Never Pay Full Price for a Hotel Again — The Points Strategy Explained

Paula sits down with Todd Hata — content creator, food lover, and full-time traveller for the past three to four years — to talk about something every traveller should know more about: hotel loyalty programs. Todd has been working the points system for 25 years, recently hit Hyatt Globalist status, holds Marriott Lifetime Platinum, and has racked up enough nights to know exactly how to get the most out of every stay. This one is full of practical tips. Want to know more about Loyalty programs? Check out Season 2 Episode 23 How to earn Airline Status.

About Todd

Todd is a content creator based between Asia and Mexico City, originally from Southern California. He's been travelling full-time for three to four years, and before that lived in Mexico City for three and a half years. He travels largely for food — his stomach, he says, rules the travel plans.

Follow Todd on Instagram: @toddhatta

Which Loyalty Program Should You Join?

Todd's short answer: pick one and go all in. His current focus is Hyatt — he hit Globalist (the top tier, requiring 60 nights) by June this year. He also holds Accor Platinum (also 60 nights), which is his top pick for Asia, where Accor properties often cost significantly less than comparable Marriotts. For flexibility across brands, the Chase Sapphire Reserve is worth considering. Marriott is the biggest network worldwide — and Todd holds Marriott Lifetime Platinum after 10 years of platinum status and 600 total nights.

Why Bother with Status?

The benefits that matter most: room upgrades (sometimes suites), early check-in, and late checkout. Todd makes the point that in Japan and South Korea, hotels enforce 3 pm check-in to the minute — status changes that completely. He's checked into a Bangkok Marriott at 7:30 am after a long-haul flight. Paula adds that her 4 pm checkout at the Singapore Marriott means she doesn't arrive at the airport hot and frazzled before an evening flight.

The Executive Lounge

Free breakfast, evening cocktail hour with drinks and food, and a quiet co-working space that beats sitting in your room or fighting for seats in a busy hotel lobby. Todd and Paula agree: once you've had lounge access, it's hard to go back.

Value Highlights Todd Has Unlocked

The Four Seasons Jakarta is reportedly one of the cheapest Four Seasons in the world. Booked through Chase, Todd got a rate just over $300 with a $100 food and beverage credit, free breakfast, suite upgrade, early check-in, and late checkout — using 25,000 points. Afternoon tea and dinner for two came to $10 out of pocket. He also rates the Hyatt Regency Yogyakarta highly: 5,000 points or $70 a night, with lounge access and a great pool.

Location Over Luxury

When it's 35+ degrees outside, Todd's non-negotiable is a hotel connected directly to a mall. In Bangkok, he's shifted from the St. Regis to the Moxie — not as grand, but right across the street from Central World Mall and 50 restaurants. In Kuala Lumpur, his go-to is the Moxie Putrajaya, attached to the IOI Mall — at one point just 3,500 Marriott points a night.

The Wink Hotel Hack

Hyatt recently acquired the Wink Hotels in Vietnam. Todd stayed in Haiphong for around $35 a night — counting toward his Globalist tally at a fraction of what a US Hyatt would cost. He upgraded to a suite for $10–15 a day extra. This is the move: rack up nights cheaply in Southeast Asia, then enjoy the status benefits at nicer properties elsewhere.

Getting Started

Todd's advice for beginners: look at the sign-up bonus first. Hyatt's business card currently offers around 50–60,000 points for hitting a spend threshold in the first three months. Put all your bills and auto-pay on the card, earn the bonus, and you're already looking at 10–12 free nights at a budget Hyatt property. From there, pick the program that fits where you travel most. Accor is the strongest in Asia; Marriott is the most global; Hyatt has fewer properties but strong value at the top end.

One Marriott trick: hold both the personal and business Amex cards and you get 30 automatic night credits plus two free nights — meaning you start the year already halfway to platinum.

Do Points Expire?

Most programs keep your points active as long as your account shows some activity — usually within a rolling two-year window. Airline frequent flyer points (like Qantas) are stricter. Hotel points are more forgiving.

Connect with Todd

Instagram: @toddhatta

Ready to explore Taiwan with a small group of adventurous women over 50? I'm leading a 10-day Taiwan group trip in October 2026 — temples, mountain scenery, stunning coastline, and so much more — and I have just 2 spots remaining.

Full Itinerary here - Taiwan Itinerary

Help Truly Expat Travel by leaving a review or making a donation 

Here is the link - https://buymeacoffee.com/trulyexpat

Skip the Taxi Queue.Book Before You Land
🚗 Skip the taxi stress. Pre-book your transfer in 120+ countries. Book here →

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.

Find me on:

Website: Truly Expat Travel 

Facebook: Truly Expat

Instagram: Truly Expat Travel 

TikTok: Truly Expat Travel 

Running this podcast takes a lot of coffee (and countless hours exploring every destination!). If you found this helpful and want to support more honest, detailed travel guides and itineraries, you can buy me a coffee. No pressure though – I'm just happy you're here and hope you have an incredible adventure! 🙂

Transcript

Copy

— Introduction

SPEAKER_03 0:00

I was getting about thirty thousand dollars in free travel per year from the points.

SPEAKER_00 0:06

Wow.

SPEAKER_03 0:07

So, you know, I was going to Europe, I was staying in uh, you know, like the St. Regis in Rome and like you know, all these really nice hotels, and the points were lower back then as well, too. So maybe 20,000 points a night, and you get this five-star fancy hotel in

— Welcome & Meet Todd

SPEAKER_03 0:25

Europe, but back then I wasn't going to Southeast Asia as much. So it would have, I mean, I would have stretched out my travel even more two to three times if I was going, you know, coming out to Asia back then. But yeah, so really just be strategic about it.

