Ancien Maestro

sfcaFLYER.. you've brought this up now a couple times. I can assure you that I am not the one moving forums with anonymous names as you allude to. If you check, quite of those who post 1-5 times, have been at this forum even longer than I have.. and many have signed up many of months, and even many of years before they decide to post.

I'll admit, I have received quite a few PMs from posters who post very seldomly, and a number who actually don't post on the forum at all, but who have been reading flyertalk for many years and want in on the deal. I encourage those who are new, or those who post very seldomly to get involved with Flyer Talk.. I'm very happy to be of service, and appreciate anybody who wants in on the deals.

That is why FT has Flyer Talk Ambassadors.. to encourage new users and long time lurkers to get involved. For those new to Flyer Talk.. Welcome to Flyer Talk.. This forum is for you!

randys1

One of the things that always confuses me is free night offers, for instance on Fairmont Kea Lani, 5th night free with breakfast, when you look at room rate summary the total reflects having paid for all 7 nights of a 7 night reservation.

Now, does this mean that the free night is adjusted when you check out and that is NOT the correct total if you stay 5 nights or more?

Ancien Maestro

If you press on room rate summary, the rate for the 5th night is adjusted to 0. I agree this is confusing, so I would have central reservations e-mail you the rates broken down by each day so its clear, print it out, and bring it to the hotel with you.. or if its' on your mobile device have the e-mail on your device.

Other details must be on your print out as well.. such as package inclusions, nights free, certificates use, rates, and suite type.

ac/elite

My wife and I are back at the Kea Lani now for another incredible stay. Booking through a Virtuoso agent, as I have the past 3 times, really makes a difference. I got a better rate than I found on the website and a guaranteed upgrade to our favourite deluxe ocean view room, guaranteed 6pm checkout and the free breakfast buffet.
The renos look great and the staff are as friendly as always, many greeting my wife and myself by name having remembered us from previous trips.
Noticed a celeb staying here this time. Paul Lieberstein, Toby on The Office, is here with his family.

Ancien Maestro

Glad to hear everything is going excellent.. We just got back from Fairmont Kea Lani.. really, Wailea is our very favorite location in the world. And yes, the Deluxe Ocean View Suite is something to take behold of.. The site of Molokini from the room, an incredible volcanic phenomenon and the site of whales breaching is beyond what words can describe.. at least for us.. Wailea is about as Heaven on Earth one can get. The sun beating down on the many waves of the ocean, glimmering in the sunlight.. sorry getting side tracked from the thread.

Will be booking for next year tomorrow.. hopefully all the stars line up, and the big guy upstairs extends more heaven on earth. Kea Lani.. means Heavenly White. Enjoy, and Warmest Alohas.

ac/elite

Yesterday morning we watched from the room a spinner dolphin jumping for 20minutes and last night, just before sunset, we had a great view from our lanai of a whale breaching repeatedly.

Ancien Maestro

Tail end of whale season.. Wailea is so beautiful, it attracts the whales in bunches.. Just the perfect amount of sunlight, beautiful sunsets, excellent weather, being at the base of Haleakala.. the warmest part of the island, and the last place to rain on the island.

sfcaFLYER

Glad to hear you have nothing at all to do with all of those dozens and dozens of postings. And am sure you or no one you know is receiving any financial or other type of "compensation" (credits, points, etc.) for the reservations you are making for all of these brand new FlyerTalk members who are so shy except to ask for help in getting a discount hotel rate.

Am confused though, you are now a Flyer Talk Ambassador charged with encouraging new members to speak up? Not sure what that means. I've never heard of that title.

nmenaker

you know, if one does a google search for fairmont and friends, or fairmont and friends & family the flyertalk.com link is the SECOND link to come up.

If one searches for fairmont and discount, it is the fifth link.

Soo, it MIGHT be that people who come here are being directed by google after doing a search for a discount?

Ancien Maestro

To clarify, I am not a Flyer Talk Ambassador, and I've never made one reservation or a penny. I encourage those who want to get involved to do so. That is just my character day in and day out. Its common knowledge that the employees who book do receive a $10 per night credit towards their employee stays at Fairmonts.. That was clear with CanuckFlyHigh's NFAF deal thread, before I offered my contacts to FTers.

Ancien Maestro

This is a very good point.. The search engines has everything pointed to FT, when Fairmont friends and family is being searched.

