After landing from the Los Angeles to Narita flight yesterday, we headed over to the domestic terminal for our Narita to Nagoya flight on Japan Airlines. The domestic lounge is pretty simple, and I got caught up on email for a couple of hours. About 15 minutes before we were scheduled to board, my travel companion and I (or at least names slightly resembling ours’) were paged in the lounge. My friend was on a call, so I went to the desk for both of us, and was rather concerned about what might be wrong, since the flight still showed on time when I checked a few minutes earlier.

There were three agents standing there with frowns on their faces — “Mr. Lucky, I’m so very sorry, but is it okay if we give you a better seat?” I looked a bit surprised, though they had a laminated piece of paper with the aircraft’s seatmap. “Mr. Lucky, I’m so sorry, may I put you in 1K, this is a first class seat?” I said “that would be great, and where would my friend sit, in 2K or 1G?”

All three of them covered their mouths and let out a collective gasp. “I’m so sorry, you are traveling together?!” I said “yes,” and they said he would be in 1G, which is immediately across the aisle. I said I’m sure that would be just fine (given that the plane’s configuration is 1-1-1), and all three of them thanked me profusely and apologized once again, concerned this arrangement might not be okay since we would be seated so far apart.

The first class seats on this aircraft were JAL’s older model first class seats, the same one I flew in from Narita to New York a few years ago.

Since there’s still a trip report on the way, let me just hit on four points about the flight:

Boarding signs

What are we, pre-boarding the cast from Dora the Explorer?

Here’s a close-up of who they’re actually trying to pre-board (cause obviously anyone under seven and over 65 wears a hat).

Mt. Fuji

We flew right next to Mt. Fuji. Holy wow!

Onboard service

While the flight attendants were super-friendly, they make in-flight service at US airlines look impressive. The service onboard consisted exclusively of a beverage served in a small plastic cup with a lid.

Turbulence and announcements

The flight was bumpy as could be. We were rocking and rolling the whole way. The funny thing is that the seatbelt sign stayed off for the entire flight, until we began our descent. When the seatbelt sign was turned on the purser said “ladies and gentlemen, we are expecting a little bit of turbulence, so the captain has turned on the seatbelt sign.” So, what have we been experiencing for the past 30 minutes? Funny enough there wasn’t a single bump for the rest of the flight once the seatbelt sign was turned on.

An all around enjoyable experience, and now I’m in Kyoto.

The Andaz Wall Street was a bit cheaper for both nights, though my brother asked that I do what I can to get a two bedroom suite at the Andaz 5th Avenue, both so we could have drinks there beforehand and also in case anyone wanted to crash there afterwards.

So I ended up using one of my Diamond suite upgrades for the night at the Andaz 5th Avenue, and then emailed the hotel to see what could be done in terms of a better room. They offered to upgrade me to a two bedroom suite (similar to the one I had the first time I stayed here due to a mishap) for $250, which I gladly paid. Not something I’d usually do, but given the circumstances I figured it was worthwhile.

I’ve stayed at both hotels plenty of times, so I’ll keep the reviews pretty stay and room-centric. You can find my previous reviews of the Andaz Wall Street here and here, while you can find my previous reviews of the Andaz 5th Avenue here and here.

I arrived at the Andaz Wall Street at around 3PM where I was promptly helped at check-in. The “host” was pretty cold and didn’t exchange a word with me, which was certainly a change of pace from the usually overly talkative hosts.

The good news is that I had been upgraded to an Andaz XL King (basically a junior suite) on the top floor. As usual the room was beautiful. I especially love the decor of the Andaz Wall Street rooms.

There was a seating area near the entrance which faces a big closet (also where the TV is), on the other side of which is the bed.

Living room area

Facing bedroom area

Desk

Bed

As usual at Andaz hotels, the minibar soft drinks and snacks were complimentary, as well as the wifi.

Minibar

Snacks/booze

I especially love the bathrooms at the Andaz Wall Street, as they feature an enclosed shower/tub, which is among the nicest out there. I’m not usually a “tub” person, but once in a while I can be tempted, and the Andaz Wall Street is one of those instances.

