Stay Report: Houston Marriott West Loop by The Galleria (Houston, Texas - October 2018)

Stay Report: Houston Marriott West Loop by The Galleria
comment below and let me know your thoughts :)

I have been to Houston many times and my favorite place to stay is in The Galleria area.  This area is close to many restaurants, shops, and services and has a wide selections of hotels.  I have stayed in many of them (you can see the reviews on my blog) and am still trying to find the best one.  I recently traveled to Houston and stayed at the Houston Marriott West Loop.  I had previously stayed here, in May 2015, and had a pretty decent stay so decided to book the hotel again.  

The hotel itself is on the backside of the Galleria, faces the highway, and shares its space with an office building.  There is a parking garage attached to the hotel, and walking from the garage entrance to the lobby is the only time you actually see the office building.  The entrance to the hotel in the parking garage is on the 2nd floor, and from here you can either walk down the stairs or take the elevator to the first floor where you walk past the meeting rooms into a hallway.  This hallway connects the hotel with the office space so you have to turn right to enter into the hotel.  As you enter into the hotel, you pass the restaurant, the bar, a sitting area, and the stairs to the gym before getting to the check-in desks.  Check-in was fairly quick and efficient, I received my key and proceeded to the elevator to go up to my room.

The room itself was a decent size - smaller than the Westin rooms but bigger than other hotels - as

was a standard hotel room.  As you entered, on the left side was the closet while on the right was the bathroom.  The closet contained hangers, a shelf for storage, and the iron and ironing board.  The bathroom contained a sink, a toilet, and shower tub - while it was a standard bathroom, the bathroom toiletries that Marriott provides are really nice.  The hallway also contained a little nook, next to the closet, which housed the fridge on the bottom and the coffee maker on top.  Further into the room, the beds were on the right hand side with one table in between.  The beds were comfortable enough and provided a decent night's sleep.  Across from the beds was a chest with drawers on the bottom and a TV on top.  The top of the chest was connected and led into the desk, and against the wall of the desk was the panel to connect multiple devices and electronics to the TV.  There were also plugs available in this outlet to charge your devices.  There was a large window which provided nice natural light but the view was very bad (either of a highway or parking garage).  In between the beds and the window were sitting chairs and some additional free space to place your luggage or the ironing board.  Overall, it was spacious hotel room with decent beds and plugs throughout the room (there were also plugs near the beds as well).

As the hotel is full service, there are many amenities for the guests.  These include a gym, a pool, a washer and dryer, a restaurant, a bar, parking garage, meeting rooms, a business center, and wifi.  The wifi was complimentary for Marriott Rewards members and allowed upto 6 devices to be connected at no charge (which is great as others cap it at 4 devices).  The speed and connectivity were decent for emails and videos.  The gym is nice and a decent size and is located next to the pool and washer/dryer.  While all of these are connected, their location is a bit odd; they are located on the 2nd floor right across from hotel rooms.  The gym is accessible 24hrs so if your room is right in front of the gym, you could potentially hear noise throughout the night.  Also, the pool is an indoor pool located on the 2nd floor next to an open meeting area/hall and the entrance to this is either from the elevator on the 2nd floor or through the stairs on the 1st floor - again an odd layout.  If you walk down the stairs from the pool and hall, you are in the lobby where the restaurant, bar, and 'business center' are located.  If you leave the lobby of the hotel and go through walkway to the office building, this is where the meeting rooms are located and you walk past the meeting rooms to get to the parking garage.  While all the amenities are really nice and spacious, the layout is a bit strange.


Overall, it was a nice stay at the Marriott West Loop by the Galleria.  The rooms are spacious, their somewhat updated, and the fitness center is nice.  The negatives are the odd layout of the hotel, the long walk from the parking garage to the hotel lobby, and the high price for parking ($24/night for self-parking and the spots are limited).  

Stay Report: Courtyard Houston by The Galleria (Houston, Texas - December 2014)

Stay Report: Courtyard Houston by the Galleria

comment below and let me know your thoughts :)

photo courtesy of Hotels.com

Even though there are many hotels within the Galleria area - some good and others not - new hotels are being built in the area and I like to try them to find the best hotel in the area.  The Courtyard Houston Galleria is located a block of Westheimer and is near the Galleria Mall, about a 5-10 minute walk.  The hotel and the Homewood Suites share the same building, which takes up the entire width of the block.  The hotel itself as zero curb appeal as the entrance to the building looks like an alley way that is open on both sides.  On one side of the alleyway is the entrance to the Courtyard while the Homewood Suites entrance is on the other side of the alleyway.  On the main level is the entrance to the parking garage as well as the lobby; the lobby is located underneath the garage and rooms so its looks more like a basement lobby.  

photo courtesy of Priceline.com

As you enter the lobby, on the right side is the check-in desk while on the left side is a really big restaurant and sitting area.  The restaurants serves breakfast (complimentary depending on which rate you booked), lunch and dinner.  Courtyard has partnered with many sports teams so there is a big TV in the lobby surrounding by coaches so guests can watch the games.  The lobby also contains the 'open' business center which contains 3 computers and a printer tucked on one side of the restaurant.  While the computers were quite slow, the availability of the computers and the printer is a nice addition.  Beyond the check-in desks was a lobby that contained other facilities such as the entrance to the parking garage (which has a daily charge) and the entrance to the pool and gym.  On the other side of the lobby was another hallway that led ot the meeting rooms.  The elevators to the rooms were located in the middle, and in front of the elevators was a table which contained scented-water and cookies on Sunday (chocolate, oatmeal and macadamia).


