Radisson Plaza Lord Baltimore

Radisson, a chain I was not really a customer off, had several amazing promos in recent months. One of their latest promos was stay one night, get one night free in the USA. This is quite an amazing promo considering one can get a very cheap night and redeem a very expensive night – which was exactly what I was aiming to do.

As Baltimore is right around the corner, I decide I’ll go up there and stay the night at the Radisson Plaza Lord Baltimore hotel. I stayed on Saturday after Thanksgiving so the price was right (about a fifth of the price of the night I am going to redeem for free). It even dropped further by 15% (but unfortunately it was too late for the promo, so I stuck with my original price).

The hotel is situated in downtown Baltimore and very easy to find and get into from I-95. Across the street from the hotel there is a big parking lot and as a guest you can get a voucher for $15 a day which allows one unlimited in and out as well. Parking prices is extremely overcharged in downtown Baltimore and the voucher is effectively giving one 50% off, so it is highly appreciated.

Check in was relatively quick. A couple in front of me had a problem with their room, and the check in clerk did a very good job in trying to find them another room. However, other personnel came and went and clearly saw me waiting in line but did not offer to check me in.

Here comes my biggest disappointment with Club Carlson's properties. As I started considering the chain I did a status match to my other hotel chains, and I am a Gold Club Carlson's member. I understand it does not mean much, but I did expect to get an upgrade on what was basically a dead night at the hotel. I even probed nicely by asking if my Club Carlson's number is on the reservation. However, I got nothing. Not even a gift in the room as part of the Gold benefits. I find the recognition of Club Carlson to be lacking in the Radissons I’ve stayed in, so I am not that surprised, but still, it is a disappointment.

As noted, I got exactly the room I have booked – a King bed with sleep number bed. I’m not sure the sleep number bed was actually functioning, but it was comfortable enough for the night. The room itself, like the rest of the hotel was tired. The hotel is historical building, and I understand that renovations are difficult to do – however, the elevators were slow and old, the hotel itself tired and the room despite large and functional, cold and uninspiring. Some will say it is the charm of the hotel. I just did not like it.

The bathroom is also quite old and despite good water pressure, finding and adjusting the right temperature can be an engineering task that requires exact calculations and a steady hand.

The hotel offers free WiFi, but the coverage seems to be patchy. My room was facing the Hotel Monaco, and their WiFi signal was much stronger in my room than the Radisson’s one. Luckily, Kimpton hotels offer free WiFi just for being a member in their frequent stay program, so I just used the Monaco’s WiFi most of the time.

I got in on Saturday evening, and the streets were empty (apart for the random homeless person). While it is probably not going to be a problem during busier times of the week, I did not feel particularly comfortable to walk around in the streets surrounding the hotel.

All in all, it was an OK one night stay. There was nothing spectacular to write home about, but nothing horrid as well. Will I be back? Maybe, if the price and promotion are right, but it definitely not going to be my first choice in Baltimore.

Sleep Number Bed

Amazing TV

Bath Room

Hyatt at the Pike - Long Beach California

There are two Hyatt hotels in Long Beach. They are so close to one another that you can actually see the other one from each hotel. One of them is the Hyatt Regency, a big conference hotel. The other one is the Hyatt at the Pike – much smaller hotel with a boutique feeling to it. However, as the Hyatt at the Pike is a new name (after Hyatt bought Avia), it caused a lot of consternation with our shuttle driver who really did not know where the hotel is, despite giving him direct instructions.

However, this was only one of two minor problems we’ve experienced in the hotel. Otherwise it was as close to a perfect stay as it could be. We were welcomed to the hotel warmly by the front desk and assigned out suite even though it was before the official check in time, and the hotel seemed to be full the day before.  

We have used Hyatt's upgrade certificate to ensure an upgrade to a suite. The hotel does not have real suites but only junior suites which was big enough and comfortable for our one-night  stay. The room did not have a bath but had a big rain shower and a (relatively) large bathroom.

The hotel is situated close to a small shopping and dinging mall and within short walking distance (albeit uphill) to the main entertainment street in Long Beach. That said, it is on a quiet part, and noise was never a problem during our stay.

Breakfast was included for Diamond members (up to a certain dollar amount). The choices are plentiful and include many regional dishes. The service was warm and hospitable. There was a mistake in crediting the breakfast charge into the final bill, but it was removed quickly and without any hassle.

