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President Obama gave his State of the Union address last week, and with all the hotel points program changes coming down the pike, I thought I’d give my own State of Hotel Points address - and the state of hotel points is…worsening!Here’s a recap of the news we’ve gotten so far:StarwoodBack in mid-January, Starwood announced it would be changing its its Cash & Points redemption options starting March 5, 2013, as well as adding the ability to redeem Cash & Points for upgraded rooms and suites....

Sign up for our daily newsletterEmail addressSign upI would like to subscribe to The Points Guy newsletters and special email promotions. The Points Guy will not share or sell your email. See privacy policy.If your first (and only) language is English, traveling around certain foreign countries might be difficult due to language barriers. Obviously, English-speaking countries like Ireland and the United Kingdom are easiest to navigate for Americans abroad, however, the EF Proficiency Index has provided a list of the top countries around the world that best handle (or, perhaps, tolerate) English speakers in 2018....

Soon, passengers traveling on select United Airlines’ flights won’t be choosing a seat on the left or right side of the aircraft but rather the light or dark side. On Friday, United Airlines unveiled a brand new Star Wars-themed livery in conjunction with the upcoming release of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.The livery features an all-black fuselage with two unique color schemes on either side. These color schemes reflect the two sides of the force in the Star Wars franchise....

Sign up for our daily newsletterEmail addressSign upI would like to subscribe to The Points Guy newsletters and special email promotions. The Points Guy will not share or sell your email. See privacy policy.Sure, it might not be quite as exciting as the $99 hotel rooms offered through last week’s HT Roulette Blowout, but 10% off can add up, especially with pricier hotels. Through Monday, Hotel Tonight is offering 10% off all bookings of 2+ nights....

Limassol, the seaside city in Cyprus that is the island nation’s second largest after its divided capital of Nicosia, is hot.For one, Cyprus has made a robust emergence from its financial crisis a few years back. And though Cyprus belongs to the European Union, it’s a lot closer to the Middle East than it is to Europe, and its reputation as a safe haven has burnished its appeal for not only for European sun-seekers but also travelers from nearby countries such as Israel, Egypt and Lebanon....

There must be something in the air. Just weeks after Japan’s new, ultra-luxurious train, the Shiki-shima, made its debut, South America became home to its very own — and reportedly, its very first — luxury sleeper train. If you’ve ever dreamed of trekking through Peru, but can’t see yourself in pair of hiking boots and backpack, the Belmond Andean Explorer may be just what you need.All that luxury, and the views aren’t bad either....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.When unveiling the brand new Qsuite product at ITB Berlin in March 2017, Qatar’s promotional videos and photos focused on how four travelers could travel together. Whether it was conducting a business meeting in the clouds, or a family of four getting the chance to sit in a group together, the Qsuite walls are designed to open so travelers can see and talk with each other....

A retired man in Winnipeg, Canada, had to fight Air Canada for months after a glitch on the airline’s website mistakenly charged his credit card more than $700 for a fare and did not book his ticket.“I was very, very angry, very upset,” the man, Claude Neblett, told CBC. “But then I calmed myself down I said, ‘Well, I will try every means to get my refund.’“Neblett, a 78-year-old man on a fixed income, ran into Air Canada’s website glitch back in May....

American Airlines will run several widebodies on domestic routes connecting major hubs, including New York (JFK) and Los Angeles (LAX), and Los Angeles and San Francisco (SFO) to Chicago (ORD). The routes were first reported by potus18 on FlyerTalk.As potus18 found, the New York to Los Angeles flight will operate on a Boeing 777 from April 7 through April 24, while the San Francisco to Chicago flight will operate on a Boeing 787-8 between March 28 and April 24....