Check-in was efficient and I quickly received my key and proceeded to the room.  The room itself was pretty decent in term of size and comfort, it was just dark.  As you enter into the room, you enter in a corridor which leads to the bedroom area.  In the corridor, on the left is the bathroom which contains a toilet, a sink, and a shower.  The bathroom also contained the rooms only mirrors, which is a bit inconvenient as if someone is using the bathroom then no one can utilize the mirrors.  In between the bathroom and the room area was a little nook which contained a fridge on the bottom and a coffee maker on top.  The nook was built to look like a mini bar as there were shelves above the nook which contained the glasses.

photo courtesy of TripAdvisor

The bedroom area itself was open and wide,  This room had two double beds with a shared nightstand in the middle.  The beds were spacious, comfortable, and provided a good nights sleep.  The lamps on the shared nightstand had plugs on the bottom making charging devices very easy.  On the other side of the wall, across from the beds, was an armoire which contained storage space as well as an iron and ironing board.  The closet was big, only partially opened up, and did not seem like the best use of the space.  Next to the armoire was a desk that contained the TV, the telephone, another lamp with more plugs (additional plugs were located underneath the desk, and a pull out table.  In between the second bed and the window was sitting chair, and there was enough room to put the pullout table in this area with half the people sitting on the bed and the other half on chairs.  Overall, te room was spacious, modern, and clean but very dark as there was not enough light (especially at night in which the lack of light and the dark furniture made the room even darker and hard to see.)

As I said earlier, both hotels shared facilities between each other and these facilities included a pool and a

photo courtesy of Hotels.com

gym.  Each hotel also had their own restaurant, their own complimentary wifi, their own meeting rooms, and own business center.  The wifi was complimentary and the speeds were decent enough.  Even though they shared the fitness center and pool, both were very small as the pool looked like an oversized hot tub and the gym had two treadmills and a stairmaster (not enough for one hotel let alone two hotels to share).  The business center was 3 computers in the open lobby, but the availability of the computers and printer was helpful.  The hotel also provided complimentary water and coffee in the lobby, which a nice gesture of service.  Lastly, the two hotels shared a parking garage which was not complimentary.  The costs (at the time of the stay in 2014) was $16/day which was lower than some in the area but still not complimentary.

Overall, it was a decent hotel near the Galleria mall.  The plus points of the hotel included an updated, clean, and spacious room with decent service and a good location.  The negatives were the paid parking, the small gym and pool, and the lack of lighting in both the hallway and the room.  The hotel also does not have a lot of curb appeal, and while that something I really do not care about I do know others who do as 'it does not feel like we have pulled up to a hotel; rather to a bland apartment building.  

Stay Report: Hotel Indigo Houston at the Galleria (Houston, Texas - May 2016)

Stay Report: Hotel Indigo Houston at the Galleria
comment below and let me know your thoughts :)

I wanted to try Hotel Indigo near the Houston Galleria for a while.  I had heard a lot about the 'boutique hotel' within IHG's portfolio and had stayed at a Hotel Indigo in Canada about 5 years earlier and was intrigued by it.  From my understanding, Hotel Indigo was supposed to be a boutique hotel, one that was modern and funky, and mostly in urban settings - similar to Aloft but more business/boutique.  That is what I was expecting as I found something similar in Canada (see my review here); however, at the Hotel Indigo by the Galleria I found something different.  The hotel was a cross between Aloft and Hilton Garden Inn/Hampton Inn - it was an interesting combination.

The entrance to the hotel parking lot is on the backside of the Galleria, next to Nordstrom's Garage.  You enter into the long driveway which takes you to the back where the hotel is located.  From the outside, the hotel looks more like a Hilton Garden Inn or a Hampton Inn versus what I expect a boutique hotel to look like.  There is ample free parking available though.  When you walk into the hotel, there is circular, open-desk in the middle that is where check-in takes place and the elevators to the room are in front of the desks.  To the right of the entrance is the sitting/lounge area plus the business center and fitness center.  On the other side of the check-in desk is the restaurant and coffee bar.  Overall, the lobby looks funky and modern and has a nice color scheme with the light blue.  This look, plus the open check-in desk, made it feel like a boutique hotel but the attendants and the layout of the hotel made it feel more like Hilton Garden Inn.

Check-in was quick and we took the elevator to our room - the elevator continued the nice color scheme.  The hotel itself is not that big and only has 6 floors - our room was on the 2nd floor.  Our room was at the end of the hallway, and the hallway itself was very wide and also incorporated the nice color scheme as well.  We opened the door to our room, and although the room continued the color scheme, the layout and the design of the room made it feel more like Hampton Inn.