SPEAKER_01 0:41

Welcome to the Truly Expat Travel Podcast. I'm your host, Paula, and this is season two. On season

— Full-Time Nomad: Todd's Story

SPEAKER_01 0:50

one, I talk to expats about their favorite holiday destination. On season two, I'll be doing things very differently. I'll be chatting to expats about where they currently live. Why they chose that destination, all those secret hidden gems that only locals know, you know, like favorite restaurants, best neighborhoods, things that tourists know. Welcome back to the Truly Expat Travel Podcast. My name's Paula, and today I have a really interesting guest. His name

— How Long-Term Travel Changes Your Hotel Strategy

SPEAKER_01 1:22

is Todd, and he has the topic we're talking today is not a destination, it's a topic about hotels. But I'm gonna let him talk to tell you about himself and let's get started in the conversation about hotels. So welcome, Todd.

SPEAKER_03 1:36

Thank you. Hi, Paula. My name's Todd Hatta, and I'm currently a full-time traveler for about three, four years, and before that I was living in Mexico City for about three and a half years, and before that I was from California originally. But I'm a content creator and been doing that about eight or nine years so far.

SPEAKER_01 2:00

Yeah,

— 25 Years of Hotel Loyalty Programs

SPEAKER_01 2:01

so you're not doing quick trips, or maybe you are, you are occasionally doing a quick trip here and there, but generally speaking, we're talking not just days but months traveling and in hotels. So you are the right person to let's talk dive into hotels, loyalty programs, and what we need to know. So let's get started.

SPEAKER_02 2:22

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 2:22

So as a long-term nomad, you're not doing, like I said, quick trips. What do you see is has changed your approach to booking hotels and what what are you looking at?

SPEAKER_03 2:34

Well, so I've been doing the hotel loyalty programs for oh a long time, I think 25 years or so. And so, you know, back then I kind of got the hang of how to get the the highest status and you know, using business or personal credit cards and that kind of thing. So usually my strategy was, you know, stay at the the cheapest place you can in the location you need to get the nights to get the the status. But you know, then once in a while splurge a little on a nice place or with the free night awards or points. And you know, it's okay for if you're traveling, you know, a week here or there, but once you're out, you know, 365 days a year, it's it's a much different strategy.

SPEAKER_02 3:29

Yeah.

— Why Hotels Beat Airbnb for Long-Term Travellers

SPEAKER_03 3:30

So before, you know, we'd we'd stay in condos, you know, maybe rent a condo for a month, the Airbnb. You know, but then we started to get more into like, you know, having a n a nice hotel or a better location and maybe we're not cooking, right? Like in Vietnam and Thailand. It's cheaper to go out to eat than to buy everything all the groceries and prepare it. And the kitchens never have enough, you know, equipment and that kind of thing. So say, oh, okay, we'll just stay in this hotel and it's maybe right near all the food or even connected to a mall, especially when it's hot in the in the hot season. So that's kind of the the new almost must-have feature. If it's hot, you know, it's 90, 100 degrees, you're not gonna walk 10 minutes to go eat. And then if you're gonna take a a ride share, maybe it's gonna cost you three or four or five dollars or even more, depending on what country you're in. So if you can just walk from your hotel through a corridor into a mall, and then have you know 50 restaurants to choose

— Todd Travels for Food — His Stomach Rules the Plans

SPEAKER_03 4:41

from, like you don't have to go outside. Like for you know, five days, you don't have to go outside at all.

SPEAKER_01 4:49

Because you're a big foodie, because that's another part of your job, right? Is that you do a lot of food reviews. So I guess you need to be near restaurants and uh and stuff, right? Because that that's your bread and butter.

SPEAKER_03 5:03

Yeah, that's one of the main things that you know I travel for is to eat. So especially, you know, we being from Southern California, we have every cuisine in the world. And some are really, really good, and some are, you know, it's way better in the country. But you know, if say now we could say, okay, we we we miss Thai food. So we'll go to Thailand for a month or two.

SPEAKER_01 5:29

As you do.

SPEAKER_03 5:31

And then being in Thailand, there's there's good Japanese food, there's good American food, there's not good Vietnamese or you know, Indonesian, or so then we'll say, okay, let's go to Vietnam. I really craving pho and ban me. So I go to Vietnam for a month or two. And you know, that's kinda that's kinda what the stomach rules the travel plants.

SPEAKER_01 6:00

So if I'm the average

— Which Loyalty Program Should You Join?

SPEAKER_01 6:03

traveler, how am I gaining points and how do I know which loyalty program to join? What what would you your you recommend?

SPEAKER_03 6:11

Well, so the best thing if you're in the US is

— Credit Cards: The Foundation of Free Hotel Stays

SPEAKER_03 6:16

to, you know, get a card, credit card for either one of the hotels specifically, like Marriott, Hyatt, what else, Hilton, or like Chase Sapphire Reserve, which you can stay at any brand booking through their travel site, or you can trade points to a specific partner. So Capital One or Chase are good for those.

SPEAKER_02 6:43

Okay.

SPEAKER_03 6:43

So I've oh even American Express.

SPEAKER_02 6:46

Okay.

SPEAKER_03 6:47

But I've done all of those as well as hotel programs and airlines too, if you want to fly business and you know, or just fly for free with points. But you know, you kinda if you're not spending a hundred, two hundred thousand a year on your credit cards, you have to kind of pick one. You know, so I picked hotels. So I've spent maybe the past year I've been just using my Hyatt business

— Hyatt: How Todd Hit Globalist Status

SPEAKER_03 7:14

chase card. And gaining Hyatt points, gaining night credits, and yeah, just focusing on Hyatt, so I became Globalist, the the highest level in Hyatt by June this year, and that was 60 nights.

SPEAKER_01 7:31

Congratulations.

SPEAKER_03 7:33

Thank you.

SPEAKER_01 7:34

So would you pick, depending on where you travel, would that be the loyalty program that you would probably pick then?

