Stay Report: Grand Hyatt Atlanta In Buckhead (Atlanta, Ga - January 2024)

  Stay Report: Grand Hyatt Atlanta in Buckhead
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I was going to be in Atlanta for one day and I have a free night at a Hyatt property so decided to try out the Grant Hyatt Atlanta in Buckhead.  My only experience with a Grand Hyatt before was with the Grand Hyatt in Bogota (review here) so this was my first experience with the hotel in the U.S.  It was easy to book the room through the app and the day before check-in we received a welcome note from the Manager.  

We arrived at the hotel late at night and the first thing you notice is the size, the hotel is very big in terms of height and size.  The hotel is made up of two towers with the first couple of floors being the base and then the two towers rising above.  There is a lower level entrance which is mainly the entrance for the meeting rooms.  At the main entrance is the valet stand and as you enter the hotel, you climb up some stairs and immediately enter the bar/lounge area in front of you.  The check-in desk and elevators to one tower are to the right, while the restaurant and elevators to the other tower are to the left.  It is a very grand hotel and it is very easy to get lost as there is minimal signage to direct.  As we arrived late at night, check-in was easy and we quickly received our key.  We then had to go back downstairs as the incorrect room was given; when given the correct room I believe we may have been upgraded as the room was very spacious.

The room was on the 22nd floor and had lots of space.  As you entered into the room, there was a long hallway on the right which contained the closet as well as a space to put your luggage/makeup/storage on the other side.  The closet was huge and contained lots of space to store things as well as the safe, iron, ironing board, as well as slippers and a robe (the slippers were of low quality though).  This hallway was on the right side, on the left side of the room was the entrance to the bathroom.  The bathroom was also massive and contained a long countertop with a sink, a jacuzzi tub as well as a stand shower.  There was a separate entrance to the toilet and overall there was lots of space and lots of amenities next to each item including bottles of shampoo, conditioner, body wash and little bars of soap.

Separating this part from the room was a little nook that contained a bar top with the coffee maker on top and a decent size fridge underneath.  The spaciousness continued in the main room which contained the two beds along the right side of the wall.  These were two spacious queen-size beds which were very comfortable and provided a greats night sleep.  There was a nightstand in between the two beds which contained an alarm clock with USB port and plugs on top of it.  There was lots of space between the two beds as well as between the bed and the nightstand.   Along the left side of the wall was the TV mounted on the wall and underneath was a chest with drawers for additional storage.  There was a chair and extender next to that, and alongside the other wall was a standard-size desk with a chair as well as plugs and USB ports on the desk.  In between the chair and the desk was the entrance to the balcony, which was nice and a good size and had two lounge chairs on it, but the only negative is that there waw a window in the bathroom which shown onto the balcony and that limited privacy somewhat.  Also, the furnishings and the building looked like an older building which meant there was a lack of plugs and USB ports around room; however, the comfortability and spaciousness of the room made up for any shortcomings.

They are a full-service hotel so amenities at the hotel include a restaurant, bar, valet, fitness center, pool (currently closed), self parking, wifi, business center as well as a hotel lounge.  I was only there for one night so was not able to but I did try the wifi, the hotel lounge, and the self-parking.  The self-parking is located in a garage down and across the street from the hotel; it looks like a regular garage that the hotel partnered with and while there are signs that this is for the hotel, the signs are minimal as are the lights at night.  The wifi was strong and we were able to connect multiple devices with no issues and were able to stream videos and social media with no interruptions.  We also had access to the hotel lounge so we took advantage of that for breakfast.  

The lounge is located on the 24th floor and is open from 6:30am-10pm serving breakfast, snacks, and hors d'oeuvres.  As you enter into the lounge, there is a couch and sitting area in front with tables towards the back next to the window.   To the left, in a little nook, is the business center with two computers and a printer.  There is a huge TV mounted on the wall, and towards the right is the coffee maker and food items.  We went during breakfast time so they had oatmeal, cereal, light snacks, some fruit and salmon as well as bread and bagels available; coffee and tea were also available with a variety of milk in the fridge along with juice and water.  While a decent selection, it was more of a medium-size snack versus breakfast; my previous experience at hotel lounges have all been outside of the U.S. where generally the selection is more so I am not sure if this is standard for U.S. hotel lounges.

Overall, it was a great stay at the Grand Hyatt.  The room was spacious and there were lots of amenities for the guest to enjoy.  The beds were really comfortable and provided a great nights sleep; and even though our interaction with staff was minimal, what interaction we did have was good and they provided good customer service.     

Trip Report: Sun Country Airlines, New Orleans to Minneapolis (July 2024)

Trip Report: Sun Country Airlines, New Orleans to Minneapolis

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I was traveling to Minneapolis from New Orleans and generally there are two options available - either Delta or Sun Country Airlines.  I have flown Delta but have never flown Sun Country and was curious to decided to try them out.   From New Orleans, Sun Country flies one flight a day and the timings change; luckily for me the day I wanted to fly out they flew in the evening at the exact same time the Delta flight was heading out.  When I did research, Sun Country is a leisure-based airline that operates mainly to vacation and leisure destinations so I was not sure what to expect when booking the ticket or when onboard.  

