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 I had a connecting flight, I flew into Salt Lake City (SLC) for the first time ever. I ended up having about 4 hours to spend at the airport due to a delay and missed connection, making it the perfect time to visit the relatively new Delta Sky Club Salt Lake City.

Access + Arrival:

The Delta Sky Club Salt Lake City is located near gate A25 in Concourse A. Due to the layout of SLC, it could be a 15-20 minute walk to your gate if it’s in Concourse B, so make sure to take that into account during your visit.

As of my April 2023 visit, the hours are from 4:45am to 11:30pm daily.

There are numerous ways to access the Delta Sky Club and you can check this full list if you would like, but some highlights include:

• AMEX Platinum or Centurion- if flying on Delta
• Flying on Delta One
• Sky Club Members

You will be able to access Delta Sky Clubs anytime within 3 hours of their scheduled departure time (or connecting customers can access at the connecting airport at any time prior to departure).

Arrival:

When I arrived at the lounge on a Friday around 11:30am, there were no lines, and the lounge was quite empty. As my visit carried on, however, it got more and more crowded. By the time I left the lounge around 3pm, it was quite packed  inside the club and there was a small line outside for those waiting to come in.

Entrance

As you enter the lounge, you’re greeted by receptionists as well as self-service kiosks. What I love about the lounge is the ease of accessing it. I can just scan my boarding pass and I’m in. I have access from my AMEX Platinum Card, and since my card is saved under my wallet in my Delta SkyMiles profile, it’s all linked when I scan my boarding pass. How nice!

Similar to the Los Angeles (LAX) and New York (LGA and JFK) Sky Clubs, after you pass reception, you head up the large escalators to take you to the lounge itself.

The Delta Sky Club Salt Lake City is one of the largest Sky Clubs in the network, at more than 28,000 square feet.

The Lounge:

Once you arrive at the top, you’ll see two help desks for flight questions and rebooking. There’s also a kiosk where you can join a virtual queue to request a shower or speak to an agent.

Once you turn left, you’re in the lounge itself. You’ll walk into the main dining area, and there are two bars to the left and right, as well as two buffet areas for food.

Bar and Dining Area

Food Selection:

With regards to the food options during my lunchtime visit, the hot dishes consisted of creamed corn, mashed potatoes, beef stew and green beans. There were also salads, sandwiches and potato chips. The food selection was quite good for a domestic lounge, but a bit lower in quality than what I’ve seen at the LaGuardia Sky Club that I’ve recently visited.

Buffet Area #1

Buffet Area #2

Beverage Station

Seating:

If you head to the right side of the buffet and bar, you’ll encounter plenty of seating and also see the outdoor Sky Deck.

Seating

The outdoor Sky Deck was quite nice, and the good weather made it a nice place to hang out. There was high-top seating as well as sofa-style seating available.

Sky Deck Seating

Sky Deck Views

Near the Sky Deck, there is some seating in the back that was quieter, and I ended up lounging here for most of my visit. There were also cubicle style desks back here. My seat had plenty of power ports for charging my devices which was great.

Seating I Enjoyed

I did find it quite funny that every so often a recorded message would go off over the loudspeakers that stated “Please keep feet and shoes off our furniture to maintain our club”. I don’t think I’ve heard that at other Sky Clubs that I’ve been to, or maybe I haven’t been paying attention.

One set of bathrooms was located in this area, and I was impressed with how large and clean they were! Also, it’s really touch-free which is nice as you just have to wave your hand to open the door.

Bathroom

More Seating:

If you head back to the entrance and venture to the left side, you’ll pass by a nice seating area with a fireplace.

Cozy!

You’ll also pass an area with private phone booths if you need to work in some peace and quiet, as well as unique desks with reclining chairs.

Office Seating

There are an additional set of bathrooms out here, as well as a candy station set up. At the end of this area, are the two shower rooms. Since I had a very early start to my day, I decided to take a shower and freshen up. I visited the kiosk around 1pm and I got a text stating that I was next in line and my estimated wait time was 18 minutes. In three minutes it ended up being ready and the text told me to head over to the shower service desk.

