The exposure of Mr. Kelly continues: https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-cre...71ffbc49b9438a
While it doesn't explicitly address the conflicts of interest in the "advice", it makes quite clear that Brian Kelly is not in the business of providing objective travel advice, but rather in selling credit cards and his own image.

I love the conclusion:
"The price tag for the black-tie affair was about $1.5 million, according to a person familiar with the matter. TPG paid about $250,000, the person said.

The banks and hotels paid the rest."