albfamily

I booked 4 nights using points at the Grande Bretagne this coming September for my wife son and myself. I was expecting that we would get a rollaway bed for my son, but didn't request or specify the need when I booked on the preferred guest web site. I just reviewed the reservation and am a little worried due to the "1 Room, 2 Adults per room" comment in the rate plan. Looking at the rate plan details I see the following:

Rate Plan Description
Guest Must Be A Starwood Preferred Guest Member
Ex Person Charge: 75 Eur Pn Rollaway Adult Charge: Pnrollaway Chld Chrg: Pn Crib Charge: Pnonly To Be Book W/Spg Award Stay;

Can someone help me translate? I'm not sure what it is saying for a rollaway for a chld or even if they'll let us have one for him.

Thanks in advance!

Allen

Starwood Lurker

My advice would be to call the good folks at The Luxury Collection and quiz them about the possibilities. 800-325-3589.

Best regards,

William R. Sanders
Online Guest Feedback Coordinator
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide

[email protected]

fly co to see the yanks

aside from william's sage advice, it looks to me that you are going to get nailed with a 75E per night charge on the award reservation for a roll-away bed for your child.

albfamily

I took Mr. Sanders advice and called the Luxory Collection number. Glad I did because the room I had booked has an absolute 2 person restriction due to fire codes. They are working to get me a room that will work for the 3 of us.

I'll keep the group posted on the progress.

Thanks!

mauld

I've found hotels in Europe can be very strict about room reservations/capacity. A couple of times when travelling solo in Italy, after I've made my reservation for ONE or a Singlw, I've received e mails from the particular hotels warning me that if I showed up with another person, or attempted to have more than 1 person in my room I would either be denied a room or charged for the additional guest. (The tone of these e mails, was not a polite reference to my reservation.) They didn't bother me, as I had no intention of having another person share my room-- but Europe, it seems, does take room capacity/rates seriously.

PS-- The times I received those e mails, I was generally upgraded to larger rooms/suites anyway as a Platinum upon checkin

Mahalo

In European and Asian hotels, a 3rd person is often charged an extra fee whereas I have never experienced this in the US.

derpelikan

does the athens hotel require a id at checkin?

sometimes hotels only require the creditcard.

anyboyd know about the grand ??

dp

kimag

I just stayed at the Bretagne earlier this month. YMMV but the hotel just asked for my passport for two rooms. I believe in Italy, the hotels there ask for everyone's passport. In Greece, it appears to depend on the hotel since the Intercontinental Athens asked for one passport for each room.

At the Bretagne, we had three people in one room and two people in the other room. The Bretagne didn't charge an extra person fee. Perhaps since we had originally booked three rooms on points and canceling one room allowed them to sell another room. We called the hotel directly to ask. You might want to call and ask the hotel directly if SPG mentions a charge.

BTW, both rooms were large enough to accominate 3 people but I am gold and was told I was upgraded. The hotel lobby was also very busy.

