Welcome to the Miles and Points Daily Podcast, I'm your host Lucas. Hope you're having a fantastic day and ready to dive into all the juicy miles and points news that's been buzzing around the travel world. From exciting hotel expansions to credit card bonuses and airline developments, we've got quite the lineup for you today. But before we jump into all of that, let me tell you about a fantastic tool that could save you thousands of points. Introducing hotelredemptions.com, a tool that monitors your hotel bookings and alerts you when you can rebook for less points. It's like having a personal assistant constantly watching for better deals on your behalf. Check out the link in our show notes to learn more. Now, let's get into today's news. Starting with some exciting developments in the Hyatt world. If you're a World of Hyatt member, you'll be thrilled to hear that Bunkhouse Hotels are now joining the program. Seven Bunkhouse properties have been added, including Austin's favorite motel and six other eclectic properties. This expansion comes after Hyatt's acquisition of Standard International last summer. The first property started accepting World of Hyatt points today, which means more unique redemption opportunities for your hard-earned points. My tip here is to keep an eye on these boutique properties as they often offer exceptional value for point redemptions, especially during peak travel seasons when cash rates can be astronomical. Speaking of Hyatt, there's another exciting development on the horizon. The Park Hyatt Kuala Lumpur is opening soon, and get this - it's going to be located more than one hundred floors up. For those of us who love sky-high luxury experiences, this property is definitely one to watch. Park Hyatt properties are typically excellent redemption options, especially if you have World of Hyatt Globalist status for those sweet upgrades. Now let's talk about some fantastic opportunities with British Airways. The British Airways Club has launched an award sale where you can save up to forty percent on award tickets. This is pretty rare for British Airways, so if you've been sitting on some Avios, now might be the time to use them. Additionally, they're offering a forty percent bonus when you purchase Avios, bringing the cost down to about one point six four cents per Avios. This could be worthwhile if you're planning premium cabin redemptions where Avios can provide exceptional value. My recommendation is to run the numbers on specific routes you're considering before pulling the trigger on any Avios purchases. For those interested in Lufthansa's Miles and More program, they're currently offering a fifty percent bonus on purchased miles, bringing the cost to about one point three eight cents per mile. This is particularly interesting since Miles and More miles can be challenging to accumulate through other means, and they offer access to some fantastic Star Alliance partners for premium cabin redemptions. Let's shift gears to some credit card news. Citi is reportedly preparing to launch an all-new premium rewards card. While details are still scarce, this could shake up the premium credit card landscape. If you're in the market for a new premium card, it might be worth waiting to see what Citi brings to the table before making any decisions. For those interested in business credit cards, Chase continues to be a powerhouse with their business card offerings. You can apply for Chase business cards as a sole proprietor, which opens up these lucrative opportunities to a much broader audience. The cards offer excellent welcome bonuses and give you access to the Ultimate Rewards ecosystem, which is incredibly valuable for travel redemptions. Moving on to some hotel program updates. Marriott has just rolled out its automatic room upgrade system, which should improve the complimentary upgrade process for Gold Elite members and above. This is great news for frequent Marriott guests as it should make the upgrade process more seamless and predictable. If you're a Marriott elite member, you should start seeing these improvements right away. World of Hyatt is also running some interesting promotions. There's a three times points promotion for Homes and Hideaways by World of Hyatt, which is their vacation rental platform. If you're planning any vacation rentals, this could be a great way to earn significant points while still enjoying a home-like experience. They also have targeted promotions for Latin America and limited service hotels, so check your account to see if you're eligible. Let's talk about some airline developments. Delta Air Lines is making some interesting moves with new routes. They're adding Los Angeles to Chicago service, which is curious from a competitive standpoint. More exciting though is their announcement of Los Angeles to Hong Kong flights starting in June two thousand and twenty-six. This will be a significant route for Delta's Pacific network and could provide some excellent redemption opportunities for SkyMiles members. Gulf Air is also expanding with plans to launch Bahrain to New York flights starting in October two thousand and twenty-five. This will provide another option for travel between the Middle East and the United States, potentially offering competitive award pricing through their partners. On a different note, there's been some controversy with Delta Air Lines being fined eight point one million dollars for allegedly using COVID relief money to fund executive pay. This serves as a reminder of the importance of corporate accountability in the travel industry. Before we wrap up, let's talk about some potential good news for travelers. The TSA may end liquids restrictions much sooner than expected, following their recent policy update allowing passengers to keep their shoes on. This could make the airport experience much more convenient for everyone. That's all for today's Miles and Points Daily Podcast. I hope you found these updates helpful for your travel planning and points strategy. Looking for the best award flights? Use AwardTravelFinder.com to search availability across Qatar Airways, British Airways, Japan Airlines, Cathay Pacific and more. Try it for free with our link in the show notes. Thanks for listening to today's episode. If you enjoyed the show, please subscribe on your favorite podcast platform or visit us at milesandpointsdaily.com. Until next time, keep earning those points and miles, and happy travels.