When I think of a jacuzzi, I think of a hot tub. Therefore I was quite excited when I saw three or four huge jacuzzis at the Westin Siray Bay. Perhaps stupidly I assumed they would be hot tubs, so late in the evening I changed into my swimming trunks, got a pina colada at the pool bar and got into one, only to find it was cold. It had jets and resembled a hot tub in every way, except the water was cold.

There’s just no lure to me in sitting in cold water (then I’d rather swim, because I get cold if I don’t), so that was a bit of a wasted pina colada.

I was hoping the Le Meridien Khao Lak would have a hot tub, though it doesn’t either… only “jacuzzis.”

Is it a Thai thing, or what? Cause I haven’t seen this anywhere else in the world.

Not a hot tub…

A trend I’ve noticed lately is TSA agents asking questions — not just making small talk — while checking IDs (I experienced it as far back as March at SFO). If TSA agents were actually properly trained in behavior detection or were smarter about the way they did it, I’d say it’s not a half bad idea (though those are two Jupiter-sized “ifs”).

Case in point, while clearing security at JFK earlier in the week the TSA agent asked every single passenger for their first name and where they were flying to. Now maybe I’m just an ass, but I find that to be ridiculous. What exactly are they trying to stop by doing that? Are they trying to stop someone with a fake ID? If so, I’d think someone with a fake ID would at least know the name of the person they’re pretending to be and where they’re flying to. More importantly, the agent asked every passenger the same question, so one would hear it in advance and be able to find out that information before actually being asked.

Anyway, when it was my turn and the agent asked me what my first name is and where I was flying to, I responded with “it’s on my boarding pass and ID, ma’am.” She said “let me ask you again, where are you flying to today and what’s your last name?” I responded with “do I have to answer that in order to be able to fly tonight?”

She said “it depends,” and I responded with “how about I give you another form of identification so you can verify my identity?” She rolled her eyes and tried to call over a supervisor, though he was busy. Instead she looked at my second ID and waved me through.

I know some will say I’m being stubborn and should just answer the question. I can appreciate the sentiment, though feel that at a certain point passengers have to stand up and ask “why?” This, to me, is as silly as being asked what your favorite flavor of ice cream is at the checkpoint. Others will say my frustration is misdirected at the front line agents. I actually don’t want to make their lives any harder, though at a certain point I think the best way to rally for change is to express my displeasure to front line employees and hope they pass it on to their superiors. If 70% of passengers asked why they were being asked something ridiculous, I’d be willing to bet we would see change.

Of course this is nothing compared to the pat down I got from a one armed TSA agent…

To start, let me share where the pictures I posted were taken.

The ice cream picture was taken at the Lufthansa First Class Terminal in Frankfurt. Seriously, it doesn’t get any classier than the Lufthansa First Class Terminal. More on that in the trip report, though Lufthansa probably offers my favorite first class product nowadays (given that I’m left disappointed by Singapore Airlines).

The Drugs Exchange picture was taken at the night market in Bangkok. I only had an evening in Bangkok so that was the extent of what I got to see this time around, though it’s always entertaining, I suppose. It’s funny to be approached by people with massage menus, only to be approached seconds later by someone with… “massage” menus. No thanks.

The most recent picture I posted was of the Westin Siray Bay in Phuket, Thailand. I’ll be posting a full trip report later, though I’ll share just a few thoughts now. First of all, you can’t beat Starwood Platinum status in Asia (for all the complaining I’ve done about Starwood). On a rate of $100USD per night I have a massive suite, free breakfast, free cocktail hour, free internet, etc. It’s an unbeatable value. And the resort really is beautiful, basically set on a big hill.

The service has been fairly lackluster by Thai standards, though here’s my real “issue” — half of the fun of going to Thailand is the cheap massages. Yes, I realize massages are still cheap on the street, but I was damn well shocked by the spa prices at the Westin.

I expect to pay a huge premium at a resort, but the spa prices here are higher than in much of the US. A 50-minute massage costs $107USD all-in (which is equivalent to a $128USD hour-long massage). Like I said, I’m not expecting a $5 massage, but I wouldn’t think a massage would run me more than $60-70USD/hour all-in. Over $2/minute for a massage at a mid-range hotel in Thailand? Seriously?

I wasn’t going to let that ruin my stay, so I still got a massage. Actually, I did one of the “packages.” I’m a numbers guy, though sometimes apply logic selectively. On a per hour basis it was much cheaper to do a 2.5 hour package, though of course I didn’t factor in the diminishing enjoyment.

But here’s the thing — the treatment wasn’t even that great. Don’t get me wrong, it was fine. But the spa doesn’t have any sort of an area to ease you in/out of treatments, so you literally sit in the heat until your treatment room is ready. Want tea? Better hurry up, cause you have to drink it while your junk is hanging out in a woman’s extra small bathrobe.

The package (no pun intended) included a facial. Not my favorite thing in the world, but they’re usually nice enough. The masseuse left the room for 15 minutes during the treatment while cream sat on my face. Fair enough, I realize it has to “work” (or whatever), but usually you get a scalp or shoulder massage while that happens.

Not meaning to nitpick too much, but when I’m paying $128/hour for a massage, I expect much more.

Despite that I’m having a great time and would recommend this property. I’m also looking forward to a change of scenery tomorrow.

