Tuesday Favorites...Hotel Chain and Airlines

The Omni brand is my personal favorite, mostly because the one in NY was a second home for me at one point. But they are spotty, so when I'm traveling, I'll generally look for an actual Hilton.

No real pick on favorite airline, though I probably fly Delta the most. I used to love Jet Blue back when they first rolled out. You could get a r/t ticket from PBIA to JFK for as little as $120 for a while.

 

I have been an SPG (Sheraton) member forever, which recently folded in with the Marriot chain. So we stay inside our point system every chance we get.

I used to be loyal to Southwest when I lived on the west coast and had to fly several times a month. I fly so rare now that I basically try to do it as cheap as possible. Even booking different airlines for different legs of the trip. I will pay extra and even non-ideal times for direct flights.

 

Two necessary evils I guess.
Never stayed in a hotel I liked. They all suck. At least the ones that are reasonably priced.
Alaska Airlines (I live in Seattle). But in reality, they suck too.

 

I normally travel a lot for work and average between 50-60 nights a year in a hotel and have been a Hilton guy forever. Not sure I like them the best but when I first started that’s what everyone in my company used so I stuck with it.

US Airways was by far my favorite airline and since their merger with American I stuck with them. I don’t like American as much but again I just stick with them. I average around 90-100 flights a year and 99% are work related so the perks of getting first class a lot with the extra room and booze far outweigh anything else for me. All my coworkers use Southwest and would benefit me with more direct flights to my vacation destinations but for once or twice a year compared to 90 for work? I’ll stick with American. Indy not being a hub kinda impacts finding direct flights anyway...very hard to come by

 

Gonna sound like Clooney in ‘Up in the Air” - my apologies



I’m lifetime Titanium Elite - Ambassador with Marriott

United Platinum primarily, with some Delta on the side.

 

For hotels, I prefer to stay with Marriott. But I also had a lot of Best Western points from the ~7 weeks I stayed in one up in Kodiak, AK in 2018. I will be staying at Koloa Landing (Marriott) on the island of Kauai for about 5+ weeks very soon.

For airlines, for several years I have used American almost exclusively. The last time I went to Kauai I flew United. That was about three years ago. This time (late March) I'll be flying to Kauai on Delta. That is because a government worker with whom I will be working out there with told me that Delta tries to distance people on their flights by putting just one person on a row of seats unless they are family members. Since I am flying for about 17 hours I think it will be nice to have a row to myself if possible.

 

They can’t spring for first class for your 17 hours?

 

Well, I have a billion Hilton points, but have migrated to Marriott over the last two years (much better properties for using points on vacations than Hilton). Both have locations pretty much everywhere I go overseas.

For airlines, I use Delta more than anything because ATL is closest international hub for me and Delta's long haul planes are nice. As far as favorite airline, I prefer Emirates and use them when I can.

Odd factoid, in Eastern Europe, after the collapse of the Soviet Union, both Holiday Inn and Best Western seized the opportunity and have great new hotels at much cheaper prices than Hilton/Marriott and have a lot of locations in smaller capital cities that Hilton/Marriott didn't want to venture into at first.

 

We did a thread like this in the financial forum - @Detroitgator bragged about the JW Marriott in Dubai (they let him keep his clothes there between stays!).

I'm a Marriott guy - lifetime Platinum. I used to travel a lot w/ the Coast Guard (the longest was a nearly 6 week stay in Seattle for the 2010 Vancouver Olympics - plus 4 weeks in Austin and 3 weeks in Baton Rouge in 2008 for two hurricanes). We stayed in Curacao last Feb (just before covid) for a week in an oceanfront room for free (points). I've got close to 400K right now burning a hole in my pocket.

I like American, as it flies to Florida (Jax, Orlando, Tampa) from DC easily. But don't have status on any airline so I usually book the cheapest flight. Same w/ car rental companies.

 

I like Delta, but despise having to go through Atl. I never had to until recently. Everything from the uga gear in the gift shops to the "this is Mayor Lance-Bottoms.." announcements every three minutes, the place is terrible. In 2018 my wife and I were flying back from NY and had a layover, so I wanted to go to the Gordon Biersch (since I'm rarely in Miami anymore) for a hefeweizen. But the signs are horrible, and everyone kept trying to send me to Ludacris' fried chicken place. Even airport employees don't know where they're going or how to help. It's a disaster.

To your factoid, great hotel or not, I can't even begin to imagine the stress of knowing I'd be staying at the Best Western in Tbilisi. Interesting though.

 

It was the Hilton Dubai Creek that I bragged about.

 

I've stayed in the Best Western in Podgorica...


and in Kaunas Lithuania...

And Holiday Inn in Baku (pictured) and Vilnius (second picture) lots of times... never stayed in a hotel in Tbilisi!!!

 

I flew Austrian Air once from Cyprus to Vienna. The flight attendants were all good looking and they had four different types of Austrian beer. I tried them all - the beers that is.

 

Korean Air used to run these sensual commercials nonstop on CNBC that were nearly impossible to ignore. I’ve never actually flown the airlines, but I’m assuming it’s little more than a high end brothel in the sky.

 

This should have been two separate threads.

That said, I’m mostly a SWA guy because I love me some @Zambo

As for hotels, I typically stay at a Ritz unless I find a better VEBO.

 

I was removed from a Southwest flight from Vegas in March of 2019. It was the first weekend off March madness. We played Michigan the day before my flight home . After drinking pretty much nonstop for four days we had dinner at Giadas place . It was without question the best risotto I’ve ever had

We also beat Nevada in the first game of that tournament. I expected more Wolfpack fans there but the ones I encountered were surprisingly pleasant . Anyway the Sunday flight was at 7AM.
Working on roughly eight hours sleep the previous four days the dreaded spins we have all encountered began to take place the moment the plane began to taxi .

I proceed to puke my guys out in the lavatory. All while we are waiting to take off . A couple
Minutes later I’m back at my seat . Answering a few questions from a doctor on board . Yeah I’m ****ing fine let’s go. A few minutes later we take off . Maybe ten minutes into the flight I get up again beginning to feel a little woozy while another passenger has a seizure. Pilot says **** it and takes the plane back to Mccarran.

I was able to make it to the lavatory before round 2 exited. Unfortunately the pilot wasn’t having it . Seizure guy and I are removed from the flight . My wife reluctantly does the same . I was taken to a clinic at the airport and had to have a doctor sign off that I was good to fly . He gave me some of those Dramamines and it did the trick . My wife was about 10 weeks pregnant at this time . Safe to say I’ve never made her so pissed before . After stops in Amarillo and then a puddle jumper to Dallas. We finally got home around 1Am Monday morning . You can bet your ass I was at the office by 7.