Booking the St Regis Goa

The idea of Goa started off in the dining room with my uncle, aunt and two cousins. This would have been my uncle and aunt’s first vacation in their life, so me and my cousins wanted to ensure a unique experience. We agreed to do a small vacation using my small stash of Marriott Reward Points.

I opened the app, and came across the following three options:

• JW Marriott Goa: 40,000 Marriott Reward Points or INR30,000 / night (~C$500)
• W Goa: 57,000 Marriott Reward Points or INR35,000 / night (~C$600)
• St Regis Goa: 72,000 Marriott Reward Points or INR29,000 / night (~C$500)

The currency conversions are not exact. They are the currency conversion I used in my head as I was determining the best use of points.

I immediately booked the JW Marriott Goa as it was the newest hotel that opened just a month prior to our stay. I booked the JW Marriott Goa using 160,000 Marriott Reward Points for 4 room nights. For the remaining 2 room nights I used my 2 Free Night Certificates, one each from the American Express Marriott Bonvoy Credit Card (Personal) and American Express Marriott Bonvoy Credit Card (Business). However, when I presented this option, my family suggested that not having a beachfront resort in Goa defeats the purpose of going to Goa.

Beachfront Hotel – Finding the Best Deal

On my previous stay at the St Regis Mumbai, the butler was in Goa training the staff to the St Regis standard, at the then newly opened St Regis Goa. I also recalled hearing about the St Regis Goa through Ajay reading his blog when he identified it was a re-flagged Leela. While I have great respect for the Leela brand, staying at the St Regis Goa for 3 nights for 2 rooms, would cost me over 400,000 Marriott Reward Points. I did not want to spend that many points.

We compared the pricing of the St Regis Goa and the Taj Goa as alternative resorts. Although the St Regis Goa was more expensive, we felt my Titanium Status would make up for the added costs with a complimentary suite upgrade for my uncle and aunt. We decided to pay cash for one room and points for the second room. This was a horrible use of points, but I also did not want to spend C$1,500 for a three night unplanned vacation.

When booking any St Regis resort, the Marriott STARS rate provides complimentary breakfast, US$100 room credit in addition to any other offers. I reached out to my agent, who realized the Senior’s rate was the cheapest rate, even after accounting for the room credit through Marriott STARS. We proceeded to book the Senior’s rate (on the account of my uncle and aunt traveling as well).

Transportation to and from St Regis Goa

All of us landed at Goa through an Indigo flight, and we decided against using the airport transfer from the hotel. St Regis Goa was charging INR5,000 (~C$100) for an airport transfer and we felt like we could find something at the airport instead.

This was a horrible idea. We only saved about $50, for an hour long journey, and in that journey had to deal with an old vehicle that had a barely functioning air conditioner. As the family vacation expert, I got the back seat of the van, in the last row, and only I know how relieved I was to walk through the doors of the St Regis Goa.

On the way back, we got a vehicle through St Regis Goa and it was money well spent.

If you want to save a few bucks, you could actually do a short walk to the Holiday Inn just a few minutes down the road and get their vehicles instead. However, because they compete with the St Regis, their cars could not actually drive up to the St Regis. Had we just been cousins, this would have been an easy option, however, with my uncle and aunt, we decided it was worth just booking the car through the hotel.

Check-In at the St Regis Goa

As we got out of the vehicle, there was a team of a few colleagues to greet us, led by Kanika. Immediately, they applied a bead-garland on everybody’s head. My uncle and aunt went to the lobby, while me and my cousins went to the reception to check ourselves in.

Reception at St Regis Goa

During check-in, all of us received a cold coconut water. After the hot car journey in, all of us requested for re-fills which was generously provided by the hotel.

Fresh coconut water as the welcome drink

We had two room reservations; one for the basic King room for two adults, and a Premier Conservative Room with 2 Twins, that could accommodate three adults.

A water feature as you walked into the lobby

Lobby and Reception at St Regis Goa

Lobby and Reception at St Regis Goa

Concierge at St Regis Goa

Flower display at the lobby of the St Regis Goa

Lobby and Reception at St Regis Goa

On the way to the room, we came across a Bloody Mary display. For those that do not know, the St Regis has an unique Bloody Mary at each hotel. My cousin immediately asked for three Goan Mary to be delivered to our room to start off what would be an epic Goa vacation.

One of us may have been too excited to get the vacation started

Suite Upgrade

As a Titanium guest, I was eligible for one room to receive a complimentary suite upgrade. Initially the hotel upgraded the Premier Conservative Room to a Suite, however, we wanted the base king room to get the suite upgrade. This way, my uncle and aunt would be staying in a suite which was very important to everyone. It was an unexpected request for them, so the hotel kindly let us have both rooms until the twin room had been cleaned up by housekeeping. They also promised me to setup an extra bed as well for the entire stay.

Not many hotels would give away a second room to freshen up while the main room is being prepared. That was a very kind gesture by Kanika and her team.

Base King Room at the St Regis Goa

Lagoon Superior (Basic) King Room

Bathtub at the Lagoon Superior (Basic) King Room

Toilet at the Lagoon Superior (Basic) King Room

Sink at the Lagoon Superior (Basic) King Room

The base king room at the St Regis Goa was as cookie-cutter as it got; it came with a King size bed, a walk-in shower, and separate bath-tub. In a luxury hotel, there were two features that I felt were lacking: a his and her sink and a larger full size bath-tub. The room also had a corridor to place the luggage as well. I am also glad that the bathroom contained single use shower amenities. Although I understand the sustainability requirement, from a hygiene perspective, there is something comforting about using the single-use amenities.

Welcome Amenity at the St Regis Goa

There were also three very delicious tarts as a welcome amenity in the room. I’m glad we received three tarts, otherwise, we would have an interesting time dividing two tarts by three people. In addition to the tart, I found a small chocolate bar, and what appears to be a chocolate hammer. This was the first time I saw a hammer to break the chocolate.

Chocolate Hammer

Finally, the room also had a nice patio overlooking the water feature. Although it would have been a great place to relax, the weather was extremely hot, meaning that patio would have gone essentially unused.

View of the patio at the St Regis Goa Lagoon Superior (Basic) King Room

Premier Twin Conservatory Room

Conservatory Premier Twin Room at the St Regis Goa

Conservatory Premier Twin Room at the St Regis Goa

As you walk in, once again you will find a long corridor with a baggage rack. I do find it interesting, in most places in North America, the standard is 2 Queen beds, but in Asia, I typically see 2 Twin beds. Ironically, the twin beds were quite close together.

Covered patio of the Conservatory Premier Twin Room at the St Regis Goa

We also had a bit of a covered patio in the room. The extra bed was ultimately placed here. Between me and my cousins, we had to decide who would be sleeping on the extra bed. Unfortunately, the in-room air conditioning at the St Regis Goa was not that great. However, the air conditioning on the covered patio was amazing. This made our sleeping decisions far easier; do you want to sleep on a nice bed in a warm room, or a bad bed in a cold room. Ultimately, I took the proper bed closest to the window (that’s my preferred bed in a two-bed setup).

