bruce80

Introduction

After numerous business trips between Düsseldorf and Zürich in the last two years which had been ambitiously supported by MyChoice, I thought it would be time to finally burn some miles. My initial calculation had accounted for a business class trip (for me and Mrs. Bruce) to the near east, preferably Dubai and Abu Dhabi. But as life (especially with women) goes, things were to change soon. In march, Mrs. Bruce (the current Mrs. Bruce is not the one you might already know from my previous reports ) told me that she had been invited to a road trip in the US by some friends and asked whether I wanted to join. Well, how could I object to a lady? But things were a bit more complicated at a second glance. As her friends wanted to do some serious travelling for about three weeks, including plans to drive from the east coast to Chicago (!!), I was able to convince her to leave her friends after one and a half week (during which they would visit New York and then go on to Boston) and join me for an east-coast journey by train between Washington, DC and New York. As she had already booked her flights (DUS-YYZ-LGA vv. on LH, UA and AC) it was now up to me to find some suitable flights for myself.

My first plan was to join them in DC, taking "the infamous SQ25/26 route" between FRA and JFK in Suites (you have to take advantage of special offers, don't you? And I wouldn't have enough award miles for LX F until the booking should be made) and to then take the train from NYC to DC. While this sounded like a very nice plan, I then discovered that I made a severe mistake when calculating the level of M&M award miles that I would have earned until July. I originally thought an F journey to North America would cost 185k - a level which I would only reach in late August or early September (definitely too late for an award booking ), but after re-checking the award chart, I discovered that I'd only need 170k miles. The decision wasn't easy, but when I realized that excellent availability was showing up on M&M, I chose to go for LX F award flights which would also save an entire lot of money. When I told Mrs. Bruce of my plans she tried to push me into joining her for the return leg, but after some discussion I could convince her to drop that plan (first of all, YYZ-DUS doesn't have first class. Second, what good is it to be on the same flight if I'm sitting in F or C while she's wedged into her Y seat? And finally: I'm not going to waste my award miles on an LH Y booking, nor am I willing to pay 2500 EUR for a one-way flight in Y. Not ever). Well, she didn't really understand my points, but I have to say that she's not acquainted with the intricacies of airline loyalty programs - in fact, she's been afraid of flying until recently).

Well, while I had originally intended to book a double open-jaw on LX (FRA-ZRH-BOS and [JFK|EWR]-[ZRH|GVA]-DUS), the online booking engine had its own will as to the legs of my flights. I would probably have succeeded booking the desired itinerary by phone, but I wanted to avoid having to call the hotline. So, I ended up booking FRA-ZRH-BOS on LX and JFK-FRA on LH, which would also give me the opportunity to compare both first class products and to experience the wonderfully comfortable historic LH First product on the 744 . Additionally, I had to collect a major amount of IHG points to extend my platinum status into 2013, so I chose to book mostly IHG properties for our accomodation, taking advantage of advance rates where applicable.

After a few evenings of research and booking, my final itinerary looks like this: I'll take the ICE International train from Aachen to Frankfurt Airport, stay there for the night at the Sheraton, then have a thorough look at the FCT before heading on LX via Zürich to Boston where I will join the others. After one night in Boston, B6 will take us to Washington, DC where we'll have two full days for sightseeing. After that, our journey will continue by train to Baltimore, Philadelphia and finally to New York. From there, LH will take me back to Frankfurt.

I'm planning to shoot quite a few pictures and several minutes of video footage. Most parts of this report will feature a "type-as-I-go"-style, as I plan to write most of the story while it is happening. Enjoy!

Oh, and one more note: I will try to be quite critical, as I believe there are too few critical reports out there. So please forgive me if I'm too harsh

Table of contents

• The Sheraton Frankfurt Airport Hotel
• The Lufthansa First Class Terminal FRA
• FRA-ZRH on SWISS Business (LX 1073)
• The SWISS First Class Lounge ZRH
• ZRH-BOS on SWISS First (LX 052)
• BOS-DCA on JetBlue Economy (B6 687)
• Several East Coast IHG and Starwood Properties (including CP Hamilton and CP Times Square)
• The Lufthansa Senator Lounge JFK
• JFK-FRA on Lufthansa First (LH405) [coming tomorrow]
• Conclusion [coming soon]

Video index

• Playlist with all videos: http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list...KwBpZDFxyoL1jR
• Aachen to Frankfurt and the Sheraton Frankfurt Airport: http://youtu.be/zNzRW9kfPyM
• Three First Class Lounges: FRA, ZRH, JFK: http://youtu.be/U_r43T4XPuA
• Zürich to Boston on SWISS First Class: http://youtu.be/6ALRMNatEwc
• New York to Frankfurt on Lufthansa First Class: [final video coming soon]

Bonus video: How to walk to the First Class Terminal: http://youtu.be/PA85BzEKqdI

bruce80

Video: Aachen to Frankfurt and the Sheraton Frankfurt Airport: http://youtu.be/zNzRW9kfPyM

"...and I think to myself: what a wonderful world" - I'm already sitting in the noon ICE between Brussels and Frankfurt. When I arrived at the station, there was a dixieland combo playing outside. Louis Armstrong's song is exactly the right tune to start this journey. Oh no. The conductor just announced that our train will be delayed due to "technical problems" on which the driver should already be working. Aachen is the border station where the train has to be switched to a different power system, and things can easily go wrong here - a few years ago, a train even caught fire during the procedure. The master switch has already done its characteristic pneumatic bang several times (you can clearly hear this from my seat in coach 29), but now we're moving.
I'm travelling first class, and the coach is surprisingly full; far from crowded, but not as empty as the usual noon service on this route.


All set!

Cologne Central. While the world-famous cathedral is looming to my right, we are no longer running late. The timetable reserves, combined with a very generous five minute stop in Cologne can easily compensate delays up to 10 minutes. Chances are quite good that we'll arrive in FRA well ahead of schedule, my personal record currently stands at 13 minutes.
Most people have disembarked at Cologne, so I expect a very relaxed continuation of my journey.


ICE first class legroom


Overview of first class coach section

Penalty brake. I have to clutch my suitcase; well, I can understand that it would like to fly today, but patience is a virtue. À propos patience.. I'm still waiting for a waiter to ask for food or drink orders. I desperately need a cup of coffee. In first class ICE, there usually are waiters from whom you may order anything from the on-board bistro menu (well, you'll have to pay the regular prices for it, but at least you don't have to walk to the restaurant car). Today, no waiter has appeared so far. But the floor is extremely stained, they really should renovate the carpet.


Stained carpet

Still no coffee. But we're zipping along the track at nearly 300 kilometers per hour, and I have to say that, although I've been travelling on this route every three or four weeks since it opened in 2002, I am still impressed by the speed. The downside is that the train shakes a lot and becomes quite loud. Not the best place to work.


We should definitely arrive on time!

We're almost there. And, as expected, quite a few minutes ahead of schedule. I hve to say, the service on board was entirely nonexistant. There are days when you really receive first class service with free newspapers and sweets being handed out, drinks and food served (both subject to payment) and so on and there are days when there's no service at all. It seems that ICE cabin service level is a similarly subject to luck as airline cabin service is.


Arrived!

After arriving at the station, I instantly made my way to the club & towers check-in - if you are booked in the premium wing, you may check in at the lounge front desk which means that there are usually no lines, although the main reception has never been really crowded (some fellow writers have reported loooong lines there, they even have a separate check-in counter for airline crews) during my three stays there.


