Introduction
Lufthansa First Class Lounge New York JFK
Lufthansa First Class New York JFK to Frankfurt
A day in the Lufthansa First Class Lounges/Terminal Frankfurt
Lufthansa First Class Frankfurt to Singapore
InterContinental Singapore
Exploring Singapore
The Singapore Airlines Private Room
Singapore Airlines First Class Singapore to Tokyo Narita
Japan Airlines First Class Lounge Tokyo Narita
Japan Airlines First Class Tokyo Narita to New York JFK

My stay in Singapore happened to be over a weekend, so the logical option on the hotel front was to book the InterContinental using an expiring buy one get one free weekend night certificate.

I ended up booking a shophouse club room for 385SGD (~$310USD), expecting that would get me a two category upgrade to an executive suite. With the second night free and all the Royal Ambassador benefits I’d get (late check-out, free internet, free minibar, etc.), it seemed like a steal at $150USD per night.

I took a taxi from the airport to the hotel upon arrival from Frankfurt, which took about 20 minutes.

Hotel exterior

Upon arrival I proceeded to the Ambassador check-in desk, where the agent promptly processed my check-in and offered me a money clip as a welcome gift.

She informed me I had been upgraded to a shophouse suite. While that’s only a one category upgrade, I wasn’t about to argue given that I was traveling alone so wasn’t all that concerned about how big of a suite I had, let alone the fact that I was using a buy one get one free weekend night certificate.

I do love the design of the lobby, which I think is one of the most beautiful yet classic designs out there.

Lobby

Lobby lounge

The doorman walked me to my room, 254, in the shophouse wing of the hotel. While the hotel has over 400 rooms, they have a small shophouse wing which basically overlooks an indoor shopping mall. Some people love it, some people hate it, and I’m kind of indifferent towards it.

Shophouse wing

My room

The entryway of the suite led to both the bathroom and the living room, and was also where the minibar was.

Entryway

Minibar

In the living room was a couch facing a flat screen TV as well as a desk.

Living room

Living room

There was also a further welcome amenity consisting of fruit, water, and chocolate.

Welcome amenity

Beyond that was the shophouse balcony. I do wish the balcony was a bit bigger, but then again since it faces a pretty hot indoor mall, I’m not sure I’d spend that much time out there anyway.

Balcony

View from balcony

The living room led to the bedroom, which featured a king sized bed and a couple of chairs with ottomans.

Bedroom

Seats

That led to the bathroom, which featured a tub, shower, double sinks, and toilet.

Bathroom

Tub

Toilet

Shower

The toiletries were from “The White Company.”

Toiletries

On the whole I think the room is classic without being worn, so I’m a fan.

There is a bit of noise from the shophouse even with the doors closed, which is why some prefer a room in the main building.

The club lounge, which I had access to, was located just down the hall from my room. I visited the first evening after landing just to check out the offerings (they serve appetizers from 5:30PM to 7:30PM), and frankly was shocked by how crowded it was.

Club InterContinental

Club InterContinental

Club InterContinental

Evening spread

Evening spread

Evening spread

Evening spread

Evening spread

The lounge is massive, but despite that every last seat was taken. People had their feet on the furniture barefoot, and it was about as loud as a live sporting event.

For me club lounges aren’t just about eating as much as humanly possible in a short period of time, but rather a nice place to get some work done on my laptop in a different environment than the room.

The lounge was so full, though, that I left right away. I really have to wonder what the deal is, since access isn’t cheap at 90SGD per night.

Fortunately as a club guest you can have breakfast in the hotel’s restaurant, Olive Tree. The spread was extensive, though not quite as impressive as those at the St. Regis Bangkok or Le Meridien Bangkok.

Olive Tree entrance

Restaurant seating

Breakfast

Breakfast

Breakfast

Breakfast

Breakfast

The club lounge also serves afternoon tea, which I found to be the most “relaxing” service of the day, since the lounge wasn’t as crowded during that time. They had finger sandwiches, cake, scones with jam and clotted cream, etc.

Afternoon tea spread

Given what I paid and that I used a buy one get one free weekend night certificate, I’d say I got a great value. That being said, Singapore has quite a few good hotels, so I’d probably try a different one next time just for variety.