As you open the door, you enter into the hallway of your room.  On the left hand side is the entrance to the bathroom, while ahead on your right is a table with the coffee stand and ice bucket.  The bathroom itself was very wide - it had a nice wide sink with some storage underneath.  There was a toilet (which looked more like a Hilton Garden Inn toilet) and then a small table in front of the toilet that held additional towels and the bathroom amenities.  The shower was interesting, as even though the bathroom was large the shower was very long but narrow so it was difficult to manage.  Also, the design of the shower was very odd as the drain was far away from the shower so the water just stayed there, and the shower itself was alright.  Again the bathroom was an odd mixture of boutique and leisure.

The room design was more Hampton Inn than boutique, but the bed quality was very nice.  As you entered into the room, on the left hand side were the two double beds with a night stand in the middle.  The beds were very high and extremely comfortable, providing a nice and restful night sleep.  Across from the beds was a standing closet that had places to hang your clothes, an iron and an ironing board, as well as a safe.  On one side of the closet was the TV stand that was on top of a dresser with drawers underneath - there was also a fridge in the dresser as well.  On the other side of the closet was the desk to do some work.  There were a lot of amenities in the room including a safe, a fridge, and many outlets and USB ports to plug in your electronics.  The amenities were nice, but again the design and the layout of the room felt more like Hilton Garden Inn.  

There was wifi in the room and you needed to login to access the wifi - while the wifi was free, the login would not stick and sometimes the wifi would drop.  While the wifi was on the speed was decent, but the constant checking to ensure the wifi was on was a bit annoying.  Additional amenities of the hotel including a business center as well as a fitness center.  The business center was not an enclosed area but rather was an open business center that housed mostly desktop computers.  If you are doing standing surfing and printing then its fine, but there were some business men who were conducting a skype-meeting in the business center and the volume echoed throughout the open hallway.  The fitness center was nice, while basic it provided the facilities needed for a good workout.

Overall, I was a bit confused by my stay at the Hotel Indigo.  After my stay I was not sure what the hotel was going for - are they trying to be a boutique leisure hotel, a modern, funky leisure hotel, or  just a leisure hotel?  Who is their competition - Aloft, Hilton Garden Inn, Hampton, or another brand.  While the stay was comfortable, the price for the hotel consistently remains high and after my stay I was not sure why the high price since I can get a similar stay and a competition for a much lower rate.  Still, an interesting experience at the Hotel Indigo.

Stay Report: Maru Maru Hotel (Zanzibar, Tanzania - January 2014)

Stay Report: Maru Maru Hotel
comment below and let me know your thoughts :)

Just steps from the Fordhani Gardens, seaside, and the Fort is a great boutique hotel - Maru Maru. The hotel is situated next to Fordhani Gardens and the Fort and the hotel is centrally located to walk anywhere around Stone Town from here.  I found the hotel through my search for places to stay in Zanzibar, and it was very easy to book the hotel online.  After booking, I communicated with the general manager via email who was very responsive and nice. I had also booked an airport transfer from hotel, and the car was there when we landed.  It was a nice and smooth transfer to the hotel.

The only negative aspect about the hotel is the location, as it is located down a street but a little off the main road.  During the day it is fine, but at night it can be a bit tricky to walk from the street to the hotel.  The hotel looks updated but it is an older building in Stone Town so the lobby is a bit narrow.  The lobby contains a small waiting area, the check-in desks, as well as stairs to access the upper floors.  Check-in went smoothly and we were shown to our room.

As I was traveling in a group, I had booked 2 rooms – and the rooms were available either had 2 twin or 1 Queen bed; I had booked one of each.  Both rooms were nice and a good size, but the room with the 2 twin beds was a little bigger.  The rooms were centered around an open courtyard so it was nice to have an inside/outside feel.  For the room with the Queen bed, as you entered the room the bed was to the right while to the left was a chest with a TV on top.  There were nightstands on either side of the bed and a mosquito net on top of the bed.  Further into the room, you stepped up and on the right was the bathroom while on the left was the armoire/closet.  The bathroom was nice, modern and updated and had nice toiletries that were made by a local women’s group.  The room was nice but it was a bit compact so while it easily fit two people, it felt cramped when more people were in the room.

The room with the twin beds was laid out differently and had significantly more space.  As you entered into the room, in front of you were the two twin beds, with a nightstand on each side and each had a mosquito net.  Against one wall was the armoire/closet, while next to the door was the chest with the TV on top.  Further along this wall was the entrance to the bathroom, which contained a sink, a toilet, and a shower – all were modern and nice, and again toiletries were made by a local women’s group. 

Breakfast was included and that is served on the rooftop lounge/restaurant which had amazing views of Stone Town and the ocean.  The lounge was also open in the evening so you could enjoy an amazing sunset – the only downside at night is that there is not enough lamps/candles/light so its pretty dark up there.  Breakfast was standard cereals and toast, with fruits and an egg station.  Coffee, and hot chocolate, were made by a machine.  In addition to the breakfast, another amenity provided by the hotel was wifi.  The complimentary wifi was available in the room and it had good speed. 