Fairmont Friends and Family has been a very powerful tool for a very long time.. nowadays, in order to access friends and family rates, you must be a friend or family of the employee.

My reservation at Kea Lani this past spring break was on friends and family rates, and made a huge difference. I spoke to a few of those paying the going rate (didn't ask, they told me.. but I didn't respond with what I paid because I didn't want to ruin their vacation), and one FPC Premier member paid almost triple and got a lesser suite category than us.

I'll be honest.. Currently, I would not pay the going rates, and stay at the Kea Lani.. I stay there because I can get a decent rate (doesn't have to be F and F, because the year before I got fifth night free, $100 food and beverage credit each day.. which was slightly better than F and F) and get a few upgrade perks. I'll do two week stays if the price is right (as I did at the Orchid previous to Kea Lani this spring break for two weeks in an Ocean Front suite).. so I end up paying the same, but always staying longer..

ac/elite

Tonight the Kea Lani is transitioning to a high definition cable signal in the rooms. It will make a big difference to the quality of picture on the new flat screens in the rooms. Not sure if they are adding channels and I won't find out as I'm departing tonight.

In addition, Ko restaurant is closed today and tomorrow for work being done in preparation for the restaurant remodel. I was told by one of the beach guys that they are going to make it more of an indoor type restaurant and are adding a poolside bar next to the adult pool.

To compensate for the disruptions, beach umbrellas, boogie boards and snorkel sets are all complimentary today and tomorrow.

Ancien Maestro

The new flat panels were nice.. I think they are LG.. and btw the Orchid had new LG flat screens as well. There's 2 per suite. I thought the quality of the reception was quite good anyways.. but we had the cartoon channels on most of the time when the TV's are on, so that the kids kept pre-occupied.

Its good that Ko is getting renovated to have an indoor type option.. when it rains, eating at Ko is not an option. Plus, their early bird pre-fixe menu is not much of an option neither, if you're sitting in the heat of the day with no shade.

I think the pool umbrellas are free.. we didn't spend that much time at Polo Beach (right at Beachfront of Hotel) because my 5 year old son likes the pools and waterslide better.. so didn't rent the beach umbrellas.. we came accross a few boogie boards laying around during the stay.. actually met two couples staying in a Villa from Calgary (they paid $1,500 per night for a 2 bedroom Villa ocean view, and stayed 2 weeks.. I didn't ask, but they lent the info.. that's alot of coin).. and they gave us their treasure trove of pool toy goodies to use for the balance of the stay. Really nice people, and we passed the goodies along once we finished our vacation there ourselves to other families with kids.

For those interested in Cabanas at the pool, its' $150 per day, and FPC gets a 15% discount. It goes down to $100 less 15% discount after 12:00 pm noon. We rented the Cabana once, because my wife came out to pool with our 1 year old for the first time, and I wanted to make sure there was lots of drinks, ice and fruit (which comes included).. it was really nice watching my little baby son floating around the pool. We used a regular diaper on him first time in, and ballooned huge.. so changed him out of his regular diaper and put him into a swimmer diaper.^ Cute as a bug, he attracted alot of attention.. But swimming at Kea Lani in the middle of the day was heaven on earth.. and created some of our finest memories that will last a lifetime. I've got plenty of photos for sure of the family by the pool. Lots of families with kids by the pool and waterslide.

koctail

i am curious as to what rates people are booking for this summer? when i looked at a few dates the best rate i came up was $430/night and as much as $630/night. it seems when i enter the different discount packages and aaa discount on their site it does nothing to the rate. the only "deal" seemed to be 5th night free that i found. i am talking about the standard "moderate room" here as well. are f and f rates significantly less than these numbers?

sfcaFLYER

Sure, not out of the realm of possibility. But almost every thread in the Fairmont forum includes newish users asking for the information, and Ancien Maestro answering them.

One can't, and shouldn't; ask new users to not ask questions (though as the mods sometimes do, welcome them first and ask them to read up on how FlyerTalk works - or ask them to search first before posting) but there is no reason for Ancien Maestro to answer each and every one of them every time with a public posting. And there is no reason for Ancien Maestro to advertise "services" in every posting as well - either in the text of the posting or a signature line. Whether they are called "secrets" or "savings" or "friends" it is still advertising a service that someone somewhere is receiving some type of compensation for in return.

It just degrades the quality of the forum, and people will stop reading and contributing to it if looks like it has what amounts to spam.

Now back to the beautiful Kea Lani . . .