Last year Radisson ran a pretty generous promotion in celebration of the Radisson Blu brand being introduced in the US, whereby they offered 50,000 Club Carlson points to the first 50,000 members that registered and stayed at a Radisson hotel in the US, Canada, or Caribbean during a specified time period.

As has been speculated and hinted at on Twitter, it looks like the promotion will be coming back next Tuesday, as they have a landing page which reads as follows:

Now, it’s not entirely clear in what form the promotion will return, though if I had to guess I’d say it will be structured a bit differently than before. Last time they just gave you 50,000 points which were enough for a free night at any property, though you could spend them however you wanted, including several nights at a lower end property.

The above potentially suggests they’ll give you a free night to redeem, meaning it would be a bit less flexible than last time. Though I guess we should be patient…

Introduction
Lufthansa First Class Lounge New York JFK
Lufthansa First Class New York JFK to Frankfurt
A day in the Lufthansa First Class Lounges/Terminal Frankfurt
Lufthansa First Class Frankfurt to Singapore
InterContinental Singapore
Exploring Singapore
The Singapore Airlines Private Room
Singapore Airlines First Class Singapore to Tokyo Narita
Japan Airlines First Class Lounge Tokyo Narita
Japan Airlines First Class Tokyo Narita to New York JFK

For months I had a meeting scheduled in Singapore, and originally my plan was to first visit Singapore and then continue on to Thailand for about a week (Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai, specifically).

So while I had a ticket booked reflecting that schedule, I unfortunately had a schedule conflict on both ends of the trip. On the front end I was attending Starwood’s screening of “Mansome” in New York at the Tribeca Film Festival, and on the back end I had a family commitment back in Tampa.

Unfortunately this translated to a very quick trip to Singapore of just about 48 hours. While it’s not ideal, I was determined to at least get a few new airline products into the trip, and I’m proud to say that I think I succeeded in this instance.

For the outbound I’ve been dying to try Lufthansa’s new first class on the 747, which consists of both a seat and a bed. I’ve flown their other new first class product, which can be found on the Airbus 380, though never lucked out with the reconfigured 747, since only 10 of the 28 747s feature it.

In this instance the most convenient scheduled for the outbound was from New York to Singapore via Frankfurt in Lufthansa first class for 70,000 United miles one way (which I transferred from Ultimate Rewards).

The Frankfurt to Singapore flight was scheduled to be operated by the Airbus 380, so while it’s not a new product I didn’t feel too bad about flying it again, since I really do love the Airbus 380.

The flight from New York to Frankfurt proved to be a bit trickier. Lufthansa has two flights a day between New York JFK and Frankfurt, one at around 4PM and one at around 10PM. Initially I booked the late night flight, which I far prefer.

The thing is that Lufthansa flies the reconfigured 747s around pretty randomly, so when I woke up in the morning I looked up the tail numbers for the inbound flights from Frankfurt (this FlyerTalk thread is very useful for tracking them). As it turns out, the earlier flight from Frankfurt to New York (LH400) had the new first class, and that plane turns around to fly the early New York to Frankfurt flight (LH401).

So while I wasn’t looking forward to spending an extra six hours in Frankfurt, I decided it was well worth it for the new product. Fortunately the earlier flight had first class award space as well, so I called up to make the change, which took only a few minutes.

The return was also a spur of the moment decision. I initially booked a Cathay Pacific first class award from Singapore to Tampa via Hong Kong and Chicago, which is a tough value to beat at 67,500 American miles. Cathay Pacific has one of the most consistent first class products, though I’ve flown them well over a dozen times, so I was really hoping to try something new.

My flight out of Singapore was supposed to be at 1AM, and at around 4PM the previous afternoon I decided to get online and see if there were any other interesting alternatives.

I found Japan Airlines first class award space from Tokyo to New York in their new Sky Suite. While I flew their old product from Tokyo to New York several years ago, the prospect of trying their new suites proved too much to give up, so I canceled my Cathay Pacific award. The one-way award cost 62,500 miles in first class (flying out of Japan is 5,000 miles cheaper than flying out of Southeast Asia on American).

The issue was getting from Singapore to Tokyo. I had some Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer miles, so decided to book the Singapore Airlines redeye from Singapore to Tokyo in first class for 51,000 KrisFlyer miles.

While I’ve flown Singapore Airlines’ old first class product and new business class product, I haven’t flown their new first class product.

