Did you catch the offer from World of Hyatt called Try The World? Hyatt wants to “connect us to the people, places and experiences at the heart of our world.” Their Try The World concept involves a “box of the month” filled with foods and ingredients from all across a specific country. I decided to give this Try The World a go, and ordered the first three boxes. The total cost was $105, so that’s $35 a box. I’ve never subscribed to a box of the month club before!
Good afternoon everyone. Two weekends ago, my girlfriend and I had the pleasure to stay the beautiful and historic DoubleTree Arctic Club Hotel in Seattle, WA. According to the hotel’s bio, the Arctic Club is a “AAA 4-Diamond Award-winning hotel in Seattle, WA. This tastefully decorated hotel in Seattle, WA offers a unique experience, echoing the post-Klondike gold rush days of the early 1900s.” According to Wikipedia, the Arctic Club was built for the Arctic Club in 1917 for the successful veterans of the Klondike Gold Rush and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1978. Needless to say, this is not your average DoubleTree hotel (but they did have chocolate chip cookies on demand at the front desk). I spoke with the front desk agents a few times during my stay and they were very helpful and friendly. As we were checking out, the front desk agent told me that the hotel would most likely transition into a Conrad Hotel in the near future. In this post, I will share my experience staying in the hotel. I hope you enjoy the hotel review.
DoubleTree Arctic Club hotel front desk. Image source: http://doubletree3.hilton.com/en/hotels/washington/the-arctic-club-seattle-a-doubletree-by-hilton-hotel-SEAACDT/index.html
Have you ever wondered which hotels famous people, dignitaries, or important international figures choose to stay in? I don’t usually ponder these questions, but recently, I had an experience that DID get me wondering. I hope you’ll enjoy this story about His Holiness, the 14th Dalai Lama, staying at MY home hotel.
I’ve seen the Dalai Lama in person twice. Once was 20 years ago when he gave a talk in NYC. Then I saw him again 6 years ago when he gave a talk at the University of Hawaii. Earlier this year, the University of California at San Diego (UCSD) reached out to the Dalai Lama and asked if he’d give the commencement speech at graduation, and much to everyone’s surprise and delight, he accepted this invitation. So in mid-June, the Dalai Lama was in San Diego.
Image source: http://commencement.ucsd.edu/
There’s a first time for everything, and recently on an Alaska Airlines flight, I volunteered to be bumped. It’s not that I’ve never heard the call for volunteers before. We all have. But something about this time made me ask myself if now was the time and this was the opportunity to do it. After all, can a bona fide travel blogger NOT have a bump experience to talk about? Given the crazy day I ended up having, I’ll never forget my first time!
I was originally on a morning Alaska Airlines nonstop flight from San Diego to Boston. I’ve taken this flight before but always in the winter months. Apparently, since it’s the only nonstop of the day to Boston, it can get crowded. I heard the call for volunteers before we started boarding the flight.
Great Circle Mapper: San Diego (SAN) to Boston (BOS)
I landed in Montego Bay, Jamaica, and was happy to see a Hyatt Ziva Rose Hall check-in desk inside the airport, just past immigration. The employees were efficient and served drinks while they checked you in. Within minutes, the Hyatt hotel shuttle was there to pick us up. The trip to the Hyatt Ziva was less than 30 minutes.
Hyatt offers two all inclusive products: the Ziva, which is for families, and the Zilara, which does not allow children. In Jamaica, the properties are next to each other. Both products share a common beachfront and you can go to any of the restaurants on either property. Of course, if you have children, they are not allowed on the Zilara side, which includes the Zilara beach, pool, and restaurants. The Ziva has its own beach, pool, and restaurants so this would probably not be a huge problem.
I was upgraded to a butler suite. The room is large, as you would expect of a suite, including a mini-bar that was free, and the most unique feature was the butler service. This room would normally cost over $1,500 USD per night, but I didn’t pay anywhere near that.
Butler suite with balcony overlooking the ocean at the Hyatt Ziva in Montego Bay, Jamaica