2021 Year In Travel Review
25 unique hotels, 32 hotel stays, 103 nights with 74 paid and 29 points stays. Plus 3 stays for 20 days outside the Marriott network.
This year was definitively our best travel year ever, with stays all across the US along with stays on both coasts of Canada. Thanks to all the work travel I do, and my loyalty to the Bonvoy, Delta SkyMiles, and National Car Rental programs, Maureen and I spent 30 nights using 962,500 points on FANTASTIC stays across the country — in addition to travel up and down the East Coast in our 32-foot RV.
We love motorsports, and this year we were fortunate enough to attend 27 races at 9 racetracks across the country — our most extensive race season to date! We visited 5 “new to us” racetracks this year:
- Daytona Road Course, Daytona, FL (new to us)
- Homestead-Miami Speedway, Miami, FL (new to us)
- Darlington Raceway, Darlington, SC (new to us)
- Circuit of the Americas, Austin, TX (new to us)
- Stafford Motor Speedway, Stafford, CT
- Pocono Raceway, Long Pond, PA
- New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Loudon, NH
- Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval, Charlotte, NC (new to us)
- Martinsville Speedway, Martinsville, VA
2021 Property Stays
Where did we stay this year?
- Vancouver Airport Marriott, BC
- Delta Hotels Kamloops, BC
- Ambassador Hotel Kansas City, Autograph Collection, MO
- Courtyard Greensboro Airport, NC
- Los Angeles Airport Marriott, CA
- Anaheim Marriott, CA
- Renaissance Long Beach Hotel, CA
- Vespera Resort on Pismo Beach, Autograph Collection, CA
- The St. Regis San Francisco, CA
- Grand Bohemian Hotel Charlotte, Autograph Collection, NC
- The Westin Kansas City at Crown Center, MO
- Kansas City Airport Marriott, MO
- Miami Airport Marriott, FL
- The Otis Hotel Austin, Autograph Collection, TX
- Residence Inn Austin Downtown, TX
- Delta Hotels Detroit Metro Airport, MI
- Four Points by Sheraton Saginaw, MI
- Delta Hotels St. John’s Conference Centre, NL, Canada
- Residence Inn Stamford Downtown, CT
- The Celeste Hotel, Orlando, Autograph Collection, FL
- Royal Palm South Beach Miami, a Tribute Portfolio Resort, FL
- Courtyard Miami Coconut Grove, FL
- Bohemian Hotel Celebration, Autograph Collection, FL
- The Daytona, Autograph Collection, FL
2021 Brand Breakdown
- Marriott Hotels: 10
- Autograph Collection: 6
- Delta Hotels: 4
- Tribute Portfolio: 3
- Courtyard: 2
- Westin: 2
- Residence Inn: 2
- St. Regis: 1
- Renaissance: 1
- Four Points by Sheraton: 1
We had some really fantastic stays this year, especially in October when my wife and I spent 27 days in Marriott hotels celebrating my 55th trip around the sun and mixing in about 2 weeks of work. Our stay at The St. Regis San Francisco was our most luxurious stay ever — along with being our most expensive points redemption — but it was totally worth it!
We returned to some of our favorite places: Royal Palm South Beach and the Bohemian Hotel Celebration. I found a new favorite in The Ambassador Hotel Kansas City, along with two excellent Canadian properties: Delta St. John’s and Delta Kamloops.
As a Marriott Bonvoy Ambassador Elite member, I did find that #AmbassadorStatusMatters. Looking back at all our stays this year, we were upgraded on every single stay.
Top 5 Favorite Stays of 2021
- The Daytona, Autograph Collection (Daytona, FL): We are huge motorsports fans and this hotel hits all the details for a racing enthusiast. Booked a last-minute 5-night points stay and received an upgrade to a top-floor balcony room overlooking Daytona International Speedway.
- Royal Palm South Beach Miami, a Tribute Portfolio Resort (Miami Beach, FL): One of our favorite go-to properties. Great location, direct beach access, strong elite recognition, and genuine hospitality.
- The Otis Hotel Austin, Autograph Collection (Austin, TX): Spent one night following our race weekend at Circuit of the Americas, celebrating our 27th anniversary. Upgraded to a 2-room suite with an in-room vinyl record player.
- Grand Bohemian Hotel Charlotte, Autograph Collection (Charlotte, NC): A 5-night points stay upgraded to an exceptional multi-room executive suite.
- The St. Regis San Francisco (San Francisco, CA): A 3-night points stay upgraded to a 17th-floor Metropolitan Suite overlooking SFMOMA.
This year of travel is going to be hard to beat. I live by the motto: “Earn ‘em and Burn ‘em” — spending all our loyalty points on unforgettable travel with my wife.