DISchurners Hotel Reviews Thread (extension of I love credit cards so much! thread)

Venetian Las Vegas - August, 2016
https://www.venetian.com
60,000 points or free night

We stayed for 2 nights - stacking DH's free night and my free night. We paid to upgrade our room to a larger suite since we had 2 teenage girls with us. Looking back, I'm surprised I did this, as I typically wouldn't spend the money. I must have been desperate for some extra space after traveling with all four of us in one room for a week. We had a pullout sofa for the girls but also asked for a rollaway bed so they could sleep separately. My total bill for the 2 nights was $330, which included the upgrade charge and resort fee for the 2 nights (and a drink at the pool too I believe). Again, no coffee maker in the room, darnit! Upon entry, there was a half bath and a big dining table (plus we had a big bath off the master). Huge room! Unfortunately, I didn't take pics of that area but you can see a tad bit in the pics below. Was nice to have some privacy in the master bedroom.

Note: Drinks at the pool are outrageous. I learned this the hard way. I think it was $15 for my mojito!!!

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Thanks to everybody who has added to this thread so far :) I have updated the index and I think this could work well. We can have discussion about various people's posts and the index will allow you to quickly find a property you're interested in. If anybody has any suggestions, please let me know :) If you're one of our DISchurners regulars on the "I Love Credit Cards" thread I'd watch this thread too :D
 


I found the thread!!!:cool1: Ok I'm going to post some stays,and they may be out of order timewise b/c I'm trying to remember back..... most recent stay was at Walt Disney World Dolphin- stayed using SPG points (5th night free,booked when it was 10k points per night) dates were April 14-22, so 8 nights, 70k points. Paid resort fee of approx. 30 per night so about $240. This is hands down my FAVORITE place to be! I just love Dolphin,and Swan too for that matter. I love the resort, I;ove the pools and hot tubs, I love the lobby area of Dolphin, I love the easy access to Boardwalk plus 2 parks,I love the friendship boats (and their horns!) We have no real SPG status but we asked pleasantly at checkin and got a room with a lovely view of MK and Epcot fireworks (along with the boats!) Rooms are average hotel rooms, very comfortable, and totally worth the points used!
Dec 16,2017, 3 nights at Dolphin just to hang out, enjoy Disney Springs,and see Pandora. SPG points at 10k per night.
August 2017, one night at Springhill suites in ST. Louis MO. VERY nice basic hotel, the room was HUGE! 2 giant tvs, 2 big beds, a huge couch and desk area- booked on Chase UR points and BEST free breakfast I've ever had as part of a hotel stay!
April 2017- 1 night at Crowne Plaza Seattle downtown prior to our AK cruise. Free night for IHG anniversary night,amazing beautiful place, great rooms, no free breakfast(we paid for a buffet)
April 2016- 4 nights at Dolphin -SPG points (40k) for a long weekend family trip at 28 resort fee per night.
Dec 2016- 3 night Hotel Indigo Anaheim to visit DL with family. Used a combo of free aniversay nights plus IHG points for this stay. at this point we had Spire status, so got upgraded to a suite with 2 beds plus sofabed pullout. Very nice, and a short walk to the gates.
Dec 2016, 1 night at Crowne Plaza LAX before our flight home-spire status (free night on IHG points) included upgrade to high floor/nice views,and free AMAZING breakfast the next morning for all 6 in our party. VERY nice stay (i'm going back upcoming December!)
Nov 2015- 3 Nights Holiday Inn Sanibel using IHG points/free ann. night- this place was simple,basic,and I loved it! right on the beach and so many shells,I didn't need anything else!
Nov 2015 - 5 nights at the Dolphin (5th free,SPG points) paid resort fee of 28 per night.
Currently that's all I can remember.
 
Nov 2015- 3 Nights Holiday Inn Sanibel using IHG points/free ann. night- this place was simple,basic,and I loved it! right on the beach and so many shells,I didn't need anything else!

Boo - I couldn't find this. I think maybe its not under the IHG umbrella anymore. Sanibel is on my list of places to visit.
 


