This week I had a chance to talk to some wonderful folks over at Starwood.  To have a little fun, and to share some interesting facts I’ve recently learned, I’m running a Travel Tuesday Trivia contest.   To enter, simply answer as many questions as you can by commenting on this post (all answers should go in one comment!)

The person with the most correct answers will win. If more than one person gets all answers correct, the winner will be drawn at random from those responses.

The winner will receive a $50 Best Buy Gift Card.  Good luck!  Deadline is Monday, August 6th at 5pm EST.

Questions:

1. What was the first brand to become part of the Starwood Chain? Hint: the Starwood Brands include (Aloft, Element, Four Points, Le Meridien,  Luxury Collection, St Regis, Sheraton, W, and Westin.)

2. Name three of the six Starwood hotels with the word Sheraton in their name, but are not operating under the Sheraton brand.  Hint: They are all operating as Luxury Collection hotels.

3.  What Starwood brand was the St Regis New York a part of before St Regis became a Starwood Brand itself?

4. What Airline founded the Le Meridien Brand and sold it to Starwood?

5. What Starwood hotel is home to one of the World’s 15 most expensive hotel suites as reported by CNN Go in 2012?

Amidst the airport chaos created by typhoon Vincente, The SkyCity Marriott at Hong Kong International Airport provided a calm refuge from the storm.  Due to the typhoon, some of my flights were cancelled and I new I needed a hotel to hunker down in.  I used the Marriott App on my iPhone to find a room at the SkyCity Marriott.

Upon arriving at the hotel, the bellman rush over to the cab with umbrellas to help with baggage and to escort me into the hotel.  The hotel is modern and welcoming.  The front desk staff checked me in very quickly and informed that that I had been upgraded to an Executive Level room, had access to the Executive Lounge, and free wifi with my Gold Status.  Marriott is very generous in Asia-Pacific with member benefits.

I headed up to my room and within minutes a bellman was there with my bag.  Service at the hotel was exceptional.  The room was decorated like my home is decorated so I felt right at home.  There was a king sized bed that was incredibly comfortable.  I sunk right into the pillows. It had been such a long and frustrating day that I really appreciated the comfort.

Since there was a typhoon battering Hong Kong (and all public transportation had been suspended) I opted for one of the hotel restaurants.  Luckily the hotel had several restaurants and bars to choose from.  I went with the International restaurant that offered both a buffet and a la carte menu.  I ordered off of the a la carte menu and enjoyed my dinner quite a bit.  I was actually surprised how good the food was for an airport hotel.

Stuck inside, with nothing to do, I decided to check out the hotel spa.  It was a very nice spa with great products, relaxing atmosphere and amazing treatments.  I partook in a massage that was awesome – but expensive for Asia.  I spent about $90 for a 60 minute massage.  I figured it was worth it to relive the stress and tension typhoon Vincente had created.

Unfortunately (because I really loved the hotel) and fortunately in this instance (because I was getting a flight out) I only had one night at the SkyCity Marriott.  I would absolutely return to the hotel anytime I’m in Hong Kong.  The staff was great, the location is perfect for an airport hotel and the hotel itself is very clean and comfortable.  I enjoyed my night at the SkyCity Marriott.

Restaurant:

Room

Spa

 

 

At the end of 3 weeks in Hong Kong (see Hong Kong Trip Report) I headed over to Macau for a long weekend.  This was my first trip to Macau.

Macau Trip Report

The end.

I think that pretty much sums up my feelings about Macau.  However, I’ll share a little more about my time in Macau.

History

Macau is a special administrative region (SAR) of China. There are two special administrative regions in the People’s Republic of China, Hong Kong and Macau, which were former British and Portuguese territories, respectively. Macau lies on the western side of the Pearl River Delta and borders the Guangdong province of China to the north and faces the South China Sea on the east and the south.  The PRC’s Central People’s Government is responsible for the SARs defense and foreign affairs, while Macau maintains its own legal system, police force, monetary system, customs policy, and immigration policy.

Macau was settled by the Portuguese in the 16th Century and even today you can feel the Portuguese influence in the food, architecture and culture.  In 1999 China assumed formal sovereignty over Macau.

The currency unit in Macau is the Pataca (abbreviated as MOP) and is usually about equal to the Hong Kong Dollar. Today, 1 MOP = .097 HKD.  And, in fact, in Macau you can use Hong Kong Dollars everywhere and receive a 1:1 exchange value.

Macau has a humid, subtropical climate and receives a lot of rain driven by the monsoons.  Summer is very hot and wet and Winter is mild with less rain and humidity.

Transportation

Getting to Macau is very easy.  There are several ferries that run from Hong Kong and mainland China to the Macau Ferry Terminal.   From Hong Kong, you can catch a ferry from Hong Kong Island at the Shun Tak center, in Kowloon at the Ferry Terminal and at the Airport SkyPier.  Tickets are inexpensive ($22 for coach fare and $44 for premium fare) but should be booked in advance to ensure passage as prime time ferries can sell out.  The two primary ferry vendors are TurboJet (which I took) and CotaiJet.  At the Macau Ferry Terminal,  you will find free bus transportation to all hotels in Macau.  Upon departing the terminal, find the down escalators that will allow you to cross under the street to the bus depot.  Buses to the large hotels leave about every 15 minutes and buses to the smaller hotels (like the Westin where I stayed) leave approximately every 30 minutes.

Taxis are also a great way to get around Macau.  They are relatively inexpensive (compared to most cities) and most cab drivers speak enough English to get you around.  They all know the major hotels.  It is the law in Macau (and Hong Kong for that matter) that you must wear your seat belt in a cab.  You can be ticketed, as can the cabbie, if you’re caught not wearing one.

What to do

The two main things to do in Macau are shopping and gambling. There are some cultural and local historical attractions, but the weather can command what you do in Macau.  On my trip, it was about 95+ degrees with feels like temps over 100.  The smog was suffocating on my first full day in Macau.  I had picked out a few things I wanted to see and after about an hour outside in the smog, found myself coughing and with teary eyes.  All I wanted to do was get back inside.