Full sized bathtub of the Conservatory Premier Twin Room at the St Regis Goa

His and Her sink of the Conservatory Premier Twin Room at the St Regis Goa

Walk-in Rain Shower of the Conservatory Premier Twin Room at the St Regis Goa

The bathtub was actually a full sized deep soaking tub which made for a very comfortable bathing experience after a long day in the sun. This room also came with His & Her sinks, which, okay, we were three guys, so it really wasn’t used as that, but the two sinks are always appreciated. The walk-in rainfall shower head also provided a nice water pressure, once again for a comfortable shower after a long hot day outside in the city.

Standard Suite for Platinum Upgrades at the St Regis Goa

The St Regis Suite Living Room at the St Regis Goa

I did not get a chance to take a peek around the standard suite since my uncle and aunt had made themselves comfortable by the time I visited the suite. But the Suite living room was very spacious, enough to accommodate the five of us during our evenings. It also had a guest bathroom and the guest bathroom even contained an extra make-up table with a chair. After all, a St Regis guest, cannot be standing up and putting on their make-up.

Champagne Sabering

How can there be a discussion of the St Regis Goa without experiencing the champagne sabering event. As Napolean said:

“Champagne: in victory, one deserves it; in defeat, one needs it.”

Here is the champagne sabering video of the St Regis Goa.

In addition to the video, here is the beautiful venue of the champagne sabering event including a gorgeous sunset view.

Wine glasses for the champagne Sabering with a sunset view

Champagne Sabering Sword

Champagne Sabering Bottle

Dining at the St Regis Goa

We had most meals at the St Regis Goa, including breakfast every day at the resort.

I must also recognize the entire dining team across the various outlets. They were all friendly, helpful people, who made the dining experience at the hotel, perfect.

Indian Dining Options

Let’s start off with the most important meal picture; Bhature Choley and Paneer at the St Regis Goa.

Bhature Choley and Paneer Bhurji

The Indian food options were beyond delicious. I still remember the taste of a masala kulcha full of onions and cheese. It was so delicious, all of us ate the kulcha with just pickle.

Their stuffed paratha selection was also delicious. I believe there was a two day rotation of the stuffed paratha variety at the St Regis Goa:

Western Dining

An important part of breakfast

Half-eaten Pasta Dish

There were two weak points in their dining though, their Italian food could have been better. But also, you shouldn’t be traveling to Goa for Italian food, so I cannot put any fault on the chefs at the St Regis Goa.

Dessert Selection

Their dessert selection was always on point. I will give credit to the staff at the St Regis Goa, as vegetarians, buffet do not excite us that much, due to a large selection of non-vegetarian food. But the dessert was extremely attractive. The staff allowed us to order a la carte off the menu and then allowed us to go to the dessert section for the buffet to enjoy the variety. We even asked for one of the dessert menu items to be repeated, and the chef made a separate batch for us the night prior to our check-out.

A small selection of desserts

White Chocolate Pudding – Pictures do not do it justice.

We may have over-indulged on White Chocolate Pudding

More dessert selections

Bread and Pastries

This is a video of the breakfast pastries on offer at the St Regis Goa.

During every buffet, their breakfast, lunch, or dinner, they also had a variety of warm breads. Every bread selection I tried was delicious.

Bread Selection

Bread Selection

Freshly Squeezed Juices and Smoothies

Finally, their selection of freshly squeezed juice could have improved drastically. I asked for a strawberry and banana smoothie, but the server let me know there are no fresh strawberries in the restaurant. For a hotel of this caliber, I expected a larger selection of higher quality smoothies.

Selection of juices

High Tea at the St Regis Goa

As part of our dining, we also had an opportunity to enjoy the high tea at the St Regis Goa in the Drawing Room.

Drawing Room

High Tea Setting

Top Level of High Tea

Middle level of high tea – the only level that was not re-ordered

Bottom level of high tea

Their Gol Gappa and Patty were absolutely delicious. I’m sure even the chef got tired of serving us extras after a while. I don’t think anyone even had any tea with their high tea, all of us were too engrossed in eating their Gol Gappa (Dahi Puri) and Patties.

More sweets

We couldn’t get enough of these savory dishes

The extras kept on flowing

Dining near the St Regis Goa

St Regis Goa is incredible in a way that as you leave the resort through the beach, on the right side, you will enjoy a typical Goan food shack with beer and seafood. I don’t consume either, but certain members of my family do, so it was a daily ritual during sunset to walk from the resort onto the shack to enjoy a daily beer. There is also a nice restaurant located just a few minutes’ walk from the hotel. Once again, I did not really try much there, also because of the food safety standards at these locations, but my family were very happy for a change from the regular St Regis dining menu.

Swimming Pool

The best part about the Swimming Pool was the caves behind the waterfall. As I approached the waterfall to enjoy the water pressure on my head, I noticed that I could actually go “behind” the waterfall. It was very cute and we definitely enjoyed the experience of going there.

Waterfalls at the pool

Swimming Pool

In addition to that, there was always a server walking around the pool area for any additional food & beverage options, which we indulged in thoroughly sitting on the beach beds. I’m also glad that the server also re-arranged some furniture so all five of us could sit together, since most of them are designed for couples.

Beach

The thing I still can’t get over at the St Regis Goa is the sunset. It was beyond gorgeous.

Sunset view. Let’s go to Maldives again?

Or how about Bali?

Beach view from the beach beds

The beach was also very interesting. There is a private beach component guarded by a security team, but there is also a public beach right in front of the hotel. The best way to realize which part is the hotel beach and the public beach is to look at the color of the sand. I don’t know the reason behind that, but that was a great indicator. The public beach sand color was much darker and a lot dirtier than the beach that was part of the St Regis Goa.

Property Upkeep

I wanted to add another section for this report. The overall property was absolutely gorgeous. It was full of greenery and overall felt like an amazing place to be spending time in Goa.

The video below shows the buggy ride from our room to the beach. So much greenery that it was absolutely beautiful.

Circular rings to walk through to access one of the restaurants

Swings for kids and the kids at heart!

Greenery

More rings

Sunrise view from the Italian Restaurant

St Regis Welcome

Butler Service

To be honest, I totally forgot about the complimentary morning coffee or tea extended through the St Regis Butler and nobody reminded me either.

I did take advantage of the packing service, as I had a busy travel schedule ahead of me. And I’m glad the butler packed it just the way I would have liked.

Service – Failure and Recovery

Unfortunately, I experienced a few service failures at the beginning of our stay.

Extra Bed Delivery Timelines

The first snafu happened between check-in and the second room being ready. The staff told us that when the second room will be ready, they will also setup the extra bed for us as well. When we got to the room in the evening, there was no third bed at all. That’s typically not a problem one quick phone call, and it gets resolved quite quickly. Except, we waited for 20 minutes. Then 30 minutes. Then 40 minutes. Finally, someone comes over with bedding but no extra bed.

That was rather absurd, there was no sofa bed in the room. There was a chaise at best, and the staff were going to prepare the third bed on the sofa chaise, which doesn’t really reflect well on the St Regis brand.

We asked them to come back with an extra bed. That took another 50 minutes. So, after coming back to the room, it took the staff 90 minutes to get an extra bed well past midnight. Although I was not sleeping on the third bed, suffice to say, my cousin was extremely upset at that experience.

Housekeeping Service

The next day, we enjoyed a leisurely day at the hotel. We came back in the evening to notice that neither of the two rooms had housekeeping service at all. Many hotels across the world are relying on reduced housekeeping as an environmental initiative, but I never imagined it would have a significant impact at the St Regis brand.