mauld

Just returned from a quick one night stay at the Grande Bretagne, paying a corporate rate and being upgraded due to Plat status with my arrival around 1pm. First of all, I was a bit surprised by the greeting (or lack thereof) for a "Luxury" property. There was no doorman on duty at any time-- that I saw, nor did anyone approach me as I was arrving to ask if I needed help with my bag etc (I didn't as it was a small rolling bag, and I arrived via the Metro). But in my experience, there is usually someone at the main door to direct you-- or at least ask if you needed assistance. Once in the lobby, it was a bit crowded, with lots of people sitting around on the couches, walking etc. I found the reception desk and was told (not surprisingly) that my room wasn't ready, but that yes, I was upgraded to an Acropolis view room. I was told I could leave my bag with the desk, and she did tell me about the various restaurants I could wait in. I asked if there was a room I could change in, and she told me the ladies room was downstairs. I then went looking for a telephone and was told by 3 different people, that there were no public phones-- but that if I wanted to make a call it would have to be from my room or I could buy a phone card and find a pay phone outside. (Is this true of all hotels in Athens??). I went up to the main dining room for lunch and to wait, and found it closed-- with a sign saying it was closed for lunch on this day, but would reopen later in the afternoon. I then returned to the desk around 2 and found my room to be ready. I was just handed the room key and a card telling me what I can use my Starpoints for, as well as an amenity card, where I chose the wine and asked for it to be sent up as soon as possible. --no one offered to escort me and as the lobby was now pretty empty, I didn't thnk it was because they were all busy. So, I went to retrieve my bag, and the consierge just waved me to where it was sitting. I took it and found my way up to my room (305). It was ok, not 'grande, nor large, nor in any way fantastically appointed-- with 'wonderful antiques' (as the brochures say). It did have a nice view of the Acropolis and a small terrace overlooking the main square. There was a note saying 2 bottles of water were in the minibar for my use. I changed and went out into the hot -35C Athens afternoon for my exploration of the Acropolis I returned around 6pm to wash up and found no wine, so I called down and they said it would be up shortly. I then went back up to the restaurant on 8, with a view of the Acropolis, and found a couple of others waiting at the door-- with the same closed sign, a waiter came out and said it would be open 'in a while' -- but was still closed ? Went to the pool bar, and had a glass of wine and some snacks there--- back to my room-- still no amentiy, called again, again told it will be right there. Back up to 8th fl restaurant, and finally it was opening. Yes the view from there is wonderful and upon returning at 8pm to my room a bottle of red wine was awaiting me.
The next day at 9:30am when checking out, no one asked if I'd need assistance, or if they could get a taxi for me (2 things, I don't need, but have found are usually asked... especially in hotels of this caliber), and again, at this time, I was the only person in the lobby-- and still saw no doorman.
Would I use this property again in Athens??-- Yes, as it is a Starwood, and is very convienently located, but would I say it is a true luxury property or worthy of being considered one of the top hotels in the world ?? --Sadly No.

ex0dus

We're flying into Athens (arriving at 1:30pm) and staying 1 night at the Bretagne and then flying off to Rhodes the next afternoon. What's the best way from the airport and to the hotel (cheapest/quickest)?

gpapadop

The metro subway line will take you to Syntagma Square station which will bring you less than a minute walk to the hotel (depending on which exit door you take). By far the cheapest but problably not the quickest.

gregorygrady

There is also a bus that goes right to Syntagma Square for roughly the same price as the subway. I took the subway though and it was easy, well air-conditioned, and almost brand new. I would definitely reccommend taking that. Then take the "Grande Bretagne" exit from the subway station and you end up right by the front door of the G.B. ^ Simple as pie......

BTW, I got a nice upgrade to a Jr. Suite (with a Parliament Building view) as an SPG Plat when I was here about a month ago. Classy room, classy hotel, very newish furnishings, nice fruit/water/chocolate amenities............we loved it there! ^

mauld

The metro is clean and relatively quick, although from the airport, after the train pulled in we sat in the terminal for 30 minutes at 12 noon. I purchased a round trip ticket (I was leaving the next day) and was charged e10. I was told it was good for 48 hours on any transport. I explained I didn't need it that long, and was only going to be using it to/from the airport-- but was not given any other option.

mauld

I did have a smallish room, but with a view of the Acropolis. I met a couple of other guests in the hotel, who were given a choice of either a room with the Acropolis view or a suite without it. So you may want to decide which is more important for your stay.

BWI Flyer

Most Athens Metro trains on the Blue line only run between Egaleo and Doukissis Plakentias, every 5-10 minutes.

Trains that run the full route - from Egaleo to the Athens airport - only run once every half hour.

The schedule is posted in all of the Metro stations. It's also on the Athens Metro Web site, at http://www.ametro.gr/cgi-bin/showhours.cgi .