Bathroom

Shower/tub

Toilet

There was a little birthday cake waiting on the table when I entered, which surprised me given that I made a reservation the night before. While I want to give Hyatt credit for this, apparently a friend called the hotel the morning of my arrival to let them know it was my birthday. So I guess Hyatt gets half credit in this instance for executing…

Birthday cake

On Saturday morning my brother joined me for breakfast at Wall & Water, which has a nice brunch on weekends. The non-hotel crowd is usually pretty odd (who has brunch on Wall Street on a Saturday, other than losers like me?), though the food is always good. I do wish the hotel would clarify their breakfast policy for Diamond members. The general consensus is a $50 credit per day, though that doesn’t really cover their standard offering, so seems a bit low. Anyway, we only had a few dollars of overage, so I wasn’t about to argue.

Wall & Water

Buffet

Buffet

After visiting some family and going to Central Park for a bit my brother and I headed over to the Andaz 5th Avenue for check-in. Our room was ready at around 3PM, and was one of the hotel’s two bedroom suites (they only have a total of two). The last one I stayed in was bigger though didn’t feature a balcony, so it was nice to be able to compare both rooms.

This one featured a nice sized living room with a couch facing a flat screen TV, as well as a desk with a kitchenette. The fridge was well stocked, and as is always the case, the soft drinks and snacks were complimentary.

Entryway

Living room

TV in living room

View from balcony

Kitchenette

Fridge

There was also a welcome amenity consisting of a chocolate tart and bottle of wine.

Welcome amenity

The suite also featured two nearly identical bedrooms and bathrooms. Unlike the Andaz Wall Street, the 5th Avenue hotel doesn’t have tubs in the bathrooms, though the showers themselves are awesome.

First bedroom

First bedroom

First bathroom

First shower

Second morning

The following morning we had breakfast at the hotel’s restaurant, The Shop, where there was about a 30 minute wait.

The Shop

The Shop

I ordered the hotel’s famous lemon poppy seed pancakes, while my brother ordered an omelet, both of which were delicious. This was my first time not ordering room service breakfast at the hotel (since they let Diamonds do that).

Lemon poppy seed pancakes

Omelet

Anyway, as usual both Andaz stays were great. While I prefer the location of the 5th Avenue location, there is something remarkably relaxing about Wall Street on weekends, and at the end of the day New York transportation is pretty inexpensive and efficient, so I don’t really care where I stay.

These two hotels are my “go to” hotels in New York, though I’m still not sure which I prefer. I’m leaning towards the 5th Avenue hotel since I think they’ve really improved a lot since opening (especially in terms of Diamond recognition), though I’ll continue to choose based on their rates and where in the city I need to be.

Service

The purser, Steve, was really nice and professional. Perhaps he was a bit too nice, since he engaged every passenger with a smile at every interaction. Ultimately that’s what I love to see from pursers, though the issue is that it meant the main meal service took nearly 3.5 hours.

Kudos to the guy for being so friendly and talkative, because he gave just about every passenger ideas for what to do in Japan, jetlag and transportation tips, etc. The couple seated across from me were celebrating their 40th anniversary, so he even made a card for them and had the whole crew sign it.

Food

Ultimately American’s food is simple and tasty. I’ll trade caviar for an ice cream sundae any day. There are definitely airlines with better food out there, though there was nothing inedible, as I sometimes experience on other airlines when they try a bit too hard.

Amenities

This is where American has really stepped up their game, and what impressed me the most. Late last year American added pajamas and turndown service in first class. The pajamas were comfy and high quality, comparable to what’s offered by other foreign carriers.

The turndown service was also quite nice though simple, and consisted of a thin mattress pad being placed on the seat. Interestingly the lack of any sort of a turndown service was my biggest gripe with American first class when I flew them last year from Miami to London, so with the new offerings they do have a more competitive product.

It really is so refreshing to see American actually investing in their product instead of only cutting back, like other US airlines.

And while I’m looking forward to my flight back to the US in a few days, I’m looking forward to Kyoto even more.

Well, I was actually really impressed by the property, and found it to be a step above what the competition offers in the same “category.”

The hotel exterior was beautiful, and the lobby was inviting and warm.

Hotel exterior

Lobby

Lobby

The check-in agent was friendly though seemed to have no concept of Hyatt status, since she just stared blankly at my Gold Passport card and I wasn’t offered an upgrade of any sort.

My room was on the 5th floor at the very end of the hallway, which was quite a haul. The hotel is deceivingly big.

