Trip Report: Alaska Airlines, New Orleans to Bozeman via Seattle (September 2020)

Trip Report: Alaska Airlines, New Orleans to Bozeman
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Travelling has seriously changed in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic.  Flight schedules have been drastically reduced or cancelled, many people are not traveling, and some airlines are blocking middle seats while others are not.  As a result of all this, for those comfortable flying there were some good deals that the airline was providing and I took advantage of one these deals to try out an airline I have been wanting to fly for a while.  My family and I decided to travel to Yellowstone National Park, as there are few people there and it was easy to social distance.  There are only a couple of airlines that fly to the Northwest and Alaska seems to have the best schedules and dominance in the area, also it had been more than 20+ years since I had flown with Alaska so was excited to try the airline again.  An added bonus was that Alaska became a member of oneworld alliance so I was able to earn oneworld points with the flight.  Booking the flight through the Alaska website was very easy, and it was easy to manage and add/upgrade extras either through the website or through the app.

For my trip, I was flying from New Orleans to Bozeman with a connection in Seattle (and it was the

same on the return).  Alaska operates three services - First, Main Cabin Extra, and Main Cabin (which also include basic/saver fares).  The first flight, from New Orleans to Seattle, was scheduled at over 4.5+ hours and given this length of time we decided to upgrade the outbound journey to Main Cabin Extra  The costs were a lot higher than expected for this upgrade, and it was indicated that the passenger would receive 'premium drinks and snacks, extra legroom, and priority boarding'; the Main Cabin Extra seats were right after first class so they were also quicker to exit as well.  Through the app we were able to preselect our seats and, as part of their safety policy, Alaska has blocked out middle seats.  Alaska allows free carry-on but charges for checked baggage and the standard allowance is 50lbs; my experience with other airlines is that if you had paid for an upgrade then they will grace you 2-3lbs but Alaska did not care and each time I checked in it had to be exact 50lb or less.  I checked in through the app, received my boarding pass, and went to the airport to check-in my bag and board the plane.  As I said, on the outbound from New Orleans to Bozeman via Seattle we were in Main Cabin Extra.  This included priority boarding so we were first to board after first class; Alaska did strictly follow safety protocols when it came to boarding and enforced group boarding to ensure distance and less people (which was a good thing).  

Alaska operates a Boeing 737-800 on this flight in a 3-3 seat configuration.  Because Alaska had blocked out middle seats, we each were assigned to an aisle or middle seat.  The Main Cabin extra seats were standard Alaska seats but had extra legroom; in fact the legroom was really nice and generous.  Other seat features included a seatback pocket uptop which contained a safety card plus instructions on how to connect to the wifi and underneath was a standard-size tray table.  Below that was a power outlet which was available at every seat and completing the seat layout was another small seatback pocket.  It was a standard and basic seat layout with the only distinction or interesting piece being the seatback power outlet at every seat.  There were no seatback screens as through the onboard wifi and through the AlaskaAir app you are able to stream movies and tv shows to your personal device, so having the seatback power outlet is a nice idea.  Because middle seats were kept empty, this meant there was more room in the overhead bins for passengers carryons so once everyone was boarded and everything settled we pushed back ontime for the 5hr and 3min flight to Seattle.

Due to COVID, there were restrictions in service onboard the flight.  As I said, this included blocking

the middle seat and no lines near the lavatories.  Alaska still provided a beverage service and for the 5hr3min flight there was only one service - this to within the first 30mins of the flight. the FAs were not customer friendly, they were wearing masks, passengers were given a biscotti cookie or crackers, and a choice of a drink - the drink were served in the tiniest of cans and only one was given (similar to European carriers).  I understand modifying restrictions but this 'service' (and I put it in quotes because frankly it was ridiculous) was not sufficient given the flight time and length.  Also, even though we were in Main Cabin Extra, there was no extra greeting or extra service items - it was the same as given in regular economy.  So, for the extremely high price paid for Main Cabin Extra all we got was extra legroom and priority boarding; to me it was definitely not worth the price because the cost for two legs of the Main Cabin was almost equivalent to the price of the roundtrip ticket.  After this service, the FA's went to their seats and were never seen again in the cabin until it was time to land.  I had heard about Alaska and supposedly the great service they provide but saw none of this on my 4 flights - each flight the FA's provided basic service, did not seem to care nor want to interact with any customers, and did not exhibit any sort of customer interaction, warmth or friendliness at all.  Basically passengers were left to their own devices to pass the time as they want - watch movies, tv shows, or eat the food that you had brought on board.  We finally landed in Seattle, taxied to the gate, deplaned and made our way to our next gate.  

