Awards tips

If you’re a traveler or a foodie, you have probably heard of the Michelin Star rating system given to restaurants.

With submissions for the 2024 Skift IDEA Awards well underway, we are excited to introduce the first cohort of industry experts that will bring their unique perspectives and experiences to support us in selecting the 2024 Award winners. 

Since 2022, when World's 50 Best first began ranking North America’s 50 Best Bars, New York City and Mexico City have vied for the top spot. Always the bridesmaid, CDMX's Handshake Speakeasy has earned second place for the last two years in a row (first trailing Attaboy, then Double Chicken Please—both beloved Lower East Side joints). This year, however, the Colonia Juarez cocktail bar takes first place at long last.

Just when folks may have been wondering if Hyatt and its popular World of Hyatt loyalty program were losing some luster, the hotel giant's Mr & Mrs Smith acquisition rollout shows this is no hotel loyalty underdog.

Sorry, United Airlines MileagePlus members — the airline is apparently rolling out another major mileage devaluation. As first reported on FlyerTalk, United is raising redemption prices on first-class travel with partners such as All Nippon Airways and Lufthansa.

The most-anticipated new hotel in the ski industry this year — at least among those who like to travel using their points and miles — has to be the Grand Hyatt Deer Valley in Utah. The Deer Valley area will be the epicenter of a major expansion, not only in terms of lodging options but also skiing options. It's doubling its skiable terrain, possibly as early as 2025, which makes this hotel opening even more exciting.

Hamad International Airport (HIA) in Qatar was just named the best airport in the world in the 2024 Skytrax awards, knocking 12-time winner Singapore Changi Airport down to second place.

Whether malicious, incompetent or just plain inconsiderate, virtually all hotel websites make reserving an award stay harder than it needs to be. Some have hidden points calendars, while others refuse to show full award availability. Some are simply glitchy.

Priority Pass has revealed its best-rated airport lounges around the world — and you're definitely going to want to tick off a few of them on future trips.

There's bad news for Hilton Honors loyalists looking to cash in on an award stay or earn points in New York City: The Conrad New York Midtown is exiting the Hilton portfolio and leaving the Hilton Honors family in early June.

Qatar’s Hamad International Airport has, for the second consecutive year, been voted the world’s best airport for shopping at the Skytrax World Airport Awards 2024 which took place last week. The accolade is an affirmation of a determination at the Qatar Airways hub to create a world-class retail destination ever since its inception in April 2014.

Michelin and Mickey Mouse now coexist in one spot, thanks to the Michelin Guide Florida.

Michelin announced its 2024 stars for Florida— Miami, Orlando and Tampa— at a ceremony held at the Tampa Edition last April 18. For its third edition, 26 restaurants made the list (14 in Miami, 7 in Orlando, 5 in Tampa), with nine new entries this year.

One of California's best resorts and a World of Hyatt favorite, Alila Ventana Big Sur will remain closed through at least May 26. This is due to the closure of Highway 1 for construction following a series of events, including storms and multiple landslides, that seriously damaged the road over the last few weeks and months.

Let me tell you a story about the United Excursionist Perk, the little-known award travel tip even points and miles pros forget about.

World Travel Awards has revealed that its Grand Final 2024 will take place in the idyllic Atlantic islands of Madeira on 24 November. The leaders and figureheads of global travel and tourism will gather in the capital Funchal to find out who amongst them has been voted the industry’s best of the best.

Flying in business class to a faraway bucket-list destination like Bora Bora and staying in an overwater bungalow can take years of planning and saving. But it doesn’t have to. With credit card points and miles, you’ll often find some of the best deals and availability for free flights and stays within a month—or even a couple weeks—of your travel dates, making a last-minute trip to a paradise in the South Pacific a lot more realistic than it sounds.

Although it has a strong route network along the West Coast and flies not one but two of the longest domestic flights in the world (and serves some great mai tais), Hawaiian Airlines still gets short-changed in discussions of U.S. airlines.

The Pink Lady® Food Photographer of the Year 2024 competition, awarding amateur and professional photographers for excellence in food photography has unveiled the delicious finalists images.

In March, United Airlines announced that United MileagePlus members could begin pooling their hard-earned miles with friends and family to reach their travel goals sooner. This is an ideal situation for those with kids — there is no age limit on who can earn MileagePlus miles — and those who are short on miles for an award flight and want to cut the cost of their trip.

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