I did go to the A-Ma Temple, the oldest Temple in Macau dating back to the 17th century.  The temple is beautiful and a great part of history. Worth a visit.  I wish it was cooler and I could have spent more time.   After the temple, I went to the Coloane Village – an village that looks like time stood still.  The buildings are reminder of the Portuguese legacy left behind.  Spanish style buildings painted in yellows, light blues and pinks. The streets are narrow and filled with local merchants and restaurants.  The village square provides great photo ops and is a popular spot for tourists and locals alike.  Again, I wish it had been less smoggy and a bit cooler so that I could have spent more time exploring all of the alleys of the village.

The majority of tourists to Macau are from mainland China and there for the casinos and extravagant shopping outlets.  Each Casino, just like in Las Vegas, has a variety of entertainment options, restaurants and shops.  The exchange rate with the US dollar didn’t really make for any good bargains in the upscale malls.  However, if you happen to win big in the casinos you can find just about every high end designer boutique you’d ever want to splurge on.

I spent some time on Sunday, during a rain storm, checking out the casinos.  The Cotai Strip, known as little Las Vegas in Macau, houses the The Venetian, the Four Seasons, The Conrad, The Holiday Inn and the soon to open, Sheraton Hotel.  The Venetian is a beautiful and elegant hotel/casino reminiscent of the original Vegas location.  The Venetian features glass artist Dale Chihuly’s spectacular blown glass.   Many of the casinos are connected to one another making it easy to get around.  The Venetian is connected to the Four Seasons which is very elegant.   Across the street are the Conrad, Holiday Inn and Sheraton (opens late September 2012.)  The Conrad is very modern and has a huge spa and pool area.   I didn’t wander into the Holiday Inn.

On the other side of the Island is the MGM Grand, Wynn, the Sands and other smaller casinos.   The MGM Grand is a more formal and modern hotel/casino with a magnificent butterfly garden inside.  The Wynn looks very modern, but I decided not to tour it.

Dining

Each hotel has its own restaurants – some are very high end and some are more casual.  I had a great meal at the MGM Grand Patisserie. They had delicious western-style sandwiches and more traditional Asian fare.  They are most known for their tea and desserts. The Venetian has a large food court where you can find every type of Asian food you could desire from Singaporean food to Vietnamese food to traditional Chinese.   Upon the suggestion of fellow blogger, Gary Leff from View from the Wing, I tried Fernando’s Portuguese restaurant which is located just down the beach from the Westin hotel.  It was very good and a great suggestion.

Overall

Three days was way too much time in Macau.  I would have probably been happy with one night/two days in Macau.  Aside from gambling – which was fun for about an hour, and shopping – which I couldn’t really afford to do, there isn’t a lot to Macau.  If you just love Vegas and can spend days on end there, then you’ll love Macau.  If you get bored in Vegas, then you’ll find the same of Macau.  (It’s also important to note that Macau lacks the elaborate shows that Vegas offers and doesn’t have nearly the variety of dining options – or any celebrity chef which have taken over the Vegas food scene.)

I personally wouldn’t head back to Macau because it isn’t the type of vacation that I like.  But if you’re into gambling, then Macau’s your place.

Additional Photos

I just returned from a 3 week trip to Hong Kong and Macau.  The trip was quite an adventure.  This was my first trip to both Hong Kong and Macau. This report will focus on Hong Kong with another post to follow on Macau.

Hong Kong 

I arrived very late on a Friday night at Hong Kong International Airport.  I was in Hong Kong for business, so I stayed in the Sheung Wan area on Hong Kong Island (what used to be called Victoria Island.)  The part of Sheung Wan I stayed in was very heavily industrial and residential.  Even though I really loved the hotel – The Courtyard Marriott – I didn’t love the area so much.  I found it challenging as a tourist to navigate in that area – cabs were hard to find, restaurants didn’t have English menus, etc…  and the MTR station was just a tad too far a walk in the scorching Hong Kong summer heat.  The plus was that the hotel did have a free shuttle that ran from around 8am to 10pm to the IFC Mall and from there you could get anywhere on public transportation.   If I had to pick locations again, I would stay closer to the Central area which is full of shopping and restaurants and much more popular area.

Day 1 in Hong Kong was a blur.  I spent the entire day recovering from a really bad case of “I drank the water in South Korea.”  While the tap water in South Korea is safe to drink, many visitors – including me – are not used to the heavy mineral content in the water and can end up feeling pretty sick.  I learned from a Dr in Hong Kong that many people who live in Korea actually drink bottled water, even though tap is safe, because they just don’t like the taste of the water due to the high mineral content.  Lesson learned.   I knew that drinking tap water in Hong Kong was a no-no, but the hotel reminded me when I checked in (where where they when I was ordering in Korea?)

On Day 2 I ventured out into the city.  One of the things I like to do on any trip is to take a city tour.  I find it a great way to get familiar with the area and figure out what else I want to see and do.  In Hong Kong, I joined the Big Bus Tours Hop On Hop Off tour.  They had three routes for one price and it included a junk boat trip and Star Ferry round trip ticket.   I started the tour at 10am (their first departure for the day) and by 1pm I was melting in the sun on the second level of the double deck bus.  I would highly recommend dressing appropriately, wearing sun screen and bring a hat to block the sun.

During the week, I really didn’t do much sightseeing – since it was a business trip – but I did have a chance to eat some amazing food.  At lunch, my client took me to some amazing local restaurants.  One day we had delicious Beijing-style dumplings at a Queen Street Cooked Food Market.  A cooked food market is like Hong Kongs answer to a local food court.  There were tons of vendors offering all types of food and in the center were folding tables and chairs packed with diners.