I called up the butler service, and they said we can do housekeeping right away. Except, we are now in the room. I actually wouldn’t think any housekeeping staff to be comfortable being observed by people in the room as they clean up the room, so I told them that they will have to do it when we leave the room for dinner. The butler service later told me that we had declined housekeeping which was why the room was not serviced. However, none of my cousins had any interaction with the housekeeping team.

When we got to dinner, we met with my uncle and aunt, and they genuinely assumed this hotel does not come with housekeeping service either because their suite was not made up either. I would understand if one room was not serviced because someone mis-spoke, but to have both rooms not serviced, seemed like housekeeping dropped the ball in a very big way that day.

Ultimately, my cousin and my uncle/aunt, who I had raved so much about the St Regis brand, at this point assumed housekeeping is not a brand standard, and the typical turn around time for any request by the butler team would be in the 60-90 minutes range.

Service Recovery

I did let the front desk team know of my displeasure, and more importantly, how my family now perceives the luxury brand to be a rather budget brand in terms of their service. During our day trip to experience the city of Goa, we got a call from Kanika, the front desk associate. She mentioned that your concerns were raised in a management meeting, and to make up for it, we would like to extend the High Tea service to you and your family.

That gesture was greatly appreciated by everyone even though we never asked for anything to make up for the service failures. I will also give credit to the high team dining team, my uncle and aunt came very late after taking a nap, and despite them coming well after high tea service had ended, the chef still served them what would turn out to be a delicious high team.

We also received a delicious selection of chocolates and a bottle of wine to make up for the service issues. Me and my cousins had finished the chocolates in about 10 seconds.

Chocolate with a letter

Bottle of wine

Conclusion

Overall, the stay was incredible. Yes, there were service issues, but once they were made visible to hotel management, they were rectified immediately which I appreciated.

I look forward to my next relaxing vacation in Goa. Hopefully on my next trip, I’ll be able to actually step outside the hotel to see the city!

For my visit to Portland, Oregon to attend a friend’s wedding, I needed a hotel in the Portland area. I stumbled across the Duniway Portland, a Hilton Hotel as part of AMEX’s Fine Hotels & Resorts (FHR). Rates were just a bit above $200 per night including taxes, which is one of the lowest-priced FHR properties that I’ve seen so I booked a 2 night stay here. On the AMEX Platinum card, you also get $200 towards a Fine Hotels & Resorts (FHR) property (1 night minimum) or The Hotel Collection properties (2 night minimum) each year.

The Duniway Portland, a Hilton Hotel is named after Abigail Scott Duniway, who helped to pave the way for women to have the right to vote in the state of Oregon. The hotel is considered a boutique-style property and contains 327 rooms.

Exterior of the Duniway Portland

TAKEOFF POINTS:

Date of Stay: April 2023
Room Type: Two Queens City View
Pros: 5-star level beds at a 4-star property, great breakfast options, friendly staff.
Cons: The bathroom could be a bit more luxurious.

Benefits with AMEX Fine Hotels & Resorts:

At the Duniway Portland, when booking with AMEX FHR you’ll receive:

• Noon check-in, when available
• Room upgrade upon arrival, when available
• Daily breakfast for up to 2 guests ($30 per person, cannot be used for alcohol or combined with the $100 Hotel Credit)
• 4 PM late checkout, when available
• $100 Food and Beverage Credit (can be used at Mayrose in the Duniway, or Hop City across the street at the Hilton)
• Premium Wi-Fi

A major plus with booking through AMEX FHR at the Duniway Portland is that you don’t have to pay the destination fee ($26 per day). Also, I did earn Hilton points with my stay which was great!

Do you get the Hilton Gold/Diamond Daily Food and Beverage Credit Too?

I called before my stay to see if you would still get your Hilton Diamond daily food and beverage credit as well. I confirmed that you can’t double dip, so you won’t get your standard daily food and beverage credit of $15 per night per person (up to $30 for 2 guests per night).

Pre-Arrival:

I was upgraded to a City View room a few days prior in the Hilton app. Since my flight was delayed and I missed my connection on the way into Portland, my friend was going to arrive at the hotel before me. I messaged the hotel to see if she could check in first, and they were happy to allow it. They just requested I stop by the desk to show my AMEX Platinum Card when I arrived, which was not a problem at all.

Lobby:

Once you enter the Duniway Portland, you’ll see a small lobby seating area and reception off to the right. There’s a small business center with a couple of computers to the right of the front desk. I liked the vibe of the lobby as it felt very cozy.

Lobby Seating

Next to the lobby seating area, you’ll see a bar and the Mayrose restaurant, which is the main restaurant for the property.

The Room:

The hotel takes up the higher floors of the building it is in, so while the lobby is on street level, the hotel is on floors 11-20. Our room was located on the 18th floor.

As soon as you entered the room, you had a closet to the left with a safe, two bathrobes, and iron/board. I really liked the wallpaper selection for the closet. The whole vibe of the room is definitely better than your run-of-the-mill Hilton.

Closet Space

To the right was the bathroom. It was a bit on the tighter side but it got the job done. The towels were of good quality, and the shower/tub combo had both a shower head and a wand. Toiletries were provided by Badgley Mischka, and I liked the scent. Overall, the bathroom was fine but was not the major selling point of the room.

Bathroom

Shower/Tub Combo

The Bedroom + Best Beds:

There was a coffee machine, plus a mini fridge outside the bathroom. Entering the bedroom, there were two queen-sized beds and a large 65-inch television. The bedding was advertised on the website as Waldorf Astoria beds and I believe them. The Duniway Portland had the best 4-star hotel bed I’ve been to recently! Major plus there, and I got great sleep from them. Definitely the selling point for the hotel.

2 Queen Beds (Same Ones at the Waldorf Astoria)

Large TV and Sofa

There was a small sofa towards the window, as well as a dresser/seating bench along the window. At the bedside table, the vintage and upscale Tivoli Audio radio and speaker was a nice touch.

Tivoli Speaker

View-wise, we could see the city and we got blessed with sunny weather. It was nice and nostalgic to spot the Nines, a Luxury Collection hotel, that I stayed at back in 2017.

City View

Overall, the room was perfectly comfortable for our stay, with the Waldorf Astoria beds being the major highlight.

Dining:

The on-site restaurant is the Mayrose and during my visit, it was open for breakfast daily and dinner Tuesday-Saturday. For something quick, the coffee bar is open in the morning daily and the bar and lounge section is open nightly daily.

Mayrose Restaurant

Breakfast:

We ate at the Mayrose for breakfast on our first morning, and I tried the AM Banh Mi. It was delicious, and the prices were very fair. My friend liked her pancakes as well.

AM Banh Mi ($13), Wild Blueberry Pancakes ($12)

We had lunch and breakfast on our last morning at the Hop City Tavern across the street in the Hilton Portland. The Hop City Tavern is open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and also has a little market and grab-and-go section.

Hop City Tavern

For breakfast at the Hop City Tavern, we opted for the full buffet, and it also came with an a la carte item of eggs your way or omelet plus coffee and a juice. It was $25, which worked out perfectly with a 20% tip (and no sales tax in Oregon) to utilize the $30 per day breakfast credit.

The buffet was pretty decent, with very delicious thick-cut bacon, scrambled eggs, sausage, fruit, cold cuts, and pastries. I also liked the a la carte omelet that it came with.