Now, some might say that Singapore to Tokyo for 51,000 miles on a redeye is a waste. But 90% of the people I know really have no clue how far Singapore is from Tokyo. When I’ve asked people to estimate the flight length, they usually say 2-3 hours. It’s actually blocked at over seven hours, and the distance is further than Boston to London. So when you put it into perspective and think of it as the equivalent of a transatlantic first class flight for 51,000 miles, it seems like a bit better of a deal.

Ultimately there’s no doubt the Cathay Pacific deal was a better one, though you guys are always telling me you want me to review new products, and I figured this would be the perfect opportunity, since three of the four airline products were new ones for me.

When all was said and done, the itinerary looked as follows:

04/26 Lufthansa 401 New York to Frankfurt departing at 3:55PM and arriving at 5:35AM (+1 day)
04/27 Lufthansa 778 Frankfurt to Singapore departing at 9:35PM and arriving at 3:50PM (+1 day)
04/30 Singapore Airlines 638 Singapore to Tokyo departing at 11:55PM and arriving at 8:00AM (+1 day)
05/01 Japan Airlines 6 Tokyo to New York JFK departing at 11:20AM and arriving at 11:25AM

On the hotel front I decided to book the InterContinental Singapore. Since I was staying over a weekend I was able to use an InterContinental Buy One Get One Free Weekend Night Certificate, which is an unbeatable deal in conjunction with Royal Ambassador benefits.

Stay tuned!

Reader Brian asks the following question on the “Ask Lucky” page of the blog:

How do you crunch the numbers to decide when to use Cash & Points versus paying at an SPG property? For example, the W Hong Kong is $330/night, or 8,000 points + $150. Trying to figure out how to make the best choice.

It’s a fantastic question I get asked all the time, though I don’t think I’ve ever thoroughly covered it, so I figured I’d do so now.

For those of you not familiar with Cash & Points, it’s one of the best uses of Starwood points whereby you can pay part cash and part points for a hotel stay. The award chart looks as follows:

By just about anyone’s valuation of Starpoints, Cash & Points is a better value than an outright points redemption. The “catch” is that Cash & Points is capacity controlled, while outright award redemptions aren’t (as long as a standard award is available).

There are three things to consider when redeeming Cash & Points:

• What you value SPG points at
• The value of the points you’re giving up by not booking a revenue stay
• The taxes/service charge at hotel

What you value SPG points at

I value SPG points at 2.5 cents each. Every0ne’s valuation will be different, but I’m using that as the basis of my analysis. If you value them more or less, adjust the math accordingly.

The one thing I always note with my valuation is that for me the value of a point is based on what I’d otherwise be willing to spend for the product, and not the cash value. For example, I just redeemed 51,000 Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer miles for Singapore Airlines first class from Singapore to Tokyo Narita, which would have cost $3,500 had I paid cash. While I got a great value for my points, I didn’t think I got seven cents per value out of the ticket, as the math might suggest. So the analysis assumes the alternative would be paying for the hotel, and that it’s something you’d be willing to do.

So doing the math for the W Hong Kong example Brian gave, you can either pay $330 cash, or “pay” $350 by using Cash & Points ($150 cash, and $200 worth of points).

The value of the points you’re giving up by not booking a revenue stay

While award stays also now qualify towards elite qualification, only revenue stays accrue points. As a base SPG member you earn two points per dollar, while as a Gold/Platinum member you earn three points per dollar. So valuing those at 2.5 cents each, you’re looking at a 5% return as a base member or 7.5% return as a Gold/Platinum member for booking a revenue stay (not factoring in any promotions). So adding to the above math, the cost of a revenue stay would be reduced to $313.50 for a base member or $305.25 as an elite member if you’re paying, both of which are better values than the $350 you’d “pay” using Cash & Points.

The taxes/service charge at hotel

This is the one thing a lot of people overlook. Many hotels have taxes and service charges that add up to as much as 20%, and you only pay that on the portion of the room for which you’re paying cash. In the case of the W Hong Kong, there’s a 10% service charge.

That means in the case of a Cash & Points stay you’d pay an additional $15 (10% of $150), while for a revenue stay you’d pay an additional $33 (10% of $330).

Summing up the math

So once we crunch all the numbers, a revenue stay is costing you $338.25 ($305.25 plus $33) as an elite member or $346.50 ($313.50 plus $33) as a non-elite member, while a Cash & Points stay is costing you $365 ($350 plus $15).

