TravStrat Checklist: Saving Money While Dining on Vacation

I love traveling, luxury hotels and great food and cocktails.  I just don't like paying luxury prices!   Here's the first installment of what will grow into topical quick reference checklist of strategies I've picked up to enjoy great experiences on the road without breaking the bank.  This first post will cover dining while traveling.

Truluck's Miami Happy Hour

Explore happy hour options

Check what your hotel offers onsite and email or phone the concierge to inquire about nearby happy hour specials.  You may have some luck researching this with some Google searches or Yelp browsing, as well.

• Example: In the Brickell neighborhood of Miami, Truluck's Seafood, Steak & Crab House offers a nightly cocktail hour with half priced appetizers and cocktails.  The appetizer options are hearty enough to build a small dinner.  Many nights also feature a piano singer.  They run the same deal at their other locations, including their Fort Lauderdale outpost which is only a 5 minute drive from the resorts that line the beach.

 

Check for discounted, prepaid vouchers online

Note that generally any heavily discounted vouchers are not able to be combined with other discount programs (e.g. restaurant week menus).

Restaurant.com Voucher Options

• Restaurant.com: Search for your restaurants to see if there are any prepaid voucher discounts, such as a $25 certificate for which you pay only $10. While you can score 60% vs. the value of the voucher, you also need to review the voucher requirements; the same $25 voucher referenced may require that you spend a total of $50 on your check before tax and tip so you'll earn 20-25% savings overall. 
• Example: Atrio at Conrad Miami offers vouchers worth $10 - $100 at 60% off.  To redeem the voucher, your total check before tax and tip must be twice as much as the value of the voucher.
• Travelzoo Local Deals: Travelzoo offers prepaid vouchers for restaurants as well as spa services and other experiences through their "Local Deals" portal which you can browse by major city.  The vouchers must be redeemed during certain times and do expire.  You can also check Living Social, Groupon, or Amazon Local Deals though deals tend to be fleeting on those sites.



Travelzoo Voucher for KTCHN

• Example: In NYC, Travelzoo currently has a voucher available to enjoy "KTCHN" restaurant in Hell's Kitchen (a 5-10 min walk from Times Square hotels as well as my personal favorite Kimpton Ink48 on the west side).  For $59 plus tax and tip, you get a three course dinner for two plus two glasses of wine or beer.  I've never been for dinner but we have enjoyed brunch at KTCHN.

 

Purchase the discount voucher from an online shopping portal

Simply start out at one of the airline, hotel or credit card company's shopping portals to accrue points or miles for your purchase of vouchers from Restaurant.com or elsewhere, regardless of payment method.

• Example: United Airlines has a MileagePlus shopping portal where, at the time of this posting, you could earn 8 miles for every $1 spent at Restaurant.com.  You simply log into the mileage/ points mall with your loyalty program credentials then click through the Restaurant.com link on the United portal to access the site.  Once you land on the Restaurant.com site, you can proceed with making your voucher selection and purchase as you would otherwise. 



MileagePlus Mall: Restaurant.com link for 8 miles/ $1

 

Check for "restaurant week" deals

Many major cities offer a designated week or month once or twice a year.  Participating restaurants offer prix-fixe menus at discounted rates.  Some restaurants exclude peak days of the week (e.g. Fri, Sat) from restaurant week promotions, though others extend their deals to the lunch menu as well.

• Examples: Atrio at the Conrad Miami participates in Miami Spice which runs during low-season of August & September and offer a 3-course meal worth $55 for $39.  Panzano restaurant at the Kimpton Monaco participated in Denver Restaurant Week and offered an appetizer, salad, entree and dessert for $30 per person (I loved their brussel sprouts).

 

Engage with the restaurants online

Some restaurants will publicize specials or post discount coupons to their social media pages, whether it be Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.  Others have email lists you can sign up for.  It's worth a quick look as you may simply need to "like" the restaurant to get access to the deal.

• Example: Yogurt Ur Way on Las Olas Boulevard in Fort Lauderdale offers a 20% off coupon through a link on their Facebook page.

20% off and other coupons are up for grabs through social media

 

Book your reservation online through OpenTable

You'll earn points towards just for making the reservation, regardless of payment method when you actually dine.  Once you accrue 2,000 points you can redeem them for a $20 certificate good at participating OpenTable restaurants.  Be on the lookout for "1,000 point tables" occasionally offered during off-peak times; securing such a reservation is like getting paid $10 to dine there.  Don't forget to check if the hotel's breakfast/ brunch venue is bookable on OpenTable, too.

