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My review of W Hollywood
After a one-night transition at Courtyard Santa Monica I’m continuing my journey at the W Hollywood hotel. Although my friends recommend me to stay at the Beverley Hills / West Hollywood area, hotel rates there are extortionate and it’s hard to find reward availability, so I’m taking a compromise.
The W is very conveniently located on the Walk of Fame, and about 20 minutes walk to the Chinese Theatre. It’s built above a metro station, and with public transport you could visit places of interest like LACMA, Griffith Observatory and Beverley Hills rather easily.
If you arrive in car you’ll enter the hotel through its car park and back door. The logo is as flamboyant as the W brand usually implicates. The reception and lobby bar look very nice too.
My suite night award was declined… again! I’m upgraded to a corner room with Hollywood Hills view instead. However my room key suggests it’s located on the fourth floor, and I doubt I could anticipate any view from that height.
The room is just white and cold. I’m not saying it’s bad, but it’s totally the opposite of the standard W vibe which should be radiating passion and lust from every corner of the room.
The bed is unusually low, and comfortable enough. There is another… bed? on the windowsill which I assume is for kids.
As I suspected the room hardly has any view to sell, although higher floors (the hotel has 12 in total) should have a better chance of seeing the hill. The room doesn’t proof sound very well, but most of the time there aren’t many noises.
There’s no bathroom. The shower’s knob was stuck and I had to get someone to fix it.
They don’t have the most attentive cleaning team either. I had a coffee from the espresso machine, and neither was the paper cup replaced or capsule refilled the next day.
The rooftop pool and viewing deck is named WET.
Facilities are great – there are chaise lounges, cabanas and even beds, take your pick! You need to pre-book (not sure if for free) in peak seasons, but it’s getting cold in November already so not a lot of guests are around.
View is awesome. To my disappoint they don’t have a jacuzzi – I should have enjoyed my time back in the Courtyard!
By the way, the hotel charges a $29 daily destination fee, a notorious U.S. custom that you have to put up with. It includes $29 credit to spend at the WET bar so feel free to order a drink here. Other potentially useful perks include tickets for the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures and Big Bus (red line only).
Titanium members get breakfast vouchers to use at the Daphne restaurant.
According to the voucher you must choose from a certain set menu. However you could also order anything from the “normal” menu instead, and have a $30 credit per person.
The eggs benedict and croissant are very good quality.
The hotel is located conveniently in Hollywood for tourists, and has a beautiful lobby, bar and swimming pool. The guest room may let you down though, but in general I keep my expectations low when staying at U.S. hotels.
My review of Courtyard Santa Monica
My US trip begins with Los Angeles and I’m gonna stay here for three nights. I’ve chosen Courtyard Santa Monica to spend my first night, reasons being:
- Santa Monica is an area recommended by my friends
- My flight arrives late, and Santa Monica is relatively close to the airport
- As it’s just a short transition before I head into the city, I don’t need a full-service hotel
It’s a quick 20-minute’s drive from the LAX-IT ride pick-up site. The hotel isn’t at the forefront of the waterside, but is only about 15 minutes to the beach and it’s easy to navigate on foot. Bus and metro can bring you to downtown LA and Beverley Hills easily.
The hotel has got a pretty big lobby and a business centre for browsing the Internet and printing.
I didn’t receive an upgrade this time. I could have used my suite night upgrade voucher for the Partial Sea View Suite, but redeeming it at a Courtyard seems to be a waste.
The room is simple but spacious. The corner sofa is a nice touch.
A Rest and Recharge kit is provided, containing a tea bag and some earplugs.
The Hampton Inn across the street appears to be a nicer property, as the exterior looks smarter and many rooms feature a balcony.
There is an outdoor swimming pool and jacuzzi. I didn’t get to try them out but they look decent enough.
Also a small gym.
There is a small Starbucks outlet inside the hotel which serves breakfast. I chose $10 as my welcome amenity and paid $13 in addition for this:
How stupid I am! I should have just accepted the points instead…
My 4pm late checkout was granted when I checked in, however the cleaner and manager still came to knock on my door twice knowing when I was going to depart. Anyway, if you are looking for just a room in Santa Monica, this hotel does its job.
Book St Regis Marsa Arabia Island Doha’s premium suite for 31,000 points
World Cup is happening in Qatar, and although I don’t follow football at all some interesting articles have surfaced recently about what new hotels have opened, and which hotel each team is staying etc. I did a bit research myself, and it turns out that Doha has become a great location for a bargain holiday in luxury hotels, by using points of course.
The outstanding property is the new St Regis Marsa Arabia Island, The Pearl Qatar.
It is a brand new hotel set to open its doors in December. It occupies a private island, owns a private beach and has seven restaurants for dining. Most importantly, it’s an all-suite hotel which means you never need to worry about being trapped in a small room even if no upgrade is provided.
Ready for some even better news? Premium Suite, which is two-level above the entry-level suite, is available for redemption for the same price.
