Sometimes you find out something about yourself in the strangest of ways. Turns out, I’m a pen snob! Thank you to Grant for pointing this out to me in a very weird way. Grant wrote about his experience aboard a flight wondering why everyone doesn’t carry a pen to fill out custom forms. The part I found most interesting was what Grant said in his comments, “Fancy hotel pens are the best. I just have 2 cheap pens from who knows where.”
I know I may be weird, but I couldn’t believe this. Cheap pens from who knows where… NO WAY. I have a great stash of pens from hotels all over the world, and even when I’m not using one of those, I definitely have my preferred pens. Pens from who knows where… NEVER. That’s when I self-identified as a pen snob.
I immediately went into my stash of pens and sent Grant a bunch. Certainly he would have his preferences, right? I was curious, and so the battle of the pens began. I asked him to write the same thing with each pen, and he did. I even sent Grant my coveted pen from the Park Hyatt Milan. Yes, I’m that nice :) I sent him pens from Sheraton, Waldorf Astoria, Hyatt, and Park Hyatt and wondered if his favorite pen would be the same as mine. I gave him no clue as to which pen I preferred.
Here’s how the battle of the pens came off. Grant wrote, “Hi Shelli, I wonder which pen will be my favorite” with the 4 pens I sent him and the 2 “who knows where” pens (they are actually from Holiday Inn Express and Marriott Vacation Club). Which pen would he prefer?
Then Grant said, “I can’t really pick a favorite, but if I had to carry just one pen, I’d pick the Sheraton pen since it is the largest and I don’t have to squeeze hard to hold it like the 3 smaller pens.” He then asked me which was my favorite. Turns out it’s the Sheraton pen too! There are times I do prefer a skinnier pen like a Hyatt pen, and I always carry one of those with me, but in general, I’m a Sheraton pen girl.
Hope you’ve enjoyed this pen-off! How about you? Which hotel pens are you a fan of? Or do you not care because to you, a pen is a pen? Let me know!
1. This is a silly article.
2. I love it.
3. I normally prefer G2 ultra fine or Tul fine point for every day writing, but those smear with in flight magazines and some customs papers. Schneider slider memo pens are great for glossy and receipt paper. My favorite stolen pens are a Ritz Carlton pen and a Waldorf Astoria pen with a built in stylus.
Grant and I can get pretty silly sometimes, though I’ll admit to being the one who starts the silliness! Pens that smear are the worst. I’ve never heard of Schneider pens. I’ll check them out. Next time I see a Ritz I’ll stop in and “borrow” a pen. Thanks for reading, Brenton, and appreciating the diversion from all the “serious” blog posting!
I started using PayPal here last May, but prior to that the credit card reader I used had the worst thermal paper ever, and the schneider pens worked 100% of the time without having to scribble or put anything beneath them. I’ll be at the PH Vendome in a few months, so if you haven’t tracked one down by then, I’ll try to grab you one. ;)
Maybe I won’t try tooo hard to track my PH-PV pen. Then I’ll have a reason to ask you for a new one! Lucky you, PH-PV soon……enjoy!
1.Park Hyatt Paris-Vendome
2.Intercontinental Kuala Lumpur
I must have a PH Vendome somewhere in my stash. I’ll have to look for it. And I’ll be in KUL later this year, so another hotel I’ll have to visit and “borrow” a pen from. Good choices, Tony!
I have a bunch of old style Hilton pens I LOVE. Still my go to writing device in a jar of 35 others.
Old style Hilton. And a jar of 35 choices. Now I have to go count the pens in my jar. Maybe Hilton is reading and they’ll go back to the old style! Thanks for reading, Steve, and for adding your favorite to the list.
Fun article.
The pen at the Waldorf Shanghai on the Bund is very heavy and thick
Wow, exciting choice, Hal. I wonder if certain properties, even in the same hotel chain, have different pens. The Waldorf pens I’ve seen are skinny ones like in the photo I posted.
The Royal Hawaiian. Pink metal!!!
Bingo!!! Saw it at the front desk, fell in love, but never managed to get one My room didn’t have the pink version.
Ok, now I’m really in the aloha mood and must go in search of a pink pen!
Oh wow, having lived on Oahu how on earth did I miss those pens? Pink metal, but of course! Now I have an excuse to get back to Oahu…….as if I need an excuse:) Great choice, Taryn.
The Park Hyatt pens are probably my favorite all around (style, portability, and writing smoothness), and I use one as the emergency backup pen in my travel kit because it is so small. However, Sheraton pens are my go-to daily writers because of their superior comfort.
So your style of pen usage and carrying is like mine……and now Grants too! Thanks for adding in your favorites, baqa.
As a pen collector of many years, Thanks for this wonderful post! Initially I collected everything I laid my eyes on, but have since streamlined my collection to nicer pens. I definitely consider myself a pen snob!
You’re welcome, Peggy. I never thought of myself as snobby about pens until I reacted to what Grant posted :) I do think the more we travel the more we focus on collecting certain items. And I’m an old fashioned girl who still does a lot of writing on paper, so pens are fun for me to collect. Grant even sent me a few he brought back from the Andaz Papagayo! Thanks for reading and offering your snobbery :)
This posts reminded me why I have been a fan of Travel with Grant blog for ages! You guys write very unique quirky posts I can totally relate to!
As far as pens, I always carry Sofitel pens, they feel just right in my hand and are not so thick as most hotel pens. I prefer pens from Park Hyatt (similar size to Sofitel pens). I give away lots of hotel pens as souvenirs, some people really like that.
Next topic is about favorite toiletries? :-))
Glad you enjoy the quirkiness and humor, Katrina. Sofitel…..good to know. I’ll look out for their pens. I’ll have to think about giving some pens as souvenirs. Great idea. Toiletries is a good one. I’ll work on that post soon :) Thanks for reading and sharing in the fun!
My fav is Ritz Carlton’s thick and heavy pens. Amazing quality
I’ll have to check those out, Chris. I thought Ritz used the skinnier design. Thanks for reading!
Pingback: Amenity Kits: Are they Useful or Wasteful?
Hi! I love that you have an article about hotel pens I found it because I’m obsessed with my Sheraton pen and I’m afraid I’ll run out of ink! Do you know where to get more? I’ve only been able to find them in bulk, like minimum 5000 pens haha
Hi Melissa, I usually stock up on my Sheraton pens when I visit Sheraton hotels. I do notice though that now they keep the pens behind the counter, so I have to ask for them. Not sure if my answer helps much but that’s the only place I know for stocking up. 5000 pens is a lot…….I agree! Thanks for reading and sharing you pen obsession. I think more people are obsessed with certain pens than are willing to admit to it :)
Hi,
I realize this is an old blog post and all but I just recently ran out of my Hyatt pen and I was wondering if you knew the type of pen it was or if there were any replacements. I loved calligraphy writing with it believe it or not. Again, I know this is a long shot but anything would help. Thanks:)
Hi Mel,
Calligraphy is a wonderful use of hotel pens! Hyatt has changed their pens, so I’m not sure if any would suit you. However, they are still skinny and could work for calligraphy. I would go into a Hyatt hotel and see what they have. I currently enjoy the Sheraton pens but they have a thicker point. Hopefully you’ll find a good next pen!!