Hotel news and reviews.
I am not one to jump on the fad bandwagon. And celebrity endorsements don’t make me want to try things I might not otherwise. But when I’m traveling abroad, I’m usually game to try a local treatment or two. I journeyed to Beijing for Memorial Day weekend thanks to the now infamous $400-ish business class…
If you are traveling in 2015, what you need to do this weekend is take a look at your current airline and hotel program use and make appropriate adjustments to your earning to be sure you are maximizing status opportunities. With eight months left, you still have plenty of time to make travel plans that…
Ten dollars. Ten lousy dollars. That’s the margin by which I feel that the valet at the Crescent Hotel in Dallas (a Rosewood luxury property) decided to draw a line in the sand about valet charges on Thursday night. Let me explain… I went to the Crescent after work with plans to attend an alumni…
Tonight I was updating my status tracking spreadsheets (because it’s important to stay on top of how I’m tracking towards airline miles and hotel stays) when I encountered something a bit surprise. No, it wasn’t that I’m missing flights from both American and Delta (although that, too) but rather that my Marriott Rewards status was…
There are two types of hotel guests. Those who unpack and those who don’t. I’m in the latter category, preferring to live out of my suitcase so that all my belongings either stay in it OR get co-located to a specific place in the room. This is so I don’t lose things or have to…
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…
I could read it on his face. Disgust. Horror. And major annoyance. “I can’t believe this. Ridiculous!” he fumed as he stomped onto the elevator, rolling bag trailing behind him, and headed to the lobby. I totally felt his pain. The hotel was overrun with over a thousand high school students for an event. And…
I’m prone to crazy ideas based off wild speculation. I also get skittish the second I feel like my smooth travels might be disrupted. As such, I’ve spent the last two years letting my anxieties over the pending American Airlines and US Airways merger build up. I’m not one to take airline infidelity lightly and…
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…
There are some things I know better that to do – and yet I do them anyway: * Keeping my cell signal on after the plane has left the gate (long taxi/wait times get the best of me) * Looking at my 401k balance weekly * Eating too close to bedtime * Leaving a hotel…
With one week left in 2014, its time to wind down and enjoy some much earned time at home. As the year ends, I find myself conducting a 2014 travel review and formulating a plan for 2015. What a year it has been – my travels covered fourteen countries/territories and yet I only took three round-trip…
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…