Another day we had lunch at a traditional tea restaurant.  This one was located on the 3rd floor of the Shun Tak center (the home to the Macau Ferry Terminal, offices and many shops.  Lan Fong Yuen is a crowded little restaurant with small tables packed with hungry lunch crowds.  I took the suggestion of the people I was with and had a combo of duck and chicken over rice.  It came with an absolutely delicious ginger and green onion paste meant to be used on the rice.  I loved that paste and learned that there were companies that specialized in making it.  The menu had some very interesting food and drink choices.  One of my colleagues ordered the Red Bean and Milk drink.  Didn’t look too good to me, but it’s a local favorite.  I was also pretty intriuged by the 7-Up with

Another meal that I greatly enjoyed was at Greyhound Cafe in IFC Mall. Greyhound Cafe is a Thai restaurant that started in Bangkok.  It’s traditional Thai food.  A friend and I enjoyed the Pad Thai and Minced Chicken with Sweet Basil, Hot Chilies and Rice.  I had the Minced Chicken dish and really thought I could have been in the middle of Bangkok enjoying the meal.

Another great meal, and perhaps one of my single favorite dishes in Hong Kong, came from a Vietnamese restaurant called Nha Trang .  No matter what time of day you go to the original location of Nha Trang, you should expect to stand in line.  It’s well worth the wait.  My favorite dish was the La Dua Bo Nuong – grilled beef marinated in pineapple and lemongrass and wrapped in Pandan Leaves.  The flavor was absolutely amazing and the dish was worth having multiple times (which I did.)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I could probably go on and on about the food in Hong Kong, but there are other things to talk about too.  I didn’t find myself shopping like I typically do in Thailand.  The prices, as an American, seemed quite high.  However, one of my colleagues from Australia though things were quite reasonable.    The cultural aspects of Hong Kong are quite interesting.  There are a mix of people in Hong Kong and one thing that surprised me were the number of ex-patriots living in Hong Kong.

I loved the architecture – especially the tall skyscrapers.  They were just stunning and and so unique and awe-inspiring sometimes.

 

 

There are so many things to do and see, eat and experience in Hong Kong that it’s worth a trip.  I probably wouldn’t suggest spending 3 weeks there – unless you’re on business – but a long weekend or 4 days would be a great amount of time in the city.

After 15 nights in Hong Kong, I decided I needed a little R&R and I headed over to Macau for a 3-day weekend.  To help set the stage for how the Typhoon Vincente saga unfolded, I will share a little bit about the weather the weekend leading up to the storm.

Saturday was about the smoggiest day I’ve ever seen – ever, anywhere.  Even locals were having trouble with the smog. Hotels were giving out free masks to guests (I know understand why people wear the masks.)  The actual temperature hit about 97 degrees with a feels like temperature of 110 degrees. On Sunday, there was a noticeable difference in the air – no smog, it was quite clear in fact.  It was a bit windy in the morning and about 10 degrees cooler than the previous day.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

One of the great challenges is that the only English TV channels at the hotel I was staying in were CNN and something called AXN – which could be compared to TNT or USA Network here in the states.  CNN didn’t have any coverage of the typhoon – there were still on 24-7 news coverage of the Colorado Movie Theatre shooting and AXN doesn’t have any news on it.  So I was totally unaware of what type of punch the storm was packing. I headed out of my hotel on Sunday for a day at the MGM Grand and Six Senses Spa.  When I arrived at the MGM, I noticed several signs up with a “T1″ on them. I knew that this was related to a typhoon warning, but didn’t know much more. And wasn’t really concerned.

By the time I left the spa, the warning signs were up for a T3 and I could clearly see the wind had significantly picked up and the rain begun. Macau was starting to experience the outer bands of the impending typhoon.   I headed back to my hotel not really worried too much.   At the hotel, nothing was being done to prepare for  typhoon and so it made me feel reassured that must not be too much of a threat.

By the next morning, I had awoken to quite a storm and a note under my door that they were expecting the typhoon status to be upgraded to a T8 later that day.  The note went on to explain that after the T8 sign was hoisted, the bridge going to the ferry terminal/airport would be closed as would be the bridges to mainland China.   I hadn’t planned on departing the hotel until 4pm  to catch a 5:30 ferry reservation which would get me back to the airport in plenty of time for a late-night departure.

Fearing that the ferries might stop operating, and I could get stuck in Macau, I quickly packed up and headed to the ferry terminal. I arrived at the ferry around 11:30 am and since I had paid for premier class ticket ($80 round trip) I was able to change my return trip (coach tickets are not changeable and not refundable, but coach passengers can try standby on the same day).  I was told I had two options – a 1pm departure or a 2pm departure.  The 1pm departure did not have a premium cabin, but the agent let me know that if a T8 was hoisted, the ferry service would be suspended, immediately.  I went with the 1pm departure and there was a line of about 200 people waiting to go standby. As you can imagine, every seat on the 1pm ferry was taken.

The ferry ride was extremely bumpy as the seas were starting to churn.  Instead of the 1 ferry sickness bag that would normally be placed in the seat back pockets, there were three bags placed in each seat back pocket.

Once I arrived back in Hong Kong, and before leaving the ferry terminal, I checked my flights and discovered that my Air China flight had been cancelled.  I immediately started looking for a hotel and found one at the SkyCity Marriott at Hong Kong International Airport.  I checked into the hotel and began phoning the airline.

I learned that I had been re-booked onto an 8am flight that would have me in Beijing by noon – in plenty of time for a 4pm flight to San Francisco.  As the night went on, the storm worsened.  The T8 flag was hoisted around dinner time.  When the T8 flag is hoisted, almost everything in Hong Kong shuts down.  The airport closes, all ferry service closes, the stock exchange closes, public schools close and so on.  All non-essential employees are sent home to prepare.

As the weather got worse, I decided to go online and check my flight status for the next morning. Sure enough, I found the 8am flight had been cancelled flight.  I called Air China again and no one was helpful, at all.  The best they could do was put me on an 11:30am flight to Beijing that would have me missing my connection to San Fran. They all said they could not get me anything out of Beijing to the US for three days.  Since I don’t have a visa for China, the last thing I wanted was to be stuck in the Beijing airport for three days.  I asked them to re-route me on another Star Alliance Carrier and they refused.  They insisted that only USAir – who booked the flight – could change the ticket.

