To say that I was excited to spend a long weekend at the St Regis Bangkok would be an understatement. Three days of R&R, great food and great shopping was just what I needed after two weeks of long working days in Thailand.

Upon arrival at the St Regis we were greeted by several bellmen and a hostess. Our bags were collected and we were escorted from the first floor to the 12^th floor where reception is located. The check-in process was very quick and the staff was very accommodating. I checked in with friend who is also a Starwood Preferred Guest Platinum member. I used my SPG Suite Night Benefit to guarantee an upgrade to a suite. I am very glad that I did because my friend was not upgraded to a suite.

The Room

After check-in, we were shown to our rooms. My Metropolitan Suite was on the 18^thfloor.

Metropolitan Suite Bedroom

The room was very spacious, had many large windows allowing plenty of light into the room and room was beautifully decorated. The suite had a sitting room with couch and two chairs, a coffee table, wet/dry bar, a small dining table with three chairs and a large work desk. The bedroom had a king size bed, plenty of wardrobe space and a gigantic bathroom.

The room was decorated in grays, blacks and taupe shades. The couch was covered in silk and was extremely comfortable and luxurious. The linens on the bed were soft and inviting. Even the work desk had a comfortable chair.

The bathroom had two large silver mirrors which were highly decorated and added to the ambiance. The centerpiece of the bathroom was the large soaking tub. The tub had a pillow and tray filled with soaps, fragrances for the water, a loofa and extra towels. In addition to the tub, there was a large glass shower with a standard and waterfall shower head. The shower had great water pressure. The bath products at the St Regis are some of my favorite in the world. I first experienced Remede products in Scottsdale, AZ and fell in love with the shampoo. I was so happy to see the Remede products in Bangkok.

Upon arriving in the room I discovered a bowl of fruit – which was refreshed daily, and a tray of petit fours which were amazingly delicious!

Private Butler Service

The service and attention to detail are what set the St Regis apart. The St Regis is known for its personal butler service. Shortly after arriving, and after enjoying a few too many petit fours, I decided to order a cup of tea. The butler arrived very shortly after I phoned with a hot tea and biscuits (didn’t really need the biscuits after all the petit fours…but tasted them anyway. They were good.)

Private Butler Serivce

One of the benefits offered at the St Regis is complimentary tea or coffee service from the butler. I have read many travel forums where people have reported less than stellar service form the butlers, but my experience was excellent and I had no complaints. The butlers were friendly, prompt and made the stay an exceptional experience.

The Restaurants & Hospitality

One thing that made the hotel stand out for me was the restaurants. I was a bit unsure after reading a review of the hotel on One Mile At A Time but I was relieved to learn at check-in that as a Platinum SPG member, breakfast was included (meaning I did not have to choose it as my platinum amenity and contrary to what many people have posted on forums, this is currently the standard at the hotel for Platinum members. I double and triple checked). Free or not, the breakfast buffet is awesome. You can choose from freshly prepared eggs, breakfast breads, fruits, mini-quiches, mini-bread pudding and other traditional breakfast items. You can also choose from Asian breakfast items including sushi and noodles and dumplings.

During my first breakfast, I met the manager of private dining. He was so incredibly friendly and welcoming. On our second day, we spent more time talking to the manager and learned a great deal about the hotel and its restaurants. I learned that the St Regis prides itself in providing extremely high quality breakfast items as opposed to extremely high quantity of breakfast items (none-the-less, the choices seemed endless on the breakfast buffet.) After having several lovely conversations with the manager of private dining, I remembered that what makes a hotel experience memorable isn’t the bed, or the couch, or the bathtub (okay, well, maybe it is the bathtub sometimes) but most often it’s the interactions you have with the staff that make a hotel stay unique and special. I’m not sure that in a year from now I will remember the petit fours or what I had for breakfast, but I will absolutely remember the private dining manager!

Breakfast Buffet

I didn’t have a bad meal at the hotel, from the scrumptious breakfasts, the very generous platinum cocktail reception, the restaurants and even room service – all of the food at the St Regis is great.

