points N places

Kimpton Secret Password - use before it self-destructs September 4
28 May

Kimpton Hotels have a funky boutique hotel brand image. One of many aspects of its charm is the Kimpton secret password  that guests can mention at check-in to get a perk, benefit, or bonus. These include items like free parking, a free breakfast, a free upgrade, etc.

What's the latest Kimpton Hotel Secret Password?

It's been several months since the last secret password, which expired on February 20, 2023. Now, there's a new password running May 26–September 3, 2023.

When checking into a Kimpton hotel between those dates, you can use the secret password “no shade” to (hopefully) receive a special perk or privilege.

Kimpton Hotels have provided seasonal or monthly secret passwords to guests for years. The tradition started before IHG acquired the brand in 2014. Some of the secret passwords have been phrases such as “stay cool,” “flip flops,” “baby, it's cold outside,” “chilled to perfection,” and even “marshmallow.”

This summer, Kimpton Hotel is using the secret password “no shade.” It is valid at all participating locations May 26–September 3, 2023. Kimpton Hotels have stated that every hotel honors the secret password differently, so it's a surprise what you'll get.

Secret Password Perks You May Receive

Historically, guests have reported a wide range of bonuses when using the Kimpton Hotels' secret password. Here are some examples:

• Free parking (regular or valet)
• Complimentary breakfast
• Free upgrade
• Complimentary bottle of wine
• A whisky-tasting tour
• Cupcakes
• A movie night in your room
• Free drinks at the bar
• Surprise gift-wrapped presents
• Drink kits (like Bailey's hot chocolate)
• Mini-bar credit

The bonuses aren't always at the hotel, as some hotels have partnered with other companies. For example, such as another restaurant or perhaps a whisky distillery. It's been three months since the last password “expired,” so it's nice to see the Kimpton secret password is back. It's just a little thing, but adds to the vibe of the Kimpton brand, which I like.

If you do have a stay booked this summer, make sure to check Kimpton's social media to see if there's a new password.

Points or Cash? Special deal for this new tool which finds best value - in real time
24 May

The new tool
A new tool has been launched to help members of major loyalty programs decide which method of payment provides best value - cash or your hard-earned points.

After trialling it myself, I found it easy to use and quickly found good deals which I was able to independently verify.

I liked it so much that I approached them to see if there was a way readers could readily access their tool.  I am pleased to say that I have been able to obtain a special deal for our readers. Details are below.

Currently applicable for loyalty program members of IHG, Hilton, Hyatt and Marriott (the big 4), I have my fingers crossed that there are also more waiting in the wings..

Subscribers to Awayz By Odynn (advertiser) are able to:

• see when awards nights are available at a property on a 12-month outlook and
  see when to take advantage of fourth/ fifth-night free offers for IHG, Marriott, and Hilton hotels

• compare cash and points pricing side-by-side to determine the optimal way to pay for their next stay - LIVE ! Not with points valuations that are updated monthly and are  out-of date during seasonal peaks and troughs - exactly the times you need most accuracy.
  
  
• see when to use Free Night Certificates
  
  
• receive tailored redemption recommendations based on their (stored) existing hotel points and (US) bank rewards balances - a great feature is that active bank transfer bonus promotions are taken into consideration as well.
  
  
• redeem their points as cash through transfer award programs like Bilt, Citi, Chase, and Capital One.
  
  

Lastly, Premium subscribers are always kept up-to-date on the latest points deals thanks to the weekly hotel deal alerts newsletter that uses the live cash vs. points pricing.

As you can imagine, there must be some sophisticated number-crunching in the tool to be able to do all this.

Most importantly you now don't need to do it!

Standard Pricing
There are 3 tiers available from Awayz:

Premium, which includes all the above valuable features with a generous limit of 150 monthly searches. The pricing for this tier is usually US$11.99 monthly, or an annual rate of US$99.99 (a discount of 30%).  Ideal for regular travellers and points enthusiasts who are tired of juggling multiple websites when planning their stays. 

Trip Pass: provides Premium Tier access (without the weekly deal alerts newsletter) and 50 searches for US$4.99 per 72 hour pass. 

Free: provides Premium Tier access (without the weekly deal alerts newsletter) for 5 searches per month - enough to get used to the tool and see how valuable it is.

Special Offer for pointsNplaces readers
For our readers, Awayz is offering a promotional offer of free 72-hour trial of Premium plus a US$10 discount off the annual subscription and you will keep that rate forever, as long as you renew the subscription each year.

That's an annual subscription for US$89.99 (excludes tax) for as long as you maintain this special subscription.

Just imagine how much this could save you over a year!  Just one stay could pay for the entire year's subscription - and save you a heap of your time as well as money..

Subscribe now and start seeing the value Awayz can add for your next summer break. 

The best value is in the Annual Premium tier - at a discount to the already discounted annual rate (an overall discount of 37.5%). To take advantage of the offer either use the link above, or enter the code pointsnplaces on the Packages page on their website awayz.com.

Happy bargain hunting !
 

