Downtown Family Fun: The Chelsea Toronto

If you know my travel habits at all, you know I'm addicted to staying at Langham properties.  I rant and rave endlessly about them, much to the annoyance of coworkers and family alike.  Every stay I've had was always above and beyond exceptional.  From check-in to check-out there is never ANYTHING amiss.

That being said, let's go on.

So I had a trip to Toronto, Canada planned and was pleased to find out out there's a Langham property there, the Chelsea.  This just happens to be Toronto's largest hotel and it's most family-friendly.  So I had my stay booked.  I chose a 1-Bedroom Suite as the rate was very, very attractive.  All set, and I was stoked as I would achieve Gateway status in Langham's 1865 loyalty program. With 3 stays at a Langham within a 12 month period, you hit Gateway status, 5 stays you hit Voyager status, and if you're one of the lucky few in the top 1%, you get a special invite to the Destiny level.  You can check out the membership levels at:
https://1865.langhamhotels.com/StaticPage/EN/membership.aspx

So I finally get to Toronto, after a red-eye flight on Air Canada from Los Angeles, and my pick up told me the hotel would gladly take me as an early check in if a room was available.  Awesome, I was exhausted anyways and smelled like I needed a shower pronto. At least it didn't take too long getting downtown, even in early morning traffic.

I arrived at the hotel, schlepped my bags inside...and saw a HUGE line in the lobby.  This line would've taken a good 40 minutes to get through, and I didn't want to be the reason the lobby was cleared due to malevolent odors.  Looking around, I found the 1865 desk completely empty, so I headed over and the lovely agent there checked me in with a snap, he must have seen how haggard and horrid I looked.  Check-in wasn't bad at all, just the mandatory swiping of the credit card and issuance of keys.  He guided me to the Blue elevators and up to the 26th floor I went after a while, with a huge crowd growing in the waiting area.  Apparently these elevators take a while and more than one would be required to handle this crowd.

Finally at my room on the highest floor in the hotel, I opened up and came to a very clean, organized and well laid out living room and kitchen.  Not bad at all!  The bedroom was a pure white, well appointed space with a great big Queen bed that perfectly sleeps two.  The living room was spacious and laid out with plenty of seating options including sofa that pulls out into a Queen bed (perfect for any kids).

One of the coolest (no pun intended) things about this hotel is the kid zone and family pool area.  As far as I know, no other Langham property has something like this.  The kid zone has something for all ages, from the Club 33 arcade and game room for teens to the artistically educational Kid Centre for the younger crowd, complete with two furry mascots, Marbles and Thumper, the Chelsea's resident bunnies.  The big thing here though is Toronto's only corkscrew water slide INSIDE a hotel, which can be seen from the Walton St. entrance to the hotel.


Another plus to the Chelsea is that it is centrally located in downtown Toronto, within footsteps of most everything, including the landmark CN Tower, the Eaton Center, and Queen Street and its plethora of retail shops and eateries (don't forget to have brunch in the Senator Restaurant, with their killer French Toast).

Some of the downers of the hotel, though, shouldn't have been in the first place.  The property is in bad need of renovation.  Walking around most of the floors I saw threadbare carpeting, electrical panels wide open, incredibly dark hallways with little lighting, the elevators that take forever and stop at every floor, regardless if there is anyone waiting or not, and certain staff members that could care less if there were guests to assist.

These problems aside, I have no problem booking guests here, nor staying myself again.  You just have to remember this property is to the Langham as what the Hometown Suites is to Marriott.  A great place for the entire family, decent sized rooms, awesome location, and one of the best kids' areas I've seen at ANY hotel anywhere, complete with two happy rabbits bouncing around.

 *photos courtesy of the Chelsea Toronto

Aloha a mahalo i keia kipa ' ana mai (Aloha, and welcome aboard)

Hawaiian Airlines and its Intra-Island flights are nothing new.  In fact, you might be surprised as to why I'm writing about such a short segment, but, I have to say, since Hawaiian came out of bankruptcy and refurbished and streamlined the interiors of the Boeing 717 fleet, it was one of the most pleasant island hopping flights I've had in a long time.

