The game's afoot, Watson!

Old Nov 20, 2012, 6:28 pm
  #61  
 
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Thumbs up

Originally Posted by dd1612
I had the same problem with a hotel in Rome. Plenty of Best Rate availability, but not one CP nite. Called and gently asked what was happening in Rome and whether they were sold out. Response was 'ooops, we forgot to load the CP nights in the system'. The receptionist did it immediately and at once plenty of 8000 points per night availability opened up.
A very nice ending, or beginning. Who knew that the hotel could load this itself in real time? Nice that they could do it. Nice that they were positive. Nice that they would do it. Nice that there wasn't a language problem. And the tip here is one of the best, maybe the most useful, I've seen in a long time. Thank you, dd1612.
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Old Nov 20, 2012, 9:45 pm
  #62  
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Originally Posted by Firewind
And the tip here is one of the best, maybe the most useful, I've seen in a long time. Thank you, dd1612.
Yessir! Whoo-Hoo!

If this can be made to happen as a matter of course, it could be a big help, especially for those who want to redeem and read FT.

For the folks who have the points but are 'civilians', well, that's that much less comperition for us.

Of course, just loading award rooms doesn't make the points price go down, but still ...
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Old Nov 20, 2012, 10:02 pm
  #63  
 
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There ya go... A full-throated stamp of approval from our Ace Scout.

:-:
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Old Dec 1, 2012, 12:26 pm
  #64  
 
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I'm in the midst of a four-night stay at the Clarion IFSC Dublin, and I am impressed. Sixth-floor suite overlooking the River Liffey with a balcony overlooking the city. Very comfortable bed. Separate shower and bath. Two TVs in the suite. Terry cloth robes in the closet. A very attractive hotel with a decent restaurant/bar. The staff interactions have all been very pleasant and helpful.

It's not in the middle of everything in Dublin although the Luas light rail system runs a block behind the hotel, there's plenty of bus service, the AirLink service from Dublin airport has a stop very near here, and there are some decent dining/pub options nearby--we tried the Ely wine bar and the Harbour Master pub that are no more than several blocks away. Temple Bar for nightlife and Grafton Street for shopping are more distant, but the Docklands area on both sides of the river is closer to the hotel although the area south of the river has fewer pub options, and the shopping areas along Henry and Talbot Streets provide a lot of shopping options much closer than Grafton Street.

I'll do a more in-depth review in the reviews thread, but this is a fantastic 8K redemption if your travel plans include Dublin. And if you have no Choice points at all, the 40K offer gets you five nights here.
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Old Dec 1, 2012, 2:59 pm
  #65  
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Originally Posted by lwildernorva
I'm in the midst of a four-night stay at the Clarion IFSC Dublin, and I am impressed. Sixth-floor suite overlooking the River Liffey with a balcony overlooking the city. Very comfortable bed. Separate shower and bath. Two TVs in the suite. Terry cloth robes in the closet. A very attractive hotel with a decent restaurant/bar. The staff interactions have all been very pleasant and helpful.
Yep.

We spent a total of 6 or 7 nights there a couple of years ago. Those suites are terriffic! Not only the balcony overlooking the street, but the party deck winding around the corner.

Also, when the regular bar closes, they'll discreetly herd you off to the "guest" bar, where, well, I don't know what closing time is .. we never made it that late.

A couple of favors:

1. Check out the pool. We didn't get to it, but wonder how it is?
2. Is there a lounge of some sort with breakfast? I had heard there was but we never went for it. Breakfast at the little places right next door (in the "alley") were fine. I understand the place is right convenient to a university, so lots of options with those sort of places.

Is the bus from the airport still free? It used to stop right at the front door.

Though some of us walked, we often grabbed a cab from there to St. Stephen's Green. Fast and about 10 quid.

We're going back for a couple of days next Fall, but we'll be staying at the Westin, so ... neener, neener, neener.
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Old Dec 1, 2012, 3:04 pm
  #66  
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Originally Posted by lwildernorva
And if you have no Choice points at all, the 40K offer gets you five nights here.
In case others missed it, the 8K/night rate is good until April 15.

We went by using the the AA 40K r/t off-peak rates and spent the Choice points (it was 10K/night at the time, but still ...) for the hotel. AA has direct flights ORD-DUB. Got to be the cheapest Eurovacation we've ever taken.

And well worth it.
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Old Dec 1, 2012, 6:19 pm
  #67  
 
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Originally Posted by BigLar
In case others missed it, the 8K/night rate is good until April 15.

We went by using the the AA 40K r/t off-peak rates and spent the Choice points (it was 10K/night at the time, but still ...) for the hotel. AA has direct flights ORD-DUB. Got to be the cheapest Eurovacation we've ever taken.

And well worth it.
I've been meaning to check the pool and will try to do so tomorrow. It appears to be connected with some sort of spa operation that may run independently from the hotel--I'm not sure if the hotel management leases out the space to the spa or the spa decided to increase their business by joining forces with the hotel to offer pool access for free and then get people to buy facials, etc.

Not to turn this into an AA thread, but I agree. And the truly valuable part of that AA redemption is that it's not limited to several weeks in January and February, like US's offpeak rates, but instead runs from mid-October to mid-May. And availability seems generally good so long as you aren't expecting Christmas and Easter break availability to be as good as mid-January to mid-March is.

