Niagara Falls Marriott on the Falls Review – My Worst Marriott Experience

Marriott on the Falls Niagara Falls Canada Review

After staying at numerous Marriott hotels across the globe, I can say that I had my worst customer service experience at Niagara Falls Marriott on the Falls.

As I always do, I asked for an upgrade at the Bonvoy check in counter. The Asian-Indian woman had no idea what a courtesy upgrade was and demanded money. I told her that I have had upgrades from many other Marriotts and this had never happened before. I told her about my last Marriott experience in Manila. She reluctantly moved me to a king bed from 2 queen beds.

It’s not that I didn’t like not getting an upgrade. Many other Marriott hotels had declined me before, but with a smiling face and saying they were unable to accommodate me. But this rep didn’t even know how to handle it.

After a couple of hours, I went to the Bonvoy counter again for slippers, as there were none provided in the room. This time there was Chinese lady who asked me to wait, so she can give me the slippers to take back to my room.

My partner was shocked because it is humiliating to hand over amenities to the customer. I asked her, “Isn't someone supposed to take it to the room?” She said, “No, I will give it to you now.”

Instead of arguing, I returned to the room with a pair of dangling slippers. It was like a demonstration of how bad a Marriott can be.

I am a Bonvoy member but they never mentioned any thanks or appreciation for it, like they do at all other Marriotts. I wanted to call Marriott to complain, but my lady stopped me and asked me to let it go and still have a good vacation after some unprofessional associates ruined the name of Marriott within our first 2 hours of checking in.

Next morning, I wanted to print a copy of my itinerary, but the printer in the business centre had no ink. I notified someone and she said to come back after 30 minutes. I came back after 2 hours and still they hadn’t changed the ink.

I asked someone else again and she said to email her my itinerary and she would print it from a printer in her office. I was not comfortable emailing it and let it go.

I couldn’t help thinking about other Marriott hotels I had been to and their unparalleled service and attention to detail! My next Marriott stay is expected to be in Bangkok, Thailand and can’t wait to check in at a different Marriott again!

3 Completely Free ChatGPT Tools You Can Use Right Now

How to Use ChatGPT Tools for Free

I have searched site after site for some free ChatGPT tools you can use for free. Lots of them ask for money to pay for a subscription or ask for you to register. Some of them are free but full of so many ads that they are hard to use.

The three I’ve listed below are my top three free ChatGPT recommendations. They are completely free and the first two do not even require any kind of registration.

OnlineGPT

OnlineGPT has a variety of tools, including an essay writer, an article generator, a YouTube video script generator, and more. What I like about OnlineGPT is that it’s categorized by sections and boxes and very easy to use. This is a great tool for content creators.

TalkAI

This one is also free and there is no registration required. With TalkAI you are entering everything on one page in one search box. It has an Android app, but I wasn’t able to use it as it was asking me to pay for it.

The Original ChatGPT

Here you have to register by proving your email address and date of birth. But you can use the ChatGPT 3.5 version for free. If you want to use the higher version, ChatGPT 4, you have to pay $20 USD per month.

For most day-to-day tasks, there is no need to upgrade. However, keep in mind that the free version’s knowledge cutoff has not been updated since September 2021.

Try all three tools and check which one you like best. Overall, ChatGPT tools can be a valuable asset for content creators. They can help you save time and come up with new ideas. Do not just copy and paste the content that the tools generate, as you could get into copyright trouble. Instead, use the tools as a starting point and then add your own creativity and spin.

I would also add that it is important to use them responsibly and be aware of their limitations. They are not perfect, and they can sometimes generate content that is factually inaccurate or misleading. It is important to use your own judgment when evaluating the output of these tools.

Is It Best to Pay in Local Coin or US Dollars When You Travel?

Why You Should Always Pay in Local Currency (And Not USD) When Traveling

Here’s a simple mistake most travelers make when paying abroad and so did I: Whenever asked if I wanted to pay in local currency or US dollars, I chose US$, thinking I was making a smart decision. I was so wrong.

Whenever you are using your credit card outside your home country, never choose to pay US$ and always insist on paying in local currency. The reason merchants are eager to charge US$ is because they will charge you what's called a Dynamic Currency Conversion (DCC) fee.

A DCC fee is in addition to any other foreign transaction fees that your credit card may charge you, which is usually 2.5 to 3% (See the Pro Tip below). The DCC fee can be 1% of the total transaction, but that’s not all. Merchants will always use a bizarre currency exchange rate at the point of sale to their advantage.

Your credit card networks can always negotiate better exchange rates to your advantage, so if you are letting merchants do the exchange, you are losing big time. It has been proven that you can be paying 7 to 12% more in total if you let merchants do the conversions.

So whenever you are traveling, always pay in local currency and if you are not told, ask the merchants how they are putting the transaction through.

Pro Tip: Always use a No Foreign Currency Transaction Fee credit card. Many of the so-called best travel credit card promoters are trying to sign you up to get charged a foreign currency fee (usually 1-3%). So always make sure the credit cards you are traveling with have zero foreign currency fees.

5 Carry-On Toiletry-Packing Tips (TSA Will Thank You)

Toiletry-Packing Tips for Your Carry-On

Today, I will talk about 5 simple things you can do while packing your toiletries to avoid the unwanted attention of the airport authorities. You don’t want to be that person who gets pulled out of the security line for a secondary screening.

1. Ziploc Only – Use a quart-size Ziploc bag for toiletries less than 100 ml or 3.4 oz. I used different types of TSA-approved toiletry bags you can buy on Amazon or in other stores and in many instances I got pulled out to put my toiletries in a plain Ziploc bag.

2. Not Too Many – Do not stuff too many containers in a toiletry bag, as this may draw attention and you may be pulled out for a secondary screening.

3. Tooth Brush/Razor – Do not include your toothbrush, razor, or any such items that are not liquid and do not have to be in a toiletry bag.

4. Not too Bulky – Do not use overly bulky or big containers, even though they are under 100 ml. Using slim and smaller size containers will make your journey easier and these do not draw attention like big, bulky containers.

5. Damaged Ziploc Bag – Do not use damaged or overused Ziploc bags. If your toiletry bag is difficult to see what’s inside or looks too damaged, it might raise a red flag for secondary screening. I keep extra sets of Ziploc bags, so if one gets damaged, I can always use another fresh one to save everyone some trouble.

To view this article in video format, please visit the link below:

5 Best Carry-On Packing Tips

Avoid Travel Scams - Don’t Call Airlines or Hotels from Search Results

Don’t Call Airlines or Hotels from Google Search

Scammers are always looking for innovative strategies to scam travellers. Using Google to make innocent tourists pay has to be one of their most ingenious ways to make people lose money.

Here’s how it works: Scam websites are paying Google to rank on top search results for airlines or hotels. When someone is searching for these hotels or airlines, they are directed to the scam sites instead of the real hotel or airline sites.

Once you make contact, their fake customer support try to trick you into believing that they can book, change, or cancel existing booking. Once you give your credit card information, they charge the card. As you would imagine, this will not do anything to your real bookings.

Customers losing money like this have two problems. The scammer is getting their money and then their real bookings are not being taken care of. There are many horror stories if you look in the news: Travelers finding out later that their bookings were not canceled, they didn’t buy that airline ticket they thought they were buying, or nothing was modified as they intended. Hundreds to thousands of dollars are lost in this type of scam.

The best way to not fall for this scam is to call the airline or hotel directly from their websites. Do not call any places you get from your search results. Go to the contact page of your airline or hotel and call the contact numbers listed there.

Also, always be vigilant and use your best judgement. Make sure you are talking to the right people before handing over your personal and credit card information.