I had arrived into Honolulu on Delta's nonstop from Salt Lake City around 2:30PM local time and had a while to wait for my connection to Maui.  Stepping off the artificially air conditioned Boeing 767-300 into the Pacific heat and humidity (in a suit no less!), was a shock to my system.  Maybe I'm getting to old to be doing flights like these anymore, I don't know.  Luckily, I didn't have a long walk from Gate 22 to the top of the concourse.

The airport itself is laid out in a weird fashion, with enclosed, air conditioned gate areas attached together by open air breezeways.  Going back and forth between the Mainland US departure gates and the Inter-Island gates is a simple, if not long trek, but if you need to head back to the mainland gates you do have to have your bags scanned for any agricultural contraband that shouldn't be taken off the islands.

My flight to Kahului, Maui was leaving out of Gate 55.  I had about 5 hours to wait, so I parked my carcass and watched the ramp activity and wandered around some.  Walking the span of the Intra-Island concourse I then headed back out to the open air breezeway and ducked into the older Ewa Concourse where Hawaiian's longer Airbus A330 and Boeing 767 operated flights depart from.

7:30 finally rolled by and I was welcomed aboard Hawaiian's flight 556, that night being operated by N478HA, delivered in May 2001.  For a 15 year old airplane, the new interior Hawaiian installed looked fabulous and clean, and definitely delivered an island vibe.  The 717 is the final version of the venerable Douglas DC-9 twin jet, and has a very comfortable 2x3 seating arrangement inside. I was fortunate enough to snag seat 12A, on the 2-seat side, and settled in for the quick hop.


This is where I was blown away.

On this short hop, the flight attendants got busy with their service, and in less than 20 minutes, and with a smile, they managed to make every last passenger on board feel like they were in their own living room.  You try a 30 minute hop anywhere in the lower 48, and you'll be lucky to get coffee spilled on you with a scowl.  On Hawaiian, they managed to serve us macadamias and pineapple along with the ever present and refreshing Passion-Orange Nectar.

Landing in Maui you could feel the 717's BMW designed engines and their reverse thrust kick in and slow us down just about halfway down the runway.  Getting off the plane was simple and quick since we had a light load and I was hauling down the concourse to meet my Delta flight back to LAX, leaving in 20 minutes!

Before this trip, Hawaii was never really on my list of destinations, but I honestly wouldn't mind going back, even if just to hop on another Island Hopper, then back to the mainland.

A Most Surprising Desert Oasis

"Yes, there really is a city, it's called Wendover, and it's in Nevada...how did you miss it?"  - Lewis Black

This has to be one of the most surprising hotel stays I've ever had.  Normally, when I do go to Wendover, it's usually on a day off when I have nothing else to do and am jonesing to get out of the State of Utah without driving to Idaho or make the trek down to Las Vegas, nor do I have a plane ticket to anywhere.

The trek through the high desert of Northern Utah brought me to the Montego Bay Resort just before check-in, but they had rooms ready to go.  Check-in was a breeze, as it's not that complicated, especially since I was on using a Player's Club comp (If you have a chance and come out semi frequently, sign up for it, its easy to rack up the points).

My room was on the 5th floor, and upon entrance I was blown away by its size, the spaciousness, the layout, and how open it is.  Once you enter, the spacious and large bathroom is on one side, and does not disappoint.  In fact, it could beat anything offered up by Marriott or Starwood, or even MGM Grand International.  I'm a stickler for big spacious bathrooms (even though I love world travel, the hotel bathrooms back home in Greece are ridiculously small), and love the space for my 6'1" frame.

Coming in at 375 square feet or so, these rooms with the double King Beds are amazing (have I said that enough yet?).  Room for luggage stowing without tripping over it constantly, the King beds are super plush and comfortable, and I suffer from sleep apnea, these are one of the few hotel beds I have ever slept comfortably and all night without my apnea waking me up.

About the only negative I have for the Montego Bay is lack of room service, but hey, who's there to sleep at night and hang out in their room writing a travel blog?

Thanks for reading!

If you're coming in fourth, you're not winning: Saving United Airlines from itself

These last few days have been eye openers for a lot of my airline folk, both at the merged United Continental, and from outside.  Looking back through United's history and the lackluster oversight by its Board of Directors, it's easy to see where it started going wrong.

