Welcome to Smart Travel, our weekly column where we share our latest tips and tricks to stay up to date on the can’t-miss news in travel. Today, we size up the latest hotel picks from Michelin, wince at the latest financial report from Delta, pack our broomsticks for a new ‘Wicked’ experience and more.
Michelin Announces Latest Top Hotel Picks in U.S., Canada and Mexico
On Thursday, Michelin released its top choices in hotels in the U.S., alongside new additions in Canada and Mexico. After debuting its new hotel rating system featuring “keys” in place of its famous “stars,” Michelin has now selected Sage Lodge (Montana), Amangiri (Utah), Canyon Tucson Ranch (Arizona), Little Palm Island Resort & Spa (Florida) and Kona Village, a Rosewood Resort (Hawaii) as three-key accommodations in the United States.
An additional 36 American hotels were listed as “exceptional” with a two-key rating. Fogo Island Inn in Newfoundland and Clayoquot Wilderness Lodge on Vancouver Island were given top rank in Canada, with One&Only Mandarina, Xinali and Hotel Esencia topping the list in Mexico.
Coming Soon: Upload Your Passport to Google Wallet
Step aside Apple, Google Wallet is making headlines for its soon-to-be launched digital passport option. Select TSA checkpoints will be available for use with the app, joining the U.S. with Finland, Poland, South Korea and the UK for digital passport accommodations. As it stands, over two dozen U.S. airports accept digital state IDs, with 11 states permitting digital IDs though Apple, Google, Samsung and government platforms. Apple, whose wallet app was launched 10 years prior to Google’s, has yet to respond.
Read More: Las Vegas Airport Tests Self-Service Security Checkpoint
Impact of CrowdStrike Outage Shown in New Delta Airlines Financial Report
Delta Air Lines released its third-quarter earnings report on Wednesday, and the ramifications of the historic CrowdStrike outage on June 19 are clear. With per-share earnings expected to see a 45-cent drop and no projected revenue increase this year, the airline announced the likelihood of lowered capacity and increased per-seat costs. Ed Bastion, CEO of Delta, blamed CrowdStrike, the cybersecurity firm that served as ground zero for the global meltdown, for an alleged $500 million loss.
Legal representatives for CrowdStrike rebuffed those claims by citing a number of internal flaws in Delta’s digital systems. Michael Carlinsky, CrowdStrike’s attorney, also wrote to Delta’s team that Bastion’s public threats of legal action had “contributed to a misleading narrative that CrowdStrike is responsible for Delta’s IT decisions and response to the outage…Should Delta pursue this path, Delta will have to explain to the public, its shareholders and ultimately a jury why CrowdStrike took responsibility for its actions—swiftly, transparently and constructively—while Delta did not.”
Read More: What Planners Can Learn from the CrowdStrike IT Blackout
Air France-KLN Ranked as Best Loyalty Program by Points and Travel Reward Search Platform
The search platform points.me has released its first annual survey of top airline loyalty programs, ranking 62 global airlines. Air France and KLM’s reward program, Flying Blue, came out on top as best-in-class globally for its miles, redemption rates, routing rules and other important criteria to travelers.
“By harnessing the power of point.me, Flying Blue broadens its reach, captivating travelers and fostering loyalty, even among those who have yet to experience our airline firsthand,” said Benjamin Lipsey, senior vice president of customer loyalty and president of Flying Blue. Rankings were assigned by a team of 55 experts who ran data analyses based on nine key travel needs, such as earning points/miles, booking reward tickets, availability of flights and customer service.
Universal Studios Hollywood and Universal Orlando Resort to Debut ‘Wicked’ Cinematic Event
Next month, Universal Studios’ Hollywood and Orlando theme parks, where a range of new immersive experiences are preparing to launch, will open their doors to ‘Wicked’ fans for Wicked: The Experience. Set in the magical Land of Oz, a yellow brick road takes parkgoers through several iconic settings in the play-turned-blockbuster-movie.
Read More: Notes from the Road: Orlando
It’s not all bubbles and rainbows though—prepare for thrills galore, with post-adrenaline-rush comedowns spent among installations of props and costumes. At Universal Studios Hollywood, its Feature Presentation store will be converted as an add-on to the Wicked experience, serving up a plethora of ‘Wicked’ memorabilia for all ages.