SPEAKER_03 7:41

Yeah, it's kind of depending on what part of the world.

unknown 7:44

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 7:44

You know, some hotel chains are more prevalent or have better, you know, better deals. So like Asia. The really good one is a accor, and they're like the Fairmont, the Mercure, Pullman, and even down to Ibis is their low level. So I noticed like a Marriott.

— Accor in Asia: The Hidden Value Play

SPEAKER_03 8:06

Say Marriott's like 200 a night in one city in Asia. But a nice, considerable comparable Accor like the Pullman might be a hundred or a hundred twenty. And so it's you know, you get a similar experience, but for way less. And so what I did was I last year I became platinum with a core.

SPEAKER_02 8:31

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 8:31

And that was sixty nights stay. And then now I'll get, you know, I'll get an upgrade, free breakfast, lounge access.

SPEAKER_01 8:39

Well, yeah, that was my next question, right? What what are some of the benefits of becoming, you know, why am I not just picking the cheapest accommodation somewhere? Why what are the benefits of being loyal to a brand or a company?

SPEAKER_03 8:52

So yeah, the the main things, so it's room upgrade, sometimes suites, and then you know, early check-in, late checkout, and especially in Japan and South Korea, they're pretty strict on check-in is at 3 p.m. And it's like you know, if you go to an off-brand place in Japan, they're gonna make

— Why Bother with Status? The Real Benefits

SPEAKER_03 9:13

you sit until the clock hits three. That really makes me mad. And that just happened a couple of days ago here in Jeju. I'm in South Korea, and we got there at two, and he's like, Nope, three o'clock check-in. And it's hot outside. We already went to eat, we went to a cafe, and so I said, Okay, I'm just gonna sit there on the couch right in front of you until three o'clock, because there's AC. And so it's kind of like a waiting game. Like so 2 40, he kind of finally says, Okay, you could check in. But at in Japan, it would be three on the dot. Like I've sat there at the desk

— Japan & Korea: Where Status Really Matters

SPEAKER_03 9:58

staring at them, staring at a clock, and when it hits three, he turns the computer on. I was so mad. I was like, never again am I staying at a non, you know, where I don't have status.

SPEAKER_01 10:10

Because status sometimes they let you check in early and check out late, right?

SPEAKER_03 10:14

Yeah, yeah, I've checked in at at 7 30 a.m. Wow at a at a Marriott property when I had a flight into Bangkok. And you know, sometimes your your flights, you know, you're not landing at 2 p.m., 3 p.m. And what do you do? You know, if you if you're flying for 25 hours, you don't want to just drop your bag and and go out and see the town sometimes, right? So it's really nice if if they'll let you check in early.

SPEAKER_01 10:44

Yeah, and same as check out, right? Because I know I'm a Marriott girl, right? I I'm here in Singapore at the moment in the Marriott. And for me, checking out at 4 p.m. is amazing because

— Early Check-In & Late Checkout — Why It's a Game-Changer

SPEAKER_01 10:55

especially if I've got like a six or seven o'clock flight, then I don't have to, like you say, walk around the streets for a few hours, get hot and sweaty before my flight.

SPEAKER_03 11:03

Yeah, that's that's perfect.

SPEAKER_01 11:05

Also an executive lounge. Uh-huh.

SPEAKER_03 11:08

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 11:08

Is that all do you find that as well with with with uh did you say Hyatt? You're with Hyatt.

SPEAKER_03 11:14

Oh yeah, Hyatt. Yeah. Hyatt, yeah, Hyatt have lounges. So Hyatt, Marriott, Accor, and Acor has a Fairmont.

SPEAKER_00 11:24

Ah, okay.

SPEAKER_03 11:25

But the Fairmont, even if you're platinum, you don't get lounge access.

SPEAKER_00 11:29

You have to book a certain level. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 11:32

Unless you're the highest diamond, which has a spending requirement as well as a night stayed.

SPEAKER_02 11:40

Okay.

SPEAKER_03 11:40

But yeah, last time we s when I saw you, we stayed at the Fairmont Singapore.

SPEAKER_01 11:45

Oh, that's right.

SPEAKER_03 11:46

But I got a deal, it was the Fairmont Gold Room, a suite.

SPEAKER_01 11:51

Yep.

SPEAKER_03 11:52

That which had lounge access. And I had with my a core, my membership, I had a free night, and then they had a a two for

— The Executive Lounge: Is It Worth It?

SPEAKER_03 12:02

pay for two, get three nights. So I actually paid one night, I got two nights free.

SPEAKER_01 12:06

Oh wow.

SPEAKER_03 12:07

And a suite upgrade and a lounge access.

SPEAKER_01 12:10

Yeah. So it's definitely worth being and so w what is the benefit of having a lounge? Like why would I care?

SPEAKER_03 12:16

Well So you you get breakfast, free breakfast.

SPEAKER_02 12:21

Yep.

SPEAKER_03 12:21

So either in the lounge, or sometimes they'll have you in the main restaurant, or you could choose between the two. But a lot of hotels have evening like cocktail hour. So you

— The Fairmont Singapore Deal

SPEAKER_03 12:35

know, it's they say light snacks and drinks. So if you if you're a drinker, it's just free-flow. Mixed drinks, wine, beer, whatever.

unknown 12:45

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 12:46

And I don't drink, but you know, I'll drink juice or soda. But I'm there for the food. So you know, a lot of places they'll they'll have little bites, you know, just appetizers, but some will have a full dinner buffet setup. So I like the Fairmont. I don't think we went out to dinner.

SPEAKER_01 13:05

You didn't probably need to, right? Yeah, you just eat breakfast and I remember

— What You Actually Get in a Hotel Lounge

SPEAKER_01 13:10

once I decided that I was gonna spend a whole weekend in Bangkok and I was gonna do it all free. Like when I say free, obviously with on points and stuff. So I got there on my One World Freaking Flyer points, and then I spent the whole weekend eating at a hotel, one of the Marriott's in Bangkok. Because it was like buffet breakfast, buffet dinner, and then late afternoon you could have like snacks and drinks and stuff.

