During the Thanksgiving Holiday I had the chance to stay at the W Midtown Atlanta. I was very pleasantly surprised upon checking in to learn that I had been upgraded to a Wonderful Suite. The suite was huge. A two room suite with dining area and living room area, a bedroom with king bed, a bathroom with vanity and dressing area and large bathroom with shower large enough for a small family.

I personally love the style and décor of the W hotels and loved the suite. The living room had a large couch, TV and Bose sound system.

In dining area there was a large table with seating for 6 people, a mini-bar and giant tic-tac-toe game board. The chandelier was probably my favorite part of the room.

The bedroom had floor to ceiling windows, a king bed and large screen TV. The bed at the W is extremely comfortable and I had 3 great nights of sleep there. I would actually consider buying the W bed when I am ready to replace my current bed.

The shower had a clear glass, floor to ceiling wall and was filled with Bliss bath products.

I loved the walls in the bathroom. They were a unique tile with textured pattern in a metallic color.

The service at the W was exceptional and the staff was willing to assist in any way they could. The W Midtown Atlanta participates in the Green Stay programs – you can turn down housekeeping service and receive 500 SPG points or a $5 coupon for the restaurants.

Inside of the W Midtown is a Bliss Spa – one of my favorite places on earth – and a real disaster for my bank account. Luckily on this visit I was able to stay away because I spent all the time with family and only really spent the nights at the hotel.

I would absolutely return to the W Midtown Atlanta whenever I’m in town visiting family. It’s a great hotel.

I frequently see tweets or blog posts from Ben (OneMileAtATime) about the meals he’s enjoying in first class. I’m wondering…why don’t my meals ever look like the ones he gets? Okay, it may be because I fly US Air and their domestic first class meals are awful. But that begs another question. Why can US Air do a great job on International Envoy Class Meals and provide such junk domestically?

So here I am, sitting onboard my flight (using GoGo which is a story for another day!) and I’m grateful for being in row 1 because after eating ½ the chicken and two spoons or rice I feel like I could puke. Obviously this is not really one of life’s major issues, but I really do wonder why an airline would serve crap. I mean, that’s actually what it tasted like today.

The meal was described as “chicken with rice” so I selected it. It came with green beans, a few carrots, rice and the chicken in what I think may have been a teriyaki style sauce. I’m not sure about the sauce and the flight attendant didn’t have a description of it on her paperwork.

The consistency of the chicken was like rubber. The rice, well…I’ve been sitting here trying to think of how to describe the consistency of the rice and said to the guy next to me, “how would you describe it?” He said “other than disgusting?” So I think the best way to describe the consistency was mush covered with some sauce. The green beans were decent.

I think US Airways should seriously reconsider what it serves domestically. I’d rather be served a ham & cheese sandwich than a hot meal that really is inedible. I jokingly said to the flight attendant who was about to serve the pilots, “do they eat this slop too?” and she said, “oh, no. They have special meals.” So if the pilots won’t eat it, why would they server it to the guests?

Want to win one-year of Executive Status with National Car Rental?  Just leave a comment on this blog post telling me what your dream rental car would be. Mine would be a Bugatti Veyron

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CONTEST NOW CLOSED 

The winner is…. Comment #48 – Holly W.  Congratulations and enjoy your executive status. 

Rules:

• Only one comment per person
• Deadline: Wednesday, November 28th at 11:59pm ET
• You must 25 years or older to win and have a National Car Rental Emerald Club membership (you can join any time and it’s free to join)
• You MUST use your real first name and first initial of last name (example: Stacey S)
• Winner will be selected at random from all valid entries

Good luck!

Yesterday I wrote about a situation where the Sheraton Krabi had sprung a mandatory fee on me without any notification of this fee during the booking process. I believed that the terms and conditions of the booking were clear, and there was no mandatory fee that should be charged. After first being turned down by the reservations manager I emailed the hotel manager asking that he reconsider. At the same time, I posted on my blog yesterday and heard from the Starwood social media team as well. They said they’d look into it.

Last night I got an email from the hotel manager

I am extremely happy that the hotel manager realized that the system did not include the gala dinner and therefore is not enforcing the mandatory fee of approx $200 USD per person. This was the best way the hotel could have handled the situation. I continue to be loyal to Starwood because in the end, they seem to always do the right thing in the end.

Don’t forget – today is #GivingTuesday – Starwood hotels is donating 10 points for every room booked during their CyberMonday sale (which ends Nov 30^th) for a total of 500,000 to Unicef. Support them and book today !

