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2018 in review...

As 2018 comes to an end and I only have a few more properties coming up, it looks like a good time to start a review of the year 2018 and of the different properties I visited.

Great

Roomers Baden Baden - exceptional hotel, great elite recognition. If all Roomers properties are like this, then I hope they will all switch to Autograph Collection as well.
JW Marriott Rosseau - extremely beautiful hotel in a very scenic part of Canada. The hotel is so laid back and comfy, it really is a place where you can come to relax and enjoy yourself. Most Canadians visit Muskoka in Summer, it is a lot more beautiful in Winter. In short, one of my favorite hotels in North America.
Courtyard Hong Kong Sha Tin - best deal in Hong Kong, what a great property with great elite benefits. If the location works for you, stay there! In any other city in the world, this hotel would be an upper scale full service property.

Good

Toronto Marriott City Center Hotel - ex-Renaissance right next to CN Tower. If the area works for you, then stay here. Like their indoor pool on a cold Canadian morning.
Courtyard Niagara Falls (Canada) - Good upgrade and many goodies such as wine tastings included in my rate. Great deal, but could use a renovation soon.
Niagara Falls Marriott on the Falls - recently renovated and excellent upgrade to a bi-level room. Hotel was empty on my stay.
Niagara Falls Marriott Fallsview - No upgrade but all around good stay. Great location and marvelous views of the Falls.
Toronto Airport Marriott - It's an airport hotel with small rooms, but I like the hotel. Great elite recognition on every stay, that's why I return.
Courtyard Lake Buena Vista at the Marriott Village - I liked the completely renovated rooms and I like the area. Hate the parking fee but I had a cheap rate. Ask for a room with a view of the pool, those are a lot quieter.
Marriott Desert Spring Villas II Palm Desert - great vacation club, newly renovated at an excellent rate. I'll return!
Courtyard Flagstaff - Beautiful hotel, the lodge-style exterior fits the area very well. Too bad they don't have an indoor-outdoor pool. Add one of those and it could almost be considered a resort.
Renaissance Shanghai Zhongshan Park - excellent property, bargain due to being a bit outside of the central area. If you can make the location work, stay here!
Courtyard Seoul Times Square - excellent staff, great breakfast buffet, good elite benefits. Only downside would be the location and the lack of pool.
Westin Blue Mountains Resort - man made ski resort town outside of Toronto with a beautiful all-suites Westin.
Sheraton Grand Macao - probably the best Sheraton I ever stayed at. Bargain compared to the JW Marriott a few meters down the road.

Nothing bad to report

AC Hotel Ciutat de Palma - quick 2-night stay before a cruise out of Palma, nothing wrong with it.
Renaissance Long Beach - ok stay, ok property.
Courtyard Los Angeles LAX/El Segundo - renovated and ok for a quick night before a flight.
Springhill Suites Orlando Millenia - new property, breakfast area too small for the hybrid SHS/RI hotel.
Residence Inn Sanibel - I like the hotel despite its problems in maintenance (I had three rooms before I finally had one with a working safe)
Residence Inn Scottsdale Paradise Valley - newly renovated but a really old hotel. I hate the exterior corridor style rooms in multiple buildings. Staff friendly but will not be returning due to the hotel layout.
Sheraton Miami Airport - nothing wrong with the hotel per se except for not enough elevators during the morning checkout rush. The service at this place however is horrendous. I had three rooms reserved on a single reservation for a few nights with a BRG rate. On checkout, the manager decided that I had to pay rack rate for the third room as they split the reservation upon check in and thus BRG would not be available. Had to fight for almost an hour over this but in the end he gave in and saw that the check-in staff did a mistake. I guess he was tired of the scene I was making. What a complete fool.
Springhill Suites Orlando Convention Center - ok stay, ok rooms and friendly staff.
Courtyard Los Angeles Torrance South Bay - ok if you need to be in the area. If not, stay elsewhere.

What a dump...

TownePlace Suites St. George - tired
Four Points by Sheraton Miami Beach - What a filthy place. Please remove it from the portfolio immediately. Everyone, please refrain from staying here. Dealing with management is a waste of time, desk staff is clueless. It is at least 10 years past a much needed renovation. This place needs to be gutted.

What are your comments/experiences for this year?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Muerz (Post 30534422)

As 2018 comes to an end and I only have a few more properties coming up, it looks like a good time to start a review of the year 2018 and of the different properties I visited.