You can book the ticket either through the website, the app, or directly at the airport.  When I booked online, the website and the options reminded me of ULCC, Spirit and Frontier, as there was a basic charge for the ticket and then there were fees for everything else from the carry-on to selecting your seat.  If you book online, they charge a 'passenger convenience fee' which can range in price, and online research said you can avoid this fee by booking at the airport yet no one could tell me if you could book the bundle of seat + carryon at the airport.  I paid for the bundle and the total for everything for my one-way flight was $110 which was a very good price.                                                                                                                                                          24-hours prior to my flight I checked in online and received my boarding pass so when I got to the airport I went directly to my gate.  The plane had just come from Minneapolis and was turning around to go back; and boarding was done by groups but the process was slow and more akin to leisure carriers rather than ULCC carriers.  The operating aircraft was a Boeing 737-800 in a 3-3 seat configuration.  The first couple of rows were premium seats which contained more legroom and complimentary snacks during the service.  The remaining aircraft was in a standard 3-3 configuration with slimline-esque seats but they did have a recline and an adjustable headrest.  The seats were basic as there was a literature compartment up top, a tray table underneath, a pocket below that, and USB ports were available below the seats.  There was no seatback entertainment but you could connect to the wifi to stream movies, TV shows, and audio (there was no moving map no flight path so you could not figure out where you were).

Even though we were boarded ahead of the pushback time, there was no rush from the staff to close the door and depart early; again their attitude and pace of movement was more akin to leisure carriers versus ULCC even though their booking and other items were similar to ULCC.  We pushed back, manual safety demonstrations were conducted, and we took off for Minneapolis.  Once we reached our cruising altitude, the in-flight service commenced.  Sun Country offers complimentary drinks including soda, water, tea and coffee but everything else needs to be purchased onboard; premium seat members did receive a complimentary pack of snack but also had to purchase everything else.  The complimentary drinks were a nice touch and akin to leisure carriers, but not giving a snack and having a buy-on-board was more like ULCCs.  After the service finished, the FA's were rarely seen in the cabin for the remainder of the flight; no additional water nor trash collection was conducted and they only came back once they were preparing the cabin for landing. 

The remainder of the flight was uneventful and you could pass your time watching entertainment onyour screen, sleeping, or staring out the window.  The seats were decently comfortable but started to get uncomfortable towards to the end of the flight.  The legroom was also decent and similar to what you would find on a leisure carrier and not that of ULCC.  Once we landed there was no rush to get to the gate or deplane as fast as you can, instead there was a leisure pace to deboarding.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                After my experience, I am perplexed with Sun Country Airlines.  Part of their model resembles ULCC - from paying for seat selection, carry-ons and snacks - while other aspects resemble a leisure carrier - complimentary onboard drinks, decent legroom and being able to recline your seat.  It was an interesting but uneventful flight and got me to Minneapolis on time (the Delta flight that was scheduled to leave about the same time left early and got to Minneapolis early as well).

Stay Report: Royalton CHIC Antigua, An Autograph Collection All-Inclusive Resort (Antigua - July 2024)

  Stay Report: Royalton CHIC Antigua
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We are looking for a summer place and during the booking I encountered the Royalton Chic Antigua.  I had never heard of the Royalton brand but I decided to book it for the following reasons: 1) this was now part of the Marriott Autograph Collection and we are a Silver Elite member in Marriott Bonvoy so I thought this would be better; and 2) I went online and the reviews both on TripAdvisor and YouTube generally seemed good so I booked the stay.  Booking my stay at this resort and choosing Antigua was the biggest mistake I made in my life.

The hotel is an all-inclusive which means that you pay one price and everything is included - food,drinks, and supposedly some activities.  The room that we booked was a "Luxury Pool View, All-Inclusive, Guest room, 2 Queen beds".  Most of the rooms allow upto 3-guests per room but all the reviews say that they allow 4 people for an extra charge; we were 4 people so decided to follow upon that and proceed to book through the Marriott website.

There are two Royalton resorts in Antigua - one is the Royalton Resort and the second is the Royalton Chic with the later supposedly the more upscale and better version of the resorts.  The entrance to the Royalton Chic does not look very chic at all and the service from the gate attendant was minimal, but once past there you proceed down the hill towards the main entrance.  There is a circular driveway at the main entrance with a small parking lot located next to the main entrance.  We had a car so we stopped by the main entrance before proceeding to park; when we got to the main entrance we were greeted by a bellman who was inquiring about our luggage.  I was a bit confused as there was no instructions nor details about what was happening or the direction in which we had to go but rather just wanted us to answer his questions; it was very confusing and not a great start.  

