The Travel Ringer

Quantas airlines, known for its stellar safety record, had a near catastrophic in-air incident when one of it’s jets suffered an explosive decompression at 29,000 feet. Flight QF30, en route from London to Melbourne, safely landed in Manila. Early reports state that terrorism was not suspected.

The pilot and crew were commended for their efforts in safely landing the plane without incident. And Quantas maintains its safety record.

I imagine this will now launch more investigations into the condition of aircraft, and in particular the fuselage.

More accounts of this story can be found on iWon and CNN.

My wife and I stayed at the South Point Casino a few weekends ago at the recommendation of a friend who lives there, and primarily due to it’s location (close to his house where we were attending a party). We checked in and sadly there was no King Sized bed as we requested. I know that it’s just a request, but the counter agent didn’t really give me much condolence, nor did she care when I told her I would be writing a review of the hotel.

The second mishap was when the power went out. I subsequently wrote a letter to let them know I wasn’t happy about that, and also let them know that I would be writing a review of the hotel - I guess they don’t understand what hotel reviews are all about, because all I got was a phone call telling my why the power went out. If you are wondering, yes I was expecting a free stay. I guess I will stay at Red Rock Casino next time.

so here is the recap.

Highlights:

1. The rooms which are new and spacious; our view was decent, but not great.

2. The fact that the hotel is fairly new (one of the newest in Vegas), which made is seem less smoky in the Casino.

3. I have to say the Casino Rocks because we made money on Texas Hold ‘Em, Blackjack, and Video Roulette (although the traditional Roulette machine don’t show the number history well).

4. Lots of restaurants, including a great buffet and an oyster bar.

The “Why I Won’t Go Back or Recommend South Point” Factor:
Average to Less Than Average Customer Service. There were a few folks that did great jobs like some of the dealers, the bell captain, and the valet folks, but the management and desk staff just were not good at making customers feel important, and I guess they forgot that there are over 300 hotels to choose from. When a customer takes time to write and say “hey, I’d love to recommend you but here is where I was let down as your customer” and the response is “sorry”, that just doesn’t cut it.

I know it might make me seem high maintenance or arrogant to say that, but that’s not the case. It comes from knowing that in a business market, it is arrogant for a company to think that they can just treat people the way they want to and still have their business. On my last trip to Las Vegas, I had exceptional service from a far less “pretty” hotel, and prior to that I stayed at The New Frontier most of the times because they always gave me free rooms. Were they the best rooms? Not by a long shot. Did they know how to treat customers? ABSOLUTELY.

By the way, if you own or manage a hotel anywhere in the world and want a free review, just invite me to stay I can’t guarantee that I can accept all invitations (especially if it involves a flight of more than 6 hours), but I am open to offering you free publicity by giving the stay away and allowing whoever stays there to write the review. Just leave a comment below and I will contact you.

As gas prices and unemployment rates continue to climb staycations (or vacations close to home) are becoming more and more popular. Don’t totally give up on the possibility of a much needed getaway, but rather do some research and find a frugal getaway close to home.  Many hotels offer summer specials to locals, but you could  even offer to house sit for someone who is going away for a week if you need a change of scenery.

I think that’s what my wife and I are doing for 4th of July weekend but we did get to take a 3-day Las Vegas trip last weekend. I will write about that shortly and offer up all my my “Vegas on a dime” secrets.

What are you waiting for? Plan your staycation TODAY!

Have a Happy, Safe, and Blessed 4th of July!

When I say hot, I mean REALLY HOT and I don’t just mean the prices. It’s no secret that Arizona boasts some of the hottest summer temperatures in the US. This being my first full summer hear, I am beginning to wonder what God was thinking.  Perhaps, He just wants to keep us all in line, thinking that if its this hot here, we’ll do anything to stay on the right side of hell

Some people (my wife) truly love the heat, and some (me) enjoy the scenery from a nice office window or from an air-conditioned car.  The upside is that nearly everywhere you go, you will find swimming pools teeming with crystal clear blue water, and many have the accompanying picturesque rock water falls. We spent much of yesterday in one of those which made it much more bearable, in fact, I was amazed that 114 degree air actually feels cold against a wet body.

All things considered, more people than not choose to vacation in Arizona in times other than the summer months. This leaves the local hotels a bit on the lean side.  The good news for both Arizona residents and those brace enough to visit during the peak heat is that you can get some excellent summer deals at many of the luxury hotels in Phoenix and surrounding regions. I have provided a list, starting with the hotels that I have personally visited:

Pointe South Mountain Resort
- This was where my wife and I stayed for our honeymoon.  The honeymoon package is awesome if somehow you find yourself getting married in AZ.  The service was outstanding and the golf course looked amazing. We will definitely go back just for a weekend getaway

Sheraton Wild Horse Pass Resort & Spa
- This hotel features one of the country’s only 5 Star restaurants and happens to be located next to the Wild Horses Pass Casino, for your gaming pleasure.

Chaparral Suites Resort
- A local resort, ideal for a weekend getaway. There is more than meets the eye and this hotel is one of those “best kept secrets” that your travel agent may not know about. When we moved here last year, we took advantage of the summer special and just spent the weekend there even though we lived just a few miles away.

The Phoenician
- This is where the elite travelers stay, and although they boast rooms in excess of several thousand dollars per night, they do have summer specials. Oh yeah, and the Sunday brunch buffet is highly recommended.

The Westin Kierland Resort & Spa
- A very classy hotel, with all of the amenities you would want - including a library.

I have not personally visited the following hotels, but now I may just have to get out and check them out one by one:

Four Seasons Resort Scottsdale at Troon North

Royal Palms Resort and Spa

Hyatt Regency Scottsdale Gainey Ranch

JW Marriot Desert Ridge

The Fairmont Scottsdale Princess

Camelback Inn

Biltmore

Boulders Resort & Golden Door Spa

Crowne Plaza San Marcos Golf Resort

Hermosa Inn

Mondrian Scottsdale Hotel

Pointe Hilton Squaw Peak

Sanctuary on Camelback Mountain Resort & Spa

Wigwam Golf Resort & Spa

One thing to keep in mind is that some of these offer specials to all visitors, and some will offer even better deals to locals just to try and get them to stay a night or so when they don’t really need to, so if you live in the Phoenix area, make sure to ask about summer hotel specials for locals.

Let me know how you enjoy your trip by coming back and posting a comment or a review.