Boo - I couldn't find this. I think maybe its not under the IHG umbrella anymore. Sanibel is on my list of places to visit.
We go to Captiva/Sanibel every year. It is hands down the most relaxing vacation I’ve ever had! You are correct that this isn’t an IHG property anymore. I would recommend renting a house or conda. Check out Captiva Shores if you’re looking for a condo on Captiva (I’m less familiar with Sanibel lodging - but we do bike there and eat dinner there frequently).
 
We go to Captiva/Sanibel every year. It is hands down the most relaxing vacation I’ve ever had! You are correct that this isn’t an IHG property anymore. I would recommend renting a house or conda. Check out Captiva Shores if you’re looking for a condo on Captiva (I’m less familiar with Sanibel lodging - but we do bike there and eat dinner there frequently).

Sure will - thanks. My mother and her husband rent at Ocean's Reach in Sanibel, a small condo complex with reasonable prices ($1,500/wk in April for a 1 bedroom). Of course, there is no way to use points on these. I've been wanting to go for a while now, but other vacations tend to take precedence.
 
Has anyone stayed at the Monterey, CA Intercontinental? I'm considering for our trip next spring. Our free nights won't get deposited until 3/26 though, and I need the nights on 3/30 and 3/31. I have a feeling they will be booked by then. I could use some other suggestions for Monterey. I want to be within walking distance of the coastal trail, restaurants, shops, etc. The Hyatt Carmel Highlands is beautiful, but I would rather be in town.
 
Avila Lighthouse Suites
https://www.avilalighthousesuites.com/

Avila Beach, CA (Central CA Coast, 10 mins north of Pismo)
We've been going here for years, it's pricey but beautiful (and gets pricier every year). Summer is the best weather so expect to see some Disney looking prices. Sometimes it feels like everyone from the CA Central Valley escapes the 100+ degree heat over to the Pismo area and this is one of the best places to do that. Rooms and bathrooms are a decent size. All rooms are suites so there is a living room area with a sofabed (sleeps 2), 1 bathroom and a door that separates the bedroom area from the living room/bathroom. Bedrooms have either 2 queens or 1 king in addition to the living room with sofabed. The living room has a mini-fridge, microwave and mini-sink set-up. Lots of drawer space. Suites all have little patios with 2 chairs and a table. The grounds are beautiful. The gardeners do a fantastic job year round, I've never seen a hotel with plants this beautiful. Pool view rooms are floor 1, Ocean view rooms are floor 2, Oceanfront rooms are the two buildings on each side of the pool closest to the ocean. We always request floor 2 with oceanfront rooms so we can see the ocean above the hullabaloo of the street.

Amenities:
-Breakfast! Make your own waffles are great with typical frozen strawberries and whip cream, also have cereals, fruits, hard boiled eggs, pastries. Like a continental breakfast+ imho. Juices, coffee, tea. Snack bars, think Nature Valley type bars, were also available if you wanted to grab and go in the morning. I don't tend to be a fan of hotel breakfasts but I quite enjoy starting my morning with their waffles. Breakfast can be busy if the hotel is full, there is also a small outside seating area in addition to the small inside seating area.

-Pool: pool and hot tub. Standing up on the deck you can see straight out to the ocean. They do close at like 10pm. There is a clear wind block surrounding the pool area which is great. You can go from the beach to the hotel pool in a minute. (Note, not anybody can do that, you do have to use a room key to get onto hotel grounds!)

-Kids stuff: outdoor near the pool is life size checkers, a ping pong table and little putting green (little ok, like 1 or 2(?) holes)

Where is this place again? Avila Beach. VERY small town about 10 mins north of Pismo Beach. Pismo is much more a typical CA beach town, tons of hotels, tons of places to eat, lots of beach, super crowded. Avila is small and due to an oil disaster that led to the razing of this part of the town in the late 90s for clean-up it's all fairly recently built where tourists are. Avila has some population but as far as visiting the town goes it's basically the front street (where the hotel is) and the beach and that's it. This means lower crowds but they also kinda roll up the sidewalks at like 6pm. We usually find ourselves in Pismo for dinner. The hotel is on Front Street and everything there is walkable from the hotel.

Who is this place for? Everyone. We're a family of adults so we often stay here and sometimes go visit wineries during the day and come back for the afternoon. If the weather is beautiful we've been known to spend the whole day between the beach and the pool and front street. I wouldn't recommend it for more than a couple days though, relaxation will become boredom. It's ideal for anyone driving the 101 looking for a place to spend a couple nights and enjoy some beach and pool time without the normal insanity of a big CA beach town.