The above example isn’t incredibly compelling either way, as there are other minor things to consider, like whether SPG is running a promotion or which of your accounts (bank account or SPG account) is looking bigger at the time you’re redeeming).

Hopefully that helps at least a little bit!

Introduction
United Global First Lounge San Francisco
Lufthansa First Class San Francisco to Munich
Le Meridien Munich
Lufthansa First Class Lounge Munich, Swiss Business Class Munich to Zurich
Swiss First Class Lounge Zurich, Swiss First Class Zurich to Bangkok
St. Regis Bangkok
Thai Airways First Class Lounge & Spa Bangkok
Thai Airways First Class Bangkok to Hong Kong
Ritz Carlton Hong Kong
Exploring Hong Kong
United Club Hong Kong and Thai Airways Royal Orchid Lounge Hong Kong
Asiana Business Class Hong Kong to Seoul Incheon
Hyatt Regency Incheon Airport
Asiana First Class Lounge Seoul Incheon
Asiana First Class Seoul Incheon to Frankfurt
Sheraton Frankfurt Airport
Lufthansa First Class Terminal Frankfurt, Lufthansa First Class Frankfurt to Seattle
Four Seasons Seattle

I’ve been wanting to stay at the Four Seasons Seattle for years now. I’ve heard great things about the service at the hotel, and it’s one of the more reasonably priced Four Seasons in the chain. I’ve reviewed several other hotels in Seattle, including Hotel 1000, the Grand Hyatt Seattle, and the Hyatt at Olive 8, if you’re interested in reading about those as well.

While Four Seasons doesn’t have a loyalty program, you can get quite some extra benefits for your stay by booking either through Virtuoso, a Four Seasons Preferred Partner, or American Express Fine Hotels & Resorts. By booking through a Four Seasons Preferred Partner you get a $100 food and beverage credit, room upgrade upon availability, and full American breakfast served in-room or in the restaurant. By booking through American Express Fine Hotels & Resorts you get a $100 food and beverage credit, room upgrade upon availability, continental breakfast served in the restaurant, and 4PM check-out.

I booked through a Four Seasons Preferred Partner for the rate of $285 (I’ve seen the rate as low as $265 in the off-season), so for a one-night stay it’s a pretty unbeatable deal, given the $100 food and beverage credit plus full American breakfast.

Anyway, I took the light rail downtown, and from there it was only a couple of blocks to the Four Seasons, which is located right next to Pike Place Market and right on the water, which is in my opinion the perfect location.

Hotel exterior

I headed straight for check-in, which is located at the far end of the lobby. The hotel has 147 rooms, though feels even smaller than that, since the public spaces feel very “boutiquey.”

Lobby

Check-in was efficient and friendly, including being referred to by name at least a dozen times (with correct pronunciation no less!). I was assigned room 921, a deluxe bay view room.

Room entrance

The room was large and felt spacious thanks to the lack of “clutter.” First there was an entryway with the closet to the right and bathroom to the left.

Entryway

That led into the room, which featured a king sized bed, along with a daybed of sorts next to it. Look, I’m a tough bed critic. I have a “W” bed at home, and I’m a huge fan of Westin beds. But this was literally the most comfortable bed I’ve ever slept in. That alone makes me want to return.

Room

Room

On the other side of the room was a desk along with the flat screen TV. Again, I felt like everything was decorated in a very minimalistic way, which I like.

Desk and TV

The highlight of the room, though, had to be the views of Elliott Bay, which were stunning.

View from my room

At the entryway was the closet containing the minibar.

Closet and minibar

Minibar

The bathroom was also spacious, with a separate tub and shower with rainfall head, featuring L’Occitane amenities.

Bathroom

The sink even had a mirror with a built in TV.

Sink

Tub

Shower

L’Occitane amenities

Bathroom

About half an hour after I got to my room a bottle of VOSS water and basket of fruit were brought up, along with a letter explaining the amenities I was entitled to through my Preferred Partner booking.

Amenity

As far as the hotel’s facilities go, they have a very nice gym facing the pool.

Gym

Gym

The highlight of the hotel had to be the pool area. I just wish it would have been a bit warmer. There’s both a pool and hot tub, with a very nice deck for just lounging and enjoying the beautiful views of the Bay.