Recreation

The pool at the St Regis is located on the 15^th floor high above the hustle and bustle of Bangkok. The views are amazing – even if you don’t swim, you must check out the view. In the evening, the breeze made the pool area very pleasant, but during the day, it was extremely hot (average temp during my visit was 99 degrees, in the shade!)

The 15^th floor is also home to the Elemis Spa and fitness center. The fitness center looked nice, but I didn’t make any use of it. I did find plenty of time to spend at the spa. The spa is an oasis of relaxation and calm Read More…

Back on March 1st, SPGs new Suite Night Benefits took effect.  Members who stayed 50 nights in 2011 were awarded 10 suite nights. Since I reached 50 nights for 2012 on April 1st I was awarded an additional 10 suite nights for a total of 20 Suite Night Upgrades.

I decided to use 2 suite nights at the St Regis Bangkok this weekend. I had read on the blogs and forums that suite upgrades are hard to come by for Platinum and I wanted to ensure an upgrade.  Five days before check-in I received an email from SPG confirming my request for an upgrade.   At check-in I was with a friend who is also a Platinum member. We booked the exact same room rate and made the reservations on the same day.   In 2011, she qualified for Platinum, but did not have 50 nights, so she doesn’t have any suite night awards.  She was not upgraded to a suite at the St Regis this weekend but was upgraded from an Executive Deluxe room to a Grande Deluxe room.  This made me very happy about my choice to use the suite night awards.

More details about my AMAZING St Regis experience coming this week.

Next weekend I’m headed to Koh Samui and again decided to use suite night upgrades to ensure a better room.  I got the email today “Good News Regarding Your Upgrade!”  My suite has been confirmed.  

Instead of the Verandah Suite I had booked, I’ll be staying in a Pavilion Pool Villa which is going for US $385/night.  I used points & cash to book this stay and it’s going to cost me US$60/night and 4,000 points/night so I’ll pay $180 and 12,000 points for 3 nights in a Pavilion Pool Villa.

Here are the villa details:

• 1,130 sq. ft. / 105 m² room space
• 16 sq m private pool
• Open-air sitting room
• Outdoor rainforest shower
• Nespresso coffee machine

I think I’m loving the Suite Night Awards!  I still have 15 Suite Night Awards after the St Regis and LM Koh Samui stays!

Have you made use of the Suite Night Awards yet?

The Le Meridien Khao Lak is in Phang Na province between the beaches and lush tropical rain forests.  This was my second visit to the LM Khao Lak.  My first trip was in Dec 2010 over the Christmas holiday.  I had a spectacular time on my first trip, so I was excited to return.

The drive from the airport to the resort takes about 80 minutes to 100 minutes (rain and traffic can add time to the trip).  The hotel has a reception area inside the Phuket airport with comfortable chairs and cold drinks!  It’s a nice place to wait for you car if you have arranged transportation with the hotel.   A private car (Toyota Camry) is 2,000 THB each way, a SUV (Toyota Fortuner comparable to 4runner in US) is 2,400 THB or minivan is 3,200 THB.  This is an easy way to ensure reliable transportation to the hotel.

The Hotel lobby is a large outdoor area with concierge desk, travel desk, reception desks and the latitude 8 bar.  Upon arrival, I was greeted with a cold towel and very sweet fruit juice (not sure what it was exactly.)   For the second time, I made the mistake of not changing at the airport into cool clothes (I was still in jeans and a t-shirt). After about 10 minutes in the lobby, I was a dripping in sweat. The temp was about 103 degrees.

The check-in process is very quick and easy. I was also greeted by the executive assistant manager which was a very nice touch.   I was upgraded to a pool villa, but the room wasn’t ready upon my arrival.  I was very hungry, so I decided to have lunch while I waited.

TIP: Bug spray is a must when you visit Khao Lak.  The mosquitoes were as hungry as I was, and ate me alive.  You need to wear bug spray at all times, even at night (while you sleep) or get some type of repellent for the room – 99% of my bites (and I probably left with15 or so bites) came while I slept.