How to pay for it?! They don't have a points program, so I have only been able to book them via Chase UR. I use my CSR 1.5x redemption rate. Catch: only select rooms are available. The hotel only lets out their oceanfront, pool view and park view rooms to expedia (who lets them out to Chase). Imho go for an Oceanfront or Pool view, avoid the park view. There are a couple Oceanfront floor 2 rooms only accessible via stairs but the other set of floor 2 oceanfront rooms is accessible via elevator so if that's important to you let the front desk know prior to your arrival. I use the hotels website to look at prices to find the cheapest time for when I want to visit and then check Chase.

If you book direct (can't use URs if you do this so I don't) read this for 500 Alaska miles on your stay https://www.martinresorts.com/alaska-airlines-partner-miles

Downsides:
-the non-super-expensive food in town closes at like 6pm so plan accordingly for dinner. There is a pizza place open late that is good, it is not cheap but it's cheaper than the sit down food. You can always drive to Pismo and grab some Subway or something (we did that one night).
-the mattresses are hard as rocks, sofa beds also suck

View from our oceanfront 2nd story room
IMG_3987.JPG
(the pier you see is closed, they are in a multi-year process of repairing it)
 
Avila Lighthouse Suites
https://www.avilalighthousesuites.com/

Avila Beach, CA (Central CA Coast, 10 mins north of Pismo)
We've been going here for years, it's pricey but beautiful (and gets pricier every year). Summer is the best weather so expect to see some Disney looking prices. Sometimes it feels like everyone from the CA Central Valley escapes the 100+ degree heat over to the Pismo area and this is one of the best places to do that. Rooms and bathrooms are a decent size. All rooms are suites so there is a living room area with a sofabed (sleeps 2), 1 bathroom and a door that separates the bedroom area from the living room/bathroom. Bedrooms have either 2 queens or 1 king in addition to the living room with sofabed. The living room has a mini-fridge, microwave and mini-sink set-up. Lots of drawer space. Suites all have little patios with 2 chairs and a table. The grounds are beautiful. The gardeners do a fantastic job year round, I've never seen a hotel with plants this beautiful. Pool view rooms are floor 1, Ocean view rooms are floor 2, Oceanfront rooms are the two buildings on each side of the pool closest to the ocean. We always request floor 2 with oceanfront rooms so we can see the ocean above the hullabaloo of the street.

Amenities:
-Breakfast! Make your own waffles are great with typical frozen strawberries and whip cream, also have cereals, fruits, hard boiled eggs, pastries. Like a continental breakfast+ imho. Juices, coffee, tea. Snack bars, think Nature Valley type bars, were also available if you wanted to grab and go in the morning. I don't tend to be a fan of hotel breakfasts but I quite enjoy starting my morning with their waffles. Breakfast can be busy if the hotel is full, there is also a small outside seating area in addition to the small inside seating area.

-Pool: pool and hot tub. Standing up on the deck you can see straight out to the ocean. They do close at like 10pm. There is a clear wind block surrounding the pool area which is great. You can go from the beach to the hotel pool in a minute. (Note, not anybody can do that, you do have to use a room key to get onto hotel grounds!)

-Kids stuff: outdoor near the pool is life size checkers, a ping pong table and little putting green (little ok, like 1 or 2(?) holes)

Where is this place again? Avila Beach. VERY small town about 10 mins north of Pismo Beach. Pismo is much more a typical CA beach town, tons of hotels, tons of places to eat, lots of beach, super crowded. Avila is small and due to an oil disaster that led to the razing of this part of the town in the late 90s for clean-up it's all fairly recently built where tourists are. Avila has some population but as far as visiting the town goes it's basically the front street (where the hotel is) and the beach and that's it. This means lower crowds but they also kinda roll up the sidewalks at like 6pm. We usually find ourselves in Pismo for dinner. The hotel is on Front Street and everything there is walkable from the hotel.