Corridor


Room, as seen from the door


Room, as seen from the window


The bed


Armchair with ottoman, not very comfortable


Bathroom amenities


Coffee amenities


Connectivity options. The covered sockets provide an US power port

I'm now sitting in the "Towers Lounge", the hotel's executive lounge, after running around the airport a bit, shooting footage for the video report and having lunch at the T2 McD (unfortunately, this is the only place in FRA where you can get an unbostructed view of the apron; obviously, fast food restaurants are THE spot for spotting all around the world ). Some thoughts about the hotel. This is one huge complex, they say that they have 1007 bedrooms, which are located in three more or less independent wings. My club room is located on 7th floor of the premium (i.e. club, SPG and suites) wing while the lounge is situated on the top floor. Originally, I've had a hard time deciding whether to try one of the new Hiltons in "The Squaire", right across the motorway, or choose the Sheraton again which has never been a disappointment. I chose not to take the risk but to resort to well known premises (ok, obviously I'm getting old) which seems to have been the right decision. Although many people keep complaining about the huge building and unpersonal service (especially on TA) I have to say that I really cannot say anything bad about it. I received an extremely warm welcome at the lounge check-in, they recognized me as a returning visitor (despite not holding any status with SPG) and I really cannot think of anything that would dissatisfy me. Although the club rooms have been refurbished almost two years ago, they still look good and clean; and the Towers Lounge is still one of the best hotel lounges out there, especially around brakfast time. And while I'm sitting on the lounge balcony, the fantastic sound of an ANA 777 on short final for 25R adds to the atmosphere.


LH 346 on short final for 25R

Continued below

bruce80

To spend some time on the afternoon (originally, I had planned to visit some relatives in Frankfurt, but unfortunately, they didn't have time for me), I had wandered around the airport to shoot some pics and video footage. Here's a selection of FRA airport pics, with a big emphasis on "New Work City" (the advertising claim of the Squaire Building).


The hotel from the outside. All the high buildings belong to the hotel


The Squaire floor plan


The Squaire, long-distance railway station


The Squaire from the outside, as seen from the lounge balcony

Sitting in the lounge again. I have spent the evening by visiting the spa area; I have to say that the service there is really great. I was greeted by a very polite clerk (too polite for my likings) who explained everything to me. They have a sauna, a steam bath and a rest area with heated recliners, and they offer free water, citrus fruit and tea. While the spa area isn't particularly cozy, it serves it's purpose. I've had trouble with my key card all day, both in the elevator and at my room door. Finally, the card wouldn't let me into the spa/fitness area and exec lounge, so I complained to reception who instantly issued me a new card. No hassle at all. After my adventures, I went to the lounge for a quick supper. While the food in here is nothing fancy, it's alright for a small meal after a relaxing day. Sadly enough, I have to say that food quality seems to have decreased since my last stay one and a half year ago; when I tried to get a dessert, only a single piece of apple pie (quite good, however) was left at half past 8 pm, and so far it hasn't beem refilled yet. Not sure whether I would be satisfiec with that if I had paid 90 EUR for one-day lounge access (that's the normal rate at which you can purchase access if you don'd stay at the hotel). I will now have a few drinks up here and then call it a day. A first class journey is awaiting me.


Lounge overview


Lounge overview


Seating


Afternoon snack


Evening snack selection


Evening snack, carrot soup


Free booze, self-service


Breakfast selection, in addition to rolls, danish and cereals

bruce80

Video: Three First Class Lounges in FRA, ZRH and JFK: http://youtu.be/U_r43T4XPuA

Good morning. Once again, I haven't slept too well - the curse of not being able to get a really deep and relaxing sleep in hotel beds is obviously still following me. I've had breakfast in the Towers Lounge and I have to say that the quality of meals there has definitely decreased. While you can still have made to order eggs cooked by a dedicated chef, the overall spread isn't as good as last year, both quantitatively and qualitatively. But well, as I usually only have a small and very basic breakfast, this is completely ok with me. Now it's time to check out (of the hotel), to check in (to my flights) and then head to promised land in the form of the FCT.


The first class check in area


FCT from the outside, a very well known sight on FT

OK, here I am. There was "quite" a line at First check-in, meaning that I had to wait for about 5 minutes. When I approached the counter, I asked the very friendly agent wheter my seat reservations had gone through. Unfortunately, this hadn't reslly worked on both legs of my journey. For the FRA-ZRH leg, only the dreaded 1F was left (as there seems to be only a single row of business class - goodbye minivan ), and for ZRH-BOS, he said that someone already had checked in for my reserved 2K. Oh, while I'm writing this, no waiter has approached me yet, although I'm already here for about 15 minutes. I guess I need to flag down one. Ok, back to topic. Instead of 2K, he offered me the famous 1A (I don't really know what all the hype about 1A is all about). I accepted and instantly received my two BP's in a nice silver ticket jacket. He then asked if I knew about the FCT and wished me a good journey. When I looked at the BP for the transat, I was surprised to find 2K printed as my seat number (although the CI agent had clearly shown me how he had selected 1A for me). Well, I always like good news


After a walk of about 3 minutes, was boarding the FCT elevator. Upon arrival, a single Personal Assistant was sitting at her desk, instantly got up and approached me. After a quick check of my BPs ahe ushered me into security. All of this went so quickly that I didn't even have time to shoot some pictures, let alone video footage. Oh, the latte and water that I ordered has just arrived - the waiter instantly apologized when I rose behind one of the partitions. Behind security (I wonder how many times the PAs do the security check ecery day) she asked me whether I had been here before. While I, of course, knew everything that would await me there, I told her the truth and she explained all the lounge features to me. The she wished me a nice stay and informed me about the boarding time at 13:50. Well, here I am now. Time to explore the lounge a bit.


Seating in the lounge


Seating in the lounge

These are my observations: There seems to be no wardrobe, so you have to put your jackets somewhere else. The jackets that are all around here don't exactly add to the lounge's exclusive atmosphere. The armchairs are extremely soft and some arequite narrow; the high armrests make typing on the iPad a bit of a pain, as you don't really have any elbow room. The restrooms, on the contrary, are among the finest I've ever seen, outruling even some of the public bathrooms found in Hong Kong. In the men's lavator, everyone gets their own cubicle with both a toilet bowl and a pissoir. Oh, they are lowering the window blinds, thereby blocking out the not-so-nice view to the outside which isn't much better than the view found in the dreaded olympic lounges in ATH.


Seating in the smoking area


Smoking area, again. Note the different types of armchairs


This is the men's lavatory


Lavatory sink area, there's a shoeshine machine in here


Lavatory amenities

Now that I've returned from the trip, I have to correct myself regarding the wardrobe. There actually is a wardrobe, but it is near the lounge entrance. The seating area itself doesn't have hangers or anything the like which is a bit inconvenient as you'd have to run around the lounge to get things from your jacket that's hung in the main wardrobe. However, there are several small hangers scattered around the lounge (for example, in both the smoking and dining areas). Most people chose to put their jackets onto the seats next to them, something I also did but which makes everything look a bit less clean.

Ok, I have now spotted a clothes hanger, but it's in the smoking room, pardon, cigar lounge. And the lounge is lacking another feature, something all LH lounges seem to suffer from: very few power sockets. They seem to have wireless power transmission here, though. Time to take a bath.


Wireless power - doesn't this cause headaches?

I'm clean again. The bathrooms (if you want to take a bath or a shower, just ring at the counter in front of the shower area) are really huge; I have intentionally skipped showering at the hotel, call me a maximizer, but the shower in the hotel is a bit low for a 6'2 person so I thought that the lounge showers would be a better choice, and they were. When I asked to have a shower cubicle assigned to me, I had to sign my name and flight number on a list and the shower dragon asked me whether I'd require a toothbrush, razor or deodorant. While I declined the two former items, I gladly accepted the deodorant. I received cubicle #4, a room without a bathtub (I believe that only #1 has the bathtub), which is really huge. You have a large sink, a toilet, a quite large shower with a hand shower and a ceiling mounted shower head (turn the knob to the right for the ceiling shower and to the left for the hand shower) and plenty of space to move around. The amenities provided (including comb, nail file, body lotion, conditioner, shampoo and shower gel) are "Etro" branded (never heard of them) and their smell is much more pleasant than the babor amenities offered by Emirates. I have found some minor glitches, though - I have the impression that the FCT is already showing all sorts of wear and tear, especially in the bathrooms. Moreover, the shower sink itself is constructed in a manner similar to those found in ZRH - as you cannot close them, everything in the vicinity (esp. the floor in front of the sink) gets soaking wet, especially if you use the overhead shower. OK, some of you will probably want to bash me for my criticism, but my father is a professor of interior design, and he would probably blame me for not noticing details like that.

