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Travel Dudes

The 9 Best Towns in the Dolomites

When booking your next trip, think of the mirror-like lakes, majestic peaks and winter sports in the best towns in the Italian Dolomites.

The post The 9 Best Towns in the Dolomites first appeared on Travel Dudes and is written by Jack Shaw.

Travel Dudes – For Travelers, By Travelers!

Beng Mealea is the last true temple ruin in Cambodia. This guide covers what to see, how to get there and day trips from Siem Reap.

Week of restaurants was here again. Most good slots were taken, so I took those during working hours for lunch break. Today I went to PEN Klub, chef Mojmir Marko Šiftar. This is place with history, from residence of political figuers in socialist Yugoslavia, to writers society and restaurant owned by Kaval group.

I walked from office and was late few minutes. I had 3 course meal. We opened with Hors d’oeuvre was someting I didn’t like so they changed it to humus and homemade bread.

pozdrav iz kuhinje

Next was – Calf on pasture: Veal tongue with topinambur cream, pickled topinambur, pumpkin mayonnaise, spruce oil powder and wild herbs

Beef tounge – PEN

Then they served Flying polenta – Fried chicken thigh stuffed with goose liver, parsnip cream, balsamic vinegar gel, fennel oil, dark chicken sauce with beer

Chicken – PEN

I finished with Beef soup: Mousse of white chocolate and kohlrabi, carrot gel, sponge cake, celery chips, burnt onion, candied beef, caramel beef soup

Beside I was served bread and sparkling water. All courses on menu are traditional food presented in new way. I paid 35.5 € (menu 30 €, water 5.5 €). Nice lunch break, not for every day.

Marriott Bonvoy is one of the most popular hotel loyalty programs in the world. As travellers rack up stays throughout the year, they’ll progress through various elite status tiers with the hotel chain.

Of the five elite status tiers, the most meaningful benefits come at the Platinum and Titanium tiers. Luckily, there are many ways to attain status without just fulfilling the regular requirements.

In this article, we’ll take a thorough look at Marriott Bonvoy elite status, including how to qualify and how to maximize the benefits at each tier.

How Does Marriott Bonvoy Elite Status Work?

You can earn Marriott Bonvoy elite status in one of two ways: by staying a certain number of qualifying nights per calendar year, or by holding various credit cards issued in Canada and the US.

The qualifying requirements for Marriott’s elite status levels are summarized in the below table:

Note that stays booked with third-party providers don’t usually count towards elite qualifying nights. Therefore, be sure to book directly with Marriott to ensure you are credited for the nights from your stay.

If you’re booking at a higher-end property, be sure to get in touch with us for a quote, since you’ll receive extra perks for your stay at no additional cost.

Book with Prince of Travel and Marriott Luminous

Book a hotel stay with Prince of Travel through Marriott Luminous and enjoy exclusive additional benefits at no cost to you, including:

• Daily breakfast for two guests
• Room upgrade, subject to availability at check-in
• Early check-in and late check-out, subject to availability
• Welcome amenity
• $100 (USD) property credit at select properties
• Third, Fourth, or Fifth Night Free at select properties

 

Book Marriott Luminous Hotels

Book with Prince of Travel and Marriott STARS

Book a hotel stay with Prince of Travel through Marriott STARS and enjoy exclusive additional benefits at no cost to you, including:

• Daily breakfast for two guests
• Room upgrade, subject to availability at check-in
• $100 (USD) property credit
• In-person welcome and personalized welcome amenity and note
• Third, Fourth, or Fifth Night Free at select properties

 

Book Marriott STARS Hotels

Once you earn a certain status level, it will be valid until the February two years later. Essentially, the status begins when you earn the required number of nights during a calendar year, and is valid until 14 months after the end of that calendar year.

Suppose you have a busy travel period in January 2025 and earn Gold Elite status in the first month of the year. That status would be valid for the rest of 2025, through all of 2026, until February 2027.

If you were to keep staying with Marriott throughout the year, eventually achieving Platinum Elite status in November 2025, then your Platinum status would be valid until February 2027 as well.

And once January 2026 rolls around, a new qualification period has started, meaning that you’d need to achieve 50 nights in 2026 to renew your Platinum status for the subsequent year. Doing so would extend your status validity until February 2028, and so on.

Silver Elite: 10 Nights

Silver Elite is Marriott’s lowest tier of elite status, unlocked once you stay at Marriott properties for 10 nights. There aren’t many substantial benefits that come with this level, but it’s quite easy to reach.

The most meaningful perks include a 10% bonus on points earned from paid stays and priority late check-out. For the latter, you aren’t guaranteed late check-out, but you’ll be prioritized over anyone without elite status.

Free internet and Member Exclusive Rates are also advertised as benefits, but in reality, even the most basic tier of members enjoy those as well.

By simply holding a co-branded credit card, such as the Marriott Bonvoy American Express Card or the Marriott Bonvoy Business American Express Card, you’ll receive 15 elite qualifying nights. So, you can earn Silver status each year by simply holding one of these credit cards.

Gold Elite: 25 Nights

Things get a little more exciting at Gold Elite, which is bestowed upon you once you earn 25 elite qualifying nights in a calendar year.

Alternatively, simply holding either the American Express Platinum Card or the American Express Business Platinum Card will also confer Gold Elite status, as will the US-issued Amex Bonvoy Bevy Card and Chase Bonvoy Bountiful Card.

At Gold Elite, you get a higher 25% bonus on points earned from paid stays, and your priority check-out benefit is extended to a 2pm late check-out, based on availability. While the late check-out isn’t guaranteed, at least there’s a fixed check-out time to shoot for.

More importantly, at the Gold Elite level, you receive a couple of new benefits: a welcome gift of either 250 or 500 Marriott Bonvoy points depending on the brand, and room upgrades subject to availability.

The former can add up quickly if you’re a frequent guest, while the latter can bump you up from a standard room to a “better” room of some kind.

This usually results in a slightly larger room, a room on a higher floor, or a room with better views, but you can always try your hand at “suite-talking” for a suite upgrade.

Larger Barlow Room, St. Pancras Renaissance Hotel London

Upgrades remain subject to availability, so if all such rooms have been booked up or otherwise set aside by the hotel, you aren’t entitled to an upgrade.

Platinum Elite: 50 Nights

This is where the fun begins. At Platinum Elite, you get access to executive lounges, free breakfast, and suite upgrades – the stuff that everyone wants. 

If you’re going through the traditional route, you’ll have to work for it, as you’ll need 50 elite qualifying nights before you earn the status.

However, by simply holding the American Express US Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant Card, you’ll automatically be granted Platinum Elite status for as long as you’re a cardholder. It doesn’t get much easier than this.

Indeed, this is by far the easiest, most direct, and likely cheapest way to earn Platinum Elite status. It almost feels too good to be true that you can attain a meaningful status level without having to step foot in a single hotel room. 

The card has an annual fee of $650 (USD), although it’s offset by a $25 (USD) monthly worldwide dining credit, which brings the effective annual fee down to $350 (USD) if you can maximize this credit each month. For Canadians, this card can be obtained during the early stages of getting into US credit cards as a Canadian; however, you’ll want to be mindful of family language restrictions.

In terms of perks, as a Platinum Elite, you..