I damn near lost it a few a minutes ago. I’m traveling with a friend that’s on exactly the same routing. As we approach the TSA checkpoint at JFK my friend gets selected for TSA Pre-Check, while I don’t.

Let’s step back for a second. I was thrilled when TSA announced the Pre-Check program a while back, whereby certain travelers could use a special lane where they don’t have to take their shoes off, don’t have to remove the liquids and laptops from their bags, and go through a metal detector instead of a full body scanner. Basically it’s the opportunity to experience pre-9/11 security once again. My frustration has been that in over a dozen transits at Pre-Check airports I haven’t once been selected for the Pre-Check line.

I chalked it up to bad luck, strange itineraries, etc. But today after going through security with a friend on the same itinerary and seeing him selected for Pre-Check while I wasn’t, I nearly lost it. Actually, I think there was cartoon style steam coming out of my ears as he stood on the other side of the checkpoint taunting me.

So when we got to the Flagship Lounge he suggested he look at my profile to make sure I had my info loaded in there correctly. I responded with “how stupid do I look?” though I reluctantly agreed.

He logged into my profile and saw everything looked correct, though asked to see my Global Entry card just to make sure the number looked correct. Again, I responded with “how stupid do I look?”

Well, as it turns out I had the wrong Global Entry number in my profile all along. Instead of using the number on the left side of the card, I had entered the number on the top right of the card.

At least I rest well knowing this is the same friend that lost his passport on a trip… twice. Makes me feel just a little bit less stupid (or at least makes me feel like I’m in good company).

“Do you mind if I sit in the aisle, cause I’m going to be pissing like a racehorse all night? I just finished a bottle of vitamin water.”

Well, I guess that’s one way to try and get out of a middle seat. The question is, is it the best or worst reason ever? Sadly (and shockingly) enough, it worked.

It’s funny how the upgrade “game” works out sometimes.

On Thursday night I flew from Dallas to Seattle, an upgrade I figured would be near impossible to clear since Thursday night upgrades are among the toughest. At the same time tonight I was flying from Seattle to Chicago, an upgrade I figured was a given since Saturday is one of the easiest days to clear upgrades.

What ended up happening? My outbound upgrade cleared 100 hours out, while my return upgrade didn’t clear (I’m writing this from seat the exit row). Of course I don’t mind flying coach, though this upgrade hurts my head more than my rear. After all, if I can’t clear a Saturday night upgrade, what can I clear anymore? The other interesting data point was that there were only a total of two people on the upgrade list at the gate, and I was one of them. Oddly enough there’s something comforting about being at the top of one of United’s 100+ person upgrade waitlists as opposed to American’s two person upgrade waitlists.

But American really does know how to take care of Executive Platinum members in coach. As the flight attendants rolled the cart to the front of the cabin they first stopped at my seat, addressed me by name, and asked if I might be interested in a free drink or snack. Awesome.

A few days ago I wrote about American Express Fine Hotels & Resorts and Virtuoso, which are two methods of making reservations that can get you additional benefits on stays at hundreds of high end hotels.

Some of you brought up Visa Signature’s Luxury Hotel Collection, so I figured I’d make a follow up post about it. This is a bit smaller scale of a program that’s available to anyone with a US-issued Signature Visa credit card, like the Chase Sapphire Preferred, British Airways Visa, Hyatt Visa, United Explorer Visa, etc. To take advantage of this benefit you have to reserve and pay for hotel stays with a qualifying credit card.

The benefits for booking through the Visa Signature Luxury Hotel Collection are as follows:

• Best available rate guarantee
• Automatic room upgrade upon arrival, when available
• Free in-room Internet or Valet parking
• Complimentary continental breakfast
• 3PM check-out, when available
• VIP Guest status
• $25 food or beverage voucher

To break that down a bit further, it seems like the best rate guarantee applies exclusively to the prevailing or best flexible rate. In other words, when booking through this program you can’t use an advance purchase/AAA/senior/government/corporate rate, so in many cases the savings that can be had there might more than compensate for the extra benefits.