We originally had about an hour layover but we landed early so that gave us more time in Seattle to relax and slowly proceed to our gate and wait for boarding to commence.  When we got to the gate, everything was proceeding as normal and only when it was time to board did the airline make the announcement that the flight had been cancelled.  The gate agent and representatives at the gate were not very helpful, and again did not provide any customer service warmth or friendliness; instead they directed everyone to go to the AlaskaAir customer service desks about 6 gates away.  All of us when there and finally got a decent airline representative who proceeded to provide us with a complimentary hotel, complimentary food vouchers for dinner that night and breakfast the next morning, and then rebooked us for the next mornings flight.  I would say that Alaska did a good job in providing good compensation and generally in a timely manner, and then got more service reps to come to the center to ensure passengers were not waiting long.  We proceeded to the hotel (Seattle Marriott - review here) and the next morning went back to the airport for the early flight to Bozeman.  

This flight was operated by Horizon Air for AlaskaAir and the operating aircraft was a Q400 with a 2-2

seat layout.  The Main Cabin Extra seats were in the beginning while the regular Main Cabin seats were in the back.  The flight time from Seattle to Bozeman was 1hr42min and again a basic service of drinks + snacks were provided and both Main Cabin and Main Cabin Extra received the same service.  And again, there was a lack of customer service, friendliness, or connectivity with passengers from the FA's - they both just did their basic job.  We landed in Bozeman, taxied, deplaned and retrieved our luggage.  

The experience on the return was similar to the outbound in terms of ensuring our checked baggage was exactly at 50lbs, the same type of aircraft equipment, the attitude of the FA's, and the one basic service despite the long flight time.  The only thing that was different was that we were in Main Cabin and not Main Cabin Extra - there was a decrease in legroom but the legroom in Main Cabin was decent and given the middle seat was empty, you did not feel the shortened legroom on this flight.  

Overall, I was extremely disappointed with Alaska Airlines.  I had heard many good things about the service and the overall experience and I got none of that.  Yes, the base price was competitive but the service in air was not good, the service on the ground was not good, and overall there was nothing compelling that would make me choose Alaska over anyone else; in fact, based on this experience I would not choose Alaska and choose someone else. 

Stay Report: Hampton Inn Bozeman (Bozeman, MT - September 2020)

Stay Report: Hampton Inn Bozeman, MT 
comment below and let me know your thoughts :)

Due to the COVID-19 a lot of travel plans had been uprooted, including my own.  Since international travel was currently out of the picture, I decided to travel domestically within the U.S. and went to visit Yellowstone National Park.  I flew in and out of Bozeman and since my flight had an early departure time, I booked a hotel in between the city and the airport.  I wanted a hotel near the airport but unfortunately there are not that many hotels in that area so I decided to book the Hampton Inn Bozeman as it was about 10 minutes away from the airport, there were some services and stores around the hotel, and I have previously stayed at Hampton Inn and enjoyed the experience.  It was easy to book the hotel through the Hampton Inn website or through the HHonors app.

With the pandemic, there were a lot of safety measures that the hotel had put in and that was evident from the lobby.  As you enter the hotel, on the right is the check-in desk while on the left is the entrance to hotel rooms and the elevator.  Straight ahead is the dining room/lounge area where complimentary breakfast is served.  The first safety measure was that there were shields around the check-in desk and you were supposed to keep social distance while checking-in.  The entire process did not involve a lot of contact and the front-desk attendant was very friendly and service-oriented the entire time.  After I received my key I went back to my car because the back entrance was closer to the elevator so I went and moved my car to that spot. 

