Originally Posted by
UA-NYC
Well sure, if you pick the part of the world that 1) has a good universal breakfast benefit for all hotel chains (unlike MAR in US), 2) no properties that have resort fees, 3) no parking needed, that of course equalizes the two programs.
How about 4) confirm a 7 night suite up to one year in advance with a SUA. Core benefit of Hyatt that Marriott will never match. Or 5) if traveling with friends or family and have multiple rooms, using GOH or lounge access awards. Nice benefits Marriott also doesn’t offer.
Seems like Marriott should be your go-to choice program for all 1 night China stays then. 100% upgrade rate hard to beat.
Agreed that SUAs are a good benefit, but they have less utility in China if certain properties refuse to list standard suites online via Hyatt.com - like the aforementioned PH Huangzhou and PH Shanghai. They are also not an unlimited benefit and of course have less utility for shorter stays, as is my preference for different reasons. Regardless, outside of China, I’m looking forward to an upcoming 7-night stay that I did use a SUA for. It is nice to have that guaranteed at the time of booking.
Originally Posted by
moondog
Anyone can drive in China, and there are actually fewer hoops to jump through for those on lightweight visas or TWOV (if you have an RP, they want you to take a written test).
It does appear that my information was incorrect and that short-term tourists can apply for a China Provisional Driving License regardless of visa length. Supposedly, you need to provide a Chinese translation of your driving license, so it’s definitely more work than a country that accepts an IDP or simply a foreign license - but I agree that my previous statement was incorrect and that it is possible - just not necessarily easy enough to be super common.