Below are our Freddie Awards ballots for general edification and mostly the amusement of our readers. Disclaimer: We don’t know about programs we haven’t tried. We mostly voted for the programs that made us feel special, not necessarily the ones who provided the most widespread value. YRMV. Best Promotion for Redemption …

I am about to embark on two straight weeks of traveling.  I’ll head to Tuscon, Arizona, head back to home base for 24 hours, head out for Las Vegas, NV, then after stopping in DC for a couple of hours, head out to Boston. Phew. The thing that has worried …

I just received my Platinum Preferred card from US Airways, and it reminded me of a cute story. I hit Platinum immediately after I hit Gold, so after I received my Gold kit, I was waiting eagerly for my Platinum Card.  And waiting.  And waiting. Finally, I received a welcome …

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 …