I called up USAir and they confirmed what I suspected, Air China had to make the change.  Just to be sure, I tweeted my travel guru @GaryLeff and he confirmed it as well.  I called Air China back only to learn that the office had closed and wouldn’t re-open until the morning.  The hotel suggested I head over to the Air China counter at the airport to see if they could help. So, in a T8 typhoon I got on the hotel shuttle bus and went into the airport (stupid move #1).  Air China didn’t have any reps at their desk.  I walked over to the United counter where there were still two agents left.  I told them my situation, told them I was Star Gold, US Air Chairman, United Gold Premier and just plain begged.  They told me that Air China’s desk would open at 9am in the morning (a late start time due to all the cancellations and typhoon) and that I should just show up at 8, get in line, and hope they could help when they opened.   The United agents were very kind, but they couldn’t do anything. Wasted trip to the airport.

I re-boarded the hotel shuttle and as we left the airport, a tree branch hit the shuttle. The driver had to get out in the pouring rain to make sure there was no damage.  By this point, the winds were extremely strong.  The hotel doors would not stay shut on their own.  The revolving door had been forced closed and roped off and all but one door to the hotel were closed tightly and had sand bags flanking them.   In hind sight, the fact that I went out in that weather was absurd.

Around 10pm the typhoon was raised to a T9 and around mid-night or shortly thereafter the status was raised to a T10.  It is only the second time in the past 67 years that a T10 has been issued.  To give you an idea of what a T10 means, it has winds of 100 mph to 140 mph – it’s about equal to the winds you would experience w/a low category 5 hurricane.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

During the night I could hear the winds whipping and the sea sounded like it was boiling.  I could hear something clanging against the nearby ferry piers throughout most of the night.  The power flickered on and off.  The TV continually gave status updates.  I wasn’t able to fall asleep until near 2:30 am because the noises were so unusual and the warning system kept waking me up as the status was raised from level to level.  It was a surreal night and a surreal experience.

In the morning, I decided to make a quick call to Air China.  I got a rep who spoke fairly good English and I explained the situation. Again, she said there was nothing Air China could do and I would just have to go to Beijing and wait for a flight to become available.  When I asked her where I would stay since I didn’t have a visa and couldn’t enter the country she actually suggested that I request amnesty from China and special permission to enter the country and stay in a hotel.  That was the most ridiculous suggestion of the day.  She again told me I had to call US Air to make a change to the itinerary.

I asked the Air China rep – named Cindy – to stay on the phone while I called US Air and she agreed.  I knew that I could get through to the Chairman’s line pretty quickly and within minutes I had a US Air agent on the call.  She said she couldn’t help, but I pleaded and explained that Air China was on the line and she connected me immediately to her supervisor, Sue.

Sue was very helpful and talked with Cindy from Air China.  Cindy told Sue the same thing they’d been telling me, Air China would not change my ticket and could not confirm me on a flight from Beijing to the US until at least Friday.  I was literally in tears because I was so frustrated and exhausted. I think Sue was starting to understand my frustration and she said that in this extreme circumstance, since Air China was refusing to make a change or confirm anything, she would make the change on her end. I was overjoyed.

Cindy from Air China hung up and Sue went to work to find me a flight home.  I was prepared to wait days if I had to.  She found that United had a flight departing HKG at 11:30am (same day!).  She didn’t think United would accept the ticket because it was less than 4 hours before departure time and that’s supposed to be the cut-off time.  We were at just under 3 hours until the scheduled departure.  I was very confident that the departure would be delayed because the airport was still closed and hoped that might make a difference. Sue went ahead and gave it a try and sure enough, she was able to get a confirmed spot for me on the United flight.  And not just any seat, but a seat in United Global First.   (I was supposed to fly first class on Air China.)

In the end, I was so grateful that Sue was able to make the change – even though it’s not US Air’s policy to make changes on tickets after travel has begun.  I am glad that she saw the unenviable position I was in with Air China and that being stranded in Beijing would not have been a good option.  And I’m glad that US Air gives their supervisors the power to make this type of decision on their own without having to call dozens of other people. This was obviously an extreme circumstance and Sue’s help was tremendous.

On my way over to the airport the winds were still high and the rain was coming down in sheets.  There were trees down all over the place, branches littered the roads and the puddles were starting to turn into small ponds.  Running from the shuttle bus into the airport left me drenched.  I tried to take pictures, but the wind and rain was so strong that most of them are too blurry to share.  This is the most decent one

I checked in and headed to the lounge.  From there, I had a great view of the runway.  No planes landing or taking off.  For hours I sat and watched as planes remained parked at their gates.  Finally, around 1pm I saw the first signs of movement (I arrived at the airport at 9am!) They announced that my flight would be boarding and I hurried over to the gate (which was about the furthest gate you could possibly depart from  - gate 532.

What I discovered upon arriving to gate 532 was that it meant boarding a bus and being shuttled out to the plane.  Now, while the typhoon level had been lowered, it was still at T3 and quite rainy.  We waited on the shuttle bus for about 20 minutes and then people started dashing for the uncovered stairs to make their way onto the plane.   Everyone was wet, but very happy to be on-board. Once we were onboard there was still a weather delay and then a delay due to the sheer # of planes that had to take off. )  But in the end, I didn’t really care how long we were delayed, I was on an airplane and would be headed back home at some point.

In the end, the Hong Kong government said 129 people were injured (mostly from flying debris), 72 of those were hospitalized. Hundreds of trees were uprooted and there was localized flooding.  In China, three people died as a result of Typhoon Vincente and in Macau, more than 3,000 people were stranded at the ferry terminal and airport, 250 people were injured and there was severe flooding. I’m glad I made the choice to leave Macau early!

I grew up in Florida and have experienced many, many hurricanes in my lifetime.  This experience was nothing like any of those hurricanes.  I am grateful that I was lucky and the hotel was very safe and very concerned about guest safety.  I’m grateful that I had a hotel to stay in and wasn’t stuck on the floor of the airport like thousands of other travelers were.  And, as I’ve already said, I’m grateful to US Airways and Sue for helping me get home.  I hope to never experience a T10 again!

