CY Sha Tin > US JWs

THE ABSOLUTELY AMAZING, WORLD CLASS*

1. Suiran Kyoto: one of our all-time favorites*, near perfect stay, unique authentic Japanese ryokan/Western hotel hybrid experience, incredible Arashiyama location, amazing F/B, salivating for next stay
2. St Regis New York: one of our all-time favorites*, near perfect stay, Table 55 perhaps our most memorable F/B experience ever, incredible concierge team, unquestioned top choice for us in NYC
3. St Regis Florence: one of our all-time favorites*, made us love Florence when Belmond Villa San Michele never did, incredible F/B, authentic Florentine experience, amazing concierge
4. Ritz-Carlton Kyoto: if not for Suiran would be among our all-time favorites, near perfect stay, incredible F&B, amazing suite/decor, slow start but concierge came through big time, amazing service recovery
5. St Regis Punta Mita: one of our all-favorites*, second stay even better than first, incredible service/responsiveness, amazing F/B
6. St Regis San Francisco: one of our all-time favorites* and most visited luxury hotel for us in USA, stayed 4 times in 2018, always upgraded to my preferred Metropolitan Suite, always treated like super VIP, great F/B, concierge has 100% success rate even for Michelin 3* bookings, love SoMa location
7. Prince Gallery Tokyo Kioicho: almost amazing enough to be one of our all-time favorites, amazing hard product almost as impressive as Aman Tokyo, excellent soft product, incredible Ambassador recognition/treatment, incredible concierge, very good F/B, a few English language issues, and yet still more impressive than Peninsula, Mandarin Oriental, and Four Seasons


THE VERY GOOD

8. St Regis Houston: many stays, a favorite, always excellent and supremely comfortable stay, always incredible service, a bit dated hard product, always great F/B, excellent location for me, way better than Four Seasons
9. St Regis Osaka: a little dated but extremely comfortable hard product with generally excellent service and F/B, love the bar, Italian restaurant worthy of 1 star, tremendous Ambassador recognition, excellent location
10. SLS Beverly Hills: many stays, world class F/B, nice renovation with amazing suite, amazing Ambassador recognition/treatment
11. La Bandita Townhouse Pienza: a true gem and unique boutique hotel in beautiful location, shockingly good hard product, wonderful charm/hospitality, wonderful service/concierge
12. Ritz-Carlton Boston: just beats the W by a hair, wonderful F/B, excellent service recovery after air con fail, feels a bit higher end than W, nice renovated hard product (except for bathroom)
13. W Boston: several stays, great hard product, great soft product, nice service, great Ambassador recognition/treatment
14. St Regis Atlanta: beautiful but dated hard product now being renovated, great service recovery after check in and air con fails, amazing sense of place, incredible F/B, more character and better location than Four Seasons
15. Renaissance Providence Downtown: many stays, feels more like JW/semi luxury, excellent hard product with an air con issue here and there, nice responsiveness/service, limited room service menus
16. Sheraton Hartford South: many stays, incredible handling of blizzard power loss, surprisingly excellent F/B and service, nice bar scene, always very reliable


THE GOOD

17. St Regis Bal Harbour: nice but dated hard product, many service fails, nice location, good Ambassador treatment/ recognition and service recovery, air con issues, incredible Royal Suite upgrade, amazing beach service
18. Atlantis by Giardino Zurich: spectacular hard product let down by shocking uneven service, air con fails and management misses, incredible F/B, beautiful retreat feel/location, would give second chance but risky
19. Ritz-Carlton San Francisco: nice hard product and soft product, curious air con fail, rigidity to service, decent Club, OK location, very friendly staff, excellent F/B, but I still vastly prefer the St Regis
20. Westin San Jose: older hard product but lots of character, good Ambassador recognition/treatment, solid all around
21. Le Meridien Arlington: nice public spaces, great air con, great location, nice bar/lounge, well appointed rooms, very improved service and F/B
22. Le Meridien Cambridge: modern and clean, good F/B, some service fails but nice recovery, good location out of the thick of things but with easy access, feels more boutique than chain
23. Four Points NYC Midtown: surprisingly good service, nice suite upgrade/Ambassador treatment
24. Sheraton Philadelphia University City: always good Ambassador recognition/treatment, nice location for my work, decent F/B, very good rates
25. Four Points NYC Chelsea: surprisingly good service, nice suite upgrade/Ambassador treatment, smaller property
26. Courtyard New Haven: always reliable, decent service, clean rooms, air con works well
27. Courtyard Irvine John Wayne Airport: several stays to reach LTPP status, nice suite upgrade on first phantom stay, friends stayed rest of stays, staff eager to please, nice lobby, good deal for points/cash

