One of the reasons I have trouble maintaining hotel status is because I stay in boutique hotels fairly often. I’ve been to San Francisco five times and stayed at chain hotels twice while there. Why the draw to boutique hotels? First of all, I do a lot of my travel …

In an earlier post, I lamented my loss of Starwood Gold status.  Gary of View from the Wing posted a potential solution for me, “an offer for free Starwood Gold status after one stay in the Asia Pacific region paid for with a World Mastercard.” Keri and I were just …

When booking a five star hotel, it is extremely easy to see if that hotel is surpassing expectations, but how do you know if you are getting what you want out of the two-star hotel you are booking? A five star hotel, putting things simply, is supposed to have “everything”.  …

I am very happy to announce that heelsfirsttravel.com has moved to a new server and platform.  We have been happy with WordPress so far on our test site, and it allows us to offer you a more flexible website. IMPORTANT!:  The feeds you previously used to access Heels First Travel …

Starwood status from last year is still in effect according to a source on Milepoint. As you know, I was mourning the loss of my Starwood Gold status in a previous post because of some upcoming Westin trips.  I noticed that my status hadn’t “switched off yet†and waited to …

David Post at The Volokh Conspiracy expresses concern over the first-class passenger line at the SFO security check-point.  “Excuse me, but what the f*** is up with that?  I have no problem with the idea that people with greater resources can purchases conveniences in the marketplace (like a First or …

Since everyone knows about how Keri cold-heartedly took the First Class Upgrade on my birthday, I figured I’d mention the nice things that happened during the weekend.  😉 Keri and I landed pretty late into Oakland.  Yes, Keri was in First for our last leg, but first or no first–it …

Travel essentials usually include the ideal laptop bag or the best luggage, but my travel essentials include items that keep me comfortable and on the ball. Keri and I are taking a weekend trip to Napa tomorrow “for my birthday”.  Since today is my actual birthday and I will be out …

My mileage run to Jamaica was a pretty relaxing 3-hour vacation.  But next time I do a 3-hour vacation to Jamaica, I won’t do it after a Bahamas trip the day before. I arrived home from my Bahamas trip around 8pm and went straight to bed.  I had to be …

The first day of my 48-hour quest for Platinum was my DCA-PHL-NAS-CLT-DCA trip with a 2 and a half hour layover in Nassau.  Let me just say straight out that I do not recommend doing a mileage run to Nassau until construction there is completed.  Especially when you have another …