ZorkCast - Vegas Podcast + Yo-11 Minutes - Casino/Travel Loyalty, Casino Experience, Gambling and Luxury Travel

Today we will be discussing the topic of casino hosts and specifically if you should have one. Now, if you have not heard of a casino host before that is understandable, and we take a few minutes to explain exactly what their role is and how it differs from other comparable positions at a resort. From there, we talk about the process of finding one — which is actually, usually up to them. Steve (...

In this episode, we introduce our new co-host, the (other) UK half of ZorkCast, Steve . Many of you might follow some of his banter as LasVegasUK on Twitter . In this episode, we’re going to jump into one of the most frequently asked questions in Vegas and the casino loyalty world, and a topic that will most likely deserve a few additional episodes to get into the nuances. We compare the MGM M lif...

Events have turned such that those of us in the travel business are locked up in our houses, trying to figure out just what we are going to do with ourselves. When will travel bans be lifted and what will happen to all of the flights and trips we already had scheduled to occur in the next few months? We had Michele Robson from Turning Left for Less join us on today’s episode to share all of her th...

Welcome back to ZorkCast for this super busy and also super crazy 2020! Hopefully, in these uncertain times, we can all find some comfort in our lives. Today on the show, we are privileged to welcome back Gilbert of God Save the Points as our guest. We want to also congratulate Gilber t on the birth of his new frequent flyer, Olive! With the development of the COVID-19 events, there have been a lo...

What do you think about the airlines’ new award system, shifting from fixed to variable ? In this episode, we check in to hear what LVA Travel writer Mike Friedman has to say on the topic. LVA Travel " The Travel Game " ( lva.travel ) is the new Travel, Points and Miles section of Las Vegas Advisor launched this summer. For him, the change has been mostly positive, and he explains why av...

Today on the show John Morris from Wheelchair Travel joins Michael to talk about their recent trip to the Caesars in Cairo – inside the luxurious Four Seasons . After convincing John to play punto banco aka baccarat for the first time, it turned out to be an entirely new experience for Michael too! What they learned was that all baccarat is not created equal as the rules for this game are somewhat...

Today John Morris of Wheelchair Travel joins Michael on the show to talk all things about their recent trip to Cairo! John connects with Michael from Dubai in the middle of a whirlwind trip, after just having visited his hundredth airport with a wheelchair! After some small talk about dry airlines, favourite airplanes and the meaning of, “just a minute,” we get into the thick of their Cairo experi...

Today we are getting into a bit of a touchy subject – using points and benefits ethically. The episode is inspired by a blog post. There is a perception for a minority of folks that it is all right to abuse the system since we, the consumers, are frequently exploited by these big corporations. But what happens when more and more people misuse benefits? What does this mean for the future of the ind...

On today’s episode of ZorkCast, we have a ton of fun with guests Han and Eric Rosenthal . We put Las Vegas and Macau side by side, comparing these two casino destinations and giving you insightful perspectives on the pros and cons of both.  While Macau might be a long flight for a lot of people, the Asian hospitality and the excellent casino experience make this the number one gambling spot for ma...

bou·gie |  \ ˈbü-ˌzhē Today on the show we welcome the brains behind Bougie Miles , Bethany Walsh! She is here to fill us in on her new project, her niche in the travel market and her favorite things in travel and beyond. We discuss what ‘bougie’ means to Bethany, how spending money instead of miles can sometimes pay off, and how Bethany values her different loyalty points. We also discuss upgrade...

Welcome back to a brand new episode of ZorkCast! Today on the show we welcome Mike Friedman, my partner in crime at LVA Travel (" The Travel Game "). LVA Travel ( lva.travel ) is the new Travel, Points and Miles section of Las Vegas Advisor launched this summer. Whether you are new to the world of travel points or have been tracking your miles for years, we have tips and tricks to help y...

Today on the show we welcome Gilbert Ott from God Saves the Points ! Gilbert is here to talk about his article which explains how he was wrong about his predictions for British Airways and their CEO, Alex Cruz. When our guest saw the early actions of BA's then-new CEO, he predicted bad weather ahead for the company and the article he published on the matter went viral, even attracting Cruz&ap...