A couple of days ago I posted about the Singapore Airlines flight that left me disappointed. I flew New York to Frankfurt in first class with a friend, and we selected the two middle seats in first class so we’d be able to sit together. I’ve flown Singapore Airlines first class many times and have been blown away each time. As I’ve said a countless number of times, each Singapore Airlines flight is a performance by the crew. And despite my high expectations every time, they still manage to exceed my expectations.

My friend, on the other hand, had never flown Singapore Airlines, and I had been raving about it to him for days. So I’m guessing his expectations were even higher than mine had ever been, though I was certain he’d be equally impressed. Singapore just doesn’t disappoint. It’s part of their culture.

Anyway, on to the flight. The first class cabin had only two other passengers in it until a few minutes before departure, when the first lady of Zimbabwe and her entourage filled up half of the first class cabin. The gentleman seated across from me, a German Lufthansa HON member (their uber-top tier status) shook his head and commented to me “it’s nice to see she’s flying first class and eating caviar while half of her country is starving.” It has nothing to do with the problem I had, but just an interesting side note. It was also odd to have her bodyguard seated across from me in first class the whole flight without once reclining his seat.

The captain announced the flight time of 6hr40min, which, as usual, is painfully short for a redeye.

After takeoff my friend tried to recline his seat. While the footrest worked fine, the seat wouldn’t recline in the slightest. Instead there was just a constant thud noise as he pushed the recline button.

We brought this to the attention of the crew, and they had us stand there for about 10 minutes as they tried to fix it. Now, it’s worth noting all three first class flight attendants were trying to fix the seat, so it delayed the service in the rest of the cabin (which is a bit problematic on a short redeye for people looking to sleep).

After 10 minutes they decided there was no way to fix his seat. Fortunately the row of two seats behind us were the only two other seats available, so we were able to move to them. It’s closer to the galley meaning there’s more light, but that was perfectly fine given the situation.

My friend tried to recline his new seat again, and this time it worked. Then he tried to put the footrest up, only to find nothing happened. At this point the flight attendants once again have us stand up as they try to fix his seat, which lasts about 15 minutes. They decide they can’t fix that seat either.

So at this point we’re almost an hour into a 6hr40min redeye not having eaten at all with nothing more than the flight attendants shrugging their shoulders.

The flight attendants suggested we go back to our original seats for dinner (without my friend being able to recline), and then offer to try and manually recline the seat in the other row into bed mode.

Fine, mistakes happen. I think it’s totally unacceptable that two seats in a row are broken in first class, but I suppose it happens, and it’s certainly not the crew’s fault.

But that’s not even my main complaint. If you’ve flown a foreign carrier you’ve probably noticed the role of the “in-flight supervisor.” In the US you have pursers, though that title means nothing. Those are people that get paid an extra dollar an hour to do the paperwork. At international airlines, in-flight supervisors have a totally different role — they’re actually supervisors, and supposed to personally welcome aboard each first class passenger, deal with any issues, and make sure all the other flight attendants are doing their job. As a matter of fact I’ve found the in-flight supervisors at Singapore Airlines to be among the most engaging, and without exception have had them stop by my seat for a few minutes to talk just after takeoff and just before landing when seated in first class.

But this in-flight supervisor was so indifferent that I was floored. He never greeted a single first class passenger, and while he provided service, he didn’t say a single word to either of us. Not once. He would plop down drinks, and whenever I said “thank you” he would just look at me.

The other flight attendants were fine (they were the leading steward and leading stewardess — yes, the three highest “ranking” cabin crew were working first class), though this in-flight supervisor couldn’t have come across as more indifferent. Having a first class passenger with a broken seat twice is a huge service failure. My friend wasn’t looking for any sort of compensation, but you’d think an in-flight supervisor would at least apologize profusely for such a situation. As a matter of fact, none of the flight attendants made any effort to apologize. They shrugged their shoulders and tried to find solutions, but that’s it.

So my friend got off his first Singapore flight rather disappointed and tired (thanks to the short flight time and hour wasted right after takeoff due to them trying to fix his seat and not serve dinner).

So no, even Singapore isn’t perfect… I’m guessing that means the end of the world is near.

Hyatt Gold Passport already has the best top tier elite hotel loyalty program in my opinion, but they’ve just managed to make it even better.

One of the downsides of Gold Passport compared to Starwood and InterContinental in particular is that they only offered 2PM late check-out based on availability, compared to the other programs, which offer guaranteed 4PM late check-out. Well, Gold Passport is stepping up their game and matching 4PM guaranteed late check-out, except for resort and casino properties, where it’s still based on availability.

This is huge. I’ve often struggled with even getting 2PM late check-out, so getting an extra two hours guaranteed is an amazing benefit. The downside is that Gold Passport base members will no longer receive 2PM late check-out as a benefit.

Another benefit is more options for welcome amenities at Summerfield Suites and Hyatt Place hotels, where the current offering is 500 Gold Passport points. At Summerfield Suites properties, Diamond members can instead choose a $5 Guest Market credit, and at Hyatt Place properties Diamond members can instead choose a complimentary beverage. This isn’t interesting to me in the slightest, since 500 Gold Passport points are worth more than either of those options.

Regardless, HUGE kudos to Hyatt for the guaranteed 4PM Diamond check-out.

Pardon me for entertaining myself, but I’m quite enjoying the guesses regarding where I was yesterday and what was wrong with my Singapore flight.

I promise to provide all the answers in the next few days, though in the meantime, here’s another for y’all:

And yes, it’s a new location, different than the one I posted yesterday.