I was quickly helped when I got to the shower service desk and was assigned the first room. I immediately was struck by how nice it was! It was definitely in the leagues of many international first-class lounges I’ve been to.

Showers at Delta Sky Club SLC

Shampoo, lotion, and body wash were provided by Grown Alchemist, and also an amenity kit provided deodorant and toothbrush/toothpaste. On top of a towel set, a shaving kit, vanity kit, and comb was also provided which was very nice. The toilet even had a mechanism where it would spray out foam to clean the seat.

In terms of the shower, the water pressure was also quite good.

Sky Club Salt Lake City Shower

The shower room was very clean, and a great amenity to have to freshen up on those longer travel days.

The Verdict:

Overall, I truly enjoyed my visit to the Delta Sky Club Salt Lake City. It made a delay/missed connection a lot more bearable, with food, a place to grab a shower, and relaxing lounging areas. While the food wasn’t up to par with the LaGuardia Sky Club, I still rate this Sky Club as one of the best domestic lounges I’ve visited.

Have you visited the Delta Sky Club Salt Lake City? How was your visit? 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.

My ticket had been booked for something else, converted to a voucher, then re-used and changed. It ended up beinga flexible ticket, which meant I was eligible for Fast-Track Security in Terminal 2, as well as lounge access.

Aer Lingus Lounge Dublin Terminal 2

I spent maybe an hour in the lounge this time, which was pleasant, especially as it’s been refurbished relatively recently. There were plenty of places to sit and I decided to get some Danish and a Latte from the Barista. The fact it has wireless device charging available makes me happy too.

My gate was located underneath where I was situated, which meant heading down a couple of flights of stairs. Down there I met up with a friend who was also travelling to Eurovision, who had been re-routed via Dublin. We attempted to get him switched to my flight, but we were not fast enough, alas.

EI3192 – Dublin to Liverpool (DUB-LPL)
12 May 2023
ATR 72-600 – EI-GPN – St. Tiernan
Seat: Economy 18A
Departure: 11:15 Arrival: 12:15

Boarding commenced and as is common with the Aer Lingus Regional flights we all boarded a bus. That then drove all over the airport it seemed, until we arrived at our aircraft.

I wouldn’t say I’m a fan of being bussed to a plane, in fact I’d have to say I pretty much hate it. Luckily the plane wasn’t very full so it wasn’t as bad as it could have been.

Flying from Dublin to Liverpool

Pre-flight I had selected a seat in row 18, the very last one on the plane. The reason for this is simple – the main boarding door on the ATR 72-600 is at the back. That means first off and I also lucked out with nobody beside me.

Once boarding was complete, we were given the safety demonstration and headed to the runway. We raced a Turkish Airlines Airbus A330 to the start of the runway and zipped up into the sky.

The cabin crew did an inflight service, with quite a lot of people buying from the menu. They only accept card payment, which is good as it meant things progressed quickly. I did not order anything as it was a very short flight and soon enough we landed.

Overall Thoughts

Aer Lingus Regional operated a very well oiled, on time and seamless flight from Dublin to Liverpool. You make your booking on the Aer Lingus website and for all intents and purposes it is just the same as the main airline. The ATR 72-600 is comfortable enough and the on board service was all very pleasant with no surprises.

Have you flown with Aer Lingus Regional before? What were they like? Thank you for reading and if you have any comments or queries, please leave them below.

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Featured image by Dan Smith on JetPhotos.com

I needed a flight to get to Portland, Oregon from Washington D.C. after attending the Freddie Awards. Unfortunately, all the non-stop flights from Washington Dulles to Portland leave in the evening, and I needed to be in Portland before dinner for a wedding rehearsal. So, I booked a Delta flight leaving Washington Dulles at 7am, connecting in Salt Lake City, and arriving in Portland at 1pm. Sounds easy enough right? Mix that with the fact that there was good weather, and my plane had been sitting at the airport the night before, things were looking good. Also, looking at the historical data for the Washington Dulles flight, it was pretty reliable and on-time. Well, it looks like I got unlucky as I had a Delta delay and then ended up missing my connection. Honestly, it seems like the current theme with me and Delta.