THE BAD

28. W Hollywood: air con massive fail on 1 night stay, drove home wasn't charged, I may try again (so maybe Good?)
29. Ritz-Carlton Dallas: overpriced, terrible air con, terrible and unacceptable wifi, not impressive bar, but great restaurant, but I would pick W Dallas next trip, not worth it
30. JW Marriott Austin: massive convention hotel, excellent hard product except for big air con fail finally fixed, always a zoo, uncertain management, some good service, some poor service, amazing Presidential suite upgrade then dropped the ball on everything else, not luxury, good rates, would pick W Austin next time

THE UGLY

31. Sheraton New York Times Square: several stays unfortunately, I only stay here because the rates are sometimes good for my groups, I hate this hotel, massive factory/convention hotel, annoying elevator banks, subpar air con, terrible service, terrible follow through, unanswered phone calls to front desk, Plat status makes no difference here, lounge crowded and sucks

*For the record, our all-time favorites list also includes Singita Boulders South Africa, Amanjiwo Java, Amangiri Utah, Amankila Bali, Gritti Palace Venice, Hotel Imperial Vienna, St Regis San Francisco, Taj Umaid Bhawan Jodhpur, Cavas Wine Lodge Mendoza, Upper House Hong Kong, La Residence Franschhoek, Peninsula Shanghai, & Cayo Espanto Belize.

2018 Review




2018 turned out to be our record year for travel- and fortunately almost all of our stays were good ones- there are only 3 hotels we would not return to. I think it says something about Marriott’s portfolio that so many of our stays were noteworthy.

TRULY SPECIAL

9 hotels made our list of Truly Special. IMO these are some of Marriott’s top hotels. 3 of them were return visits for us- 6 were new discoveries, but we would love to visit all of them again in the future.

Domes of Elounda

Our first Amazing Marriott stay that wasn’t at a legacy Starwood property. The bespoke Haute Living service is exceptional and the property and views of Spinalonga are stunning.

Grande Bretagne

An iconic, historic hotel you shouldn’t miss if you visit Athens. We stayed there twice on our trip and loved it even more on our second visit. The views of the Acropolis are outstanding.

Mystique

We were very pleased with our stay at Mystique— with both the service and the breathtaking views.

President Wilson

President Wilson exceeded our expectations with luxury service in a great city hotel.

Prince de Galles

This was our 5th visit to PdG and our nicest Suite thanks to the hotel upgrading us one up from the standard SNA suite. We love the location.

Schloss Fuschl

We dreamed of returning to Schloss Fuschl after our last visit and this stay did not disappoint. We were able to stay in one of the lakefront cottages and it was as wonderful as we dreamed. One of our favorite properties. Will definitely visit again.

St Regis NYC

We finally had a chance to visit this iconic hotel last March and will stay there again this spring.

St Regis SF

We have stayed at the StR SF several times before but this was our favorite visit thanks to an upgrade above the standard SNA suite.

W Verbier

We didn’t expect to fall in love with this hotel but it’s our favorite W ever. Gorgeous rooms, gorgeous location and exceptional service.

VERY GOOD

Each of these hotels has something that elevates it above a standard hotel. 3 were return visits, 2 we stayed at for the first time.

Inn at Rancho Santa Fe
We just visited here for the first time and were impressed with both the property and the service. Will try to post a review later this week.

Le Meridien Vienna
We stayed here 8 nights in a spacious, comfortable ExeSuite. Though we plan to give the Imperial a second chance on our next trip to Vienna we would not hesitate to visit LMV again.

Ritz Carlton Laguna Niguel
Another Staycation spot for us. This hotel has a lot of potential. We have yet to receive a Suite Upgrade but hope the hotel will begin implementing for PPEs as they adjust to the new program.