I think most of the other benefits are pretty self explanatory, though the one I find especially intriguing is “free in-room internet or valet parking.” If the hotel offers both you can choose, and if you choose valet parking it can be a value of up to $50 per day. The Andaz West Hollywood is part of this hotel collection, so between the free valet parking (if you rent a car) and food and beverage credit, booking through here would likely be consistently cheaper than booking an otherwise discounted rate.

Anyway, the program itself consists of over 800 hotels, and while they have a lot of luxury hotels, they also seem to include a few more mid-range properties than Virtuoso, which is probably useful for many of us. For example, all the US Andaz hotels are included in the collection. The website lets you search hotels either by their brand, name, or location, which is pretty useful, and the website is as easy to use as just about any booking site.

The results page will list all hotels in the area (I searched Los Angeles) along with their corresponding prices.

If you click on “See Rooms & Rates” you’ll see all the room options along with the corresponding benefits.

The cool thing is that at no point in the booking process do you have to log in (though you can choose to have a username and password so your info will be saved). On the next page you simply have to complete the purchase with a Signature Visa credit card, and your reservation will be confirmed.

I actually hadn’t known about this program until a few weeks ago, and it really pained to me to think for how long I’ve been missing out on these benefits for the Andaz hotels I’ve been staying at.

As always you should look at all the options before making a booking, including advance purchase rates, AAA rates, etc. But in many cases the additional benefits with this program may total $100 per night. I think the biggest potential benefit here is free valet parking for up to a $50 per day value, which both American Express Fine Hotels & Resorts and Virtuoso don’t offer as a benefit. So while I still generally prefer the offerings of those two programs, I can see many circumstances under which I’d use the Signature Visa program instead.

Happy booking!

It’s time for a reader photo. Thanks to Mark for sending in this one.

Correct Answer: Fernando de Noronha, Brazil
Winner: Philipp

If you’d like your photo featured, please email it to me at onemileatatime@hotmail.com, along with the correct answer.

While not nearly as lucrative as Starwood’s cash & points program, where the savings can be disproportionate, Priority Club has nonetheless offered a fixed cash & points redemption option for a few years now. At the beginning you could reduce the cost of an award stay by 5,000 points for $30 per night or reduce the cost of an award stay by 10,000 points for $60 per night.

This basically made it possible to buy Priority Club points for 0.6 cents each. The way the system worked was that if you made a cash & points booking your account would be credited those extra points, and the reservation would then be processed and charged the full number of points required. If you turned around and cancelled your reservation you would get the full number of points back but no cash back.

Back in November of 2010 Priority Club raised the co-pay amount for the 5,000 point discount from $30 to $40 per night, while keeping the 10,000 point discount at $60 per night.

Well it appears as if overnight, without any announcement, Priority Club has raised the cost of the 10,000 point discount from $60 to $70.

So that means Priority Club points now basically cost 0.7 cents each to “buy.” Between this and the award chart devaluation, it’s not turning out to be a great year for Priority Club.

(Tip of the hat to Stvr)

I’ve flown over two million “butt in seat” miles in my life, and I don’t think I’ve once felt unsafe during those times… until today (and I’m writing this “live”). I’m flying a domestic lower-48 route that shall remain nameless, and for the first time I felt unsafe the moment we pushed back.

So what was it, you ask? Something with the plane? Something with the crew? Nope, neither. Rather something with the guy seated across from me. I’m not sure if I’m just incredibly exhausted due to getting over a cold or if my feelings have some basis, though never before have I been so close to asking the flight attendant to call the captain and offload me out of fear.

What happened? Well, the guy seated across from me exhibited every possible nervous behavior, which in and of itself didn’t faze or bother me. He played with his beard, opened and closed the tray table lid every second, tapped his foot every second, and played with the wires he had in his hands. But everyone has a bad day, be it due to stress, a fear of flying, personal circumstances, or because they’ve had a bit too much to drink (that’s actually called a good day, right?).