I'll also be interested in your thoughts about the Westin. I wouldn't normally compare a Choice property to an SPG property, but the Clarion's rooms are pretty nice. A big fancy lobby, a hip vibe--yeah, those the Clarion doesn't have. And the Westin's location is certainly closer to the center of things, but given Dublin's reputation for late-night partying, I'm a little leery of trying to sleep in the center of things.
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Old Dec 1, 2012, 10:00 pm
  #68  
 
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Originally Posted by BigLar
We went by using the the AA 40K r/t off-peak rates ...
Is this the AA Citi credit card benefit? I'm not very familiar with this part of the AA program. Thank you.

Thanks also to lwildernorva for the reports.
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Old Dec 1, 2012, 11:33 pm
  #69  
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Originally Posted by Firewind
Is this the AA Citi credit card benefit? I'm not very familiar with this part of the AA program. Thank you.
Nope. It's every year for everybody.

Off-peak (US to Europe) is defined as Oct 15 to May 15. 40K r/t in Y. I suspect J and F are also reduced during that period. Regular rate is 60K for Y. I'm not sure, but other areas of the world may also have off-peak periods.

With their current difficulties, I doubt if AA will take any steps to reduce their attractiveness to people, so I'm assuming this rate will continue indefinitely.
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Old Dec 2, 2012, 12:04 am
  #70  
 
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Originally Posted by BigLar
Nope. It's every year for everybody.

Off-peak (US to Europe) is defined as Oct 15 to May 15. 40K r/t in Y. I suspect J and F are also reduced during that period. Regular rate is 60K for Y. I'm not sure, but other areas of the world may also have off-peak periods.

With their current difficulties, I doubt if AA will take any steps to reduce their attractiveness to people, so I'm assuming this rate will continue indefinitely.


^ and thank you.
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Old Dec 2, 2012, 7:22 am
  #71  
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Originally Posted by BigLar
Off-peak (US to Europe) is defined as Oct 15 to May 15. 40K r/t in Y. I suspect J and F are also reduced during that period. Regular rate is 60K for Y. I'm not sure, but other areas of the world may also have off-peak periods.

With their current difficulties, I doubt if AA will take any steps to reduce their attractiveness to people, so I'm assuming this rate will continue indefinitely.
Your susupicions are wrong. It's only in Y. J is 100k year-round (double the average of the Y, ie double of 50k, while Y is either 10k less or 10k more depending on the season).

But why have suspicions at all? Just look at the chart, it's not that hard to find (went to aa.com, dropped down the AAdvantage menu, chose Redeem, and this link was in the first paragraph):

https://www.aa.com/i18n/disclaimers/...ward-chart.jsp

(The redemption chart is based on one-way, since AA supports one-way awards. Double whatever you see there for the round-trip miles requirement, of course.)
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Old Dec 2, 2012, 9:46 am
  #72  
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Originally Posted by sdsearch
Your susupicions are wrong.

...

But why have suspicions at all?
Because it was 1:30 in the morning and I wanted to get to bed.

I've never done any AA redemptions other than off-peak Y to Europe, and I'm happy with that.
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Old Dec 5, 2012, 8:50 am
  #73  
 
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I did a very quick visual check of the pool at the Dublin Clarion IFSC, and my earlier suspicions were correct. The pool as well as an attached fitness center, sauna, and spa are all part of an independent operation in the basement of the hotel building. You ride the elevator to the basement, and your room key is your complimentary pass into the spa/health club; there's also a separate street entrance for locals. As with the rooms, the spa/pool/health club are above the standard you'd expect of a domestic Clarion.

Breakfast is not included with an award redemption. There's a good Irish breakfast buffet that costs 12 euro and has all of the elements of the "full Irish": eggs, bacon, sausage, broiled tomatoes, sauteed mushrooms, fried potatoes, fresh fruit, several types of cereal, toast, pastries, juices, coffee, and tea. The buffet area turns into the Kudos restaurant at night, which we did not try, and adjoins the Kudos bar, where we stopped late on Friday evening. The bar was nice--and it is a bar, no faux Irish pub here. Relatively busy for a hotel bar, but there may have been business types unwinding after meetings at the hotel all day.

Again, I am very impressed by this hotel. Highly recommended if you're ever in Dublin.
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Old Dec 5, 2012, 12:04 pm
  #74  
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Originally Posted by lwildernorva
Again, I am very impressed by this hotel. Highly recommended if you're ever in Dublin.
Yep.

Stick with me, kid, and you'll be wearin' mink coats and smokin' dollar cigars.

But seriously ... is there any way to combine your fine review into the Choice Property Review thread? I'm sure others would be most interested in what you have to say about the place.
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Old Dec 5, 2012, 12:26 pm
  #75  
 
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Originally Posted by BigLar
Yep.

Stick with me, kid, and you'll be wearin' mink coats and smokin' dollar cigars.

But seriously ... is there any way to combine your fine review into the Choice Property Review thread? I'm sure others would be most interested in what you have to say about the place.
Absolutely will. Been a little crazy since I got back--I decided I would fly back from Dublin into DC Monday and then go to the Redskins-Giants game that night. After a late-night victory celebration at Fado--an Irish pub in DC (wasn't ready to let go of Dublin yet!), I pretty much woke up in time to check out of my hotel Tuesday at noon, drove back home, and took care of a lot of stuff at my house. Back to work today, and a pretty lousy day at that.

All that's a way of saying that I should be able to put up a more complete review in the CP Review Thread later today or tomorrow with some additional information and a couple more pub recommendations, including a great place to watch football--the US kind.
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