While I waited: Lunch is served every day at the Bamboo Bar & Grill.  The view is spectacular because the bar and grill sit directly in front of the ocean. The lunch time service at Bamboo is terrible – my only complaint about the LM Khao Lak.  Since this is the only lunch option at the hotel, you’re kind of stuck w/it.  The food is good and not expensive compared to most hotel restaurants around the world. An iced tea was $2.50 and most lunch dishes were around $9-15.

I got an amazing rate at the hotel -about $90/night, and quite a spectacular upgrade (more about that later), but it turns out that May is the start of the rainy season and it literally rained about 18-20 hours a day during my visit.  The storms can be stunning too.  Luckily, the hotel has a great spa, I had some good books and a blog to attend to!

Room

I was upgraded to a pool villa. The villa was large and roomy with a king size bed, day bed, desk and chair.  The bathroom is amazing. There’s an indoor and outdoor shower, a huge soaking tub and some of the best hotel towels ever.  A really nice, large, fluffy bath towel makes such a difference I think.  The bath products, Cinq Mondes, are nice and have a very mild fragrance.  The villa had a huge patio with a private pool and jacuzzi.  The patio had a day bed, lounge chairs and area for a grill (the hotel will provide a private chef and grill for a bbq in your villa.)  The villa pool is surrounded by very tall walls and lush greens – which made it very private – and also meant it was in the shade most of the day.    The villas have private villa hosts who will help you unpack and repack, they will press two items of clothing, they will make reservations for you and are extremely attentive and accommodating.

The villas have very high ceilings and therefore they can get extremely warm.  My room was 29C/84F when I arrived. It took about 5 hours to cool it to 22C/71F and I couldn’t get it to go below 22.  The ceiling fan was extremely helpful and made it comfortable.  During my last visit here, in December, I remember the rooms getting a bit cooler.  I can’t even imagine what it would be like in June/July!

As I’ve already mentioned, the mosquitoes are everywhere – there’s really nothing you can do to avoid them other than keeping the bug spray on as much as possible.  There a a million other insects, bugs, spiders, lizards and birds around the hotel too. I really only found the mosquitoes annoying.   You will also notice a ton of tiny black ants.  They’re everywhere.  If you leave even a crumb on the ground you’re sure to have a swarm of ants in no time.  The ants were all over my villa – in the bathroom – my guess is they come in from the outdoor shower; near the coffee maker, around the bed headboard, and all over the patio.  I suspect the rain also contributes to this as well.  They don’t bite though.

I loved the villa and only wish the weather had been better so I could have enjoyed the pool and jacuzzi more!

Restaurants 

The Bamboo Bar & Grill – which I’ve already talked about – serves lunch and dinner daily.  The menu offers a variety of foods including traditional Thai dishes, sandwiches, seafood and more.   You can’t beat the view and setting – I only wish the lunch service was better. Strangely, the dinner service is better usually.   The resort offers plenty of restaurant options, though you’ll have to figure out the schedule upon arrival – they’re not all open at the same time. The Twin Lake Pavilion serves bbq and Japanese cuisine – the sushi is good and Kuk Kak Bar & Grill serves Indian food –   I didn’t eat here on this trip.   Baan Thai serves very good Thai food and is a great experience.  It’s a little pricier than the Bamboo, but still a great dinner option.  Café Lilawadee serves a huge breakfast every morning. The buffet is quite amazing and has about every type of food and juice you could ever want. The buffet is included for platinum guests – so you don’t have to choose that as your amenity. They also serve the signature breakfast and “eye-openers” created by three-star Michelin chef, Jean-George. I fell in love with the Oatmeal Soufflé on my first trip and it was just as good this time around.   Favola, formerly Bangsak Grill. offers Italian food and is definitely worth a visit.  Favola is next to the pool and has a great atmosphere.

Pools & Beach

The pools are great.  There’s the main pool, a kids pool and two smaller pools next to the towers.  The beach is nice with lots of chairs, volleyball and other water sports. Cold towels and fresh fruit are served pool-side – when it’s not raining. There are plenty of lounges and very attentive pool staff. There are many small vendors and restaurants along the beach offering food, souvenirs and massages.

