robyng

I sometimes stay in "convention hotels" - especially in the US. For example - the Hilton Americas in Houston (very definitely a convention hotel) this year. Because it's getting harder and harder to find smoking rooms - especially in north America.

Don't think there's much (if anything) for me to gain using an agent for those bookings - and I don't think there's much (if anything) in it for the agent either (4 nights in Houston - at the AARP rate - wound up costing less than one night in just about any luxury hotel anywhere). If I'm wrong about this - perhaps an agent can correct me. I don't want to deprive my agent of a commission he finds valuable.

So I just book those places on line myself (no big deal - I don't mind). OTOH - we did get "amenities" in Houston (free breakfasts/internet) - because our hotel safe didn't work - and our TV didn't either. The hotel got everything fixed our first day - but wanted to compensate us for our "inconvenience".

FWIW - that upgrade at the Grand was a total one off for us (only other upgrade I can recall in like forever was a one category upgrade at the FS New York - which was no big deal). And - WRT that upgrade - that suite is in the older part of the hotel. Some things about it are pretty old fashioned (e.g., the furniture - the credit card type thing that turns off all the power in the room - and the heated floors - you have to call a house engineer to turn them on and off). It's on one of the top floors of the hotel and has "porthole" windows. Also - it's a "smoking accommodation" (if the people who win the Nobel peace prize and stay in the suite smoke - so be it ). OTOH - the suite is steeped in history (actually decorated with a lot of it) - and we thoroughly enjoyed our stay there (we also enjoyed the hotel a bunch - the staff was great - have written up our stay there here). IOW - we were totally thrilled with that accommodation considering what we were paying (maybe $600/night or so?). At rack rate (who knows what that is?) - some people might be less than thrilled.

BTW - one of the biggest perks in my opinion for someone who eats breakfast (my husband does all the time and I do in Asia due to jet lag) is a full breakfast served either in a hotel dining room *or* through room service. A normal FSPP perk (not Virtuoso best I can tell - although we did have breakfast included in our Virtuoso stay at the Grand). This perk is usually worth about $100/night for 2 people IMO. And - although there are people who are up and ready to dine downstairs early in the morning - I'm not. And think it's a great luxury to have "breakfast in bed/bed clothes". Especially if it's a great "frokost" at the Grand (enough cheese and cold cuts and breads for a picnic for 4 ) or a traditional Japanese breakfast at FS Tokyo. Robyn