We welcome back Adam, AKA Travel Fanboy , who is joining us to talk about one key thing: his ultimate hit list of things to do and places to see in Vegas. We take a walk down memory lane, sharing our fondest memories of being young guys in the overwhelming glitz and glam of this great city. Being a lover of all things Vegas and travel, Adam shares some of his most memorable experiences in Vegas –...

On today's episode of ZorkCast, we welcome Dave Grossman from MilesTalk! Dave is a points and miles enthusiast who has built his brand as a way to help people achieve aspirational travel beyond what they thought possible. Dave tells us about how he discovered his passion for the award travel game and how he turned it into the business he has today. He then tells us about his new venture calle...

Today's show is focussed on looking back at a different time in Las Vegas history. We are spending this episode remembering Bob Stupak and Vegas World , a casino that would surely not exist in today's climate. It will, however, hold some very fond memories and provided some amazing offers and tons of stories and opportunities for those who visited it. We discuss the ways in which Stupak...

Today’s episode is huge! After trying to get him on the show for ages, we finally have Adam, aka Travel Fanboy , joining us! He tells us more about transitioning from being Vegas Fanboy to Travel Fanboy and revealing what he got up to during his solo trips. We get into the importance of balancing your dream getaway with choosing a destination because it’s good value for your points. We also chat a...

Today on the show we are joined by Michele from Turning Left for Less . Michele started her travel points, hacks and loyalty blog after confronting a significant life issue. Up until that point, travel had merely been a hobby and passion of hers. She has managed to turn it into a career and lifestyle and is here to share a bunch of her wisdom and insight into various developments and schemes curre...

Today on the show we are joined once again by Eric Rosenthal. Eric is a casino loyalty expert and a contributor to several gambling and travel related websites and podcasts. (Eric is also the co-host of The Bettor Life podcast .) In January, we left off on the last ZorkCast where Eric joined us to talk about what we would potentially do on a future episode, and that episode has come! On today’s ep...

Today, Tim Lai has been gracious enough to return to have a conversation with us about digital nomads. Tim is based in the UK and is the creator of the Points to be Made blog, a European blog on maximizing loyalty programs. On his blog, Tim publishes the latest air miles and hotel points news, as well as tutorials and strategies on how you can maximize how you earn and spend your points. He target...

Welcome back to ZorkCast! On today’s show, we welcome Spencer Howard. He is a writer for God Save The Points , and he also has an intriguing newsletter called Straight To The Points , which we will discuss. Spencer will be sharing handy resources for miles and points and also credit card loyalty points strategies. Lots of stuff both helpful for beginners and experts. If you’re planning to travel s...

On today’s show we’re talking all about manufactured spend and casinos as well as casino spend for status. We’re giving you a broad overview and defining what manufactured spend, also known as MS, really is. We will be sharing some insights from the best resource we know The Frequent Miler . If you’re a frequent traveller and are looking to use spend to reach the casino tier status of your dreams,...

Today our special guest is Tim from the Points to be Made blog . Based in the UK and mostly dealing with miles+points from a European Perspective, Tim has a wealth of super-incisive information on how to make the most of a few different programs, especially Avios. In our conversation, we cover some background on his blog, what a digital nomad is and why Tim thinks that there is so much benefit to...

Welcome back to another episode of ZorkCast. Today on the show we will be looking at a Caesars Rewards promotion. We are going to dig deeper into the “My Leaderboard” competition of Caesars Rewards program and why it can be seen as an extremely non-compelling competition. We discuss in detail exactly what the point system looks like, how prizes are awarded, and what those prizes are. As you will c...

Welcome back to the show everyone! Today our guest is Flemming Poulsen from FinalCall.travel and he is here to tell us a little about air travel in Europe and compare it to the United States. We chat about why it is generally cheaper to fly in Europe and the reasons that contribute to this. Flemming also gives us some insight into the kinds of support and convenience that are customary from Europe...

Welcome to the first episode of 2019 and thanks for joining us! Today we are joined by our friend Eric Rosenthal, and we will be thinking ahead to the new year and chatting about loyalty and how to get the most value for your needs. We talk about the expected value and the cost of all hobbies. We also consider the fact that if everyone took advantage of loyalty programs they probably would not be...