Spa

The Spa is amazing and shouldn’t be missed.  There are early bird specials and other specials offered throughout the week making the spa very affordable.  The spa rooms are private and relaxing.  The reception area is quite and a great place to wait for services while enjoying a tea or juice.  Since my last visit the hotel added a room for manicures and pedicures.  This was a very welcome addition. The room, however, needs a little TLC – the paint was chipping, there were water stains on the walls, etc… – but the pedicure chairs are very comfortable!  The mani/pedi services are wonderful.  The Le Spa manicure and pedicure are 60 minutes each and cost $30 and $35.

Overall 

The weather stunk – but the hotel can’t control that – and so I didn’t enjoy my trip this time around as much as I did last time.  The villas are wonderful, the restaurants are good and for the most part, reasonably priced.  The service – with the exception of lunch at Bamboo – is first class.  And the Thai hospitality is amazing – everyone is friendly, kind and so welcoming.   I would return to the LM Khao Lak again – just not in the rainy season.  The hotel definitely rates a 5 out of 5!

I can hear my mother now…I think you meant suite, not sweet. No, I actually really meant to use sweet, mom.  US Air Envoy Suite is sweet!

I fly, a lot, and this Sunday was actually my first trip in US Air’s Envoy Suite product. My last few trips have all been in the old envoy configuration. (I used an upgrade certificate to book this Envoy Suite trip…worth it!)

So what’s the difference? Let’s compare:

Old Envoy Configuration Traditional Business Class seats that lie partially flat. I for one can’t sleep at an angle. I can fall asleep in

Traditional Envoy Configuration

coach sitting upright before the wheels are off the ground…but put me in an angled business class seat and I can’t fall asleep. The old style seats have you very close to your neighbors and you have to crawl over someone – or be crawled over – if you’re next to a window since the US Air 767 has a 2-2-2 configuration.  Finally the TVs are portable (never figured that one out) and so you have to wait for crews to hand them out – and they frequently don’t work well.

New Envoy Suite Configuration The Suite is like a pod – self-contained and very private. The suites are angled to the left or right to give you even more privacy from your neighbors and the seats actually lie flat! That’s right, totally flat. TVs are built into the suite, so you don’t have to deal with portable units being set up by the crew. There’s a power panel with 110 volt outlets and USB ports (the USB port wasn’t powerful enough to charge my iPad 3, but I was able to plug it into the outlet and charge it. The woman next to me had her iPhone plugged into the USB port and it was charging fine)

Envoy Suite Configuration

The food is the same on both configurations, and US Air has done a great deal to improve their meal service in Envoy. For the first time I can actually say I had a better meal on US Air than on Thai Airways! (Thai trip report coming soon). I have pictures of the food below.

Service is service. It’s hit or miss. I blogged last month about stellar service on USAir – in the old Envoy configuration – and on this trip, the service was OK, not great.  On this flight, there was a flight attendant who I nicknamed Oscar The Grouch. She was so grumpy and let everyone know it!  There was Susan, she was pleasant, but she was not on my side of the plane – wish I could have switched to her side!  Then there was another flight attendant – didn’t catch her name – who did nothing but complain about other US Air employees. I was seated behind the bulkhead and could hear everything she said. It drives me crazy when the crew talks about other people in a bad way. I’m all for overhearing funny stories, airline gossip, etc…but I really don’t want to hear someone bad mouth others (not just on US Air, in general)

Overall, the flight was good – bumpy (literally a lot of turbulence) but good. I would fly the new Envoy Suite configuration any day of the week over a traditional business class product.  Here are some pictures from my flight:

Envoy Suite

Envoy Suite TV

Power Panel

Envoy Cabin

Chicken Skewers w/red peppers and apple fennel salad.

Salad with yellow peppers and croutons

Herb Chicken with Rice Pilaf

Fruit and Granola Breakfast

As I prepare for a month long trip to Thailand (with a 1/2 day stop over in Europe for a quick meeting) I am tying up last minute odds and ends.