Our room was on the 2nd floor and so after taking the elevator, we went down a couple of hallways to

get to our room.  The room had a safety seal on it indicating it had been washed and sanitized with Hilton's Safe Guarantee.  We had requested a room with two double beds and our room was a standard Hampton room.  As you opened the door, on your right was the bathroom which contained a tub, a sink, a toilet, as well as toiletries - the size was also standard, not too big but not too small.  On the left-hand side was the closet which contain a rack to hang clothes, an iron and ironing board, as well as a luggage rack.  Further into the room on the right were the two double beds – both of which were comfortable but a bit on the small side.  In between the beds was a nightstand and across from the beds were a chest with drawers on the bottom and a TV on top, and next to that was a fridge with an ice bucket on top.  Overall, the room was decent, spacious enough and comfortable but not overly spacious.

We were only there for one night so did not experience other amenities of the hotel.  Also, given the pandemic I am not sure which amenities were open and which were not.  The hotel did provide complimentary wifi, complimentary parking, and complimentary breakfast.  The wifi was decent and you could connect as many devices as you wanted (the hotel also had plenty of outlets available to charge your device).  The complimentary breakfast starts at 6am and we had to leave at 5am to catch our plane, but the breakfast mostly had to-go items included cereal, fruit, and yogurt to go. 

Overall, it was a decent stay at the Hampton Inn.  The hotel generally provides a decent room at a good price and nice quality of rooms.  This room was not as updated as the others but it still provided a decent and comfortable night's sleep.

Stay Report: Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel (Yellowstone - September 2020)

Stay Report: Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel

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I was traveling around Yellowstone National Park and all the research and reviews said to stay in the Mammoth Area as a good base to explore the north side of the park.  Due to the COVID pandemic, there is only one hotel available in this area and the hotel fills up really quickly.  The Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel is apparently one of the oldest hotels in the park, and is currently managed by Xanterra.  Xanterra manages most or all of the hotels within National Parks (I stayed at Xanterra managed properties in Grand Canyon) and they offer a range of accommodations.  Even though they offer a range from basic to more upscale, not of them go beyond a 3.5-4 star rating.  The Mammoth Hot Springs is considered on the higher end in terms of star rating, price, and accommodation value.  I was checking in June for travel in September but the booking only opened up in July, and once it did I booked my stay.  Due to the pandemic, the fare was refundable even though the full payment was due at booking.

Check-in is technically at 4pm but we pulled up to the lobby around 2:30pm and we were able to be

checked-in and receive the key to our cabin.  The lobby did have COVID procedures in place with limited number of guests inside, social distancing stickers on the floor, contactless payment, screens between the hotel attendant and yourself, and limited interaction between staff and guests.  The lobby itself looked grand and had a huge entryway with a gift shop on left, the check-in desks on the front and entrances to the dining room and upper floors behind the check-in desk.  Due to COVID restrictions, you could not congregate in the lobby but there were seating outside and there were lots of people sitting outside - either eating or taking access of the wifi, which was only available in and around the lobby area.  

We received our key and went to our cabin.  The hotel had standard hotel rooms connected to the lobby or had individual cabins behind the hotel; I believe the hotel rooms were not being used and mostly the cabins were in use during the pandemic.  Each building contained 2 cabins and they were basically somewhat-upscale versions of camping cabins.  Each cabin had a separate entrance and its own porch with two chairs and a table outside.  Once inside, everything was in one room.  As you entered, there was a little coat hook on the left-hand side and a trash can/recycle/compost bin on the right side with a tray and ice bucket on top.  The left-hand side also contained the small sink, towels, as well as hand-soap and lotion bottles (which were refillable to reduce waste).  The bathroom was also on the left-side, was extremely compact width-wise, and contained a toilet, towels, and a small shower which had shampoo, conditioner, and bodywash in refillable bottles.  Along the right-side were the two beds with a night-stand in the middle.  The two beds were decent enough and comfortable enough for a good nights sleep, but there needed to be more blankets and other covers for those who felt cold.  The room lacked amenities such as AC, and while it did get really cold at night so there was no need for AC it was hot during the day so AC during the day was definitely needed (there was a small fan but it did not look clean so were hesitant to use it).  

There was one restaurant on the hotel property and this was the only restaurant that was open in the area.  This restaurant served the same menu for lunch and dinner so my suggestion would be to come

prepared with either your own food, or prepared to pay a lot of money for the same food at the restaurant or to buy some basic supplies from the general store on the hotel grounds and make your own food there (we did a combination of the two since the food at Mammoth was exactly the same as what we had at Old Faithful). 