United's problems didnt happen overnight.  No, we're talking about 4 decades of bad vibes.  From around the time of deregulation, when then-CEO Dick Ferris was touting it, and then trying to reform United and its travel subsidiaries into one travel conglomerate (anyone remember Allegis?), to the god awful Employee Stock Ownership Plan and Stephen Wolf, to a record breaking bankruptcy in 2004, and to the badly executed merger with far better rival Continental Airlines, and finally, to lackluster post merger results and bribery charges against several senior executives.  United has had one bad CEO after another, all selected by the "country club" elitists on the board of Directors.  Major executives from all walks of life, even Apollo astronaut Neil Armstrong served on the Board.

Most recently, there is some turbulence amongst various Board members and several institutional shareholders.  Two hedge funds in particular ( PAR and Altimeter, who control roughly 7% of the stock) have called for a Board shakeup to include people from the airline industry, and Gordon Bethune, savior of Continental Airlines and a former boss and mentor of mine, in the lead particularly.

This in itself is not a bad idea.  United's Board of Directors as it stands right now only has two members that know anything about the airline industry in general, Robert Milton from ACE Aviation Holdings, and who ran Air Canada for a long period, and Carolyn Corvi of Boeing.  Adding Gordon Bethune and Jim Whitehurst (formerly of Delta Air Lines) to the mix will most certainly shake things up and keep Oscar Munoz aimed right for the top of the industry.

In my opinion, and from what I've read, having Gordon, Jim, and Robert on the Board to steer Oscar the right way, while allowing him to instill his own brand of ideas and concepts to the table, and implementing them correctly.  As Gordon himself has stated, hes not going to be on the Board to criticize and go after Oscar Munoz' job.  He's there to guide him and teach him the ins and outs of the airline industry, and United in particular.  I honestly think Munoz will have a hell of a team behind him both at the Board level and the thousands of folks on the day to day front lines of United Continental.  I wish him the best of luck, and who knows, maybe I'll set foot on a United plane again because of the changes than may come in the future.

Hollywood Hospitality: The Langham Huntington, Pasadena

Have you ever checked into a hotel and felt like you were entering your own home?  I felt that way the instant we stepped out of our ride from the airport.  Stepping out of our ride we were instantly greeted BY NAME from the valet and bellmen.  How'd they know?  Ohh...they already had our luggage out.  Fabulous!

The Langham Huntington Pasadena was built as the Hotel Wentworth in 1907, but construction setbacks, the Great San Francisco Earthquake, and torrential weather delayed the opening, and the venture shut down after its first season.  Enter railroad tycoon Henry Huntington.  Huntington purchased the property in 1911 and after renovations and extensions, plus the addition of the now-iconic central tower.

Having been sold to the Sheraton Hotel Corporation in 1954, it remained flagged as a Sheraton for years until being closed in 1988 for major renovations and repairs.  The lanai and cottages that were a part of the property remained open while construction began and was reflagged as the Ritz-Carlton Huntington until it was sold in 2007 to the Langham Hotels for $170 million.

Enough history, onto the property herself!

We arrived there on Sunday, thinking it'll be a slower then normal day.  Boy were we wrong.  As stated above, the bellhops helped us out of our ride and hauled our suitcases inside.  As stated above, the bellhops helped us out of our ride and hauled our suitcases inside.  Check-in was such a breeze.  Stroll up to the desk and I was welcomed by my own name.  Staying at the Langham properties, I'm starting to get accustomed to this.  Once I got my keys, up to the room we went, a Club King room on the 8th floor, with access to the world renown Langham Club. 

Once in the room, we began unpacking and checking out our digs.  It was a very nice room, Classically furnished with an amazing bathroom, there was space to stretch out.  My daughters favorite part was the free wi-fi that came with our package.  While we were unpacking there was a knock on the door.  One of the concierges came up and brought a plate of fresh fruit and huge bottle of Evian...along with a tray of K-cups of tea for our in room Keurig machine, bottles of honey and fresh lemons. "We heard you coughing at check-in and just wanted to help you in getting better."  I was amazed.  I went through that entire tray in about 8 hours!