W Seattle
This was a return visit for us. This time the hotel upgraded us to the Extreme Wow Suite.

US Grant
We have probably stayed here 20 times over the years as it’s our best downtown option for cultural StayCations (opera, theater, shows) Back in the day the hotel used to give us amazing upgrades to the Presidential Suite, which understandably doesn’t happen now with record occupancy and $6000 a night rates.

GOOD

These hotels are nice and we would visit again. All are close to home for us.

Avenue of the Arts Costa Mesa
This hotel has potential. We liked our little private yard.

Newport Coast Villas
This is one of our “go to” spots for StayCations with our young grandchildren. The spacious 2 BR 2 BA units have an ideal set up for families with full kitchens and laundry in each unit plus lots of fun stuff for kids.

Westin Carlsbad
Though we had stayed at the Sheraton next door before this was our first visit. I think we were the first guests in the Presidential Suite. This hotel is a great option for families visiting Legoland.


Westin South Coast Plaza
AotA’s neighbor. We have stayed here many times over the years.


AVERAGE


Residence Inn Dana Point
The only time we stay here is when we need a 2 BR with our grandkids and Newport Coast Villas is booked.


WILL NOT RETURN

4 Points Sheraton San Diego
This was the cheapest points option for us when we needed a few extra nights. Hopefully the legacy Marriott CC will serve the same purpose in the future if we need a few nights. As LTPP/LTTE it will only be for SNA or Ambassador level reasons.*

* I should clarify that this hotel may be a great Four Points. We don’t have familiarity with the brand for comparison. I know that the staff here was awesome every time we “stayed” here 😊



Houston Airport Marriott
We hated this hotel and thought our suite was one of the worst we’ve had. Surprisingly expensive.


Sheraton Anchorage
I know there aren’t many options in Anchorage but we will definitely try another hotel if we pass through here again.

