I wrote up stays at the Andaz Wall Street back in 2011 and also in 2012. I did not write about other stays I’ve had at this property because they were remarkably similar. Every time I have stayed there I’ve gotten the same room type — a large L-shaped room with a piece of furniture in the middle separating bedroom from living room; a junior suite that used to be considered a large room and now is an “Andaz Suite.” In other words, they downgraded the room type that they confirm upgrades into (whether using a Diamond confirmed suite upgrade or using points). And each stay after my first one the breakfast benefit was taken only in the restaurant, no more room service. Nonetheless, I’ve always considered this a good hotel for the location. Some…
Trip Reports
Category Archives for Trip Reports.
The Westin Diplomat’s Views Are Just as Magnificent But It Isn’t As Great as a Gold Than it is as a Platinum
I first wrote about the Westin Diplomat outside of Ft. Lauderdale as far back as the fall of 2005. My blog has been through a couple of moves since then and I don’t have the photos from that stay, but it’s been a property I’ve stayed at many many times since then. Here’s a comprehensive review, with photos. Long before Starwood introduced a free breakfast benefit for Platinums at hotels without an available club lounge and ‘Suite Night Awards’ for Platinum members who stay at least 50 nights in a year, allowing those members to express preference for when they’ll receive an upgrade, I recommended this hotel as probably offering the best Platinum treatment anywhere. That’s because the Westin Diplomat has a lovely club lounge space on the 33rd floor overlooking both the Atlantic Ocean…
In All My Years of Travel, a New Hotel Mistake for the First Time
I’ve stayed at the Hyatt Regency Coral Gables several times this year, and I’ve written about it a couple of times here and here. It’s a good solid hotel for what it is, I find it convenient to the Miami airport (it’s not an airport hotel) and friendly staff. They take care of Gold Passport Diamond members well, with good upgrades (the two reviews above involved complimentary upgrades to junior suites) and good breakfast beenfits (they let you take your breakfast benefit via room service if you wish). So imagine my surprise when I showed up there recently with no reservation. I’ve made some booking mistakes in the past. Four and a half years ago I showed up at the Novotel Suvarnabhumi in Bangkok with a reservation for the wrong month. And I’ve turned up…
Hyatt Union Square’s Small Rooms and Super Comfortable Beds
Hotels in New York were pretty heavily booked, there weren’t any standard rooms for points even at the Andaz 5th Avenue where I love to stay. I wasn’t going to spend over $600 for a room there. I couldn’t get a standard room at the Andaz Wall Street, either. But I could burn points at the new Hyatt Union Square. It’s Hyatt Gold Passport category 5, or 18,000 points per night. With room rates a bit over $400 (an tax applying to paid rates but not awards) that seemed a reasonable redemption. And I’d get to try a new hotel in the city. The day before my arrival I received an email from the hotel asking my anticipated arrival time. It was going to be a bit after 3pm. I suspect they were pretty chock…
Saudia Business Class Trip Report: Riyadh – Washington Dulles
Pakistani Correspondent continues her guest post describing the experience flying Saudia business class, which she redeemed using American Express Membership Rewards points transferred to Delta. This is the final installment of her report. Here’s her previous installment: New York JFK – Jeddah Saudia Lounge, Jeddah and Jeddah-Lahore CIP Lounge in Lahore, Pakistan Lahore – Riyadh Saudia Lounge, Riyadh And now P.C. continues with her final installment, flying Saudia from Riyadh to Washington Dulles. A 777-300ER was awaiting and I was excited to have premium seats in what looked like a full flight. My seat was missing a blanket and a headset which I had to ask for. I was generally satisfied with new magazines, functional remote and a better entertainment guide. I discovered that I could pull a wall between the seats that came equipped…
The American Express Centurion Lounge Dallas: Complimentary Spa and Showers
American Express opened its second U.S. Centurion airport lounge this month. Dallas Fort Worth is the second location after Las Vegas. There are more lounges to come, including San Francisco. I visited the Dallas facility on a recent connection, and absolutely loved it. It’s the best U.S. airport lounge I have been to. Here’s my review of the facility. Here’s my review of the food and drink situation. And now here’s the scoop on their complimentary spa and their shower facilities. Exhale Spa The Exhale Spa is a small room in the lounge. Only one treatment specialist was working while I was there, he was doing 15 minute massages, facials and other treatments wouldn’t be an option that day. They have you fill out a consent form, it’s a clothes-on massage and I was the…
The American Express Centurion Lounge in Dallas: Good Food and Great Drink
American Express opened its second U.S. Centurion airport lounge this month. Dallas Fort Worth is the second location after Las Vegas. There are more lounges to come, including San Francisco. I visited the Dallas facility on a recent connection, and absolutely loved it. I wrote about the facility itself yesterday. It’s the best U.S. airport lounge I have been to. Here’s now the scoop on their food and beverage offerings. First, know that they’re serious about their cocktails here, the waitress helping me in the restaurant shared her favorites and impressed on me the processes involved in mixing their drinks. Cocktails are by Jim Meehan and wines are curated by Anthony Giglio. These aren’t the rail drinks in the major airline lounges, or the premium drinks I get by showing my non-US elite card and…
Is the American Express Centurion Lounge in Dallas the Best Airport Lounge in the United States?
American Express opened its second U.S. Centurion airport lounge this month. Dallas Fort Worth is the second location after Las Vegas. There are more lounges to come, including San Francisco. I visited the Dallas facility on a recent connection, and absolutely loved it. It’s the best U.S. airport lounge I have been to. I would make the claim that it’s the best U.S. airport lounge, period, but I haven’t been to the Amex lounge in Las Vegas and I haven’t been to the Virgin Clubhouses at New York JFK or San Francisco (I’ve been to the Virgin lounge at Washington Dulles). I can say that it’s a better facility than the United Global First lounge in San Francisco (generally regarded as United’s best) and the American Airlines Flagship lounges in Los Angeles, Chicago, and New…
Saudia Business Class Trip Report: Saudia Lounge, Riyadh
Pakistani Correspondent continues her guest post describing the experience flying Saudia business class, which she redeemed using American Express Membership Rewards points transferred to Delta. Here’s her previous installment: New York JFK – Jeddah Saudia Lounge, Jeddah and Jeddah-Lahore CIP Lounge in Lahore, Pakistan Lahore – Riyadh And now P.C. continues with her visit to the Saudia lounge in Riyadh Welcome to Kind Khalid International Airport, Riyadh. As soon as my inbound plane got to the gate, people starting lighting up: Riyadh is a smoke-friendly airport. There were no signs about transit passengers or lounges or gates. Nevertheless, it was much easier finding the Saudia lounge and the airport had more to offer than Jeddah did. It had an odd coffee shop (which offered Wifi), and a few jewelry stores in the duty free area.…
Saudia Business Class Trip Report: Lahore – Riyadh
Pakistani Correspondent continues her guest post describing the experience flying Saudia business class, which she redeemed using American Express Membership Rewards points transferred to Delta. Here’s her previous installment: New York JFK – Jeddah Saudia Lounge, Jeddah and Jeddah-Lahore CIP Lounge in Lahore, Pakistan And now P.C. continues with her flight from Lahore to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia: Once again, the business class cabin was empty! I could pick any seat I wanted and have all the pillows. Apparently, they had to balance the plane so they moved 3-4 people from economy to join the cabin. The seats were spacious and this time the audio worked! The journey started with some green tea For breakfast, I got the lentil and lamb stew aka mushed up baby food (bad choice) Also, the pictures does not lie: there…
