Category: Marriott

Review: JW Marriott Phu Quoc Emerald Bay Resort & Spa

Our flight landed in Phu Quoc on time and we quickly made our way to the terminal exit. We saw a representative with the JW Marriott sign and were off to our car. Not knowing the taxi situation I decided to book a car through the hotel. The total cost was 40 USD which isn’t terrible. However, I’m sure there are much cheaper ways to arrive. The car transfer turned out to be very nice. Cold towels, water, and snacks were provided. There was also a WiFi hotspot to use.

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Review: San Francisco Airport Marriott Waterfront

I tried once before to stay at this hotel before a flight and the rates were 450+ per night which is insane. When I saw this hotel for 150 inclusive of taxes, I booked right away! I’ve always had my eye on this hotel. Apart of the convenience of being an airport hotel, it was recently remodeled with the new Marriott look. Boy was this hotel stunning! Continue reading “Review: San Francisco Airport Marriott Waterfront”

Review: MOXY Phoenix Tempe/ASU Area

I’ve wanted to stay at a Moxy hotel for some time and finally got the chance. The hotel is targeted to the millennial crowd. Apparently this means a budget hotel + modern/unique styling. The hotel lobby is called the living room, and you check in at the bar. The Marriott branding is nowhere to be found anywhere on site. Since us millennial’s hate brands (this is what I’m told).

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Review: AC Hotel by Marriott Phoenix Tempe/Downtown

I’ve been trying to explore other Marriott brands besides the classic Marriott Hotels and the Courtyards I get stuck at for work. My current project is in the Phoenix area and there seems to be a few options. My first week there, I stayed at the Phoenix Marriott Mesa which while quite and perfectly fine was one of the older looking Marriott’s I’ve stayed at. The hotel didn’t even have a full service restaurant (which I though all full service hotels had). My second week I chose to stay at the AC hotel. I’ve never stayed at one of these before and they look modern and have a more European touch.

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Review: Fiji Marriott Resort Momi Bay

This property opened in April of 2017 and was on my radar for booking. Marriott doesn’t have a lot of tropical aspirational properties. Hilton and SPG have properties in French Polynesia and the Maldives while Marriott traditionally didn’t (until the SPG takeover). This property opened as a category 8 which cost 40 thousand Marriott points per night. It could of been worse as a category 9 like many prime New York City properties.

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Review: Le Meridien Chiang Mai

This was my first time staying at a SPG property since 2013. The Marriott takeover has made it easy for me to consolidate my points and extended my Platinum status to SPG. While I tend to choose classic Marriott brands over SPG, I will definitely be more apt to looking into SPG properties going forward.

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Review: Bangkok Marriott Marquis Queen’s Park

Luxury hotels in Bangkok are a dime a dozen these days. With so many hotels in general, rates are pretty affordable. With rates so low, it doesn’t make too much sense to redeem points here (like Singapore, or New York City).

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Review: Manila Marriott Hotel

I typically don’t post hotel reviews as Marriott’s in the US are pretty cookie cutter brand to brand and there isn’t anything noteworthy. However, this is my third time to the Manila Marriott and with the new West Wing open, a review was in order!

The Manila Marriott was always nice for a standard Marriott. The rooms were nicely finished and had a somewhat modern feel to them. The executive/concierge lounge had amazing staff who addressed you by name. I got a email from the hotel before my stay noting the newly opened West Wing with newer modern rooms and a brand new even bigger lounge. I was pretty excited.

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Review: Courtyard Parsippany

As a Marriott Platinum Premier I stay a lot of nights every year at various Marriott properties. Among all the Marriott brands Courtyard is probably my least favorite. I just don’t get the business model. Courtyard doesn’t offer complimentary breakfast for regular guest or Marriott Elites. However, when you travel for business you spend a lot of nights at Courtyards. These hotels tend to vary widely from property to property. The Courtyard Parsippany is one of the properties that have the newly designed rooms along with the new lobby look. It really grinds my gears when hotels advertise a newly renovated lobby but the rooms are the same old look. I rather have a nice room that a nice lobby I walk through twice a day going and coming from the parking lot.  Continue reading “Review: Courtyard Parsippany”

What’s In My Wallet?

I was going to title this after the popular catchphrase coined by Capital One, but didn’t want to take the chance of getting  a cease and desist letter.

Credit cards are one of the focal points of nearly every frequent traveler blog. So, I thought I jump right in and inventory what I carry around on a daily basis. I don’t sign up for several credit cards a year just for the bonus then cancel them. I don’t sign up for a personal credit card then also sign up for the business version just to get double the bonus. Some bloggers travel so they can blog. I blog because I travel. With that said, I get enough points based on the few credit cards I have and my extensive travel through work. Continue reading “What’s In My Wallet?”