What's Your Best and Worst Stay of 2011?
Dec 5, 2011, 1:38 pm
#31
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: NYC
Programs: UA, previously of CO.
Posts: 99
Best: W Maldives. The service and privacy were perfection.
Worst: W Chicago this summer, only because we had to wait forever for our room. Something like 4:30-5:00, when checkin was 3:00. Not anything that changed our minds about staying there again, just an annoyance.
Worst: W Chicago this summer, only because we had to wait forever for our room. Something like 4:30-5:00, when checkin was 3:00. Not anything that changed our minds about staying there again, just an annoyance.
Dec 5, 2011, 3:00 pm
#32
Join Date: May 2010
Posts: 346
So far:
Best: For me it is the Sheraton Arabellapark and Westin Munich as they really knew my favors (stayed there 1,5 years in a row and switched nearly daily)
Worst: 4points Milan
Not worth an SPG brand hotel as it rooms are small and worn, odd area and horrible slow internet which takes 15 minutes to check in to a plane.
Best: For me it is the Sheraton Arabellapark and Westin Munich as they really knew my favors (stayed there 1,5 years in a row and switched nearly daily)
Worst: 4points Milan
Not worth an SPG brand hotel as it rooms are small and worn, odd area and horrible slow internet which takes 15 minutes to check in to a plane.
Dec 5, 2011, 3:07 pm
#33
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: Switzerland
Programs: plenty
Posts: 57
Best: LM El Vendrell and Maria Cristina San Sebastian
Both great hotels with very good staff
Worst: LM Vienna, where I had to deal with an incompetent lady at check-in and finally got a mini-upgrade from deluxe to executive room after lots of unnecessary discussions. Plenty of suites available. Hotel is nothing special either, since it is quite large, they attract a lot of group business.
Both great hotels with very good staff
Worst: LM Vienna, where I had to deal with an incompetent lady at check-in and finally got a mini-upgrade from deluxe to executive room after lots of unnecessary discussions. Plenty of suites available. Hotel is nothing special either, since it is quite large, they attract a lot of group business.
Dec 5, 2011, 4:11 pm
#34
Join Date: Dec 2006
Programs: Marriott Titanium & Lifetime Platinum, United Platinum, Delta Silver
Posts: 591
Great thread!
Best: Westin Dublin. Had exceptional service and an upgrade to a "junior suite" that was really more like a full suite with the living room up several stairs from the bedroom and an enormous balcony overlooking Trinity college. It was a very memorable experience.
Honorable mentions to Le Meridien London (nice upgrade, great breakfast in Plat lounge), Le Meridien Munich (great upgrade and service), and W Mid-town Atlanta (most of the time)
Worst: Four Points Durham at Southpoint. The room faced the atrium and was incredibly noisy and service was just a little off (I know it's a Four Points, but still was not up to par).
Honorable mention to W Buckhead Atlanta (the decor made me uncomfortable, service was forgettable)
Best: Westin Dublin. Had exceptional service and an upgrade to a "junior suite" that was really more like a full suite with the living room up several stairs from the bedroom and an enormous balcony overlooking Trinity college. It was a very memorable experience.
Honorable mentions to Le Meridien London (nice upgrade, great breakfast in Plat lounge), Le Meridien Munich (great upgrade and service), and W Mid-town Atlanta (most of the time)
Worst: Four Points Durham at Southpoint. The room faced the atrium and was incredibly noisy and service was just a little off (I know it's a Four Points, but still was not up to par).
Honorable mention to W Buckhead Atlanta (the decor made me uncomfortable, service was forgettable)
Dec 5, 2011, 4:19 pm
#35
Join Date: Mar 2009
Posts: 213
Are you referring to the W Hotel Lakeshore or the W City Center?
Dec 5, 2011, 4:22 pm
#36
Join Date: Mar 2009
Posts: 213
Best: W Hong Kong silky smooth , hip , outrageous...WoW . Hotel comes at you @ 100mph.
Worst: Sheraton Anchorage...horrible.
