Trip Report: Air Canada, Toronto Pearson to New Orleans (June 2018)

Trip Report: Air Canada, Toronto to New Orleans
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I was traveling from Africa back to America and was connecting in Toronto for my last flight.  My first flight was operated by Ethiopian Airlines and I was connecting to Air Canada.  Since both flights were booked on one ticket, and both are Star Alliance members and thus have a partnership, it would be a seamless transfer in Toronto.  My bags were tagged in Africa and I received my Ethiopian-issued boarding passes for my flight, so in essence all I had to do was 1) collect my bags and hand them to Air Canada or 2) just transfer and go to Air Canada to receive their boarding pass.  When I landed, the process could not have been smoother – I did not have to collect my bags and had them to Air Canada as all I needed to do was transfer from one get to another (and clear U.S. security).

I had received my Air Canada reservation number prior to my departure and had downloaded the app where I could manage my reservation.  There was a charge for pre-selecting my seat, so I waited until I got to Toronto to see if I could change my seat.  Even though I was already checked-in, I talked with an Air Canada representative who said I could use the kiosks or the app to change seat and receive my Air Canada-issued boarding pass (I also spoke with them to ensure my bags had been transferred successfully).  The entire process could not have gone smoother.

The flight was scheduled to depart Toronto at 1:15p and arrive into New Orleans at 3:05p.  The flight was operated by an Embraer RJ-175 with a scheduled flight time of 2hr50m.  As I had a long time between my flights, I was waiting near the gates well before the scheduled departure time.  I am glad I downloaded the app because it was through the app that I found out that the gate had been changed (an announcement happened later on); from my understanding this happens a lot with Air Canada at Toronto (another reason to download the app).  All the passengers made it to the right gate well in time before departure.  Boarding started around 12:45p, which I thought was a bit late but it was fine considering it was a small plane the load was light.  The plane was configured in a 1-2 business class and a 2-2 economy class.  The first few rows of economy were designated as ‘Preferred Seats’ which meant they provided additional legroom and earlier boarding.

First impressions of the cabin were very good as the plane looked like it had been well-maintained and recently updated.  The seats looked like they were new-ish slimline seats and each seat had its seatback PTV.  In Africa, I was initially assigned a seat in the back of the plane but through the app I changed my seat to an aisle seat in the middle of the plane.  The seat itself was decent in terms of size and comfort, it was not too small but not too large, and the legroom was decent. I am a tall man (6ft) and my knees were not hitting the back of the seat in front of me (a good sign).  As with regional jets, the overhead bin space was limited so this was the only negative thing.  The seat itself had a personal PTV screen (which was a decent size and looked updated) and had a USB port next to it.  Below the screen was the foldout tray, and below that was the pocket with the airline magazine, duty free magazine, and air sickness bag.  As I said, overall first impressions were very good (especially since most U.S.-based regional jets do not look anything like this at all!).  The plane was about 70% full which meant that those of us in the back each got a row to ourselves.  As weight distribution is a key factor, especially for regional jets, before the boarding door closed the gate agent came to move passengers around.  I was moved from my seat in the middle to one of the Preferred Seats right behind business class.  This was a bulk-head seat which meant that my bags had to go in the bin for take-off and landing, but the legroom in this seat was really good.  The seat was still not as wide as I would’ve liked it, but it was a very comfortable seat. 

We pushed back, a safety video was shown on the screens, and we made our way to the runway for our on-time departure.  Once we reached cruising altitude, the crew started with their service.  For this flight (and most flights within Canada and the U.S.), Air Canada provided complimentary water, soft drinks, tea or coffee and pretzels but everything else needed to be purchased.  Despite the long flight, drinks were served in glasses and not cans although later on in the flight the attendants came with water.  After the service, passengers sit back and either talked, read, or watched the PTV screens.  The screens were a decent size, were very responsive to touch screen, and had a good selection of movies.  The only negative about the entertainment was that it would not remember where you were, so if you paused it or stopped it, it would start from the beginning instead of asking you to resume where you left off (as I have seen other airline entertainment systems do).  This was a small issue as overall the system was responsive and had a good selection.

Overall, I was very impressed with the Air Canada service.  Given my experience with U.S.-based airlines and regional jet service, I had very low expectations and Air Canada exceeded those.  The seats were comfortable, the legroom was decent, and PTVs as well as USB ports were provided.  The service was decent as one flight attendant (the one in business class who came back to help) provided much better and pleasant service versus the one who was based in economy.  Based on this experience, I would not hesitate to fly Air Canada short- or long-haul. 

