Hotels

Manchester Grand Hyatt San Diego Review

The Manchester Grand Hyatt San Diego was one of the “official” hotels of the conference I was attending and is only a few blocks from the Convention Center.  I booked a Double Bed at Costco rates as it was the best I could find; each night just under $300.  There were two large conferences in town (one at the hotel), so I am guessing you could find some better rates if you go when there isn’t a conference in town.  It is the largest hotel in San Diego (with 1,625 rooms).

Manchester Grand Hyatt San Diego
Manchester Grand Hyatt

The Manchester Grand Hyatt San Diego is located on the waterfront just south west of the downtown core.  It is about 10 minutes from the airport and you can walk to Petco Park, the Convention Center, Gaslamp, and downtown.  There are a bunch of restaurants just across the street.  Across the street there is also a light rail stop.

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Benefits of Hyatt Diamond Status

I have posted various posts about my process getting the Hyatt Diamond Challenge and what it cost me.  But why would I invest my time and money to get Diamond status?  This post will focus on the benefits of Hyatt Diamond status.

Earning Diamond Status:  If you are not participating in a Diamond Challenge (or Elite Tier offer), or you are trying to keep your status beyond the first year, you must have either:

  • 25 separate stays at Hyatt properties or
  • 50 total nights within one calendar year

So technically you could just stay 25 nights and get Diamond (assuming none of those nights were consecutive), or you could just have one stay and get Diamond (assuming your one stay was for nearly 2 months…).

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Hyatt House Seattle Downtown

 

The Hyatt House Seattle Downtown is set to open in the next few weeks.  I stopped by today to check out the progress of the construction and to scope out the property.  I was not able to go in, but here are a few observations.

Location:  This is the closest hotel to the Space Needle hands down.  While the Hyatt Place Seattle is a short walk from the Space Needle, the Hyatt House Seattle Downtown is perhaps 500 feet from the Space Needle.  You will walk out the door, cross the street, and you are at the gift shop and elevator to the top.  This is great for tourists, however it is a bit of a distance to the downtown core.  Lucky for you, the Monorail stop is also just across the street, very convenient for tourists to access shopping and Pike Place Market.

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Think twice before swimming with dolphins

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.

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Hyatt The Pike Long Beach Review

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.

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King Bed or Queen Beds in a Hotel Room

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):

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Solo Travel to Cambodia

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.

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Grand Hyatt or Olive 8 – Battle in Seattle

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

Wynn Las Vegas Review

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.

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Grand Hyatt Seattle Review

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.

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Water conservation in hotels

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.

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Hyatt Stay More Play More + Quick Qualifying Elite Trial + 20% Points Back: 3 Promotions

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:

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Hyatt Olive 8 Seattle Review

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

Daily Getaways Valuation

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.

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