This year I mainly visited the same hotels again and again due to a relatively stable European base of operations for work, so I have a lot narrower set of hotels than in the last few years.I've tried to be realistic about expectations of each brand, but in general 3* hotels that make it up to "Very Good" are out-performing expectatins, whereas an expensive Luxury Collection or St Regis in "Good" is slightly under-performing.
* Great
St Regis Bali: Exceptional hotel and as a Platinum got an upgrade to a self-contained villa. The best Marriott resort I've ever been to and the best hotel breakfast ever
Grande Bretagne, Athens: Really special place, made even more so this year as my stay was an SPG Moments event with "dinner in the Sky" with the hotel's Head Chef and several senior members of the management team
Hotel Imperial, Vienna: One of the best Marriott hotels bar none. Excellent service as always, and a muti-level suite upgrade thanks to my Ambassador
Sheraton Grande Sukhumvit, Bangkok: An incredibly special hotel which doesn't have the hard product of other hotels on this list, but the best service led by Marriott's best GM. A stay this year was a bit of a comedy of errors which is extremely out of character, but the service recovery made it all go away
Prince de Galles, Paris: A beautiful hotel with an extremely generous SNA offering to Platinums. Possibly the world's most attractive gym
Hotel Bristol, Warsaw: A consistent level of service and hard product that's unheard of in the region. A perfect example of what a Luxury Collection hotel should be
* Very good
Sheraton Grand Park Lane: My most visited hotel this year. Some rooms are small and a bit dingy, but service is warm and the (frequent) upgrades to larger rooms are the best value in London in months when the hotel is not a base for guests from the Middle East
Westin Dublin: My second most frequent base. Hard and soft product well above anything you might expect from a Westin
Sheraton Grand Edinburgh: Solid service, good rooms, great Platinum recognition and a beautiful spa
W Las Vegas: Sadly departed from the Marriott family, the W Insider actually added a ton of value and was a home away from home
Four Points Le Verdun (Beirut): Excellent Platinum recognition and a giant suite upgrade with better than Sheraton level furnishings
Caresse, Bodrum: Great on my first visit, Good on my return. A beautiful resort with occasiona exceptional service designed for the $1,000 a night mark, but which has suffered from Turkey and Bodrum's struggles
Sheraton Amsterdam Airport: Perhaps the best airport hotel I've ever seen. What a Sheraton really should be like
Al Maha, Dubai: On points, this sits at the very top of the list, but as a $1,500 hotel it doesn't quite deserve "great". Still a unique gem in the Marriott portfolio and well worth a visit
Four Points by Sheraton Diagonal: What every Four Points should dream of being like. Standard rooms, exceptionally well managed helpful staff, a proper restaurant with a real chef and incredible value meals and a great bar with its own beer
Ritz Carlton Budapest: The best RC I've tried since the merger. Great service and quite an impressive refurb since SPG days
* Good
W Bali Semniak: Legendary resort which is pretty cool, but which for me didn't deliver on expectations. A fun and over the top brunch, if you can handle drunk Australians in the early afternoon
Westbury Mayfair: A good Luxury Collection option in London, but often more expensive and less attractive than the Sheraton Grand Park Lane
St Regis Kuala Lumpur: Almost made "very good" for its insanely beautiful St Regis Suite and incredible breakfast, but the local context is a bit odd, and I wasn't too happy they forgot to pick me up from the airport
Great Northern Hotel: One of my favourite London haunts. Small rooms, but the best breakfast in London and consistently high quality hard and soft product
St Regis Istanbul: Beautiful modern hotel dripping in money. Given its location it didn't make me fall in love with the place, but arguably should be up in Very Good
Westin La Quinta, Marbella: Very impressive Platinum treatment and solid all round, but slightly out of date rooms and grounds
W Barcelona: One of the best W's on a good day, but a bit sleazy and with bad service on a bad one
Sheraton Frankfurt Airport: A very good airport hotel. Needs a refurb, but very friendly staff
Roomers Franfurt, Design Hotel: Very good on my first stay, average on the second. Has one of my favourite hotel restaurants
Hotel Arts Barcelona (Ritz Carlton): A good effort at an RC with solid service, but lacking a bit of soul
Moxy Berlin Humboldthain Park: My first Moxy. Not always my first choice, but a friendly and clean interpretation of limited service
* Acceptable
St Regis Bangkok: Got my first ever Suite upgrade here after quite a few stays, but it's still my least favourite St Regis. It's lacking polish and quality vs. expectations, especially at the price point and market
Sheraton Paris Airport: Quirky, odd hotel
Sheraton Tribeca, New York: Sometimes available for $110 a night in a great Manhattan location, you really can't complain
Le Meridien Etoile, Paris: Small, overpriced rooms, but the steakhouse is superb
Westin Dragonara, Malta: I believe this hotel is no longer around. It was fine, but unremarkable
Pine Cliffs Hotel, Algarve: A giant complex for well to do English people, it's a bit chaotic and impersonal
Ritz Carlton, Berlin: A perfectly solid RC, but absolutely soulless
Moxy Vienna Airport: My second Moxy, this one was bigger and less well done than the one in Berlin. The central temperature control was a pain
* Terrible
Sheraton New York Times Square: Never go here. This is a limited service hotel where customers are just a profit centre to be exploited in all kinds of odd ways. Ironically, this is what I think of Marriott's contribution to Starwood on a bad day, but this hotel shows that Starwood already had the seeds of its own destruction

A few more that seem to be favorites:

St Regis San Francisco

St Regis NYC

Prince Gallery Kioicho Tokyo

It’s possible that this member stayed in SF during the Marriott strike in SF...which also would explain the otherwise inexplicable inclusion of the incredible St Regis San Francisco among those that “sucked” as well. If that were true, it’s unfortunate that such a detail wasn’t mentioned.

If it weren’t true, then we should consider the source. Several others here, and I, have included the StR San Francisco among their most impressive stays. Really makes you wonder.

Thanks for reminding me about the W Hong Kong. We may go there in 2020 and after rereading the favorite W thread I know where we will be staying ✅

Nice list. I wonder what was unpleasant at the SLS?

I always stay at the Carolina Inn or Franklin in Chapel Hill because that Sheraton seems so mediocre (and poorly located). The new AC downtown may be worth considering, FWIW. It isn’t as full service but it’s so well located. I’ve got a group staying there for the first time in spring.