Pool and hot tub

Pool

Hot tub

View from pool

Hotel from pool

Since I had a $100 food and beverage credit, I decided to invite a friend for dinner at the hotel’s restaurant, ART.

The restaurant had a very modern design and the service was phenomenal, so it was a really fun place to have dinner.

That being said, I felt the food itself was more style over substance.

ART restaurant

ART restaurant

To start they served potato chips in a bag (if I were a betting man I’d say they were Lays).

Chips

And that was followed by bread which was artfully displayed, and came with a tube of paste to use as “spread.” The bread was rather stale and cold, though at least it was displayed nicely. I’m not sure if they’ve actually thought through the tube, but when two people are trying to eat bread, passing a tube back and forth isn’t especially practical.

Bread

The restaurant offered three courses for $30, so I ordered that.

Menu

For the starter I had cauliflower bisque.

Starter

Then for the main course I had smoked mozzarella ravioli.

Main

And for dessert I had butterscotch pot de creme.

Dessert

Then when the check was brought out we were also offered two cookies. They could have come straight out of a Chips Ahoy bag based on the taste, so again, I felt they focused a bit too much on style over substance.

Cookies

Anyway, the restaurant is beautiful, the service is phenomenal, and the food was reasonably good. But the chips, bread, and cookies really threw me off. Then again, I assume others “get it” better than I do, or it wouldn’t be part of the service.

Back to the hotel, which has both style and substance. Unfortunately the following morning I felt worse than I had ever felt before (I thought I had appendicitis), so at 7AM I decided to go to the hospital. The hotel couldn’t have been better about the whole situation. I didn’t want to burden them with it, but I called the front desk to ask where the nearest hospital was, and within a few minutes the manager on duty was at my door to bring me downstairs, where a cab was already waiting to take me to the nearest hospital. She said she’d extend my stay by a night in case I needed it (which I did). Fortunately it turned out to be nothing major, though I still felt sick and exhausted for another day, so did extend my stay. All of the employees couldn’t have been more helpful, which speaks even more to the great people that work here.

I did end up booking a very early flight the following morning, so never had the opportunity to take full advance of breakfast. That being said, I did order the “15 minute breakfast” through room service, which was delivered in… you guessed it, less than 15 minutes.

Breakfast

I can’t say enough positive things about the hotel. I had heard nothing but great things about it before visiting, and I have nothing but good things to say after visiting. And I’d say it’s actually a remarkably good deal, especially if you’re booking through a Four Seasons Preferred Partner, Virtuoso, or American Express Fine Hotels & Resorts.

Seattle is also one of my favorite cities in the US, and there’s no better location from which to explore the city than the Four Seasons, in my opinion.

While hotel loyalty programs as a whole do a great job of recognizing frequent guests, individual hotels often don’t. It’s always disappointing to check-in to a hotel for the 50th time and be asked at check-in whether you’ve stayed with them before. I’m sometimes tempted to say “look in the computer, I practically live here.”

That’s why I think it’s pretty awesome that the InterContinental San Francisco (coincidentally one of my favorite hotels in the US) is adding the following milestones for frequent guests, per USA Today:

• 10th Milestone Stay: Your room will include a picture frame holding a favorite photograph. You’ll get an upgrade to a Junior Suite based upon availability.
• 25th Milestone Stay: Expect the above, plus an “I” logo pen, plus a plush, monogrammed InterContinental bathrobe that can either stay at the hotel or be shipped to your home.
• 50th Milestone Stay: Expect the above, plus a pair of monogrammed slippers and a digital picture frame pre-loaded with your selected photos. For the upgrade, you’ll get to stay in one of the hotel’s luxury suites such as the Presidential Suite.
• 75th Milestone Stay: Expect the above, a personalized iPod to keep in the room, including the extra-nice upgrade.
• 100th Milestone Stay: Expect the above, plus a complete linen sheet set that is embroidered with your initials. On future stays, your bed will be made with your personalized sheets.
• 250th Milestone Stay: All of the above, plus the hotel will name a suite after you (after all, you probably already “live” there!). The hotel would actually place a plaque outside the door with your name on it.

Having a suite named after you? I’m not gonna lie, that would be pretty awesome…

Regardless, it’s just nice to see a hotel recognizing guests that are especially loyal to one hotel, as opposed to just the chain.

