Swimming with dolphins is portrayed as a family friendly activity. Dolphins are social and smart animals. Hell, they are the only animals besides humans that have sex for fun! What’s not to like?
While observing dolphins in their natural habitat at sea from the beach or even a boat is a non-invasive way to learn about these creatures, swimming with them is not. Particularly problematic are resorts or amusement parks that keep dolphins in captivity and allow guests to pay to swim with them.
If you have seen Blackfish, you probably already know where this is going.
After spending three nights at the Disneyland Hotel with my family, I rented a car and drove north. I spent a night at the Hyatt The Pike Long Beach by myself for some non-Disney relaxation. I love Disney and I love my family, but it was great to have some solo time before heading back home and to work.
Hyatt The Pike Long Beach is one of the non-conformist properties; it is simply a “Hyatt”, and not a member of any of the Hyatt sub-brands (although many compare it to an Andaz). In this light it is similar to Hyatt Olive 8. This is expected to change soon as Hyatt The Pike Long Beach gets rebranded as a Hyatt Centric when the new sub-brand launches this summer.
As a solo traveler, I prefer a single king bed in my hotel room. I like having a bigger bed to stretch out in and more usable space in my room. Having an extra bed in the room doesn’t benefit me. So what goes into the decision to have a king bed or queen beds in a hotel room?
In the the book Hotel Design, Planning, and Development (Penner, Adams, Robson), which for the record I have not read from cover to cover, the authors break down hotel guests into the following groups (I am paraphrasing here):
One way to approach solo travel is to plan a trip to a location where a friend lives. This way you can experience the best of both worlds; having a connection to base your travels off of while at the same time getting to explore in your own way. This is how I approached my solo travel to Cambodia.
Angkor Wat Temple
A friend of mine moved to Cambodia in 2010 to teach English to college students. I had been to Vietnam (on a group trip) a few years before and was interested in seeing Cambodia. Visiting my friend was a win/win — I was able to spend some time with her while also being able to stay at her apartment and have her show me some of the country.
I planned a two week trip. The first week was over her school break and the second week was while she was working. My plan was to spend the first week with her; seeing Phnom Penh with an ex-pat local. The next week I would do some travels on my own while she was back at work — including a trip to Siem Reap to see the Temple of Angkor Wat.
Last month I was enrolled in the Hyatt Diamond Challenge, also known as the Elite Tier Offer 2015. I was able to do this by first emailing a property for an upcoming and then contacting Gold Passport directly. The cost of the Hyatt Diamond Challenge will depend on many factors. Here is my experience:
Grand Hyatt or Olive 8 – Battle in Seattle In Seattle, like any large city, you can find a hotel by just about every chain as well as some great independent hotels. Hyatt offers one of the best loyalty programs and many frequent travelers book a room at Hyatt when they … Read more
While I had visited the casino and buffet at Wynn Las Vegas, my first stay wasn’t until I received an offer for $219/night on the weekend with a free night if I came back in 3 months. I liked the casino and buffet at Wynn Las Vegas, so I thought it would be a good opportunity to try out the hotel. My previous stays in Vegas were usually at Mlife properties so I was excited to try a new location.
Check In: Everything from booking the rooms to check in went smooth; I checked in on a Friday night and only waited perhaps 5 minutes. My room was on the 34th floor in a Panorama room. There was a bit of a walk from check in to the elevators; having to walk through most of the casino. A security guard was stationed at the elevators to check to make sure guests had a room card.
Last week I reviewed the Hyatt Olive 8, this week I review the other downtown Hyatt option in Seattle, the Grand Hyatt Seattle.
These two main Hyatt properties are half a block away from each other and both centrally located near the Washington State Convention Center. The Grand Hyatt Seattle may have a slightly better location as there are multiple restaurants and a Starbucks that you can access without leaving the hotel.
Check In: I was checking in to the Grand Hyatt Seattle on a Sunday evening just after a large convention was wrapping up from the weekend. I was impressed that the wait was less than a minute. The front desk clerk that helped me was very professional; the usual acknowledgement of my Platinum status, notifying me of the amenities, and offering me a choice of newspapers.