Here are  few more pictures

This past weekend I had the opportunity to stay at the Westin Macau.  I tweeted and outlined in my hotel review abvout how disappointed I was to see Shark Fin Soup still on the menu.  Even the Chinese government has said they will not allow Shark Fin Soup to be served at official state banquets and events.  But yet, the Westin Macau continued the practice.

For those who don’t know, the practice of shark finning is inhumane and cruel to the animals.  Sharks are caught and the fins removed while the shark is alive.  The shark is then tossed back into the ocean to drown a horrible death. Without its fin, it cannot survive.  It’s an unsustainable practice – the shark population where live finning takes place has depleted by up to 90% and in my own opinion the practice of live finning is just wrong.  Serving Shark Fin soup – not acceptable – especially by a hotel chain who touts its “greenness” with its Make the Green Choice Program, every email from Starwood employees has the “Please consider the environment before printing this e-mail” tag, they’ve even gone so far as to create a green brand with Element by Westin. You can even see Starwood’s commitment to environment sustainablity on its website. This is why I’m so shocked and saddened that a Westin property, the Westin Macau, continues to serve Shark Fin Soup.

Well, here’s an update.  I received an email from the General Manager of the Westin Macau (you can read it for yourself below) indicating that he saw my tweet and that the hotel appreciated the opportunity to respond and will be removing Shark Fin Soup from the menu.   It goes on to say that they are removing the pages of the menu that contain shark fin soup immediately and will have a new menu published within one month.

I appreciate the time Mr Winkler took to respond and his willingness to make a significant change at the hotel.  In my hotel review, I said that the # one reason I would not return to the Westin was because it had Shark Fin Soup on the menu.   I look forward to another visit in the future to see what changes the hotel is making and to ensure that Shark Fin Soup is off the menu (I also have a few readers who will be at the Westin Macau in late September, so it will be interesting to hear from them and see if Shark Fin is gone!)

I applaud the hotel & Mr Winkler’s response.  It was timely and addressed my (and the worlds) concerns about the outrageous practice of Shark Finning.  Bravo to the Westin Macau.

The Westin Macau is tucked away on the side of a quite hill facing the South China Sea.  Twenty minutes from the hustle and bustle of the Cotai Strip (the Las Vegas of China) the Westin feels a bit, quite and tired.   I chose to stay there for 3 reasons: 1) it’s the only SPG property in Macau currently open, 2) it was my last few days to earn triple points in SPGs Nice Choice Promo and 3) I got a pretty good rate by booking early (~$140 USD/night).  I actually looked last week to see if I could get a Starpick rate or a better deal and rooms were actually going for upwards of $300 USD/night.

From Hong Kong, there are two ways to get to Macau.  Ferry or Helicopter.  For those who aren’t high-rollers, I suggest taking the ferry. A ticket is very inexpensive. Premier class (which includes free checked bag, beverages on-board, a meal and first on/first off boarding) round trip costs about $80 USD (depending on time and season.)  Coach tickets cost around $44 round trip.  The ferry ride is about 1 hour from Hong Kong Island’s Shun Tak Center.  The ferry also goes between Kowloon and Macau.

For a long weekend, Macau is an easy get-away – if you like what Macau has to offer.  (More on that in my upcoming trip report)

 

Arrival and Hotel Shuttle

Once you arrive in Macau, you can breeze through customs (at least I did) because about 90% of the people were in the Hong

Kong/China passports lines or using the express lanes.   After customs you can exit and cross under the street – yes, I said under the street – to find the hotel bus depot.  There you will see tons of signs and staff from all of the hotels except the Westin.   Even though there is no signage or staff, the Westin does in fact have a shuttle – it’s just not easy to find.  After walking back and forth in 97 degree heat I started asking other hotel staff where the Westin bus was. One person told me all the way to the right.  I walked all the way to the right and then asked another person where the Westin bus was.  He said all the way to the left.  I doubled back and still, no sign.  I started walking back again and asked another person who finally told me just to wait around the general area because the Westin has no assigned parking space and will just park where ever it can.  He said the Westin staff person would be there around 5 minutes before the bus arrived. He was right.   For anyone going to the Westin Macau, when you come up the escalators to the bus center turn right and walk about 1/2 way down (you’ll see the signs for the Sands/Conrad/Sheraton) just wait around there until you see either a Westin staff person wandering around or until the Westin bus pulls up.  It’s a white bus with the Westin logo on the front.  The bus only comes to the ferry terminal every 30 minutes and it doesn’t wait around – so board quickly.

Once you’re finally onboard the bus to the Westin it’s about a 25 – 30 minute ride to the hotel. There is a ton of construction and several 2-lane roads that have been cut down to a single lane of alternating traffic, so travel times can vary.   The hotel bell staff was very helpful with my bags once I arrived.  They took my bag off the bus and brought them inside for me.

Check-in

Check-in was easy.  I asked about an upgrade and was told that no suites were free (the hotel was at full capacity this weekend) but I was upgraded to an Ocean View Room.   As a Platinum member of SPG program, I was told breakfast & internet were free and that I could choose between the 500 points or local gift as my amenity.  I went with points.   Breakfast, I was told, ran from 10:30 – 11:30 on Saturday, 7:30 – 11:30 on Sunday and 7:30 – 10:30 on Monday.  I couldn’t quite figure out the Saturday breakfast (maybe it was that I could barely understand the woman who checked me in, maybe it was all the special events occurring that weekend, who knows…but I figured I’d sleep in anyway and just have lunch.)

 

The Room

I headed to my room on the 8th floor – the top floor for guest rooms – and down a long hall. The hallway was incredibly hot – I don’t think they have air in the halls.  I made it to 808 and noticed that the door and walls around the room were pretty scuffed up and in need of some paint.  The hotel is obviously old, and the rooms are starting to show that age.  The carpets are stained and snagged.  The furniture looked like it had been in the room for the past 20 years and was in need of some updating.

