Barcelona just doubled its hotel tourist tax — here’s how much more you could pay

Visits to Barcelona are about to get more expensive as the city plans to double fees for tourists staying in the highly visited Catalan capital, according to Reuters. In late February, the regional parliament of Catalonia approved measures that would double accommodation fees to help combat the region’s high tourism volume, which many locals say…

Hilton Honors Amex review: Some perks for no annual fee

If you want Hilton perks without paying an annual fee, the Hilton Honors American Express Card is the simplest way to get started. This entry-level Hilton card offers automatic elite status, strong bonus categories and useful travel protections — all for no annual fee (see rates and fees). While it doesn’t come with premium statement…

Air Canada Aeroplan: Everything to know about earning and redeeming points

Air Canada’s Aeroplan loyalty program is one of the most valuable Star Alliance airline programs — and it’s one worth knowing, even if you don’t travel to Canada. Aeroplan still uses published award charts for most partner flights, a rarity in a loyalty world increasingly driven by dynamic pricing. Plus, it charges low fees on…

My premium credit card’s rental car coverage paid out for damage I thought was excluded

I’ve always felt pretty confident about understanding my credit card benefits. As someone who writes about credit cards for a living, I assumed I had credit card-provided rental car coverage figured out. But a recent trip to Fiji left me deflated after initially discovering a gap in my protection — and I only realized that…

Hyatt’s spa cave, Hilton’s new onsen resort, an alpine Andaz and other hotel news

At the start, February didn’t seem like it would be the wildest month for hotel news. Well, that is until Hyatt announced it was dramatically altering its much-loved award chart to expand to five pricing tiers (from “Lowest” to “Top”) from its previous “Peak,” “Standard” and “Off-Peak” method. It’s not the worst news in the…

American and Miami Airport plan $1 billion expansion

Frequent Miami International Airport (MIA) travelers are familiar with Gate D60. At the far western end of Concourse D lies the home of many American Eagle flights, a grim space with one seating area serving 17 ground-level regional jet parking positions. It is MIA’s equivalent to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA)’s much-despised former Gate…

Beach views and comfy rooms: A review of La Concha Resort, Puerto Rico, Autograph Collection

TPG’s newsletter team recently visited San Juan, Puerto Rico, for our annual in-person meetup. As we planned our visit, we were excited to eat Puerto Rican food, feel the sand between our toes and sample pina coladas in the city that first created the sweet cocktail. We were just as excited for our hotel stay…

Inside Korean Air’s stunning new flagship lounge at LAX

If you have a flight on Korean Air out of Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) soon, you’re in luck: The airline has just unveiled its newly renovated lounge at the airport’s Tom Bradley International Terminal, and it is stunning. After nearly two years of renovations, the Seoul-based carrier will officially open its new lounge at…