The Disney brand can play a big part in inspiring children when it comes to their future. Now, classic Disney icon Minnie Mouse will be taking on a new role to encourage girls and young women to pursue careers in the cruise industry — and, for the first time ever, it involves a pair of pants.Minnie Mouse will be serving as Captain Minnie Mouse both on and off Disney Cruise Lines....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.Airfare deals are typically only available on limited dates. We recommend that you use Google Flights to find dates to fly, then book through an online travel agency, such as Orbitz, which allows you to cancel flights without penalty by 11pm Eastern Time within one day of booking. Remember: Fares may disappear quickly, so book right away and take advantage of Orbitz’s courtesy cancellation if you’re unable to travel....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.Airfare deals are typically only available on limited dates. We recommend you use Google Flights to find dates to fly, then book through an online travel agency such as Orbitz or Expedia, which allows you to cancel flights without penalty by 11pm Eastern Time within one day of booking. However, if you’re using The Platinum Card® from American Express, you’ll need to book directly with the airline or through the Amex Travel portal to get 5x MR points....

I recently shared some of the more under-the-radar elements of top-tier Diamond Medallion status, and what the program has done over the past year to keep me loyal to Delta. With a new calendar year comes a new opportunity to reevaluate which airline deserves your attention in the year ahead, which felt like an ideal time to share a few areas where I think Delta could make strides in the loyalty space and set the bar higher for its rivals....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.Last night, TPG Editor-in-Chief Zach Honig stayed at the brand-new Aloft hotel in Manhattan’s Financial District, New York City’s latest Starwood property.I live in NYC’s Financial District, so I’ve had my eye on the Aloft Downtown for a couple of years now. The hotel was first expected to open a full year ago, in August of 2014, then (likely due to delayed NYC approvals) the opening was pushed back to November, then mid-2015, then September 14, 2015 and, much to my surprise, ended up opening “early” this past Thursday, August 27th....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.I recently spent time in Doha, Qatar, and booked a stay at one of SPG’s largest properties in the Middle East, The St. Regis Doha. Located in West Bay, close to the The Pearl Shopping Mall, the hotel has 336 rooms and suites, as well as 12 international restaurants offering everything from local Arabic specialities to international cuisine by world-renowned chefs like Gordon Ramsay....

Government bureaucrats traveling on official US business have a strict but somewhat arcane set of rules for how and what they’re allowed to fly. But is it any different at the top of the heap? Here’s how the top officials of the executive and legislative branches of the federal government fly — or at least how they’re supposed to.PresidentDuring the 2016 campaign, candidate Donald Trump railed against President Obama’s use of Air Force One as a waste of taxpayers’ money....

Why not see two cities for the price of one?Some of the most popular Middle Eastern airlines are offering temporary promotions letting travellers build a stopover into their travel itinerary. Not only does this allow you a little extra breathing time between some long-haul flights and a chance to visit a new place; the airline will foot some (or all) of the hotel bill.Check out the promo offers below to see if you can fit a stopover into your trip....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.Poor Hawaii. Tourism on the Big Island — the island that actually bears the name of Hawaii — is down due to the ongoing volcanic activity on the southern tip of the island. Now, the island faces another potential natural disaster: Category 3 Hurricane Hector.The storm first formed this past Tuesday and has been building strength as it marches westward toward the Hawaiian islands....

Seven years after US Airways Flight 1549 successfully ditched in the Hudson River when a bird strike knocked out both engines, about 70,000 birds across all three New York airports have paid the ultimate price in the name of safety. The number comes from an Associated Press study of avian abatement programs since the “Miracle on the Hudson.“Since 2009, federal data shows an average of 10,000 birds were killed every year between LaGuardia, JFK and Newark....

Since 2013, TSA PreCheck has been a godsend for frequent travelers. However, recently, TSA PreCheck has been coming in clutch for more than just one type of person who wants to skip the wait. You can now sign up for TSA PreCheck, and use it to beat the line, at a variety of select events throughout the US, including music festivals, sporting events and more.Currently, the most common way people enroll for TSA PreCheck is either at an airport or a universal enrollment center operated by Identogo by Idemia, a company that manages TSA PreCheck enrollment under a government contract....