Hallway

The room itself was the most impressive part of the hotel, though. I don’t know what it was, but it just felt very “livable,” something I can’t even say about many high end hotels I’ve stayed at. It featured a desk and kitchen right near the entrance. While I’m not one to cook in hotel rooms (or at home, for that matter), I can appreciate a full size fridge.

Room

Desk and kitchen

Kitchen

I suspect part of what made the room feel so livable was how high the ceilings were and how bright the room was.

High ceilings

Living room

The room featured a comfy king size bed.

Bedroom

View from my room

The bedroom led into the bathroom, which featured a separate sink area and then a door leading to the toilet and shower.

Instead of having individually bottled toiletries the hotel has “pumps” with toiletries. Usually that annoys me, though these pumps actually worked and were full, which I can’t say for 90% of hotels with a similar system.

Sink

Toilet

Shower

The hotel offered free breakfast for guests in their restaurant area. They had cereal, several hot options, and even an omelet station. While it was by no means gourmet, I did think it was much better than anything I’ve seen at other chain hotels that uniformly offer free breakfast.

Restaurant

Breakfast spread

Breakfast spread

The hotel also had a pretty basic gym which I used once.

Gym

Anyway, on the whole I was really impressed by Hyatt House. The rooms were clean and nicely furnished, the public facilities were inviting, and all the employees I interacted with were friendly. For a rate of under $100 per night, what more could you ask for?

And on a mildly unrelated note, I really love the state of Washington, especially compared to Tampa (which is filled with nothing but strip malls and strip clubs, neither of which I patronize).

Let’s step back for a second. I was thrilled when TSA announced the Pre-Check program a while back, whereby certain travelers could use a special lane where they don’t have to take their shoes off, don’t have to remove the liquids and laptops from their bags, and go through a metal detector instead of a full body scanner. Basically it’s the opportunity to experience pre-9/11 security once again. My frustration has been that in over a dozen transits at Pre-Check airports I haven’t once been selected for the Pre-Check line.

I chalked it up to bad luck, strange itineraries, etc. But today after going through security with a friend on the same itinerary and seeing him selected for Pre-Check while I wasn’t, I nearly lost it. Actually, I think there was cartoon style steam coming out of my ears as he stood on the other side of the checkpoint taunting me.

So when we got to the Flagship Lounge he suggested he look at my profile to make sure I had my info loaded in there correctly. I responded with “how stupid do I look?” though I reluctantly agreed.

He logged into my profile and saw everything looked correct, though asked to see my Global Entry card just to make sure the number looked correct. Again, I responded with “how stupid do I look?”

Well, as it turns out I had the wrong Global Entry number in my profile all along. Instead of using the number on the left side of the card, I had entered the number on the top right of the card.

At least I rest well knowing this is the same friend that lost his passport on a trip… twice. Makes me feel just a little bit less stupid (or at least makes me feel like I’m in good company).

Well, I guess that’s one way to try and get out of a middle seat. The question is, is it the best or worst reason ever? Sadly (and shockingly) enough, it worked.

On Thursday night I flew from Dallas to Seattle, an upgrade I figured would be near impossible to clear since Thursday night upgrades are among the toughest. At the same time tonight I was flying from Seattle to Chicago, an upgrade I figured was a given since Saturday is one of the easiest days to clear upgrades.

What ended up happening? My outbound upgrade cleared 100 hours out, while my return upgrade didn’t clear (I’m writing this from seat the exit row). Of course I don’t mind flying coach, though this upgrade hurts my head more than my rear. After all, if I can’t clear a Saturday night upgrade, what can I clear anymore? The other interesting data point was that there were only a total of two people on the upgrade list at the gate, and I was one of them. Oddly enough there’s something comforting about being at the top of one of United’s 100+ person upgrade waitlists as opposed to American’s two person upgrade waitlists.

But American really does know how to take care of Executive Platinum members in coach. As the flight attendants rolled the cart to the front of the cabin they first stopped at my seat, addressed me by name, and asked if I might be interested in a free drink or snack. Awesome.

So what was it, you ask? Something with the plane? Something with the crew? Nope, neither. Rather something with the guy seated across from me. I’m not sure if I’m just incredibly exhausted due to getting over a cold or if my feelings have some basis, though never before have I been so close to asking the flight attendant to call the captain and offload me out of fear.

