Stop Buying Cheap Luggage! (The Collapse of Thompson Hotels?)

https://www.travelbrospod.com/bookwithus Welcome back to another packed episode of the Travel Bros Podcast! This week, the bros are down one member but up a couple of extra frequent flyers. Joey is joined by Thomas Kim (TK) and Trevor Mountcastle from the Travel Stories podcast to break down everything from the chaos of modern airline updates to the ultimate luggage showdown.Listen to Travel Stories: https://milenomics.com/2025/01/travelstories-episode-51-everyday-carry/✈️ Let the Travel Bros VIP Your Next Luxury Getaway!Planning an upcoming luxury vacation or a high-end staycation? Don't leave your experience up to chance or automated booking algorithms. Click the link in our bio to book your next trip through the Travel Bros Booking Service!We work directly with elite properties worldwide to score you exclusive perks, complimentary breakfasts, room upgrades, and true VIP treatment—all at no extra cost to you. https://www.travelbrospod.com/bookwithusYouTube Chapters00:00 - Intro & Catching Up with the Travel Stories Crew01:47 - Southwest 2.0: Elite Seats, Pistachios, and Crew Realities12:15 - The Hotel Brand Explosion: Why Are There So Many Sub-Brands?20:31 - Thompson Hotels: Real Modern Luxury or Branding Crisis?24:08 - Hotel Consistency Kings: Four Seasons vs. St. Regis32:00 - List of the Best & Worst Thompson Hotels 41:50 - Luggage Deep Dive: Choosing a Lifelong Travel Companion1:13:40 - The Quick-Fire Luggage Tier List Game1:24:21 - European Travel Tangents: Hidden Gems in Seville & Valencia1:31:09 - Other Must-Have Travel Gear & Plane Cabin Survival Hacks1:38:50 - Outro & How to VIP Your Next Hotel StayIs "Southwest 2.0" actually an upgrade, or are we just paying more to get less? ✈️In this massive, long-form episode of the Travel Bros Podcast, Joey, TK, and Trevor tackle the volatile world of modern travel. We kick things off with a candid review of Southwest’s new assigned seating format—complete with premium seat pricing, snack gatekeeping, and some legendary passive-aggressive flight crews.From there, we dive into the relentless explosion of confusing hotel sub-brands. Why does Marriott need 39 different chains? Is the Thompson Hotel brand in a luxury identity crisis? We compare hotel giants like Four Seasons and St. Regis to figure out who actually holds the crown for elite global consistency.Finally, we unpack the main event: The Ultimate Luggage Showdown. Stop buying cheap suitcases that break every single year! The bros debate soft ballistic nylon versus hard-sided aluminum, share crucial everyday carry (EDC) gear hacks, and put 15 of the biggest luggage brands through a brutal S-Tier to F-Tier ranking game.🔔 Subscribe for more unfiltered luxury travel insights, hacks, and industry breakdowns!