All in all, it was almost a perfect one-night  stay could be. After staying in the Hyatt Regency as well, would definitely stay in the Hyatt at the Pike again over the Regency (despite the Regency Club). The Hyatt at the Pike has a soul, much to do with its wonderful employees and the unique design.

Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum - September 2012

We decided to explore the museum on a recent trip to NYC. The museum is a leisurely stroll away from Time Squares and easily accessible by the subway plus about 20 minutes’ walk to the Hudson river.

Do a quick internet search, you can find 20% coupons available readily. They are not good for the combo package though, but still can save considerable sums if used.

The museum is big and includes the Intrepid aircraft carrier, the concord (which you cannot go in without a tour), the Enterprise shuttle and a submarine. If you plan on saying everything you can easily spend half a day or more in the museum.

Unfortunately, despite the hefty entrance fee, everything else is extra. Tours are extra, audio guide is extra, attractions are extra. This is a bit of a disappointment, considering all of the exhibitions were once functioning army vessels which were paid by the tax payer.

Another thing I found a little disturbing but not unexpected, is the amount of propaganda that is interlined into the exhibits. Yes, it is an army vessel; and yes, the US did won the war, but the displays and especially the interactive films and exhibitions are a little too one sided for my taste. I would prefer to see a more even description of the facts. It really felt like army recruitment add at times.

That said, the exhibition is very nicely done. There is plenty to do and see and of course learn from the museum.  It can be a different but interesting day in NYC.

Intercontinental Times Square - September 2012

This is my first visit to the IC at Times Square. Usually I will not pay to stay at this price range, however, I used the Chase PC Credit card free night certificate, which provides an excellent value.

Check-in was relatively quick as the area was pretty full. We were welcomed warmly by the receptionist (which turned out to be the manager on duty). My Platinum status was recognized, and despite it should not mean much we were upgraded. In the end we got a corner room with great views.

As the room was not ready we looked for the bell man to store out luggage, but as the wait was around 5 minutes, we already got a call back from the front desk that the room was ready.

The room itself was great. It was very specious for NYC. Nice view of the street below. Big nice shower and bathroom. The room contains a computer as well as WiFi and wired connections (at a cost). We had some problems with the connections and billing but they were resolved immediately and without a problem.

The hotel is well situated at 44^th street and the corner of 8^th Ave. It is a big hotel with a lot of coming and going. Elevators were never a problem (just mind that the first couple of elevators only go to the 7^th floor). As usual with IC, there was no special perks (no free breakfast, no free WiFi), though we did get couple of chocolates and fruits at night.

All in all, for a free night, it was a great experience, and I plan on coming back to the hotel in future visits to NYC.

Staybridge Suites – Times Square - September 2012

This is my third stay in the hotel in so many years. I still like it and consider it to be one of the best redemption value in New York City, but this stay has some little problems and issues with it that made it less than perfect.

The Staybrige chain is part of the Intercontinental brand, on its lower end. It is an all “suites” hotel, which means you have a small kitchen in the room. As it is on the lower end of the brand, redemption rates are very competitive. Especially in New York City the hotel represents a great redemption value. Now a night cost 25,000 points (I booked the rooms before the devaluation and got them at 20,000). As you book with points, you can buy 10,000 points during the booking process. In the end, the room cost only 8,000 points (after the Chase PC credit card 10% rebate), which is a great deal for NYC.

Despite the name, the hotel is not in Times Square (but close enough). It is located across the street from the Port Authority, on 40^th street, between 8^th and 9^th Avenue, which is about 10 minutes’ walk from Times Square. It is close enough to anywhere you’d like to go in the Times Square area.

Check-in experience was less than stellar. Despite being a Platinum member (which I realize means absolutely nothing despite being the highest status in the chain), checking-in around 2:30 PM, the room was not ready yet. Everyone else around us seems to get a room just fine. Short and long, by the time we decided what we want to do (about 10-15 min later) a room became available. As the reservation was made months in advance I knew I we were upgraded to a city view room. Frankly, I don’t know what that means because all rooms have the same view, apart from being on a high floor, which we were.

Small but functional Bathroom

King Bed room - small but extremely functional for NYC

The problem with being on a high floor though, is the elevators. There are only 3 of those, and the cleaning staff uses them basically all times during the day as well. It means that waiting for an elevator can be a very lengthy situation, especially in the mornings when everyone tries to get to breakfast. This time around there were several instances that I had to wait 10-15 minutes to the elevators. Compound that with the fact that the doors are not sound proof and when people congregate waiting to the elevator and talk, one get a wake up “call” early in the morning just from people talking as they wait for the elevator.