This was my third experience staying at a Xanterra property.  When I first stayed at their property in Grand Canyon, I did not know what to expect so I kept my expectations low and was pleasantly surprised at the good quality of the hotel.  I was expecting a similar quality at both Old Faithful and Mammoth and they were not of the same quality; both of these looked older and more utilized (ie not as updated) as the other hotels.  Despite the lack of luxuries and the lack of updating, the price paid for the hotel is extremely high and I understand we are paying for the convenience of staying the park but given the price I would expect the level of amenities similar to Grand Canyon.  I would rate the hotel in Grand Canyon as 3.5 stars and would give Mammoth 2.

Stay Report: The Adventure Inn Yellowstone (West Yellowstone, MT - September 2020)

 Stay Report: The Adventure Inn Yellowstone
Comment below and let me know your thoughts :)

I was traveling to Yellowstone National Park and had flown into Bozeman on Alaskan Airlines (flight review here).  Since I got in late, I drove the next day to West Yellowstone which is the town right outside the Western entrance to the Park.  My plan was to spend the night in this city and then go the park in the morning as, according to my research, it was easier to get through the park's entrance in the morning.  When looking for a place to stay in West Yellowstone, the only chain hotel was a Holiday Inn and through the reviews and pictures, it did not look that good.  While searching through reviews and pictures, The Adventure Inn Yellowstone kept coming up as highly rated and reviewed so I decided to book it.  I booked the hotel through a travel website (Expedia) as I earn points with Expedia and through the app it was quite easy to book.  

The morning of my arrival date, I received a text message from the hotel which detailed all the 

information including how to access the building, the wifi details, check-in/check-out time, and other needed details.  It was the type of information that you would normally get from the check-in desk so I was a bit confused as to why I was getting this information now, but I kept it handy and proceeded to the hotel.  In the text message, it had said that the hotel is 'connected to the Westgate Auto Body at the back end of the building'; I had assumed it was a separate building so when I went to the address that is what I was looking for but instead the Westgate Auto Body and The Adventure Inn are all in the same building - the front part of the building is the Auto Body while the back of the same building is the Adventure Inn.  Its a little jarring at first impressions if you are expecting one thing and receive another, but I proceeded on.  It was then that the directions in the text message made sense as there was no check-in desk - the hotel operates more like an Airbnb in which you have your own access code to the front door and to your specific room; but there is no check-in desk and no attendant on site.

As you enter into the building, there are stairs immediately in front of you which lead upstairs to the rooms.  The ground floor contains a garage which has ice, the trash, as well as a sanitizer station by the door; note that there is no elevator to get up to the second floor and no rooms on the first floor so it may not be suitable for those with mobility issues.  We proceeded up the stairs and the doors to each room were either in front or on the left and right of us.  Our room was on the left so we turned left, enter the code, and proceeded into the room.  First impressions of the room were that it was nicely decorates, spacious, and was pleasant in terms of amenities.  You entered into the a hallway which lead into the bedroom area.  In the hallway, on the right-side, was the bathroom which contained a sink on top a long vanity table and in the adjoining room was a toilet and shower/tub.  It was spacious and was comfortable enough for the space and there were many toiletries available in the bathroom including towels, toilet paper, packs of tissue, sunscreen, lotion, shampoo, body wash, and conditioner; the additional toiletries were a nice touch.

Further down the hallway was the main bedroom.  The two double beds with a nightstand in the middle

were against one wall.  Along the other wall was a chest with drawers on the bottom and a TV on top, a fridge and a microwave, a safe, a coffee maker, an ice bucket, and a luggage rack.  The bedroom area was spacious and provided tons of space for each of the items and space to move around.  The beds were comfortable, big enough for two people, and provided a good nights sleep.  The chest had good storage space the the addition of the fridge and the microwave were a nice and welcome addition.  Because the room was so spacious, there was plenty of room for the luggage storage space as well. 

Hotel amenities included complimentary parking, complimentary wifi, complimentary ice, abundant toiletries in the room, a booklet of information in the room, and convenient location that was walking-distance to many attractions and sights.  Overall, it was a really pleasant stay at The Adventure Inn.  The spacious rooms, the nice amenities, the convenient location all made it a great stay.