SPEAKER_03 13:35

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 13:35

And I'm like the whole weekend, I was like, okay, I could do this.

SPEAKER_03 13:39

Yeah, that's great. Yeah, it's it's good if you're not, you know, if you're not there to see the city, if you've if you've seen it many times before. Yeah, you know, or you don't need to s to try restaurants.

SPEAKER_02 13:53

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 13:54

So, you know, a lot of places we want to go eat out, right? Or it's even cheap enough, you know, Vietnam and Indonesia. But you know, like some, you know, some countries it's gonna cost you a lot for a meal. And if you can get it free, yeah, then you know why not? Yeah, why not?

SPEAKER_01 14:14

And also, I guess for you, I don't know, it is for me, I much prefer sometimes with the lounges that I can go down and work there rather than sit like in this hotel room like I am now sitting in front of the bed. But instead of sitting here, I can go downstairs, you know, have a cup of coffee or a a juice or something and and do work, right? Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 14:33

That's also like a nice co-working space.

SPEAKER_01 14:37

Yeah, it is actually.

SPEAKER_03 14:39

And there's usually not that many people there too. So it's better than like being in the lobby or the hotel, restaurant, or cafe. So you you definitely have it's just a better experience.

SPEAKER_01 14:51

I agree. I totally agree.

SPEAKER_03 14:52

Now it's like having less people around is is better.

SPEAKER_01 14:58

Yeah, I get it. Especially in Asia, right? Because there's also it's it's always so busy. But if you because if you go into business lounges for her for flights, quite often if you're not in the first class lounge, if you're in the business lounge, it's so busy that you can't get a seat. I don't find that in executive lounges in hotels. I haven't for a long time, which is a great thing.

SPEAKER_02 15:21

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 15:22

Do you have a favorite uh two questions I have that I'm that I'm I want to ask you. One is do you have a favorite hotel that you've ever stayed in? And the other question I wanted to know was it when you go to each place, do you stay in the same hotels each time, or do you try something new, or does it depend on where you can use the points? That sort of thing. And okay, no, you know what? I've got a hundred questions. Let's go with those first.

SPEAKER_03 15:48

So favorite hotels. Uh recently, so we really like the Fairmont in Singapore, and that was just the lounge.

— Using the Lounge as a Co-Working Space

SPEAKER_03 15:58

The lounge food was pretty amazing.

SPEAKER_00 16:00

So Okay, that's good to know.

SPEAKER_03 16:02

That part and then you know, it's it's a really nice, comfortable room and good size, and that just uh you know, Fairmont's pretty high, like a true five star hotel. But we before that we stayed in the Four Seasons Jakarta.

SPEAKER_01 16:17

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 16:18

And that was that's actually I think one of the cheapest four seasons in the world. So, you know, usually now it's a thousand to twelve hundred for the the lowest price room in most four seasons around the world.

SPEAKER_00 16:32

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 16:33

But there through Chase, it was just over three hundred for a night.

SPEAKER_00 16:37

Wow.

SPEAKER_03 16:38

And then if you book through Chase, you get the hundred dollar food and beverage credit, you get an upgrade, you get early check-in, late

— Favourite Hotels: The Four Seasons Jakarta

SPEAKER_03 16:47

checkout, and free breakfast.

SPEAKER_00 16:49

Oh wow.

SPEAKER_03 16:50

And I use points, which it was like a points booster rate.

SPEAKER_00 16:55

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 16:56

So really, I think I spent twenty-five thousand points or something, which is like like a m a Marriott, you know.

SPEAKER_00 17:04

Yeah.

unknown 17:04

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 17:05

If I would have used Marriott points, it probably would be more than twenty-five thousand depending on the city. But so for that little points, I got, you know, a four seasons with we have we had afternoon tea and dinner for two, and it cost me ten dollars out of pocket.

SPEAKER_01 17:25

Oh my gosh.

SPEAKER_03 17:26

And we got free breakfast.

SPEAKER_01 17:28

Oh wow. And I imagine the rooms are beautiful and the facilities are beautiful.

SPEAKER_03 17:32

Yeah, the rooms, the the bed, that's the most comfortable bed I've had in a long time.

SPEAKER_01 17:37

Wow. Now that's saying something. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 17:40

It's so you can actually buy the four seasons bedding.

SPEAKER_00 17:45

Can you?

SPEAKER_03 17:46

Which one Yeah. So when I actually do get a home base, I think we're gonna buy the bedding.

SPEAKER_01 17:55

Do you know what I do every few years? I buy a robe because I like to I like to use a robe, not a towel when I jump out of a chow. So every few years I just buy one of the Marriott robes from wherever I am.

SPEAKER_02 18:06

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 18:07

Because they're all nice and fluffy.

— Getting Five-Star Stays for Almost Nothing

SPEAKER_03 18:10

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 18:11

Uh so would you go back again and again to the same places?

SPEAKER_03 20:01

Yeah, it it kind of depends. So it depends on the city and then the location of the hotels.

SPEAKER_02 20:08

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 20:09

And, you know, how many different nice hotels there are.

SPEAKER_02 20:13

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 20:13

So like Bangkok, I've stayed all over the place in Bangkok, but I kind of narrowed it down to we like to be by the Central World Mall. Yeah, Succo Vit strip. And there's, you know, just because the restaurants, there's there's so many of my favorite restaurants there, plus the surrounding malls. You know, there's about eight malls within a mile.

SPEAKER_00 20:37

But yeah.

SPEAKER_03 20:39

I used to say at the St. Regis, which is a little bit of a walk.

SPEAKER_01 20:43

Yeah, I used to say there.