What happened? Well, the guy seated across from me exhibited every possible nervous behavior, which in and of itself didn’t faze or bother me. He played with his beard, opened and closed the tray table lid every second, tapped his foot every second, and played with the wires he had in his hands. But everyone has a bad day, be it due to stress, a fear of flying, personal circumstances, or because they’ve had a bit too much to drink (that’s actually called a good day, right?).

What concerned me wasn’t his nervousness, but the anger I perceived he had towards me, and I’m not sure why. He looked over at me with anger on his face for long periods of time, and when I briefly glanced back he would quickly look elsewhere. He would loudly stomp his foot on the floor and then look at me. And he would even create a “fist” of sorts while looking at me. He did all this while mumbling to himself.

I’d like to think I’m decent at interpreting other peoples’ body language, and his simply screamed “I’m going to kick you’re a$$ and pin you to the floor the second we’re off the ground.”

As we got to the runway my palms were sweating and I was this close to pressing the flight attendant call button and asking that they return to the gate, but at the same time I didn’t want to cause such an inconvenience for other passengers, or in this post 9/11 world cause some massive airport shutdown, or even me being sent to Gitmo… who knows. The description above probably doesn’t do the situation justice, but suffice it to say that I felt unsafe and threatened on an airplane for the first time in my life for nearly 45 minutes.

The good news is that now that we’re airborne he seems to have less of an issue with me, so I guess in retrospect I’m happy I ignored it.

Though I’m curious what you would have done in the same situation? Ignored him and hoped for the best? Engage him in a conversation to “feel him out?” Request that the plane return to the gate? Something else?

Reminder: In connection with my trip to New York for the Tribeca Film Festival I’m giving away 25,000 SPG points through Twitter. See this post for full details on how to win. Also, in the interest of full disclosure my lodging and transportation were paid for by the Starwood American Express for this trip.

I ran into my idol, Johnny Jet, at JFK, and we shared a cab to the Sheraton Tribeca.

Everyone has their favorite area of New York, and Tribeca is certainly becoming one of the more trendy areas. I can’t say it’s my favorite part of the city just yet, but it certainly has a completely different “feel” than midtown or the Financial District (where I usually stay), and was very convenient for the theater at which the Tribeca Film Festival screening would take place that night.

Sheraton exterior

Sheraton entrance

The hotel only opened a couple of years ago so still has a pretty “fresh” feel to it. The agent at check-in was efficient and polite, and I presented my SPG Platinum card, a credit card, and ID. It occurred to me that I hadn’t previously added my SPG number to the reservation, so while I was already pre-assigned a room he also programmed my keys for access to the club lounge.

Lobby

Link@Sheraton in the lobby

I was assigned a room on the 17th floor so headed for the elevators, which require keys for access.

Hallway

The room was definitely on the small side though had a “fresh” feel to it and was nicely furnished. It featured one of Sheraton’s signature “Sweet Sleeper” beds, which I’m starting to like as much as the Westin Heavenly Bed.

Room

Room

Desk and TV

One of the things I do love about Tribeca are the great views of the city if you’re on a high enough floor, since most buildings in the immediate area aren’t high rises.

View from my room

The bathroom was a good size and featured a walk-in shower, toilet, and sink, with Sheraton branded toiletries.

Bathroom

Bathroom

As a Platinum member I had access to the club lounge, which is located on the 16th floor. It was a nice area with high-top seating, tables, and couches for lounging. While I never made it to the lounge for breakfast, the evening spread consisted of fruit, cheese, crackers, and two hot options (like spring rolls, chicken wings, etc.). Service was very attentive, and the attendant seemed to be pretty familiar with most of the guests, so it seemed like they were regulars.

Club lounge

Part of the evening spread

The highlight of the club lounge had to be the stunning terrace overlooking the city. It’s funny because I feel like people overlook the simplest things some time. The weather was beautiful, the temperature perfect, and the terrace had one of the nicest views of the city I’ve seen from anywhere. So I spent quite a bit of time out there.

Terrace

On the whole I quite liked the property. Let me be clear, there are higher end and more premium SPG hotels in the City, including the St. Regis and the Chatwal, but they come at a price. From a value perspective it’s tough to beat the Sheraton Tribeca given that it’s a category five property, making it as few as 12,000 SPG points per night (with the fifth night free). There aren’t many cities with higher hotel rates than New York, so I would recommend this hotel to anyone that wants to be in the Tribeca area.