By the way, the rubber duckies are only present in the bathrooms featuring a sink; if you still want one, just ask the shower dragon, she'll gladly give you ine of them. To me, she even apologized for not having any of the special edition ones any more (OK, now I'm definitely maximizing).


Sink in the shower room


Shower room


Sink in the shower room


Amenities


More amenities


And finally, the shower


Continued below

bruce80

Just had lunch. Service was fantastic, and I chose to select both my hors d'oeuvres and main course from the buffet when I saw how big a serving one of the other visitors received after ordering a dish from the menu (it seems that you can order all dishes from the menu as a "real" entree or you can help yourself from the buffet). To my disappointment, the antipasti from the buffet were way too cold (something many italian restaurants also suffer from) while the hot dishes were really good (I tried the wok, the chicken and the perch which was too dry). To accompany my entrees, I chose the Chianti (Antinori 2007) which went really well especially with the wok beef and the slightly spicy chicken. To finish the meal, I had the bartender recommend a whisky to me which I'm now enjoying. Still one hour to go until my PA will come to fetch me for boarding.


Breakfast menu


Lunch menu


Lunch menu (continued)


Table setting


Hors d'oeuvres from the buffet


Main, the beef wok


Main, chicken and fish


Dessert, panna cotta and profiteroles

By the way, the panna cotta was advertised as panna cotta on the menu, but looked and tasted much more like a classic french crème caramel, but still had the texture of panna cotta. Weird.


The buffet


Dessert selection

I've just been handed to another PA.. the lady from the beginning seems to finish work for today. She more or less formally introduced me to my new PA and wished me a nice flight.


Latte Macchiato


Nuts and soft drink

OK, with about 20 minutes still to go until boarding time, it's time for a resumé regarding the FCT. Many reviews and reports have raised quite hihg expectations with me; not all of them were entirely fulfilled, and I cannot fully understand the hype that surrounds this lounge. Clearly, the best feature is the soft product. Service is really great, especially when it comes to the waiters and the bar people. The barman has recommended a few spirits (both whisky and rum) which have been among the finest that I've ever had (if you're a fan of those drinks, be absolutely sure to try some of the recommendations). Food raises mixed feelings - while the quality seems to be good, the buffet items definitely suffer from a severe cold. This could be improved. Also, the shower rooms are nice but in no way better or more special than in any 4 or 5 star hotel around the world. And, in the end, this is just an airport lounge. Granted, it's a fancy one, but I wouldn't really rate it much better than, for example, the really good first class lounge in Dubai - except for the service which is much better here.


The main bar


Small bar in the smoking section


Cigar selection. They are also free (sb once wrote you'd have to pay for them)

I've been here for about 4 hours now, and I feel that it's time to leave, as it's getting boring. If you happen to drop by, be sure to take the experience, but don't expect too much. Anyway, this is not the three-star-michelin experience ("worth a journey") that many would attribute to the lounge. It's definitely one of the best lounges in the world, but there is a small number of other lounges around that can easily compete.

Additionally, although several reports here mention it, the lounge is surprisingly small, and felt a bit crowded (compared to the EK FCL in DXB), especially in the dining area where there was no empty table left around noon. There are four armchair seating areas separated by low walls and fabric dividers which can seat about 10 people each, then there's the smoking section which also provides seating for about 20 more passengers and the dining area (haven't counted the seats there) and the relaxation chairs in front of the windows. I believe that the lounge could not hold more than 100 people at the same time and I think that there were about 40-50 passengers in there with me, although it was sunday. The FCT is definitely smaller than any of the DUS, ZRH or MUC business class lounges.

bruce80

Flight: LX 1073
Carrier: SWISS European Airlines
Origin: Frankfurt Rhein-Main (FRA/EDDF)
Destination: Zürich Kloten (ZRH/LSZH)
ETD: 14:20 CEST/1220z UTC
ETA: 15:10 CEST/1310z UTC
Duration: 0:50h
Fare: Business (I)
Aircraft: British Aerospace Engineering Avro RJ 100 HB-IYS "Rot Turm"
Seat: 1D

Only a few minutes after I had written this, my (new) personal assistant came to tell me that my flight would be ready for boarding. I had expected that she'd lead me downstairs to the "boarding gates", instead she asked me whether I would find my own way. I must have looked a bit confused, for she looked quite sceptical when I replied "yes, of course". Downstairs, the driver of a nice black Mercedes S limousine welcomed me and a HON who would be on the same flight and helped both of us get in the car. We taxied, pardon, drove, around the new A+ concourse, heading for our ARJ parked at one of the remote positions. While the ARJ flights to and from ZRH aren't anything special for me as I have this pleasurable experience about once a month, being driven to the aircraft in a limo surely is. We had to wait a few minutes until the other passengers would have boarded and then our driver finally released us from the car.


Limo ride to the apron position

Upon boarding, both the HON (who had breathed very heavily while listening to some political cabaret podcast) and the purser asked me whether I would be OK if I switched seats with the HON (he told me that he had had surgery just recently and that he depserately needed the window seat). Well, what choice did I have? So I settled down on the dreaded 1D after which the usual procedures of refreshing towels, water bottles and newspaper commenced. After we had boarded, boarding was completed and the purser informed us about our flight time of 40 minutes. The rest is quite unspectacular. A takeoff roll on RWY18, some thermal-indiuced turbulence, a small plate with a cheese roll and some cake and a glass of water and white wine later we are already commencing our descent into ZRH. Same procedure as last week.


Standard fare on < 1h LX flights

50, 40, 30, 20, 10. It's funny how you can her the radar altimeter callouts on the ARJ. We landed almost on time, a "Business bus" drove me and the other 3 business class passengers to the bus arrival gate and now I'm in the first class lounge.


Business bus. An "exclusive" bus transfer just for business class passengers

bruce80

Video: Three First Class Lounges in FRA, ZRH and JFK: http://youtu.be/U_r43T4XPuA

After being dropped off at the bus arrival gate in Concourse A, I made the very short walk up the escalators and towards the entrance of the first class lounge. I have passed by the entrance quite a number of times and always wondered why they would hide the lounge entrance like that. If you don't know that it's there, you can easily miss it. You have to walk up a spiral staircase (if you need an accessible way to get into the lounge, you may also take the elevator - but as far as I know, it's not signposted at all).


Spiral staircase to the lounge

The dragon told me that I should report at 5 past 5 in the afternoon for the shuttle service to concourse E and then tried to explain the lounge layout to me. However, I chose to look around by myself and almost got lost. While the lounge itself seems to be almost as large (or small) as the FCT, it is much calmer and quieter (almost deserted). There are four more or less completely separated rooms, one of which hosts the restaurant area and bar, another one a buffet, one doesn't feature any service at all and then another one with a very basic self-service bar which seems to have less choice than the adjacent business class lounge. The main advantage over the FCT, in my opinion, is the fact that you have a great tarmac view from here. Just as I'm writing this, an Emirates 777 is taking off from RWY 28 (didn't know that it was long enough), but a system of pipes is blocking the view a bit if you're seated. And there are even less power sockets than in FRA.


Seating in one of the backrooms


Lavatory sink

Sorry, I have to correct myself. There ARE power sockets. But they are well hidden in some kind of pillar between the armchairs. Now let's see whether the restaurant area has some kind of cake or dessert, along with a coffee. Oh. I shouldn't have "ranted" about the FCT.. as I said, the "soft" product is what stands out in FRA. And yes, it does. Even compared to LX. I just asked one of the waiters whether they had any kind of cake or desserts in the restaurant. He replied that I should help myself at the buffet as they only have a single dessert in the restaurant. And then he took my glass of red wine although I hadn't finished it yet. Good that there's only another hour to go. Those pieces of cake from the buffet are tiny. As in microscopic.


Sweets, present on any table


The buffet


A few savoury snacks


Cake. Tiny, tiny, tiny!