Flight Details:

Delta Air Lines 1290
Washington Dulles (IAD) to Salt Lake City (SLC)
Aircraft: Boeing 737-800
Cabin: Main Cabin
Seat: 19C

Before the Flight:

A month or so before my flight, they moved the flight time from 7:30am to 7:10am. This schedule change allowed me to change my flight to any available flight that day, which was nice of them. Nothing really worked out better for me, although there was this tempting flight option connecting in Minneapolis but it left at 6:30am. I decided an extra 40 minutes of sleep would be helpful, but if I knew about the delay and missed connection that was to come, I would have taken the earlier flight.

Medallion Upgrade Waitlist:

I’m a Silver Medallion, and there were a ton of elites on this Friday morning flight. I ended up 18 out of 21 passengers for a Delta Comfort Plus seat, and 43 out of 46 passengers for a First Class seat. So, Main Cabin for me it was!

Airport and Boarding:

Delta leaves from Concourse B at Dulles Airport, which worked out nicely as I was able to visit the British Airways Lounge before my flight.

Boarding commenced 40 minutes before the flight’s departure, and it was a pretty full flight. We completed boarding in about 25 minutes, and things were looking good for an on-time departure. The plane looked nice, even though my specific aircraft was over 23 years old. It had newer seatback screens and easy access for charging your devices. Legroom was alright, and the Main Cabin offers 31-32 inches of pitch.

Main Cabin Seating

Main Cabin Seatback on Delta 737-800

It was nice to see the flight attendant hand out complimentary headphones to all passengers, even though I happened to bring my own on this trip.

Delta Delay:

The pilots announced a 3 hour and 51 minute ride while in the air. At first, they said there would be a slight delay due to a row of oxygen masks not working, but it ended up taking longer than they expected. They ended up just moving the passengers to the remaining empty seats on the plane. So, we were on the ground for a while and the boarding doors eventually closed 50 minutes after our scheduled departure.

But we had a new delay, as one of the maintenance carts working on the engines had a malfunction, and they needed to call a new one. So we didn’t actually leave the gate until about 1 hour and 30 minutes after our scheduled departure. And of course, since we missed our takeoff slot, we were on the runway for quite some time. We ended up taking off just shy of 2 hours after the scheduled departure time. Yikes.

Since obviously most people were connecting in Salt Lake City, passengers were getting jittery. The FA’s made an announcement that they were aware most people were connecting but they couldn’t do anything and that everyone should just go to a help desk once we land in Salt Lake City. Seems like not the most hospitable or proactive way to be handling the situation if you ask me.

In-Flight Service:

Shortly after reaching cruising altitude, a beverage and snack service commenced, and halfway through the flight the FA came over with coffee and water which was a nice touch. For snacks, they had small bags of Sun Chips, almonds, and Biscoff cookies. 

And, before our initial descent, they came by with another beverage and snack service, which was appreciated.

IFE and Wi-Fi:

The seatback entertainment system was nice and clear. There were plenty of movies, live tv, and Spotify playlists to get you through the flight which was a major plus.

My Flight

Additionally, since this was a domestic plane, Wi-Fi was available for free which was nice. It was helpful as I could check for options regarding other flights/possible routings while in the air to plan for the high chance of a missed connection.

Rebooking Options for the Delta Delay:

On the Delta App, it offered to move me to a flight 6 hours later than my original flight, as the next one which was 4 hours later was showing that it was sold out. I contacted the Twitter Team, and they said they could put me on standby for the flight 4 hours later if I wanted. I decided to test my luck just to maintain my seat on my existing flight and hope that I make the connection. Or hope that something opened up on the next flight (4 hours later) by the time I landed.

We got to the gate with about 15 minutes to spare for my connection and I immediately ran to a gate agent. I asked if she could check with my gate if they were still boarding. She was unhelpful and said that it was probably too late. I then ran a few gates down to try again, and a more helpful gate agent called my gate for me. Unfortunately, they had just closed the boarding door. Rip.

