,000 Aeroplan miles per stay, available for up to 5 stays and 10,000 miles from May 13 to August 31, 2013.

Registration is required for this promotion offer.

Normally Best Western stays earn 250 miles for members choosing miles instead of points. This Aeroplan offer is 8x miles for 2,000 miles each stay.

Analysis

A sample Aeroplan one-way award booking on Air Canada for June 1, 2013 from San Francisco to Toronto shows up as 17,000 miles + $58.30.

I am going to Toronto next week and I have been following the airfare rates for a couple of months. In this example the 17,000 points save a minimum of $170 and as much as $300 with 17,000 miles, based on the rates I have seen over the past two months of $230 to $370 for a one-way ticket for this route.

Assume 2,000 miles will save about $20 to $30 in airfare cost for an economy class ticket and this is a good hotel stay rebate.

I stayed this past Tuesday night at Best Western Cedar City, Utah on a $54 rate. Unfortunately I did not know about this offer at the time.

I like this deal better than the current Best Western offer for a $50 gift card after three stays.

Best Western Aeroplan Terms & Conditions

Best Western Rewards® and Aeroplan® Summer Promotion 2013 

Terms and Conditions    Individuals who (a) have enrolled in the Best Western Rewards program; (b) have chosen  Aeroplan as their earning preference; and (c) have registered for the Aeroplan Summer  Promotion between May 13 , 2013, and August 31, 2013 (“Promotion Period”), will earn 1,750   Bonus Aeroplan Miles for each qualified stay at any Best Western® branded hotel in Canada,  the United States, or the Caribbean Islands during the Promotion Period* (the 1,750 bonus  miles is in addition to the 250 base miles, for a total of 2,000 Aeroplan Miles for each qualified  stay). Limit of 8,750 Bonus Aeroplan Miles during the Promotion Period.    BEST WESTERN  REWARDS ENROLLMENT , PROMOTION REGISTRATION, AND SELECTION OF AEROPLAN AS  EARNING PREFERENCE REQUIRED PRIOR TO THE FIRST QUALIFIED STAY.  Enrollment into the  program and registration for the Promotion can be completed at  www.bestwestern.com/appromo3.  

*A “qualified stay” for the purpose of this Promotion is defined as one or more consecutive  nights at the same Best Western branded hotel at a rate eligible for earning Aeroplan Miles   through Best Western Rewards. Only one check‐in/check out permitted per qualified stay.  Qualified stays which take place during the Promotion Period, but which have a check‐in or a  check‐out date that overlaps the beginning or the ending of the Promotion Period, will be  counted towards the Promotion.      Promotion may not be valid with other offers, promotions, or discounts. Promotion is subject to  cancellation or change without notice. Please allow 4 ‐ 6 weeks for Bonus Aeroplan Miles to  post after completed stay.     All Best Western Rewards Program rules apply.  Visit www.bestwesternrewards.com for  complete Program terms and conditions.    

Miles & Points blogs and conferences often revolve around strategies for credit card churning to earn vast amounts of points and miles to fuel your travel without the need to travel.

BAcon provided a seminar on credit card affiliate marketing for the blogger as a revenue stream. The presentations were about as vague as bloggers are about their relationships with credit card affiliates.

Disclaimer: This content is not provided or commissioned by the credit card issuer. Opinions expressed here are author’s alone, not those of the credit card issuer, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by the credit card issuer. This site may be compensated through the credit card issuer Affiliate Program.

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DISCLAIMER: Some links to credit cards and other products on this web site will earn an affiliate commission, and this web site has a financial relationship with several credit card-issuing banks. Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of the card issuer, and have not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by the card issuer.

 

Basically any travel blog site with a disclaimer like this on the bottom of their page is participating in the credit card affiliate marketing program with some intermediary corporation who is the conduit between the banks and the bloggers.