Overall, it was nice to be able to try both the Duniway and the Hop City Tavern for breakfast to get some variety. But if I had to choose just one, I would go back to the Mayrose for that AM Banh Mi as it was delicious and unique.

Lunch + Snacks:

For lunch at Hop City, we tried buffalo wings, crab cakes, and Hop City Burger. All the items were quite tasty!

Hop City Burger ($21), Chicken Wings ($16)

Crab Cakes ($19)

We had a bit of remaining credit from our $100, so we got some snacks from the Hop City Market.

Hop City Market

Amenities:

The 11th floor of the hotel contains most of the amenities. The fitness center was quite small but looked very zen and an adequate place for a workout. It did have Pelotons, and when I took a peek at it there was no one working out.

Fitness Center

I didn’t get any pictures of the small indoor lap pool as there were people using it, but it was nice to have it in case.

The coolest amenity was Abigail’s Hideaway, which is a large rooftop seating area. It had a giant chess game set up and seating areas. It was very nice, but I do think they could have added some more aspects to spruce it up a bit as it seems a bit barren in certain areas.

Abigail’s Hideaway

Service:

Housekeeping service is provided by request or automatically every 4th-night stay of a reservation. I just messaged on the Hilton App the morning of, and they provided an afternoon service which worked for me.

The front desk associates were friendly, but where the hotel really shines is the restaurant staff. Our waiters and waitresses at both Mayrose and Hop City were delightful.

Location:

The Duniway Portland is in a solid location in the Portland city center. Pioneer Square is a block away, the famous Powell’s City of Books is a nice 15-minute stroll which we went on, and the Portland Japanese Gardens are about 2 miles away and a quick Uber ride.

The Verdict:

Overall, I had a great stay at the Duniway Portland. Highlights included the luxurious 5-star beds and excellent breakfast options. I would not hesitate to stay here again if my travels bring me back to the Portland area, especially with AMEX FHR benefits.

Have you stayed at the Duniway Portland before? How was your experience? Comment below!

Cheers,

Ty

Have any questions? Comment below or email me at takeofftotravel@gmail.com. I’ve also started working with a travel agency, Fora Travel, and can assist in booking hotel stays or planning trips. You can also view all my other posts here! Thanks for stopping by!

Since it was such a busy weekend, prices were sky high at £626 for two nights. The same room in two weeks time is less than half that at £150 per night, so that gives you an idea of the normal price range.

Arrival and Check-In

My flight arrived in Liverpool and the 500 bus is £2 and half an hour to the city centre bus station. From there it is less than a 10 minute walk along the flat city centre mall, where all the shops are, to the hotel which is nice and easy.

The very friendly lady at the desk checked me in and gave me my cookie. She also took the time to discuss this and that, such as why I was there and so on, then I was given directions to the lifts. I have to say I had a very favourable impression from that interaction, which was great!

Deluxe Room at the DoubleTree Liverpool

When booking we had no choice of room, which we were fine with as we just wanted something in the city centre that wasn’t a dive. After going up the lift and through the various higgledy-piggledy passages (that were daunting at first, but quickly got used to) I arrived at our room.

The room had everything you would expect from a major chain hotel. Happily the bed turned out to be exceedingly comfortable and very good for a sleep. On arrival the room was quite stuffy, but once the air conditioning was turned on, it was very fresh and pleasant inside.

What Is Up The Stairs?

Arriving into a room and finding a mystery staircase is a bit fun. Of course, I had an idea of what was up there, but it was fun to wonder exactly how things would appear. If you haven’t guessed, it’s the bathroom!

Perhaps the only bad thing I can say about the bathroom is that my friend was wondering how to turn on the heated towel rack. Who knows! There was also no toilet brush, a small detail but even so. Regardless of that, it was lovely with thick fluffy towels.

Welcome, Welcome!

Besides the welcome cookie that is a feature of the DoubleTree hotels, we also received a little letter from housekeeping. This was found on the bed when I arrived.

Since my friend was getting to the hotel separately (and from Miami, much further than I had to travel) I was given a voucher for his cookie to claim later. He certainly appreciated that!

Eforia Spa

I had more than two hours to kill before my friend arrived, which worked out rather well for me. At check-in, I had mentioned the spa and the lady at the desk said she thought they had a special on today. It turns out all the treatments were at the mid-week price of £79 instead of £99. I’ll take that, so I booked a full body 50 minute massage.

The massage was lovely and afterwards you are permitted to use all the spa facilities for an hour. Swimming in the pool, hitting the sauna, steam room and thermal pool were as relaxing as you’d expect. Those not wanting to get a treatment could also purchase an hour in the pool and so on for £25. For what it’s worth an hour is plenty of time, I actually finished up earlier than that.

Overall Thoughts

We had a lovely time in Liverpool and it was wonderful to come back to a nice room after each night’s Eurovision festivities. All of the staff in this hotel were very welcoming, from the check-in and check-out people to the chatty bar staff to the spa people, we were treated as treasured guests. It sounds like such a simple thing to get right, but I’ve been to many hotels where the staff feel like they’re phoning it in and don’t really care. Not the case here!

I would really recommend the location, hotel and the spa. It would make for a wonderful city break for anyone and it’s especially easy to get to Liverpool from within the UK or even from Ireland. My only real regret is that we did not eat in the hotel, so I have no idea what the food is like, or the enticing things on the signage like the Cigar Lounge.

Have you been to Liverpool or stayed at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel and Spa before? What was it like? Thank you for reading and if you have any comments or questions, please leave them below.

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Outside view of the 2 towers

Fountain, sign and bridge over International Drive

Valet parking rates

Arriving to acrobatic dancers galore:

I arrived at the Hyatt Regency, International Drive, Orlando at about 7 on a lovely spring evening but on entering the lobby I was immediately struck by the cacophony of sound and movement. There were hundreds of young girls and their parents moving all over. I found out later that this was an acrobatic dance event with girls from all over the country competing. They were in the hotel for the next 3 days and there were positives and negatives to them being there. The laughing and giggling and happy movement all over the hotel was fun to experience but of course this also meant longer lines for food and drinks in the hotel shops.

The nice large pool

The pool restaurant and the pool were a hive of activity with lots of girls swimming before or after their performances. The parents had many different ways of passing the time while their daughters were busy but more on that later.

Part of the reception area

I was checked in by Carolina, a lovely lady who made the check-in a fun experience. I found out that there are 1634 rooms in this hotel, rates starting at about $205 per night for a standard room. The rooms are in 2 separate towers and I ended up in tower 2 on the 18th floor. On exiting the elevator I saw that the ice machine was in a room just one door down. This meant it would be less than 40 meters from my room to get ice, quite a bonus. There were 5 elevators which definitely served the crowds well. I don’t think I ever had to wait more than a minute or 2 for an elevator.

Sign at the elevators explaining getting around

22 floors available

A nice sitting and meeting area was opposite the elevator lobby on the 18th floor.

Hallway meeting area

Entering my room:

My room was a standard 2 bed. I see there are rooms at the Hyatt with Regency Club access which provide daily continental breakfast, light snacks, hors d’oeuvres, desserts and drinks. Quite a yummy thought, I would most likely not even leave my room or the Club if I booked that, I would be snacking all day. My room had quite a bit of space, there is a chaise lounge, a desk and chair and a small round table with a foot stool.

Standard room with 2 beds

Chaise lounge

Table, drawers and tv

It has most of the normal, required amenities. A decent sized safe, ironing board and iron, small refrigerator, toiletries and nice size TV set.