At check-in I got the “platinum welcome gift." It was couple of candies and a note welcoming me as a gold member (but I’m platinum). Those welcome gifts are a joke. I would rather get a note addressing me by name welcoming me back than those gifts.

"Platinum Welcome Gift"

Another problem we encounter during the stay is how housekeeping treats dirty glasses. We used two glasses (one gets full stocked kitchen). The next day when we came back to the room, the glasses were in the dishwasher which for the next hour or so made so much noise cleaning those two glasses.  Even if one disregard the guest inconvenience, the absolute waste of water and power to wash only two glasses seems excessive.

View from the Room

View From the Room

That said, those are only minor negatives. The hotel is a very good deal on points (room can cost $500-$600 easily), located pretty well. There is good fast free WiFi available throughout, free breakfast, and free dinners (reception) some days during the week. Despite the shortcoming this stay I will be coming back as this is my to go hotel when coming to New York City.

Hilton Barcelona

All in all my impressions were good, although there are some points to be improved upon. The stay was extremely cheap (read less than 100 Euros a days including all taxes) which I’ve gotten on the pre-paid sale.

My room assignment was changed to King several weeks before arrival which is an upgrade, and as Gold member I was pleased that it was done proactively. I have arrived to the hotel around 10:30 AM after a transatlantic flight and did not expect to be able to check in so early, but received a room immediately. The check in clerk apologize that they could not upgrade me to the Executive Lounge as the hotel is full (which I believe as at least on one of my night the hotel was completely sold out when checking on the net).

Breakfast was plentiful and satisfying in the restaurant. There are no vouchers, but your name is on the list as a Gold member at the entrance and they just check you in. One of the best free breakfasts I had in a Hilton for quite a while.

The little annoyances:
1. You get an internet code for each day for two devices (one for computer and one for mobile device). For 5 days stays I have got 10 codes for internet use (free as Gold). Couple of days later I’ve discovered that some of the codes were wrong (i.e., for lobby use and not room use). There must be a better way to handle the internet service than provide a code for each device for each day.
2. Despite the renovations which are very nice indeed there are still some service problems. My sink will not drain (the plunger was stuck on close). My phone will not ring. All those problems were remedied quickly and efficiently, but a month after renovation I would not expect them.
3. My stay was comprised from two different reservations. I did not need to change the rooms, but despite the front desk assurances, on the change day, the key, of course, did not open the door. Little annoyance to get it reset.
4. On check out there was an item on the bill that was not mine. Took some time and paper work to get that removed from the bill.
5. My biggest gripe probably is the size of the room. Despite not feeling cramped, the room was small. Probably not as bad as NYC small, but very close too. It was very functional and the bathroom is nice and not cramped at all, but still, small.

The hotel is situated about two blocks from the L3 metro station which is very convenient. The shopping mall one block down does have a big supermarket in it.

All in all it was a pleasant experience and I would definitely consider coming back to the hotel if the prices will be in the same range.   

A Spanish Cruise

Living in the metro DC area gives a traveler the luxury of having a choice of airport. With three airports situated almost identical distance away it is a good choice to have. My preference is of course DCA. The fact it is metro bound and I can just take the metro the airport is a big plus in addition to its compact size and predictable security line.

Alas, this time I am going to Barcelona, and DCA is not an international airport (Canada excluded). BWI is not really a big international hub, so this leaves the least favorite airport of them all – IAD. Now getting to IAD is a mess. Driving is almost the only reasonable way to get there, but leaving the car for two weeks (and coming back into DCA) ruled that option out. Taxi is my usual route, after the 5A bus is just too complicated to get to and operate, but at 70-80 dollars I thought it would be a little excessive.

It seems Super Shuttle it must be. At a total cost of $36 dollars (including tip and after the discount code easily found online), it seems reasonable. The last time I have used Super Shuttle was about 7 years ago and the experience was not that good as they were VERY late for the pickup and I almost missed my flight.

Booking on the site had vastly improved, although it is still too complicated and requires many unnecessary steps. I chose to be picked up about 4 hours prior to my flight, as this would leave enough room for late pickup and any other misfortunate events that might happen.

Luckily I did book an early pick-up. I was the first person to be picked up and the shuttle arrived on time. However, some other people were not as considerate to other passengers and thought that showing up 15 minutes late for their shared pick-up is just fine. All in all it took about double the time to reach the airport than it would have otherwise. On a leisurely Saturday morning it was fine.

