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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Alaska Airlines getting Premium Economy seats?

Alaska Airlines

Is Alaska Airlines getting Premium Economy seats?  Currently it is one of the few airlines that hasn’t started charging for premium economy seats (with extra legroom and other perks).

According to KUOW (Seattle’s NPR station), Alaska Airlines is planning on testing out a preferred seating program on some flights.  During the 1st Quarter Earnings Call (which you can listen to here), Alaska Airlines Chief Revenue Officer Andrew Harrison spoke about the new seats early in the call:

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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.

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

 

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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Centurion Lounge Seattle Opening This Summer

Centurion Lounge Seattle

The Amex Centurion Lounge Seattle at SeaTac is set to open sometime this summer.  It is actually a scaled back Lounge, technically called a Studio.  Amex Platinum card holders will have free access to the Studio while other Amex cardholders (non-Platinum) will be able to enter the Studio for a fee.

UPDATE: An astute reader alerted me that for Studio locations ONLY those with Platinum or Centurion cards may enter (and may bring in family or one guest).  While at the standard Centurion Lounge other Amex card holders may purchase a day pass, day passes are not available at the Studio.

UPDATE x2: The new Studio is now open!  The first day of operation is June 30, 2015.  If you go, please send me some photos and I’ll update this article.  info at singleflyer dot com

I was recently at SeaTac on my way back from Long Beach, CA and decided to check out how the construction is going.

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