Who is this place for? Everyone. We're a family of adults so we often stay here and sometimes go visit wineries during the day and come back for the afternoon. If the weather is beautiful we've been known to spend the whole day between the beach and the pool and front street. I wouldn't recommend it for more than a couple days though, relaxation will become boredom. It's ideal for anyone driving the 101 looking for a place to spend a couple nights and enjoy some beach and pool time without the normal insanity of a big CA beach town.

How to pay for it?! They don't have a points program, so I have only been able to book them via Chase UR. I use my CSR 1.5x redemption rate. Catch: only select rooms are available. The hotel only lets out their oceanfront, pool view and park view rooms to expedia (who lets them out to Chase). Imho go for an Oceanfront or Pool view, avoid the park view. There are a couple Oceanfront floor 2 rooms only accessible via stairs but the other set of floor 2 oceanfront rooms is accessible via elevator so if that's important to you let the front desk know prior to your arrival. I use the hotels website to look at prices to find the cheapest time for when I want to visit and then check Chase.

If you book direct (can't use URs if you do this so I don't) read this for 500 Alaska miles on your stay https://www.martinresorts.com/alaska-airlines-partner-miles

Downsides:
-the non-super-expensive food in town closes at like 6pm so plan accordingly for dinner. There is a pizza place open late that is good, it is not cheap but it's cheaper than the sit down food. You can always drive to Pismo and grab some Subway or something (we did that one night).
-the mattresses are hard as rocks, sofa beds also suck

View from our oceanfront 2nd story room
View attachment 324498
(the pier you see is closed, they are in a multi-year process of repairing it)

DH and I are driving the coast next spring (April?). I don't have our itinerary planned out yet, but I will keep this one in mind. Thanks!
 
Fairfield Inn Marriott Village, Orlando

On our stay in May 2018 we got a room rate of $87 per night for a 2 night stay for a room with 2 double beds. I'm Marriott Gold, and they were willing to upgrade us to a "family suite", or a room with bunk beds and a king bed, with a partition wall between. Was in no way a "suite", but my kid loved the bunk bed.

Hotel was fine - clean, a little beat up, but service etc. was fine.

Breakfast (included for everyone) was standard Fairfield Inn breakfast - waffle maker (make your own Mickey waffles), cereal, pastry, eggs and sausage. All totally mass-produced, but will get you fed in the morning. We were there at a slow time, it did look like breakfast could be a madhouse at busy times - small-ish serving area and a huge dining room. The hotel clearly has lots of rooms.

The pool looked fine too, but we didn't use it. There were no particular features, just a regular swimming pool.

Sorry - no photos of our room or anything - we were only in the room when we were too sleepy to shoot anything!

They do run a park shuttle, but we didn't use it - it was about a $12 uber to the Contemporary (walked from there to MK for rope drop) and about $7 back from Disney Springs in the evening.
 
We go to Captiva/Sanibel every year. It is hands down the most relaxing vacation I’ve ever had! You are correct that this isn’t an IHG property anymore. I would recommend renting a house or conda. Check out Captiva Shores if you’re looking for a condo on Captiva (I’m less familiar with Sanibel lodging - but we do bike there and eat dinner there frequently).
it's not? well now I'm a little sad....I had wanted to go back here..... I guess condo it is if we do go.
 
We love the Hilton Sandestin Beach Resort. We usually go in May and October each year if we have nothing else planned. This year we are missing May due to various commitments. Now that there is a probable tropical storm headed that way I am less depressed about it. :rolleyes:

I don't have any pics on my laptop, but wanted to get this review posted while I am thinking about it since there are lots of new Hilton Biz cardholders recently.

If you book ahead you can usually get a junior suite for 70k points per night and 5th night free. Once I couldn't get a jr suite at the standard reward rate, so I booked a normal room and DH politely asked to be upgraded, which we were.
The Jr Suites are HUGE. There is a king or 2 doubles (or queens, can't recall) AND a sleeper sofa, AND bunk beds in a kids nook. It is so great for a family. There is also a table and 2 chairs. 2 sink areas too. The kids nook with the bunk beds is at the far end of the room near the door so it is private and has its own tv and storage shelves.
The standard rooms are good sized too with 1 or 2 beds plus a sleeper sofa/sitting area/table and chairs.
All rooms have balconies.Screen Shot 2018-05-24 at 8.45.58 PM.pngScreen Shot 2018-05-24 at 8.50.21 PM.png