Have you heard about #GivingTuesday™? #GivingTuesday is a campaign to create a national day of giving at the start of the holiday season. It promotes and encourages activities that support nonprofit organizations. There are more than 2,000 #GivingTuesday partners with specific #GivingTuesday initiatives. When I started to write this blog, I figured I’d find many travel related business or companies supporting #GivingTuesday. After going through the list, I was quite surprised to only find three – and I had to stretch to include Skype.

None the less, I was very happy to see Starwood on the list of Large Corporations/Brands supporting #GivingTuesday. I will be booking at least a few rooms tomorrow to help support the effort. I added Skype to the list because they do make it possible for travelers to keep in touch with friends and family while on the road! I hope you’ll join me in supporting one of these travel related businesses or one of the many other businesses supporting #GivingTuesday.

Starwood Preferred Guest National, Large Corporation or Brand

How they are participating

In the spirit of the season, Starwood Hotels and Resorts and its award-winning Starwood Preferred Guest program has partnered with #GivingTuesday™, and will donate 10 Starpoints® to UNICEF for every Cyber Monday booking, up to 500,000 points.  Working to spread the word about #GivingTuesday, Starwood will promote the movement through public relations initiatives, corporate social media channels, email marketing, and a Twitter chat, hosted on November 26th, 2012 on the Hashtag #spglife.

Starwood Hotels of Chicago National, Large Corporation or Brand

How they are participating

Starwood Hotels & Resorts is the official hotel partner of Ronald McDonald House Charities of Chicagoland & Northwest Indiana and is committed to doing the right thing, going the extra step and playing as a team. This innovative social marketing partnership provides a space where purpose meets profit and serves as a platform for Starwood customers and employees to donate and create volunteer opportunities while providing exclusive access to offers and activities to families staying at the new House.

Skype National, Large Corporation or Brand

How they are participating

SUPPORT WORLD PEACE WITH PEACE ONE DAY AND SKYPE – RESULTS TO BE REVEALED ON #GIVINGTUESDAY

As part of Skype’s #GivingTuesday commitment, it has launched SkypeforPeace.org, a crowd-funding effort to support Peace One Day, an organization devoted to promoting non-violence in all its forms and creating a united and sustainable world. All funds raised through this initiative will be used to expand the Peace One Day Global Education Resource to more teachers around the world so they can teach their children the value of non-violent conflict resolution. Donations can be made here and Skype has pledged to match every dollar of the first $100,000 donated. Skype for Peace is Skype’s contribution to the Giving Tuesday movement in its role as a founding partner.

I haven’t yet arrived at the Sheraton Krabi for vacation and I’m already frustrated with the hotel. I booked two rooms at the Sheraton Krabi for New Year’s for 3 nights/4 days. I used a Cash and Points rate and read the terms and conditions very carefully upon booking because many other Starwood properties had notes about a mandatory on New Years’ Eve. One of the primary reasons for booking the Sheraton was that there was no mandatory dinner listed in the terms and conditions. I made the reservations on June 10^th, 2012 because I know how quickly hotels book up in Thailand for NYE.

You can imagine my surprise when I got an email on November 15^th 2012 from the hotel reservations manager informing me about a mandatory gala and the fee for that gala. The fee is not cheap either – it’s about $200 per person.

I emailed the hotel and expressed my feelings about the fee and informed them that I did not want to pay it since the fee was not included in the terms and conditions. I also provided them copies of the terms and conditions from the online reservations screen and a printed version from my reservations confirmation.

After emailing the hotel, I got a response from them and I was not very happy with that reply. In essence, they said “sorry, but you have to pay, we aren’t making exceptions.”

I’m not asking for an exception to be made, I’m asking them to stick to the terms and conditions of the booking. If there was to be a mandatory fee, it should have been stated in the T&Cs. I don’t think you should spring a $200/per person mandatory fee on your guests if it’s not stated somewhere on the website, in the reservations confirmation, or in the Terms & Conditions. I’ll continue to argue this with Starwood and the hotel, but now I’m in a position where there are no other hotels available in a reasonable price range and without minimum stays required.

I’ve completed 105 nights so far in 2012 and have 28 nights confirmed for the remainder of November and December 2012 – not counting the second rooms I have booked which would add another 8 nights according to the Starwood Preferred Guest T&Cs (you can earn stay credit for up to three rooms per night at the same hotel.) That would bring my total nights at Starwood in 2012 to 133 plus 8 for the extra rooms or 141 nights. I am clearly loyal to Starwood and have been for years. I’ve never had an issue like this before at a Starwood and I’m very disappointed that it’s happening now.