SPEAKER_03 20:44

And when it's hot, it's too far. But now there's a Moxie, which is their kind of lower end Marriott, but it's just across the street from the mall.

SPEAKER_00 20:54

Okay.

SPEAKER_03 20:54

So even though it's not nearly as nice of a hotel, the location's better.

SPEAKER_01 21:01

I still don't mind Moxies. I just stayed at a Moxie in um Chattanooga. And it was actually

— The Four Seasons Bed (and Where to Buy It)

SPEAKER_01 21:08

cute, right? Because they have like usually a c a communal area downstairs where they're playing games and you can go to the bar, and the rooms are tight. They're not they're not as easy to to podcast from, I found out, because y you take the stuff off the wall, uh like the chair and the table, and you you put it down and you know, like one of those uh foldable chairs and stuff. But I don't mind the Moxies.

SPEAKER_03 21:31

Yeah, it's it's much better than other brands, lower end hotels. But yeah, it is tighter. And you know, it's it's not five star, but it it does the job and location, you know, like also in Malaysia.

SPEAKER_02 21:50

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 21:51

So Kuala Lumpur, you know, the airport is a hour from

— Bangkok Strategy: Location Over Luxury

SPEAKER_03 21:56

the town. And you can take the train or you can take the grab. But you know, it's it's such KL is like a good place to fly in and fly out somewhere else. And I try not to do connecting flights. So most of my travel is based on where I can go one way.

SPEAKER_02 22:13

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 22:13

You know, and you know, with l as little effort as possible. So KL is a good stopping point, so usually we'll stay, you know, three days just to, you know, just to not have a really bad layover or something. But the city's so far and I found there's a a closer little city, Putra Jaya.

SPEAKER_02 22:35

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 22:36

And the the Iowai Mall is there. And it's I think that it was the second biggest mall in Asia, and there's a moxie that opened attached to it.

SPEAKER_02 22:46

Ah, okay.

SPEAKER_03 22:47

So when maybe two or three years ago, it was god, I think I got thirty five hundred Marriott points for a night, which is amazing.

SPEAKER_01 22:56

That's yeah, you know, that's decent.

SPEAKER_03 22:59

That's so low. And so we stayed three or five days and just ate at the mall every day, didn't even have to go outside and then you know, just hopped back to the airport and then flew to the next place. And so we've been there three or four times. I think one time we spent a week just to kind of chill out and relax.

SPEAKER_01 23:21

Have you been to the pink mosque near there?

SPEAKER_03 23:24

No, no.

SPEAKER_01 23:25

Yeah, you should do that next time because Yeah, you should do that because I've ventured out. You haven't ventured out at the hotel. Because I used to we used to stay at the Marriott not far from there in Puka Jared just because my husband used to work not far from there before we moved there. But the and

— KL & Putrajaya: The Moxie Mall Strategy

SPEAKER_01 23:40

then when my son when we did move there, my son went to the Australian school, which wasn't that far. From there. But yeah, there's a beautiful pink moss. So next time you stay there, just do that one trip. They go out to the pink moss because it's not that far.

SPEAKER_03 23:52

Okay. Yeah, I think I might have seen that on the map.

unknown 23:56

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 23:56

So Phil, would you recommend most people would pick to pick one loyalty program and then just go for it?

SPEAKER_03 24:02

Yeah, if if you're not traveling from you know months of the year, yeah, pick one, get the get the top status. So then the next year, you know, you're gonna benefit off that status. So, you know, like if so, if you earn, say, this year, 2000 was it, 26.

SPEAKER_02 24:20

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 24:21

And then so like I hit globalist maybe yeah, early June. So from early June the rest of the year, I'm globalist, but then it carries on to the next year.

SPEAKER_00 24:33

Okay.

SPEAKER_03 24:33

And so if you don't stay, you know, if you don't but you have to re-qualify each year.

SPEAKER_02 24:39

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 24:40

But you're you know, if you're not gonna re-qualify the next year, you're still gonna have it for that year. So yeah, my goal was to to hit it as early as possible so I could benefit the rest of the year. Of course, I'm gonna do it next year as well.

SPEAKER_01 24:54

You can relax a little bit. You don't have to be uh you know, trying to get that status. Do you so so what is it? I know with Marriott, even if you use points, you still get points for that night stay. Is that the same with the h hired as well? Not really.

SPEAKER_03 25:11

Oh, I'm not sure. Uh I can't remember. I know some of the programs you do no matter what, and some you you don't.

SPEAKER_01 25:20

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 25:20

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 25:26

So yeah, so quite often, depending on your status, I guess, with with with these things, the further up, the better the better benefits you get, right?

SPEAKER_03 25:37

So Yeah, yeah, you're gonna earn uh multiples, two times, three times, four times points per dollar, depending on your level.

SPEAKER_01 25:45

Yeah, and then you're also gonna get like free nights or sta or upgrades, or you know, I think I think with the Marriott, don't quote me on this, but I think with the Mariette's like, is it an extra you get like three or to five sweet upgrades or something like that per year, or I don't know. It it's great, whatever it is.

SPEAKER_03 26:04

Yeah, yeah, that's a choice. I think at is it sixty at sixty nights, I think your gift you could choose to have the the sweet

— Should You Stick to One Loyalty Program?

SPEAKER_03 26:13

upgrade.

SPEAKER_01 26:14

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 26:14

Yeah, three or five times a year.

SPEAKER_01 26:16

Yeah, and then when you check in, they ask you whether or not you want points, or you want a bottle of wine, or you want whatever it is, you get not every place, but quite often they'll give you a choice between sort of things, which is also great to benefit from, right? We used to be belong to the Shangri-La loyalty program, but there's not enough Shangri-Lars outside of Asia.

SPEAKER_02 26:37

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 26:38

You know, so that's why we decided to go with the Marriott, because the Marriott seems to be everywhere in the world. Um it's whatever suits you, right?

