SkiAdcock

Don't think you earn Marriott points or stay credit at Ramada so that's out for me (and that's about the only way I'd stay at a Ramada anyway). And bummer re: Hilton which is the one I'm scrambling to keep my status on.

Anyway, I'm keeping an eye on the thread as I've never been to Venice before, but the big decision-maker will be how the client base looks as it gets closer.

I think I should get one on retainer & just allocate the annual funds for the year to underwriting Dos - call them the Do Client

Dovster

Wow! It's a good thing I am a true gentleman! Otherwise I might make some comment about a woman who takes money to "do a client!"

Cholula

Dovster, you're polluting your own "Serious" thread again!
I'm resisting temptation to throw in a couple one-liners myself and you're making it very difficult....

monitor

Not to worry about thread pollution Cholula, because it was axiomatic early on that with this crowd, each "serious" and "even more serious" thread was destined to die a polluted death only to be replaced by another "totally more serious" thread. I think that the over-under on threads on this topic has always been about at seven.

Dovster

Mea culpa, mea culpa. Mea maxima culpa.

It is just that sometimes I am fed straight lines which I can't pass up.

However, the Delta Forum Silly Thread is still in operation and ridiculous posts about the Venice Meet can be placed there.

Monitor, I am looking forward to the meet and again seeing both you and your lovely companion, Merrimac.

monitor

Lovely she is but, unlike the Merrimac(k), she is unsinkable.

Of course you can't pass up responding to the straight lines, and that is the prime reason that the thread count will keep going up.

Dovster

There were actually two ships, the Merrimack and the Merrimac.

The USS Merrimack, a 4600 ton frigate, was burned at Gosport Navy Yard in Norfolk VA and made into the CSS Virginia. The Merrimac was a 684 ton iron-hulled gunboat which fought the Monitor to a draw but foundered in a gale off the Florida coast on 15 February 1865.

(Moralists among us might feel that Merrimac got what it deserved for agreeing to get a Florida blow job from Gale.)

Historically Accurate Dovster

monitor

And Cholula was worried about polluting this thread?

Dovster

Sharon, don't despair. I think I have found a good answer for you.

1. Get a Starwood Amex card before July 16. Make a purchase and you will get 4,000 points for it.

2. Stay at the Danieli Hotel in Venice (the same one Ralf will be at). Make certain to rent a suite. If you check in on Nov. 18 and check out on Nov. 23, it will cost you Euro 16,500 ($19,800).

3. Pay with your Amex. This gives you three points for every dollar or a total of 59,400 points. In addition, you will get 1000 points for your first stay on an Amex. With the 4,000 you got earlier, you will now have 64,400 points.

4. Make three transfers of 20,000 points each to your airline. For each transfer you will get 25,000 miles.

There! I have just gotten you 75,000 miles on your favorite airline. What more could you want?

Cholula

Not any more I'm not!!
Did you hear the joke about the Minister, the Priest and the Dovster who decided to go camel riding in Morocco??
Stop me if you've heard it.......

monitor

Sharon - A search on the Marriott board makes it clear that Ramada International (now maybe called Marriott International) is owned by Marriott.
It is unclear to all as to the extent of its participation in Marriott Rewards and the best way to find this out would be to go over to the board and pose the question for the Official Lurker to answer. From what we know, this question is exactly the type that he was created to deal with.

Canarsie

Hopefully, there is no need for SkiAdcock to go through the trouble, monitor:
Ramada Intl. & Marriott Rewards
Points for Ramada International
Ramada on Rewards?
Any Marriotts in Venice?

monitor

Yes, my friend, I have read those threads and here is my opinion of them:

#1 the last post on this was more than 3 years ago
#2 is even older than #1
#3 altho Socrates has spoken in this one, his statement was made nearly two years ago
#4 despite your informative and definitive post of 12/03, the thread ends up being inconclusive on the subject since the last post states that there has been a renaming to Marriott International but does not say that there has been no effect upon MR participation going with the renaming.

However, still buried in the Ramada International Q&A section is the statement that there is no participation in Marriott Rewards. But since rewards programs are in such a state of flux nowadays, I don't think that one can depend on the posts suggested nor even on the RI Q&A. I still think that we await a definite, current update on the Ramada International situation from MR, even with a company like Marriott, which moves glacially slowly in these sorts of matters.

stimpy

Count me in as a maybe as I live only a short CRJ flight away now. I'm going to VCE with the SO in a few weeks, staying at the Danieli on points. I'll try to find the Al Mori if I get a chance and see how much Bourbon costs at the bar. I'm guessing about $24 per shot at the Danieli.

Dovster

Stimpy, you are officially on our list of possibles.

I never did drink a bourbon at the Ai Mori, so I can't tell you what they charge there. However, I do remember some shops in the area where you can buy bottles of booze and that has got to come to a lot less than $24 a shot.

Of course, if you want to feel good about the Danieli's prices, go have a drink at Harry's -- the Danieli will seem like Bargain City after that.