Hyatt's Chicago Problem, Destroying Southwest's Brand, Reevaluating Lounge Certs & Bahamas Preview!

Episode Description On this episode of MTM Travel Shawn and Mark dive into some of the changes Southwest announced after our previous show. It's far worse than anyone imagined including cuts in benefits, no free bags, basic economy and more. Are they destroying the brand or will it grow from this bigger and better than ever? We also discuss Mark's upcoming trip to Baha Mar and what options are left for points on the island. Other topics discussed include: Hyatt's Chicago hotel problem, why 2025 is the time to reevaluate some perks and why you should probably just fly the cheapest/most convenient airline for you. Episode Guide 0:00 Welcome to MTM Travel 1:50 The Alaska/Hawaii card rush and why Alaska miles can be good for American flights 5:47 Southwest gets even worse - No free bags, basic economy and more 12:25 How Southwest is using everyone else's playbook 18:55 The status hamster wheel & reevaluating loyalty in today's corporate world 24:25 Hyatt's big Chicago problem & increasing travel costs 32:25 Reevaluating Hyatt perks in 2025 with all of the changes 36:45 Nassau points options & previewing Mark's trip Subscribe to MTM Travel & 20 Minute Travel in the same feed! Youtube Podcast Enjoying the podcast? Please consider leaving us a positive review on your favorite podcast platform! You can also connect with us anytime at [email protected].  You can subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Spotify, TuneIn, Pocket Casts, or via RSS. Don't see your favorite podcast platform? Please let us know! Melio Offer Terms: This is a business to business payment platform - no personal bills / payments. The offer is for new accounts only. If you sign up using the 20 Minute Travel link new members will get $200 cash back after making a $2000+ in payments via Melio pay. Gal from Melio will reach out to finalize the details of your payment. That is $60 in processing fees for a $200 bonus! After signing up and making your first payment with a vendor you will want to upload your bank info to your Melio account. Do it as the receiving method so you have a checking account set up to receive payments. You will then receive an email from (Gal) Melio saying you are eligible for the $200 bonus and it will tell you to set up your receiving method, or you can share your bank information if you prefer that. Music: Rewind by Jay Someday | https://soundcloud.com/jaysomeday Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License