Link your Qatar Airlines and Accor ALL accounts before June 10 - receive bonus points for both
21 May

In September 2022, Accor Hotels improved its partnership with Qatar Airways. Since then, members have been able to double dip on Accor hotel stays and Qatar Airways flights. To do this, you need to link your ALL account with your Qatar Airways Privilege Club account. You can do that with Accor Hotels or Qatar Airways. Even better, if you haven't already done this, members now can earn a bonus through June 10, 2023 just for linking their accounts. If you already took advantage of the ALL and Flying Blue partnership or the ALL and Qantas partnership, you'll need to choose which airline you want to double dip with. You can link your ALL account to just one airline at a time. If you linked your ALL account to Flying Blue or Qantas in the past 12 months, you need to wait until the end of 12 months before you can link to Qatar Airways. This promotion is available to members who have not linked their ALL and Qatar accounts before May 10, 2023. If that is you, link your ALL and Qatar Airways accounts before June 10, 2023. After doing so, complete an eligible stay and/or flight before August 31, 2023 to earn bonus points and Avios. Members will receive 500 bonus ALL Reward points on the stay and 1,000 bonus Avios on the flight. Terms & Conditions Members must link accounts for the first time between May 10 and June 10, 2023 (at 11:59pm Arabia Standard Time, GMT+3) before booking a stay or flight. Book the stay or flight before June 10 and complete it before August 31, 2023. Accor stays must be booked directly with Accor. Qatar Airways flights can be booked through any channel. Members can only claim this promotion once. Make sure to provide the applicable membership number at the time of booking. After completing an eligible stay, bonus points will credit to the member's account within six weeks. Regular points from the stay will credit within seven days, and Avios will credit within 10 days. After completing an eligible flight, bonus Avios will credit to the member's account within six weeks. Regular Avios will credit within 24 hours, and ALL Reward points will credit within 10 days. This promotion stacks with other Accor or Qatar Airways promotions. Stays at onefinestay are not eligible for this offer. Stays and flights that are partially or wholly purchased with loyalty points are ineligible. You can link your accounts either through Accor Hotels or Qatar Airways. Fast Track to Elite Status The Accor and Qatar partnership includes a fast track to elite status in both rewards programs. Accor elite status members will earn Qatar Airways Privilege Club elite status after their first qualifying flight: ALL Gold status members will receive Privilege Club Silver status. ALL Platinum status members will receive Privilege Club Gold status. ALL Diamond status members will receive Privilege Club Platinum status. Conversely, those with Privilege Club elite status can earn ALL elite status after the first qualifying hotel stay: Privilege Club Gold status members will receive ALL Silver status. Privilege Club Platinum status members will receive ALL Gold status. The Fast Track offers are available only once per person. Your complimentary ALL elite status will last until the end of the following calendar year. To maximize this, try to get your status as close to the beginning of the year as possible. Complimentary Privilege Club elite status will last for 12 months from the date it's received. This is a great partnership, especially for Australians, offering better value than the Accor-Qantas partnership, combining the same access to OneWorld partners with the wide range of Accor properties and perks available in APAC..

Etihad Rail to bring luxury railway service to UAE
21 May

UAE is building its very own Orient Express.  

Etihad Rail is planning a luxury train that will connect Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Fujairah and Oman, aimed at showcasing the region's diverse heritage and beauty to visitors from around the world

A luxury train service is set to bring a new golden age of rail travel to the UAE. The country’s railway operator, Etihad Rail, and Italian luxury hospitality company Arsenale on Tuesday signed an agreement at Abu Dhabi’s Middle East Rail conference to establish the service.

A launch date was not revealed but the service, which has been called a “rail cruise”, is expected to cross the UAE from Fujairah in the east down to the historic Liwa desert in Abu Dhabi. The train will consist of 15 luxury carriages and work on them is being undertaken in Puglia and Sicily, Arsenale said.

It brings to mind the great railway journeys of yesteryear such as the famed Orient Express.

More details are expected in the coming months but Arsenale said the carriages will reflect Emirati heritage, while the “production, craftsmanship, quality of on-board services, interior design and know-how will be Italian, and the ‘made in Italy’ signature branding will be the basis on which the entire project will be developed”.

“By establishing a luxury train experience, we are introducing a unique world-class rail-cruise offering to the region and contributing to boosting the tourism sector in the UAE ” said Shadi Malak, chief executive of Etihad Rail, in statement released on Wednesday..

“Furthermore, we will be able to showcase the country’s diverse heritage and beauty to visitors from around the world.”

It is Arsenale’s second international luxury train project following the recent announcement of The Dream of the Desert project in Saudi Arabia. Arsenale is also planning to operate a luxury train service called ” La Dolce Vita” in Italy.

It is envisaged the UAE service will eventually extend into the GCC.

Footnotes

The Orient Express was established in 1883 and ran from Paris to Istanbul. It became synonymous with sophistication and glamour.

Etihad Rail (previously Union Railway Company) was established in June 2009 to develop, build, and operate the railway infrastructure within the UAE. It is owned by the government of Abu Dhabi (70%) and the federal government of the UAE (30%). The railway infrastructure will become a vital part of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) rail programme. The GCC railway network will connect the UAE with Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, and Oman and is expected to be ready by 2024.

The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) was established by an agreement concluded on 25 May 1981 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia among Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and UAE in view of their special relations, geographic proximity, similar political systems based on Islamic beliefs, joint destiny and common objectives.