It was so frustrating in the moment, as I missed the connection by minutes. I’m not sure if it’s rational, but missing the connection by an hour would have made me feel better.

And so we were off to the Delta Help Desk. Seems like most of my flight ended up there along with me. Thankfully, I was helped by a friendly agent, and I asked if I could be put on the next flight. She said there were no seats left in the Main Cabin, but gave me a confirmed ticket in First. I appreciated her efforts, as it would be a lot more stressful to be on standby. Thankfully, the Sky Club in Salt Lake City is new & nice, and I was able to hang out there for 4 hours.

The new connecting flight was on time thankfully. So, I missed the wedding rehearsal but made it to dinner at least.

The Verdict:

Overall, the flight itself aboard the Boeing 737-800 on Delta was pleasant with seatback in-flight entertainment, free Wi-Fi, and multiple drink services. But, the Delta delay and the missed connection were annoying due to the issues upon departure of this flight. I wonder if they could have been more proactive in the air on assisting with rebookings and possibly assisting more with the tight connections? I know, too much to ask. But, I have definitely been on a few flights where we waited for people that were late due to a connection. Maybe only if there are a ton of passengers? Or if you have top elite status?

Have you had a Delta delay recently? How was your experience? Or have you had a plane waiting for you since your inbound flight was late? 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!

I was flying out of Washington Dulles on Delta for my early morning flight to Salt Lake City. Thankfully, there was a lounge I could access with my Priority Pass membership in the same concourse I was leaving from. The British Airways Lounge Washington Dulles (IAD) is located in Concourse B and opens at 6 am for Priority Pass. Perfect!

Hours and Access:

As of my April 2023 visit, the British Airways Lounge Washington Dulles (IAD) is open for Priority Pass members from 6am to 2pm daily. It then reopens for Business + First Class and Sapphire Tier + Emerald Tier members flying on a oneworld airline from 2:30pm to 10pm.

The lounge is located right outside of the escalators from the AeroTrain of Concourse B. You’ll see the lounge, and take an elevator up to the second floor.

The terminals at Washington Dulles are connected to each other by the AeroTrain, so you’ll be able to access the lounge regardless of the terminal you are leaving from. Concourses A and B are also linked by walkways, and so are Concourses C and D.

Outside of Lounge

My Visit:

Since my flight was at 7:10am, I didn’t have much time to visit the lounge. I got to the lounge area around 5:50am, and there were a few people waiting outside the elevator. Around 6:05am, a lounge attendant came down the elevator and welcomed us up to the lounge. We were then quickly checked in once inside.

Seating:

I found the lounge quite nice and sleek. Once you walk in, you pass the glass window that overlooks the terminal area and there is seating along it. The chairs were nice and comfortable and had power ports to keep your devices charged up.

Lounge Seating

There are QR codes at each seat, which I assume is for ordering food when it’s a full-service British Airways lounge in the evening. I tried scanning the code for fun, and it said that the menu was unavailable at this time.

QR Codes for Food Ordering (Not During Priority Pass Hours)

Towards the middle of the lounge on the right side, there is the buffet area. There was a pretty basic spread of whole fruit, bagels, cereals, and some pastries. There were also canned sodas, as well as coffee and tea. I ended up snacking on a chocolate croissant and a banana during my visit. 

Buffet Area

Additionally, there is more seating in the dining room areas alongside the buffet that overlooks the runway. But, those areas were closed off during my visit.

Bathrooms:

I was quite impressed with both the size and cleanliness of the bathroom. Definitely better than using one of the airport restrooms. Elemis soap and lotion were provided.

Bathroom

Showers were also available in the lounge, but I didn’t get a chance to visit them.

After a quick 30-minute visit, I headed to the gate to catch my flight.

The Verdict:

Overall, the British Airways Lounge served as a nice place to grab a quick snack and settle down before boarding a flight via Priority Pass. I was glad my early flight departure aligned with the opening of the lounge so I could try it out for half an hour.

Have you visited the British Airways Lounge Washington Dulles (IAD)? 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!