Now that I'm compiling this report, I have to give a few more comments on the LX First Lounge. While I had expected it to at least raise a certain feeling of first class, but it didn't really succeed at that. The two rooms down the corridor (those are probably the advertised "VIP-rooms" that can be separated from the rest of the lounge) are just rooms with armchairs in them. They were completely deserted and didn't feel cozy at all. The restaurant was at least nicely decorated, but the large buffet room with a "library area" in the far corner is not really nice as well. I believe (except for the probably better food selection and the tarmac view) that it isn't too different from the SEN lounge next door. Also, the office cubicles are wedged behind a wall near reception. They are very dark and exert a certain feeling of broom closets - I wouldn't want to work in there. And there was no real waiter service, the only opportunity that I was served by a waiter was when I tried to get a coffee from the coffee machine and it started its rinsing cycle while my coffee was being brewed. The waiter shoved me away from the machine and just said "I'll bring you another one". Basically, that was it in terms of service. The food was ok (the hot items maybe a bit stale), and the selection mediocre. And this was also the first time that it occurred to me that my judgement of SWISS vs. Lufthansa might be wrong when it comes to first class. While the intra-european service on LX is clearly better than on LH, I had assumed that this would also hold true for first class. Well, not in terms of the lounge. But I'll see what's still awaiting me - the FCL did indeed disappoint me.

Digital01

Nice trip report! Looking forward to the rest!

bruce80

Flight: LX 052
Carrier: SWISS International Airlines
Origin: Zürich Kloten (ZRH/LSZH)
Destination: Boston General Edward Logan Intl. (BOS/KBOS)
ETD: 17:40 CEST/1540z UTC
ETA: 20:05 EST/0005z UTC
Duration: 8:25h
Fare: First (O)
Aircraft: Airbus Industries A330-300 HB-JHG "Glarus"
Seat: 2K

Video: http://youtu.be/6ALRMNatEwc

So many things have happened since I have written those last few words. And I'm still having dinner. I think you'll have to be patient until I'm finished. Or hold on a second.

While I'm waiting for my soup, I can already start to tell you. After two of the really tiny pieces of cake and half a glass of Rothschild Champagne (didn't even know they produce champagne) it was finally time to report to reception for our lift towards concourse E. When I arrived at the reception, our driver was already waiting for me. He told me that there would be two other people for my flight which did arrive soon after. An elevator ride and a really quick passport check later I was sitting in a very nice BMW 7, together with an (obviously american) couple. Some reviewers have been complaining that you are only dropped off at the E concourse - not with us. Our driver pulled up near gate E52 (and my heart really sank as the only plane around had four engines - old first???), then led us to the elevator and pointed us towards our gate (fortunately, our plane was waiting on the other side of the concourse - and yes, it only had two engines. New first, here I come ). After a somewhat complicated boarding procedure (they had a checkpoint before the checkpoint.. do they check ESTA here?), I was finally on board and directed toward my seat 2K. Soup is coming, hold on a few minutes, please.


Lift to concourse E

Red grapes in a white wine soup? Weird. But let me tell one thing after the other. I'm getting a bit, well, cheerful, so please forgive me if my thoughts wander off. Waiting for the game. No, not one of the IFE games (will try them later) but for the "venison medaillons" that I ordered as my main course. Never had game on an airplane, let's see.

Ok, where did I stop? Oh yes, boarding. Upon boarding, an amenity kit and headphones were already present at my seat. A soon as I settled down, both first class attendants (a male and a female one, both in their late 30s I guess) introduced themselves and we had a little chat, followed by a glass of Grand-Siècle and a bag with pajama and slippers. The american couple are my row mates, and, I don't know how, I engaged in another little conversation with them. We talked about SQ, EK (and how he'd never ever fly EK) and so on. Oh, my game is there. Hang on.


Champagne on the ground, and amenity kit

After a refill of champagne (and an amouse, the nearly forgot me as I had to visit the lav), pushback was initiated. During our taxi to RWY 16 the male part of the couple next to me noticed that his neighbour was missing and asked the purser. The purser replied that there was one passenger who was offloaded due to visa problems, but all of us noticed that his hand baggage was still there. A few moments of confusion later, the purser came back just to say that the person in question was now flying inside the cockpit. The gentleman on 2D gave me a really concerned look and said "oh, well, this DOES bother me". I tried to calm him down as several reports here mention that LX will quite often put their deadheaders into F (and C seems to be quite full today), so I didn't worry. After an almost on-time departure, we were off into a deep blue Zürich sky from RWY 16. No "Airbuzzing" today (the buzzing only came on after the LVR CLB command from the cockpit) and a very scenic departure followed. Uh, I've definitely eaten too much, I need a break.


Amuse bouche, some kind of spring roll

Ok, where did I stop? Ah, after takeoff. Well, shortly after the fasten seatbelt signs were turned off, our attendants prepared to serve dinner. The Maître d' came around to apologize for the irritation caused by the deadheader (not that I would have cared) and to apologize that he'd be serving business class today (does one really have to apologize for that?). I should mention that today, the first class cabin is at a 6/8 load, quite full. Nevertheless, service was almost flawless. Hors d'oeuvres presented on a trolley, soup, the main course, cheese from the trolley, dessert - both of our flight attendants are fantastic. I've had champagne with the appetizers, bordeaux with my main course of game (the wine was a bit cold, so the FA poured it a few minutes before the main course actually arrived), them a cheese course and finally the coffee parfait as a dessert. To finish the meal, the steward tried to advertise several kinds of spirits, but didn't succeed in recommending several swiss kinds of Schnaps, as I stuck with Rémy Martin XO as a digestif. The crew are really great. I've now changed into my pyjama (constantly keeping the FAs from turning my seat into a bed ), listening to a custom playlist of "greatest hits". By the way, they seem to have new pyjamas now, dark blue with a red collar, and with a much less obvious "first class" logo on the breast. They branded "Zimmerli of Switzerland" and feature 100% cotton. Oh, I should mention that the food was absolutely fantastic. Better than in both FRA and ZRH FCLs. And we're on FL 360. This is the way to travel.

Today's F&B choice (aka The Menu): http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/19394413-post168.html


Champagne to accompany the starters


The buffet trolley displaying the choice of starters


Starters: Lobster, Falafel, Salmon


Bread basket


Solothurn white wine soup


Main: Venison Medaillons, Butternut Squash, Potato Roll


Cheese and "Bündner Birnenbrot" ("Grison pear bread")


Dessert: Coffee parfait, vanilla cream and pear compote


Digestif: Cognac and water

Oh, I forgot to mention one thing. While I really want to refrain from political statements in this report, I just have to tell you. Shortly after takeoff, the PIC made an announcement asking that, in cooperation with US authorities, passengers do not congregate anywhere on the aircraft. Especially in front of the lavs. What the hell? Ok, no political statements. No. Céline, Maurice and Robin are singing. Not exactly the time for bad thoughts. Immortality. That's exactly how I'm feeling. One year without intl. first. It's so easy to get used to this. Way too easy.


IFE playlist

We're in the middle of nowhere. Where is our ETOPS altn.? Well, I don't care. The music is still playing. No need for movies. 3500 km to go. The airshow shows how we're escaping dawn. Third bottle of Henniez. And our FA has delivered some kind of anti-slip tray to put the water on. The others are sleeping. I wonder why. We'll be arriving in the evening, so you don't have to sleep during the flight. Although it will be around 2am ZRH time. My iPad needs some power. À propos airshow. Why do they display the locations where ships have sunken? Currently, "Titanic 1912" is displayed. Not really the way to calm down people who are afraid of flying. Or sailing. Fortunately, both our FADEC and FAC seem to work fine.


