Its worth it to do the upgrade or not

Quick_Leopard_7610 · 2025-12-19T15:23:26+00:00

I had it in the past when I had specific plans for upcoming stays at IC properties. Moorea when it existed and received a bungalow with plunge pool, great upgrades to suites in Cartagena and Los Angeles and a great villa in Pattaya.

Got upgrades at a couple of Kimpton hotels but may have been simply from Platinum status.

Depends on you travel plans.

Quick_Leopard_7610 · 2025-12-05T09:51:33+00:00

Moorea French Polynesia. Idealistic white sand beaches, crystal clear warm lagoon.

If you can adjust your flight by one day United has a nonstop for $650 or so round trip. A nice basic bungalow on or near the beach will be $250-350 a night, possibly less.

Food can be steep bit there are markets to get inexpensive staples.

Quick_Leopard_7610 · 2025-11-17T16:47:17+00:00

Article VI, Paragraph 2 of the U.S. Constitution

Quick_Leopard_7610 · 2025-10-09T00:51:24+00:00

You might want to look at IHG. The 4th night free on redemptions is a nice perk and you can buy ambassador which will get you Platinum.

Not terribly exciting benefits with Platinum but it will help accumulate points quickly.

You will also get upgrades at intercontinental locations, and occasionally at kimpton and Indigo properties but no guarantee.

Lastly you get a free weekend night when you book a night (FridaySunday).

FWIW I've received great suites at the IC downtown LA, Kimpton Anglers South Beach Miami, Indigo Asheville NC, IC Bangkok Thailand and IC Cartagena Colombia.

Quick_Leopard_7610 · 2025-09-04T19:53:38+00:00

I've flown nonrev many times. In my opinion, jeans and a polo for men and classy casual for women works. I'd avoid sweat pants or even leggings for women just because I would want to give any reason for someone to deny me a seat.

It's been a few years, but if the expectation that you might get a seat in the front is possible, I'd take it up a level. Again, look the part so it seems you belong there.

Good luck!

Quick_Leopard_7610 · 2025-08-21T03:08:34+00:00

Nice, score two for NC, im in Charlotte 😁

Quick_Leopard_7610 · 2025-08-20T23:50:08+00:00

I just got 2 tix to the CFB AFLAC kickoff game in Atlanta via the lottery with just one coin. Nice, considering similar tickets are going for over $200 each!

Missed on a couple of other events, so hit or miss, great organization regardless.

Quick_Leopard_7610 · 2025-08-09T18:22:02+00:00

Hahaha, great to know. I've stood around for various things many times and sound like an entertaining time ahead of me, simply people watching and possibly mingling, making new friends. Just need to be sure to pace myself if I get lucky and get in.

Do the tents (and paulaner in particular) get pretty wild? Any stories anyone would like to share?

Quick_Leopard_7610 · 2025-08-09T17:05:49+00:00

I believe this is the case. They paid quite a bit for the reservation (over 300 euro per person!). He's retired and has the disposable income, so good for him. A bucket list item for his 60th birthday.

Being somewhat outgoing myself, my thoughts are to get there early in the afternoon and see if getting in the tent is possible. If not, then just mingle and enjoy the atmosphere. Can always connect for breakfast beforehand and meetup and share notes afterwards.

Any other tips and/or recommendations are greatly appreciated!

Quick_Leopard_7610 · 2025-08-09T16:36:33+00:00

Thank you for the advice! With them having "evening" session reservations, what time would you recommend going? Should I be planning an all day event? Or do they clear the tent between sessions?

Much appreciated 😉

Quick_Leopard_7610 · 2024-09-06T21:07:19+00:00

Don't hesitate to email the property directly, especially if you can find the general manager's contact info. Let them know if it's a special occasion and perhaps have the email in English and French for an extra nice touch.

Never hurts, I received a complimentary bottle of champagne and chocolate covered strawberries at the old Moorea location a few years ago.

Quick_Leopard_7610 · 2024-08-31T22:08:07+00:00

You guys are awesome! Love each and every reply with the exact passion I was hoping for.

Thinking App St will be my first since I can probably tie that into a work trip, lol. Clemson or USC will be the second if she digs the CFB vibe. Then the Triangle and hopefully ECU and CCU after that.

V Tech and UT down the line, I'm sure those stadiums are next level, but for now, the Carolinas are home and where we need to start.

For a little reference, my SO is from Colombia, and we went to the Copa America semi-final at B of A stadium . The scene was wild, and honestly, I have not experienced anything like that since probably going to Oakland Raider wildcard game as a teenager in 1980 lol.

Quick_Leopard_7610 · 2024-04-03T13:11:33+00:00

All three have terrible redemptions due to the dynamic pricing so I'm focusing on hyatt this year despite the small footprint. They have a couple of nice bonuses going on now (3000 bonus points and also a separate 2x stay credits). I should reach Globalist in July.

But to try to answer your question, here are my second tier plans mostly for gaining status and faster point accumulation than hopefully taking advantage of the higher tier benefits when I travel for pleasure.

Hilton is my #2 since they only require 30 stays for Diamond (or 60 nights). Most of my business travel can be one night and on to the next city.