I attended the Freddie Awards that was taking place this year at the Hyzy Museum near the Washington D.C. (Dulles) Airport. So, I decided to fly into Dulles and preferred to leave from LaGuardia. I noticed flights were all in the mid $100s, but also saw that there was United award space for 6,400 miles. I had just about that many miles sitting in my Mileage Plus account, so I decided to book that. In any event, I could cancel for free and get my miles back.

Online Check-In: 

I currently do not have any status with United, and booking my award ticket in Economy allowed me to choose any standard seat. However, during online check-in, I noticed that the Preferred seats generally reserved for elites opened up for me to choose complimentarily. That was a nice touch!

United Same Day Standby:

United offers free same-day standby for all customers (even basic economy!) which is a really helpful feature. I ended up wanting to be in DC as early as possible to catch some shut-eye at the Hyatt Regency Dulles Airport, which I have reviewed here.

There happened to be a flight one hour earlier than mine, and the seat map looked quite empty.  Also, I felt that I was able to make it to the airport in time. I wasn’t able to add myself to the standby list from the app (even though the website says you can). Either I did something wrong, or the app isn’t working with the United same-day standby feature. So when I arrived at the airport, I went to a kiosk and a friendly agent showed me that I could join the standby list from the kiosk. Easy!

Exactly one hour before the departure of the new flight I wanted to standby on,  I received a text message that I had been assigned a seat. Better yet, it was in Economy Plus. Yay!

Flight Details:

United Express by Mesa Flight 6145
New York (LGA) to Washington Dulles (IAD)
Status: On Time
Seat: 8A
Cabin: Economy Plus
Aircraft: Embraer 175

The Plane:

The United Express (operated by Mesa) Embraer 175 has 4 rows of First Class (Rows 1-4) in a 1-2 configuration for a total of 12 seats. Economy Plus and Economy have a 2-2 configuration, with Economy Plus taking up rows 7-10 while Economy takes up rows 11-24.

Economy Plus seats offer 3 inches of extra legroom (34 inches of pitch) versus standard Economy seats (31 inches of pitch).

Boarding:

Boarding started 25 minutes before the scheduled departure time, and the aircraft door closed 5 minutes before our scheduled departure.

The flight was probably only 30% full, which was really nice. Originally I was assigned 7B, which is an aisle seat in the first row of Economy Plus after First Class. That seat can be considered a blessing or a curse. There is a lot of legroom since there is no seat in front of it. But, it means no storage in the seat in front of you, and during boarding, you’re right in the action of the aisle and will get smacked by people’s luggage and or feet.

Row 7 Economy Plus

Seat 7B: Endless Legroom, but “bumping” central.

Given that the E175 is for short hops, and I’m not tall, I wouldn’t need or want that extra legroom due to literally being in the aisle. So, I saw on the seat map that row 8 behind me was empty and asked the FA if I could move, and he said yes.

I preferred the “normal” 8A/B more. The legroom was solid, and there was a lot of space underneath the seat. The E175 is one of my favorite planes as it is quite comfortable for a smaller commuter-type plane. 

Row 8: “Normal” Economy Plus

The Flight:

We left the gate at the scheduled departure time and took off shortly after. United blocked out 1 hour and 34 minutes for this flight, which did seem quite long for such a short distance. I suppose it’s mainly for ground delays at either LGA or IAD.

Once we were in the air, the flight attendants let us know that there wouldn’t be an in-flight food or beverage service due to the short flight. Also, due to relatively strong turbulence, the fasten seat belt sign stayed on the whole flight.

Intelsat Wi-Fi was offered on board, and you could buy a full flight pass for $8, or there was free messaging for iMessage, Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, and Messages by Google. Movie and TV options were available for streaming as well.

We ended up arriving at our gate 25 minutes early which was nice.

The Verdict:

Overall, I had a solid flight on the United Express E175 from New York LaGuardia (LGA) to Washington Dulles (IAD). I liked how the United same-day standby worked, the on-time arrival, and getting a surprise present to an Economy Plus seat. I do wish they still served some snacks though.

Have you flown on this route of aircraft recently? 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!

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.