Worst: Sheraton Anchorage...horrible.
Dec 5, 2011, 8:02 pm
#37
Join Date: Oct 2006
Programs: LAN, AA, SPG
Posts: 1,965
Best: Sheraton Atakoy, Istanbul (check-in a little slow but VIP all the way after that). ^^
Runner-up: Four Points Santiago, Chile (some miscommunication during booking but they more than made up for it going out of there way during and after my stay! ^
Worst: Le Meridien Heliopolis, Cairo (a nightmare from start to finish)
Runner up: W New York, Times Square ( I will not stay with the W brand again based on this experience); obviously I am not their target market.
I know they have their fan base but I prefer a hotel for adults.
Runner-up: Four Points Santiago, Chile (some miscommunication during booking but they more than made up for it going out of there way during and after my stay! ^
Worst: Le Meridien Heliopolis, Cairo (a nightmare from start to finish)
Runner up: W New York, Times Square ( I will not stay with the W brand again based on this experience); obviously I am not their target market.
I know they have their fan base but I prefer a hotel for adults.
Dec 6, 2011, 12:19 am
#38
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: California, SMF
Programs: UA, AA, AS, DL, BA, HA, WN, SPG-PL, Hyatt-Dia, HH-Dia, Marr-Pl, US Mint/VR(retired)
Posts: 945
BEST
Room upgrade -
Hotel Maria Christina, San Sebastian, Spain. As a gold, was upgraded to the Picasso suite.
Unique Property-
Hotel Pulitzer, Amsterdam
Best view-
Westin Kuala Lumpur view of twin towers
Best Staff-
Best Housekeeping-
Cleanest room-
Best dining-
Sheraton Fiji - hands down
WORST
No contest - Westin Fiji
Room upgrade -
Hotel Maria Christina, San Sebastian, Spain. As a gold, was upgraded to the Picasso suite.
Unique Property-
Hotel Pulitzer, Amsterdam
Best view-
Westin Kuala Lumpur view of twin towers
Best Staff-
Best Housekeeping-
Cleanest room-
Best dining-
Sheraton Fiji - hands down
WORST
No contest - Westin Fiji
Last edited by PatMike; Dec 6, 2011 at 12:28 am
Dec 6, 2011, 2:07 am
#39
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: Germany
Programs: SPG Platinum
Posts: 75
But: why did you switch hotels? Choosing between the Arabella and the Westin, in my opinion this is a clear choice. Not for you?
Dec 6, 2011, 3:00 am
#40
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Manchester, England
Programs: Bonvoy LT Plat, HH Diamond, IHG Plat, BMI Gold (RIP)
Posts: 8,019
Best stay: W Bali Seminyak
Upgraded to a Villa for 3 nights using free resort nights. Easily our best SPG upgrade this year and a great hotel too.
A notable mention for the 4 Points Chambersburg in there as well. Nothing special about it at all, but for $45 it was great value with an upgrade to a clean, comfortable suite and good staff. Just a nice surprise compared to what was expected.
Worst stay: Sheraton Atlantic City
Had to fight for an upgrade and club access in a virtually empty hotel. Disinterested staff, tired rooms and poor service. Wouldn't be top of my list for a return stay any time soon.
Upgraded to a Villa for 3 nights using free resort nights. Easily our best SPG upgrade this year and a great hotel too.
A notable mention for the 4 Points Chambersburg in there as well. Nothing special about it at all, but for $45 it was great value with an upgrade to a clean, comfortable suite and good staff. Just a nice surprise compared to what was expected.
Worst stay: Sheraton Atlantic City
Had to fight for an upgrade and club access in a virtually empty hotel. Disinterested staff, tired rooms and poor service. Wouldn't be top of my list for a return stay any time soon.
Dec 6, 2011, 3:15 am
#41
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: europe
Programs: EX˛-*wood platinum, EX-hyatt diamond, sixt platinum, hilton silver, leaders club, esselunga verde...