This resort is beachfront. There are 2 outdoor pools and an indoor pool. There is a coffee shop (Starbucks I believe), an ice-cream and quick lunch place, an outside restaurant/bar, and an indoor full service restaurant, and an indoor bar, and fancy steakhouse. We get 2 continental (I think) breakfast credits per night but we pay to upgrade to the full hot buffet. I think thats what we do anyways. It is always confusing. I believe 6 and under are free for the full buffet too. Then it is a reasonable cost for the other kids above 6. Breakfast is pretty tasty. Screen Shot 2018-05-24 at 8.45.12 PM.png

There are some shops and a spa but I haven't used it. There is a kids club but my kids are party poopers so no review on that.

It is right on the beach. This beach is like being in the Caribbean with the conveniences of the USA. It is glorious. Calm, clear, turquoise water and soft powder white sand. There are umbrellas/chair setups for rent at some crazy price. We just stop at Walmart after our flight and grab cheap chairs, sand toys, and umbrella. Buying them and passing them on at the end of the trip is still waaaayyy cheaper than daily rentals.Screen Shot 2018-05-24 at 8.41.21 PM.pngScreen Shot 2018-05-24 at 8.52.38 PM.pngScreen Shot 2018-05-24 at 8.53.35 PM.png

We fly usually, but now that DD2 is easier to entertain we will likely drive since it is under 7 hours from Nashville. Airports servicing the area are ECP and PNS. SW flies to both. I think we drove about 90 mins from PNS and 45 from ECP. There are outlet shops etc along the way to stop at too.

Directly across the highway from the Resort is another part of sandestin that is on the harbor. There is a cute area called Baytowne Wharf where we go most nights. You park in a garage and then the whole area is walkable. There is lots of shopping (think lily pulitzer, not surf shop) and a good assortment of restaurants so there is something new each night. There are fireworks once a week too. For the kids there are ropes courses, ziplines, etc. It is a cute area and you get to avoid traffic at dinnertime going into Destin. ha!Screen Shot 2018-05-24 at 8.47.32 PM.pngScreen Shot 2018-05-24 at 8.51.24 PM.png

We also love a cute restaurant next door called the Beach House. You can walk from the Resort. I actually had DD18s surprise 16th bday party there. The deck overlooks the ocean but it is casual and food is yummy.

I am going to pop some stock photos in and see if I can steal any personal ones off my FB account to share here too. :)

...just cuz she is adorbable overload...Screen Shot 2018-05-24 at 8.55.11 PM.png


aaaahhhh, now I am wishing we were going this weekend. :sad:

If you go Memorial Day the SEC coaches spring meetings are taking place at the hotel. We are SC fans (goooo cocks!) but we rode the elevator with Nick Saban so that was cool. More importantly ESPN had their set on one of the beachfront decks and I got to watch them tape a segment with coach spurrier a few years ago. Screen Shot 2018-05-24 at 8.55.51 PM.png


If you are looking for a new beach destination...give the Hilton Sandestin Resort a try!
http://www3.hilton.com/en/hotels/fl...-beach-golf-resort-and-spa-DESHIHF/index.html
 
Austin TX Fairmont

I like reading the reviews here so I thought I'd add one, even though the Fairmont free night certificates are discontinued with the end of the Chase Fairmont card (I'm sure there are other ways to earn them, but that's how I ended up with this as a travel-hacked hotel). This is a new hotel, having just opened in March I think. I have never stayed at a Fairmont hotel (that I recall) but I was surprised that this hotel felt very generic. Nice, but generic. The location was excellent for where we needed to go (mostly to the UT campus) -- the hotel is right off of I-35, and although the traffic is horrible, the hotel was easy to access. If you are ever in Austin, you should visit the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center. I missed the bluebonnets by a few weeks but it was still beautiful.

