I’m trying to put my 2014 vacation trip report to bed before I head off on my next long vacation in two weeks (a “grand” Mediterranean adventure on Norwegian Spirit). I’ve put off writing about Bali because this part of the trip was probably the most disappointing to me. I’ve been to Bali so many…
Business takes me to Orange County, California at least a couple of times a year and often many times more. As such, I’ve become overly familiar with many of the properties affiliated with the four loyalty programs I regularly participate in. But I like to play favorites and the Hyatt Regency Orange County ends up…
The Hyatt Regency O’Hare is like an old college friend with whom you share distant memories – great for a night of catching up, but not something to plan a vacation around. I’ve had many stays at this property over the years – sometimes planned, sometimes due to irregular operations. I’ve found the property to…
If you are looking for Don Draper, you just might find him hiding out in the mid-century modern lair that is the DoubleTree byHilton Hotel Seattle Airport. From arrival to departure, I found myself longing for a sweet vintage dress that would do this property justice. No sarcasm intended – read on…. Arrival I arrived…
Sometimes it becomes necessary to go far from my typical hotel path. A unique visit to Borobudur was one of those occasions. Yogyakarta is the nearest city to the 8th century Buddhist temple site and over an hour away. One of the unique experiences for this UNESCO World Heritage site is to climb up pre-dawn…
Singapore is a treasure trove of international hotels with most of the major brands well-represented across the small city-state. I often have a difficult time deciding where to stay when visiting but as it is November and I still need to round out my Hyatt nights for the year, it was a no-brainer than I’d…
I have mentioned a few times that I stay in airport hotels far too often for my own liking. I’m not a fan in general – the fact that the majority of the passengers are transient can lead even the most established of brands to deliver less than their usual service. Arrival I arrived at…
One of the benefits of my Hyatt Diamond status is my Hyatt Concierge. She is the bombdiggity. I feel that I owe this entire stay at the Manchester Grand Hyatt San Diego to her so it’s worth mentioning that upfront. I was headed to a conference and the hotel was sold out so reservations could only be…
I don’t know about you, but I hate having to dig for things on the internet. While the Googley people love nothing more than to dig for treasure, I prefer to spend my screen time reading. I have a large trip coming up and want to be able to write about it without having to…
The Four Points can be a variable brand – from older properties with a branding-only refresh to new builds, the chain has slowly been building consistency. This stay at the Four Points by Sheraton Sacramento International Airport highlighted what the brand “could be” with the right hard furnishing. Arrival I pulled into the parking lot…
I know a hotel stay won’t be dull when I’m greeted by a gentleman walking around the hotel lobby in his boxer shorts. That was unexpected and also the first impression I had of the TownePlace Suites Richland Columbia Point. As I would quickly learn, nothing about this property was in the realm of the “expected”. …
Last night I had a bit of travel disruption and I ended up in Cleveland instead of Columbus. I fortunately know my Hyatt and Starwood options here fairly well and as those are the two programs I’m focusing on for Q4 (Hyatt to requalify for Diamond status, Starwood on my quest for nights to make…