Overall, it was a nice stay at the Maru Maru.  The hotel is nice and modern, the service is very good and attentive, and the location is very good.  As I said, the hotel is located only a couple of steps away from Fordhani Gardens and the only negative thing about the hotel is the entrance/lobby. To get from the seaside/Fordhani Gardens to the hotel, you have to walk up a road that a night is dimly light (during the day, this is where all the taxis hang out so creates easier access to taxis). There are plenty of people walking and we never had a security issue, but it is something to consider. The lobby is right off the street so there is no major entrance nor a big sitting area; not a big deal to me but some in my group cared about that.  If you can overlook that, you can enjoy a really nice boutique hotel in Zanzibar.

Stay Report: 25hours Hotel, MuseumsQuartier (Vienna, Austria - August 2018)

Stay Report: 25hours Hotel Vienna, MuseumsQuartier
comment below and let me know your thoughts :)

Hotels in Vienna can be very expensive, especially if you are looking in the middle of the city.  As my time in Vienna was going to be short, I wanted to stay in an area that was either in walking distance to many places or was within a short commute to many sights/attractions.  In looking at these neighborhoods, I found the 25hours hotel in MuseumsQuartier.  The MuseumsQuartier, like the name suggests, housed the various museums as well as other historical sights of the city.  The hotel was located in this area and was a 2-minute walk to the metro station or a 10-15 minute walk to the Museums.  I found the hotel through the Accorhotels website, and even though the hotel is associated with Accorhotels and you can book the hotel through this website, you cannot earn points while staying here and they are not fully affiliated with the company (I am still unclear on the connection between the two).  It was very easy to book the hotel through the Accorhotels app or website and the hotel itself was very communicative when I contacted them directly regarding transportation or other requests. 

From the outside, the hotel does not have great curb appeal.  There is no real drive-up entrance, but the walk-up entrance is really interesting; and this gives you the first impression of what the hotel is all about.  The hotel is modern and fresh approach to hotels as it offers a lot of free amenities for the guests to come and enjoy the city in which they are staying; they are trying to make the hotel and the city feel more integrated.  The main lobby was on the ground floor and had the check-in desks on the right-hand side, right next to a small shop selling the items they have in the rooms (more on that later).  To the left was a sitting area, a little game area, and the entrance to the restaurant.  In the middle was a computer stand if you needed to access the computer.  Check-in was quick and efficient, I received the key to the room and took the elevator (which was small but most European elevators are) to the room.  The check-in attendant usually provides information about the hotel, especially if you are there for the first time or if you are from out of town but this attendant did not provide any information.

The room was behind a corridor and the corridor did not look impressive, in fact the decor of the corridor felt out of place.  The room decor fit nicely within the overall hotel's atmosphere.  As you entered into the room, there was a long hallway which led to the bedroom.  In the long hallway, on left was the bathroom while on the right was an open closet with shelves on top and a refrigerator on the bottom.  On one of the shelves was a bag which was free for guests to use during their trip (and could purchase as well).  The bathroom was quite large and spacious, especially for European standards.  There was a toilet, a sink, a full standing shower, and a shelf that was above the sink and provided a lot of storage space.  One of the concepts of the hotel is to be environmentally friendly, so in keeping with that there are no individual bathroom toiletries; rather, there are refillable bottles of lotion, bath gel, and shampoo.  The bottles also remind you to turn off the water when using the products for water conversation (a nice gesture).  One of the best parts of the bathroom, in my opinion and something I have not seen in any other bathroom, was that the floors were heated.  You could turn the heating on or off, and once on they heated the bathroom floors and it felt amazing.

The bedroom itself was a decent size and contained the bed, a desk, and a wall-mounted TV across from the bed.  Along the wall with the bed ran a wooden plank which served as both a storage place as well as a place to sit.  When I checked in, I was asked if I wanted a room with two beds or one and I had request a room with two beds.  While I got a room with two beds, the beds were so close that they may as well been one bed (so if you are not comfortable with sleeping right next to each other, you will be now).  On either side of the bed was a lamp attached the bed that could be moved to your side (similar to ikea-style lamps that attach to your bedpost).  Also next to each side of the bed were outlets so you could plug in your electronics.  The beds themselves were comfortable and large enough to provide a decent nights sleep.  

The desk contained a phone, a notepad, and a book which contained a list of the amenities the hotels provides for its guests - and the list is long.  You really need to plan your activities to get the most out of the amenities the hotel provides.  Some amenities include a restaurant, a rooftop bar, a spa, a gym, bicycles to rent, and free wifi.  I tried the complimentary wifi - which did not need a code and was completely open (always a little scary to me) but provided decent speeds; and renting the bicycles.  There is a charge to rent the bicycle and you can rent the bike either by the hour, within a 3-hour block, or by the day.  I did a 3-hour block and while it was nice to ride around Vienna, the city is not as conducive to bike traffic as Copenhagen so some parts were very tricky (especially in the inner city where cobblestones and bicycles do not make for a comfortable partnership).  

Overall, it was a very nice and comfortable stay at the 25hrs hotel.  The hotel is conveniently located outside the city center so its quiet and feels residential, but its close enough to walk and have access to restaurants and transportation.  The hotel itself is very nice, provides a lot of amenities for the guests, and provides a comfortable room and nice bathroom for the guests to enjoy.  It was a great stay and its a brand that I would now look for when I am traveling.  