In cupboard safe

Refrigerator

The bathroom is also a good size with the basin and a large counter on the left, toilet in the middle and the bath with shower on the right. Having them in line gives a lot more space for moving around.

Soap, toothbrush, mouthwash and shower cap.

Basin with towels

Bath toiletries

Bath and shower

The Pharmacopia toiletries are really nice. There was soap, shampoo, conditioner and body wash provided. I know that you can usually get any toiletry item you need if you phone downstairs. I have had razors, shaving cream and many other items provided to me over the years.

Also in the room was a coffee machine, ice bucket and tongs and a luggage rack. There is a large cabinet under the wall mounted TV set that has many useful drawers.

Ice bucket and coffee machine

Top drawer with bible

There is a small cube clock on the center table between the beds that has power plug points as well as USB ports.

Cube clock with power points

There is rather a pleasant view for a room at the back of the hotel facing the convention center side.

The view is of the number 1 tower and the rooftop garden party area.

View from my room

Here is a picture of an event that was held on the rooftop garden area one evening.

Rooftop garden events area

All in all, I stayed 7 nights and the room played a large part in the pleasant time I had.

The Convention Center side:

There are at least 15 smaller meeting rooms and 2 big ballrooms. The Regency and the Windermere are the 2 ballrooms that can hold about 5,000 people each so really big events can be held here.

Convention center hallway

Ballroom lobby

As the signs say there is also a Skybridge over International Drive to the Orange County Convention Center where all manner of massive events are held.

I was very pleased to see that 4 of the meeting rooms are named after Space Shuttles. Quite appropriate seeing as the Cape is only an hour away.

Boardrooms named after Space Shuttles

Dinner at Fiorenzo Italian Steakhouse:

This was a fun experience. If you are alone and would like to sit at the bar, Fiorenza has a different evening in store for you. They have large community tables for single people, the idea being that you can chat to the people at your table if you so choose. On the one occasion that I sat at those tables there was a lady eating who read her book so she didn’t take part in conversation, and a man who was there for the truckers convention who was fun to chat to for a while.

Entrance to Fiorenzo Italian steakhouse

I had really good lamb chops which come served with seasonable vegetables, cauliflower puree, salsa verde and leek top oil. A gorgeous combination. Also a side of truffle fries which are decadent but wonderful. It was a top class meal, the chops were perfectly seasoned and medium-well done for me. An Absolut vodka with orange juice rounded the meal off. It is a highly recommended experience.

https://www.hyatt.com/en-US/hotel/florida/hyatt-regency-orlando/mcoro/dining

A friend and I ate at Fiorenzo a few nights later and we both had pasta dishes which were also fine to eat.

After that meal, a visit to the extensive fitness center:

For a hotel that size they have a suitably large gym available. I counted at least 4 different workout areas, including an area with mats for yoga type activities.

Treadmills and pedal machines

Workout machines

Weights with a view

They have water dispensers, towels, banks of pedal machines and a multitude of treadmills.

Inspirational message

Towels galore !

What do a dance event a trucking expo and a software convention have in common ?

 Their love of coffee:

There is a coffee shop cum snack bar cum supermarket that has a very useful array of items. You can get a cappuccino, a small hot pizza, a bottle of wine, an ice cream, a salad and all manner of other items. The next thing they have in common is loving coffee and snacks. The store was constantly busy with a line for the 3 days the dance contest was on, and it only became slightly less busy once they were gone.

Coffee snack store

Salads, fruit and other cold items

Many types of drinks available

Wine selection

The pizza maker

Restaurants and bars:

There is another store which stacks clothing and other Hyatt and Orlando mementos. It also has drinks and snacks available.

Store with mementos

There is the B-Line Diner which I heard does a great breakfast, and I experienced some absolutely decadent deserts.

B-Line diner

Ad in the elevator

Rocks Bar is a big bar with a view over the pool.

Rocks bar

View of the pool from the bar

What do a dance event a trucking expo and a software convention have in common ?

Their love of the pool:

The third thing they had in common was using the pool and vicinity. The girls spent hours in the pool when they were not competing. The truckers and software attendees did not spend as much in the pool but spent more time more around the pool at Urban Tide for hamburgers, salads and such, Coconuts Pool Bar in the Grotto pool and Rocks, the bar which overlooks the pool.

When it comes time to leave:

There is a computer station in the lobby for checking flights and printing out boarding passes and such.

Computer station

Oh, and about the parents keeping themselves occupied.

There are many couches and chairs and alcoves all around the hotel and as I strolled through I saw many different groups of parents seated around. Some were chatting, some reading books or computers, some even dozing. The ones I saw while I was in Fiorenzo having my wonderful lamb chops meal were having the most fun. There were 7 or 8 mothers having an absolute ball enjoying copious amounts of wine. They were at the table opposite mine and it was such fun watching the dynamics of the group in action. I am sure they had more fun than all the other parents had the whole week…

How good is the hotel ?

The Hyatt Regency is very good at doing what it does best. It is a large hotel with thousands of guests but it has the facilities to keep those guests busy and happy.

There is so much to keep you busy that I am sure you will enjoy your stay at the Hyatt Regency, International Drive, Orlando.

American Express is currently offering some amazing new welcome bonuses on their co-branded Hilton credit cards. These bonuses are being offered on the Hilton Surpass Card, the no annual fee Hilton Honors card and the Hilton Business card.

New Welcome Bonuses on Co-branded Hilton Credit Cards

American Express offers four cards as part of their portfolio with Hilton:

Personal Credit Cards

• No Annual Fee Hilton Honors Card
• Hilton Surpass Card
• Hilton Aspire Card

Business Credit Card

• Hilton Business Card

Fantastic New Offers

Hilton Aspire Card

With the Hilton Aspire card, were still seeing the standard offer. This offer is pretty decent as it is. With this offer on the Hilton Aspire Card, you’ll earn a welcome bonus of 150,000 Hilton Honors points and 1 free night after you spend $4,000 in the first 3 months of card membership.

Apply Now for the 150,000 points and 1 free night offer

Hilton Honors Card

Let’s start with the limited time offers. For a card that charges no annual fee, I think this is a fantastic offer. With this offer, you’ll earn a welcome bonus of 70,000 Hilton Honors points and 1 free night after you spend $1,000 in the first 3 months. Now you may ask, what makes this offer so great?

Firstly, this card charges no annual fees. Secondly, you only need to spend $1,000 in 3 months, which is pretty easy for most people. Most importantly, you’ll earn a free night certificate in addition to 70,000 Hilton Honors points. I really value free night certificates very highly as you can redeem them for standard rooms at some really high end properties in the Hilton Honors portfolio.

Let’s say that you sign up for this card and meet the welcome bonus. You’ll end up with a minimum of 73,000 points and 1 free night certificate. Here’s how you can use this bonus:

• 2 night stay at a Hilton property charging 70,000 points per night
• 3 night stay at a Hilton property charging 35,000 points per night

Now you may ask, how do I find these properties? Thankfully, Hilton has the Hilton Honors points explorer which alls you to look up properties in a certain range of points for redemption. For example, I looked up examples for stays in Vietnam and found multiple options.

Apply Now for the 70,000 points + 1 free night offer

Hilton Surpass Card

This one is by far my favorite offer out of the lot for personal cards. With this offer on the Hilton Surpass card, you’ll earn a welcome bonus of 130,000 Hilton Honors points and 1 free night after you spend $2,000 in the first 3 months.