I did like the TV cabinet – which also housed the mini bar – because it was a traditional Asian style cabinet.  When I opened it up, I almost fell over at the sight of the TV.  It held an old-school TV!  I had to laugh – I haven’t seen a TV that old in, well, I can’t remember the last time I have seen a TV like that.   The room was a good size and had a nice large patio that looked over the pool and supposedly the South China Sea.  It was so smoggy that most days I could barely see the pool let alone the sea.  Clearly the fact that it was smoggy is not the hotels fault – it’s China’s fault for not doing more to protect the environment.

The room had a working desk with 1 plug – yes, just one – and in fact, other than 1 plug in the bathroom, it was the only plug in the room (Unless there was another one hidden behind the bed or TV cabinet.  I did move the bedside tables and there were no plugs. All of the lights, phone, internet modem, etc…had cords that fed through the wall and must have been plugged in somewhere behind the scenes.) There was an electronic control panel next to the bed that turned on and off all the lights, activated the do not disturb sign, controlled the AC and TV.  Pretty nifty.

The bathroom looked nice at first glance. I’m guessing it was re-done at some point in time because it was modern and bright where the room was drab.  There was a very large tub, a shower, sink with large vanity area and toilet.  There was no bathmat or any type of towel for the floor, so I used a bath towel so that I didn’t slip on the marble.  There was no shampoo, conditioner or hand lotion, but there was a shower cap, vanity kit and two toothbrushes.

Nothing really bothered me until I looked up-close at the shower.  It looked like no one had cleaned the bottom quarter of the glass door or walls in years – maybe ever.  The amount of soap scum and build up on the door was gross. I tried to take pictures and they don’t do it justice.  Inside the shower there was mildew around the edges.  While I’m sure housekeeping did some type of perfunctory cleaning in the shower, the lack of attention to the detail made me question how clean other things really were.  I’m sure they do clean, but do they do a deep cleaning, ever? Based on the shower, I’d say no.

The hotel boasts Westin Heavenly Beds – and while I’m sure at one point in time the bed was heavenly, it has since come down to earth. I usually sleep extremely well at Westin Hotels and typically love the bed and pillows.  However, the bed here felt like it was starting to sink the middle and the pillows weren’t too comfy.

 

The Restaurants

There are two restaurants in the hotel. Panorama, which serves a buffet for breakfast and dinner and  Kwun Hoi Heen which serves dim sum at lunch and Cantonese fare for dinner.   At one time, there must have been a Japanese restaurant at the hotel because some signage still exits, but the restaurant no longer does.   I tried the hotel restaurant for lunch and enjoyed some dim sum.  They don’t have a huge selection, but what I did try, I liked.   I did make it to breakfast on Sunday and the buffet was small, but very good.  A typical breakfast buffet not really worth commenting on.

One thing that is worth commenting on is that the Westin Macau serves Shark Fin Soup.  Even the Chinese government has said they will not allow Shark Fin Soup to be served at official state banquets and events.  But yet, the Westin Macau continues the practice.  For those who don’t know, the practice of shark finning is inhumane.  Sharks are caught and the fins removed while the shark is alive.  The shark is then tossed back into the ocean to drown.  It’s an unsustainable practice – the shark population where live finning takes place has depleted by up to 90% and in my own opinion the practice of live finning is just wrong. Serving Shark Fin soup – not acceptable – especially by a hotel chain who touts its “greenness” with its Make the Green Choice Program, every email from Starwood employees has the “Please consider the environment before printing this e-mail” tag, they’ve even gone so far as to create a green brand with Element by Westin.   You can even see Starwood’s commitment to environment sustainablity on its website. This is why I’m so shocked and saddened that a Westin property, the Westin Macau, continues to serve Shark Fin Soup.

Update: The Westin Macau responds to Shark Fin concerns read update here.

 

The Hotel

The hotel has a few gift shops, but most were closed.  If you wanted to buy, you just had to ask the front desk for assistance.  The Chinese herbal shop was open on Sunday morning and busy.

The hotel spa was closed for renovations.  The hotel also published a note and posted it in the hotel and in the rooms alerting guests that mosquito fumigation would take place between 5:30 and 6:30 pm and guests should stay away from the poolside, gardens, lawns, hotel entrance and tennis courts during that time.  Nice to see a hotel doing something about mosquitoes.

The hotel is nice, but as I’ve said, getting old.  It offers a complimentary shuttle to the Cotai Strip (the same that goes to the Ferry) and they recommend advanced booking for the “first come, first served shuttle.”  On Saturday, I went to the service express desk around 10:45 hoping to catch the 11am shuttle.  I was told by the staff at service express that the 11am shuttle was fully booked and there was a wait list.  I asked about the 11:30 and was told it was also booked w/a wait list.  The next shuttle with an open spot?  The 1pm shuttle.  I could either kill 2 hours in the hotel or take a taxi into town.  I opted for the taxi which took 30 minutes to arrive and cost me $45 HKD. So in the end, it’s really not a first come, first served shuttle, it’s more of a… you really need to make reservations shuttle. But it is free and that’s very nice.

Having learned from Saturday afternoon, I made a reservation on Saturday night for a Sunday morning shuttle.  I wanted to be at the MGM before noon for a spa appointment.  I was advised that I should take the 10:30 shuttle – but oh, wait – it was booked.  So I got on the 11am shuttle and just hoped I’d make it in time for the appointment.  I took the Westin shuttle to the Macau ferry terminal and then switched to an MGM shuttle bus.  I arrived at 11:50am. Perfect timing.

 

Overall

The hotel is isolated – which can be a good thing and a bad thing.  It’s not easy to get around due to the popularity of the free shuttle – you have to plan your day out and can’t be spontaneous.  Even getting a taxi takes time.   On the other hand, you’re away from the crazy and crowded Cotai Strip.  The hotel is family oriented and hosts a lot of events – two weddings this weekend alone.   Depending on the weather – and smog factor- you may or may not be able to enjoy the pool.  The beach is nothing special in my opinion – not somewhere you’d actually lie out for some sun.

The hotel is old and showing its age.  It seems they have started renovations on the amenities, like the spa, but no one could tell me of any plans to update the rooms – which really need it!  I suspect the Westin will have to renovate if it plans to compete with the new Sheraton being built.

