Tag: loyalty program

Virgin Hotels opens their first NYC Location

Virgin Hotels opens their first NYC Location

Posted on by Amanda G. Dean

Virgin Hotels sign above the entrance to the San Francisco hotel

Virgin Hotels sign above the entrance to the San Francisco hotel


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Richard Branson, founder of the Virgin Group, of which Virgin Hotels is a subsidiary, has opened a brand-new hotel in the heart of New York City. This hotel marks the company’s entry into the New York market, its sixth in the USA, and its seventh in the world.

Ahead of schedule, the doors to the New York City location of Virgin Hotels opened. A press release reveals that the hotel will officially open in the spring of 2023, but guests can already take advantage of the convenient location and modern amenities.

The hotel, which can be found at 1227 Broadway in the middle of the NoMad district, takes up an entire city block, noted Travel Off Path. A dynamic and modern aesthetic permeates its 460 guestrooms, suites, and penthouses throughout 39 floors, which also house a variety of entertainment venues, an outdoor pool club, several dining options, and a co-working area.

The Virgin Group’s cruise ships, airlines, and hotels all provide upscale amenities and personalized service. The new hotel boasts a variety of distinctive services and facilities that will also impress their clientele and echoes some good memories for those who spent their childhoods frequenting the Virgin Megastore, a former city landmark.

“We’ve wanted to open a hotel in New York City since Virgin Atlantic first flew here in 1984. We have had so many milestones in this city, from opening America’s biggest record store to driving a tank through Times Square to lighting up the Empire State Building,” Sir Richard Branson, Founder of the Virgin Group said. “I’m looking forward to even more adventures in the city and having a place to call home at the end of the day. I’m so

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How credit card travel rewards beat cashback

Posted on by Amanda G. Dean

In the lockdown phase of the COVID-19 pandemic, the sensible thing to do with your credit-card rewards was to switch to cashback from travel points. The public-health challenge still lingers, but an easing of restrictions has now led to a travel boom.

For some help in getting up to speed on the latest developments in travel rewards, check out this e-mail Q&A I did with Barry Choi. Mr. Choi blogs at Money We Have, and he’s a top expert on travel and reward programs.

Some travel-reward programs are moving to a dynamic pricing model – can you give us some examples and an explanation of what this means for points redemptions?

Aeroplan and Marriott Bonvoy switched to fully dynamic pricing, and Air Miles is doing it, too. That’s where the number of points required for redemptions will depend on supply and demand. More popular flights, hotels and times will cost you more points than those that have less interest.

From a consumer’s perspective, you just need to study the programs to see where you benefit the most. For example, with Aeroplan, switching your date or time of the flight could save you a fair amount of points. Aeroplan also has a fixed redemption chart for partner airlines, where the number of points required for a flight is significantly lower than the high end of dynamic pricing on Air Canada flights.

Cashback rewards were popular during the pandemic lockdowns – how do you compare the value from cashback as opposed to travel rewards, where you use points for flights, hotels and such?

You need to establish a base price for your points first. To do this, you would take the cash price of your redemption and then subtract any taxes you need to pay when using points. You

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