We had gotten to the hotel  tad early, so me and my daughter decided to check out the pool.  Because there was an event sponsored by Netflix there, there were plenty of celebrities to be seen getting some sun by the pool and hot tub areas.  The pool is heated year round, and from Memorial Day to Labor Day the Poolside Bar is open for business.  We stayed there and relaxed for about an hour. 

Back in the room I sat down and took stock of the room.  It was nicely appointed and a good size, with a killer view of the gorgeous courtyard below.  It was one of the single King room that are about 450 sq. ft. and perfect.  The extra bed was already in the room as my daughter was a very last minute addition to the trip, but taken care of nonetheless.  The bathroom was completely covered in Italian marble and stocked with Chuan Spa amenities (which are some of the greatest bat products Ive ever used).  For once I didn't feel like I was in a closet.

Heading over the the Langham Club, the concierge was setting up for the Club's dinner presentation in just a few hours, so my daughter and I took part of the last seating for the afternoon tea service.  I love this tradition, one that I plan on doing with Susie at least once a year at any Langham property we stay at on a Sunday.  The Club room is a quiet little nook of the club floor with plush seating arrangements and plenty of options to quench one's thirst.  Some of the perks are a computer work station, complimentary pressing of 3 garments, and the above average higher than all else concierge services the Langham properties are known around the world for.

I didn't get a chance to ask the concierge how I could take a tour of the hotel due to our incredibly short stay, but that will happen the next time I stay, I just have to take a look behind the scenes! 

The opinion of this Travel Agent:  When staying in the Hollywood or Pasadena area, the Langham Huntington has you covered from check-in to check out, and well worth the nightly rate.

The Only Constant in the Universe is CHANGE. Post-merger changes to AAdvantage.

Like the title says, the only constant in this universe is change.  Luckily, change isn't always a bad thing.  American Airlines, following the completion of its massive merger with US Airways,   Management seems to have seen how the last two mega-mergers in this industry ended up and are doing everything they can to not end up as the latest and most hated.  The changes American is making to it's industry-creating AAdvantage program only make the program better, and more suited for the global airline American is.  Let's get going through the new face of AAdvantage.

Beginning January 1, 2016; gone are those weird Elite Qualifying Points (EQP's) that you never knew how or why they were accrued.  The structure for Elite Qualification is much more simpler, dealing only with Elite Qualifying Miles (EQM's) and Elite Qualifying Segments (EQS's) for those travelers that do a lot of short haul but don't rack up the miles.  Also, the time length is changing.  Elite members now have until January 31 instead of January 1 to qualify for Elite Status.

What doesnt change is how you earn the EQM's and EQS's, on all eligible flights by American Airlines/American Eagle, oneworld(TM) carriers, Alaska Airlines and other American Airlines codeshared flights such as on Air Tahiti Nui, Cape Air, El Al, Hawaiian Airlines, WestJet and more.  Oh, and dont forget about using the Citi AAdvantage MasterCard, giving you an automatic 10,000 EQM's upon approval and issuance.

To reach the first threshold Gold Elite (oneworld Ruby), it's still 25,000 EQM's, or just 30 EQS's.  2 trips from the West Coast to Europe and a Transcon oughta take care of that, depending on the fare level booked.  Other perks include complimentary automatic upgrades on flights of 500 miles or less, a 25% bonus of EQM's, 50% off Main Cabin Extra seats before check-in, complimentary upon check-in, complimentary access to preferred seats, and 1 free checked bag.

Platinum Elite (oneworld Sapphire) is 50,000 EQM's, or 60 EQS's.  With the 25% bonus you get as a Gold Elite member, reaching Platinum is not that difficult.  Complimentary upgrades happen from 72 hours before departure, a boost to 100% bonus EQM's (you go, Mr. Road Warrior of the sky!), access to Main Cabin Extra and Preferred Seats, as well as a second complimentary checked bag.