The staff is very friendly and helpful.  Christian at service express was extremely kind and willing to help w/anything.  He’s the type of employee you want a resort like the Westin. The majority of the staff is Filipino and speak decent English. The only exception I found were some of the restaurant servers.  Communicating with them was challenging.    The Chinese staff are much harder to understand and some of them speak almost no English.

If I ever return to Macau – and I doubt I would choose to come back (see upcoming trip report to learn why) – I would absolutely not stay at the Westin again for two reasons: 1) I will not knowingly return to a hotel that serves Shark Fin Soup and 2) the Sheraton Macau Cotai strip opens in September 2012.  It will be a brand new SPG property close to all the other hotels (connected to the Conrad, Sands and Holiday Inn) and with much easier access to the casinos, shopping, restaurants, etc…

VeryGoodPoints:

• The hotel staff is very friendly and welcoming
• The pool is nice – if you can get out and enjoy it
• The hotel is tucked away from the Cotai Strip

NotSoGoodPoints:

• The hotel is tucked away from the Cotai Strip
• The hotel is old and showing its age
• The shower was not as clean as it should have been – which made me doubt everything else

More Photos:

 

Westin Macau Entry

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Guest Post by Anonymeet

Anonymeet is a business executive based out of Atlanta, Georgia.  Anonymeet also blogs and writes book reviews.

Recently, business brought me to Ocilla, Georgia, about three and a half hours south of Atlanta. Accommodation options in Ocilla are (surprisingly) limited. In fact, the only motel we passed was boarded up tight and obviously had been for some time. Can’t imagine why, since, as its street sign proudly boasted, it offered FREE HBO!

Forced to look outside Ocilla, we turned to the nearby bustling metropolis of Tifton. Tifton offered a number of well-recognized hospitality options, including Rodeway Inn and Motel 6. To our great fortune, the Country Inn & Suites was offering a $70/night special, rendering this ordinarily $100/night hotel affordable on the travel budget set for my five companions and I – if we shared rooms. The Country Inn & Suites afforded a perfect location, too, right off of I75 N.

We arrived late by local standards – around 8 pm – but were still greeted by two receptionists, who displayed customary Southern hospitality while checking us in and informing us that bell service was self-service and a full, hot buffet breakfast would be served in the adjacent room until the remarkable hour of 10 am the following morning.

Our room was delightful, with two Queen beds, a convenient kitchenette and a small but serviceable bathroom, where the hotel helpfully provided three hand-towel-sized bath towels for my roommate and I to share between us. There was also a single washcloth-sized hand towel and two postage-stamp-sized washcloths – all from the hotel’s linen collection, which is undoubtedly woven from the finest terry and ground glass. Pantene hair care products in 3 oz bottles completed the amenities.

Our view – unlike our unfortunate friends across the hall who peered out on the hustle and bustle of I75 all night – displayed the gems on offer in Tifton. Stretching out across the horizon were big box stores as far as the eye could see, including two different dollar stores for all your emergency travel needs. Beware though. By 9 pm, most things looked closed up for the night. If you forgot your toothbrush, I recommend noticing before 8:45.

The following morning, despite the lure of a Waffle House right across the parking lot, we opted to try the hotel breakfast. The buffet featured a broad array of cereals from Fruit Loops® and Raisin Bran® to single-serve packets of instant grits and oatmeal. There were even SunMaid® raisins to spice up the oatmeal. The hot buffet section offered eggs and sausage patties, along with a self-serve Belgian waffle maker and a pitcher of batter sitting right there on the counter since 6 am for complete convenience! No need to wait to enjoy your waffle breakfast here. A generous display of Entemann’s® mini-muffins and Danishes sated those among us with a sweet tooth. Sadly, the Southern staple of sausage gravy and biscuits was missing – too bad! But still, we had a wall-mounted flat screen showing the Weather Channel and a two-day-old USA Today sports section left on our table by a prior patron for entertainment, so who could complain?

All in all, I would recommend the Country Inn & Suites Tifton for all your overnight road trip  needs. I can’t opine about point program at this location, however, since I’m not sure anyone in Tifton has ever heard of points or miles!

On every trip, whether it’s for business or holiday, I am faced with the same question.  Should I live out of a suitcase? After 9 consecutive years on the road (and almost 2,000 nights in hotels), I have basically concluded that for a short, 2-3 day business trip I will live out of my suitcase.  If I have a business suit or something special that needs to hang, then I might only hang that one piece up. For longer trips, it’s a different story. Since the end of 2011, my shortest business trip has been 15 nights.  So that begs the question, to unpack or not to unpack?

On a 15 or longer night trip, there could be several scenarios.

• One city, one hotel – this scenario lends itself nicely to unpacking.  As long as there is plenty space and its clean!
• One city, multiple hotels – in the scenario, I may switch hotels due to availability, cost or location.  I may also switch hotels to try new hotels or to take advantage of specific promotions being run.   For example, while in Bangkok recently I stayed at 4 different hotels in a 3 week period.   In this case, I used one hotel as my base and only took a weekend bag with me to the other hotels.  I checked my large suitcase with the base hotel over the weekends.  It worked out nicely, but did mean I had to repack several times.
• Multiple cities, multiple hotels – this is the most challenging scenario, especially on a long trip, as it requires a lot of packing and unpacking.  I tend to only unpack work-wear and let my casual clothes, shoes and toiletries live in the suitcase.

What’s the right balance? How do you handle your packing and unpacking while traveling?

I became intrigued after seeing about 5 of my road warrior friends and co-workers post this photo on Facebook and Twitter.

A  simple post-it note saying “Duvet covers & sheets are clean for your arrival.”   People Facebook comments ranged from “Thanks for pointing that out,” to, “Um, should I be worried?”  It got me wondering, is this really a good marketing campaign that was launched recently by Hampton Inn & Suites, part of the Hilton family of hotels.

The first post I was on Facebook got a lot of comments.  ”Be optimistic and hope they switched maids in the middle of cleaning and were being very informative to each other” Another said, “Yellow post it sounds shady.”  Someone else said, “I think I’d worry only if it said NOT clean”  while another post just said, “Creepy!”