The whole thing looks like a pyramid scheme to me, but several bloggers are making enough money to quit their day jobs and write about points and miles credit cards as the greatest innovation for (U.S.) travelers since the invention of air travel.

And maybe it is.

But I have a problem with award travel inflation rapidly increasing the cost of flights and nights within global frequent flyer and hotel loyalty programs. Billions of miles and points are issued and sold through credit card loyalty program relationships with the banks and these hotel and airline credit cards overwhelmingly cater to U.S. residents as the only travelers eligible for most of these credit cards.

So what does an approved credit card referral pay?

Apparently, the card payment to an affiliate marketer (i.e. travel blogger) is in the range of $80 to $200 per card. $80 being so low that part of the credit card referral payment probably went to another blogger higher up the food chain. $200 being the payout for a premium credit card.

Since I do not belong to any of these affiliate marketing programs, I have no contractual agreement to keep secrets from my readers on credit card payout rates.

However, I can’t tell you which bloggers let the fee out of the bag or they might have to silence me permanently. No telling what T&C are in those contracts about disclosure. They must be iron clad since it has taken a long time for me to get the details.

Coyote Jokes

I have been sitting on the fence for the past couple of years about credit cards. That is a lot of money to turn down for mostly passive work. Cranking out a credit card post and telling how great the bonus is for your travel and where you can go with those points and miles sounds like easy writing to me.

The one thing that bothered me about the whole credit card affiliate marketing scheme is the representative stated that your referral sign-up rate must be maintained and grow through your blog to be retained as an affiliate marketer of credit cards. That kind of explains to me why the posts on credit cards come so rapid fire whenever there is a new card bonus out there. To keep on keeping on the blogger has to pimp enough cards to keep the affiliate marketer paying for credit card sign-ups happy or risk losing the generous revenue stream.

The aspect of the affiliate marketing I learned is that I can’t simply put up some credit card links on a back page of Loyalty traveler for the major hotel loyalty programs and passively sit around receiving payments for approved credit card member applications. The affiliate marketing company wants to see growth in approved credit card referrals to be happy with the blogger partner.

In whose interest?

I also loved the comment made by the credit card affiliate marketing representative that blog posts about churning credit cards are frowned upon and may result in the blogger’s affiliate contract being terminated.

Really?

I guess I read more blog posts than the typical credit card affiliate marketing representative.

The Devil’s Tool

I don’t think credit cards are the devil’s tool. Credit cards are necessary for most travelers planning to fly on an airplane or stay at a hotel.

My prior impressions though were confirmed by a major bank credit card representative when he stated something to the effect that the bank will use travel bloggers to market their products as long as it is in the bank’s interest to do so. Once bloggers become a liability that relationship will be severed.

I firmly believe the central issue is the bank’s interest.

That interest serves you as the consumer as long as you can pay off your bill every month and rack up free travel points and miles. Avoid illness, divorce, unemployment and unanticipated major expenses and life will be fine with you and the bank issuer of your credit card. That relationship changes quickly once your less-than-full balance payments start accruing 18% interest or even higher.

Bottom line is credit card affiliate marketing has turned into a major revenue stream for travel bloggers.

That explains the frequent flash floods of credit card signup bonus posts every time a new credit card bonus offer appears.

I guess I should look over my email closely from the past week and see if I received any emails from the credit card affiliate managers who took my business cards last week.

Let’s chat.

I like the idea of making some money for nothing and taking my trips for free.

And I won’t be able to write anything about the business of credit card affiliate marketing once I ink that contract.

The new promotion from Club Carlson requires a 2-night stay at any property worldwide in the Radisson Blu, Radisson, Park Plaza, Park Inn and Country Inn & Suites brands to earn 10,000 bonus points.

Club Carlson registration link.

Points & Cash nights are not eligible for this offer.

This is a good rebate for inexpensive properties under $100 per night. Club Carlson sells 10,000 points for $70 and I think that is a fair value to give this bonus.

