Tag Archives: hotel

Another five things I would do if I owned a hotel

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When it comes to hotels, I have opinions. LOTS of opinions. If you’ve been reading my blog for more than a few weeks, this will not be a surprise.

SB

Here’s the third post in a series of things I’d do if I owned a hotel. You can read list 1 here and list 2 here

1. Have sufficient places to hang towels in the bathroom

Hiltons are the worst offenders I’ve encountered recently. A Hilton Mom and I frequented during Dad‘s hospitalization had recently undergone a massive renovation. Nice, but the bathroom featured exactly one hook. No bar for face towels. No hook on the door because the hotel designer had chosen sliding doors. Just a single hook.

Things got messy fast. I found the same issue at a Dallas Hilton too.

Continue reading →

The best iced latte I have had in 1,000 years

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My usual coffee routine is this:

During the week, iced venti lattes at Starbucks.

On weekends, too-small but delicious iced lattes at local coffee shops like Toby’s Estate.

Last week, I made a quick business trip to Washington, DC. Instead of frequenting the local Starbucks, each morning I visited a wonderful new-ish coffee shop near my hotel* called Slipstream.

Slip

I liked the friendly servers and the food I sampled – thick toast with crème fraîche and house-made jam – was delicious. Continue reading →

Five more things I’d do if I owned a hotel

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As you might already know, I travel a lot. These trips give me lots of opinions on how hotels should be set up to best accommodate guests.

Fort Lauderdale balcony

Here are a few more things I’d do if I owned a hotel. You can read the original list here.

1. Dump the rain style shower heads. Continue reading →

I fell in love (with a hotel)

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How hotels can make guests want to return over and over again.

  • When a guest checks in and implies that they’re having a bad day, upgrade their room.
  • Be popular with celebrities so other guests get a star sighting or two during their stay. But greet every guest – celebrity and civilian – with the same warmth and professionalism.
  • Don’t charge for wireless.
  • Offer good hair dryers.
  • Have a cute little cafe on a terrace near a sun-splashed pool.
  • …and a gym with a pool view offering beverages, headphones and working equipment.
  • When you hear that a guest [politely] logged a noise complaint in the middle of the night, comp the $45 room service breakfast when she checks out even though she didn’t bring it up. Tell her you picked the suite you gave her for its quiet and that you’re sorry for what happened.

The Four Seasons hotel in Beverly Hills did all of things and more. A front desk employee named Kris bowled me over with his kindness. Thanks, Kris!

After the awful experience I had at my original LA hotel this trip, the Four Seasons made my trip end on a happy note–all for only $30 per night more than the Ant Hotel.*

Enjoy a few pics I took during my too brief stay at the gorgeous Four Seasons.

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*I get a corporate rate through my company. 

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Five things I would do if I owned a hotel

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I travel a lot, particularly on business, so I spend a good amount of time in hotels. This year-to-date, I have spent approximately fifteen nights in hotels already.*

Here are five things I’d implement immediately if I ran a hotel.

1. Provide high quality hair dryers.

If you care about female business travelers, this is a must. I want to look good, but I don’t want to lug my Rusk Speed Freak in my suitcase, OK?

This evil little hair dryer pictured below is the worst-of-the-worst, but a Conair without heat control and a worn out motor doesn’t win a prize either.

evil little hair dryer

Hotels should treat quality hair dryers as an upsell opportunity like they do robes. If someone steals the hair dryer, add $250 to the bill. Easy.

2. Offer breakfast for room service 24/7. 

Continue reading →

I went to Toronto

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Business travel used to take me to Toronto somewhat regularly. I loved it. When I switched jobs several years ago, though, my Toronto biz went away. Until now.

This trip, I stayed at Le Germain (Maple Leaf Square) and loved it. This guy kept me company.

I loved the pillow that looked like rocks and very much wanted to steal this chair. Continue reading →

NYC bathrooms. Focus on Dream Downtown.

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The bathroom in Dream Downtown Hotel requires a bit of work to find. It isn’t right in the lobby.

Instead, visitors head to the rear and to the left and take the stairs or an elevator down one level. Even then, there’s some searching to do. Worthwhile searching even beyond basic need (!) because this is a very cool spot.

I wish I took more pictures. But because of the merged hand washing area for men and women, there was someone present when I entered and exited. And I felt strange photographing a bathroom.

For once!

You should check it out though. The whole hotel is gorgeous.