The main entrance is where you have the bellman and then you walk halfway down the building to the check-in desk on the right side.  At other all-inclusive I have been to there is someone at the main entrance/bell stop guiding you through the process or there to assist; no one was there here.  When we got to the check-in desk, there was no greeting, no welcoming us to the property, and generally no version of any type of customer service.  We were asked about the passports and whose name the reservation was under - and during that time no mention of the membership status, nothing - and when they said we have 4 people the response was 'our policy is 3 only so you have to book another room which I cannot do so you either have to call reservations or go online'.  The lack of customer service, the lack of engagement, the lack of caring was outstanding throughout my entire journey but especially at check-in.  After lots of back and forth, lots of miscommunication and lies from the staff, the hotel miraculously changed their policy and allowed a 4th person to be in the room for some extra money.  

After check-in, we all got wristbands tied to our hand and were told so sign multiple documents and when we asked about a resort map or details of what was included the response was 'everything is on the TV' and when we asked if there were paper maps or details, the response was 'no'.  That was the lack of customer service we experienced.  The bellman who took our luggage from check-in to the room did not interact with us, did not share anything about the resort, and was more interested in connecting with his coworker friends than the guest; at every other resort the bellman were always interested in talking and sharing details about the resort as this was their policy but it also increased their tip.

When we got to the room, it looked like a standard 2-queen bed room and did not look luxurious at all.  As you entered the room, there was a hallway which led into the main part of the room and in that hallway was the bathroom on the left and closets on the right.  The closet was divided into two parts with the first part to hang clothes and contained the luggage rack and robes, while the other side contained the safe as well as the shelves within the closet.  The bathroom was basic and tiny and contained a small sink, toilet as well as a rain shower.  Bathroom toiletries including body wash, shampoo, conditioner, and lotion were included but no bar soap was included and there was no place to put these items in the shower.  

In the room itself, along left side were the two queen beds with a nightstand in the middle.  Along the right side of the wall was a stand that had the coffee maker and water on top, and below was the fridge plus drawers.   Continuing along the wall was the mounted TV and then there was a countertop with two chairs which could be used as a dining table.  The beds were decent and were spacious enough to accommodate two people and comfortable to provide a decent night sleep.  There were outlets along the wall and on the nightstand so you could charge your devices.  The best part of the room though was the balcony, which opened up to the view of the pool and the ocean in the background; contain two chairs and was big enough to comfortably sit outside and/or dry your clothes.  Overall, the room was a small-to-decent size and I have been in bigger rooms at resorts (see Aruba Hyatt review) but I have been in smaller rooms so the room was decent for 3-4 people but the bathroom was definitely smaller.    

It is supposed to be an all-inclusive resorts so all food and activities should be included.  There were two pools available, one near the main entrance which had the swim-up bar and where most of the staff were, and another smaller pool near our section which was quieter and almost never had any staff come by and check.  The beach was decent and there were chairs and lounges available, and the beach for this resort connected to the Sandals beach resort so it made for a nice walk along the beach; also on the beach we barely saw any staff attending to or inquiring about guests.  There was a bar that was near the beach but that was never staffed; there was also another bar near the restaurants but that was only staffed at night.  If you were at the beach and you wanted something to drink, you had to walk to the main bar near the main entrance to get anything; and the resort long width wise so it took a bit of time to walk from our section near the end towards the main entrance, especially if you were elderly or had mobility issues.

There were supposedly multiple restaurants serving meals throughout the day and night, but which was open and when was never clear even though we asked multiple staff members.  The information on the TV was not correct and no staff member knew of any of the openings; the advice we got was 'just walk around see what was open.'  There was a Caribbean restaurant, a steak restaurant, an Italian restaurant, a sports bar, a Mediterranean restaurant, a food truck serving burgers, a coffee shop and a buffet restaurant.  The Mediterranean restaurant was never open the entire time we were there; we went to the steak restaurant one night and waited over 2-hours and still never got our food; we went to the Italian restaurant and waited 1hr30min only to be told that a party that came in after us was going to get the food before us; we went to the food truck which did not have a menu so you had to ask what was available and they it took almost 30-45 minutes to get your food.  Overall, the food quality and quantity was poor as each restaurant we went to they served starters and then a main course but the portion and quantity were so small it seemed more like a tasting rather than a meal.  The quality and lack of seasoning was also something that stood out as the food was bland and lacked seasoning and/or taste.

If there were other amenities included in the resort, we had no idea since we were not given any

information and no staff was willing to provide any details.  As I mentioned at the top, the main issue was the lack of service.  From the time we entered the property to the time we left, we encountered staff who did not care, were not courteous, some were downright rude, dismissive and borderline racists.  We shared this feedback with Management who kept saying 'thank you for your feedback but that is not my department' and nothing seemed to happen after that.  There was complimentary wifi available and complimentary parking.  You could also order food from the TV and then it was brought to your room, we did this to order food and additional drinks so there was no service by the pool nor the beach.

Overall, it was a complete waste of time and money at this resort.  My recommendation is to not go here, do not waste your time nor money to experience such a bad resort that does not care about its guests.  I have reviews of other all-inclusive and/or resorts in the Caribbean, check those out and go there instead.  

P.s..this is just my experience and my review.  While at the resort, we did talk to individuals who either themselves or their friends had similar experiences in terms of negative staff experience, rude/dismissive staff and overall a negative experience at the resort.