• Examples: Atrio at Conrad Miami offers 100 OpenTable points for dining with them if you book online through OpenTable.  The Ca Va Brasserie by Todd English within the Intercontinental Times Square New York offers 1,000 point tables daily from 8-10pm.  For breakfast, you can score 100 points at Steak954 inside the W Fort Lauderdale or Area 31 inside the Kimpton Epic Maimi even if your room rate includes complimentary breakfast there.
  

  

  OpenTable 1,000 dining times for Ca Va at Intercontinental New York

 

Order from the bar menu

Many restaurants have a full service bar or lounge attached.  Some offer separate bar menus that present more affordable options.  

Bar at Level 25 at Conrad Miami

• Examples: Atrio at Conrad Miami has the adjacent "Bar at Level 25" which offers bar, booth and outdoor balcony seating.  We've arrived for our Atrio dinner reservation previously and opted to sit at the bar instead.  We were allowed to order from either the separate bar menu or the full Atrio menu while dining at the bar, and could mix and match.  If you try this option at Conrad Miami, give the goat cheese croquettes and lobster sliders a try.

 

Charge to your room

If you're dining at your hotel, sign the charges to your room so you can accrue hotel points on the purchase.  Many hotels offer multipliers or additional points if you've also reached a certain status level in their loyalty program, meaning even more value for those dining dollars you've charged.

• Example: Hilton, which is the parent company of Conrad Miami, offers 10 base points for every $1 of room charges.  You can then opt-in to for an additional 5 points per $1 (in lieu of frequent flyer miles).  If you have status with Hilton, you get a multiplier on base points.  In my case, Hilton Gold VIP status gets me an addition 25% bonus on base points.  That means that all-in, every $1 of spend at the Conrad Miami earned me 17.5 Hilton points, which yield a redemption value of around 0.6 cents per point. 

 

Order delivery vs. room service

If you've had a long day and want to enjoy in-room dining, you're not necessarily limited to the room service menu and related surcharges.  In major cities, there are a variety of online food delivery portals such as Seamless or GrubHub that you can try.  Use their convenient mobile apps or website to place your order.  With Seamless, you can also get $7 off your first order or $15+ using this link and with GrubHub you can get $5 off $10+ if you sign up here.  Note that many hotels will not allow the food delivery person beyond the lobby, so you'll need to head down from your room to retrieve it.

• Example: Last December at the Sheraton New York, we passed on room service to instead enjoy food delivery from a nearby restaurant offering organic, healthy fare.  We placed the order on Seamless and ate comfortably in our room.

 

Charge to the credit card with the best bonus

Based on what's in your wallet, either charge your dining and/ or overall hotel folio to a cash back card or a hotel's co-branded credit card, the latter of which is usually the better option.

• Cash back cards: Some credit cards offer quarterly bonus points or cash back for certain spending categories



Chase Freedom 5% Bonus Categories

• Example: From April to June, the Chase Freedom card offered 5% cash back for dining charges.  You simply had to enroll your card in the promotion in advance and then use the card when you dined out.  The 5% bonus caps out after you hit $1,500 in eligible spend for the bonus category for the quarter. Note that you still may be better off using the  next credit card option listed.
• Co-branded hotel cards: Most major hotel chains have a co-branded credit card with a major issuer like American Express or Chase that pay higher point rates for any spend at the designated hotel chain.  Some cards carry an annual fee, so make sure you'll use it enough to get the value.  If you have friends that may carry the card, ask them to refer you so that you can both get a points bonus for your application.
• Example: The Hilton HHonors Surpass card from American Express offers 12 points per dollar for spend at Hilton Worldwide properties (Waldorf, Conrad, Hilton, Curio, Embassy Suites, Doubletree, Hampton Inn, etc). When charging my meal at the Conrad Miami to my room, which is then charged to my Hilton Amex, I earn 12 points per dollar in addition to the 17.5 points per dollar noted above from the normal loyalty program earnings.

 

Final Analysis

After considering all of these angles, you can avoid paying full price for dining while traveling fairly easily.  And, when you're able to compound these strategies on top of each other, you can expect to save upwards of 30% as seen in the example below based on a meal at the Conrad Miami that doesn't even take into account restaurant week or happy hour deals.

Total savings of 34% through discounts and points at Atrio at Conrad Miami

What other travel strategies have helped you to save money on dining without sacrificing enjoyment?

Customization Hits Travel Booking: Hotel Rates Based on Your Social Network & Loyalty Programs

There's a new travel booking start-up that aims to capitalize on the popularity of social networking, loyalty programs and personalization.  The booking site, Hotelied, offers customized discounts on a limited collection of luxury hotels in select markets based on your social and loyalty footprint. 