(Tip of the hat to GeeEmm)

Introduction
United Global First Lounge San Francisco
Lufthansa First Class San Francisco to Munich
Le Meridien Munich
Lufthansa First Class Lounge Munich, Swiss Business Class Munich to Zurich
Swiss First Class Lounge Zurich, Swiss First Class Zurich to Bangkok
St. Regis Bangkok
Thai Airways First Class Lounge & Spa Bangkok
Thai Airways First Class Bangkok to Hong Kong
Ritz Carlton Hong Kong
Exploring Hong Kong
United Club Hong Kong and Thai Airways Royal Orchid Lounge Hong Kong
Asiana Business Class Hong Kong to Seoul Incheon
Hyatt Regency Incheon Airport
Asiana First Class Lounge Seoul Incheon
Asiana First Class Seoul Incheon to Frankfurt
Sheraton Frankfurt Airport
Lufthansa First Class Terminal Frankfurt, Lufthansa First Class Frankfurt to Seattle
Four Seasons Seattle

While my family is from Frankfurt, my travels have me transiting Frankfurt a lot more than they have me terminating there. Usually they’re one night layovers while connecting, and I always  make an effort to go into the city. There’s a train from the airport to the city, and from there it’s just a quick ride to just about anywhere.

In the past my go to hotel was the InterContinental Frankfurt, which is very reasonably priced and does great with Royal Ambassador benefits. I’ve reviewed the hotel extensively, including here, here, here, and here. During my last transit in Frankfurt I discovered the Westin Grand Frankfurt, which is now my go-to hotel in Frankfurt, given that they seem to be pretty good with Platinum upgrades, and the hotel is a bit more modern than the InterContinental. Furthermore, the hotel is part of American Express Fine Hotels & Resorts (for American Express Platinum/Centurion card members), meaning you can get an 85EUR food and beverage credit plus free breakfast there if you book through them, even just for a one night stay.

But I had never stayed at the Sheraton Frankfurt Airport, so I decided this would be a good opportunity to try it out. Our layover was only about 16 hours, so it wasn’t quite enough time to go into the city and see anything while getting a good night of sleep. Beyond that, our flight the next morning was fairly early, and there’s not much I hate more than getting up early.

I had actually gone out of my way to avoid the Sheraton Frankfurt Airport previously. While it’s connected to the terminal and therefore very convenient, the outside of the building just looks so tired that I figured the hotel couldn’t be any good.

After landing and clearing immigration we took the walkway to the Sheraton, which can be accessed from the departures hall.

Walkway to the hotel

While there was a short queue at check-in, they had a dedicated Gold/Platinum line, where there was no wait. I presented my Chase Sapphire Preferred and SPG Platinum card, and after typing away from a moment the agent informed me that I didn’t have a booking at the hotel. I’m a complete idiot, and it’s probably a sign that I’m on the road a bit too much, because I had just assumed that I made the reservation. The good news is that they had plenty of rooms, and the agent gladly made me a cash & points booking (4,000 SPG points plus $60), which only took a few minutes. She couldn’t have been nicer about the whole situation, and even commented that I’d be surprised by how often that happens.

Lobby

Lobby

Computer terminals

She gave us the option between being upgraded to a club room in the renovated tower and a junior suite that wasn’t renovated. We went with the former, since I’ve heard that the non-renovated rooms aren’t in good shape at all.

The Tower elevators are located right across from reception.

Walkway to elevators

Hallways

While the room wasn’t huge, it was very nicely appointed, with bright colors and IKEA-esque furniture.

Room

The bed was firm, though not nearly as hard as the one at the Hyatt Regency Incheon.

Bed

The room featured a flat screen TV across from the bed, as well as a desk and chair with ottoman.

TV

Desk

Chair and ottoman

While the room faced a parking garage for the most part, at an angle you could see the airport, which I always love.

View from the room

The bathroom was a decent size and featured a sink, toilet, and shower/tub.

Bathroom

Shower

While I selected the points as the Platinum amenity, we still got a nice welcome plate with some fruit and desserts. Clearly the hotel knew about my sweet tooth.

Welcome amenity

The club lounge had keyed entry and was really the biggest shocker of the hotel, since it was one of the best Sheraton lounges I’ve seen anywhere.

Club lounge

The lounge featured a bunch of seating, both tables as well as couches.