If I hear anything further from the hotel, or Starwood, I will let you know. What do you think? How would you handle the situation?

Update: 

I received an email tonight from the Hotel Manager at the Sheraton Krabi and he confirmed that due to an error in the booking system, and since I was not notified at the time of booking, he will waive the fee.  I am very happy that the hotel re-considered and has agreed to stand by the T&C as they were when booked.  I can now look forward to my NYE holiday.

Whether you’re traveling on vacation or for business making sure you have enough of your prescription medications with you is always an important part of trip planning. Once you cross the boarders, getting refills can be next to impossible if not completely impossible and finding a foreign doctor to write you a prescription can be a challenge as well. Some countries don’t require prescriptions for medications that you might need one for in the US/Canada, but you may not find the same brands, strengths or quality of medications. Your best bet is not to run out by planning ahead.

The first thing to check is if your insurance company allows you to fill a prescription via mail/pharmacy for several months (many allow for 3 month or 6 months at a time, if prescribed that way.) If that’s not an option, some insurance companies allow for travel overrides on many medications. Your pharmacy can call the insurance company and request an override for an extra month of medicine (assuming you have the refills on the prescription.) If you can’t get a travel override, you can also request an override from your company or insurance agent directly.

Since I can be on the road for 30 or 60 days at a time, this is something that I have to discuss with my doctors and plan for. For things like prescription allergy medicine, my doctor writes a 6 month prescription and my HR department calls in an override to the local pharmacy (I can’t wait on the mail usually.) For over-the-counter medicines I usually consider the countries I’ll be visiting before stocking up. If I’m going to Europe (counties where English is prevalent) or Australia I usually will buy things like ibuprofen while I’m there if needed. When I’m in Asian countries I tend to pack what I think I’ll need. I’ve been in pharmacies in Thailand where someone speaks English very well and can help me figure out what to buy and I’ve also been in pharmacies where no English was spoken. I remember one trip where I needed some type of mosquito bite ointment. I didn’t recognize any of the brands and couldn’t figure out from the labels what I needed to buy. The staff at the pharmacy spoke no English and so the clerk ended up calling someone (I have no idea who) on her cell phone who translated for me. I ended up with a great ointment that helped the itching – but I have no idea what it was to this day!

When traveling with medicines, over-the-counter or prescription, it’s a good idea to keep it in its original packaging (in case you get inspected at customs). For prescription medications, make sure you have the pharmacy label on or with the medicine. I use a nasal spray for allergies and since the label is on the box, not on the sprayer, I either peel the label off and tape it to the sprayer or ask the pharmacist to do it for me.

What should you pack?

• All of your prescription medications
• Tylenol or ibuprofen for aches and pains
• Neosporin or something for cuts/scrapes
• Cold medicine
• Band-Aids
• Calamine lotion or something similar for bug bites
• Imodium or something similar for stomach upset

Always be prepared – and pack if you have any doubt.

I’ve gotten some great tips from readers; here’s what they’re saying:

• MiffSC says “I get an extra label from the pharmacist and put it on a plastic snack-sized bag to save space”
• FlyDonkey says “Check if prescriptions are legal in countries you’re traveling too”
• Hulagrrl210 says “some narcotics that are easy to get with prescription in the US aren’t welcome in some countries, like Japan” and Bill added “check for restrictions on quantities as well.”

Charleston, South Carolina is typically a quiet and hospitable town where locals and tourists enjoy great weather, the beach and amazing restaurants. On Friday, November 23, 2012 fighter jets intercepted a private plane that veered off its flight plan. The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) dispatched two F-16 fighter jets Friday morning and escorted a four-seat Cessna 337 to the Charleston Executive Airport. NORAD’s mission is to prevent air attacks against the United States and Canada.
 
Upon his arrival into Charleston, the pilot was directed to contact the Federal Aviation Administration for follow-up. A press release from NORAD explained that a discrepancy in the plane’s flight plan and actual track raised suspicions.

Charleston is home to a Naval Weapons Station, whose mission is to enable war-fighter readiness, and an Air Force Base which houses approximately 56 C-17 cargo planes. The base is also an alert site for aircraft from the Aerospace Defense Command (ADC), Tactical Air Command (TAC) and Air Combat Command (ACC) which conduct continental air defense missions.

So where was the Cessna headed? The FAA and NORAD have not yet released that information – and no one I talked to in the area could tell me when we might get an update. I suspect we will never know the full story behind this one.