Posts: 2,048
Dec 6, 2011, 3:26 am
#42
Join Date: May 2010
Location: Oslo
Posts: 448
Best stay: Westin Grand Munich - decent location, wonderful suite upgrade, nice lounge.
Runners up: Sheraton Lisbon and Four points Zurich
Worst stay: Sheraton Norfolk Waterside - very tired room/suite, lack of service and extremely bad soundproof between connecting rooms (the drunken party next door that started at 2 am felt like it was in your own room).
Runners up: Westin Hilton Head (tired), Westin Richmond (noisy) and Le Meridien Munich (noisy, zoo at breakfast area).
Runners up: Sheraton Lisbon and Four points Zurich
Worst stay: Sheraton Norfolk Waterside - very tired room/suite, lack of service and extremely bad soundproof between connecting rooms (the drunken party next door that started at 2 am felt like it was in your own room).
Runners up: Westin Hilton Head (tired), Westin Richmond (noisy) and Le Meridien Munich (noisy, zoo at breakfast area).
Dec 6, 2011, 1:22 pm
#43
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: PHL
Programs: HH Diamond, SPG Plat; no plans for chasing any more airline status.
Posts: 880
[QUOTE=RAPC;17574686]Best stay: W Bali Seminyak
Upgraded to a Villa for 3 nights using free resort nights. Easily our best SPG upgrade this year and a great hotel too.
/QUOTE]
Wow. Sorry, but I couldn't disagree more about this property. Though I didn't end up staying there - I changed my reservation at the last minute after getting a feel for their customer service and seeing the hotel / on-the-ground service first hand - I can say (with my limited amount of experience), is was one of the most poorly run properties in the SPG network. that said, I, glad your experience was so positive!
Upgraded to a Villa for 3 nights using free resort nights. Easily our best SPG upgrade this year and a great hotel too.
/QUOTE]
Wow. Sorry, but I couldn't disagree more about this property. Though I didn't end up staying there - I changed my reservation at the last minute after getting a feel for their customer service and seeing the hotel / on-the-ground service first hand - I can say (with my limited amount of experience), is was one of the most poorly run properties in the SPG network. that said, I, glad your experience was so positive!
Dec 6, 2011, 1:59 pm
#44
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: Atlanta, Ga
Programs: Delta Platinum, Hilton Diamond, Hyatt Diamond, Avis Preferred
Posts: 27
BEST: St Regis San Francisco... so, my room was a little late... they didnt have to keep upgrading me over and over while I waited in their bar. But they did.
Also, the complimentary $125 martini to thank me for my patience while I waited for 30 minutes past check-in time seemed overly reasonable. The room I finally was given at the rate I paid was insane... what a wonderful experience.
WORST: Sheraton SLC... for some reason, my calls kept dropping on one side of the property... so they moved me to the other side and I never lost another call. Though I really feel bad categorizing this as a worse cause in reality... it was a great 11 day stay.
Also, the complimentary $125 martini to thank me for my patience while I waited for 30 minutes past check-in time seemed overly reasonable. The room I finally was given at the rate I paid was insane... what a wonderful experience.
WORST: Sheraton SLC... for some reason, my calls kept dropping on one side of the property... so they moved me to the other side and I never lost another call. Though I really feel bad categorizing this as a worse cause in reality... it was a great 11 day stay.
Dec 6, 2011, 5:10 pm
#45
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Manchester, England
Programs: Bonvoy LT Plat, HH Diamond, IHG Plat, BMI Gold (RIP)
Posts: 8,019
Wow. Sorry, but I couldn't disagree more about this property. Though I didn't end up staying there - I changed my reservation at the last minute after getting a feel for their customer service and seeing the hotel / on-the-ground service first hand - I can say (with my limited amount of experience), is was one of the most poorly run properties in the SPG network. that said, I, glad your experience was so positive!
However that's a snapshot from the 3 nights / 4 days we were there, so I can't disagree with your observations. From what we experienced we'd go back and we're not really W people. Whether we'd have another great stay is another matter.