Up to Speed

Before I begin my critique on recent experiences, I must mention that I am smiling at the moment becuase I recently noticed a dear friend from the Big Island of Hawaii is following my blog.



Air Travel

Star Alliance Lounge
Heathrow Airport, London, England
(4 out of 5 Stars)
January 2, 2009

With the recent economic downturn, it is not surprising to see airline partners consolidating their expenses by forming joint passenger lounges. Anyone that has walked through Heathrow Airport will remember the mass of people in the general seating area; families huddling on the floor to backpackers passed out on a bench. The few fortunate enough to afford a first- or business-class ticket are privy to the luxury and serenity of the airline lounge. Those flying a Star Alliance member airline are welcome to enjoy the new club in Terminal 1. What seperates this from other airline lounges is the stark mondern interior design yet plentiful services.

Not easy to find due to its seculded location in the back of the terminal tucked behind the mass of duty free stores; travelers are greeted warmly by the airline staff. Once you enter, a spartan and cold interior rubs away the warm feeling received by the staff. You also realize that there is no other airline staff only travelers and airport employed cleaners. With this being said, nearly every amentity expected by the weary traveler is avaliable including food and beverage, world news, showers, and a comfy place to stretch out. Yet, the two most important items needed were not readily avaliable, acholic beverages (I find that flying becomes much easier after enjoying a gin and tonic) and power outlets.

After an hour of BBC news my flight was annouced over the PA system. Then came the tricky bit, getting up from the comfy couch and making my way to the security checkpoint. As I was exiting the lounge, the hostess was kind enough to remind me that as a business class passenger I was allowed a pass to use the express security line. This pass alone is reason enough to fly in an upper class, no lines!!

*For future United Airline travellers: Most UA airport lounges are referred to the Red Carpet Club. It is free to those with a First or Business Class ticket but an annual membership may be purchased through united.com





TransAtlantic Flight (London to Los Angeles, non-stop)
United Airlines
(4.5 out of 5 stars)
January 2, 2009

Over the years, I have been fortunate enough to spend a large amount of time in Europe. As great as the Old World may be, travelling there is not the most plesent of experiences. Yet have I had a flight that is as relaxing as a crossing on the former Cunard liner, Queen Elizabeth 2. A dedicated customer of United Airlines but switched to Virgin Atlantic and then quickly hurried back to UA. My advice is to avoid Virgin at all costs, unless you enjoy sitting at Heathrow Airport for an additional 5 hours since they overbook flights, the inability to redeem frequent flier miles, cramped seats and allergic reactions to cheap oils used during in-flight massages.

Surprisingly though, my flight back to Los Angeles earlier this month was by far the most pleasant TransAtlantic flight I have experienced. The flight was on-time departing and arriving which is an unusual annomaly in today's travelling world. Another rare in-flight experience is an engaging and prompt crew; every attendant were on their best behavior fulfilling passengers' needs. Also, the food was an enjoyable lasagne, ice cream for dessert, plus a decent wine list. Thankfully United supplies Business Class passengers with wide seats that lay nearly flat with ample ammount of leg room; the best place to recover from a long New Year's celebration. Coupled with the experience earlier in the day at the Star Alliance lounge, it was an overall excepetional flying experience (better than Upper Class on Virgin Atlantic).


If you intend to travel around the world, Jaguar recommends choosing Premium Economy, Business or First Class on United Airlines. The level of service is worth what you pay and the in-flight ammenities are exceptional. Another added benefit of UA are the still redeemable points from Milage Plus for upgrades.

Another post will be online soon with details from my recent trip to Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Safe travels.

-- Jaguar

Recent Changes

After some thought, I have decided to talk about all fields of the hospitality and tourism industries on this blog. There are to many interesting encounters to mention that relate beyond the scope of the hotel field. The majority of posts will be published shortly after a noteworthy experience at a particular location but there will be a few stories from the recent past.