Trip Report: Condor Airlines, New Orleans to Frankfurt (August 2018)

Trip Report: Condor Airlines, New Orleans to Frankfurt
comment below and let me know your thoughts :)

There are not many long-haul or international flights directly from New Orleans, with most of them starting within the last 2-3 years.  One of the carriers that started international flights was Condor, which flies directly from New Orleans to Frankfurt.  The flight only operates from May to September and only operates two times a week, but it is still a direct flight and the fares on the flights are reasonable.  Condor also partners with many airlines and the timings for the flights are scheduled to maximize connections to other flights from Frankfurt.  For my recent flight to Europe, I flew into Vienna and flew out of London and the entire trip was booked through Condor; the New Orleans to Frankfurt and return was operated by Condor while the Frankfurt to Vienna was operated by Austrian (review here) and the London to Frankfurt was operated by Lufthansa (review here). 

Condor is a combination leisure and full-service airline in that some items are complimentary while others need to paid for.  In economy, included in the ticket is one free 23-kg checked baggage, a complimentary meal, a complimentary snack/light meal, as well as complimentary water and non-alcoholic drinks.  Items that need to be paid for include reserved seat assignment ($40-$120 depending on the seat), special meals (included vegetarian and other dietary restricted meals), other snacks, premium meals, and alcoholic drinks.  Booking direct flights through the Condor website is very easy; however, every other type of booking needs to be done by calling Condor.  As my ticket was an open-jaw (arrive into one city and depart into another), I had to call Condor as this process could not be booked via the website.  Each time I had to call Condor it was a long wait time, but once a representative came on board they were usually quick to help (although some clearly had not hear of many of Condor's U.S. destinations).  

24-hours prior to my flight I was able to check-in online.  I was told that if you do not pre-book your seat you are able to select it upon check-in (that is what I was told and that is how most other airlines operate); however, that was not the case with Condor.  When I went to check-in, I was pre-assigned a seat that I could not change.  I called customer service who told me that they could not make any changes since it was 24-hours prior to check-in; so before 24-hours I was told that the customer service could only change it closer to the date and after 24-hours I was told that only the gate agent could make any changes.  Getting conflicting information from Condor customer service happened repeatedly.  I completed check-in and received both of my boarding passes - my Condor flight as well as my connecting flight.  I arrived at the airport earlier than usual to speak with the check-in agent regarding changing my seat; luckily the check-in agent was very nice and customer-friendly and easily changed the seat with no questions.  

The flight only operates two times a week, with the flight departing Frankurt in the morning and arriving into New Orleans around 4pm the same day; and then it will turn around and depart New Orleans around 6pm and arrive into Frankfurt the next morning.  The plane was already at the gate when we arrived there, and there were already many people waiting at the gate.  The crew came and went onboard, but as we got closer to the scheduled boarding time the ground staff didn't seem to be in any hurry.  The plane was scheduled to take off at 6:25pm and we were scheduled to board around 5:45p, but we actually started boarding around 6pm.  Boarding happened in groups from the rear of the plane to the front, and even though the plane was generally quite full boarding was efficient.  

The operating aircraft is a Boeing 767-300ER in a 3-class configuration - business class, premium economy and economy.  The economy section was in a 2-3-2 layout.  The seat itself was a little narrow in terms of width, and the seat pitch was decent expect for when the seat in front was laid back (then the seat pitch was reduced dramatically - especially for someone who is tall like me.)  The seat comfort was also not very good, as after the 4th hour the seat became very uncomfortable.  Finally, the seat seemed low as it felt like you were sitting in a bucket seat and this reduced the comfort of the seat.  The seat itself had a PTV screen with a USB port and headphone jack, a tray table, and then a pocket underneath.  The pocket underneath contained the airline magazine, duty free magazine, safety card, and other airline information and the weight of this also reduced the seat pitch; also many of the seat pockets looked old and worn and had lost their elasticity thus also reducing the seat pitch.  

Even though we boarding late, we pushed back generally close to our departure time as the plane

doors closed and pushed even as people were still getting settled into their seats.  Also, while on board Condor was trying to upsell passengers on any empty business class and premium economy seats.  The safety demonstration was done by video, first in German and then in English and then it was a quick taxi before we took off to Frankfurt.  Once we reached cruising altitude, the attendants came by with the entertainment pass.  These passes, which some had pre-purchased, some had vouchers, and other bought on board, unlocked the entire entertainment section.  This is another thing you have to pay for on Condor - seatback entertainment.  Condor provides a variety of TV shows, movies, and other entertainment but most of it is locked.  Condor provides two TV episodes, one movie, and some other documentary programs on travel and Condor for free but everything else needs to be paid for (usually with the entertainment pass).  The pass is $9-$11 depending on how many screens you are purchasing and the selection is decent, but I would expect a better selection considering I am paying for it.  In contrast, the same selection of movies and TV shows are available for free on domestic U.S. flights.  I do have to say that Condor does do a good job of telling you these costs upfront so you are not surprised once you get onboard, in fact they try to see you something at every point.  Because I knew the entertainment was not complimentary, I had downloaded content onto my tablet and was able to provide my own wifi.