SPEAKER_03 26:48

Yeah, yeah, it's yeah, Marriott's have more properties than Hyatt. Hyatt, there's some major cities that don't even have one, or maybe they have one. So but Marriott, you know, they have so many different brands within Marriott. And they, you know, they took over Starwood, the

— Hit Status Early — Then Enjoy It All Year

SPEAKER_03 27:06

Sheraton and Weston. But Hyatt is buying up a lot of other small brands as well.

SPEAKER_01 27:13

Yes.

SPEAKER_03 27:14

So they are actually in Vietnam, they bought the Wink hotels.

SPEAKER_01 27:18

Oh, did they?

SPEAKER_03 27:20

Yeah, and there's only five or six of the Winks, but we stayed, I think it was 35 a night.

SPEAKER_00 27:28

Oh wow.

SPEAKER_03 27:29

In was it Haalong Bay? No. It was Haiphong, near Halong Bay.

SPEAKER_01 27:33

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 27:34

And that's how partly how I got globalist so quickly.

SPEAKER_01 27:39

Yeah, so that's a trick, right? So you stay somewhere with lower points for a big big chunk of your time, and you can gain that that status a little bit quicker. Yeah. But they've um Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 27:52

Oh, go ahead.

SPEAKER_01 27:53

Okay.

SPEAKER_03 27:53

Oh, but you know, like traveling in the US, you're staying at a higher higher regency. It's gonna cost you 250, 300 a night. So and but then in Vietnam, you could stay at the Wink Hotel for one-tenth of the price.

SPEAKER_00 28:08

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 28:09

So I think we stayed two weeks, three weeks, or something. So you really rack up the nights quickly. And it was, you know, it's kind of like a moxie. It's it's you know, it has that communal space downstairs and it's small, but we did actually upgrade, I paid to upgrade to the suite because the small room was just too small.

SPEAKER_02 28:30

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 28:31

And you know, it costs me, I think, ten or fifteen dollars a day to upgrade to a suite, which is crazy.

SPEAKER_01 28:37

Crazy when you think about it. Yeah. So I think that you probably do what we do, whereas we we we look at a place, a destination, and say, okay, should we pay for it or should we use points? So we we pay for it if it's super cheap, and we use points if the points if it doesn't take up too many of our points, but it gives us extra nights. Because there's two things you're after, right? You're after the the points, and you're also after the night stay. Because they're two different things. Can you explain why they're two different things and what what that means?

SPEAKER_03 29:08

Okay, so yeah, most of the programs you need 60 nights for the platinum status. And usually maybe half of that for gold. But gold gives you a little bit of perks, but nothing too significant. So platinum is is the goal. And yeah, so points. I don't know. I'll I'll do like you, where you you have to judge whether am I gonna spend points on this or am I gonna spend dollars? And then either way, most of the time you're gonna earn a little bit of points back, and then then yeah, you just have to rack up the night the night the night uh credits to to hit your 60. But you know, like with a Hyatt, you get with a business card, every $10,000 you spend, you get five night credits.

SPEAKER_00 29:58

Ah, okay.

SPEAKER_03 29:59

And so you could you could spend $120,000 and not stay one night and you'd still be globalist.

SPEAKER_01 30:08

So you could you could use a business, like you if you had your own business, you could actually use one of those cards, like a credit card for your business and not even have to stay there and just drive out the money. Interesting.

SPEAKER_03 30:20

Yeah. And then Marriott,

— The Wink Hotel Hack: Building Nights Fast in Vietnam

SPEAKER_03 30:22

you get 30 night no 15 night credits for uh a personal and a business, American Express. So I have both, so I get 30 nights credit.

SPEAKER_02 30:33

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 30:33

And then you also get a free night for e each of those two per year. So already you're starting out at 30 nights, so you only need thirty more to hit platinum. Plus you're getting two free nights, which count as well. So you're actually at 32 nights just starting off. But I'm actually lifetime platinum. I hit that a while ago, where I hit ten years, ten years of platinum status and six hundred nights total stays.

SPEAKER_00 31:02

Wow.

SPEAKER_03 31:03

And so now I don't have to worry about Marriott. So I stay at Marriott's less than Hyatt and Accor because those I have to keep hitting 60 nights a year.

SPEAKER_01 31:15

Do they have lifetime programs as well?

SPEAKER_03 31:17

So Globalist does, and that's my next goal.

SPEAKER_01 31:20

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 31:20

But it's basically I think you have to spend $200,000. So that's it's just based on points. I think you get five points per dollar or something. So yeah, you have to spend a lot. So eventually I'll get there. But for now, I I'll stay at the $30 to $50 a night places and and hit the the globalist. And then once you're globalist, you could stay at a fancier location and you'll get

— Points vs. Cash: How to Decide

SPEAKER_03 31:54

the lounge and the suite.

SPEAKER_00 31:56

Ah, okay, yeah, that's clever.

SPEAKER_03 31:58

The park hyats are amazing. A lot of even the Hyatt Regencies. There's one in Jogyakarta, Indonesia. I think what was it? 5,000 points a night or $70.

SPEAKER_00 32:11

Wow.

SPEAKER_03 32:12

And oh, it was amazing. I think we I think we stayed five nights and we left one time to eat at a restaurant next door. But the rest of the time we just stayed there. It was such a nice place and it was

— Night Credits Explained

SPEAKER_03 32:28

big and quiet and there was not many people there.

SPEAKER_00 32:32

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 32:32

So and we're actually going back there in a couple months. I think our staying ten nights there. Oh wow. Amazing points.

SPEAKER_00 32:40

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 32:41

And yeah, it's just just a place to relax and and have quiet and good food and has the lounge. Nice pool.

SPEAKER_01 32:51

Do you do you look at places for sis facilities as well? Like if they've got a pool or, you know, that sort of thing.

