Category Archives for Trip Reports.
My overall Hyatt Regency Sydney review is that everyone was friendly, and service was fine. It’s in a good location, with small rooms, but the ability to upgrade to a suite here was a real advantage. Sadly the club lounge was still closed.
Air Canada offers an excellent if dated business class product and is very competitive between North America and Australia. Food lacks somewhat on the post-11 p.m. departure and service was somewhat indifferent but it was a good flight overall.
What makes the Signature Suite special isn’t that it’s an exclusive space within the Air Canada lounge. What makes the lounge is the food – a nice buffet, sure, if you’re in a hurry but a menu to order from that’s a cut above other lounges with sit down dining.
The food here is better, for instance, than I’ve had in United Polaris lounges or Qantas First Class lounges (and the latter can be quite good). Signature Suite dining is curated by Canadian chef David Hawksworth.
I booked the Hyatt Regency Vancouver and used a confirmed suite upgrade. That put us in a parlor suite, which is basically two connecting guest rooms where one room has been converted to a living room (a sofa bed replaces the bed in the second room).
This hotel had no room service and its club lounge has closed (whether it’s ‘still’ closed or permanently closed is unclear). Nevertheless full housekeeping service was available and Globalist breakfast in the hotel’s restaurant was remarkable for one thing: stamping that tip is included on the bill to sign.
This is the setup to a report on my just-completed Australia trip, with Air Canada business class awards on the outbound and United The trip started with Air Canada’s brand new Austin – Vancouver flight, followed by a stopover and then a visit to Air Canada’s Signature Suite – along with their Toronto lounge, the best business class dining in North America.
I flew British Airways to Paris in business class with my wife and daughter. Our return trip was on Air France. I booked (3) seats Paris – Houston for 66,500 Air France KLM Flying Blue miles + $383.17 apiece.
These were miles I already had sitting in my account from a cancelled trip Austin – Amsterdam roundtrip at the start of the pandemic.
Moskito Island – right next to Necker Island – was purchased by Richard Branson in 2007. I spent the weekend at the Oasis Estate there. Here’s what it’s like.
I spent a recent weekend on Moskito Island. That’s a story unto itself, which I’ll be sharing. But the return trip was revelatory for me, and I wanted to highlight the two lessons I learned.
I had to go to Washington DC for work recently and my wife and I decided that she and our daughter would come along for the weekend leading up to my time there. I cringe at the industry term ‘bleisure’ but that’s what this was.
Since I was with family I confirmed a suite, and I was able to take advantage of elite breakfast from room service too.
Earlier this month I stayed at the Thompson Washington DC Hotel. It’s in a neighborhood where I haven’t spent much time before, and my first experience with the brand that Hyatt acquired when it acquired Two Roads Hospitality.
I didn’t have a fantastic stay at the property. I am not longing to return. But I’d absolutely stay here – for instance this would be my go-to pick if I had a meeting at the Department of Transportation, or for a leisure stay if I were going to a Nationals ballgame and wanted to use points.
Gary Leff is one of the foremost experts in the field of miles, points, and frequent business travel -- a topic he has covered since 2002.
Co-founder of frequent flyer community InsideFlyer.com, emcee of the Freddie Awards, and named one of the "World's Top Travel Experts" by Conde' Nast Traveler (2010-Present) Gary has been a guest on most major news media, profiled in several top print publications, and published broadly on the topic of consumer loyalty. More About Gary »