Talk about macabre


Care for a look outside?

bruce80

We are now about halfway through the flight; time for some thoughts on the cabin layout, the seats and the IFE. Let's start with the seats. At the moment, it's quite dark so there's no use to shoot any pictures, let alone videos. I hope I can do that later. When I first took the seat, I didn't find it exactly "comfortable". It was quite hard, quite high and somehow weird, at least in TOGA position. In more or less reclined position it's just alright, although it might be a little short for me when used as a bed. There's a seat controller built into the console which is nearly as unresponsive as those found in EK's older planes (like the 777 Skycruiser and 343) - fortunately there is also a number of shortcut keys on the console which are quite easy to use. TOGA position, dining position, reclined position and fully flat. Likewise, the ottoman/guest seat can be controlled either by shortcut buttons or the digital controller. I strongly recommend you use the shortcut buttons. The in-seat massage function is a joke. Basically, it just inflates and deflates the lumbar rest - nothing compared to the extensive massage options EK offer. Then, you'll have a function to control the hardness of your seat and the position of individual parts of the seat. Unfortunately, my seat seems to have a will of its own, as everything seems to revert to default a few minutes after I have changed the setting (this especially applies to the headrest position and the air cushions which control the hard- or softness of the seat). There's only little storage space in the console which consists of a small compartment at the guest seat (too small to hold the amenity kit) and another at the main seat (which also houses the IFE control and the digital seat control). It's just enough space to stow away an iPad, a phone and all associated charging devices. A power socket and several connectivity options are provided in those compartments. Some comments on the 1-2-1 cabin layout. As usual, the middle seats don't have overhead luggage bins, but there's plenty of space above the window seats. All seats feature an overhead reading light and a dimmable ambient light, but no gaspers. When the CI agent told me that the entire row 2 was already occupied, I had feared that the level of privacy wouldn't be that great in row 1 as everyone from row 2 would be able to watch you. Now I have to say that this is not the case. From my current position, I cannot see the face of any fellow traveller. I can see what 2G and 1G are watching on their screens, but that's about it. No problem to select row 1 in this cabin. As long as you don't mind that the curvature of the fuselage does limit your space on the window seats of row 1. What's it about 1A, anyway?


Anti-slip tray with water and wine

Ok, let's come to the IFE. New First features a 23" screen (no touch screen though) which is ok. No HD, and not exactly great quality. But it serves its purpose. Controlling the IFE is as confusing as it has always been - I think they are using the Panasonic system. They should really hire another usability engineer. Why do I have to exit the airshow just to pause my playlist? Why does a list refuse to scroll unless I hit "Enter" on the scroll button? I will never understand that. But the music selection is great. Once I had figured out how to use the playlist feature, I instantly went for a "Greatest hits" playlist (none of the movies really stuck out to me), and the noise-cancelling headsets are really good.


Very limited storage space


Amenity kit contents


Amenity kit contents (cont'd)

Fifth bottle of Henniez. While I rarely finish a single one of those during my usual DUS-ZRH flights, I really need the water here. The air is just too dry. Just had a little talk with our FAs in the galley. Asked them how they could take the dry air in a daily basis. They replied that the only solution is to drink as much (water) as you can. At least it's not just me. Two hours to go.

The cabin comes back to life. The pre-landing snack has just been announced. It's a choice of salad, baguette, quiche or cake all of which are not on the menu. I ordered the salad, the FA recommended some raspberry dressing. Let's see what this will be like.


Table setting for pre-arrival snack


Pre-arrival snack: salad


Pre-arrival snack: nougat cake

The salad was ok, nothing to write home about. But my FA talked me into also ordering a piece of nougat cake as a dessert. Great idea. And please, get me a cup of coffee. Somehow, I need to make my way through immigration and to my hotel. It's now a quarter to one a.m. Zürich time. And it's time to get some rest. Seriously.


Pre-arrival hot towel

One hour to go. I just changed back into my civilian clothes. And our FA also seems to have to pay tribute to the late hour. I had ordered a Cognac which she forgot, and when I repeated my order, she asked whether I would like Chivas. Well, whisky is just as good. Cheers.

I have to say that this was a very pleasant flight. The FAs were friendly and attentive while not being intrusive (while the others slept they disappeared into the galley only to check upon us once or twice an hour). The seat itself was not that comfortable in TOGA position, but once reclined it was alright. I didn't try the fully flat position, but in reclined position, legroom was somewhat restricted (the soles of my feet always touched the back of the ottoman/guest seet) and unfortunately, the massage function is a joke. While other seats feature a strong vibrating massage, the massage delivered by these seats only consisted of a barely noticable inflating and deflating lumbar rest. The cabin itself features a good amount of privacy without feeling cramped. The only thing that was a bit disappointing were the lavatories. There's only a single lav for first class and it's as cramped as any other lav. While the business class lav features lotion (the usual Valmont brand) in small tubes that can be taken from the lav, the first class lav has two large bottles of La Prairie hand lotion and face fluid, nicely arranged on a signature slate plate.

Disembarcation (through 2L only) was a bit chaotic as most business class passengers got to deboard first, but there were no queues at immigration at all, and after answering the usual more or less intelligent questions my bag was one of the first to emerge from the baggage system. I think it didn't take longer than maybe 15 to 20 minutes to get from plane to taxi.

All in all I can say that this was a very pleasant flight, while there was nothing that really stood out.

bruce80

Flight: B6 687
Carrier: JetBlue
Origin: Boston General Edward Logan Intl. (BOS/KBOS)
Destination: Washington Ronald Reagan National (DCA/KDCA)
ETD: 11:10 EST/1220z UTC
ETA: 12:49 EST/1310z UTC
Duration: 1:39h
Fare: Economy w/o Extras
Aircraft: Airbus Industries A320-200 N649JB "Fancy Meeting Blue Here"
Seats: 16EF,17EF


After only one night in the Holiday Inn Beacon Hill in Boston (see below for comments on the numerous hotels we visited during the trip), it was time to head to the airport again to meet the rest of the gang. The others had booked this flight by lowest price and had only paid about USD 50 per person for the single leg, while my later booking yielded approximately USD 80 (still a very reasonble price for a single leg of this distance - definitely on par with LH's intra-german single-trip fares). And as I had neither heard nor read about JetBlue before booking the flight, I didn't really know what to expect. Wikipedia (at least the german version) lists JetBlue as a low-cost airline while the in-flight services announced on their website led me to the conclusion that B6 is definitely not a low-cost carrier (in terms of no-frills etc.).

Check-in was a bit fussy as the booking system had crashed just before I arrived in the check-in hall and I had to wait for about 15 minutes while the attendants tried to boot every single check-in counter in order to find one that was working. One piece of baggage is free, additional baggage may be checked for a fee (which is quite reasonable as well). B6 more or less have their own terminal in Logan, which didn't look very special. Just an ordinary domestic airport terminal with a limited number of small shops, an electronics vending machine and quite a lot of Dunkin' Donuts outlets (obviously, DD are a sponsor of B6). Security did take veeeeery long (I believe we queued for about half an hour as they clearly had too few trays to put your hand luggage through the x-ray machine) and we proceeded to have a paper cup of coffee while waiting for our flights. The waiting areas have seats with power sockets and usb ports (to charge phones) but otherwise resembled the usual waiting areas in airports around the world - no lounge here, of course. By the way, the queue for "even more"-customers (who receive exit row seats or seats in the first several rows of the plane, as well as fast-track security at a certain fee) was almost as long as the queue for standard passengers. Glad that we haven't taken the extra offer.

The flight was delayed by about half an hour due to late arrival, but they made announcements every few minutes to keep us informed. Boarding went as usual, and the plane was really packed. The seats are quite comfortable, and, being used to LH and LX NEK products, I found the slogan "even more" quite appropriate - even in row 17, the legroom was better than expected and absolutely ok for a flight of this duration (sorry, I forgot to take a legroom shot). The seats on this plane very much resembled the old LH product in terms of cushioning and appearance.

After a quick takeoff, we did a full circle around the airport (very strange as I couldn't find any SID that would require a 360 degrees turn) and service commenced. And this did indeed impress me. Instead of delivering small servings of drinks from the trolley as I'm used to by flying LH or LX, the FAs came round to take orders. Definitely not a low-cost airline, serving their regular passengers in a way that you'd only get in business class back in Europe. And instead of pouring a small amount of coke from a bottle, they served an entire regular can.