Check-in was quick an efficient albeit not very personal, as one could expect from Lufthansa. No surprises there, which now a days is a very good thing. Lufthansa Senator lounge did not disappoint as well. Thanks to A3 Start Gold status I have the ability to use it. It is miles away from the lousy offering of the United Club and much nicer than the Lufthansa business club as well.

The flight over was uneventful. Seamless connection in Frankfurt, despite the German insistence that the lounge opens at 5:30 am, no matter that the flight landed at 5:00 and the line to enter it is long. Boarding the connecting flight to Barcelona was the usual zoo, but as it was mostly empty in Business class it had little effect on me.

All in all pleasant trip.

Lounge Food

Seared Salmon, Wild Rice and Baby Carrot - Dinner on the flight

Another cruise is coming up soon

So it is summer again, and it is time for another cruise. Having enjoyed so much the Mediterranean cruise we did last year, we decided to repeat this adventure this year as well. I thought I had all the flight squared away, booking on miles. Going to Barcelona through Frankfurt on LH Business class, and coming back through Frankfurt as well. I thought it would be a good opportunity to experience the First Class Lounge in Frankfurt, and I’ve managed to snag a First class on LH. Or so I thought. With Lufthansa having the entire airplane’s fleet refits with the new First class, the inevitable happened and a schedule change occurred. Not only a schedule change but a total change of the itinerary - coming back to JFK and not EWR. Unfortunately for me, it just would not work – it is hard to catch a flight at 8:00 in the morning (instead of the scheduled 12:30 pm) if your ship only docks at 7:00 in the morning.

So, looking at the CO page (all done prior to 3/3) I started to panic as there was not one way of getting back on my date (or any of the following dates) on business class. In order to make my options know, I even checked with AA who had nothing. Luckily, the CO agent I talked to managed to find alternative through Toronto on Air Canada. I lost the chance to visit the First Class Lounge,but at least I get home on the intended day, plus I got some miles back.

This time around we are going to stay at the Hilton Barcelona. The hotel just went through massive refurbishment and was closed for six months. I got an excellent rate through the Hilton weekend sale last January (for less than 100 Euros a night), and I am looking forward to experiencing the hotel.

I will be spending couple of days in Barcelona before the cruise. I booked some excursions with Spanish Trials. We took their tour last year (Bicycles and Wineries) and had a blast of a day. I am usually do it yourself type, but after the fun we had last year, as well as one of the itineraries involving a travel to the mountains, I trust them on those excursions. They are not cheap, especially comparing to doing it yourself; however with a group size of up to 6-8, a great guide, lunch included and the repeated customer discount I still think it is worth it to me.

I will promise to post a full review and pics once I'll get back.

A short visit to Richmond - Doubletree Downtown

This was a weekend gateway for me as Richmond is only 2 hours away, and I never been. Parking over the weekend near the hotel was very easy to find, and there is no need to pay the overpriced valet parking fee. At every time of the day I found parking on the street, no more than 2-3 minutes away from the hotel.

Checking in was not a pleasant experience. It seems that I have interrupted the check-in clerk in some sort of an important activity and all he wanted is to get rid of me. I have checked in online the night before, but my room was changed upon check-in. Why I do not know. I asked about the Gold breakfast, but the response was only Diamonds get breakfast. I send him to check with his colleague, which he did by shouting to the other side of the counter. Of course, Gold members get breakfast, no apology given, just a shrug of incompetence. I did not even get a cookie.

I did get somewhat of an upgrade. However, the rooms are old, tired. The furniture is dirty (see the picture), and the room is full with wires running all over the place. The bathroom is in dire need for renovation, although the water pressure was good, and there was always hot water. The layout of the room and bathroom was just strange, with a lot of unused space within the room and a very tight bathroom that left very little room for movement.

Breakfast was decent, and as a Gold member I received the buffet breakfast which had cold and hot items and was really adequate. Service in the restaurant was usually good, but they did get flustered with many people coming in at the same time.

The internet was free as a Gold member, and usually fast. Although there were times it just went down without any reason for 10-15 minutes at a time. There is a flat screen TV in the room, but it is small and not HD. Not really up to the standards I would expect. Air conditioning was loud but was functional, although it took a lot of finking with it to get it to the temperature I liked.

All in all, it was an OK stay for what I paid (got the room on the Hilton weekend sell). If I paid the rack rate, I would be highly disappointed. I really don’t know why it bears the Doubletree name. It is more suitable to what I expect from a Hampton Inn. I guess the room cannot be standardized so the lowest they could give it is Doubletree. However, I have been in many much better Doubltrees, and this one was a disappointing as one.