Here are a few photos of the very generic room:

fairmont1.JPG fairmont2.JPG fairmont3.JPG fairmont4.JPG
 
Courtyard San Juan Miramar
801 Ponce de Leon Avenue, San Juan 00907 Puerto Rico
https://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/sjumr-courtyard-san-juan-miramar/

Marriott Category: 5 3 (post merger)

Cost: 25,000 17,500 std pts; $125 - $310 (varies by season, cruise season is higher at an avg $200) + Resort Fees **

Transportation:
  • Taxi from airport: $17 + bags (fixed price by zone, most we paid was $21+tip)
  • Taxi to cruise pier: ~$20 inc tip
  • Public Bus: 75 each way

So far probably the best use of our Marriott free night. I think it’s good for a pre or post cruise night as it’s close to the PanAm pier, so taxi is about 10-15 mins and about $20 with tip from what I recall. It also has a small strip mall a block or two down the street with a couple chain restaurants (subway, papa john’s, and maybe another), an Asian restaurant, I think a taco place, a small pharmacy store and a supermarket called Pueblo (that sells wine and beer.) About a block further than that are several more local restaurants with a couple offering pizza. (although there’s nothing crazy about Puerto Rican food, everyone should be able to find something to choose at a local place) There’s even more if you branch out to neighboring streets, but it’s not an area designed as a tourist spot where there’s lots to do. More office-like buildings, Google Maps street view is still accurate to get a feel for it.

Also outside of the strip mall is the local public bus stops. The one going to Old San Juan is on the same side of the street as the hotel, the one coming back is across the street in front of the strip mall. 75 cents per ride (coins only, exact change only), and I think it was about 15 minutes from hotel to the bus depot in Old San Juan. It is a public bus, so you also have to account for waiting for the bus in your transportation schedule. This was the bus route we took back from Old San Juan to the hotel:
BusRoute_fromOldSanJuan.jpg

You can walk to Condado Beach but it’s not terribly close (about a mile I think), so I wouldn’t be lugging stuff for a beach day, but you could check out the area for dining or shopping. We have not walked it from this hotel so no first hand experience no the route.

The hotel itself also has two restaurant areas, but like most Marriotts, we thought it was pricey so no review there. If we want something for breakfast we stop at the grocery store down the street, or there's the Marriott Marketplace. There’s also an outdoor pool and the usual fitness and business centers. They also have taxi stand so should be no need to call for one, if you use taxis. We’re not Uber people.

We’ve stayed twice, once as a pre night and the other a post night DCL cruise. Last time was just in Jan as a post night. We got there super early, like I think before 10am, as we didn’t expect to walk off the ship so quickly. (there were no lines, that has never happened to us before, it’s like someone just teleported everyone off the ship before we got there) The front desk were excellent, they actually tried to find us a room and were apologetic when there wasn’t one, but we weren’t expecting one that early; especially since we’re not the only cruisers with the same idea as the lobby started to fill up with guests checking out to head to the pier :) But all we were looking for was a bag check and some wifi, which they were happy to provide. So we caught up on email, hubby had a little work to complete, and then headed off to walk Old San Juan until the room was ready. This is El Morro lighthouse at the national park (Castillo San Felipe del Morro) we visited while we waited:
ElMorro_Lighthouse_resized.jpg

Nothing special about the rooms, but they’re consistent with the brand and they look exactly like the pictures on the website. (which is probably why we have no pictures of the hotel to add! Aside from the fish eye lens they used, everything looks just like the website) So no complaints and assuming everything goes well with the Marriott changes we’d stay there again on points.

**Edit- update post merger:
The merger actually made your free night cert options better for the most part. IIRC this was the only Cat 5 near the cruise piers, most hotels were Cat 7's. Along with the drastic drop for this hotel to 17.5k, there are also Cat 4's (25k) available now - a Sheraton in the swanky convention center/marina area (and possibly a little closer to the PanAm pier) and a AC Hotel in Condado Beach. For those with higher certs, there's a few more options for Cat 5 (35k) hotels both in Condado Beach and Old San Juan.