A full can of coke

While alcoholic drinks are subject to a (not really cheap) fee, coffee and tea are Dunkin' Donuts branded and also come in quite large servings compared to european standards.


Dunkin' Donuts tea

After all passengers had received their drink, snack service commenced. We had the choice between a sweet option (I don't really remember what it was) or their signature potatoe chips made from purple Vitelotte potatoes (these chips are quite expensive if you are ever able to find them in a local supermarked back home) which were handed out from a large bag.


Purple chips

The rest of the flight went fairly uneventful (my companions were mostly playing around with the live tv entertainment system which is built into every headrest) and although all of them are more or less afraid of flying, nobody seemed to be overly anxious. After a spectacular approach to RWY19 we landed about 10 minutes behind schedule, collected our baggage and took the hike to the metro station.

I really have to say that the level of service and especially the value for money have impressed me quite a bit. Usually, I don't expect too much from economy class flights (and even from shorter business class flights), but this airline really outperformed anything that I've ever experienced in economy class. If I had to take domestic US flights, I would not hesitate to book them again, regardless of alliances or mileage programs.

tomashi

Very insightful report so far! I like that you are very honest about everything and don't feel obliged to praise the experience no matter what, just because you didn't pay for a full-price-ticket.

But let's agree that is still quite a privilege to be able to fly in international F every now and then on an award, isn't it?

-Tom

bruce80

Thank you. Well, this was my first award redemption in first class - last year, I've done two first class trips on EK which I've paid for, taking advantage of several special offers, so the value for money ratio was quite good. But I'm quite sure that I wouldn't pay the full 8500 EUR for a for a return trip to the US in F, as I think it's not really worth it. Hence, I've tried to judge the airlines as if I had paid the full fare. It's no use for anyone to read a report where the reviewer wears "pink glasses" (as we say in german when someone completely ignores the weaknesses or downsides of something) and then books a flight at a ridiculously high fare just to be disappointed that his expectations are not met.

It definitely is - and I would definitely not file an official complaint about something that may go wrong (well, on this trip, everything was fine) when I haven't really paid for such an experience.

bruce80

Travelling the east coast by train required us to find suitable accomodation for a total of 8 nights. As I still hold platinum status with PriorityClub due to my last year's travel, the decision was easy to book IHG properties where possible, thus extending my status into 2013. As had had quite positive experiences on CrownePlaza, this brand was my favorite, and I tried to book executive/club rooms where possible so as to increase the probability of a suite upgrade. Well, I didn't receive any upgrade and the level of service experienced in most of the hotels didn't meet my expectations (ok, I'm probably spoilt by my asian experience).

I didn't take many pictures of the hotels or the rooms, but as Mrs. Bruce may still have some room pictures on her camera, I'll possibly add them later.

Holiday Inn Beacon Hill, Boston, MA
Length of stay: 1 night
Room type: Prepaid Executive, no upgrade
Questionnaire review: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/19328966-post3815.html

I chose this hotel mainly due to its convenient location to the airport. A metro line which takes you directly to the airport stops only two blocks away, and it is easily reachable by taxi in about 15 minutes (cost: approx. USD 30 incl. tips). I arrived around 9 pm when the lobby was quite busy. The check-in procedure was quick but not overly friendly or welcoming, and I was given a breakfast voucher for the next morning (executive rooms include breakfast, and as they don't have a lounge, every executive guest receives one of the voucher). The room itself was spacious, but I really didn't like the decor. Apart from a huge flatscreen tv, everything looked quite 90's - the bathroom was ok and featured a large shower sink (I suspect that they had bathtubs there some years ago) among all the usual amenities. The bed was comfortable enough, but the A/C was really loud, especially as it continuously switched on and off. Fortunately, temperatures were only around 65F so I could easily leave it switched off during the night.

A strange event occurred shortly after I had moved into the room. A sheet of paper was slipped under my door, and the sheet contained a welcome letter that had obviously been photocopied several times. Don't you hand out welcome letters at reception? In the middle of the night another noise awoke me, and once again it was a piece of paper slipped under my door - this time, the express check-out bill.

Well, I went to bed early and cannot say too much about the other features of both the room and the hotel itself. However, outside noise was noticeable, but not loud enough to keep me from sleeping. The next morning, breakfast was served in one of the conference rooms on the top floor, as the main restaurant was closed due to renovation. Upon entering the breakfast room, I was greeted by a friendly lady who explained to me that my voucher was only good for continental breakfast, that I may only use the left part of the buffet including boiled eggs and that I could upgrade to full breakfast for USD 4. I declined, as I really don't eat too much for breakfast and enjoyed a breakfast that was ok but absolutely nothing special with a magnificent view over downtown Boston.

After breakfast, it was time to check out again (which, due to the bill I was already holding) went smoothly enough and I was on the road again.

The rate is quite expensive (but so are other Boston hotels) and I think the rooms could definitely use a renovation with modern furniture. Otherwise the hotel seems to be ok.

My rating: 3 out of 5.

Crowne Plaza The Hamilton, Washington, DC
Length of stay: 2 nights
Room type: Prepaid Executive, no upgrade
Questionnaire review: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/19376917-post3829.html

I had selected this hotel mainly due to its convenient location in the middle of everything. Upon arrival, one receptionist was busy with another guest and the second one seemed to prepare for her break. When we approached the desk, the second receptionist interrupted her peparation to take care of us. I had the impression that she wasn't too happy about the slight delay to her break as she handled us quite curtly; she only explained that, due to my platinum status, we were entitled to a free breakfast in the restaurant each morning. No explanation where to find the elevators, no explanation of executive room benefits (the webpage said something about "afternoon reception" and "evening hors d'oeurvres") - additionally, why did we receive the breakfast as platinum holders? Upon booking, the rate description for exec rooms clearly stated that a free lounge breakfast was included in the rate. Well, I didn't mind as I thought that all information could be found in the in-room information folder.

The hotel itself is situated in a historic building next to Franklin Square, and the McPherson Square metro station is only one block away. The building itself is in an excellent state and the historic building stock has been entirely preserved. The rooms also fit in well, they are not overly spacious but the furnishing and decor fits in quite well with the rest of the building without the lack of modern touches like flat-screen tv, coffee making facilities and a free bottle of Fiji water present on the room (no refills, though). We received a room directly next to the elevators (not exactly what you'd expect to get as a platinum guest) and the "ding" of the elevator bell was clearly noticeable in the room. Otherwise, almost no noise was heard in the room. Some reviewers on TA and in the IHG forums on FT have complained about loud A/C noise, but I have to say that there is only a constant low humming around - I found it calming rather than disturbing.

When I looked at the information folder, I couldn't find any information on the location of an executive lounge, nor on any of the executive benefits mentioned on the website. As we didn't expect to spend more time in the hotel than absolutely necessary, I didn't really mind - however, as I had seen a picture labelled "executive lounge" on a booking site, I was really wondering whether there is a lounge and where it might be located (I later found out that the picture actually showed the elevator lobby of 12/F which was equipped with a number of armchairs and small tables). Additionally, I discovered that a waiter was present in the lobby each evening and that there was a tray with a bottle of wine or two around - this was probably the thing called "evening hors d'oeuvres" on the website. Well, I didn't care, as the lobby didn't seem to be too great a place to hang around.

Breakfast was quite good (at least compared to what we'd receive in the next few days), with a buffet selection of fresh fruit, bread, cereals, oatmeal, sausages, bacon, pancakes and made-to-order eggs. Breakfast also caused a bit of trouble as they couldn't find our room number on their list; they asked us to show our key card and then said, ah, ok, you are entitled to breakfast as a platinum status holder (don't know how they could determine that by looking at the key card).

All in all, the hotel is quite nice a location, but service was a bit sub-par, especially as I believe that we'd have received exactly the same benefits (like an upgrade to an executive room and free breakfast) if we had booked the cheapest room they had on offer.