Dirty Furniture

Small, none HD TV

Wires everywhere

Wires everywhere

I have been missing in action

OK. You are correct. I have been missing in action for the last several months. Life took their toll, and although I was traveling quite a bit, I did not get to write down my experiences. I apologize to my reader (there must be one of you!). In the meantime, I did get myself a spunky new Sony Alpha A35 camera (only to have Sony release the A57 couple of weeks later, thank you very much). I also started dabbling with Photoshop, so at least the quality of the pictures will be better. See, the wait was worth it.

In my virtual absence, I have managed to do several trips: a couple of days in New-York city, Cancun, Los Angeles, Seattle, Richmond and a short stay close to home to fulfill the Radisson new bonus.

I’ll do my best to keep up, and post some reviews (or at least pictures) of those trips in the next couple of weeks, before I will head out to Barcelona for another trip.

The New-York trip was a great one. No more cheap seats on the bus, but a more expensive (but still relatively cheap – as I got it on some miscellaneous Amtrak points) seat on the regional Amtrak train. The time difference between the Acela and the regional train is 30-45 minutes, while the price differential can be as much as double. Going on vacation to New-York city regularly,  I am in no rush to get in or get out, and the regional train is just fine. I still get my power; I still get my free WiFi, and the seat is much more comfortable than any airline seat. All in all, it is a pleasant experience apart from the lack of decent waiting area in both Washington and New-York stations. The waiting area looks like an afterthought (which I bet it is), too small and uncomfortable.  

This time we are not staying at our usual spot in New-York (the Staybridge Time Square at what used to be 8,000 points and $60 a night. On a different note, it is time to evaluate the stay as now it would be 12,500 points and $70 a night, I’m sure I’ll delve into on a different post). Taking advantage of the Hilton mistake rate for New-Years (selling a room in Hilton New-York for $20), I have managed to negotiate two nights for slightly more than $100 a night in the Hilton New-York for the night I needed to be there. It was a great deal all around. There are many things to like and many things to hate about the hotel. It is big, no strike that, it is humongous. I usually don’t particularly care about the very small boutique hotels, especially when in a big city like New-York, but this hotel was just too big. You lose the personal touch when you are just low Gold member in such an environment. The wait for the elevators can be long and the lines in and out of the restaurant and hotel in general were slow. It felt too much as a bolt in the machine rather than a welcoming stay. The hotel is also a little further away than I would like from the Broadway theater area.

Other than those small problems, I enjoyed the stay at the Hilton very much. I did not get upgraded to the executive lounge area (not that I expected to), but breakfast at the restaurant was more than adequate. The room was big for New-York and comfortable and one did not need to be a circus artist to get in and out of the shower as happens in many of the New-York hotels. If I can ever get a similar rate in this hotel I would definitely stay again.

One of my objectives in this trip was to find a Chase branch and open a checking account. As recently I’ve got the Freedom card. The added benefits for having a checking account is the 10&10 program – which gives you 10% bonus miles on every dollar spent, plus 10 miles on every transaction. Therefore, the Freedom card is saved for small transactions (usually less than $10, although the real number comparing to the Sapphire card is $10.30 for bonus categories) and for transactions that get the x5 bonus at the quarter. Be that as it may, as I don’t have a Chase bank in my state, I opened a bank account in New-York. Getting the $150 bonus for opening a new bank account did not hurt either. Not bad for one hour of signing forms and sitting in an air-conditioned space.

The last night in the city we have moved to the Waldorf Astoria taking advantage of the Q3 bonus program in Hilton (stay 4 nights, get one free). It was nice to be able to use the certificate for the Waldorf. The room was not ready for us to check in around 1 in the afternoon, which was disappointing. We also did not receive any upgrade, but being a mere Gold member, I really did not expect to get one. We did get coupon for one drink each on the bar (which we took advantage of, excellent drinks and service), and for breakfast in Starbucks in the lobby (which we did not use). The hotel itself has the grand interior and exterior (despite the renovations), but alas, the room itself was a disappointment. It was large for New-York but not laid out. The closet space was a room for itself which was more a wasted space than anything else. Not surprising, the room and infrastructure were dated and in need for some renovation. All in all, well worth the certificate though.

I have yet to edit many of the pictures from the New-York trip, and will try to add more soon. Hopefully the other travel installment will come up soon as well.