Recent Experiences to be published soon:

(Air Travel)

Star Alliance Lounge at Heathrow Airport, London (January 2, 2009)

Service on a United Airlines TransAtlantic Flight (January 2, 2009)

(Lodging)

The Curtis - Denver, Colorado (walkthrough)

Eldorado Hotel and Spa - Santa Fe, New Mexico (January 15-19 2009)

Bishop's Lodge Resort and Spa - Santa Fe, New Mexico (walkthrough)

Inn of the Anasazi - Santa Fe, New Mexico (walkthrough)

La Posada de Santa Fe Resort and Spa - Santa Fe, New Mexico (walkthrough)

Past Experiences to be Published Soon:

Four Seasons Resort - Costa Rica (August 2008)

The Broadmoor - Colorado Springs (October 2008)

Upcoming Stories

Mauna Kea Beach Hotel - Kohala Coast - Big Island of Hawai'i (March 2009)

This will be a very detailed report from a legendary property, built by Laurance Rockefeller in 1965, which has undergone $150 million restoration. The hotel began its soft opening in December 2008 and the hard opening is March 2009. One component of the renovation was a new interior design scheme that had to bring the hotel up to 21st century standards but to keep with Mr. Rockefeller's original philosophy of "understated elegance". (More to come in March)

UPDATE: Park Lane Hotel - London

UPDATE!

Park Lane Hotel, London

Finally changed rooms to something slightly better. It has a splendid view over looking Green Park with the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben out in the distance. The room is furnished with more functional items though they are dated and in need of some repair. One of the phones is broken and the other has so much static it a practically impossible to hear anyone on it. However it is an improvement over the rats hole I was in last night.  Service is still questionable, thought the concierge did recommend a splendid restaurant that is to die for, The Gaucho (expensive flagship restaurant featuring excellent Argentine cuisine with fresh ingredients. 4.5 stars of 5)

*Just a quick note about the previous room: Not only was it in the back by the service elevators, and next to the fire control panel that beeped all night, I was fortunate enough to walk out of my room.........into a sea of dirty room service carts.

The Park Lane Hotel (Sheraton)- London

The Park Lane Hotel

Piccadilly, London, W1J 7BX, UK

Rating - 2.5 of 5 Stars 

Duration of stay- 4 Nights (12/29/08 - 1/2/09)

What a horrid dump! If you can avoid staying here it is highly recommended, even if it costs you a few pounds. From the street front and website your hopes of an enjoyable stay is set to a high mark but it is downhill from there. Staffing issues are paramount with lack of proper training especially vocabulary, demeanor and appropriate respect towards guests. The interior of the property is in a shambles with disrepair around every corner. Rooms are extremely dated and poorly laid out with a bathroom one can barely walk through. 

After being subjected to lugging my own bags into the lobby since there was no bellman on duty, the front desk agent was polite and professional. This was a slight surprise but it soon faded due to the fact the agent had difficulty locating my reservation and proceeded to tell me I did not qualified for an upgrade; though I am a gold member of Starwood Preferred Guests(SPG). (OH! Did I mention that I had called earlier today to check in prior to arrival, just so I could make sure I would have the right room when I finally got there?) The real storm began when the agent asked for my passport; I was then informed that there was no possible way for me to be the same person pictured in my passport and that it must be a fake. Would also need to provide them with a document that had a  "real" picture of me. As this eruption began, it was still merely some steam that had been let loose. (To make matters worse the guest at the front desk next to me was arguing loudly with her agent because they had been waiting for their room for the last three hours.)

Well at that point the line had been crossed, and on my request the front desk manager was summoned...though they brought over the duty manager. To say the least this manager is thicker than clotted cream and purely useless. He did what every poor sod does in that situation, he apologized. But it gets worse. At this juncture I decided to not make an even bigger deal about the passport since he guaranteed me an upgrade. 

This upgrade ended up being a moderately sized room, with dated furniture and fittings which gave the room a unknown style of interior design. It came equipped with two rather bizarrely built windows which dont latch properly, allowing the nights near freezing air into the room. Oh and the ever important bathroom, however the best way to sum it up is when Mrs. Richard said to Basil Fawlty, "It not even big enough to drown a mouse." I just barely squeeze pass but any over 200lbs would have difficulty using these facilities.  Also forgot to mention but my room it right next to the service elevators, fire control room (and yes the panel is beeping), and the excess and broken furniture. 

So I called the front desk back and complained that the room was unsatisfactory. Having told the person on the phone my name, she said "yeh hang on; Frederik there someone on the line for you." Sounds more the type of telephone conversations when I call a friends flat. The duty manager proceeded to infomed me that there is nothing he can currently do and hung up the phone. Well I immediately called SPG and was passed along to the corporate customer complaints department. Other than helping fix the situation they informed me that this is the only room they and that their other sister properties are full. 

Front desk agent at check in, speaking about a passport with photo from 2006, (looking at the passport, the agent gave a slight smile and giggle "This isn't you. It can't be real. Sorry." and then gave me back my passport and required another. (racial profiling?)

Duty manager, "There is nothing we can do." 

Jaguar's suggestion: RUN!! Run away from here as fast as you can!