King Bed or Queen Beds in a Hotel Room

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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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Mileage Run Dubai in First Class on British Airways

Boeing 777-236ER - British Airways (G-VIID)

Last week there was some buzz over a (possible) mistake fare from Dubai (DXB) to Austin, Texas (AUS) on British Airways and partner airlines, all in First Class.

I use the term “mileage run” in the title of this post, but really it is hardly a milage run for two reasons:

  1. It was $1500 and
  2. It was only one way

Mileage runs are usually cheaper (this one, for me at least, worked out to be 7.4 cents per mile).  And having a one way from the middle east is not super helpful.

I learned about the deal while in Disneyland with my nephew and other family members and only had my iPad available to work on the itinerary.  I booked through the devil OTA because by the time I was ready to pull the trigger, BA.com had already caught the mistake fare and removed it (but Expedia was still live).  I wanted to make sure that all my segments were in First Class (some BA flights from LHR to US cities do not have a First Class, only Business).  My ticket has been confirmed and I even was able to choose my seat.  Others in the Flyer Talk forum have not been as lucky, no clue why mine ticketed while others have not yet.

Here is why I decided to book this deal:  

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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.

Solo Trave 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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Free weekend rental with Avis

Here is an easy way to get a free weekend rental with Avis good for a two-day, full size rental. In the past I wrote about how easy it is to get free status with rental car companies if you have a MasterCard World Elite, including the popular Arrival + … Read more

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.

Wynn Las Vegas

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Grand Hyatt Seattle Review

Grand Hyatt Seattle

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

Water conservation in hotelsOften 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:

Hyatt Stay More Play More

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Free Rental Car Status through MasterCard

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A little known benefit of a credit card you may already own is free rental car status through MasterCard World Elite.  For example, my Barclaycard Arrival + MasterCard is World Elite.  If you have a MasterCard (and most people d0), check the front or the back of the card for the “World Elite” title under the logo.  Common airline credit cards that are World Elite include Hawaiian, American, and Virgin.

Once you have identified you MasterCard Elite, the easiest way to enroll is to call 1-855-802-1387 from the US.  Currently the offers are for Avis, National, and Sixt.  So what do you get with the rental car status?  Here is a handy chart that shows you the benefits:

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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

Gay Travel Discount on Alaska Airlines

Screen Shot 2015-03-20 at 6.21.13 PMWhile browsing Facebook I came across a sponsored post by Alaska Airlines which is rather common.  The focus, gay travel, was new.  Or at least I hadn’t seen it before.

When I clicked through the ad I found that Alaska has an entire web page on their site devoted to discounts to various LGBTQ Pride events.  The discounts are short term (I’m assuming only over the Pride weekend/event) and relatively small (7% or 10%), still a nice acknowledgement and support of the LGBTQ community.

Clearly Alaska has made promoting equality as a company a priority; they score a perfect 100 on the Human Rights Campaign’s Corporate Equality Index.  Alaska is one of only five airlines to score a perfect 100.

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Boeing 777 Memorabilia

I was going through a bunch of my old stuff today and found some fun Boeing 777 memorabilia from the launch in 1994.  Hard to believe the 777 is almost 21 years old!

My father worked for Boeing for 40+ years and used to give me freebies that the company gave their employees.  While I have thrown away a good amount over the years, I kept a hold on to these items (probably because they were so small!)

First item is a sealed commemorative coin from the first 777 roll out on April 9, 1994.

Commemorative coin
Commemorative coin

See the rest of the Boeing 777 memorabilia below:

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