Stay Report: Hilton Garden Inn Toronto Airport West/Mississauga (Canada, June 2014)

Stay Report: Hilton Garden Inn Toronto Airport West
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photo courtesy of HGI

I was traveling to Toronto for a conference, which was housed near the airport, so was looking for a hotel close by.  By American standards, Canadian hotels can be quite expensive so I decided to use points to book the hotel.  Based on reviews, location, and points availability, I decided on the Hilton Garden Inn Toronto Airport West located in Mississauga.  I have stayed at Hilton Garden Inn’s before so knew of their product – they provide nice and clean rooms with free wifi but no complimentary breakfast.

The hotel was easy to book through the HGI website, and through my website I was able to manage my reservation and add preferences (as we were arriving late at night).  The hotel is located near the airport, about a 15 minute drive away, in an office area.  As it is mostly a business area, there are few amenities within walking distance; there are many amenities within a 5-10 drive but that would require a car.  While a bit secluded, the location does provide peace and quiet at night for a restful sleep.  The hotel does provide complimentary parking and has ample parking spaces available. 

I arrived late night at the hotel and was greeted as I entered the hotel.  The lobby was nice and contained the check-in desks, the restaurant/bar, the business center, and nice sitting areas.  Check-in was quick and efficient, and we were given a welcome bag of a bottle of water, chips, and chocolate bar (a very nice touch).  An explanation of the amenities of the hotel was not provided, but in the room key packet there was a sheet detailing all the amenities of the hotel and services provided (very detailed list, but I wish hotel staff would’ve pointed it out during check-in).

photo courtesy of HGI

I had booked a room with 2 double beds and the room was a good size, not overly spacious but not cramped.  As you entered, on the right was the bathroom while on the left was the closet with a safe, an iron, and an ironing board.  The bathroom was standard HGI and was a nice a size.  This bathroom had been upgraded so it had a nice sink, a toilet, and a bathtub; it did not have PeterThomasRoth products but instead had Neutrogena products. 

Further into the room, on the left was a little stand that contained a fridge on the bottom, the coffee maker in the middle, and a microwave on top.  This is a nice and convenient addition to the hotel.  Continuing on the left hand side was a chest with drawers on the bottom and a TV on top followed by a desk.  Across from these, on the right-hand side of the wall, were the 2 double beds.  The beds and pillows were nice and comfortable, and the bed had been upgraded so you could adjust the firmness to your liking.  The beds were relaxing and provided a good night’s rest.  In between the beds was a night stand, and next to the bed was a window that, although did not provide great views, did provide natural light into the room.  Overall, the room was spacious and contained a lot of amenities, but it did not feel congested at all.  There were also many available throughout the room, and the lamp also contained plugs and ports to provide additional outlets (a plus in today's digital world).  

The hotel featured a lot of the standard HGI facilities including a pool, not a big pool but a decent size; a decent size gym; a laundry room; a business center with computers and printer (you could print directly from your room or from the business center); complimentary wifi that was a decent speed; a convenience store to purchase snacks or items you forgot; as well as a restaurant/bar that served breakfast, lunch, and dinner (although not complimentary unless that is the rate you booked).  In addition to all this, a nice touch the hotel provided were complimentary snacks in the morning and evening.  In the morning, complimentary coffee and apples were provided while in the evening complimentary oat squares (a nice healthy touch) were provided.

photo courtesy of HGI

Another facility of the hotel was the free and ample parking.  The hotel’s location is good if you have a car, and they provide a lot of free parking spaces.  If you do need public transport options, there is a bus stand located across the street from the hotel and this bus connects with the subway system (about a 25m ride).  The hotel staff were somewhat knowledgeable about the transportation access, some more knowledgeable than others; this is one thing I would recommend, that hotel staff be knowledgeable about transportation access. 

Overall, it was a nice stay at the Hilton Garden Inn.  The rooms were spacious and updated, the hotel has a lot of facilities, and the service was good.  A nice security touch was that the back door, which was directly located next to the elevators, needed a key to enter -- and this key was needed all the time! At most hotels, the key is only needed at night, meaning anyone can enter the hotel. Having key access all the time was a nice security touch.  These small touches make the stay memorable and I would recommend the hotel, as long as you have a car.

Stay Report: Hotel Indigo Ottawa Downtown (Canada, March 2011)

Stay Report: Hotel Indigo Ottawa Downtown
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photo courtesy of IHG

I had to go to Ottawa on business and was looking for a decent hotel in the area and noticed the Hotel Indigo.  This hotel is part of the InterContinental Hotel Group (IHG) and it is their version a of a boutique hotel.  I was intrigued by the concept so decided to check it out.  Overall, the experience was really interesting and it felt like I was staying in an apartment rather than a hotel room.