What concerned me wasn’t his nervousness, but the anger I perceived he had towards me, and I’m not sure why. He looked over at me with anger on his face for long periods of time, and when I briefly glanced back he would quickly look elsewhere. He would loudly stomp his foot on the floor and then look at me. And he would even create a “fist” of sorts while looking at me. He did all this while mumbling to himself.

I’d like to think I’m decent at interpreting other peoples’ body language, and his simply screamed “I’m going to kick you’re a$$ and pin you to the floor the second we’re off the ground.”

As we got to the runway my palms were sweating and I was this close to pressing the flight attendant call button and asking that they return to the gate, but at the same time I didn’t want to cause such an inconvenience for other passengers, or in this post 9/11 world cause some massive airport shutdown, or even me being sent to Gitmo… who knows. The description above probably doesn’t do the situation justice, but suffice it to say that I felt unsafe and threatened on an airplane for the first time in my life for nearly 45 minutes.

The good news is that now that we’re airborne he seems to have less of an issue with me, so I guess in retrospect I’m happy I ignored it.

Though I’m curious what you would have done in the same situation? Ignored him and hoped for the best? Engage him in a conversation to “feel him out?” Request that the plane return to the gate? Something else?

Win 25,000 SPG points from the Starwood American Express!
Review: Sheraton Tribeca New York
Attending the SPG AmEx Screening of “Mansome” at the Tribeca Film Festival

Reminder: In connection with my trip to New York for the Tribeca Film Festival I’m giving away 25,000 SPG points through Twitter. See this post for full details on how to win. Also, in the interest of full disclosure my lodging and transportation were paid for by the Starwood American Express for this trip.

I ran into my idol, Johnny Jet, at JFK, and we shared a cab to the Sheraton Tribeca.

Everyone has their favorite area of New York, and Tribeca is certainly becoming one of the more trendy areas. I can’t say it’s my favorite part of the city just yet, but it certainly has a completely different “feel” than midtown or the Financial District (where I usually stay), and was very convenient for the theater at which the Tribeca Film Festival screening would take place that night.

Sheraton exterior

Sheraton entrance

The hotel only opened a couple of years ago so still has a pretty “fresh” feel to it. The agent at check-in was efficient and polite, and I presented my SPG Platinum card, a credit card, and ID. It occurred to me that I hadn’t previously added my SPG number to the reservation, so while I was already pre-assigned a room he also programmed my keys for access to the club lounge.

Lobby

Link@Sheraton in the lobby

I was assigned a room on the 17th floor so headed for the elevators, which require keys for access.

Hallway

The room was definitely on the small side though had a “fresh” feel to it and was nicely furnished. It featured one of Sheraton’s signature “Sweet Sleeper” beds, which I’m starting to like as much as the Westin Heavenly Bed.

Room

Room

Desk and TV

One of the things I do love about Tribeca are the great views of the city if you’re on a high enough floor, since most buildings in the immediate area aren’t high rises.

View from my room

The bathroom was a good size and featured a walk-in shower, toilet, and sink, with Sheraton branded toiletries.

Bathroom

Bathroom

As a Platinum member I had access to the club lounge, which is located on the 16th floor. It was a nice area with high-top seating, tables, and couches for lounging. While I never made it to the lounge for breakfast, the evening spread consisted of fruit, cheese, crackers, and two hot options (like spring rolls, chicken wings, etc.). Service was very attentive, and the attendant seemed to be pretty familiar with most of the guests, so it seemed like they were regulars.

Club lounge

Part of the evening spread

The highlight of the club lounge had to be the stunning terrace overlooking the city. It’s funny because I feel like people overlook the simplest things some time. The weather was beautiful, the temperature perfect, and the terrace had one of the nicest views of the city I’ve seen from anywhere. So I spent quite a bit of time out there.

Terrace

On the whole I quite liked the property. Let me be clear, there are higher end and more premium SPG hotels in the City, including the St. Regis and the Chatwal, but they come at a price. From a value perspective it’s tough to beat the Sheraton Tribeca given that it’s a category five property, making it as few as 12,000 SPG points per night (with the fifth night free). There aren’t many cities with higher hotel rates than New York, so I would recommend this hotel to anyone that wants to be in the Tribeca area.