When you sign up you're asked to link up your social network profiles as well as airline and hotel loyalty programs.  The amount of a discount you're able to receive appears to be based in part by how many program and networks you've linked up to your Hotelied profile.  The site is equipped with a personalization engine that appears to run algorithms to suggest hotels based on your profile.

According to the site, the personalization allows hoteliers to restrict their discounts to specific guest profiles they're aiming to attract while giving you access to unpublished lower rates:

Hotels are willing to offer discounts to influencers: individuals from high profile industries, desirable markets, or frequent travelers. The information you provide to Hotelied allows us to match you with those hotels that want you as a guest.

Hotelied's profile completion and personalized discount rate

While I haven't personally booked a hotel yet, I am intrigued.  After signing up tonight, the first hotel that was offered to me was Como Metropolitan in Miami.  It's a relatively new luxury hotel that friends of mine recently visited and have highly recommended to me.  In terms of discount, the site indicated that I'd have access to up to a 40% discount.

Through Como's direct booking engine, a stay of one night on October 5 was pricing at $330
excluding taxes and fees with a 72-hour cancellation policy (the $311 rate was pre-paid):

Como's direct booking engine offered a rate of $330

Via the Hotelied site, I was being offered a rate of $234 with the same 72-hour cancellation policy, for a savings of 29%.  While it's not as much the max discount cited, that's a hefty savings especially since it still honors the 72-hour prior to check-in cancellation.

Hotelied offered me a "personalized" discount of 29%

The site indicates that the participating hotels will be upscale or luxury class lifestyle brands and independently owned hotels.  You can't rely on it for all your travel needs since as of tonight I only saw hotels being sold for NYC, Miami, Los Angeles and Portland.

The company was founded by a former Cornell Hospitality Administration alum with hotel & real estate acquisition experience as well as a former Goldman Sachs portfolio manager.

I'd keep an eye on this site as it could be great for some luxury experiences at attractive rates, but at present the inventory is too limited to be used as a primary portal for hotel discounts.  I was pleasantly surprised that the first hotel recommended to me was one that I have been intrigued by recently and also offered at a 29% discount!

Tip of the hat to my friend Joe for making me aware of Hotelied.

Conrad Miami Review: Packed with Value, Especially for Weekend Stays

Bedside outlets on both sides of the bed

After first experiencing the Conrad Miami during a pre-cruise stay, we've come to enjoy it for an occasional weekend getaway being drawn by the red carpet treatment from a great team.  Conrad is one of Hilton's luxury brands and this property lives up the standards.  In fact, this is one of the few properties in the Hilton Worldwide portfolio that we stay at since it takes a lot to sway us from Kimpton or Starwood.  To understand why, check out the detailed property, guest room and spa tour video embedded below, which covers our recent August stay.




The Conrad Miami is in the downtown Brickell neighborhood, which, much like the rest of Miami, is experiencing growth and thus offers plenty of restaurants and bars within walking distance.  The neighborhood and the hotel provide a much more relaxing, subdued experience that South Beach, which is a 15-20 minute Uber ride away.

Sky Lobby on the 25th Floor

During the summer months, you can find exceptionally good values.  At one point this summer, the hotel offered $100/ night promotional rates. We booked through Amex Fine Hotels & Resorts to secure additional perks paying a rate of $179 and also accruing more than 20,000 Hilton points from a one-night stay due to promotions.

Year round, I've seen compelling weekend rates from time to time.  I expect that this hotel attracts primarily business travelers driven by its location on the top floors on an office tower and thus has higher occupancy Monday to Thursday.  You can get even more value during your stay by securing various booking benefits and discounts (see the Quick Hits below).

Hot Breakfast Buffet, Free through Fine Hotels & Resorts

It feels like the Conrad Miami needs to work harder to capture the leisure market and that results in a fantastic guest experience.  Two stays ago, we arrived around 8:30am from a cruise and attempted to check-in.  Laura from the front of house team took care of our check-in but advised that we'd been upgraded to a suite that wasn't yet ready.  We enjoyed the breakfast buffet to pass the time.  Laura came to see us and offered to provide us with an alternate suite while housekeeping prepared our assigned suite. but disclosed that it would be a smoking room.  She took me up to personally allow me to check it out and I declined the offer since I am sensitive to smoke smells.  But frankly, the fact that she went through all of that effort on my behalf made an impact on my experience.  Fast forward to a stay a month or so later and when I walked off the elevator, Laura's face lit up and she greeted me by name.  To me, that was amazing.