As I’ve been booking some last minute hotels, rental cars, etc… I’ve run into some very odd things. Here are a few:

Booking a flight to New York on Chase Ultimate Rewards Website, I noticed a warning message.  The message says “This flight arrives at a different airport than the one you started your trip from.”   Hmmmm…..yes, of course it ends at a different airport.   Why would I take off from CHS go to CLT and return to CHS on the outbound portion of a round-trip?  Am I missing something here?  I got the same warning on the return portion of the round-trip.  Odd!

I needed a one-day rental in Charleston and went to book with National since I have Executive Elite status.  Look at the prices that came up for a one-day rental – $1,343.51 for an economy car. You should have seen the price for an SUV!  Convinced this had to be a mistake, I re-submitted my search and sure enough, the prices had changed…turns out economy was $134. That’s a little more like it.

Other Odds and Ends -

Starwood:

SPG Nice Choices Promo registration begins May 1.  Whose as excited as I am?  I have 28 nights at SPG in May alone and so I’m really looking forward to making my Nice Choice!  (I’d also like to thank VeryGoodPoints reader SB for breaking the news of the leaked promo details on my site at April 21, 2012 at 1:15 am  - I’m pretty sure that was the first posting about the details. )

Marriott: 

Make sure you register for Marriott’s Q2-Q3 promotion – my targeted promo was:

Stay 15 paid nights at any participating hotel between June 1 and August 31, 2012
Earn 20,000 bonus points, plus an additional 10,000 points after 20 paid nights, and another 10,000 points after 25 paid nights (up to 40,000 points). 

I’ve seen others getting this promo:

Register by June 30, 2012
Stay twice at any participating hotel between June 1 and August 31, 2012
Earn one free night after every second paid stay, up to three free nights

In addition to the Summer Promo, I registered for this one too:

Earn 7,500 Marriott Rewards^® bonus points after you enjoy two stays at Fairfield Inn & Suites® between May 1 and July 31, 2012.

Register by logging into your Marriott Rewards Account and going to Promotion Central.

Hilton:

Hilton is offering double points or double miles between April 1st and June 3oth. Register and choose wisely – you can’t change your mind on your earning preference.

Summary: 

There are a million other promos out there you can register for – but these are the ones that interest me!  Check out all the other BoardingArea blogs for more promo info.

Make sure you check back frequently in May! I’ll have trip reports from Thailand including a review of  Le Meridien Khao Lak, Sheraton Krabi, Royal Orchid Sheraton, and the St Regis Bangkok (so excited about this one!).  I’ll also post about my flight on US Air’s new Envoy “pod” configuration and my Thai Air flight in their old style business class.

Okay, I’ll admit it, I have been wishy-washy this year when it comes to airline loyalty.  It took only 1 international flight on United a few weeks ago to convince me that the grass isn’t always greener!

I blogged earlier about my switch from US Air Chairman status to United Gold Premier w/the hopes of achieving United 1K in 2012.  Well, I’ve ditched that idea and I’m actually sticking with US Air.  For real this time!

My United trip from CHS – ORD – BRU 

On the flight from CHS to ORD, the regional jet had old cloth seats with no first class option.  As of late last year, all US Air flights from CHS have leather seats and first class on RJs.  At least the United flight from CHS to ORD was on time and uneventful.

Once in ORD, I made use of the lounge while I waited for my flight – mind you – when I told them I was Gold Premier traveling coach to BRU, I was denied access to the lounge.  When I showed them my US Airways Chairman Card, miraculously I was granted access.  So United Gold Premiers traveling coach on United International flights have no lounge access.  Star Alliance Gold members flying international on United who show their membership card can have access. That makes no sense…but whatever…I got in.

Since I was given Gold Premier Status by United, I didn’t have any upgrade certificates (that’s fine, I didn’t expect them) but because of United’s computer software upgrade, Star Alliance Mileage Upgrades weren’t being honored by United so I had no way to upgrade other than to pay cash.  They offered an upgrade from ORD to BRU for $859 from coach to business class and there were 4 open seats. Who pays that much to upgrade?

The plane was dirty with a capital D! The flight attendant said it was soda. I”m not so sure….