The suite measures 122 sqm, with sea view and a terrace. It’s retail price is roughly 3,600 QAR (£837) a night, whereas for the Christmas period redemption costs only 37,000 points. It gets to as low as 31,000 points on some January dates. It is no doubt one of the best Marriott redemptions in the world – at least for now, as with Marriott’s dynamic redemption system the price could shoot up drastically any time.
There are a couple of more Marriott hotels worth mentioning:
- Le Royal Meridien Doha – new hotel in the West Bay, costing only 20,000 points a night or lower
- Ritz Carlton Doha – all room types including suite are available for redemption. Club Room (with lounge access) costs 44,000 points or 28,000 points + 300 QAR, great value if you are looking for an all-inclusive stay
My review of Metropol Palace, Belgrade
I’m spending four nights in Belgrade and decided to split it into two stays. In terms of hotel chains there aren’t that many options in Belgrade:
- Crowne Plaza and Hyatt Regency are in the new town, so not ideal for tourists. The Hyatt Regency is a Category 1 property though so great value for spending points
- Hilton and Metropol are in the old town, both old and uninspiring from the pictures I’ve found
- Hotel Indigo and Courtyard are new and extremely central
- Square Nine (a LHW hotel) looks very fancy but also is very expensive
I went with two nights at the Metropol Palace and two nights at the Hotel Indigo in the end. The Metropol Palace, branded Luxury Collection, has been a very popular property with the Marriott audience for long time as it used to cost as low as 2,000 points in the good old SPG days.
It’s no longer that cheap though, and paying cash is often better as the rate usually hovers around just €100. If you book via the Marriott Stars & Luminous program you get €100 credit to spend as well which is fantastic.
It’s a half-an-hour ride from the airport by taxi. The location isn’t super central as it takes you about 20 minutes to walk into the town centre, however it’s by the main road so easy to find a restaurant or shop etc.
The hotel building and its lobby look very “retro”. Online reports suggest wide range of welcome amenities including fruit basket, wine and spa voucher but I didn’t receive anything.
They don’t accept Marriott’s suite night award, but it’s a very big hotel so upgrade tends to be generous. I received a Family Suite in the end, which is one level above Junior Suite. It’s essentially still a Junior Suite but slightly larger.
It’s very dark so pictures probably don’t fully do the room justice, but trust me they are not much better in real life.
The bathroom has a long and narrow shape which is strange. There is no bathtub.
My room is on the third floor with no view. I read some reviews afterwards and some of the rooms have a great view of the old town. I probably should have enquired about a better room at check-in.
Breakfast on Sunday morning is total chaos. I’m basically on my own trying to find any empty seat and cutleries.
Food is also mediocre at best and not replenished quickly enough, which is disappointing as it’s a five-star hotel serving hundreds of guests. The only highlight is probably the Prosecco, which you don’t see often on a breakfast table.
It’s much more organised the next day when the breakfast is less busier.
The hotel has a rooftop restaurant but I didn’t try it. When I arrived in the evening I was fairly hungry, and the in-room dining menu looks reasonably priced so I ordered beef soup, croquettes and beef linguine. They taste good and the total is about £28.
The spa is one main reason I chose this hotel. The swimming pool is very cool:
The jacuzzi is a bit too small and fits only three people.
Steam room and sauna:
In summary I think the Metropol Palace meets my expectations as a cheap-ish old five-star hotel, and if you have a booking with $100 credit it’s a great deal. However, in my mind the Luxury Collection should be on a par with St Regis and Ritz Carlton, but the Metropol Palace is obviously a long shot from that standard.
Aeroplan: the best flight redemption between UK / Europe and Middle East
I’ve been in the miles and points game for like eight years now, and my international background / connections mean that I dip into loyalty programs of countries besides the UK. Yet Air Canada’s Aeroplan never entered my horizons until very recently, and it turned out to be an excellent redemption program for people living in the UK or Europe.
My friend told me about Aeroplan when he booked Bangkok – London in Oman Air’s first class for only 100k points. I will only focus on the Middle East redemption today however, as I think that’s where Aeroplan’s biggest edge lies.
[The Advantages]
Aeroplan has the the following advantages when it comes to flight redemptions:
- Extensive partner network, including many non Star Alliance carriers
- Easy to book online
- No carrier-imposed surcharges
- Adding a stopover for only 5,000 points
I don’t want to expand too much here, but not charging YQ alone can save you at least £300 for a long-haul return flight compared to British Airways and Etihad Guest etc.
[Getting Points]
I have the US Amex Platinum card through global transfer, and Aeroplan is a Membership Rewards conversion partner in the United States. I can transfer my MR points to Aeroplan at 1:1 ratio and it’s instant.
Aeroplan is not a MR conversion partner in the UK. However, it is with Marriott Bonvoy (60,000 Marriott points = 25,000 Aeroplan points) which is accessible globally.