Starwood is offering 100 SPG points just for “liking” them on Facebook. Simply go to their Facebook page, click “Like,” and then fill out the short form to earn 100 SPG points.

For participating you’ll also be entered into a contest to win 100,000 SPG points.

I think both Virtuoso and American Express Fine Hotels & Resorts are among the most overlooked programs when it comes to adding additional benefits to your hotel stays at no additional cost. As some of you may recall I was temporarily a luxury travel agent with access to Virtuoso properties, though I had a bit too much on my plate and in the end wasn’t able to do it justice while keeping up with my other obligations. I don’t for a second regret having done it, though, since I learned a ton about the travel industry, and hopefully in turn I can use that to provide you guys with an unbiased opinion about the programs.

So what are Virtuoso and American Express Fine Hotels & Resorts? Basically they’re both booking channels through which you can get additional benefits for stays at select luxury hotels that belong to both groups while not paying more than the prevailing/flexible rate (it’s worth noting that you can’t get these benefits on points stays, corporate rates, discounted rates, or advance purchase rates). In some instances booking through Virtuoso or American Express Fine Hotels & Resorts is even cheaper than booking directly through the hotel (I specifically remember this being the case at a couple of InterContinental hotels in Europe), though that’s more the exception than the norm. The benefits typically include free breakfast, a room upgrade upon availability (typically one category), late check-out, and an added amenity that’s valued at about $100 (resort credit, spa credit, food and beverage credit, free lunch/dinner/afternoon tea, etc.).

View from the Ritz Carlton Hong Kong

The two programs are very similar, though there are a few distinctions that should help in your decision making process.

It’s worth noting that regardless of which program you book through, you can still earn points and elite credit if the hotel you’re staying at belongs to a loyalty program. For all practical purposes it’s like booking directly through the hotel. With that in mind, let me break down the basics:

How do you book through the programs?

American Express Fine Hotels & Resorts

American Express Fine Hotels & Resorts is open to all American Express Platinum and Centurion card members (in the interest of full disclosure I do receive a referral credit for anyone that applies through that link). While you don’t have to settle your bill with your Platinum/Centurion card, you do have to use an American Express branded card.

Virtuoso

Virtuoso hotels can be booked through any travel agency with a Virtuoso affiliation. Typically these are the top agencies since being a member isn’t cheap/easy. Many Virtuoso agents don’t charge service fees, so as a consumer you shouldn’t have any issue finding a Virtuoso agent willing to work with you.

How do you search rates and benefits?

American Express Fine Hotels & Resorts

If you’re a Platinum or Centurion card member you can go to this page to search for affiliated hotels. Once you log-in and select your preferred city or hotel, both the price and benefits will be displayed. Like I said earlier, in 90%+ of cases the rate will match the flexible/best available rate displayed on the hotel’s website directly.

Search page

Benefits page

Pricing page

Virtuoso

While Virtuoso won’t let you search rates online, they will let you search the hotels and benefits. Simply go to virtuoso.com, click on “Exclusive Offers,” and then click on the “Properties” tab, which will bring you to this page. From there you can either search by the property’s name in the “Keyword” section, or narrow down the hotels by region.

Search page

For example, when searching for Florida, here are some of the results that are returned:

Results page

Once you select a specific hotel you’ll be brought to a page which displays a lot of information about the hotel. If you scroll all the way down you’ll see the “Virtuoso Exclusive Benefits.” In the case of the Four Seasons Miami, for example, they’re as follows:

Benefits page

How do the benefits differ?

American Express Fine Hotels & Resorts

For reasons I really can’t understand, American Express really has their affiliate hotels by the you-know-what. They have the exclusive rights to offering guaranteed 4PM late check-out at their hotels. So while you may get 4PM late check-out subject to availability through Virtuoso, they’re not technically allowed to offer it on a guaranteed basis.

Virtuoso

While American Express Fine Hotels & Resorts offers continental breakfast, Virtuoso typically offers full breakfast.