Dirty United Plane

I was seated two rows behind the bulk head in coach (a huge mistake on an overnight flight – beware of babies in bassinets! ) The child who was seated in front of me spent more than half the flight hanging over my seat and disturbing me.  After several requests to the parents to keep the kid out of my row without any success I asked another flight attendant if she could talk with them.  Her response – no. Apparently it’s not their job to ask parents to keep kids in their seat.  Ironically the seat belt sign was on.  Dear Parents, please control your kids!

Next, after service in coach started I needed to use the restroom.  Since I was two rows behind the bulkhead, that also meant I was two rows behind the bathroom.  I went to use it and a flight attendant had the most unreal reaction.  I told her the aisle was blocked by the cart in the back and she didn’t care.  She said “I’m going to put a sign on the door saying business class only.” And in fact, she did!  She put a hand written sign that said business class only.  Never seen that before.  Furthermore, she made an extra effort throughout the rest of the flight to keep coach passengers out – even a woman who looked like she was about 90 and could barely walk –  a passenger who was in business class actually told her to let the 90 year old use the bathroom.  About 5 people applauded.

LHR – IAD – CHS 

My flight from LHR to IAD was delayed. Why? Because there was an equipment change.  The new plane had a different seating configuration which meant people who paid for Economy Plus exit row seats weren’t in the exit.  People who paid for Economy Plus aisle seats were in the middle .  It was a disaster.  Luckily the crew had a great sense of humor and tried to make the best of things. We sat on the ground for about an hour while people complained and played musical chairs.

The flight was okay – nothing horrible – but the plane was old and needed some TLC!  I did hear a ton of the people in Business Class complain about the equipment change because apparently the new plane had really old business class seats and had a 2-3-3 configuration. The original plane would have had the new business class “pods”.  That’s a bummer of a change!

Summary

There was absolutely nothing good about my flights on United.  The Gold status I was given – yes, given – by United did nothing for me.  The planes were old and dirty.

So what’s the moral of the story?  1 – US Airways isn’t so bad, 2 – United isn’t so great, 3- if you have the top level of status with one airline, don’t switch.

So the next time I get the crazy idea to switch loyalty – someone please stop me!

P.S. – now I have 9,378 United Miles and no idea what to do with them!  Any ideas?

UPDATE:

After calling United, I learned that my ticket was ticketed before my Gold Premier Status went into effect. That is why I was charged for Economy Plus.   I requested a refund, but was not given one.  However, I was given a free club day-pass for all the confusion in ORD at the club.  They confirmed that Gold Premier does have access to the Lounge on international flights.

I have sent an email to United asking them to reconsider the refund of the Economy Plus fees.  We’ll see what happens.

I don’t know about you, but the more I travel, the more germ-o-phobic I become!  Some people might find my habits a bit obsessive compulsive, but to a frequent traveler, they’re just normal, every day tasks.  Now, after watching Anthony Melchiorri’s new show, Hotel Impossible, I may become even more neurotic.

After watching the first episode of Hotel Impossible I was creeped out and at the same time instantly obsessed with the show.  So far, with each episode I have picked up another tip (aka new obsession.)

So, what have I learned from the show?

- Never use wooden luggage stands! They’re a breeding ground for bed bugs.

- If some of the bathroom tile grout is black – it might be mold!  Keep your shoes on!

- If the room service menu pages are dirty, don’t order room service

- Don’t throw anything in the hotel room garbage if you don’t want the hotel staff to know about it. Apparently they read it!

- Don’t ever use the throw pillows in hotels! What we learned from the show is that everyone throws throw pillows on the dirty floor. Then, the next day the housekeeper puts them back on the bed.  They’re never cleaned!  From guest to guest you get the same dirty throw pillow.

In addition to the things I’ve learned from the show, some of my other habits include:

- I clean the hotel remote control w/an alcohol swab before touching it

- I clean the phone before using it

- I clean airplane tray tables and arm rests (something I picked up from the Today Show)

- I never use a comforter on the bed (duvet covers that are white are okay – because I can check for stains)

- I always check for bed bugs!
I asked some of my colleagues what habit they have (I wanted to make sure I’m not the only neurotic one!)