Serene Rooftop Pool in Adjacent Building

While at the Conrad Miami, you can enjoy a relaxing pool experience with access to free sunscreen and bottled water.  They even provide a variety of pool floats and free cabanas.  The pool sits atop a separate building across the valet area and tends to be provide a quiet, relaxing vibe.

For dinner, I recommend eating at the Level 25 bar and lounge.  It's more casual than Atrio, which is often quiet Friday through Sunday night, but even better, you get to order from either the lounge menu or the full Atrio menu.  You can also enjoy your cocktails and meal out on the balcony offering partial bay views.  I recommend the lobster sliders and the goat cheese croquettes.

Quick Hits

Relaxation Room at the Spa at Conrad

• Stay at the Conrad Miami for a 1-3 night weekend visit or for pre or post-cruise stays when sailing from the Port of Miami. The clientele tend to be solo travelers, couples or well-behaved families visiting from outside the US.
• Book through Amex Fine Hotels & Resorts for $100 food & beverage or spa credit, free daily hot breakfast buffet, room upgrade (if available), and daily wine & cheese reception, while still accruing Hilton HHonors points.
• If dining at the onsite restaurant, Atrio, check Restaurant.com for a pre-paid voucher to save up to 60% and book your reservation through Open Table for points.
• The Spa at Conrad offers seasonal specials that can provide much better value.
• Try the daily happy hour at nearby Truluck's, an upscale steak and seafood restaurant, for half-price cocktails and appetizers with live piano singers.
• Enjoy scenic runs from the hotel that take you around nearby Brickell Key.  A jogging map on a lanyard is conveniently located in the guest room closet. 
• Download the Conrad Concierge app and schedule your preferred housekeeping and turn down service times, request a select of specialty pillows, and more for free.

  

  Jogging Map in Each Room

W Fort Lauderdale Upgrade: Captivating Views with Generous Outdoor Space

As the largest W hotel in the world by number of units, the W Fort Lauderdale keeps things interesting even for frequent guests.  Even though I've stayed at the W Fort Lauderdale more than 15 times, their large inventory of room types enabled me to still have a new experience during our stay this month.

As a SPG Platinum member visiting during low season and booking a standard "Wonderful Room" for a rate of ~$225, we were upgraded to a "Sensational Suite".  W's room type names are a bit tough to grasp, but generally the suites don't disappoint.  In this case, the Sensational Suite is an oceanfront room with an open concept bedroom, sitting area and bathroom (peak-a-boo style).  But for this room, the big draw is the outdoor space.  The balcony rivals the size of the room itself and offers unobstructed ocean views as well as vantage points north and south along the beachfront.

Oceanfront balcony of a Sensational Suite at the W Fort Lauderdale

We made use of the dining table to enjoy dinner to go from Whole Foods (about a 7-10 min drive).  The Wi-Fi, free for SPG Platinum, worked on the balcony as well allowing me some productivity time while relaxing in one of the two chaise lounges.

One pet peeve about this W is that the outdoor furniture is dreadfully uncomfortable as is.  There are plush cushions that are custom made to fit the furniture, but you have to know to request them from the "Whatever" desk and have them sent up to your room.  I expect that most guests don't know to call, nor should they have to.

There's been one new development at this property that I first experienced during this stay: upon check-in, guests must sign a form indicating that they are aware of the hotel's policies about additional guests and noise.  Groups are not allowed to be in the rooms and no noise is allowed during late evening hours.  The front desk reported to me that they've been having some noise/ party issues more recently so they've initiated the new form policy.

Quick Hits:

W Fort Lauderdale Residences offer full kitchens and laundry

• Stay at the W Fort Lauderdale if you're loyal to SPG, not traveling with kids and like a "scene" at the pool.  Pool waitstaff are not very attentive and some are less than friendly.  Stay there for the pretty amazing rooms and views.
• If you are there more for relaxation, check out the second smaller pool on deck 5 of Tower II (Wet Deck West) which is a more serene environment and offers free first-come, first served cabanas.
• If you like cooking in, try to get an upgrade to one of the residences that offer full kitchens and in-room laundry in the western tower (Tower II) of the hotel.
• If you're going to visit the onsite Bliss Spa for nail service, ask for Tia.  She's authentically friendly while executing the service professionally.
• While the onsite restaurant, Steak 954, offers some good breakfast options, they are pricey for dinner.  Instead, try nearby S3 (Surf, Sun, Sand) in the Hilton for casual/ slightly upscale indoor or outdoor dining with some unique spins on traditional fare.  Both restaurants are on Open Table (even Steak 954 for breakfast), so capitalize on the points opportunity.

  

  S3 Restaurant in the Hilton Fort Lauderdale Beach shares their daily specials on a mini blackboard that accompanies the menus.