Customer service

American Express Fine Hotels & Resorts

It’s rather convenient to be able to make bookings online, though at the same time you typically don’t have a dedicated travel agent like you’d have if working with a Virtuoso agent.

Virtuoso

The beauty of Virtuoso is that if you have a good agent they can work wonders for you and really customize your stay. At the end of the day if you’re a good customer of their’s, they can make just about anything happen if they have the right contacts at a hotel.

While mildly unrelated, let me say this as an onlooker: understand that for the most part your agent is working on a commission, so the more money you spend on hotels, the more the agent will want to go out of their way to take care of you. Along the same lines if you’re working with an agent for the first time and making a one-night booking at a mid-range hotel, don’t expect them to secure you a suite upgrade at the time of booking or anything like that. At the end of the day they have to leverage their relationships to make “one time exceptions” happen, and it isn’t fair to do that to them if you’re a first time customer. But by building a relationship with a Virtuoso affiliate agent they usually will go the extra mile for you over time.

Other random observations

American Express Fine Hotels & Resorts seems to have more properties. In the past six months I’ve used Fine Hotels & Resorts more often than Virtuoso due to the fact that they have a lot of properties that Virtuoso doesn’t, including the Westin Grand Frankfurt, Le Meridien San Francisco, St. Regis Bangkok, etc. Keep in mind that participation in both programs is reviewed annually, so it could be that they’ll still be added to Virtuoso, or they might not meet their “standards.” So while there is a lot of overlap, there are some properties unique to each program.

St. Regis Bangkok

Always compare the benefits. The obvious benefit that sets apart Fine Hotels & Resorts is the guaranteed 4PM late check-out. The obvious benefit that sets apart Virtuoso is the full breakfast (instead of continental breakfast). While everyone places different value on those things, always compare the other benefits. Typically the “added amenity” is about $100 of retail value, though one program might offer a $100 spa credit while another offers a $100 food and beverage credit. Depending on which you prefer, that could make a huge difference in the value you get out of the program, and for me is often the deciding factor when choosing which program to book through. For example, I’d rather have a $100 food and beverage credit than afternoon tea.

Added amenity is on a per stay basis. While the room upgrade and breakfast are benefits applicable throughout the entire stay, the “added amenity” is only offered once per stay. That’s why it’s often advantageous to book just one or two night stays, since a $100 resort credit (for example) goes a lot further on a one night stay than a five night stay.

Make your life easier by looking up rates first. Rather than findind a Virtuoso agent and waiting to hear from them with rate quotes, you can cut out a lot of the communication lag by looking up rates on your own first. For example, if you want to stay at the Four Seasons Seattle, go to their website and type in your dates. The first rate displayed will be the best flexible rate.

Rates on fourseasons.com

Combine that with searching the Virtuoso website and American Express Fine Hotels & Resorts website for the benefits, and you have as much information as the agent does.

Virtuoso benefits

Fine Hotels & Resorts benefits

Nothing makes an agent’s day quite like getting a request from a client that knows exactly what they want.

Free night promotions. I saved among the best for last here. One of the other huge benefits of these two programs is that they’re often running third or fourth night free promotions. Sometimes both programs are running overlapping promotions, while at other times they’re not. For example, back in January I stayed at the Park Hyatt Shanghai on a fourth night free promotion through American Express Fine Hotels & Resorts, since Virtuoso wasn’t offering the same promotion. At the same time I’ll be staying at the Four Seasons Dublin next month on a Virtuoso booking, since both American Express Fine Hotels & Resorts and Virtuoso were offering the third night free.

You can find these promotions on the Fine Hotels & Resorts website by the gold stars that display next to the hotels with the words “SPECIAL OFFER.”

Special offer listings

As you can see in New York, just about every hotel is offering the third or fourth night free. By clicking on “View Details” you can see the eligible dates and fine print of the promotion.

Mandarin Oriental fourth night free

Anyway, hopefully this was at least a useful explanation of the basics. If you have any questions about either program please let me know in the comments below!

Later today I’ll have a post explaining the benefits of the Visa Signature Luxury Hotel Collection, which is a more mild version of these programs offered to Visa Signature card members.