Marriott

Loyalty Programs

May 1, 2026

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2 min read

Turning a £70 Thursday Pub Habit Into Two Marriott Elite Night Credits

How a £249 cash rate (no points, no certificates) became a net-positive stay after stacking Amex offers, Marriott promos, and our existing routine.

Expat Vista

IHG

Apr 15, 2026

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2 min read

When Amex Offers Beat Points

The real cost of switching from points to cash on Marriott and IHG stays

Expat Vista

New York City

W New York – Union Square Review: Renovated, But Still Tight on Space

Apr 15, 2026

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2 min read

W New York – Union Square Review: Renovated, But Still Tight on Space

A stay booked on Free Night Certificates, and what the space really looks like

Expat Vista

Loyalty program design

What Happens When Marriott Moves a Certificate Ceiling

Apr 8, 2026

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5 min read

What Happens When Marriott Moves a Certificate Ceiling

The hidden pricing shift and new card restrictions behind the 25K top-up

Expat Vista

Family Travel

Residence Inn Saddle River Review: A Functional Base for a New Jersey Sports Weekend

Apr 7, 2026

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8 min read

Residence Inn Saddle River Review: A Functional Base for a New Jersey Sports Weekend

Booking optionality, space over style, and the cost of getting around

Expat Vista

Hotel Reviews

Ritz-Carlton Berlin Review (Potsdamer Platz)

Mar 26, 2026

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4 min read

Ritz-Carlton Berlin Review (Potsdamer Platz)

What the Ritz-Carlton Berlin delivers, and how it fits into a structured trip

Expat Vista

Expat Logistics

You Can Use Amex Abroad. We Didn’t Even Need to Try.

Mar 19, 2026

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4 min read

You Can Use Amex Abroad. We Didn’t Even Need to Try.

The Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant dining credit in London, tracked over 41 months

Expat Vista

Loyalty program design

Marriott Slows Status Inflation While Improving Certificate Redemptions

Mar 16, 2026

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4 min read

Marriott Slows Status Inflation While Improving Certificate Redemptions

How the 25K certificate top-up and the 2026 Q1 promotion reveal the program’s current direction

Expat Vista

The Lab

Marriott Gift Cards at Hotels: A London Field Test

Mar 7, 2026

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6 min read

Marriott Gift Cards at Hotels: A London Field Test

Trying to trigger a £75 Amex rebate without booking a stay

Expat Vista

Points Experiences

How the Prague Marriott Moments Auction Actually Closed

Feb 18, 2026

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6 min read

How the Prague Marriott Moments Auction Actually Closed

Private Prague access, identical inventory, and two different clearing prices

Expat Vista

Program Mechanics

Feb 15, 2026

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5 min read

How Loyalty Programs Slow Status Inflation Without Announcing It

From double nights to brand-based caps in Marriott’s 2026 Q1 promotion

Expat Vista

Program Mechanics

Marriott Points Sales: The Price Keeps Returning to the Same Range

Feb 8, 2026

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7 min read

Marriott Points Sales: The Price Keeps Returning to the Same Range

What the Buy-Points History Shows

Expat Vista

Points Experiences

A Live Look at a Marriott Moments Auction

Feb 6, 2026

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5 min read

A Live Look at a Marriott Moments Auction

Prague, David Černý, and How Identical Experiences Drift in Real Time

Expat Vista

Points Experiences

Feb 3, 2026

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6 min read

Berlin: A Gourmet Odyssey

How a long lunch, well-structured, can outperform a big night out

Expat Vista

Program Mechanics

Marriott Lifetime Platinum Is About to Be Everywhere

Jan 27, 2026

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7 min read

Marriott Lifetime Platinum Is About to Be Everywhere

How Marriott’s post-2020 mechanics turned an elite status into a default outcome

Expat Vista

Hotel Reviews

W Hotel Prague Review: Energy and Location in the Middle of the Trip

Jan 17, 2026

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6 min read

W Hotel Prague Review: Energy and Location in the Middle of the Trip

The anchor stay that gave the weekend momentum

Expat Vista

Buying Points

Same Offer. Same Household. Different Price.

Jan 13, 2026

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4 min read

Same Offer. Same Household. Different Price.

A small Marriott pricing anomaly inside a points multiplier offer

Expat Vista

Marriott

Jan 6, 2026

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6 min read

Why My Marriott Elite Nights Show 41 in 2026 (And Why Lifetime Status Lags Behind)

Why Annual Status and Lifetime Progress Don’t Update Together

Expat Vista

Expat Logistics

Turning a $100 Splurge Credit into Immediate Marriott Reimbursement

Jan 4, 2026

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5 min read

Turning a $100 Splurge Credit into Immediate Marriott Reimbursement

A case study in redirecting an expiring retail credit abroad

Expat Vista

IHG

Prague in January: Allocating Three Hotel Programs on One Trip

Dec 28, 2025

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6 min read

Prague in January: Allocating Three Hotel Programs on One Trip

Certificates, expiry risk, FHR timing, and why sequencing mattered more than value

Expat Vista

hotel strategy

Dec 26, 2025

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4 min read

Marriott and Me

A cross-border Bonvoy strategy that delivers

Expat Vista

Marriott

Turning a £70 Thursday Pub Habit Into Two Marriott Elite Night Credits

When Amex Offers Beat Points

W New York – Union Square Review: Renovated, But Still Tight on Space

What Happens When Marriott Moves a Certificate Ceiling

Residence Inn Saddle River Review: A Functional Base for a New Jersey Sports Weekend

Ritz-Carlton Berlin Review (Potsdamer Platz)

You Can Use Amex Abroad. We Didn’t Even Need to Try.

Marriott Slows Status Inflation While Improving Certificate Redemptions

Marriott Gift Cards at Hotels: A London Field Test

How the Prague Marriott Moments Auction Actually Closed

How Loyalty Programs Slow Status Inflation Without Announcing It

Marriott Points Sales: The Price Keeps Returning to the Same Range

A Live Look at a Marriott Moments Auction

Berlin: A Gourmet Odyssey

Marriott Lifetime Platinum Is About to Be Everywhere

W Hotel Prague Review: Energy and Location in the Middle of the Trip

Same Offer. Same Household. Different Price.

Why My Marriott Elite Nights Show 41 in 2026 (And Why Lifetime Status Lags Behind)

Turning a $100 Splurge Credit into Immediate Marriott Reimbursement

Prague in January: Allocating Three Hotel Programs on One Trip

Marriott and Me

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