My Travels

Headed out to Denver on United for a conference. I haven't been to Denver in awhile. Unfortunately, the snowstorms did not grace Colorado and skipped over to Utah. I found a great rate at the Le Meridien Denver Downtown and checked in relatively quickly. It appears that Denver is growing their CBD area as this is a new location and also shares the block with the AC hotel. This is interesting given that Marriott and SPG recently went through a merger and wondered if this was intentional. Le Meridien Denver Prior to checking in, I had looked at TripAdvisor to check out opinions on the Le Meridien. The reviews were positive in the décor, location, and food from Corinne. The negatives were focused on the staffing and size of room. I found the staff pleasant and had no complaints. The room was very minimal in décor and reminded me of typical European style rooms including size. I wasn't sure what expectations are for Le Meridiens. My experience has normally been outside the ...

I had a quick trip to Santa Barbara for some personal business. I am always surprised on hotel rates in the central coast area of California. In looking at area hotels, I opted to stay at the Fess Parker Hotel because it was similarly priced as the local Hilton Garden Inn and Hampton. If I'm going to pay the same price, I might as well choose the nicest property. Apparently, the hotel has been undergoing renovations for most of the winter and stretching into spring. I assume it is in preparation for summer crowds. In the very brief time I was at the hotel I thought the hotel was nice and very large. The rooms are big and spacious. It is also a very pet friendly hotel and the rooms can accommodate large dogs if needed. The breakfast buffet was awesome with croissant bread pudding, breakfast sandwiches, and the assortment of hot and cold items. If  you do not have time for the buffet, the breakfast vouchers are also good at the coffee place with any kind of coffee, pastry, and...

Headed out to Flagstaff on a work trip. I had originally intended to fly in a little earlier to stay in Phoenix and/or snowboard in Flagstaff but the timing and snow did not work out. Luckily, as a 1K on United , I was able to move my flight to the next day and not have to eat a hotel night on my own. I did have to layover in Houston for a few hours to avoid overnighting. Apparently, Phoenix is a hot city to visit in February. There are flights into Flagstaff but the airport is subject to weather and I opted to drive to Flagstaff from Phoenix rather than flying into Flagstaff. Grabbed my rental from Hertz . I don't know if it is a new process (I haven't rented from Hertz in a few years) but the Phoenix location assigns you to areas where you pick your vehicles. Similar to National but for everyone who rents. I opted for a Kia Soul. Since my rental was through Priceline , Hertz had no idea I was a Gold member in the reservation and I assume that this meant they viewed my res...

Headed to Carlsbad to check out the area and visit Legoland . Checked into the Hilton Grand Vacations Club at MarBrisa . I have not had to chance to stay in a three bedroom configuration before this trip. I was pleasantly surprised at the size and layout of the unit. The master was good with its own shower, the other two bedrooms shared a bathroom. I think the bathroom could have been a tad bigger given the two rooms had to share. One of the bedrooms was a king room and the other was a double/twin combination. That bedroom is clearly designed for kids. The only downside was that the building did not have elevators and the laundry units are communal. HGVC MarBrisa Three Bedroom Unit Living Room The itinerary for the weekend was to relax and explore the Carlsbad area. During this trip, visited Legoland. I didn't know that the first park is located in Denmark and that the Carlsbad location is their third park behind the Florida location. The hotel has a private entrance within ...