Just like on the no annual fee card, the minimum spend required is really low. Also, the annual fee for this card is $95, which is reasonable. In addition to complimentary Gold status and amazing return on everyday spend, the welcome bonus really takes the cake. After you meet minimum spend, you’ll end up with a minimum of 136,000 Hilton Honors points and 1 free night. Here’s how you can use this bonus:

• 2 free nights at the Conrad Maldives (120,000 points per night) or the Hilton Amingiri Maldives (110,000 points per night)
• 3 free nights at Hilton properties charging 65,000 points per night
• 5 free nights at Hilton properties charging 34,000 points per night

Apply Now for the 130,000 points + 1 free night offer

Hilton Business Card

If you qualify for the Hilton Business card, then this card is currently offering a welcome bonus of 150,000 Hilton Honors points and 1 free night after you spend $4,000 in the first 3 months. This is a fantastic offer for qualifying business owners for a card that also charges a reasonable annual fee of $95. After you meet minimum spend, you’ll end up with a minimum of 162,000 Hilton Honors points and 1 free night. Similar to the Hilton Surpass Card bonus, this bonus can go a long way in helping you book a 2 night stay in the Maldives or build a 3-5 night stay at lower category properties around the world.

Apply Now for the 150,000 points + 1 free night offer

The Pundit’s Mantra

Overall, I love these new co-branded offers on the Hilton credit cards, primarily because of the free night certificates. Bear in mind that these certificates expire after 1 year. However, if you have a stay coming up in the next year, then you could easily end up getting 3-5 free nights at Hilton properties depending on the type of property you choose.

With free night certificates, I usually tend to splurge on high end properties, like I did last year when I stayed at the Conrad Maldives by using multiple free night certificates that I’d accumulated.

Which credit card bonus is your favorite? Do you prefer points or free night certificates? Tell us in the comments section.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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https://www.hilton.com/en/hotels/ausdthx-hampton-suites-austin-downtown-convention-center/

Front entrance

I was there for a convention so there was a premium on hotel rooms in the area. The rooms were around $240 at the start of the week and $300 once the convention started. The Hampton Inn is in a great spot only one block away from the convention center as well as being 2 blocks away from the Ann Richards Bridge, famous for the ‘flocks’ of bats that emerge at sunset  When it comes to meal time the hotel is in an optimum position. Directly across the road is Gus’s World Famous fried chicken, PF Changs Chinese restaurant, a great sushi restaurant, a good Thai restaurant and a coffee shop. Next to the hotel is a crepe restaurant and to the side are 2 smart steakhouses. Downtown Austin does have a lot of places to eat.

On arrival the first thing I saw was the small valet stand. Valet prices are $12 for 2 hours, $22 for an 8 hour day or a high $52 overnight.

Valet parking rates

Lobby and check-in:

I stay in 40 to 50 hotels a year so I start categorizing them according to expectation upon entering the lobby. Some hotels do not put much into a lobby, it is just a place to enter or hang out while waiting for a ride. Other hotels have fancy lobbies with large check-in areas and big lounges, maybe even a lobby bar.

The Hampton Inn and Suites Austin downtown is one of the former. A small lobby with a staircase on the left going up to the second floor breakfast and office area. There is a really interesting large round sofa against the stairs which is very comfortable. On the right is a small 2 person check-in desk and just past that is a small area with drinks and candies for purchase.

Round staircase in lobby

Office facilities

Entrance to the elevators

Front desk

Check-in went quite smoothly. Gave him my Hilton number and was given a bag with 2 bottles of water and a bag of nuts – Oh the perks of status!

Luckily I sleep through anything so I don’t have to ask for a room away from the elevators or the ice machine. I do normally request a high room and on this occasion was given the 9th floor out of 16. Later riding up with some of the other guys I work with I saw they had rooms ranging from the 5th floor to the 15th so I am not sure if my request meant anything.

9th floor and the room:

Hallway artwork

On exiting the elevator I saw that the ice machine was right next to the elevator. Oh I wish all hotels did this. I have sometimes spent 10 minutes searching for the ice machine in some of the bigger hotels I stay at.

Machines for ice and water

About 20 yards away was room 911, my home for the week.

Room 911

On entering the room a small counter with coffee machine and ice bucket is on the left just past the bathroom door.

This counter also contained the half size fridge. Hooray for the fridge, it means I can keep milk, cheese, soda and other small items cold.

Fridge

The room is pleasant with wire basket drawers, a couple of footstools, a desk and all the other room facilities.

Cupboard, iron, ironing board, safe

Wire drawers

Chair and table

Desk and chair

Foot rests

Bed and side tables

Pretty bathroom:

The bathroom has a lovely basin with a wide counter and toiletries in wall mounted plastic bottles by Zero% Natural Kind Formulation.

towels

soap and remover

shower gel, conditioner, shampoo

sink and hair drier

Nice art work

Breakfast area:

The Hampton Inn and Suites Austin downtown is one of the Hampton Inns that provides a free breakfast. It is quite a comprehensive breakfast too, cereal, oats, scrambled eggs, potatoes, sausage, waffles with strawberries and nuts, toast, fruit and a coffee and tea station. It was really nice to be able to pop in and get something every morning on the way to work.

fruit baskets

cheese omelettes and potatoes

tea and coffee station

Part of the breakfast area

Other facilities:

There is a nice pool available on the 4th floor as well a complete gym.

pool area

Gym

In the lobby is a small snack store named Treats, with a variety of items such as ice cream, wine, candy, drinks, Hot Pockets meals and Keep Austin Weird t-shirts.

Treats unique store

Austin bat bridge:

You might have heard of the bat bridge in Austin. The Ann W Richards Congress Avenue bridge is known for the millions of bats that fly out every evening after sunset. It felt like bit of a gyp the day we went though. We stood on the northern bank on the alcove landing that juts out over the river. There were a lot of people that stood near us. There are people that stand on the bridge, on the other bank, and many people that are on the water in kayaks or boats or charter boats. Many companies take visitors out on the water every night.

Austin bat bridge

Boats on the river

The photos were taken almost an hour before the bats came out. We stood in a really bad place because it seems the bats fly out from the opposite side of the bridge and we could hardly see them against the dark sky. The boats know as they are there everyday so if you do go make sure you stand near the boats. Those bats also flew out quite a time after sunset so it had become quite dark and hard to see them. The videos of the bats you can watch on the internet will show you much more than you will see in person.

Credit for the video to Bat Conservation International.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YwWGvf38TVM

Overall impression:

Overall it was actually a very pleasant stay. The facilities in the room are nice and useful and the pool, the gym, the free breakfast area, the store, the office area and the vicinity to the Convention Center all make a great experience.

The Hampton Inn and Suites Austin downtown is well recommended.

I booked a room at the Hyatt Regency Dulles Airport as I was looking for a place to stay at the airport to attend the Freddie Awards that was taking place nearby. The Hyatt Regency Dulles is a Category 1 property under the World of Hyatt Program and was pricing at peak pricing for my two-night stay. During off-peak pricing its 3,500 World of Hyatt Points, standard award rates are 5,000 World of Hyatt Points, and 6,500 during peak. Cash rates were going for about 250 USD, so I thought it was a solid redemption!