-------

What are your comments/experiences for this year?

Man, I wish I got to visit the sheer variety of properties you did! Most of my travel was within the midwest/central US, but here are ones that stood out to me:

Loved:
The Blackstone - Just a beautiful Autograph Collection property in Chicago. Really enjoyed the room, and the breakfast in the lounge was pretty good as well.
The Current Iowa - Excellent rooms, decent chance at scoring an upgrade (almost half of the rooms are suites), and a cool rooftop bar area
The Ritz Carlton STL - used some points on a night out with my wife and they treated us very well. Good looking property, but very good people working it when I went

Good:
Renaissance Dallas at Plano Legacy - fairly new property, VERY convenient location and tasteful Texas decor.
Chicago Marriott Downtown Magnificent Mile - updated rooms look great. Central location to many different spots in downtown Chicago. Lounge got very crowded around breakfast though.
Austin Renaissance - good looking property, good restaurant/bar/lounge areas

Conditional:
Moxy Chicago Downtown - I personally liked it quite a bit and would stay there again, but the ambiance and setup is NOT for everyone.
AC Marriott Kansas City Westport - if it's a weekday and Ashley is working the bar, she's exceptional with customer service. Hotel is in a good location for getting to diff parts of KC quickly.
JW Marriott Phoenix Desert Ridge - used points for my mother/father in law for as an anniversary present and they raved about the friendliness of the staff. Haven't been myself but it's on my list now

It's a No for Me Dog... :
Atlanta Marriott Perimeter Center - If the room updates are done I'd bump it up to conditional. But when I went there it was a hassle just to get to the property, and the layout inside was fairly confusing as well.

2018

Great.
1. Suiran Kyoto. Great location and great service

2. Al Maha Dubai. Another interesting property. Got strong smell of oryx/gazelles urine smells but thats understandable as those animals roams free in hotel grounds.

3. The Ritz Carlton Ras Al Khaimah, Al Hamra Beach.

4. The Prince Gallery Tokyo

5. The St. Regis San Francisco

6. The St Regis Osaka

Good

7. The Athenee hotel Bangkok

8. The St Regis Singapore. My go to hotel in Singapore ... service can be hit and miss depends on your luck :D

9. Westin Singapore.

10. W Sentosa

11. Westin Jakarta.

12. Warehouse Hotel Singapore

13. Residence Inn at Anaheim Resort/Convention Center. Great staff.

14. Keraton Jakarta. Again ... like St Regis Singapore, needs luck to have great stay here. sometimes FD just dont bother explains the plat/rate benefit.

15. St Regis Tianjin. They need to improve room cleanliness.

Average

16. Us Grant San Diego.

17. The Cosmopolitan Las Vegas

18. Westin Mina Seyahi Dubai.

19. W Hollywood.

I think generally speaking the key comments are most useful in each property's thread, but here it is for 2018 Marriott/Starwood based on my experience. Everything is relative to the price tag and local market alternatives (as far as I know) rather than an absolute judgment about the hotel.

Great
1. Library Koh Samui (Design)
2. Meridien Putrajaya
3. Sheraton Shanghai Waigaoqiao
4. W Amman
5. St.Regis Maldives
6. Bodrum EDITION

Good
7. Aloft Seoul Gangnam
8. Meridien Bangkok
9. Meridien Chiang Mai
10. Sheraton Laval
11. Le Centre Sheraton Montreal
12. Sheraton Montreal Airport
13. Sheraton Ottawa
14. Meridien Al Aqah
15. Westin Mont Tremblant
16. Westin Doha
17. Royal Orchid Sheraton Bangkok
18. Sheraton Grande Sukhumvit
19. Sheraton St-Hyacinthe
20. Westin Whistler
21. Meridien Suvarnabhumi Bangkok
22. St.Regis Bora Bora
23. Marriott Marquis Doha
24. Renaissance Polat Istanbul Airport
25. Bangkok Marriott Marquis
26. Courtyard Taipei
27. Delta Ottawa

Average
28. Athenee Bangkok
29. Westin Montreal
30. Sheraton Grand Taipei
31. St.Regis Bangkok
32. Delta Whistler
33. JW Marriott Bangkok

Probably Won’t Return
34. Four Points Toronto Mississauga
35. Meridien Versailles
36. Westin Grande Sukhumvit
37. Sheraton Istanbul Atakoy
38. Four Points Philadelphia Airport
39. Westin Toronto Airport
40. Courtyard Ottawa East
41. TownPlace Suites Kanata