Promotion Analysis

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Yosemite Valley is a lush garden space of meadows, woods and the Merced River flowing between high, massive granite cliffs like Cathedral Rocks, El Capitan and Half Dome.

Tunnel View parking lot is one of the most popular photography spots for views of Yosemite Valley.

Turkey vulture welcomed me to Yosemite Valley after hours in the high Sierra of Tioga Road where I was watched over by Raven, my guide animal for Utah and Death Valley. Seriously, ravens were the dominant wildlife feature in all the National Parks I visited. Turkey vultures are the birds I encounter commonly when hiking the Monterey County coastline of Big Sur.

Turkey vulture appeared as I first saw Yosemite Valley from Big Oak Flat Road while driving west through Yosemite National Park on Highway 120 from Tioga Pass, the highest trans-Sierra road at 9,945 feet.

Three main features of Yosemite Valley are seen in the Tunnel View photo with El Capitan, Bridalveil Fall and Half Dome.

Southwest face of El Capitan.

El Capitan is a vertical granite rock face rising 3,000 feet from the Yosemite Valley floor. El Cap is one of the great rock climbing venues of the world. There is the southwest face and southeast face with different climbing routes.

Bridalveil Fall plunges 617 feet to join the Merced River in Yosemite Valley.

Half Dome at 8,840 feet has a vertical granite rock face that rises 4,737 feet above the Yosemite Valley floor. The Native American Ahwahneechee name for Half Dome is Tis-sa-ack. This is another favored climbing location.

Bridalveil Fall is an easy walk of a couple hundred yards from the parking lot. The mist from Bridalveil Fall keeps the area quite wet at the base.

Tourists at base of Bridalveil Fall are usually sprayed with mist which is comforting on warm days and chilling on cool days. Yosemite Valley was about 70 F degrees on Friday, May 17, 2013. The mist was refreshing.

Cathedral Rocks are the large rocks seen on the south side of Yosemite Valley between Bridalveil Fall and Half Dome.

Yosemite Falls at 2,245 feet is the 20th highest measured waterfall in the world. Yosemite Falls actually has three sections with the upper falls plunging 1,430 feet. The Middle Cascades are a series of five plunges for a drop of 675 feet. Lower Falls is a 328 feet drop with a popular viewing location near Yosemite Lodge.

Upper Falls of Yosemite Falls being dispersed by wind.

I talked with a 20-something physically fit woman riding a bike through the valley. She said hiking the 3.5 mile trail to the Upper Falls is one of her great experiences in Yosemite. The combined plunges of Yosemite Falls makes this waterfall number 20 on the top 20 highest waterfalls in the world.

Yosemite Falls seen from the Valley floor meadow.

Completing the circle

Pulling myself away from the beauty of Yosemite Valley was a delayed reaction. Monterey was still a 200-mile, four hour drive to endure to reach the end of my 3,500 mile, 12-day road trip from Monterey to Colorado Springs for the Boarding Area conference (BAcon) and back again with stops in seven National Parks along the journey.

When the mountains call I must go to them.

But I always find my way back to the sea.

My view of the Santa Cruz Mountains looking north from my street in Monterey.

This desert journey through California, Nevada, Arizona, Utah and Colorado took me to the mountains and deserts, then home to the sea of central coastal California once again.

East to west California Highway 120 travels up the steepest gradient of road in the first ten miles gaining 3,000 feet in elevation from U.S. 395 at Mono Lake at around 7,000 feet to the Tioga Pass gate for Yosemite National Park at 9,945 feet. Tioga Pass Road is the highest road of the highway passes across the Sierra Nevada.

Mount Dana (13,061 feet) on the eastern edge of Yosemite National Park is the second highest mountain in the park. There are trails from Tioga Pass Road to the summit of Mount Dana.

Some of the best pullout view spots are along the road in the 11 miles before reaching the Yosemite National Park Tioga Pass entrance gate. The vehicle entrance fee is $20. 

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