Occasionally it is worth stepping back from the story itself and addressing how and why I cover travel news in the first place on Live And Let’s Fly.
I saw Brian Cohen’s post on The Gate about how he “rarely jump[s] on the ‘breaking news’ bandwagon” and why he prefers to wait for original sources before reporting anything. I respect the principle of verifying and citing primary sources, but the implication that other bloggers (like me) somehow undermined credibility by writing about rumored Hyatt changes is both inaccurate and misses how responsible travel reporting actually works.
First, let’s be clear about what happened in my piece. I identified the report as unverified from the start, labeled it as rumor, and explicitly warned readers to take it with a grain of salt. I also explained the context and clearly stated that it was unconfirmed. That is not reporting something as fact. That is responsible reporting on a plausible industry rumor with enough specificity to merit discussion.
Second, unlike sites that simply repost reddit threads as headlines, the intent of my article was analysis, not simple amplification. My readers want a thoughtful breakdown of what might be coming, how it fits into broader loyalty program trends, and what it could mean if true. That analysis is rooted in years of covering airline and hotel loyalty programs, not in blind repetition of internet chatter.
Third, official sources are not always available in the world of travel loyalty reporting. After all, it was me (almost a decade ago) that broke the news of the new World of Hyatt program…an anonymous Hyatt insider leaked it to a colleague who leaked it to me and I ran with it. Hyatt hated me for it (Jeff Zidell told me to my face he could not forgive me for that), but it was pertinent information and I felt my readers deserved to know about it as soon as possible, not on Hyatt’s terms.
Changes to award charts, credit card benefits, and program mechanics are often discussed in industry circles, leaked through community channels, or hinted at long before any official announcement is made. Waiting until a hotel chain publishes a press release defeats much of the purpose of travel reporting, which is to give readers time to adjust expectations and strategy.
Brian is right that accuracy matters. But there is a difference between verification and responsible contextualization. In my article, I walked readers through what was being discussed, explained why it was plausible, and made it clear that it might not ultimately come to pass. That is transparency, not recklessness.
Travel writing should not be a race to latch onto every unverified claim, but it also should not ignore credible signals until a final news release lands on my desk. Loyalty programs evolve quietly and incrementally, and readers are better served by thoughtful interpretation of those signals than by silence until everything is officially announced.
Also, I’m a blogger…I’ve never held myself out as a professional journalist, but even a journalist should not be pilloried for writing these type of stories. We are on the cusp of the annual Hyatt devaluation and speculating about what may be next should not be out of bounds.
On Epstein And Hyatt
And one more thing. Brian also mentioned the link between Hyatt and the Epstein Files, adding, “I truly do not understand how this development has anything to do with travel — nor do I understand how it benefits readers…”
(raises hand)
I’ll tell you what this has to do with travel: isn’t it newsworthy that one of Hyatt’s most senior leaders was closely linked to Epstein and arranged personal travel on his behalf, potentially to traffic women? (Though that seems unlikely)
My answer is yes.
What did Pritzker receive in return? Was Pritzker aware of what Epstein was found guilty of?
This blog is about so much more than miles and points and putting blogger in scare quotes because you disagree with the editorial direction of the blog strikes me as petulant. It is about travel, including the nexus between travel, politics, and law. I write about what interests me and I believe helping to understand the extent of Epstein’s network of allies and co-conspirators is very beneficial to readers since we all should be informed about the world around us and the power structures that run it.
CONCLUSION
I consider Brian Cohen a friend and view him as a blogger with integrity, but I think he’s dead wrong here and his judgment that bloggers like me should “strive to be more careful and improve their methods of reporting information to their audiences” is not valid criticism in this case precisely because of the way the Hyatt rumor was prefaced on my blog and on the blogs of colleagues like View From The Wing and One Mile At A Time. On the contrary, I think it would have been irresponsible not to cover it…