Great:
1. Tambo del inka Luxury Collection - one of the most amazing resorts, period.
2. Palacio del inka Luxury Collection.
3. JW Bangalore

Good:
1. Marriott Fairway villas
2. Moxy NYC Times Square - interesting concept, tip is don't take king rooms.
3. NYC Edition
4. London Marriott Hotel West India Quay
5. Marriott newyork downtown
6. Washington Marriott Metro Center
7. Residence Inn North Conway
8. Fairfield Inn and Suites Plymouth
9.Marriott Grand Cheteau
10. Le Meridien Bangalore

Average:
1. Fairfield Inn New York LaGuardia Airport / Astoria
2. Fairfield Inn & Suites Providence Airport
3. St. Regis New York - probably because of my own high expecations
4. Four Points by Sheraton Midtown - Times Square
5. Buffalo Marriott

Upcoming stays:
1.Le Westin Resort & Spa, Tremblant, Quebec
2.Hotel St Paul, Montreal

Great:
St Regis Princeville (leaving soon but hey)

Good:
Grand Bohemian Savannah
St Regis NYC (great hotel, fell a bit short of expectations and overpriced)
Westin Dublin
Westin Greenville, SC
Renaissance Charleston
Marriott Waterfront Baltimore

Average:
Courtyard NYC (near JFK)
Springhill Suites, Charlotte

Wouldn't Return:
The W - New Orleans (extremely disappointed with this hotel. Service, rooms, all of it. Great location however)

Booked for Next Year:
St Regis - Maldives
St Regis - Abu Dahbi
St Regis - Park City Utah
Mystique - Santorini
Grand Bretagne - Athens

I'll limit my list to two categories:

Great:
SGS Bangkok
Vana Belle, Koh Samui
St. Regis Bangkok
Springhill Suites, San Diego Downtown/Bayfront

Sucked:
JW Marriott LA Live
St. Regis San Francisco
SFO Marriott

Many properties in between, most of them in the okay to very good range.

Ok I'll play. Interestingly, with 52 nights so far, I've stayed at only about 1/3 of the properties I've stayed at in past years, because I changed jobs this year and had several months of no work travel. I also hesitated to name any as "great" because I don't travel to stay in a hotel, but rather to do things outside the hotel. The Phuket Marriott is one of the few where I stayed put and enjoyed the amenities though.

Great:
Panama Marriott
Phuket Marriott Nai Yang

Good:
Chicago Marriott Naperville
Houston Marriott Westchase
Westin Lombard Yorktown Center
Bangkok Marriott Marquis
Courtyard Bangkok

Average:
CY Dallas Las Colinas
CY Minneapolis St. Paul/Roseville
CY Milwaukee Downtown
Marriott Palm Beach Gardens

Bad:
None

My favourites and would not returns:

Good
Sheraton Oman
Protea Walvis Bay, Namibia
Berlin Marriott
Rooms Hotel Kazbegi, Georgia
Protea OR Tambo, Johannesburg
Courtyard Seoul Times Square
Fuji Marriott Lake Yamanaka
Jeju Marriott Resort
Courtyard Seoul Namdaemun
Hotel Palacio de Santa Paula, Granada
Renaissance London Heathrow
Renaissance NY Midtown
Residence Inn, Times Square, NY
Protea Cape Town North Wharf
Powerscourt, Ireland

Not likely to return
JW Marriott Dubai
Courtyard Istanbul Airport

Quote:

Courtyard Hong Kong Sha Tin - best deal in Hong Kong, what a great property with great elite benefits. If the location works for you, stay there! In any other city in the world, this hotel would be an upper scale full service property.

Wow, interesting! I'm a frequent visitor to HK and don't quite have a best deal there yet. I'm always annoyed overpaying for the Mira Moon or Mira or W. I'll try the Courtyard on my next visit next month.

