I love Southwest Airlines. No seriously, I love Southwest Airlines. Check in your bags for free, they don't oversell seats, and very seldom are the flights delayed. I can't say the same for United. Recently, I had the misfortune of flying United and I was reminded why I have a love-hate relationship with this airlines. Last weekend I was at Dulles flying back to SFO. When I got to the gate they were asking passengers to voluntarily catch a later flight and in return they would give a round trip domestic ticket because they overbooked the flight. They needed five people to give up their seats. So I asked the clerk if I would possibly have a hard time getting a seat on the next flight. After a brief pause she said, "Yes that one's oversold as well."
This isnt the first time, I've been on a flight that's been overbooked by United. So at that point instead of waxing and waning about whether I'd be getting a window or an aisle seat I ran to the gate happily. The bleached blonde air waitress then announced that the plan had no more room in the overhead bins and that they would check in bags free of charge. One of the passengers next to me said, "What a minute, I just paid $48 to check in 2 bags and now you're letting people check in their bags for free. That doesn't seem fair." Air waitress says, "well that's our policy." Shaking my head, I said, That's why I can't stand this airlines!!!
Aside from the inconsistent baggage policies, I dislike United because of the bourgeois fanfare that happens before every flight. First, they roll out the red carpet, literally, and invite their Red Carpet Club members to board. Red Carpet Club is a program that one can join for an annual fee of $475. Next they board the first class, then business class, then Mileage plus, the economy plus, then coach passengers are allowed to board the plane. Coach passengers, why not just call it steerage?
As if they don't already charge for extra leg room, meals, snacks, United is considering charging the use the bathroom!!! But the good news is passengers will be able to get airline miles credit each time they pay to pee, whew that's just great. The more airlines miles I earn the sooner I can book another flight. Good times.
Monday, May 3, 2010
Monday, April 12, 2010
Best Hotel near Bel Air and Westwood
The Hotel Angeleno is probably my favorite hotel to stay at when visiting the Los Angeles area. Every so often I will have to visit UCLA for work and so this hotel is a nice pick due to its close proximity to the campus. Just beneath the Getty Center, the Hotel Angeleno is one of the best kept secrets in LA. The hotel actually use to be a Holiday Inn, the design of the hotel is very distinct in that it reminds me a lot of the Capital Records building with its circular design. If you want to see how the hotel use to look just visit the the Holiday Inn near the Long Beach Airport.
The first time I stayed at this hotel was about eight years ago when it was still the Holiday Inn. I liked the hotel so much due to its price and convenient location that I decided to stay there once again. Soon after, I found out that the hotel had been completely redone and renamed the Hotel Angeleno. When I arrived at the hotel to check in I was pleasantly surprised. Talk about an upgrade! What was once a typical drab Holiday Inn was now a chic boutique style hotel whose design was reminiscent of what one might find at a more pricey hotel such as the "W". Gone was the light rock musac that once filled the background of the holiday inn. The background music was straight from the catwalk and not suprisingly, all the front desk clerks looked uber stylish in basic black. They also were above average looking and were likely to be aspiring actors. This was not the hotel I stayed at before. It was clearly remodeled and had a much different vibe. When I arrived to my room, I fell in love. The flat panel tv, crisp linens, minimalist zen like style in earth tones that made me you immediately feel relaxed.
At the top of the hotel there is a lounge that has a panoramic view of LA. As a fan of the bubbly, I was pleasantly surprised at the reasonable price for champagne. The dim lights and soft techno added to the ambiance. On Fridays and Saturday nights they have a DJ and the club crowd comes in. Despite this, I've never known this hotel to be particularly loud.
The gym is decent, they've got all the basics that you'd need to grab a quick workout. The downstairs cafe has decent coffee, so so pastries and friendly staff. Parking is valet only. The hotel is completely non-smoking which is a plus.
The only drawback is that the bathrooms tend to be rather small. But other than that its a great room for the price. Definitely Recommend!!!