As I mentioned in my last blog post, I had the opportunity to appear on Huffington Post Live with the CEO and Founder of the Gilt Groupe, Kevin Ryan. Ryan talked about Gilt’s plans for Black Friday and Cyber Monday.

On Black Friday, Gilt will misprice several products throughout the site at 12pm, 3pm, 6pm and 9pm EST. Look for designer items priced as low as $20. The mispriced items will not be revealed, so you’ve have to spend some time hunting for them – exactly what Gilt is hoping for.

Cyber Monday:

At 11:45am EST, Gilt will launch a new sale called “Free Fall,” which includes sales in Gilt’s Women’s, Men’s, Home and Taste stores that will only be available for approximately 5-10 minutes. Throughout that time frame, the prices will continue to drop until the sale ends or the item sells out. You have to decide when to get in on the deal – if you wait too long, the deal could be done. New “Free Fall” sales will continue at 3:00, 6:00 and 9:00pm EST

At 12:00pm ET the Cyber Monday sale will include fabulous over the top gifts at insider prices!

No word on any sales on Jetsetter and Gilt did not respond to requests for additional information.

Happy Shopping

Yesterday I had the opportunity to appear on Huffington Post Live with Gilt Groupe founder Kevin Ryan. During the conversation Ryan shared some great tips for shopping online this holiday season and talked about Gilt’s newest venture – Jetsetter Now.

Jetsetter Now is a same-day, mobile only app that offers deals up to 60% off. Initially rooms will be offered in Jetsetter’s top seven markets: New York, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Miami, Boston and Chicago. What makes Jetsetter Now unique is that the name of the hotel is not disclosed and remains a mystery until the room is booked (which Jetsetter says provides greater discounts), each property is Jetsetter-Verified (meaning a Jetsetter employee has stayed at and reviewed the hotel and scores 87% or higher with reviews), and the app tells you how many rooms are left at that hotel.

Within the Jetsetter iOS app, you’ll now see a tab labeled ‘tonight’. Same-day deals always go live at noon. You can click on what city you want to find a hotel in, and the app will show you your options.

Once you find a hotel, you can choose to pay with your credit card or, if you have a Jetsetter profile, your credit card info will automatically upload. Something that makes this app unique is that Jetsetter has partnered with Card.io (acquired by PayPal this year) which allow users to snap a picture of their credit card allowing the app to automatically upload your card information. The app has Apple Passbook integration (so make sure you have the most recent version), so you can drop reservations into Passbook. If you’ve enabled push notifications, when you get within 500 yards of the hotel, the reservation will pop up on your device.

It’s time to start thinking about what to get for the Road Warrior in your life this holiday season. I think Road Warriors can be especially challenging to shop for because they’re not home frequently enough to enjoy things for the home/kitchen, they eat out all the time so restaurant gift certificates may not appeal to them, they have very specific tastes when it comes to travel – so if you buy a travel related gift, you better know what they want! If I get another neck pillow and eye mask I might scream!

So what do you get that person who spends more nights in hotels and in the air than at home?

Gift Certificates –

• Gift Certificates that can be redeemed online (while they’re traveling) are very appreciated. I like iTunes gift cards myself since I download a lot of TV shows and movies while I’m overseas
• Generic Gift Certificates such as an Amex Gift Card or Visa Gift Card that can be used anywhere for anything. It may seem impersonal, but for a Road Warrior it’s definitely something that will be used and appreciated.
• If the Road Warrior has a favorite hotel brand, look for a brand specific gift card. You know they’ll use it! Hilton offers a card through Amex and Marriott offers their own gift card. Now, if only Starwood would bring back their gift cards!
• Housekeeping gift certificate. I would love to get a gift certificate for a house cleaning since that’s the last thing I want to do when I come home! If you know the person has a regular housekeeper, contact them. If not, look for a service in the area.

Accessories –

• Travel accessories are nice gifts – if you know it’s something the person wants or needs. Don’t get them a neck pillow because you think every traveler needs a neck pillow. They likely have 3 already! Try to find unique travel accessories.
• Small photo books – I love having a small photo book with me that contains pictures of my family. It’s easy to pack and provides a reminder of great memories when you’re on the road.
• iPad, iPhone, iPod accessories – if your road warrior is a techie you can always look for cool new accessories for their iWhatever! Someone got me a cable that connects my iPad to the TV and I’ve recently found many more hotels providing TVs that will allow you to connect. This way I don’t have to look at my small screen, I can project right onto the big screen TV!

Are you a road warrior? What would you like to get?