MATTHEW^
MICAH^ WRIGHTVIA^ GET
TYIMAGES70 KIPLINGER’S PERSONAL FINANCE^ 03/2020
with branches in Europe
and several U.S. cities, lets
guests who book directly
set their own check-in and
check-out times for free
with advance notice.Get yourself the travel adviser
treatment. If you hold eligi-
ble American Express or
Chase credit cards, you
can book from a selection
of upscale hotels through
American Express’s Fine
Hotels & Resorts program
or Chase’s Luxury Hotel &
Resort Collection. You’ll re-
ceive the same kind of pam-
pered treatment you would
have if you had worked with
a travel adviser, who can
access special perks thanks
to his or her relationships—
such as free breakfast, room
upgrades, early check-in
and late check-out—and
a special amenity for the
property, such as a spa visit,
welcome gift or airport
transfer.Before you decide to rent
a car, plug your origin and
destination points (cities,
landmarks and even ad-
dresses anywhere in the
world) into the search
box on Rome2Rio (www
.rome2rio.com). The site
will calculate routes by
plane, train, bus, ferry and
car and estimate the price
range for each mode of
transportation.Capitalize on cancellation
policies. Unless you prepay
for your car rental, you
can typically cancel up
until the last minute with
no penalty, so you can
change plans or trade up
for a better deal until thePick up the phone when the
website sells out. If the
hotel you’re eyeing seems
to be sold out online, call
the sales department or
front desk rather than the
reservations line, says
Henry Harteveldt, travel
industry analyst at Atmo-
sphere Research Group.
A staff member may be
able to rustle up a room
that was set aside for, say,
a business account.
Exploit pricing quirks. For
stays of three or more
nights—and especially when
you are booking multiple
hotel rooms in one spot
for a family or a group of
friends—look up prices for
each individual night as
well as the total stay. In
most cases the rates should
be the same, but quirks in
hotel revenue software
may hike the rate of one
big booking. If you find it’s
cheaper to pay night by
night, call the hotel and ask
a staffer to link your reser-
vations, says Harteveldt.Milk benefits by booking di-
rectly. Hotels often reward
loyalty members with re-
duced rates and freebies,
such as Wi-Fi—and signing
up for membership is free.
At Omni hotels, members
on their second stay of two
to nine nights can choose
a complimentary beverage
every day, such as a coffee
delivered to their room or
a glass of house wine at the
bar. At Kimpton hotels,
members are eligible for
a $30 spa credit. (You can
get an extra surprise perk
upon check-in, such as free
breakfast or complimentary
parking, by reciting the
“secret password” that
Kimpton leaks twice a year
through its social media.)
The Hoxton, a small chainFlorida Keys. The string of islands that trail off the tip of Florida
and end at Key West are awash in high-end hotel openings and re-
openings, according to Travelzoo. The Kimpton Key West is slated
to open in Key West’s historic district in 2020, while the adults-only
Little Palm Island Resort & Spa reopens on its private island in March.
Campers can also stay in eco-tents in the nearby Everglades National
Park for less than $100 a night.Morocco. Luxury lodging is booming: a St. Regis and a Ritz-Carlton
are opening in Tamuda Bay, a Ritz-Carlton is debuting in Rabat, and
there are new upscale options in Tangier, according to ThePointsGuy
.com. We found plenty of rooms for around $150 per night for an April
stay at the Hilton Tangier Al Houara Resort & Spa.Hong Kong. Hotels are skimming about 30% off their rates these
days, says Henderson, of ThePointsGuy.com, who visited Hong Kong
in November and says he felt safe. “The hotels know where the pro-
tests will be and tell you which areas to avoid,” he says.DEALS: Stylish Places to Stay
REWARDS
■ A ROAD TRIP ALONG THE
COAST OF CROATIA LETS YOU
TRAVEL AT YOUR OWN PACE
WHILE YOU POKE AROUND
CHARMING SEASIDE VILLAGES.