Complimentary Shuttle Service:

So, I had an evening arrival into Dulles Airport, and the timing worked out nicely to where the shuttle came 5 minutes after I got to the hotel shuttle pick up area. Shuttles from the airport to the hotel leave the airport at the 15 and 45 minute marks of the hour, and it is 24/7. On the other hand, shuttles from the hotel leave at the 00 and 30 minute marks of the hour. They do want you to reserve your shuttle at the front desk back to the airport one day in advance. I did like the fact that the hotel had its own shuttle, and that it was not shared with another hotel.

Hyatt Regency Dulles Shuttle

Lobby and Check-In:

I was quickly checked-in, and headed to my room on the 10th floor. The previous day, the app notified me that I was upgraded to a “High Floor” room. I already saw my room assignment on the Hyatt app, but needed to check-in to get the physical key (and have the digital key on the app activated).

Front Desk

The lobby was quite nice, and ample seating for lounging around. Connected to the lobby is the 29,000 sq. ft. Executive Meeting Center onsite.

Lobby Area

The Room:

I was in a High Floor King Room, and all rooms at the hotel are like mini-suites. First, as soon as you entered, you had a desk and chair on the left, a coffee maker + a mini fridge for individual use, and a living room with sofa. 

High Floor King Room

Next, there was a large TV separating the bedroom from the living room, and on the other side of the TV, there was a nice built-in luggage rack.

Living Area

King Bed

Finally, the bathroom had an open concept with no door to the sink area. The sink was quite large, updated, and had ample counter space. To the left of the sink was a place to hang clothes, a safe, iron and an ironing board. To the right of the sink was a toilet and stand-up shower. Toiletries were the standard Hyatt Regency brand, Pharmacopia. Unfortunately, the drainage in the shower was a bit slow, so if you left the shower on for a few minutes, it would start a puddle.

Bathroom

In terms of other pet peeves of the room, one quirk of the room was the AC. The fan blew right to the face of the bed, which was annoying. But, also turning off the unit made the room a bit stuffy. Additionally, noise levels were very good the first night, but the second night there was either someone above or beside me, and you could hear every time the toilet flushed. Lastly, some of the sheets and towels had minor stains on them.

Nonetheless, the room was quite nice for an airport hotel and falls on my list of one of the better airport hotels I’ve stayed in.

Amenities:

There’s a fitness center on the lobby level, that is open 24/7. It’s a decent sized fitness center, and even has a Peloton Machine.

Fitness Center

Behind the fitness center is an indoor pool that is open from 6:30am to 10pm.

Indoor Pool

Dining:

In terms of dining, there is one main restaurant called Flight’s Bistro. It’s open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Breakfast is served from 6:30am-11am daily and as of my April 2023 stay, offers a buffet breakfast for $22, as well as an a la carte menu. Lunch is served from 11:30pm-2pm daily, and dinner is served from 5:30pm-9pm daily.

I grabbed lunch one day, and got the Globalist Burger. It was pretty good with avocado and onion strings. I liked that it could come with either fries or a salad. I opted to be healthier and go for the salad, but they ended up bringing both out which was nice of them.

Globalist Burger

Side Salad

The Flights Bar connected to the bistro is open from 5pm-11pm Sunday-Thursday, 3pm-11pm Friday and Saturday, and it serves dinner between 5pm-10:30pm. There’s a “late night” menu from 9pm-10:30pm. It seems after the Freddie’s there was a mini after party at the bar and it stayed open past 11, so perhaps it’s flexible depending on the vibe in the lobby.

Additionally, the Grab and Go Market is open 24 hours at the front desk and has snacks, nonalcoholic beverages and also pre-packaged pastries, salads, and sandwiches.

Freddie Awards:

For those of you who aren’t familiar with the Freddie Awards, they were introduced in 1988 by InsideFlyer magazine’s Randy Petersen. The name of the “Freddies” is named in honor of Sir Freddie Laker and the goal of the Freddie Awards is to provide a voice to the frequent flyers out there and honor the industry of frequent travel programs.

This year, the event was hosted at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum’s Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, which is right next to Washington Dulles Airport. I had the great pleasure to attend and meet with industry professionals and fellow BoardingArea teammates.

Freddie Awards 2023

It was a bittersweet moment, as Randy Petersen announced his retirement from the Freddie’s. Randy is an amazing person and he’s been very helpful and supportive in all of my pursuits, as well as being an industry icon in the frequent flyer industry. 

If you’re interested in seeing all the winners from the event, you can do so here!

Some highlights in the Americas included Air Canada Aeroplan winning Program of the Year and American AAdvantage winning Best Elite Program. On the hotel front, Marriott Bonvoy won Program of the Year and World of Hyatt won the Best Elite Program.

Congrats to all the Winners!

Internationally, TAP Air Miles and Go took home 4 awards in different categories, and newcomer Xiamen Air won a “210 award” having the best average ranking among programs that were ranked by fewer than 10 percent of the voters.

The Verdict:

Overall, I had a solid stay at the Hyatt Regency Dulles Airport. I enjoyed the large room and efficient hotel shuttle. I also had an amazing time attending the Freddie Awards, and hope I can do so again!

Have you stayed at the Hyatt Regency Dulles Airport before? How was your experience? Comment below!

Cheers,

Ty

Have any questions? Comment below or email me at takeofftotravel@gmail.com. I’ve also started working with a travel agency, Fora Travel, and can assist in booking hotel stays or planning trips. You can also view all my other posts here! Thanks for stopping by!

• The hotel is located close to the London’s O2 arena.  It’s just one stop away from the Canary Wharf station on the Jubilee line.  We can get to the O2 in 6 minutes.
• Fifth night free made sense, though I wiped out most of the Hilton points I had earned over the years.
• Daily complimentary breakfast as a Hilton Honors member was also a major draw.

Canary Wharf is London’s central business district.  I had not stayed in the area before, and I find it to be a nice change of pace from the busy hustle and bustle of Central London.

Exceptional Service All Around

Let me start with the basics:  the service was exceptional all around.

All the staff members we had the pleasure of interacting with were professional and welcoming.  From the check-in process, to the staff at the executive lounge, to the concierge (scheduled a cab).  Even after the upsetting pick-pocketing incident, a wonderful young lady at the front desk went above and beyond and assisted us by helping us to file a report.  They really made our stay a home away from home.

In Pictures

Standard Two Beds Room

Table for working…or eating. 🙂

A business district view steps from the hotel

During the week-long stay, I visited the Executive Lounge a few times, which you can access by using the room key.  The spreads at the executive lounges can be a hit or a miss, but I thought Hilton Canary Wharf did a nice job in terms of variety and selections.

Executive lounge

Seating area

The snacks…

Dippings.

Too much going on…

Caesar Salad

Veggie dumplings?

Small bows of wings

I can’t say all were to my liking.  I liked the Caesar salad, and small dishes of wings (2-3 small pieces in each bowl).  The latter was a hit, based on what I see from other guests as well.  You don’t know what you might get each evening.

Of course, we also ordered room service (after getting back in the wee hours of the morning following the memorable Roger Federer farewell game).

Room service. Great presentation.  Burnt wings.

And when that’s not enough, we tried the UberEats app too.  All went smoothly.

This is telling.

Finger Licking Good?

Complimentary Breakfast at the Cinnamon Restaurant

Lobby space in front of hotel bar.

Some breakfast options

More breakfast options

Fresh eggs and bacon.