SPEAKER_03 32:59

Yeah, yeah. So some some places, you know, they'll have a a nicer pool or they'll have a spa or onsen.

SPEAKER_02 33:07

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 33:08

And yeah, where do we stay? Oh, we stayed at the Alila, Alila Solo, near Jogyakarta. And then I wasn't globalist yet. And they charged to use the s the the hot tub and the sauna.

SPEAKER_02 33:21

Really?

SPEAKER_03 33:22

And I was like, wait, it was free at the higher agency.

SPEAKER_00 33:25

Yeah, exactly.

SPEAKER_03 33:26

And they're like, oh no, only if you're globalists, it's free. So I was like, well, I'm not coming back here if I'm not globalist. But yeah, so some places. Yeah, it's it it all depends.

SPEAKER_01 33:42

Yeah. And do you like I know that Asia, depending on Asia, and like obviously Japan, Singapore, they're a little bit different, Hong Kong. But generally speaking, Asia, you get more bang for your buck, don't you? With with hotels.

— The Marriott 30 Free Night Credits Trick

SPEAKER_03 33:56

Yeah, definitely. Especially especially Southeast Asia and China as well. But Japan. Japan's pricier. South Korea's pricier.

SPEAKER_00 34:07

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 34:08

So here on Jeju Island, the they have a Hyatt, Grand Hyatt, which is I think $250 to $300 a night starting. And then they they have a Marriott, which we had afternoon tea there.

unknown 34:24

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 34:24

But the rooms were I

— Lifetime Platinum: Todd's Marriott Achievement

SPEAKER_03 34:26

think four hundred a night there.

SPEAKER_00 34:27

Oh wow.

SPEAKER_03 34:29

So, you know, and maybe a hundred twenty thousand points a night.

SPEAKER_00 34:32

Yeah. And you're going to summer.

SPEAKER_02 34:34

Yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 34:35

Yeah, it's summer. But so, you know, we we went there, we had afternoon tea, and it was a nice place, but I'm not not worth 400 a night.

SPEAKER_01 34:44

So that's what surprised me about the US. It was so expensive. All the Marriottes were so expensive. And I don't know if it was because of the destinations that I chose, but I just found, yeah, it was pricey.

SPEAKER_03 34:56

Yeah, it's too much. Yeah. I think a lot of it a lot of it's you know the business part of it. The people go for business, the company just pays for it.

SPEAKER_01 35:05

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 35:05

So they just they charge whatever they want.

SPEAKER_01 35:08

Yeah. Drives up the prices, right? So it's sticking to those little places is probably a better option. Little towns. So for those who are just starting out, I'm starting today. I'm just about to join a loyalty program. What do you think they need to know? Where do I need to start?

SPEAKER_03 35:23

Well, so first look at the credit cards. So especially the offers, the sign-up bonus. So I think high it, you can get 50 or 60,000 points, and you have to just spend

— Hyatt Regency Yogyakarta: Best Value Find

SPEAKER_03 35:35

a certain amount within the first three months. So, you know, 60,000 points. If you're staying out of 5,000 a night, that's 12 nights.

SPEAKER_00 35:43

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 35:43

So really, if you, you know, if if you want to get as much as you can and you're not traveling a lot, you know, sign up for one of those, spend everything but all your auto pay, your bills, you know, electric and all that. Whatever you could spend on the card. And then you're also gonna earn points. So but then pick pick a certain you know, whichever brand is good for where you're traveling.

SPEAKER_02 36:08

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 36:08

So say you're going to Europe, they have Hyatt, they have Marriott, they don't have as many a core. And then a core platinum, I think doesn't come with you don't get breakfast in Europe. You get it in Asia. So there's some regional things you have to look for as well.

SPEAKER_02 36:27

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 36:27

But but I would I would probably start out with Marriott or Hyatt or the Chase Sapphire Reserve. And the reserve you get it's it's really expensive now. They just raise the price. I think it's almost 800 a year. But but you get a lot of rebates. I've done I get my money back from it.

SPEAKER_00 36:48

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 36:50

So but it it is a lot to spend, but you just have to be strategic about it.

SPEAKER_01 36:56

Do your research.

unknown 36:57

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 36:58

Figure out where it is. Because I know with Australia we don't have the credit card like you guys have, you know? And so I think for us in Asia, we do get points for our c credit cards, but not as many as when I was talking to someone, I was it seems like you guys are so lucky because you get so many points, you know, with your credit card systems.

SPEAKER_03 37:18

It's amazing. When I first started doing the Marriott, it was Starwood back then. So I would just travel for leisure, but quite a bit. But with my business, I was buying inventory on my credit cards.

SPEAKER_01 37:33

So I would I would rack up a lot.

— Asia vs. the Rest: Where Your Points Go Further

SPEAKER_03 37:37

Probably, I think I calculated out to about I was getting about thirty thousand dollars in free travel per year from the points.

SPEAKER_00 37:46

Wow.

SPEAKER_03 37:47

So you know, I was going to Europe, I was staying in the you know, like the St. Regis in Rome and like, you know, all these really nice hotels, and the points were lower back then as well, too. So maybe 20,000 points a night, and you get this five-star fancy hotel in Europe. But back then I wasn't going to Southeast Asia as much. So it would have, I mean, I would have stretched out my travel even more two to three times if I was going to you know coming out to Asia back then. But yeah, so really just be strategic about it.

SPEAKER_01 38:21

And also, like you said, that you brought up a good point that not every region is the same. Even though you might belong to a program and you might stay just in Marriott's not the Sheraton or whatever, they don't then it's it's every every hotel's different, every region's different. So you don't get all the benefits, you get all some most of the benefits. So that's another thing to look at when you're booking, right?

SPEAKER_03 38:46

Mm-hmm. Yeah, even some may not. I think some Marriottes aren't giving you free breakfast now.

