Good news for American Airlines premium customers in Miami.  American has re-opened its Flagship Lounge effective December 16th.  Details about the lounge can be found here.  The Flagship Lounge is for First Class passengers on international itineraries as well as transcontinental flights on three class aircraft.  Oneworld Emerald customers are welcome to enjoy the lounge when traveling on eligible flights.

I recently completed a two-night stay at the new W Atlanta – Buckhead. The hotel recently opened after a year-long conversion from its former life as a Crowne Plaza Hotel. The lobby decor is a bit brighter than most W Hotels I’ve visited. One of the first things I noticed was that without fail, every employee I passed went out of their way to greet me and welcome me to the hotel. Not that other W’s aren’t equipped with pleasant staff, but this one seemed to place a focus on making sure hotel staff made guests feel welcome.

Check-in

Check-in was staffed with only one person, but I was the only person checking in so that did not cause any delay. The gentlemen behind the desk was helpful and pleasant. He thanked me for being a Starwood Preferred Guest Gold member, and offered me my choice of rooms; high floor, low floor, etc. I took a Wonderful Room on the 8th floor. As we completed check-in formalities, the desk agent gave me the rundown on hotel features, restaurant locations, bars and such. With that, I was on my way to the room.

The Room

My 8th floor Wonderful Room was located near the end of the hallway, at just about the right distance from the elevator and ice machine. The entry foyer is equipped with a marble floor which it shares with the bathroom vanity area. The room did not seem as large as the same category of room at the W Atlanta Midtown, but was by no means too small. It had everything a business traveler needs including a large desk equipped with plenty of electrical outlets. Both wired and wireless internet access were available. The 32″ plasma TV was fantastic, and was mounted on the wall where all plasma TV’s should be. The W feather bed (King size) was comfortable. The room is also
equipped with an over-priced munchie/wet bar.

The bathroom was interesting. The vanity area was essentially part of the room with a sliding panel door separating the toilet and the shower from the rest of the room. I suppose the shower is of European origin with a half glass panel enclosing the area, but with no curtain or door. I don’t think I’m doing a good job of describing it. Just know that the “rainforest” shower rocks and even though there’s no curtain or door, closing the sliding door that separates the shower area and toilet from the rest of the room kept the temperature comfortable.

Dining Options

I did not eat in the hotel restaurant, Market, but it looked pretty well attended each night. The hotel refers to the lobby bar area, and entire lobby area collectively as the Living Room, and some food options are available there. I ordered a burger which was fantastic. But be sure to check the wine list before you order. I asked the bartender for a Cabernet. The Cabernet I received was wonderful, but not worth $18 dollars a glass. Not a complaint, just an observation. Of course, I had 2 glasses. If you’re looking for a little more action, you can step up to Whiskey Blue. I was a little busy to check out the ultra-chic bar scene, but it’s there if you want to. Your status as a guest of the hotel will get you in the door. I think the rooftop location would be nice, especially in warmer months. If you’re jonesing for a little morning coffee, you can pick it up in the Living Room starting at 6:30am.

General Amenities

The W Atlanta Buckhead has a relatively well-equipped fitness center which they call SWEAT on the second floor. There’s also a pool area called…wait for it…. “WET.” There’s also a business center which offers what you’d expect including printing, scanning and fax services.

The Bottom Line

The W Atlanta Buckhead is a new hotel in a very nice area of the city. It is steps from the Buckhead MARTA Rail Station and Lenox Square Mall. Numerous dining and drinking options are a short walk away. The staff I interacted with were extremely helpful and had none of the “I’m too cool to talk to you” pretentiousness that you sometimes find at a trendy hotel like W. If business or pleasure take you to Atlanta, consider the W Atlanta Buckhead. I think you will be pleased with your choice.

Hello there!  Not only am I back from a week on the road, but this is my first post on Boardingarea.com!  What an exciting day!  I’ve completed a successful week of business and relocated the blog all in one week.  My thanks to the folks at Boardingarea for making this so easy.

This weekend I’ll post my review of the new W Atlanta – Buckhead.  Hint: I’ll stay again.  Looking forward to posting my review and looking forward to settling in here at Boardingarea.com.  Thanks for reading.

I rarely blog about United Airlines and the Mileage Plus program. Mileage Plus isn’t a bad program, I have simply decided that United will not be my first choice of airlines when I have a choice. I could write a long list of reasons why I reached this decision, but I won’t. However, I thought the latest news from United was worth a quick post. For a price, United will make certain priority services available to you on a per trip basis. Starting at $25 dollars per trip, you can purchase access to Premier Line (sm) services including priority check-in, priority security lines and priority boarding in seating area one. This really dilutes the value of Premier status in Mileage Plus. I haven’t flown United in well over a year, and my Premier status will expire at the end of February. Now United has given me one more reason to stay away.

I’m off to Dallas and Atlanta this week. I’ve got such a full week, that I’m leaving Sunday afternoon so I can start my week first thing Monday morning in Dallas. Flying American to Dallas and then to Atlanta. I’ll fly Delta from Atlanta to DC. I’ll also be reviewing a new hotel this week, the W Atlanta – Buckhead. I’m looking forward to my stay and I’ll be sure to share the details with you here.

I’ve been so busy with my other job that I haven’t had time to post some good news regarding Delta SkyMiles. In a December 4th press release, Delta announced SkyMiles and Northwest WorldPerks benefits for 2009. Among those benefits, SkyMiles members will be able to qualify for Medallion status by miles and segments. WorldPerks will also introduce Delta’s three-tier award structure. There are some other changes. You can review complete details here.

Stay with Hilton two or more nights between December 1, 2008 and February 28, 2009 and earn six times the usual miles. Registration is required. Click here for details.