Club seating

Club seating

The evening spread, which was out till after 10PM, consisted of finger sandwiches, fruit, vegetables, salad, and some delicious chocolate cake. Not only was the spread great, but the service was great too, with constant offers for refills.

The only downside of the lounge was the group of five or six Americans sitting at a table at the other side of the lounge that were talking very loudly. It wasn’t just the volume they were talking at, but what they were talking about, and how they were expressing themselves. Dude, I’m happy to hear you were able to “bag that chick,” but I really don’t need to hear about it. And not every second word has to be four letters…

Fortunately their conversation abruptly ended when one loudly exclaimed “I’ve gotta go take a dump.” Again, good to know.

Spread

Spread

Dessert spread

And while I didn’t partake in the breakfast offerings since I had an early flight, I did quickly stop by the lounge to snap a couple of pictures, and the spread was equally impressive, with fresh fruit, breads, and even hot dishes with a chef on site. They even had champagne, which is the first time I’ve seen that in a Sheraton club lounge.

Breakfast spread

Breakfast spread

Breakfast spread

Anyway, on the whole this is really a phenomenal airport hotel. While I try to leave the airport grounds when I have a longer overnight to get a change of scenery, this place is fantastic for a quick overnight, and I’m sure I’ll be back soon.

While I do think Andaz hotels are a bit of an acquired taste, I’m a huge fan of them at this point. Initially they had some service issues, though in the meantime I think most of the service issues have been ironed out. One of the unique aspects of the Andaz experience is that there’s no front desk, but rather there are “hosts” that check you in using tablets to create a bit more of a personalized experience. This usually means the hosts are more talkative, since the environment is more conducive to having a conversation.

Anyway, I checked into the Andaz Wall Street this afternoon for a one-night stay, which I booked yesterday. And for the record I had no contact with the hotel in advance, didn’t tell them I was coming, etc.

At check-in I handed the host my Chase Sapphire Preferred card and Gold Passport Diamond card, and he simply said “I want one of those cards,” and I chuckled. He walked away and returned two minutes later with my key and said “here you go.”

I was a bit surprised, since usually I find the Andaz hosts share too much information, and not too little. Usually they welcome you back, ask if you need a recap of what’s included at Andaz hotels (minibar, internet, happy hour, etc.), ask if you want a recap of the Diamond benefits at the hotel, etc. But this guy said… nothing.

But then I got into the elevator and looked at my key card, only to find that I had been upgraded to a junior suite on the top floor, and waiting in the room was a chocolate cake with a piece of paper that read “Happy Birthday Ben.”

Of course I was blown away by the cake, which I wasn’t expecting in a million years since I hadn’t told them it was my birthday. But I’m not sure what to think about the host. Did he sense I was tired and didn’t want to talk, or was he just that lazy? And how the hell did the hotel know it was my birthday?!

Introduction
United Global First Lounge San Francisco
Lufthansa First Class San Francisco to Munich
Le Meridien Munich
Lufthansa First Class Lounge Munich, Swiss Business Class Munich to Zurich
Swiss First Class Lounge Zurich, Swiss First Class Zurich to Bangkok
St. Regis Bangkok
Thai Airways First Class Lounge & Spa Bangkok
Thai Airways First Class Bangkok to Hong Kong
Ritz Carlton Hong Kong
Exploring Hong Kong
United Club Hong Kong and Thai Airways Royal Orchid Lounge Hong Kong
Asiana Business Class Hong Kong to Seoul Incheon
Hyatt Regency Incheon Airport
Asiana First Class Lounge Seoul Incheon
Asiana First Class Seoul Incheon to Frankfurt
Sheraton Frankfurt Airport
Lufthansa First Class Terminal Frankfurt, Lufthansa First Class Frankfurt to Seattle
Four Seasons Seattle

Overnights at Incheon are always a toughie for me. On one hand I like to go into the city whenever possible, and the Park Hyatt Seoul is nothing short of spectacular.

Unfortunately it really is a haul from Incheon Airport to the city, though. The first time I visited (maybe five years ago) my dad and I made the mistake of taking a cab from the airport to the city, not realizing how far it was and how expensive cabs are in Seoul. It cost us close to $200USD.