Great
SGS (SNAs failed but still got the suite - always great)
St. Regis Mallorca (fantastic property)
Hotel Maria Cristina (a real gem)

Good
Renaissance St. Pancras
Westin Madrid
Hotel Hi-Lo
The Camby
Marriott LAX
W Westwood
Sheraton Grand London
AC Irvine
W ATL Midtown
Marriott Fullerton

Average
mix of legacy Marriott and Starwood mostly FS and some LS properties, probably 30 different ones across the US

Not Really Bad But Not Worth the Price
JW Marriott Houston
JW Austin
CY Fisherman's Wharf
Hotel Adagio
Sheraton Northbrook
Westin Snowmass (OK on points but terrible to pay cash for)
LM Denver

Bad
Renaissance Cleveland (beyond need of a re-fresh)
Courtyard Boston (tiny rooms, needs reno)
Sheraton Edison (gave me a crappy room til I complained)
Courtyard Sherman Oaks (another CY that is pretty crap)

I'll comment on the really positive experiences at properties I've stayed at this year. All my other stays were fine/met expectations. Luckily I didn't have any really bad experiences or suggestions of places to avoid!

Great
JW Hong Kong (was very excited to stay here for the 1st time, given how much other FTers like it!)
Washington Marriott Georgetown (at least back in May, they had some of the best M Club offerings I've seen domestically)
Courtyard NY Downtown/WTC (especially compared to other Courtyards, they definitely went above & beyond with breakfast benefits for elites. Great location for the financial district.)

Very Good
NY Marriott Downtown
Oakland Marriott City Center
Courtyard Jersey City Newport
Citizen Hotel Sacramento
Marriott Crystal Gateway Virginia
Seattle Airport Marriott
Residence Inn Portland Convention Center (had a welcome goodie bag for elites, and property has been remodeled and kept up to date even as an older bungalow style RI)

And then maybe another dozen properties in the good/average range.

Great
Courtyard Long Island City/New York Manhattan View
Anaheim Marriott Suites
Fairfield Inn & Suites Gaylord
Moxy Tokyo Kinshicho
Courtyard Edinburgh
JW Marriott Hotel Rio de Janeiro
Avenue of the Arts Costa Mesa, a Tribute Portfolio Hotel
The Westin Los Angeles Airport

Good
Courtyard New Haven
Costa Mesa Marriott
Fairfield by Marriott Seoul
JW Marriott Grosvenor House London
The Riviera Palm Springs, a Tribute Portfolio Resort

Average
Courtyard Santa Ana Orange County
Fairfield Inn & Suites Austin Buda
SpringHill Suites San Antonio Alamo Plaza/Convention Center
Fairfield Inn & Suites Saginaw
Courtyard Stockton
Fullerton Marriott at California State University
Sheraton Buenos Aires Hotel & Convention Center
Sheraton Tribeca New York Hotel
Four Points by Sheraton Manhattan Midtown West
Sheraton Garden Grove - Anaheim South Hotel

Barely Average
Sheraton Princess Kaiulani
Sheraton Libertador Hotel
El Paso Marriott

Terrible
Delta Hotels Anaheim Garden Grove
Delta Hotels Grand Rapids Airport
Four Points by Sheraton Los Angeles International Airport
Sheraton Kona Resort & Spa at Keauhou Bay

Great : Prince Gallery Kioicho, Luxury Collection Tokyo

One of the best BRG properties you'll ever find in a top 5 city with very good Platinum treatment, well stocked Lounge, buffet breakfast and sleek rooms.

Sheraton Four Points Namsan Seoul

Cheap, clean and comfortable. Not too expensive for Seoul. Underground walking path to Seoul station is nice. Comfortable beds.

St. Regis NYC
Outstanding Plat treatment and one of the most varied and delicious hotel breakfast menus ever.

Chatwal
One of SPG's finest NYC properties with excellent service and location for a show.

Fine:

Ritz Carlton, Almaty

Only luxury option in town with a very, very nice absolutely pouring overhead shower. Definitely no water saving at this property. Excellent shower pressure and temperature. Beds are RC superb.

Minus
No forthcoming upgrade, limited buffet breakfast choices, ditto for Club lounge and a laughably small swimming pool.

Terrible:

Le Meridien Seoul

Expensive. Poor service with no forthcoming service recovery by senior management. Bottom of the Marriott luxury properties in Seoul.

Great:
Domes of Elounda (Crete, Greece) - Exceptional service,
Bristol Vienna - fantastic location, Exceptional service

Good:
Marriott Berlin - good location, very good executive lounge
Sheraton Grand Park Lane London - excellent location, good lounge
AC Hotel Bologna (Italy) - just OK
Marriott Skopie (FYROM) - just OK
Westin Sydney (Australia) - just OK

Average:
JW Marriott Singapore - excellent lounge, small room - small beds

Terrible:
W Barcelona - Tired room, bad service, very pricey