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This Week In Travel
Travel Providers Starting to Feel Some Optimism

COVID-19 and Omicron may be all the rage these days, but leisure companies aren’t taking it lying down and are starting to produce some positive results.

The biggest winners seem to be casinos and Las Vegas, where the city has gone from virtually empty last year to record high room rates this year–Over at LVA Luxury Travel, we’re still seeing some decent room rates midweek, but weekends have gotten a heck of a lot tighter. Locals markets are also picking up steam. Atlantic City and Indiana gross gaming revenue (GGR) are up in December 2021 vs December 2019, while Illinois was down. It’s scary to think that we only have one, maybe two months left of “clean” comparisons to a period two years prior. Starting in March or April, we’ll have to go back three years to get normalized numbers.

Even Airlines Are Optimistic

Even airlines are optimistic. Delta was the first of the major carriers to report earnings this past week and not only generated actual positive earnings in the fourth quarter but also expects to make money in 2022, something that was unimaginable at this time last year. The situation could change quickly, of course. I look back to Delta’s investor presentation in March 2020, when it predicted capacity declines of 15% for the year. How quaint. By June of 2020, the airline was talking about 85% capacity declines in the second calendar quarter, with 2-3 years for revenue to recover.

Cruise News

Cruise lines are still feeling some heat, which shouldn’t be a surprise when you’re squeezing thousands of people into a confined space. This article, though, simply annoyed me. Tl;dr is that a Norwegian cruise turned into “a nightmare” when the ship cancelled ports and had to, heaven forbid, spend four whole days at sea. Oh, the humanity. Norwegian went above and beyond by not only refunding the entire cost of the cruise but also giving passengers each a credit equal to 50% of their fares. So let me get this straight: Knowing that there was a highly contagious virus afoot and that it was unlikely that everything would go to plan, somebody found it a “nightmare” that they got a free cruise (minus a couple of ports) and a 50% bonus credit? I just want to make sure that I have that correct. I’ll be the first to call out one of these companies when they do something stupid, but there has to be some level of personal responsibility.

News And Deals

  • News: Marriott eliminating air and travel awards. Speaking of companies sticking it to customers, Marriott has continued its trend of doing so by eliminating the once-popular air and travel redemption packages. Does anyone else remember when you could use Hilton points to book a safari? [HT: View from the Wing]
  • Deals: We’ve updated our deals page for the first time in a while. Be sure to take a look, as all deals are listed by travel provider.
  • News: Hilton may continue to devalue breakfast benefits for elite members. Hilton cut out complimentary breakfast as an elite benefit in 2021, adding a credit, instead. The credit, of course, was generally worth less than the free breakfast. There’s some speculation that the policy may become permanent. [HT: Frequent Miler]
  • Deals: Hilton is putting luxury Europe on Sale: Hilton is offering third or fourth-night free deals at several of its Waldorf and Conrad properties in Europe. Visit our LVA Luxury Travel page to request a quote. [HT: Head for Points]
  • News and Deals: Remote Work during COVID-19: Nobody wants this thing to go on any longer than it has to, but if you need to get away and work really remotely, check out this page of working destinations. Aruba looks particularly interesting.
  • News: Hyatt implements seasonal pricing. World of Hyatt has implemented high and low-seasonal pricing for awards, which means that popular times might cost a few more points. Still, the gap between Hyatt and its competitors continues to grow wider, and Hyatt is my preferred loyalty program.
  • News and Deals: Earn Star Alliance Gold Status by Transferring Points. Singapore Air is allowing customers to earn elite status through methods other than flying, including transferring points or shopping through its website. Krisflyer Gold equates to Star Alliance Gold which, among other benefits, gets you free lounge access when you are flying a Star Alliance carrier (including United Airlines). [HT: View from the Wing]
  • News: Japan delays reopening. Japan has delayed reopening through at least the end of February. [HT: God Save The Points]