Often in hotel bathrooms you will find a sign reminding you of the water conservation in hotels. Usually what they explain is that towels on the floor will be replaced while towels hung up will not. It does make sense; at home I wash my towels once a week so fresh towels every day does seem a bit unnecessary. I have found, however, that often even when you hang up your towels they end up getting replaced. Plus, to be honest, when I am staying in hotels I do like the luxury of fresh linens.
I have often wondered if this was truly about the environment or the hotel’s bottom line. Or the hotel’s image as being eco friendly.
I enrolled in the Hyatt Stay More Play More (link) promotion back in January. The Hyatt Stay More Play more is a promo that gives you a targeted offer based on your Hyatt Gold Passport account. I don’t know how they decide who gets which offer, but according to FlyerTalk people are able to get offers from 2,000 points after the next stay to 65,000 points after 25 nights. I received the highest end offer:
Hyatt Olive 8 Seattle Review Loyal Hyatt visitors to Seattle are faced with a tough decision: Grand Hyatt or Hyatt Olive 8. There is also a Hyatt Place and a Hyatt House (opening May 2015); however those properties are outside the downtown core. If you are in town for a conference … Read more
The US Travel Association is once again running its Daily Getaways promotion. Beginning March 23 there will be a different offer for a limited time each day. An interesting change this: there is NO added discount for using an Amex card. You can find discounts on rental cars, hotels, and theme parks. Only the first three weeks’ offers have been posted as of this post.
Likely the most popular offers will be for the hotel stays that, for the most part, come in the form of loyalty points. Below I have created a grid that shows the cost per point for each of the hotel point offers.
Note: As of June 1, 2015, the Hyatt Diamond Challenge 2015 has been updated. Diamond status is now good through February 2017. Reports are also in that you can directly contact Hyatt Gold Passport at 1-800-228-3360 to enroll in the Elite Tier Offer. Read more here.
I first signed up for Hyatt Gold Passport last summer after I learned about their relationship with Mlife. Since I was a Gold Mlife member I received Platinum status with Hyatt’s loyalty program. I had signed up for hotel loyalty programs before, but with the purpose of earning miles on Alaska Airlines for my stays. In 9 months I have accrued 20,000 points with HGP through my stays at Mlife hotels in Vegas and Hyatt hotels.
The benefits of Platinum HGP status are minimal; it was devalued even more last month when all guests were given free wifi. Reports over at Flyer Talk have some people being offered a Hyatt Diamond Challenge (also known as the Hyatt Gold Passport Elite Tier offer) with 12 nights in 60 days. Some said the offer was targeted only to those with a high number of stays in 2014 while others said they were able to enroll in the challenge by contacting the property of their upcoming stay.
I have four booked reservations between now and June so I emailed the two properties that had an email posted on their website.
I stayed at the Hyatt Regency Santa Clara for a weekend in October, 2014. The hotel is older, my guess it was built in the mid 1980’s, and has a large footprint of 501 rooms. The closest airport is San Jose (6 miles), a small airport that makes getting in and out easy.
I assumed it would be quiet on a weekend when business travelers were at home, but was I wrong! This is definitely a conference hotel (it is attached to the Santa Clara Convention Center in the heart of Silicon Valley). There were two conferences at the hotel (ironically neither were tech conventions); one was quilters the other was high schoolers. As you can imagine, I was disheartened to say the least. Luckily, the check in agent could tell I was not looking forward to a weekend with youngins, so he put me on the 13th floor away from the students. I thought he said he “upgraded” me as I am a Platinum HGP member, but it turned out that the only upgrade was that it was on a higher floor.
This past weekend I spent three nights at Aria Las Vegas, one of the Vegas mega properties located in MGM’s CityCenter. Other hotels that share the CityCenter location are Vdara and Mandarin Oriental… as well as what is left of the Harmon (it is getting smaller each day as they demolish it). Aria, with 4,004 rooms, opened in December 2009 and is considered MGM’s top property alongside Bellagio.
I have stayed at the Aria five or six times, it is my go-to hotel in Vegas. Good location, luxury, and a great spa. I received a deal through Mlife that got me a rate of ~$200* for Saturday night and ~$130* for Sunday and Monday nights (*I include the mandatory $32 resort fee in this price). The deal also came with an included $200 resort credit that I could use at onsite restaurants, spa, or show.