Top Tier, Executive Platinum (oneworld Emerald) Status is the Apex of the AAdvantage program.  To reach this vaunted level, our fearless flyer needs to rack up 100,000 Elite Qualifying Miles or 120 Elite Qualifying Segments.  One incredibly awesome perk is the 4 one way systemwide upgrades (with the ability to earn 4 more more), upgrades requested and confirmed up to 100 hours before departure, the same awesome 100% bonus miles, complimentary Main Cabin Extra and Preferred seats, and 3 free checked bags.

Now that we got the thresholds covered, let's get back to the new changes.  

When before you could get 8 one way systemwide upgrades, now you are automatically issued 4, with the ability to earn more (2 for every 50,000 EQM's earned) throughout the year as you reachieve Executive Platinum status.

The price of 500-mile upgrades increases to $40, either online or from American Airlines, or if you want to use miles, you'll have to shell out 40,000 miles for 8 upgrades.

Award redemption changes on March 22, 2016, include a new lower redemption rate for the new MilesAAver awards beginning at 7,500 miles for flights under 500 miles.

That's about it for now, I'll come back to this in the 3rd Quarter of 2016, when the majority of changes have occurred, and when American finishes the changes to AAdvantage.

Houston, here we come! A Gold Standard look at Houston, TX part III

Now that we've covered most of the greater Houston area, let's finish this series off by covering the rest of this awesome city.

We'll start off on the West side of town, in the tony and posh Galleria/Memorial Park/River Oaks area.  THE hotel to stay at here is the Hotel Derek.  Now, I know what you're saying, "But George, there's TONS of hotels in the area, like the JW Marriott, the Westin, or the Sheraton Suites!"  Yes, but those are chains that look pretty much the same everywhere you go.  The Hotel Derek is decidedly Texan, but upscale and chic.  It is such a destination hotel, Forbes Magazine has awarded it four stars.  It is also the only boutique hotel inside the 610 Loop, two blocks from the Galleria.

The Hotel Derek has several incredible styles of rooms and packages (such as the Pampered Pooch package, which includes an exclusive amenity and donation to the Houston SPCA, all while staying on a dedicated floor designed with easy access for walks and constitutionals).  My favorite rooms though, are the Sky Deluxe rooms, which are located on the top two floors of the hotel, with some incredible views of either downtown or uptown, and the ultra-chic platform king bed.

The other room I adore is the Penthouse Suite.  Clocking in at 1,200 square feet, it is by far the most expansive and incredible room on property.  With floor to ceiling windows overlooking the Galleria or Downtown, a massive private balcony, and 2 separate bathrooms.  If you're trying to get some work in, there is a spacious office alcove with a huge glass desk to get the job done.

Now that we've got our digs out of the way, lets mosey on over to the Galleria area.  With 2.4 million square feet, 4 levels, 2 hotels, 1 indoor ice rink, 1 rooftop jogging track, and 375 retail shops to play around in, the Galleria is one of the largest malls in the United States.  The only Tesla Motors and Prada stores in Texas call the Galleria home.  Surrounding the Galleria are several other shopping areas to complete one's spree in Houston.  Dillard's, Neiman Marcus, and Zone d'Erotica all have anchor stores in the complex and are consistently their highest grossing locations nationwide.

There are also several museums and art exhibits in the area as well.  From the Arader Galleries, the Beer Can House (I implore you, check it out!), to the Rienzi Mansion, an arm of the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, and the Houston Arboretum and Nature Center,  there is something for everyone's taste.  If it's golf you want, Memorial Park has not just one golf course, but there is also the neighboring River Oaks Country Club.

Now that we've kind of covered the greatest city in Texas, it's time to catch your flight home.  If you're leaving from the George H.W. Bush Intercontinental Airport, it'd be a great idea to spend your last night in the city at the on-airport Houston Airport Marriott at George Bush Intercontinental.

Conveniently located smack in the middle of the Intercontinental Terminal area, there is an underground tram connecting the hotel to every terminal, or you can take the hotel's free shuttle van to your terminal.  The rooms are you standard Marriott equipped rooms, but you cant complain being situated so close to the terminals.  Makes your morning departure out that much better.  One thing though, they used to have a revolving restaurant up top the main tower, but I've heard that was closed and the excellent restaurant that was up there has been reopened on the lobby level.

Well, that was a short look at Houston, Texas; now giddey up and c'mon down!