My rating: 3 out of 5

Hotel Brexton, Baltimore, MD
Length of stay: 1 night
Room type: Prepaid Standard

Initially, I had planned to spend three nights in DC, but upon booking it turned out that the third night was sold out in more or less all of the hotels I had researched (probably due to something related to election campaigns), so I decided that we'd spend one night in Baltimore before heading on to Philadelphia. This time, Mrs. Bruce had selected the hotel and chose a boutique hotel that had received very positive reviews on TA.

The rate wasn't exactly cheap (we paid around USD 200 for a single night) but breakfast was included and it seemed like we could walk there from the station. Arriving in the late afternoon (and the walk from the station turned out to take about 20 minutes), we were greeted quite friendly in the very small reception (the hotel is also one of the "historic hotels" located in a restored building). Unfortunately, we received a room on the ground level, directly above the accessible basement entry, so we were unable to open the window blinds so as to avoid every passer-by to look in. The room, too, was not too spacious but absolutely adequate while it had the highest ceiling I've ever experienced in a hotel room. Coffee facilities were present along with water (while the water is not free), and the decor was a mixture of modern and antique. Both of us especially liked the glass basin in the bathroom while the armature was a bit complicated to use. The bathroom was completed by standard-fare shower cublicle.

As we had primarily selected the hotel as a location for a one-night layover, it wasn't too centrally located and we had to walk for about 30 minutes to reach the harbor. Not a location I'd choose for a prolonged stay, to be honest. The included breakfast is served in a really small basement room (as all room rates include breakfast, I wonder how crowded this might get if everyone in the hotel turned up for breakfast at the same time). Most reviewers mention the fully automatic coffee machine where you can select from a variety of coffee specialities, including flavor shots - but I have to say that the coffee wasn't particularly good. Apart from coffee, breakfast included a small selection of cereals, yoghurt, toast and danish. It was ok, but that's all I can say about it - don't know why many reviewers mention the "excellent breakfast" in this hotel, as it wasn't excellent at all.

Staff were very friendly at all times, and the receptionist even gave us two free bottles of water (usually, you'd have to pay for them) upon checkout to support our walk to the station. The building and the rooms are quite nice, the breakfast is below average, so is the location of the hotel, and the rate seemed a bit high.

My rating: 4 out of 5

Sheraton Downtown, Philadelphia, PA
Length of stay: 2 nights
Room type: Prepaid Executive

When booking the trip, I had originally selected (and booked) the CP Philadelphia West which is located a bit outside of downtown. As I had booked a flexible rate and ratings on TA were rapidly decreasing in the weeks before our trip (especially mentioning heavy prostitution around the hotel), I decided to cancel the reservation a week before I left home, and booked a prepaid rate in the centrally located sheraton at the same price instead (and as I was signed up for a 500 points/night bonus, this would also double my SPG balance).

Arriving in the evening, we walked from 30th St. station to the hotel in 17th St. (quite a hike), check-in went smoothly and very business-like ("Let me see - here's your key card - lounge is on 26/F - SPG number on file - thank you") and we took the elevator to our room on 25/F. Mrs. Bruce was instantly impressed by the view from the room (we got the "station side" of the building which features an unobstructed view across the landscape while the rooms on the other side only look at nearby skyscrapers. The room itself was quite large and quite "sheraton". An enormous bed (even larger than the usual king bed), armchair, desk, two bottles of water (replaced daily) and a coffee machine with starbucks coffee. The bathroom is quite large with a strange kind of mixture between shower sink and bathtub, but the decor looked a bit 80s/90s style - like Boston (and later Edison) the really need refurbishment with updated furniture.

After getting rid of our belongings in the room, we decided to take a look at the executive lounge on 26/F. The lounge also looks out over the station and library, but that's pretty much the highlight of the lounge. The decor and furniture looks as outdated as the rooms and the offerings are clearly sub-par. Apart from coke, diet coke, sprite and water no drinks are offered (in the evening, you can obviously purchase wine or the like), they had a coffee machine which didn't work, and the coffee from the dispenser was already cold in the morning. In terms of food, they only offer crackers, cereal bars and, in the evening, carrot sticks and a single hot dish (penne bolognese if I remember correctly). We didn't spend too much time in the lounge but instead decided to take a look at the fitness center and pool. Also an underwhelming experience, the fitness room seems to be ok while resembling a high-school gym, and the pool wasn't much better.

The hotel itself is conveniently located, the rates are ok and so are the rooms. If you book a top-floor room, you are quite likely to receive a great view which easily compensates for minor glitches that may occur. I'd probably book this hotel again, but I
doubt that I'd choose the executive rate again.

My rating: 4 out of 5

Crowne Plaza Edison, Edison, NJ
Length of stay: 1 night
Room type: Flexible Executive
Questionnaire review: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/19376991-post3830.html

In order to avoid the really high rates in NYC, I decided that we'd spend one night outside New York while moving from Princeton to NY. As we were travelling by train, I had to select a town with a station, and in the end, I chose Edison over New Brunswick.

Arriving at the station, we decided to walk the approximately 2 miles to the hotel - I don't know whether this was a good decision. As soon as we started walking, I realized the reason for the cheap rate that I'd booked here - we were stuck in the middle of nowhere. A typical rural american town, Edison features not much but a main road (the Lincoln Highway) with gas stations, car dealers and fast food joints to the left (and to the right). Sidewalks were almost non-present (who would walk here, anyway?) and the hike to the hotel turned out to be quite exhausting. We instantly decided to take advantage of the free shuttle service the hotel advertises on their website the next morning.

Upon arrival, we were greeted by a really brusque receptionist who didn't talk more than absolutely necessary. As platinum guests (at least I believe so) we received a paper bag with two cookies, a bottle of water, and a voucher for the bar and were then sent to our room on 5/F (the building only has five floors). The room (a corner room) was really huge. I thought, if they'd put up a wall in the middle of the room, they could sell it as a suite - with a kitchen sink, large bed, sofa, desk and so on, everything you could ask for was present, even though the decor once more didn't meet my taste - again, it looked very much 90s, but obviously, many US hotels seem to feature this style. The only obvious downside to the room was the gargling sound that emerged the kitchen sink when someone used the bathroom bassin. I then headed out of the room to take a look at the exec lounge. But surprise, it was closed. We phoned reception to ask about it and they told us that it would only open monday through thursday (while it was saturday). No mention of this in the rate description, on the website or in the information folder. At this point, I wondered how we'd receive our included breakfast. While the hotel restaurant seemed to be reasonably priced, we decided to visit the Pizza Hut a few hundred yards away. After returning from dinner, a function was going on in one of the ground-floor meeting rooms (obviously a wedding) and the "president's children" seemed to have quite a lot of fun in their suite (the president's suite was located directly opposite to our room, fortunately, the children weren't loud enough to disturb us) and we decided to take a seat at the bar. After we settled down, a waiter approached us. When I showed my voucher, he didn't even bother to ask Mrs. Bruce for her order but returned with a single glass of red wine. Very strange. As the bar didn't exert an air of real cozyness, we decided to go to bed after I had finished my glass of wine.

The next morning, Mrs. Bruce asked at reception about our breakfast. They told us that we could have breakfast in the restaurant, but that we'd have to pay for it. We declined and asked about our shuttle to the station. And, oh wonder, they replied that they didn't offer the shuttle service on sundays but that they could call a taxi instead (which, of course, we'd have to pay). As both of us weren't up for discussion, we simply submitted and had a quite affordable taxi ride (USD 5 excl. tips) to the station.

While the hotel seems to be ok, the service and the staff clearly isn't. But regarding the rate which was really affordable I didn't really mind - but decided to file a complaint on the missing executive benefits at both the DC and the Edison hotel with PriorityClub later which was only replied by a standard blah blah of "we appreciate your feedback and are sure that all measures will be taken blah blah".

My rating: 2 out of 5

Crowne Plaza Times Square, New York, NY
Length of stay: 1 night
Room type: Prepaid Executive
Questionnaire review: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/19377076-post3831.html

For the last night, I thougt we could spend a bit more than usual and I chose the CP Times Square, only one or two blocks north of Duffy Square. Sure, this was probably the most expensive rate that I've ever paid in a hotel but for one night..