The first time I stayed at this hotel was about eight years ago when it was still the Holiday Inn. I liked the hotel so much due to its price and convenient location that I decided to stay there once again. Soon after, I found out that the hotel had been completely redone and renamed the Hotel Angeleno. When I arrived at the hotel to check in I was pleasantly surprised. Talk about an upgrade! What was once a typical drab Holiday Inn was now a chic boutique style hotel whose design was reminiscent of what one might find at a more pricey hotel such as the "W". Gone was the light rock musac that once filled the background of the holiday inn. The background music was straight from the catwalk and not suprisingly, all the front desk clerks looked uber stylish in basic black. They also were above average looking and were likely to be aspiring actors. This was not the hotel I stayed at before. It was clearly remodeled and had a much different vibe. When I arrived to my room, I fell in love. The flat panel tv, crisp linens, minimalist zen like style in earth tones that made me you immediately feel relaxed.
At the top of the hotel there is a lounge that has a panoramic view of LA. As a fan of the bubbly, I was pleasantly surprised at the reasonable price for champagne. The dim lights and soft techno added to the ambiance. On Fridays and Saturday nights they have a DJ and the club crowd comes in. Despite this, I've never known this hotel to be particularly loud.
The gym is decent, they've got all the basics that you'd need to grab a quick workout. The downstairs cafe has decent coffee, so so pastries and friendly staff. Parking is valet only. The hotel is completely non-smoking which is a plus.
The only drawback is that the bathrooms tend to be rather small. But other than that its a great room for the price. Definitely Recommend!!!
A Home Away From Home
When I was a kid, I remember that my family rarely took many vacations. Aside from one or two trips to Reno, Nevada we usually stayed close to home. However, about every five years or so we would traveled to sunny Anaheim, CA to visit Disneyland.
We always stayed at modest hotels and sometimes motels near the theme park. Looking back, I now realize that we didn't have a lot of money. However, at the time I felt as though we were well off. I figured since we had enough money to stay at a hotel for a week we must be rich, right? I remember staying at a hodge podge of places such as the Howard Johnson's or the Best Western. When I got older, I followed suit and naturally took my own daughter to Disneyland. Without even thinking the first time I took my kid to Disneyland I made my reservation at where else.... yep you guessed it, the Howard Johnsons. It had all the amenities I thought one needed, a swimming pool, wake up calls, maid service, what more could one possibly need?
Naturally, as I got older I did more traveling and began to be a little bit more adventurous in my accomodations choices. I also got a job that required me to travel about 25% of the time. Through my domestic travels I've stayed at a variety of hotel chains. Ironically, sometimes when I sleep at home I wake up in the middle of the night thinking to myself, wow, this is a comfortable bed. Only to wake up and discover that my little Yorkshire Terrier is nestled next to me and I am actually at home.
I'm a self-professed "pain in the ass" when it comes to hotels. I don't want to pay a lot of money but I want a nice room. I want all of the comforts of a "home away from home," yet I don't have the budget of an A-List celebrity. This blog is an account of some of my hotel stays throughout the past few years. Obviously, some of the stays have been much more enjoyable than others. I hope you find this blog useful if you are looking to book a hotel and want to find a great place to stay without spending a fortune.
We always stayed at modest hotels and sometimes motels near the theme park. Looking back, I now realize that we didn't have a lot of money. However, at the time I felt as though we were well off. I figured since we had enough money to stay at a hotel for a week we must be rich, right? I remember staying at a hodge podge of places such as the Howard Johnson's or the Best Western. When I got older, I followed suit and naturally took my own daughter to Disneyland. Without even thinking the first time I took my kid to Disneyland I made my reservation at where else.... yep you guessed it, the Howard Johnsons. It had all the amenities I thought one needed, a swimming pool, wake up calls, maid service, what more could one possibly need?
Naturally, as I got older I did more traveling and began to be a little bit more adventurous in my accomodations choices. I also got a job that required me to travel about 25% of the time. Through my domestic travels I've stayed at a variety of hotel chains. Ironically, sometimes when I sleep at home I wake up in the middle of the night thinking to myself, wow, this is a comfortable bed. Only to wake up and discover that my little Yorkshire Terrier is nestled next to me and I am actually at home.
I'm a self-professed "pain in the ass" when it comes to hotels. I don't want to pay a lot of money but I want a nice room. I want all of the comforts of a "home away from home," yet I don't have the budget of an A-List celebrity. This blog is an account of some of my hotel stays throughout the past few years. Obviously, some of the stays have been much more enjoyable than others. I hope you find this blog useful if you are looking to book a hotel and want to find a great place to stay without spending a fortune.
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