Asia Eve

In less than 15 hrs I'll be on my way to Hong Kong, Bangkok, Hua Hin and Phuket.  There isn't a frenzy of activity surrounding me as everything is booked, packed and ready to go.  Flights checked, boarding passes issued and hotels confirmed.  Today is not about last minute this and that for the Asia trip, but that is not to say I haven't been swamped with things to do.  I have been very busy with acquiring future travel benefits for myself, things I may or may not need depending upon where my travels take me.
 I'm an early riser so first thing I check are my go to blogs and travel sites.  This morning I found a few deals I needed to jump on.  First of which was top tier Platimum status at Accor Hotels.  Not the typical familiar brand of hotel many of us know but important none the less because many other well known brand hotels will status match. And as I explained in previous posts the amenities that come with top tier status include room upgrades, late check out, club levels, free breakfast etc. While I may never stay in an Accor property I will leverage their top tier status awarded to me for free to other properties I have more of an interest in. It was definitely worth the 5 minutes of my time to sign up.  And speaking of 5 minutes, Dish network is offering 500 free rapid rewards points for putting your email address on file with them.  Yes, it does become a pain filtering through junk emails, but that is why I set up email accounts with Google and utilize them for exactly these types of promotions.  This way, my regular email account stays relatively clear of promotions I have little interest in.  In addition to all this, the diamond status I recently acquired with Hyatt detailed here comes with 4 suite upgrades on paid stays.  I have a paid stay coming up with Hyatt Andaz for my September trip to Napa so I wanted to call this change in.  I received confirmation from Hyatt after calling their Diamond members exclusive line that I was upgraded to the largest room on the property; a loft suite. So even though this is the eve of one of the biggest trips I have taken in my life my attention has been focused on future travel endeavors.

However, the focus of the next two weeks worth of posts will be all centered around my trip.  Stay tuned for pictures from the first class lounges, airline cabins, hotels etc., and all the experiences I encounter.  I won't be taking a computer or iPad, only my iPhone but all the hotels have business centers where I can stay on top of my posts.