We arrived by Subway at the IND 8th Ave 50th St. stop and had to walk several blocks towards the hotel. As a matter of fact, the entrance is not easily found as it is concealed among the huge number of advertising billboards that are attached to each and every building in the area. The entrance itself is quite small and the sidewalks in front of the hotel are always crowded, especially so in the evening. As we were hours ahead of check-in time, we took the escalator upstairs and turned to the dedicated PriorityClub counter to ask where to store our baggage. We had to wait a few minutes (it seemed that both the lobby and the reception were crowded at all times, even at night) and were told by the receptionist that she would check us in as soon as our room would be ready. In the meanwhile we could deposit our baggage downstairs at the exit near the taxi rank.

We obeyed and enjoyed half a day browsing around NYC. When we returned in the early evening, we proceeded to collect our room keys (once again, we had to wait a few minutes to be processed) and then moved to 45/F to have a look at our room. There are two elevator banks, one serving 1/F through 28/F and another one serving 28/F to 46/F with a few stops at public floors in the lower half of the building (e.g. the 5/F fitness center and the meeting rooms on 6/F and 7/F). I hadn't read the signs properly and so we ended up having to change elevators on 28/F.

The room itself featured Hudson River view (you can pre-select the side of your room during the booking process at no cost which I hadn't) and wasn't overly spacious, but had a very nice and modern decor (much more suiting my taste than the other hotel rooms that we'd had). Especially the bathroom was very nice, very clean and entirely white. As it was already half past 6 pm and the executive lounge would close an hour later, we decided to take a look at the lounge. Once again, no information on the location of the lounge could be found in the information booklet, and we phoned reception to learn that it was located on 6/F (a pity that it's not on the top floor as I had expected). We proceeded to the said floor where a children's casting for an advertising production was taking place, only to find that our room keys couldn't open the lounge doors. Peeking through the gap between the double door I could see that the lights in the room behind the door were extinguished and nothing was going on. We went down to reception to complain, and the receptionist apologized that the lounge would probably have closed early due to low demand. At this point, I started to get really angry as this would mean that three out of three (which means 100%) CP properties within a single trip would have their lounges closed or non-existant. I didn't really shout at the receptionist, but obviously telling him about my annoyance led him to make a few phone calls. Upon finishing he told us that we'd probably used the wrong door and told us to try again at the next door (why the hell do they put up signs saying "concierge lounge" at a door that is out of use?). We did try the other door, just to find out that our keys weren't working on it. But this time, I could definitely see that something was going on behind the door. So, once again down to reception to have our room keys re-coded, and then we could finally access the lounge.

The lounge itself is quite nice, with three independent rooms, while the view is not that great (they should definitely move the lounge to the top floor), as you are mainly looking at the backsides of all those billboards. The buffet offers were good, including several choices of soft drinks (and a counter where you could purchase alcoholic drinks), cake, nachos with cheese sauce, veggie sticks and so on. In the morning, an attendant was present outside the lounge to check on room numbers while the brekfast spread was absolutely on par with what you'd expect: fruit, several choices of cereals, coffee, juice, the inevitable oatmeal, several hot choices, and a selection of danish and bread. I definitely don't regret having booked an executive room instead of a standard room with "full" breakfast, especially as the executive rooms are always located on the top floors of the hotel, yielding a really nice view across Manhattan.

After having dinner outside of the hotel, we decided to have a drink at the hotel bar which is located in the lobby to finish off the day (and most of the trip). When we settled down at about half past 10 pm, we were approached by a waiter who told us that they were doing last orders. I had a martini which was quite good, but 10 minutes later, they turned on full lighting and started to clean the coffee machine which made a very loud and annoying buzzing sound. While all of this happened, about 20 people were still present in the bar area and more people kept dropping in. I really don't understand why they would close their bar at 11pm when demand for a later curfew was obviously existent.

The CP Times Square was, both in terms of room and the lounge, definitely the best (and the most expensive) hotel that we've had during this trip, hadn't it been for the trouble with the lounge and our key cards. Oh, and there's another downside to the location: As the hotel is located right in the middle of everything, upon leaving the hotel, you are dropped off right in the middle of everything; especially in the evening, it was a bit hard to get from the hotel to the next Subway stop, as the streets are crowded by sheer masses of people. Great for sightseeing, but I doubt that I'd choose this hotel on a business trip.

My rating: 3 out of 5

bruce80

Video: Three First Class Lounges in FRA, ZRH and JFK: http://youtu.be/U_r43T4XPuA

OK, here I am now at JFK T1. Took the LIRR from Penn to Jamaica, followed by an airtrain ride and did my check-in. Check-in was quick, however, I had the impression that the agents thought that I didn't belong into first class; exactly the effect that I had intended to create, wearing a blue jeans and an old white t-shirt. But don't worry, I'll re-dress in the lounge. I'm now walking around outside the terminal to get the last few rays of sun. I'm quite early for my 9:50pm departure (it's now roughly 4:30pm), but I didn't want to run around town with my bags all day. After check-in, I went to the restrooms in the check-in hall; boy, those are nasty.. apart from the cubicles being too small to fit into with a medium-sized bag, they are just ugly and dirty. Avoid at all costs. While I am writing this, a convoi of cars escorted by the police and some black civilian vans has pulled up. A few military representatives have emerged from the cars and were escorted into the terminal by several guys in black suits wearing earplugs - I thought this would only happen in a movie. By the way, first class check-in is located at the end of the check in desks, and baggage gets special treatment. After applying the HON priority tag (and I'm only a tiny FTL), my bag wasn't thrown into the conveyor system but loaded onto an exclusive baggage cart. Very thirsty, ahh, firsty.. à propos thirsty. Time for security and off we go into the lounge.


Terminal overview


First Class check-in


Main concourse

Security was a breeze (the fast track was actually fast), and after a thorough look at the (quite tiny) concourse and some duty free shopping (they really double, triple and quadruple check everything here - first, my passport against the boarding pass. Then the passport against my face. And then, my credit card against the boarding pass) I'm now sitting in the SEN part of the lounge. My first SEN lounge. Not much of a difference compared to the Business Longes if you ask me. But maybe the catering is better. I'll check that out later. The lounge is almost empty at the moment, but so is my phone accu. Let's hope there will be a good opportunity for pictures and videos later.


Senator TV area


Senator Lounge area


Tarmac view


Senator dining area


Senator buffet


Senator buffet


Senator buffet


Senator buffet


Senator attended bar

Done with both pictures and videos. And I also had time for a shower. Now this is strange. There are two shower rooms on SEN level, both had their doors wide open. I went down to reception to ask where to register for a shower, and the LD told me that I should report to someone at the bar. I did that just to be told to walk into a shower of my choice. How do they know that a shower stall needs to be cleaned? Or don't they clean it? I don't reall want to know that. The shower rooms are really large (I believe they are accessible, but only one of them is actually marked as accessible), but the air in there is freezing (as the entire lounge). They don't provide a floormat or slippers, so I laid the smaller of the two towels on the floor in front of the (quite large) shower sink. Amenities provided include the aforementioned towels, disposable razor, toothbrush, toothpaste, shaving creme and shampoo, conditioner as well as shower gel from a dispenser. Nothing fancy. While I really cannot complain about water pressure (I've never had poor water pressure in a lounge shower) the water temperature kept constantly changing between too cold and too hot. And the mirror above the sink is poorly lit. Not much more to tell about. Is it already time for a drink? I believe it is.


Shower room


Shower amenities


Shower amenities - not so nice


Shower room

Now, this guy at the bar knows how to do his job. I ordered a gin & tonic to start off the evening, and he prepared the drink right before my eyes. After each step, he asked whether it was "OK". Choice of gin (Bombay/Gordons), choice of lemon/lime, quantity of ice, quantity of gin, quantity of tonic. Great. Lufthansa seem to know which bartenders to hire. I'll hang around for a few more minutes, enjoying my drink, and then head up to the "nice restaurant" that the lounge dragon had initially advertised to me. Time for first class.


Gin tonic in the senator lounge


and some nibbles from the buffet

Continued below