- My friend Sharon love the fluffy terry cloth robes hotels provide. She’ll even call and request one if there isn’t one in the room.  I bet after tonight she’ll check for stains before putting it on!

- My friend Paige never goes barefoot in a hotel.  She even packs flip flops in case the shower is questionable.  I have to admit, I’ve been known to put a towel down in the shower occasionally when it looks bad!

What obsessive behavior..I mean…habits do you have?

What would a merger mean for me… because after all, it is all about me.  A friend (@edoksa – food critic for the Charleston City Paper – follow him on Twitter) asked me why I haven’t been talking about the rumored merger.  It’s true, until now, I haven’t been talking about it – for a few reasons a) it’s giving me a headache, b) it’s giving me a headache and c) did I mention it was giving me a headache?

Where I stand

I am a US Airways Chairman.  Earlier this year, I considered making the switch over to United – but after 1 terrible trip on United to London, I realized that the grass isn’t always greener.  After that trip – I’m still so traumatized that I haven’t blogged about it – I pretty much decided to stick with US Air where I have top-tier status and know what I’m getting.

So US Airways and American might merge.  What does that really mean for me?

Airline Alliances  - it seems likely that US Air would leave the Star Alliance.  That thought gave me my first headache. It would be disappointing because I love using miles to fly Singapore, Lufthansa, Thai and other great Star Alliance airlines.  American is the only US based airline in the OneWorld Alliance – and there are some good international partner carriers like Japan Airlines, Cathay Pacific, British Airways – and if US Airways joined, it would add more flexibility for flights from the US through Philly and Charlotte and Phoenix to connecting OneWorld routes.

Routing – After a lot of thought – and initial shock – headache #2 – it actually seems like it really wouldn’t mean much to me in terms of routing. It is, and always will be, a pain in the ass to get anywhere internationally from Charleston, South Carolina, my home base. Although it’s called Charleston International Airport – there are no commercial international flights. You could try to hop a C-17 to Afghanistan or a Boeing Dreamliner 787 being built for Air India (it’s set to roll out of the plant on April 27). Other than that, if you’re flying out of CHS there’s a connection in your future!   A merger would open up direct flights for me from CHS to MIA and DFW.

I fly to Europe on US Air – that wouldn’t change.

I fly to SE Asia on Thai, usually, and that would have to change.  However, since Thai cancelled its direct flights to/from LAX, OneWorld routing wouldn’t be much more complex than Star Alliance routing has become. Today on Thai my routes are CHS – CLT – LAX – ICN – BKK or CHS – CLT – FRA – BKK.  Believe it or not, it now takes less time to fly from CHS through Europe to BKK.   On OneWold my route would likely be CHS – CLT – LHR – BKK or something similar.

I fly to Australia and that would likely become a bit easier w/Qantas and Cathay Pacific options. Still a lot of time and connections from CHS.

Frequent Flyer Benefits - now, this is one area US Air could benefit from in a merger.  AA offers its top-tier flyers 8 system wide upgrades – US Air gives out 4.  AA offers the ability to purchase 500 mile upgrades – a nice benefit if you have friend traveling w/you but not on the same itinerary.  Other than the fact that I’d hate to give up the Star Alliance benefits, it might work out better for US Airways members if an AA merger did happen.

Summary 

So in the end, after I took and Advil, I realized that it wouldn’t really have much of a direct impact on me.

Have you thought about what the merger would mean to you?  How would your travel change?

You’ve heard the Murray Head song, “One Night In Bangkok”…well, my song’s called 25 nights in Thailand on one suitcase.

On May 1st I start a 4 week Thai adventure that will combine some R&R and some business.

Week 1 -

I will spend 3 nights at Le Méridien Khao Lak Beach & Spa Resort.  Yes, I have been before, but I loved it and the deal they had going for the week I’m there was unreal.  Through TravelZoo I was able to book the hotel for $83/night including taxes. The deal was booked directly on SPGs website so the nights do count towards status.  That’s a great deal for this hotel.   Plus, I discovered one of my all time favorite dishes at the LMKH…I’m looking forward to having it again.

