I’m terribly glad that the Le Meridien Khao Lak Resort is honoring its mistake rate which published prices in Ugandan Schillings rather than US dollars. Some on Flyertalk speculated that it would be cheaper to get the government of Uganda to revalue its currency than to honor the deal. In the end I won’t be paying in ‘UGX’ nor will they offer up the rooms for 60 US cents (roughly the currency conversion). Instead, for US$50 a night including tax with 3rd night free (thus $33/night) the hotel is honoring the room types booking as well as complimentary breakfast. Someone who recently returned from the property sent along pictures of the private pool and backyard view from the resort’s Presidential Oceanfront Villa. Wow.

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I usually think of car rentals in four categories. There’s Avis and Hertz at the high end, then the Budget/Thrify/Dollar/etc in the middle. I don’t really count the Foxes and Paylesses of the world, though they’d be a category of discount off-airport agencies. And there’s the ubiquitous Enterprise, who I’ll do anything to avoid, if only because I hate to do the mandatory “walk-around” and hear the speech about how they’ll hold me responsible for every last scratch and how I really need to buy their collision damage waiver even though I’m renting with a Diners Club card. Frankly I like the service of Avis and Hertz, a car already ready with printed contract most of the time at airport locations and they both tend to be a bit less persnickety with normal wear and…

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The brand new Westin Dawn Beach on St. Maarten opened in December to much controversy on Flyertalk, both because some folks dislike ‘spoiling’ a public beach with a new resort, and because others claimed it had opened too early — rushing things to take advantage of the high season while not nearly ready for prime time. Since I was going to be in the Carribean anyway, I decided to check it out for myself. Turns out to be on the verge of becoming a lovely resort, but it certainly wasn’t ready — by a long shot — in the middle of this month. This is going to be a very beautiful property. Emphasis on going to be. The small strip of beach in front of the hotel has great white sand. The color of the…

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I may get mad at Starwood Preferred Guest from time to time, such as because they’re adding a new highest level for redemptions starting February 1 and the points price of better than a quarter of all their hotels will be going up at the same time. But I do have an emotional attachment to them, and I’ve already scheduled redemptions for over 25 hotel nights so far in the first half of 2007. So it’s no surprise, perhaps, that I’m addicted to the What Color is Your Dream? video that I watch over and over in a loop on SPGtv in my room, stay after stay… And boy does that Sheraton “We Belong” commercial tug at the heartstrings! (Thanks to Flyertalk member tjk1976 for the YouTube links.)

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