After 15,000+ miles of flying, I received my first passport stamp in New Zealand and headed for the airport exit. Despite no reservation and a mid-morning arrival, I was able to book a day room at the Novotel which is street crossing away from Auckland’s main terminal. The front desk attendant was very friendly and happy to see me. People being happy to see you is nice, especially when you have never met them before.

My flight to LAX left at roughly 9pm. This gave me about 6 hours to grab some food, nap and shower. My room was modern and spotless and featured a well stocked mini-bar and also plenty of complimentary beverages. There was plenty of space to work and ample power outlets and ports at the desk. I opted to walk back into the terminal to eat where I found numerous options. The bed was soft, the water pressure solid and I was happy when I checked out at 6pm.

While its location could qualify it as a transit hotel this Novotel, without question, is a full service hotel.

novotel auckland airport

i took this picture from in front of the hotel-that 2nd story bridge leads from terminal to hotel

entrance

After the flight from Seoul, I had about 5 hours to kill before my 9 hour flight to Auckland. Strolling around the gigantic Singapore Changi Airport (which looks like a mall with boarding gates) got old pretty fast as I had no intention of buying anything. It is an impressive place, however. From bars, to butterfly gardens to a free movie theatre, there is plenty to do besides sleep, but that is what I opted for. The transit hotel will cost you about 80USD.

Similar to the ICN transit hotel, the room was small, clean and provided everything one would need or expcet. I had no resevation, which was not a problem, but I had to be checked out by 6pm. There are 3 different transit hotel locations each wih slightly different amenities. The location I stayed at was in Terminal 3 on level 3.

behind the curtain is a brick wall

Last time I transited Incheon, I stayed at this awful “hotel.” Why I did not stay at the Incheon Transit Hotel, I have no clue.

This transit hotel could not be any more convenient as there are two locations, both within the airport. The East location, the one I stayed at, is on the 4th floor across from gate 10 (you will have to take the escalator or elevator to the 4th floor). The other location, also on the 4th floor, is across from gate 43.

According to the reservation process, one can only stay here is they have an international connection flight. In fact, I was required to provide both my arriving and departing flight information. You will need to pass through transfer security screening but NOT customs. For this you, in theory, should have a boarding pass. I did not, however, and simply told the security guard what I was doing.

While the standard room was small, it was spotless and modern. Of course, you have access to the entire airport for shopping and dining at your fingertips. There is a restaurant which services the hotel. There was a $20 buffet offered at dinner time, but I ate elsewhere. There are also some computers for guest use. The window in my room looked out over the check-in area.

I was happy I had a reservation as the hotel was sold out when I was there. In the morning, I walked to the transfer desk and checked-in for my next flight.

cant say i have even seen the cargo flights listed

2 types of outlets

The last bit of rest (on the ground) I was able to muster took place at the Radisson Blu Zurich Airport, the only hotel at Zurich airport connected to the terminal. Often times when one stays at an airport hotel, it simply serves the purpose of sleep. One may find themselves making trips out of the hotel to fetch a decent meal or entertainment. Not at this hotel. It has all the bell’s and whistles of a hotel you might find in the middle of a major city.

There are 330 rooms including 6 one-bedroom suites and a Presidential Suite. All of the rooms felt modern, and comfortable but not at all gaudy. You will immediately notice the 52 foot wine tower in the 8 story lobby that contains around 4,000 bottles of wine and bubbly. The tower features “wine angel” performances where performers are hoisted in the air to retrieve the wine of your choice.

I could have spent a whole day getting to know this hotel, but unfortunately I did not have enough time.  This hotel is most impressive and  super convenient. Like my stay at the Radisson Blu in Abu Dhabi, I checked out and wondered when/if the Blu is coming to the United States? Here are a few other airport hotels I have stayed at.
Disclaimer: This hotel stay was provided to me by Swiss International Airlines.

lobby

elevators

lobby, from 6th floor

standard room (mine)

presidential suite

walk in closet & dressing room

kitchen

1 bedroom suite

filini italian restaurant

lobby bar & lounge

business center

The Dan Panorama Tel Aviv is right across from the Mediterranean Sea. The hotel has been remodeled into a hip, upscale oasis. The pool area was certainly a highlight. It is an expansive area where you will find a clean pool, plenty of lounge chairs, over sized towels and a snack bar.

There is an executive lounge on the 18th floor of the hotel. Unfortunately I do not know what the requirements are to enter the lounge but I can tell you it has fantastic views and they serves light food, wine and beer.

With less than a 12 hour stay (5am flight and I left hotel at 2:15) I did not have the opportunity to eat or use the gym at the hotel. Here is the link to the hotel’s website.
My 11th floor room overlooked the Mediterranean and pool. As you can see by the pictures, this is a very different type of hotel than the Dan Jerusalem. The most basic difference being the proximity to Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion airport.

lobby

sunset in front of dan panorama tel aviv

From time to time I will post information about various hotels that I stay at during layovers. Typically these hotels are pretty close to the airport. Hence the category “Airport Hotels”
The Dan Jerusalem, 1 of 3 Dan Hotels in Jerusalem, is about 30 minutes from Ben Gurion Airport (TLV). If you have any inclination of seeing the sights in Jerusalem, this hotel makes for a convenient and comfortable home base.

The hotel is deceivingly enormous as it is built into the side of a hill.  You will have great views from all the common areas and all of the southerly facing rooms. The rooms were on the older side, but have been updated appropriately. Mine had a large, private balcony with table & chairs.  The fitness center and pool area rival that of many fitness clubs in the United States.

