Lobby

On a recent trip I had a quick overnight stay in Las Vegas. Arriving quite late at night and leaving fairly early the next day I wanted to add an extra Hyatt stay. The Hyatt in Vegas are limited – to one. Luckily it is quite close to the airport and has turned in to one of my favourite Hyatt Place properties – primarily as the staff are so friendly here.

Front Desk

I arrived so late that I had the shuttle train to baggage claim to myself. Having arrived on United I should have gone to the new Terminal 2, but nothing stops passengers with hand baggage leaving from Terminal 1 and so I hopped on the train to T1.

Empty Shuttle from Terminal to Baggage Claim at LAS

In the deep dark tunnel to Baggage

Check-In

Although generally taxi prices in Las Vegas a monstrous the Hyatt Place is only about half-way to the strip and so I usually catch a cab rather than waiting for the shuttle. I get the shuttle back though.

The agent at check-in noted my Diamond Status and I confirmed that I wanted the points please. There was a package waiting for me which they quickly located. The room was on the top floor but without the usual strip view. It was one night and so I did not mind.

Hyatt Place Hallway

As one of the first converted the rooms are typically Hyatt Place.

Breakfast

Hyatt Place hot items

Hot items, as well as fruit, cereal, bagels etc. Other items could be ordered from the new Hyatt menu.

Departure

Quick and easy check-out and being the only person on the Hyatt bus I managed to chat to the driver – he was great – and certainly made me feel pleased with my stay.

Summary

A Hyatt Place with just the nicest staff you could ask for. Not a great location for The Strip, but a good location for the airport.

I spent a day flying with USAirways last weekend, from Las Vegas to Philadelphia, and then on to San Juan.

Las Vegas to Philadelphia

US is based in the old terminal at LAS – Terminal A. The First Class line was busy and it took probably 20 minutes to get through security, even when using the nudeoscope. Worryingly,  having seen a lot about the iPad thefts by TSA employees, the x-ray operator was adjusting the contents of bins as they came out of the machine without apparent reason – they were not rescanned. My complaint to the three-striper generated a complaint card.

US Terminal at Las Vegas

No lounge available in LAS.

Plane to PHL

The departure was on time, with First Class being boarded first. After Uniformed Military of course, but without the Global Services nonsense you get with United.

Strip view from Terminal

The A320 felt roomy and the seats were comfortable. I had 2E and when it came time for food selection, there was still a choice left. Eggs or Cereal.

Leg Room

The Eggs were excellent and there were plenty of refills of juice and coffee. We were offered a snack mix before the meals arrived, which I thought a little odd.

Snack

US Breakfast

The other slightly strange this is that there was no entertainment. None! And no WiFi.

We arrived at PHL early and so I had time to visit the Envoy Lounge in the new terminal there before the flight on to SJU.

Envoy Lounge

The lounge is located about mid-way down the International (A) terminal at PHL, and either a short lift ride or up a huge escalator. When I arrived my UA United Club Lifetime Membership got me in without incident.

Envoy Lounge at PHL

View from Envoy Lounge

There are two halves to the lounge – one packed and the other empty – I suppose as most people turn right after Reception and not left. I found somewhere and inspected the food selection. Better than United’s there was however, the same awful cheese and biscuits. In addition there was soup, olives, cookies and a wide range of drinks all self-service.

I left the lounge in plenty of time to get to the gate and was there in plenty of time for boarding.

PHL to San Juan, PR.

This plane was a 757 and I was surprised, and impressed that it had cradle seats – only 3 rows plus one row of coach in the front cabin of a 757 where United packs in 6 rows of First Class. So LOTS of legroom.

Legroom

The food was pretty nice and there was a choice available by the time they got to me in Row 2. The picture shows the Cheese Ravioli. The seat had a massage function and extendable leg rest so it was very comfortable for the flight. However, again, no entertainment and no WiFi.

Dinner to SJU

Cheesecake to SJU

The crew were helpful and attentive with plenty of drinks available.

We arrived in SJU early and were quickly in to the terminal.

Summary

Good flights with good crews but no entertainment on two long flights seems odd!

When I first planned by trip for the few days before the One World MegaDO I planned to go to Las Vegas. I found quite a good deal on a one bedroom suite at The Signature, part of the MGM Complex. I paid about £100, through Jetsetter. (Sponsored Link).  I had some referral cash so this seemed a good deal. In the end it was not such a good deal as The Signature was offering room around $100 when I checked a few days in advance of my stay.

In fact when I read TripAdvisor, I became a little concerned about a couple of reviews which mentioned problems when using reservations made through Luxury Suites International. It turned out that Jetsetter’s offer was through LSI. The property seems to be primarily a timeshare location with some of the rooms rented when unoccupied on a short or long term basis.

The day before I was due to check in I called LSI to confirm which Tower I would be staying in. There are 3.

Upon arrival at the hotel the cab stopped at Security and the Guard confirmed that I was at Tower 1. The cab ride from the airport was about $15. There was no queue at check-in, but as I was there at 2pm, I was warned that the room might not be ready. However, after a little tapping, my room was confirmed on the 30th floor. The agent explained how the hotel worked and where I might find things I needed.

On arrival at the room, my first impression was very good:

Living Room

The living room had a large balcony with a good view of the airport:

Airport View from Balcony

There was a kitchen area and a bathroom (with a shower) in the lounge area.

The bedroom was large, with two windows, and a desk which held the TV also.

Bedroom

The bathroom was large, with a shower and jacuzzi bath:

Bathroom

There were plenty of towels, and bathrobes in the cupboard.

There is a covered walk way which links The Signature to the MGM, and the Monorail. It takes about 10 minutes. There was a Starbucks in the lobby, and a small shop selling sodas, cookies, crackers and beer/wine. The prices in the shop were high, $3 for a small bottle of coke.

I ordered room service which was priced about what I would expect, arrived on time and tasty and well presented.

I left fairly early in the morning and had to walk to Tower 2 as the Tower 1 (and 3) Receptions close overnight. Check-out was easy and taxis were plentiful and outside the door.

OVERVIEW: A pleasant stay where the amenities would have been great if I had been there for more than one night. I would return, but book directly through the hotel web site where the prices seem better.