Since the attendants were busy selling passengers on the entertainment, it took a while for the meal service to get started.  Most other airlines usually get the meal service started quickly in order to finish that up and get passengers to sleep, but the Condor attendants took their time.  We were almost 2.5-3 hours into the flight before the inflight service started.  Condor provides complimentary meals, but there is a charge for premium meals or if you have a dietary restriction.  For the complimentary meals, there was no choice nor any description of the meals; they were just handed out.  The meal turned out to be baked pasta with tomatoes and cheese, cheese and crackers, a bread roll, salad and dessert.  While not a grand meal, it was more than I expected for the complimentary meal and inline with catering I have seen on long-haul U.S. carriers.  The meal service was followed by complimentary drinks, tea, and coffee.  Once the meal trays were cleared, the attendants passed out full bottles of water; I was very surprised that Condor offered full bottles of water and freely offered them to all passengers.  

Attendants would come through the aisle periodically handing out water.  About 2 hours prior to

landing, a second meal service was provided.  This meal service was generally smaller and more like a heavy snack versus a light meal.  There was a piece of bread, some fruit, as well as meat and cheese.  Again, it was a light snack to tide you over until we landed.  This was followed by a drink service, and while the meal trays were being cleared there was also a drink service.  Once everything had been served and cleared, there was a bit of time left for the passengers to just relax before we started our decent into Frankfurt.  Condor's safety checks are interesting in that as we were descending, they made the standard announcement regarding tray tables and seat in the upright position, but they never really came down the aisle to check nor did they reinforce it.  The attendants did pass through the aisle many times, but only to collect remaining money.  We finally landed in Frankfurt, had a long taxiway to our remote stand, and then had to take an even longer bus ride to the terminal.  Many passengers were connecting to other flights, and the boarding passes I had received when I checked in with Condor were valid for my onward journey (which is unusual as usually the new airline likes to check or issue their own boarding pass, but Austrian did not seem to mind.  You can check out my review of my onward flight here).

The return flight was similar to the outbound flight, both in terms of ground service and inflight service.  On the ground, I had called customer service regarding the seat only to be told that I need to call once the airline has assigned my seat; and once the airline assigned my seat I was told that only the gate agent could change and when I got to the gate agent they said they had no authority to change anything.  As I said earlier, I was connecting to Condor in Frankfurt as I originated out of London with Lufthansa (you can check out that review here) so my check-in process was with Lufthansa.  Again at check-in in London I was given both boarding passes, and in Frankfurt I only had about hour to transfer.  All of the Condor flights to America depart from a small number of bus gates, and you have to go through additional documentation check before entering these gates.  When I previously traveled internationally back to the U.S.,there is more security and more documentation check when entering the boarding area for American flights so I was a bit surprised at the lack of that here. 

The boarding area is a small and there are a large number of passengers waiting for the flights.  Restrooms area available but there is only one restaurant serving all the passengers.  The boarding time was scheduled for 11am while the scheduled departure time was 12pm with a same-day 4pm arrival time.  Condor seems to have a flexible definition of on-time because boarding started late and this made the departure late as well.  There were some differences in the return flight, in that boarding was not done by groups but a 'come one, come all' call and the pitch to upsell passengers on premium economy and business was made in the boarding area instead of onboard.  

Once onboard, the plane layout and the seat (dis)comfort were generally the same although the lack of seat comfort was felt more on this flight (considering it was a bit longer flight time).  Once we took off, and reached cruising altitude, the attendants came by first to sell passengers on the premium entertainment package.  The standard entertainment again only had one TV show and one movie, but this time the selection was worse that the outbound (the moving map is complimentary though).  Again during this flight a meal, with only one option, was served about 3 hours in and then a light snack was served 2 hours prior to landing.  In the middle, the attendants did come by with water and a drink service (again, I was surprised at how freely Condor provided complimentary drinks and water).  Again, safety checks for passengers were lack on the return flight as the attendants only generally monitored if passengers were in the landing position; they seem more interested in other stuff or really were not paying attention to this aspect.  We finally landed, and after a quick taxi, deplaned.  

Overall, it was a mixed experience with Condor.  Given the low cost, I had low expectations (I mean, you get what you pay for) but even then I was surprised.  I was surprised at how uncomfortable the seats were, especially given the longhaul flights. I was surprised at how freely they provided complimentary drinks and water, given how they advertise charging for extras.  I was surprised that passengers have to pay for special meals (this seems a bit cruel in my opinion), and lastly I was a bit surprised at the customer service; the attendants seem apathetic as in they were not bad but they were not good either.  The question is, would I fly with them again?  The benefits were that they provided good option, were direct from my home time, and had good connections with various partners.  The bad were the seat comfort and the apathetic service.  So the answer is, if I had another option that was in the same cost range and same time range then I would not choose Condor.  The price is low, but you do get what you pay for and I would much rather a bit higher to get a more quality product.    

