Introduction: Constructing — and Re-constructing — the Award Trip American Eagle DC – New York and the New Nicest JFK Airport Hotel, the Hilton Cathay Pacific First Class, JFK – Hong Kong The Wing lounge in Hong Kong and Cathay Pacific Business Class Hong Kong – Kuala Lumpur Grand Hyatt Kuala Lumpur Malaysia Airlines Business Class, Kuala Lumpur – Langkawi The Andaman Langkawi Malaysia Airlines Business Class, Langkawi – Kuala Lumpur Intercontinental Kuala Lumpur Things to See and Do in Kuala Lumpur Korean Airlines First Class, Kuala Lumpur – Seoul and the Korean Airlines First Class Lounge Seoul Korean Airlines First Class, Seoul – Washington Dulles As we exited baggage claim a representative from the Grand Hyatt was one of the first ones spotted, with my name on a sign. I identified myself and he…
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Suites, Treats, and Eats, a Malaysian Mileage Thanksgiving: American Eagle DC – New York and the New Nicest JFK Airport Hotel
Introduction: Constructing — and Re-constructing — the Award Trip American Eagle DC – New York and the New Nicest JFK Airport Hotel, the Hilton Cathay Pacific First Class, JFK – Hong Kong The Wing lounge in Hong Kong and Cathay Pacific Business Class Hong Kong – Kuala Lumpur Grand Hyatt Kuala Lumpur Malaysia Airlines Business Class, Kuala Lumpur – Langkawi The Andaman Langkawi Malaysia Airlines Business Class, Langkawi – Kuala Lumpur Intercontinental Kuala Lumpur Things to See and Do in Kuala Lumpur Korean Airlines First Class, Kuala Lumpur – Seoul and the Korean Airlines First Class Lounge Seoul Korean Airlines First Class, Seoul – Washington Dulles I arrived at Washington National airport about 90 minutes out for the 7:25pm American Eagle flight up to New York JFK. The place was mostly deserted, I walked up…
There’s No Room Service? My First Ever Stay at a Hyatt Place
When I was early on in high school I watched the pilot episode of Beverly Hills: 90210. Back before it became just an evening teen soap drama, it started as a fish out of water story — Minnesota teens dropped into the fast-paced extravagant world of Beverly Hills (as portrayed through the lens of Hollywood). I expect this to begin as something of a reverse-90210, I’ve written about how I believe that a hotel should offer 24 hour room service, or at least access to a fresh pot of coffee (with fresh milk, not a package that requires no refrigeration) 24 hours a day. So take what Mommy Points calls “Mr. Fancy Pants” and drop him in Minnesota, or a limited-service hotel property. The truth is that I’m incredibly economical in my hotel stays, I’ve…
Intercontinental Times Square — a Great Points Redemption Property for Elites
One of my biggest points frustrations is Priority Club. The Intercontinental Royal Ambassador program is one of the most rewarding elite levels there is. I’ve had some of my very best upgrades as a result of that program — a ‘house’ with backyard facing a mountain in Scottsdale, Arizona; a Diplomatic Suite in Bangkok; Ambassador Suite in Singapore; Presidential Suite in Manila to name a few. The terms and conditions of the program, though, say that most elite benefits (such as guaranteed 8am checkin, upgrades, and free drinks from the minibar) do not apply to points stays. Priority Club is the only hotel chain where the benefits of status do not apply when you’re claiming the rewards for your stays. Reward nights are supposed to be more than a rebate, mind you, they are a…
Best. Airport. Hotel. Ever…?
Most airport hotels are the ‘best’ because they’re halfway decent and incredibly convenient. Examples I have in mind are the airport Sheratons in Frankfurt, Paris, and Toronto — all attached to the terminal. None is a great hotel, the Frankfurt property has a pretty good club lounge but the furnishings remind me of a college dorm. (The Kempinski Gravenbruch is a very nice hotel but too far from the Frankfurt airport, I would hate to be heading in during morning rush hour.) There are a few airport hotels that are actually nice, the Novotel Suvarnabhumi in Bangkok is certainly a nice hotel but way too expensive for what it is, where it is. The Skycity Marriott is a very nice Hong Kong airport hotel, and one of the most convenient to the airport but not…
Finally Back at the Andaz 5th Avenue
This was only maybe my sixth stay of the year at the Andaz 5th Avenue. I’ve been trying out a variety of hotels this year in New York — sometimes due to location (like the Conrad New York when I was attending an event there, or the Renaissance Newark for the Freddie Awards), sometimes due to getting simply too good a deal to pass up (the couple of times I stayed at the Andaz Wall Street), and sometimes because the 5th Avenue Andaz was full and I don’t have deep enough pockets to cover a Diamond guaranteed availability stay (so I took refuge at the Grand Hyatt and the Parker Meridien). Every time I stay in New York and it’s not at the Andaz 5th Avenue, I’m disappointed. It’s not the single best hotel in…
Returning to Le Parker Meridien New York
Le Parker Meridien in New York didn’t participate in Starwood Preferred Guest until December 2008, when it entered the program as a category 6 hotel. In February 2009, with the annual re-categorization of hotels, it dropped to category 5 — making it a great value for points stays in New York. Most of the year it was just 12,000 Starwood points, which considering that New York hotel rates can often be high (and most chains have most of their decent hotels in the top redemption tier or close to it) was a pretty good value. That, and that Starwood’s Platinum members could usually rely on getting a junior suite, made it truly recommendable. Sadly with the February 2012 recategorizations it jumped back up to category 6, most of the year 20,000 points per night, and…
Grand Hyatt New York: Excellent Renovation, Great Club Lounge, Way Too Busy to Get the Little Things Right
My favorite hotel in New York, and my favorite big city hotel in the United States, is the Andaz 5th Avenue in New York. My love of breakfast there is something readers of this blog know well, I’m told by two different people that it even became a subject of a journalist’s interview with a Hyatt Vice President. Hyatt has several good options in New York, I’ve stayed several times at the Andaz Wall Street which is a good hotel, with a confusing breakfast benefit, and a very different location. If I need to be down in the financial district I never hesitate to stay there. I’m less a fan of the Hyatt 48 Lex but they’ve improved the breakfast benefit for Diamonds since I stayed there (now allowing a dollar credit in the restaurant…
‘Keeping Austin Weird’ at the Hyatt Regency on the River
I spent much of Labor Day weekend in Austin, and decided to stay at the Hyatt Regency there. Rates were on the high side, perhaps largely due to a Longhorns football game that everyone on property seemed to be going to, so I used my annual free night from the Hyatt Visa. (While the card comes with two free nights at any Hyatt as a signup bonus, each year cardmembers are credited with one free night valid at a ‘category 4’ hotel or lower, the best value category 4 is often considered to be the Hyatt 48Lex in New York but the Hyatt Regency Austin is a category 4 hotel as well). You can’t make an award reservation and a paid reservation together online, but offline there’s no problem in doing so. I created one…
A Cheap Stay at the Recently Redone Renaissance Boca Raton
From 2004-2006 the Renaissance Boca Raton was probably the hotel I stayed at most often. Once upon a time it was actually a Sheraton, it’s on 19th street but you turn off Glades Road onto Renaissance Way which brings you a block down to the property. I remember driving past Sheraton Way years back. It happens to be the closest decent place to where I was traveling. And it was a hidden treasure. Service used to be incredible. Some of the friendliest, most engaging people I had come across at a hotel, I thought the place was flagged with the wrong Marriott brand or at least they had sent the staff over from the Palm Beach Ritz. An oasis of a suburban hotel, the pool area was more akin to a resort. Without a resort…