SPEAKER_01 38:52

And like, Yes. Yeah, when did that start happening?

SPEAKER_03 38:56

I don't know.

SPEAKER_01 38:57

That was like this year. I was so shocked when I had to start paying for I know it sounds awful, but I had to start paying for my breakfast. I was like, when did that happen?

SPEAKER_03 39:06

That's that's why you're doing this program, right? Yeah, yeah, yeah. To get that benefit.

SPEAKER_02 39:12

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 39:12

And so some places are starting to take it away. So yeah, a lot through Facebook groups, you know, you just kind of research where you're going, what benefits you're gonna get.

SPEAKER_01 39:26

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 39:26

And and just maximize it.

SPEAKER_01 39:28

Or follow you. So how do people get in touch with you? So I'll put it on the show notes, but how do people get in touch with you?

SPEAKER_03 39:34

Okay. Well, all my socials, it's at Todd Hatta. And usually I'm not posting as much lately, but

— Getting Started: Sign-Up Bonuses & First Steps

SPEAKER_03 39:42

still a lot of stories and Instagram. But yeah, just kind of just showing our lives around Asia.

SPEAKER_01 39:49

Yeah, and hotels. I love watching your food and I love watching your hotel reviews. Because it gives you inspiration to go, okay, if I'm going to Jeju, then that's where I should stay and that's what I should eat. So yeah, definitely follow along. Is there anything else you'd like to add before we end?

SPEAKER_03 40:05

Um, I think one of your questions I saw was what was one of my best uses of the points?

SPEAKER_01 40:14

Yes.

SPEAKER_03 40:15

So it's it's a weird, funny story. But my friend, one of my best friends, got married, and he was like, Oh, I want to go to Thailand and I want to go to Vietnam. And I was like, Oh, we're gonna be out there at that time. So, you know, like you know, stay, stay near us so we can meet up. And he's like, Oh, well, why don't you guys just come along with us for part of it, you know, part of the honeymoon. And you know, we could just because he's he's an experienced traveler, but kind of likes to be fond of things, led, you know.

SPEAKER_01 40:51

Okay, okay.

SPEAKER_03 40:52

You know, he doesn't like to plan everything and doesn't know, you know, what's the best of everything. So I'm like, okay, I think they had three weeks, right? They're traveling. So about two weeks of it, we we traveled with them on their honeymoon. But and then so, okay, we're planning it. And he's like, okay, I I have you know 200,000 IHG points, I have you know, a hundred thousand Hyatt points, and he wanted five-star, you know, beach hotels and stuff. So we're just planning each place. And so I actually had to get a new card to get the bonus, you know, because I didn't have you know, I was spending my points, you know, I don't keep a high balance of points, but he wanted like Kimpton and Ko Samui and you know, in Bali, we stay at the Alila and another all-inclusive, really fancy place. And I'm like, oh, I I don't have enough points. So I got the I got the Hyatt business card, and I think I got a hundred thousand points or something. And yeah, so I think I

— How Todd Used to Earn $30k in Free Travel Per Year

SPEAKER_03 41:58

paid for a few nights, but the rest I use points.

SPEAKER_00 42:02

Wow.

SPEAKER_03 42:02

Keep keeping up with him.

SPEAKER_00 42:04

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 42:05

So but it was, you know, it was tough. I I really had to had to change I think I had to cancel some of our existing reservations in points to get those points back to use.

SPEAKER_00 42:16

Okay, to use, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 42:18

And then we we stayed at cheaper hotels and I paid cash on those.

SPEAKER_00 42:22

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 42:22

But yeah, so it but it was like, okay, it's their honeymoon, and they want to stay at these specific nice places. So and then we weren't gonna go stay at a cheaper place down the street or something. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 42:35

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 42:36

But but it's yeah, we just did as much, you know, as we could to maximize those points in the different cities and countries, and and uh they had an amazing time.

SPEAKER_01 42:48

I mean that's that's the way to do it, right? If you do have if you are accumulating, do do you do points expire at the end of the year or can you take them over?

SPEAKER_03 42:59

No, I think they'll they'll last as long as your accounts are active, maybe for two years or something. Most programs, yeah, you don't really expire unless you're not using it for years.

SPEAKER_01 43:11

Which is good, because a lot of the um uh flight uh frequent flyer ones do, right? I know Quantas does, which is really annoying. So you have to use them within a certain period of time. Excellent. Thank you so much. That was so enjoyable. I learned so much about hotels, and I think I need to start looking at what other hotels have to offer.

SPEAKER_03 43:33

Yeah, definitely. Check out a core when there's some great ones in in Singapore and Hong Kong.

SPEAKER_01 43:40

Yeah. And I mean, it doesn't hurt to be a member of these anyway, even

— The Free Breakfast Benefit: What's Changing

SPEAKER_01 43:45

if you're not using them all the time. If you're gaining status here, it's good to have something if there's nothing in, like you said before, nothing in that that area.

SPEAKER_03 43:53

Yeah, yeah, definitely.

SPEAKER_01 43:56

So thank you, Todd, for coming on and thank you everyone for listening. I will see you next week on the Truly Expat Travel Podcast. Bye.

SPEAKER_03 44:06

Bye. Thanks.

SPEAKER_01 44:08

Thank you for joining me on the Truly Expat Travel Podcast. If you liked this episode and you found it valuable, then why don't you go ahead and like and subscribe so that you don't miss an episode moving forward. I've got some amazing guests and some fantastic destinations coming up. But if this is the episode and this is the destination that you really want to go to,

— How to Follow Todd

SPEAKER_01 44:31

then I suggest you head over to truly expatravel.com where you'll find travel guides and deep dive into this sort of destination. If that's not what you want and you can't find an episode that is a destination you want to travel to, then head over and follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok because I'm pretty sure you'll find something there. In the meantime, safe travels and I'll see you next week.