Stay Report: IP Casino Resort, Hotel, and Spa (Biloxi, MS - July 2015)

Stay Report: IP Casino Resort, Hotel, and Spa
comment below and let me know your thoughts :)

We were having a meeting at the IP Casino Resort so I got to experience the meeting rooms plus the hotel.  There are many casino + hotels in the Gulfport/Biloxi area and they range in price and quality.  Overall, the meeting rooms were nice and the hotel room was decent but both were overpowered by the strong smoking smell that is everywhere.  The meeting rooms are located on the 3rd floor - above the gambling hall.  There are a lot of meeting rooms so there is plenty of space and they provide really good food (better than other hotels) but to access the meeting rooms you have to go through the casino and the smoking smell is EXTREMELY strong in the meeting room area.  

photo courtesy of Boyd Gaming

There is a parking garage connected to the casino and from the garage you walk through the casino to the hotel tower.  The check-in desks are along one side of the wall, with one side for regular guests and the other side for premium members.  The side with the regular guests always seemed to have a line and the service could've been faster.  After check-in, I took the elevator to the room.  There are two sets of elevators depending on which floor you go to; apparently more people requested staying on the lower floors and thus those elevators were a bit slower while the elevators for the higher floors were pretty quick.  

Even though the hotel rooms are not above the casino (they are in the tower next to it), you could still smell smoke in the rooms.  My room was on the 20th floor and the smoke smell was there but was not overpowering; some of my colleagues had rooms on lower floors and they said the smell in their rooms was overpowering.  The rooms themselves were nice and large, with a good amount of space.  As you entered the room, on left was the bathroom while on the right was a closet and storage area.  The bathroom was a decent size and contained a shower, a toilet, a sink, as well as toiletries (the toiletries needed to be updated).  The closet contained a safe, storage facility, as well as an iron and ironing board.  Further into the room, on right was a luggage rack followed by a chest with drawers on the bottom and a TV on top.  Next to the chest was a desk with phone and note pad plus pen.  On the other side was a chair + foot lounge and the bed with two side tables.  The bed was a good size, was decently comfortable, and provided for an average night's sleep (it wasn't the best bed, but definitely not the worst bed either).  There was also a large window in the room which let in nice natural light, and in front of the room was a sitting table with two chairs (this to me was not needed in the room).  Overall, it was a nice and spacious room with good facilities.    

photo courtesy of Boyd Gaming

The casino built up a lot of amenities besides gambling for the guest including complimentary wifi, a pool, a fitness center, and a spa.  The wifi is complimentary and the speed is pretty good (you can watch youtube videos).  The pool, fitness center, and spa were all located on the top floor of the hotel.  I wanted to try the fitness center, but it was only open until 8pm and I was in meetings (including dinner meetings) until 9p; I am not sure why the fitness center was not open 24hrs like other hotels as that would've been more convenient.  Another amenity the hotel provides is complimentary bottles of water.  These are provided in the room and can also be requested from housekeeping, and this additional complimentary item adds a nice touch.

Overall, the IP Casino Hotel provided a nice room that was spacious and comfortable and had good amenities
for the guests.  The Casino also provided good food for the meeting, in terms of variety and flavor; there were a variety of healthy and other options available so most diets were covered.  The only negative thing, and its a strong negative, was the smell which was very strong and overpowering.  The smell radiated throughout the hotel and permeated the meeting hall, the chairs, and eventually into your clothes. 

Stay Report: Aston Jayapura Hotel & Convention Center (Indonesia - May 2012)

Stay Report: Aston Jayapura Hotel & Convention Center
comment below and let me know your thoughts :)

photo courtesy of Pinterest.com

Jayapura is the provincial capital of Papua, Indonesia and since it is the capital, the city offers a lot of service, amenities, as well as many places to stay.  In looking for a place to stay, I was looking for a hotel that was comparable to international standards and everyone kept mentioned the Aston Jayapura, part of the Aston-International group of hotels which has hotels all across Indonesia.  Overall, the Aston Jayapura provided a nice hotel with comfortable rooms and nice amenities.

The hotel is located near the heart of Jayapura, so the location provides easy, walkable access to many sights and services.  The hotel is located on the main street, and there is a small circular driveway that separates the hotel from the main street.  As you enter into the lobby, on the left hand side is the check-in counter and right next to those are the elevators to the guest rooms.  Straight ahead are a lounge, chairs and couches to relax, as well as the restaurant where breakfast is served.   Check-in went smoothly and I received my key and went directly to my room.

photo courtesy of HotelToday.com

First impressions of the room were that it was very nice, modern, and comfortable.  As you entered into the room, on the left hand side was the bathroom while on the right was the closet and storage area.  The bathroom was nice and comfortable with a tub, a toilet and a sink.  The closet and storage area was nice and large, and slippers were provided (a nice touch).  Further into the room was the Queen-size bed, which was big (but not grand) and comfortable enough to provide a good night’s sleep.  On either side of the bed was a night stand with lamps. Across from the bed was the TV with storage underneath, and next to that was desk.  There was also a window across the wall that provided a decent view of the city.  Overall, the room was not spacious but a decent size.  It was comfortable, had all the amenities needed, and felt modern and updated.

photo courtesy of Qerja

The hotel itself is a full service hotel so they have lots of amenities including meeting rooms, breakfast buffet, wifi, a spa with a fitness center and sauna, as well as a karaoke club.  Since I was here for a couple of days I was able to try a couple of facilities including a massage, the breakfast, as well as the wifi.  The massage was nice and the room setup for the spa and sauna was also nice and soothing.  The wifi was decent to check email and do basic internet searches but definitely was not the strongest wifi I have seen.  The breakfast that accompanied the room was a buffet-style breakfast that provided a lot of options including both Indonesian and Western options.   Overall, central location with comfortable rooms and nice amenities is what one can expect from the Aston Jayapura.