[Pricing]
You can find Aeroplan’s redemption chart here. Europe and the Middle East both fall into the Atlantic Zone, so the following pricing applies:
Depart from UK or Europe, you are most likely looking at the 2,001 – 4,000 miles range, which means a one-way business class redemption costs only 45,000 points.
Most importantly, you can book the following carries on Aeroplan’s website, and availability is usually pretty good:
- Etihad
- Oman Air
- Gulf Air
- Egypt Air
Obviously Star Alliance carriers such as Lufthansa and Swiss are also available, but they are probably less exciting and availability is worse.
For a LHR – DXB / AUH business class return redemption, here’s roughly what each program wants:
- Aeroplan: 90k points + £313
- British Airways: 100k Avios + £717
- Etihad Guest: 125k miles + £687
- Emirates Skywards: 117.5k miles + £931
Assuming that 1 Avios / point = 1p, two people travelling together on BA’s 2-for-1 voucher is still no better deal than Aeroplan. It contrasts even more sharply if you look at the one-way UK inbound flight only.
I booked my Dubai flight on Egypt Air departing right before Christmas. There’s one Etihad flight with empty business class seats left but unfortunately the arrival time is inconvenient. I’m still quite happy though to find any available for the festive period.
You can also redeem in first class for 60,000 points per way, but availability is much harder to find.
[The Catch]
Aeroplan charges up to C$100 (£64) for changing your ticket, and C$150 (£96) for cancellation. It is much more expensive than Avios tickets with British Airways, although still manageable. Flexible Rewards are possible at the time of booking which can be changed / cancelled for free, however they are at least 20% more expensive which kind of defeats the purpose.
You can cancel your booking for free within 24 hours, which is inline with the other programs.
My review of Bankside Hotel, Autograph Collection
My Amex Marriott card has a nice Spend £250 Get £100 back offer for booking Marriott hotels, so I’m ready to try out another new Marriott hotel in London. I need to be near the Shard for dinner (burning my expiring Shangri-La voucher), so the Bankside Hotel stands out.
The hotel is roughly 8 minutes from either the Blackfriars or the Southwark tube station. The south bank is perfect for walking along the Thames and exploring the likes of Tate Modern, Tower Bridge and London Eye, but not as convenient in terms of public transport.
The hotel is new and chic.
Titanium members get 1,000 points as a welcome amenity, and can choose between breakfast and an £8 F&B voucher in addition.
All guest floors feature a vending machine, plus a refill station with both still and sparkling water.
I received a one-level upgrade to an Ample room, which isn’t particularly generous. I submitted my suite night award for the largest suite, but it was unfortunately declined.
The room is pretty smart.
Popcorns, bottled water and a small chocolate bar are complimentary. There’s also a small plate of deserts as my welcome gift.
Breakfast is served in the restaurant on the ground floor.
The buffet is good.
You can pay a £5 supplement for the a-la-carte items, which is a fair price.
I like the hotel and its location. However, being a boutique hotel it has no gym, pool or club lounge. If those are important you should probably consider the Hilton instead.
Earn double elite night credit when staying with Marriott Homes & Villas
Marriott is running its annual Week of Wonders promotion with various offers, and some are worth having a look. The most intriguing part this year though, is a special deal from its Homes & Villas collection:
- Book by October 15
- Stay by April 30, 2023
- Minimum 5-night paid stay required
- Earn double points and elite night credits for all stays
You earn a reduced 5 base points / $1 when staying at Homes & Villas, so don’t expect to be flush with points even with the double points offer. However the double night credit bit is genuinely interesting, as you accrue night credit per the usual standard with this brand (except for Marriott Executive Apartments where you only earn 1 night credit for every 3 nights stayed).
Homes & Villas is roughly an upscale Airbnb equivalent. When I checked their website one year ago their footprint was minimal, but it has greatly improved since and they have 1001 properties in the UK now, which scatters across the entire country.
You can easily find an apartment for under £100 a night at many cities.
Obviously the expectation when staying at an apartment is very different to a hotel, but it’s a cheap-ish way of maintaining / upgrading your Marriott status especially as we’re approaching the year end.
Other Week of Wonders promotions include:
- 50% bonus when purchasing Marriott points by October 13
- Up to 15% off award night redemption at 4,500 hotels globally
- Up to $300 credit when booking select luxury hotels
Marriott Q3 offer: 4,000 bonus points per stay
Marriott has revealed its promotion for 2022’s last quarter and you can register now.
Rules are:
- Register by December 1st
- Stay between September 21st and December 15th
- Only paid stays count
- Starting from your second stay, earn 2,000 bonus points per stay
- Marriott co-branded cardholders only: starting from the second brand, earn 2,000 addition bonus points per brand
There are two Marriott co-branded credit cards in the UK, issued by American Express and Creation respectively, but the latter stopped receiving new applications years ago.
The offer isn’t very generous, but is beneficial if you are looking to requalify for Platinum / Titanium in the next few months. Marriott at 20+ brands (excluding the non-participating ones), so you could design your itinerary of cheap one-night stays with every brand to bag some bonus points on your mattress run.