Week 2 -

I will spend the weekend at the Royal Orchid Sheraton Hotel & Towers. I’ve not been to this hotel before, but I’m looking forward to staying.  I’ve heard that the views of the Chao Phraya River are unbeatable.   Then I’ll move over to the The Westin Grande Sukhumvit, Bangkok for the week. I’ve stayed at the Westin before and it’s the best Starwood hotel for me to stay at when I’m on a business trip.

Week 3 -

I’ll spend the weekend at the The St. Regis Bangkok. I have never stayed at the St Regis before and needless to say – I can not wait to stay!  This might be the most exciting part of the trip! I will have a full review after my stay.   After the weekend, I’ll move back to the Westin Grande Sukhumvit.

Week 4 -

I haven’t yet decided where I’ll stay for the weekend – maybe a quick trip back to Phuket (I’ll be with a colleague whose never been to Thailand before) .  After the weekend, we’ll move back to…you guessed it…the Westin Grande Sukhumvit.

I would like to consider staying one week at a hotel other than the Westin, but to get to the office in BKK it takes about an hour in traffic and the Westin is the closest Starwood hotel.  So I’m not sure it’s worth adding another 15-20 minutes in the car to try out another hotel. We’ll see what happens once I get there.  At the end of this trip, I will have 85 nights stayed with SPG and I’m already thinking about planning June!

Packing

I am trying very hard to pack 1 suitcase.  I’ll do this by packing a fold-up duffel bag in my largest suitcase (for all the gifts I’ll be bringing home) and then doing a lot of laundry while I’m in Thailand. Doing laundry in Thailand is very cheap and will make bringing one suitcase possible.  I’ll have a small carry-on with me – for the long flights and that will be all…this will be my Tim Gunn “make it work” trip!

Have you packed for a month in 1 suitcase?

Any ideas for the 4th weekend? Where should we go?  I’m thinking Sheraton Hua Hin Resort & Spa or Le Méridien Koh Samui Resort & Spa or Sheraton Krabi Beach Resort   Any thoughts? 

Details are slowly starting to be revealed about the next SPG promo.

Registration begins May 1st

The latest Nice News: 

You’ll have 11 different options, something for every traveler. Starpoints. Free Nights. Merchandise Discounts. Elite Credit. One option: Double Starpoints beginning with 2nd stay. No limits. Register May 1st at spg.com/nicechoice

Past Nice posts have included: 

Your Friday dose of nice: It’s good to have options, especially when it comes to your travel schedule. 
With the upcoming SPG Nice Choice promotion, members can choose their earning period from 3 options: May-July, June-August, or July-September.

A few details about SPG’s next promotion, SPG Nice Choice. This promotion will be all about you. Members will have the unique opportunity to choose when, what and how you want to earn at any of our more than 1,000 hotels and resorts worldwide that participate in the SPG program (that’s right, no opt-out list!). 

That’s more choice than ever, and an industry first. Registration begins May 1, 2012 (a ‘coming soon’ page will be up shortly at spg.com/nicechoice). We’ll release more details about the types of Awards and offers on Facebook and Twitter over the next several weeks, so don’t forget to “like” and “follow” us. 

The Promotion Home Page is still pretty bare, but I’m looking forward to more hints about what the 11 other options will be!

Last week I re-qualified for Platinum Status with SPG through February 2014 and received a nice surprise in my in box – a welcome reward.  I got to choose between a $25 SPG award certificate or a one-year magazine subscription.  I chose the $25 SPG award.  Has anyone else gotten a Platinum present?

I also got a new membership card – with a design of my choice; I chose the The Naka Island Resort & Spa, Phuket, Thailand as my design this year.  I chose Naka Island because it currently is on my bucket list.  There were over 60 designs to choose from this year – seems like some new additions this year!

Platinum Membership Card

My goal is to hit 100 nights this year with SPG – and I’ll be pretty close by the end of May.  Currently I have 57 nights stayed and have 25 nights booked in Thailand in May – that will bring me to 82 nights. Hopefully by the end of June I’ll have 100 nights w/SPG.  Boy…100 nights in 6 months, I wonder how many nights I’ll have at then end of 2012. Any guesses?