Fruits and sauces.

Moving on from the food gallery…

All in all, we actually had a great week-long stay at the Hilton London Canary Wharf.

Friendly staff, comfortable stay. No issues whatsoever with the stay.

We got to travel across the pond in good health.

And with a grateful heart.

There’s really not much more I can ask for.

P.S. On the way to the hotel to the train station, I’d see the “notes to strangers”.  I find some of these messages to be oddly satisfying.  Apparently, there’s a story behind it.

“Notes to Strangers” street art in London

Famous LL Bean Boots

Life-like deer at the store

I don’t know about this…this guy looks a little TOO happy to me.

Is it obvious that I may have been a little distracted when it comes to retail shopping?

Holiday Inn Portland-by-the-Bay

Then, I had a stay at the Holiday Inn Portland- by the Bay, thanks in part to an IHG anniversary certificate.

The hotel is located in Portland, which is just a short drive from Freeport, Maine.

Check in was uneventful and the front desk staff was friendly.  On-site parking available for a $15 fee.  Off-site parking is also available, though I have no idea where it’s at.  If I had gotten there very late at night, I’m not sure I’d necessarily feel safe wandering the neighborhood.  Valet parking is available.

I got a room on a high floor.  It was a comfortable room and a comfortable stay.

Hotel lobby and elevators.

Bathroom Amenities.

Basic Room

Pretty night view.

The hotel is of walk-able distance to downtown Portland too.

Downtown.

Art display at storefront.

It was a relaxing day.  Of course, it’s not quite the trip without making a stop to the beach.

Old Orchard Beach, Maine.

Not sure if the promenade is still active.

And of course, the day trip wouldn’t be complete without a stop to picturesque Portland Head Light.

Famed Lighthouse

Signage

Fort Williams Park

Close enough to pic on the left.

The famous lighthouse is located in Cape Elizabeth, Maine. I still remembered my first visit to Cape Elizabeth.  My family and I dined at the Lobster Shack at Two Lights.  I remembered climbing on the rocks after the casual outdoor lobster meal and looking over the waters.  The restaurant was closed during this visit, though I have no doubt that it is still a popular day trip /vacation spot during the warmer months.

If you are in the area, it’s definitely worth a visit in my book.

Any other highlights you might recommend to other readers traveling to Freeport or Portland, Maine?

https://www.marriott.com/en-us/hotels/yyzgs-sheraton-gateway-hotel-in-toronto-international-airport/overview/?scid=f2ae0541-1279-4f24-b197-a979c79310b0

Having flown from Bangkok via Narita to Toronto on Air Canada there was a delay with the flight onwards to Dallas so I had to spend the night and fly out the next morning. It was a Wednesday night and the hotels didn’t seem overly busy.

Booking process:

There were quite a few hotels in the area with prices ranging from 22,000 points up to at least 40,000 points for the one night. I have status with multiple hotel brands so I eventually decided to book the Sheraton by Marriott which is connected to Toronto Airport terminal 3. There is also a train linking terminal 1 with terminal 3. That station is linked to the bridge connecting the hotel to terminal 3 so the ease of use is great.

I stopped at the check-in desk and asked if I could book there with miles. “No, only on the website” was the reply. I had the app open and ready so I stepped aside, selected and pressed confirm, and had a booking number within 30 seconds. I spent 35,000 Marriott miles which was higher than I had planned but I decided that the ease of use of the trains was a good enough reason for the splurge. The Sheraton Toronto airport hotel review was on.

The USP Express train service is available to whisk you into Toronto from terminal 1 (one stop away from the hotel). I always try to go to the highest point in any city I visit so once I had checked in I caught that train to Union Station and went up the CN Tower. The Tower is less than 10 minutes walk from the station under a covered walkway, but my story of that visit is for another time.

Hotel room:

I was given a room on the 4th floor. I was offered the opportunity to upgrade to the Sheraton Club Lounge. For about $60 extra you have access to a private lounge, a hot breakfast buffet, all day refreshments and evening hors d’oeuvres. It seemed like a good deal but I knew my schedule would not allow me to enjoy the facilities much. Once I got off the elevator the first thing I did was look for the ice machine. A room temperature soda is just not for me so ice is an important part of any hotel stay. The room itself was rather pleasant and large.

Hotel room – picture courtesy of Marriott.com

I had no problem powering up my computer as well as recharging my phone and iPad as there is a power and usb plug point next to the bed with 2 of each power point.

Power and usb adapters

My ice bucket got filled with ice as soon as I had put my bags down. A Keurig coffee machine with coffee and tea bags was also supplied. In the morning I love a hot cup of tea so I filled up the Keurig, boiled the water without a pod, put a cup with tea bag under the spout and there it was. A steaming hot cup of tea just the way I like it.

2 complimentary bottles of water were also available along with the already in service ice bucket.

Keurig coffee machine, water and ice bucket

I used the safe on the top shelf of the cupboard to lock up my computer and iPad when I left to go downtown. The cupboard also contained an iron, ironing board and hangars.

Safe, Iron, Ironing board, Hangars

The view out of the window was pleasant, at least there were no warehouses or parking garages blocking the view.

View from the window

Bathroom facilities:

The bathroom was average size with some really pleasant toiletries. They were Gilchrist and Soames brand. There was body wash, conditioner and shampoo in squeeze bottles in the shower which also had a nice hand shower. On the counter was Gilchrist and Soames body lotion, hand wash and soap. I splashed all of those products on when I showered in the morning, I smelt rather glorious when I left the room.

Gilchrist and Soames body wash, conditioner and shampoo

Gilchrist and Soames hand wash, body lotion and soap bar

Shower with hand spray

Basin and towels

Hotel facilities:

Interesting to see the top class fitness facilities available at this hotel. There is a comprehensive fitness center that is open 24 hours a day. It has weights, exercise bikes, treadmills, as well as sauna room and steam room. There is also a newly opened Peloton Bike and Studio for hitting your cycling goals. Then there is the indoor heated swimming pool available 24 hours a day too. The hotel seems proud of these facilities as it gives a prominent place to these details on their website.

Hotel take out dining:

I got back from downtown Toronto at around 9pm and so decided to order take out from &More by Sheraton, the lobby bar / food venue.

I heard the glorious chatter before I saw the bar. It was absolutely bustling at 9pm, I think mostly as a result of it being the closest hotel to the airport. There were people checking in, sitting at the bar, eating at the tables, just a nice and busy area.

I ordered sweet and sour wings and fries. There were many options on the menu but I was in the mood for a safe choice. To quote the hotel website it prides itself on “reflecting all of what Toronto has to offer, highlighting locally sourced ingredients from our new cuisine.” From what I could see the guests were throughly enjoying the “new elevated food and beverage philosophy”.

The order took about 15 minutes to prepare which gave me enough time to go upstairs, refill the ice bucket, pour a cola and get the room ready for dinner.  The food was really tasty, the wings that I did not finish that night became a breakfast snack before I left my room in the morning.

Conclusion:

The room itself was rather pleasant and large. Great bathroom amenities as well.

All in all this was a very pleasant stop on my trip. I don’t often stay at Sheraton when I use the Marriott brand but this hotel was a nice surprise and I will be on the lookout for more Sheratons in future.

This Sheraton Toronto airport hotel review ended up being a happy event.

Hotel Room featured image – thanks to Marriott.com