The hotel is situated in downtown Ottawa, which has negatives and positives associated with that.  The positive of the location is the close connection to various downtown activities, walking distance to food and other amenities, as well as access to various transportation methods.  The negatives of the location include lots of traffic (so it will take a while in a taxi) as well as certain areas of downtown can be unsafe at times (this is not just specific to Ottawa but many cities).

photo courtesy of IHG

From the outside, the hotel looks like an office building (as I believe Hotel Indigo likes to blend in with the neighborhood it inhabits).  When you enter the hotel, you enter into the lobby/sitting area.  On one side of the lobby was the check-in desks while on the other side were the elevators.  The lobby is designed like a huge atrium with high ceilings so it feels very spacious.   Check-in was smooth and quick and I took the elevators up to my room.  This was one odd thing about the hotel – the room that I was given faced the atrium so if outside the window you saw the lobby and the other hotel rooms.  This is one aspect of the design of the hotel that seemed odd to me.

The room itself was a decent size – not too small but not too big – and was decorated very nicely.  As you entered the room, on the left hand side was the bathroom while on the right was the closet and storage area.  The bathroom was also a decent size – not too small but not too big – and had standard amenities.  Further into the room, on the left hand side was a king-size bed with two nightstands on either side of the bed.  The bed was comfortable, large and offered a good night sleep.  On the right hand side was the TV, a chest with drawers, and a desk which faced into the room.  Behind the desk was a window, and this is the window that faced into the lobby/atrium (I was higher up so you had to look down to see the check-in desk, but it was still a bit odd).   As I said earlier, the way the room was decorated was very nice and looked more like an apartment rather than a hotel.  The furniture and the décor made it feel more like an apartment rather than a hotel.

photo courtesy of IHG

As I was on a business trip, I did not get to enjoy the other amenities of the hotel such as fitness center, indoor pool and spa.  I did experience the free internet which was a decent speed and a nice bonus.  Overall, the experience of staying at the Hotel Indigo was pleasant.  Staying in the hotel felt like staying in a boutique hotel room in a chain hotel.  The close proximity to downtown and the nice ambiance in the room were the positives.  The negatives were the odd layout of my room and the fact that some areas of downtown aren’t that nice.  I look forward to continue stays at the Hotel Indigo.

Stay Report: Hyatt Regency Montreal (May 2015)

Stay Report: Hyatt Regency Montreal
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I was traveling to Montreal and was looking for a nice hotel that was centrally located with access to sights and restaurants.  The Hyatt Regency Montreal is located in downtown Montreal and is centrally located to everything and is connected to the Reso.  Overall, it was a nice stay at the hotel as the rooms are comfortable and they provide really good customer service.  There were only two negatives to this hotel - one is that the elevators are really slow (even though there are four, they are all really slow) and two is that the spacious room was at a cost of a small bathroom. Other than these two minor things, it was a really nice stay at the Hyatt Regency.

The ground floor of the hotel has the entrance for the taxi cab, connection to the mall, as well as street-level entrance. From this, you take one set of elevators to reach the lobby of the hotel; two sets of elevators can take you to the lobby, one that is connected to the mall while the other is connected to the street-level.  The lobby is spacious and has plenty of space to lounge around.  If you enter from the street-level, you walk through a hallway towards the check-in desks which are straight ahead.  To left of the check-in desks are the elevators plus a sitting area for guests.  Behind the check-in desks are the restaurant, bar, business center, as well as access to the mall.  Check-in was smooth and they were very accommodating to all changes and requests that were made.  Once we received our key, there are 4 elevators that take you up to the guest rooms and these are the slowest elevators.  While waiting for the elevators we were able to talk to a lot of guests and they all had the same issue; talking with the guests was the only positive thing about waiting for the elevators.

As I was traveling with a group I had booked two rooms, but the rooms were laid out in a similar fashion with the only difference between them was the view from the window.  The rooms themselves were very spacious and provided a lot of room.  As you entered the room, on the left-hand side was the closet which contained area for storage as well as an ironing board and iron.  The right-hand side contained the bathroom, and while the room was very spacious, the bathroom was not.  It was very tiny and compact and contained a sink, a toilet, and a tub along with the Hyatt toiletries.  In my opinion, some of the space in the room could have been better utilized in creating a bigger bathroom.

Further into the room, on the left-hand side was a chest with drawers on the bottom and the TV on top and next to that was a desk.  The beds were located across on the other side of the wall.  The beds were very comfortable and provide enough room and a good night’s sleep.  There was a night stand in between the beds, and around the room there were plenty of electrical and USB outlets so you can charge all your electronics.  There were very large windows in the room which provided nice views as well as sunlight into the room.  Between the windows and the beds were either couches or chairs to sit and enjoy the view.  On the other side of the beds, in the shared wall with the bathroom, was a nook which contained additional storage space, a nook for coffee, a safe, and a fridge.  This nook was a very nice addition and provided some good amenities, but I would forgo the nook for additional bathroom space.