Given that we were landing at 5:50PM and that customs can take a while, I figured it would be 6:30PM before we’d be out of the airport. Then it’s another 90 minute bus ride to the Park Hyatt, so we would have made it there at 8PM. Our flight the following day was at 12PM, so we would have had to leave by about 8AM. I decided it wasn’t worth it, so we just booked the Hyatt Regency Incheon Airport. I stayed at the Hyatt Regency Incheon two years ago, so feel free to check out that review.

While revenue rates at the Hyatt Regency Incheon Airport are regularly upwards of $250USD per night, it’s only a category two hotel, making it 8,000 points per night. So just like last time I decided to use points for the stay.

The shuttle runs to and from the airport every 20 minutes, and we just happened to catch it right as we made it to the outside of the airport. The hotel is only about a five minute drive away, so we were there in no time. We seemed to be the only ones on the bus that weren’t Korean Air pilots.

Bus

Once in the lobby we headed straight for check-in, where a friendly agent helped us in no time.

Lobby

Lobby

At check-in I asked about the possibility of an upgrade to a deluxe room, which is basically a triangular room that’s a lot more spacious. I had been upgraded to it last time, though apparently the hotel was fully committed this time around.

Anyway, we were assigned a room on the 12th floor.

Hallway

Room

The room was a decent size, especially for South Korea, with a bed, large table with two chairs, and seat with ottoman. It’s worth noting though that the bed was really firm. I mean REALLY firm. Like, I’m pretty sure the Flinstones have more comfortable beds in Bedrock.

Room

I was happy to see that they finally upgraded the TVs to flat screens since my last stay.

Room

Desk

Seat and ottoman

There’s really nothing other than the airport in the hotel’s vicinity, so our view was of construction and the airport in the distance.

View from our room

View from our room

One thing this hotel deserves a lot of credit for is their Diamond amenity. Diamond members are supposed to get a food and beverage amenity at international properties, and many properties are really cheap about the amenities. The Hyatt Regency Incheon, on the other hand, offers a bottle of wine, a box of pralines, and some fruit. Compare that to the Hyatt Regency Mainz, which offers just four rotten apples, or the Grand Hyatt Bali, which offers a bowl of fruit (otherwise those are two fantastic hotels, but that’s one area in which they lag).

Diamond welcome amenity

The bathroom was separated from the bedroom by glass, though it had blinds that could be adjusted for privacy. There was a shower/tub as well as sink and toilet.

Shower

Sink

Toilet

The Regency Club is located on the 11th floor, and the facilities and food spread are actually reasonably nice. The issue is that the lounge is overcrowded and understaffed, so it’s not really a nice place to relax or get any work done. I think the main issue is that aside from the hotel restaurant there’s nowhere to eat in the vicinity, so just about everyone was trying to make dinner of the club lounge spread. As soon as a new dish was brought out, all of it was gone within a matter of minutes.

Regency Club

Regency Club

Self serve wine selection

The spread was pretty decent consisting of sushi, fruit, nuts, chips, cheese, meats, etc.

Evening spread

Evening spread

Evening spread

I think the lounge can best be summed up by a maybe eight year old boy that was in the Regency Club. He stood in front of the spread and then asked the waiter “where’s the dinner food?” No “dinner food” here!

Would I return? I dunno, I guess if I had to. Frankly in the future I’d try to schedule a stopover long enough so that I could comfortably go into the city (ideally for at least two days). Other than that I’d try to avoid an overnight in Incheon as much as possible, since there’s not really anything to do around the hotel. I’d rather have a 10 hour layover during the day, as Incheon Airport actually has some airside transit hotels that are convenient and fairly nice. And you can’t beat not having to leave security during your layover. Just for comparison purposes, here’s a picture of the transit hotel room I rented for eight hours at Incheon Airport about five years ago:

You can’t beat not having to leave security!

While I’ve stayed at the world’s two tallest hotels (Ritz Carlton Hong Kong and Park Hyatt Shanghai) and enjoyed the views, I’m equally intrigued by the prospect of staying at the world’s first underground InterContinental.

InterContinental is now working on construction for the new InterContinental Shimao Shanghai Wonderland, just 45km outside of Shanghai. It’s built in a 100 meter deep pit, and is projected to open in 2014 or 2015.

Check out the CNN Go article on it. In looking at the “before” picture and projected “after” picture, I’d be amazed if they manage to build this in 2-3 years without any major hurdles.

Anyone else going to make an effort to visit this place once it opens?

(Tip of the hat to David)