I ate at the hotel on my night of arrival and think the menu was designed to accomodate a wide variety of nationalities, but also featured local fare.  The food was fresh and served quickly, but not memorable.  I would stay here again and recommend it for those looking for accommodation in the heart of Jerusalem.  Not sure who their partners are as far as earning points.

Disclosure: This trip was provided to me, in part, by Swiss International Airlines

a graduated descent to restaurant & lounge

greeting letter from hotel manager

views

If The Westin’s beds are heavenly, these beds are earthly.  It didn’t matter though, I could have slept on the floor by the time I arrived and fetched myself some dinner.  The rooms are basic and clean although a tad outdated.  The Best Western Plaza is a stone’s throw from the Honolulu airport and prefect for an overnight layover.  The hotel provides a complimentary shuttle, but do call the hotel to request it as soon as you arrive.  There are several good quick serve restaurants within walking distance: Byron’s, Ninja Sushi and the Big Kahuna all offer quality fare.  The restaurant at the hotel is open for breakfast daily and also dinner on select nights.

There is a store in the lobby hotel which offers a huge variety of items including beer and liquor.  It was most impressive and handy.

If you wish to take pictures of airplanes (mine are on the editor’s desk now), Keehi Lagoon Park is a 1.5 mile walk.  You will also have some decent views from your room or the fire escape which is open air.

I can’t decide what was more entertaining: the bellhop giving me his elevator pitch (literally) on why the Heritage was a 5 Star Hotel or the craftsmanship in the room. The last time I visited Manila I stayed at the Sofitel which one of the hotel search engines said was 5 miles from the airport. Well, it took me 45 minutes by cab to get there (this had more to do with Manila than mileage)

I chose the Heritage because it was “2 miles” from the airport; I figured I would save myself a half hour. I bet when this hotel opened it was sate of the art, but it does need a few physical upgrades: paint, carpet and probably an upgraded pool. I saw a few small bugs around various parts of the hotel. I am not certain of what variety they were, although they had very long antennas; like, say… roaches. They were, however, only a fraction of the size of the ones I see in Atlanta. Not to worry though, I killed the ones I saw, so you shouldn’t have a problem when you stay here.

The great news about the Heritage Hotel manila is that the staff is very friendly and the service attentive and speedy. In addition, the price is right at less than $80 USD/night. I recommend eating at the Rivera café over the other options. The Chinese noodles were delicious and the fruit very fresh.

Up next: Delta inter-Asia and trans-pacific.

From time to time I will will share my impressions of the “airport” hotels that I stay in.  I always try to stay as close as possible to the airport in order to take full advantage of quick stops.  This time it was the Radisson Blu on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi. I was thoroughly impressed and feel that this chain can compete with chains like the W.
The property is directly across from the Formula 1 track and about 15 minutes from the Abu Dhabi airport. The cab cost was 50 Dirhams to the hotel and 30 Dirhams back to the airport.

The Radisson is brand new and very well maintained. A professional and friendly staff greeted me upon arrival.  The rooms were modern and included i-pod dock/alarm clock, mini-bar, in room coffee and tea, speakers in bathroom, strong water pressure, complimentary flat and sparkling water and built in power adapters.  After a shower, I found a multitude of restaurant options on site.   I had great service at The Fast Track Lobby Bar and ate dinner at the bustling Filini. Filini was short staff, but the lasagna and tomato salad were up to snuff.  The pool area looked gorgeous, but I had not time to take advantage of it.

Assuming I needed to be close to the airport, there is absolutely no reason I would stay anywhere else.  While I did not require accommodation on this trip, I did stay there 1 night after my Lufthansa A380 trip.  The Sheraton Frankfurt Airport Hotel is stumbling distance from Terminal 1.  There is a sky bridge from the terminal.  I was assigned a superior room and found it on the large side and equipped with all of the amenities: i.e. toiletries, mini-bar, in-room coffee, slippers.  The bed was crisp and comfortable.  There were a ton of cable television channels in numerous languages.

The 24hr gym was the nicest I have seen at any hotel, complete with a full free weight section.  I found complimentary croissants and coffee in the lobby- just enough to negate my workout.  Not that it mattered as I had dinner at the authentic German restaurant on site the night before.  It was quite tatsy and there was plenty of pork fat to be had.

Adjacent to the lobby was large sports bar where the World Cup was shown on a huge screen. You will also find an enormous business center near the lobby.  All the staff, including the guy delivering newspapers, were extra friendly.

I stayed at the Mercure Narita while on a 2 night layover and found it to be a pretty solid airport hotel.   The free Mercure shuttle bus leaves from the airport about every hour, but unlike the Narita Hilton, the Mercure is in the middle of downtown Narita, so there are plenty of shops, bars and restaurants. While the Mecrure is not far from the airport, it took us a solid 30 minutes of transit during morning rush hour.

There is internet for a fee but it is painfully slow and sometimes doesn’t work. The breakfast buffet is 1,500 yen, but did not look terribly appealing and I never ate there. If you are on a different time zone, food can be a challenge as most restaurants close before midnight. There is a 24 hour McDonald’s and convenience store about 100 yards from the hotel’s entrance. Room service ends at 10:30pm.

My room was clean, modern and comfortable although the bathroom was small and felt like a head on a small boat-the shower head came up to my chest. The front desk was staffed 24hrs a day with friendly, helpful staff. There is a large, dated full service fitness center which can be accessed for a fee.

I would stay here again assuming the rate was competitive with the multitude of other options near the Narita Airport.

hotel lobby

looking down the street in front of hotel

downtown narita from 4th floor of hotel

one of many fantastic noodle bars in narita