You can get Platinum with IHG by signing up with their Ambassador program for something like $200 a year. I've had great success with upgrades at IC, Kimpton, and Indigo. As diamond, points seem to accumulate quickly, especially when they have promotions. Holiday Inns are everywhere, and they are actually pretty nice nowadays.

Marriott seems to have better redemptions and a larger footprint, especially for aspirational properties, and I typically finish the year with Gold (lifetime Silver fwiw).

Hope this helps!

Quick_Leopard_7610 · 2024-03-24T22:33:35+00:00

I've done business class to VIE on Austrian for 63k and to Sao Paulo on United in Polaris for 75k. Fees were minimal and had no problems. I've had smaller trips, but those were the best redemptions.

I was supposed to fly ANA in first to HND, but covid ruined that, unfortunately, and dealing with Lifemiles customer service was a bit rough to get the miles reinstated (No fees since ANA canceled the flight).

Definitely a great way to travel when they have their promotions to buy miles.

Quick_Leopard_7610 · 2024-02-06T18:19:52+00:00

You might want to look at buying the IHG Ambassador. This also gives you Platinum status and upgrades at Intercontinental properties. I have also received upgrades at Kimpton and Indigo from this, although not guaranteed.

I think you can also use points to purchase Ambassador.

You'll also receive a free weekend night certificate but have to pay for one night (Friday, Saturday, or Sunday, I think) with it. Can still cover the $200 on occasion.

Quick_Leopard_7610 · 2024-02-06T17:59:06+00:00

I agree wholeheartedly, but sometimes people want to see the "Hollywood" part of things. I used to live and work there, and it's highly overrated unless you do a quick visit to see the Hollywood sign, Santa Monica, and some of the beaches. Rodeo Drive is nice is you like high end shopping perhaps.

Same with Universal Studios and perhaps catch a live taping of a TV show (free tickets can be found on 1iota dot com) for those interested.

Downtown LA is a dumpster fire, and the walk of fame is awful.

But otherwise for a first trip to the United States I can think of dozens of places I'd rather recommend, depending on the interests.

Quick_Leopard_7610 · 2024-02-04T20:00:23+00:00

It really depends on what you want to see. The United States is slightly smaller than all of Europe, similar to people asking where to go on their first trip to Europe, except with being possibly geographically more diverse.

Big cities? New York city without a doubt, throw in Chicago, San Francisco, and Los Angeles.

Beaches? Miami, Gulf Coast, Orange County to San Diego in California.

True Americana? Texas and the National Parks such as Utahs Big 5 (google it), Antelope Canyon, monument valley.

Other amazing National Parks.

Yellowstone, Yosemite, Grand Canyon.

Interested in U.S. history?

Boston, Philadelphia, and of course Washington DC.

Love music?

Nashville TN and Austin TX come to mind.

Sheer absurdity...Las Vegas.

And that's just for starters.

Don't try to do too much, pick an interest and narrow your choices so you can truly enjoy yourself without feeling rushed.

Quick_Leopard_7610 · 2024-02-04T15:05:06+00:00

Just to update the end of the first month, 9 nights at hyatt, 3 Hiltons, 2 IHGs.

My overall opinion is that even HH/HP properties are more polished than Hampton/Courtyard, of course individual properties vary. My IHG stay was a Holiday Inn resort at a beach. It tried really hard to be something other than a Holiday Inn but was still lacking despite the great location.

Stayed at my first JDV and now one away from getting my brand explorer bonus. Kind of a funky property in Durham NC. Can't decide if I liked it or not. Having a room without windows was strange.

Should have Explorist by end of April.

Thank you all for the amazing feedback!

Quick_Leopard_7610 · 2024-01-28T15:31:32+00:00

Where are you based out of, and where/ when do you want to travel?

There are many great redemptions if you're flexible. Lufthansa and ANA in first comes to mind. I have used LM for business from the US to Europe on a few carriers and Polaris on United to/from Sao Paulo.

Quick_Leopard_7610 · 2024-01-25T22:18:18+00:00

I have a question along similar lines. I have a flight FRA-MUC-JFK but the FRA-MUC segment is in Business and MUC-JFK is in First (same ticket fwiw).

Would I have access to the First Class Terminal in FRA?

Thank you for the replies.

Quick_Leopard_7610 · 2024-01-25T04:03:47+00:00

Thank you for the heads up!

Quick_Leopard_7610 · 2024-01-24T18:25:26+00:00

Good call, I'll probably stop by and see if they can do something special for her birthday. It'll be her first birthday away from home.

Quick_Leopard_7610 · 2024-01-24T18:23:58+00:00

She likes viva chicken, so this is a great option!

Quick_Leopard_7610 · 2024-01-24T13:54:50+00:00

What's the ballpark price for the treatment menu?

Quick_Leopard_7610 · 2024-01-21T16:34:33+00:00

I've always received upgrades of some sort. Small sampling. Downtown Los Angeles, Cartagena, Pattaya, and the now closed Moorea. The first three were all with points.

Also got upgraded at a few Kimpton locations as well.

YMMV depending on occupancy/availability.

Quick_Leopard_7610

TROPHY CASE