I agree entirely with you, the fresh steel cut oats and fresh blueberries at The Ritz-Carlton, are exceptional, as is The Ritz-Carlton's legendary service, and ambiance. In my experience, the St. Regis, Four Seasons, and Mandarin Oriental charge similar prices to The Ritz-Carlton, for their goods and services (typical of "luxury tier" hotels or resorts), But, I don't wink an eye at paying a "luxury hotel company's" fees, rates, and charges, on the rare occasion that we are in pursuit of the "luxury ambiance" of a luxury hotel, luxury "service," and a luxury "experience." I equate whatever The Ritz-Carlton's charge is for oatmeal to the standard $5.00 bar or other food and beverage outlet charge for a can of Pepsi; the can of Pepsi is hardly worth $5.00, but the "luxury experience" and "luxury service" is something that people in pursuit of that experience are willing to pay for. I'd speculate that those who are going to look at the price point of specific goods and services, that they derive at a luxury hotel or resort, are not going to have a "luxury experience," and are probably staying at the wrong hotel or resort.

Back to instant oatmeal at the Element Hotels, in my opinion the Element Hotels set the standard for which their performance is judged, in their marketing and branding. If, in my opinion, Element Hotels are not going to deliver on their marketing and branding mantra, they should change their mantra to reflect who they truly are.

BUT, given the recent news of the data breach at Starwood Hotels, I'd say that instant oatmeal is a flake in comparison to the magnitude and personal and corporate implications of Starwood's data breach.

Element Brand Discussion Thread
 

Element welcome amenity, what is it? Website says 500 points or amenity, but doesn't describe such thing.

Curious what it actually is, as hotel says only points are offered.

One item out of the pantry. Usually not alcoholic.

David

At least you can pick your own greens for a salad or cocktail at Element now;)
Ha!

https://www.forbes.com/sites/ramseyq...s-hotel-brand/

Element: no ice?
 

Just recently I've had my first two stays at Element by Westin hotels: one in Las Vegas and the other in Reno. Both have a curious situation with ice: they don't seem to be set up for guests to have ice in their rooms. At the Las Vegas location, there are no public ice machines. The front desk was able to set me up by going into the kitchen and filling a small trash bag with ice for me to use. In Reno, they have an ice machine on each guest floor, but no ice buckets or other means in the guest rooms to retrieve the ice. Once again, the front desk's solution was to cut up a trash bag for me to use. The front desk there said it has been this way since the hotel opened, and implied that it was a brand standard for Element. I can't figure it out. More or less every other hotel in the US has ice machines and ice buckets - even Motel 6. It especially doesn't make sense in the Reno case where they put in ice machines but have no buckets or other means to retrieve it. I get the sense with the overall design and aesthetics of Element that they were trying to do something different, rethinking a lot of things about how the hotel is designed and not just doing things the way they've always been done at other brands. But I just don't see how they were thinking that eliminating ice is an improvement. What am I missing?

For some reason ice machines seem to be on the way out. I have seen the same situation as you at a recent Hyatt House stay too. They kept gallon ziploc bags next to the ice machine in the kitchen and would fill up for you.

I'm not surprised. I think they must be expensive/difficult to maintain since they are often a source of health code violations at restaurants. A news reporter in Houston named Marvin Zindler (who closed down the Best Little Whorehouse in Texas) was well known for his catchphrase "slime in the ice machine" when reporting on restaurants with violations.

I joke with my parents that they could never travel internationally due to the lack of ice machines. I don’t think I have ever seen one out of the US - not that I ever use them anyway.

I've actually found the ice machines at Marriotts to be well-maintained, far better than most fast food restaurants. That said, I won't stay in a Marriott with less than a 4* rating on the usual review sites. I travel with two of these everywhere I go: After 3 years they're still going strong. Holds plenty of ice, and the nozzle means plenty of ice water during my stay. I switched to using these since the hotels went to refrigerator-only fridges, so my reusable ice blocks were rendered useless.

As far as ice machine maintenance, yes, it's a pain. I worked at an entertainment venue and there was only ONE ice machine in the entire building I'd get ice from -- the one I personally maintained.

Element Brand Hotels
 

Booked a stay at a relatively new Element Hotel ((4 months old). Have never stayed in one of these properties. Would appreciate any reconnaissance that others can share about what to expect, room choice, and whether the breakfast is any good.

Breakfast is cereal breads fruit yogurt etc as well as freshly cooked eggs/omelet and pancakes

Thanks. Sounds like Embassy’s Suites? Is it “edible”? Do they do an evening reception?

Any other suggestions?

I think Embassy Suites breakfast is better than Element, but I have to say I haven't been at an ES in many years.
I do like Element rooms. I think there may be a 2 beer/wine offer in the evening, but that may vary by property (I received this in Santa Clara, but I don't think I did in Nashville).

Element rooms have a kitchen area which can be useful. All the Elements which I’ve stayed at have had an evening function during week nights. The breakfasts aren’t too bad.