Tag Archives for venice.
I decided to write about the Marco Polo Club at the Venice Airport for only one reason: it’s exactly what a Priority Pass lounge should be. It’s not the greatest lounge. It doesn’t have great food. But it’s spacious and clean, offers plenty of seating, and has food and working espresso machines available.
I figured if I showed up in Venice during the week, rather than a weekend; after true peak of peak dates (when the city stopped imposing its transient tourist tax); and stayed in a more residential area, away from the tourist sites (Piazza San Marco and St. Mark’s Basilica, the Doge’s Palace, Rialto Bridge) I wouldn’t mind so much.
Overall value across the Atlantic was fantastic. The seats are mostly fine, though the new suites are better. Food was below average for American, and service was pretty ordinary, but a good way to cross the Pond. Getting any of American’s other seats would have been better, food is usually better, and many crews are too. So I don’t hesitate to fly them, I just feel like they can do better than they did here – but I did get my points worth as it were.
Marriott’s Courtyard by the Venice airport blocks guests from turning the air conditioning down even to 73 degrees, and charges US$5.47 (5 euros) for a second room key. It’s a deposit that they promise to refund to you when you return the room key at checkout.
Seagulls have become a nuisance along the Grand Canal in Venice, and hotels have adopted a variety of strategies to ward them off. Two in particular – Marriott’s excellent Gritti Palace and Preferred Hotels’ Hotel Monaco – have started issuing water pistols to guests.
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 »