Trip Report: Austrian Airlines, Frankfurt to Vienna (August 2018)

Trip Report: Austrian Airlines, Frankfurt to Vienna 
comment below and let me know your thoughts :)

I was traveling from New Orleans to Vienna via Frankfurt.  My travel had been booked through Condor (see review here), with the first leg from New Orleans to Frankfurt being operated by Condor and the second leg from Frankfurt to Vienna operated by Austrian Airlines.  After the ticket had been booked, I received both my Condor and Austrian booking numbers.  As my flight was booked through another carrier, I could see my reservation online but could not manage it nor do anything else so in order to make any changes I had to call the airline directly.  In late July 2018, I had tried to call the US-toll free number of Austrian only for the number to be disconnected.  For two days straight the number was disconnected; the airline was quick to respond on social media, but they did not provide detailed answers.  As this was my first interaction with the airline, it was not a positive one.  

24-hours prior to my flight, I was able to check-in and receive both boarding passes.  I tried again to call Austrian and finally got through and was able to change my seat assignments.  Once our plane landed in Frankfurt, we had about 1hr30min to transfer between flights.  Most of the time was spent going through security and transferring from one gate to the other.  When I got to the other gate, I thought they would need to recheck my boarding pass or issue a new one (as most other international connections have done) but nothing like that occurred here.  Boarding was scheduled to commence at 12:15pm while the flight was scheduled to take off at 12:50pm; however, the boarding time came and went and we were still at the gate.  Boarding finally commenced, but there was no order.  First and Business Class plus high frequent flyers were allowed to go first, and then it was a free-for-all; it was extremely chaotic.  Adding to the chaos was that passengers scanned their own boarding pass to open the gates and the technology took a long time and some passengers were not used to it.  Once through, passengers boarded buses to be bused to our gate (which was at the other end of the airport).

Originally an Airbus A319 was scheduled to fly the route, but when the bus pulled up to the plane it was actually a Boeing 767-300.  Given the flight time is 1h20min, I was surprised such a big plane was being used on a short flight.  The flight was completely full, so given the number of passengers and given that boarding started late, it was given that we were not going to make the scheduled departure time (the airline did not seem to be in a rush to keep on schedule nor did they make any announcements regarding the delay).  Once all passengers were on board and once the paperwork was completed, the boarding doors closed, we finally pushbacked, a safety video was shown, and we took off for Vienna.  

The Boeing 767 was into three classes - business, premium economy, and economy; I was allotted a seat in premium economy.  The premium economy seat could also be a business class seat, except that it did not recline all the way.  The seat itself was very nice and spacious, both width wise and length wise.  The premium economy was laid out in a 2-2-2 configuration so the passenger at the window had to cross the aisle passenger to get to the aisle, but there was plenty of room to cross.  The seat itself was nice, comfortable, and was wide enough for premium economy.  The two seats shared a middle console, which contained individual armrests, a place for your drinks, as well as the tray table.  On either side of the console, each seat had a USB port plus the remote for the PTV and entertainment screen.  The bottom of the middle console also contained two universal plugs.  On the seatback in front, in which the legroom was very generous and almost like business class, the seat contained a large PTV screen and underneath a pocket which contained the safety card, the airline magazine, and the airline duty free magazine.  Overall, the seat was very nice and comfortable especially for the short-haul flight.  On a longer haul flight, the legroom would be really nice and the entertainment options would be sufficient but the seat comfort would probably hurt after 5+hours. 

Most passengers were not aware of the delay as the PTV screens were on and available for passengers once they sat down.  It was a nice bonus that for a short flight passengers would have PTV screens and access to the full selection of entertainment.  The entertainment selection was varied and included a lot of good movies and some TV shows (the movie selection was definitely better than the TV selection).  Once we passed 10,000ft, the attendants started their inflight service.  A complimentary snack plus complimentary drinks were provided, while other food and drink items were available for purchase.  The complimentary snack was some chocolate/candy that is famous in Vienna and along that complimentary soft drinks, water, juice, tea and coffee were provided.  Given the number of passengers and the short flight time, the attendants clearly looked and acted as if they were in a rush (and thus were not very customer-oriented/friendly).  The flight time quickly passed as passengers watched their screens and enjoyed the complimentary snacks, and then it was time for the plane to start its decent into Vienna.  We landed in Vienna late and had a quick taxi to the gate.

Overall, it was an interesting flight with Austrian.  The plane change was a nice bonus as I got to try a a plane usually reserved for long-haul flights and got to enjoy the perks of the long-haul planes, including more spacious seats and better seat options such as PTV screens.  The downside was the customer service as the attendants neither seemed friendly nor customer-oriented.  They were not smiling, never really interacted with the customers, and seemed rushed and frantic to complete the inflight service in the time given.  It was my first time flying with Austrian and I wanted to try their short-haul product before deciding whether to give their long-haul product a try; and after this experience I would say that flying with Austrian again would not be at the top of my list.  While I would not avoid the airline, I would not go out of my way to fly with them again (as for me, the soft product matters as much as the hard product).