After looking it up for the update, I am a little soured on this Courtyard as they now have a "Resort" Fee, including reward redemptions (I'm guessing the free nights will be assessed the fee too). For cash bookings it's currently 9% and a flat fee for redemptions. I can't for the life of me figure how anyone can make this hotel a "Resort", and based on what you're getting for the fee I think they couldn't either:
***A Mandatory Resort Fee of USD 15.00 per night will be added to all guests redeeming Marriott Rewards Points. ***
THE RESORT FEE COVERS THE FOLLOWING:
* LOCAL CALLS IN THE METROPOLITAN AREA
* ACCESS TO 800 NUMBERS
* COMPLIMENTARY PHONE CARD ACCESS CALL
* COMPLIMENTARY FAX SERVICE
* COMPLIMENTARY PHOTOCOPIES, UP TO FIRST 20 COPIES
* BUSINESS CENTER USAGE
* WIRELESS INTERNET IN THE PUBLIC AREAS
* WELCOME AMENITY/CITY AND EVENTS MAP
* DAILY NEWSPAPER


I suspect this is compensation for the lowered point value as we were never charged a fee for rewards stays previously. If I'm going to pay $15 a night I think I'll do it over at the Sheraton that is an actual resort, even though they won't tell me what that $15 is getting me. All the hotels I checked look like some type of resort fee was added or updated, but for the most part the added $15-25 a night can still be a deal.
 
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Hyatt Regency Cleveland at the Arcade

Direct Link to Hotel Site

We stayed here for 3 nights, May 4-7. I chose this hotel because of its location and its historic architecture. I think it took less than ten minutes at a leisurely pace to arrive at the front doors of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Museum, which was one of our main reasons for the long weekend trip. We explored the compact downtown area around our hotel, and we passed two stadiums—one was the Indians’ baseball stadium, and I couldn’t even tell you what the other was. Football? Go, Sports Teams. :cheer2: There were many bars, and many pub-like restaurants in the immediate area, but being non-drinking vegetarian/vegans who are completely apathetic to sports, we had trouble finding somewhere to go at night. People with more traditional interests would find plenty to occupy their time, steps away from the hotel. There is also an excellent coffee shop called Rising Star in the building.

My photos look extremely similar to the official hotel photos, so I’ll be lazy and use theirs.

Hyatt-Regency-Cleveland-at-the-Arcade-P155-Super-Exterior.adapt.16x9.1280.720.jpg

The exterior doors on first floor open to a sunken arcade, which you can access from the streets on either side of the building. I believe it was the first “indoor mall” in America. The arcade was booked for wedding receptions on two of the three nights we were there, and I can see why it’s such a popular rental location. It’s absolutely beautiful inside. The whole ceiling is glass. We were obviously restricted from walking on the first floor during the events, but the hotel lobby and access to guest rooms were all on the 2nd floor, with a walkway around the perimeter of the interior overlooking the arcade. So, we were able to check out what was going on down there without being intrusive.

Hyatt-Regency-Cleveland-at-The-Arcade-P152-Empty-Arcade-Front.adapt.16x9.1280.720.jpg

We were upgraded from an arcade view (interior window overlooking the arcade on the 3rd floor or higher) to a city view (exterior window overlooking the House of Blues and the East Fourth Street Entertainment District).

This photo shows the exact layout of our room with almost the same view, except we were a couple of floors higher.

Hyatt-Regency-Cleveland-at-The-Arcade-P148-Arcade-King-View.adapt.16x9.1280.720.jpg

This is a Category 2 hotel. Nothing fancy, at 8K per night. But it’s newly renovated, spotless, and modern. The room felt much more upscale than I expected for a Cat 2. I transferred 24K UR to Hyatt for the stay. The rate that weekend averaged about $245 per night after taxes and fees, I think because there was some kind of home game somewhere nearby. Again, yay sports. :cheer2: There was only valet parking available at a whopping $30 per day. But for some reason, I was never charged for it. The lady at the desk told me it was included in my award booking which, according to everything I've read, it shouldn't have been. I was waiting for the charge to come, but it hasn't yet. YMMV.

It's no Paris Vendome, but I would recommend it if you ever find yourself in Cleveland!
 
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Ok, I need to step up my hotel game! @peel 's Hyatt in Cleveland is gorgeous and better looking than any our previous redemptions I recall. Now I'm on a mission to find an awesome hotel like that with my last unrestricted free night in IHG. After seeing @calypso726 's redemption at the Willard a couple months ago gives me hope it's possible!
Thanks! The only downside is it’s in Cleveland. :laughing: I questioned whether I should spend the time to collect my thoughts and write a review because I don’t think Cleveland is high on many DISchurners’ bucket lists. :rotfl2:
 

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