I started seeing similar posts and tweets popping up over the past few weeks.

I stay in hotels all the time – well, almost all the time. I average about 200 nights a year in hotels and I have never seen a sign like this. Probably because the last Hampton Inn stay I had left me traumatized.  In fact, that Hampton Inn probably could have used a sign like this!

However, I still wonder, is this a good marketing campaign?  Do you really need to be told that the sheets are clean?  Here’s the most recent conversation between two friends of mine on Twitter and what prompted this post.  (Note: For those of you not familiar with Twitter – namely my mother, a loyal blog reader – you have to read the tweets from the bottom up)

So, what do you think?  Is this a good campaign?

 

Apparently the fact that I’m staying at a Courtyard Hotel this week sent shock waves through the Twittersphere and realm of Facebook.  Those who know me well were shocked by my Foursquare check-in at the Courtyard Marriott in Hong Kong this past weekend.  Well, not to worry, there’s more than enough nights to go around.

As my readers know, I’m a loyal Platinum Starwood member, and in fact, I’ve already stayed at Starwood Hotels 95 nights in 2012.  I will have 3 nights next weekend at the Westin Macau which will bring me to 98 nights and will hit 100 SPG nights by the end of July.  I finished 2011 with 98 nights at SPG.

Now, back to Marriott.  I have gold status with Marriott, and I’d like to maintain my status for a few reasons.  1) I need a backup hotel with Starwood hotels are too expensive for my budget (yep, it’s true, I have a budget.)  2) I can transfer my Chase Rewards Points to Marriott (I haven’t done this yet…but it’s a good option to have) 3) I’m just shy 250,000 points with Marriott and I’d like to reach that number (through actual earn, not transfers. I know, crazy…)  and finally 4) I liked the promo they were offering for summer and because of this trip, I’ll earn an extra 40,000 bonus points.

Onto the hotel.  The Courtyard Marriott Hong Kong (hereafter called CMHK because I’m too lazy to type it out each time) is a very lovely hotel.  When I arrived at the Hong Kong International Airport, completely exhausted and bedraggled from my long trip and extended lay-over in South Korea, I was greeted by a rep from the hotel.  He immediately took my bags and offered me a cold water.   That was exactly what I needed.  He informed me that the car ride to the hotel would take about 30 minutes and asked if I wanted to use the toilets.  While I used the toilets, he watched my bags and waited for me.

The hotel car was a Mercedes (no idea what class…I was too tired to look) and the driver was very friendly.  The driver called ahead to let the hotel we were about to arrive and they greeted me at the door.  The valet took my bags and a front desk agent escorted me to check-in.  Within about 5 minutes I was checked-in, had learned about the executive lounge access, free internet, free breakfast and that my room had been upgraded to a harbor view.

I headed up to the room and was very pleasantly surprised at how modern and fresh the room was.  The bathroom was small, but very nice. The room isn’t palatial in size, but then again, it is Hong Kong.  The room had a partial glass divider between the entry and the room which almost made you feel like the room was bigger than it was.  The king size bed was comfortable as were the pillows.  The room had dark wood paneling and natural wall paper which made it feel contemporary. The room was state-of-the-art – there was an audio-visual panel with plugs to allow a computer/iPad/notebook to connect to the TV, there was wifi and wired internet access, the window shades were electronic! At the push of one button the black-out shade went up or down and with the tough of another button the privacy shade went up or down.  In addition, there were plenty of outlets in the room – especially next to the bed – there’s nothing I hate more than having to search high and low for a plug near the bed!

Since I checked-in after midnight, it wasn’t until the next morning that I really saw the spectacular views of the harbor.  Although looking straight down wasn’t so appealing, if you just looked out across the harbor it was awesome.   The hotel sits next to a highway and so at times there can be some unwanted noises and next to the highway is a gigantic wholesale seafood distributor so at times there can be some unwanted smells outside the hotel.    The neighborhood surrounding the hotel is a bit industrial and somewhat residential.  The majority of the shops do not cater to tourists and communication can be challenging.    You have to walk quite a distance from the hotel to get to the more popular areas of SoHo or Hollywood Road where there are tons of shops and restaurants.

As a gold member, not only is internet free, but so is breakfast.  At the CMHK gold members get a choice of breakfast in the executive lounge or at its restaurant, MoMo.  I chose to eat at MoMo because the breakfast buffet was impressive (not like any of the buffets I’ve experienced in Thailand, but for a Courtyard, it was unreal.)  Another nice bonus was that one of the waitresses was/is incredibly friendly and gave me a lot of great tips for sightseeing.  In addition, she remembered me every day and made a point to say good morning and ask how I was.  Turns out she’s from Las Vegas and it was nice to have someone to chat with about the difference between the US and Asia.   Overall, the staff at the hotel is fabulous.  Everyone goes out of their way to help guests and really made my stay very pleasant.

One of the great parts of having a room with a view was watching the astonishing thunderstorms roll in and consume the harbor.  There were some days when you couldn’t see across at all and the storms would move very fast.

Even though I don’t love the neighborhood that the CMHK is in, it’s close enough to other areas that it’s not a deterrent.  Also, it’s the only good chain hotel in a reasonable price range in the Sheung Wan area of Hong Kong.   I would highly recommend the CMHK if you’re in Sheung Wan or Central and need to stay around $130 – $150 USD a night.  (Your other choices are a Ramada for around $90 USD/night, a Best Western which just had its soft opening this week and is advertising rates around $140 USD/night and a bunch of other no-name hotels. Otherwise, you can try the Four Seasons, Mandarin Oriental or the Conrad – all upwards of $400 USD/night)  So for the rate, I’m very pleased with the CMHK and surely will return.

So, where does this put me for the year with Marriott?  It will put me at 28 nights and I have 1 more night at the SkyCity Marriott hotel before I depart Hong Kong….no idea what I was thinking choosing a 7am return flight…so I’ll stay near the hotel, and again, that means another visit with Marriott.  I’m not sure if I’ll have another 21 nights in 2012 at Marriott, so I might miss gold this year. We’ll just have to see how the year of travel turns out.