The hotel is a full-service so there were many facilities available for the guests to enjoy.  These include a restaurant and bar (which are sometimes closed for private events); complimentary in-room wifi; a business center behind the lobby with extremely slow computers and a printer; as well as pool and fitness center.  The pool and fitness center were located below the lobby.  Both the pool and fitness center were medium in size, not too grand but not small either.  The pool was mostly used by families and children while the fitness center was pretty full (on the weekend).  The hotel also offers massages and has a massage room near the fitness center.

Overall it was a great stay at the Hyatt Regency.  The hotel provides a spacious room that is centrally located and easy access to many sights and restaurants along with good customer service.  The only negatives were the small bathroom and the slow elevators, but despite those I would definitely recommend this hotel.

Trip Report: United Airlines - New Orleans to Ottawa via Newark (October 2017)

Trip Report: United Airlines, New Orleans to Ottawa

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United has been offering lower fares recently.  I need to fly to Canada for work and when I looked online, United was offering the best options both in terms of flight times and prices.  When I have previously flown to Canada, I like to fly Air Canada to try their product; however, this time Air Canada's prices were significantly higher so I booked United.  My route was New Orleans to Ottawa via Newark (and same on the return).  New Orleans to Newark was operated by an Airbus A320 while Newark to Ottawa was operated by an Embraer 190.  

It is very easy to manage your booking through the United app.  Through the app, you can view your booking, change your seat assignments, access boarding passes, see gate numbers, gate changes, flight status, as well as access the on-board entertainment.  It really is a useful app to have if you are flying with United.  With the app I checked in online and received my boarding passes.  My flight was scheduled to depart New Orleans at 3:50p and arrive into Newark at 7:50pm.  The flight had arrived from another destination, and after a quick turnaround we started boarding.  Boarding happened by groups, and within 30 minutes the plane had been boarded.  


The operating aircraft for the almost 3hr flight was an Airbus A320 with a 3-3 seat layout.  The legroom was surprisingly very good, I am tall at 6'1 and the legroom was good enough for me.  My knees were not hitting neither the seat in front of me nor myself.  The seat itself was pretty decent and comfortable enough for the 3hr flight (although I have been on this aircraft for longer flights, and after 3.5hrs the seat starts getting uncomfortable).  There was a small pocket in front of the seat that was empty.  The inflight magazine, safety card, and other information was stored in the pocket above the seat.  This is very convenient as this layout provides more legroom for passengers.  I also saw passengers use this nook as a holder for ipads and other electronic devices.  It was a quick taxi to the runway and we took off near our scheduled time.

About 15-20 minutes after reaching our cruising altitude, the inflight service continued.  Complimentary drinks were served along with complimentary pretzels.  Snack boxes were also available to purchase.  The drinks were provided in small cups, and this was the only inflight service for the entire 3 hours.  After providing drinks, the flight attendants never came by for another service - not even for water.  I understand trying to cut down on costs, but they could have at least come back down the aisle with water.  The rest of the flight was uneventful as it was up to the passenger to pass the time.  You can access free entertainment through United's app when you are connected to United Wifi.  Unfortunately the wifi was not working on this plane so you were not able to connect to the entertainment - there was no apology, just a statement that the wifi was not working.  We landed in Newark earlier than our time, but it took a while to taxi to our gate as there was another plane there.  We finally got to our gate and deplaned.

I had about one hour before my next plane departed, but I also had to switch from the C concourse where United is based to the A concourse where United Express is based as my next flight was on a small plane. The operating plane for my flight to Ottawa was a small Embraer plane in a 1-2 layout.  There was one seat on one side and two seats on the other side and neither of them had a lot of room.  The plane was also small in height - I am about 6'1 and my head was hitting the roof of the plane.  Luckily the flight time was only 1h20 minute so a lot of time was not spent in the plane.  Given the short flight time, as soon as we reached cruising altitude the inflight service commenced.  Complimentary drinks and snacks were provided.  It was a very short and uneventful flight - and that's good because it is not a comfortable plane to be on for a long period.  

Overall, it was a decent flight with United.  While United is a mainline carrier, their service resembles that of a low-cost carrier.  Before their ticket prices were very high and you did not get a lot for the ticket price, but now they seem to have lowered their prices in comparable to the service you receive.  You do not pay a lot of money and in return you do not get a lot of service - basic prices for basic services.