That familiar feeling: staying with brand-name hotels

The bed may look familiar, but it’s comfortable and clean.

“Hello Sir, good to see you again.” So said the doorman at the Ibis Soi 4 Sukhumvit hotel, a modest, comfortable and popular hotel in central Bangkok where I’ve stayed on three occasions in the past 18 months.

Yes, it’s part of the global Accor chain, but last week’s greeting (which came before I proffered any identifying paperwork) disproved the accepted wisdom that these places lack warmth and personal service.

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You want travel rewards? Computer says No

David Walliams as Carol in Little Britain. (BBC)

Sometimes when I sit at my laptop I feel like I’m in one of those Little Britain sketches where a relatively simple operation is thwarted because the “computer says No”.

It’s happened to me on so many occasions that I reckon I’m wasting my time even reading those tempting travel-related offers that come via my inbox

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Would you sleep with a stranger to save money?

On Costa cruises, I’ve travelled solo several times with no supplement!

First up, this is not about school dormitories, hospital wards or backpacker hostels. Or about dodgy blokes renting out rooms in return for “benefits”. It’s about the choice offered to adult tourists to share a hotel room or cruise-ship cabin with somebody they don’t know.

While it’s not as common as it used to be, there are still tour operators who promise to pair-up solo travellers in the same room.

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Where the action is: hotels with Hollywood connections

Spinal Tap (Image: Polydor) 

I once stayed at the Hyatt (now Andaz) hotel on Sunset in West Hollywood where, apart from seeing Axl Rose in the foyer, I visited the rooftop pool that featured in the cult film This is Spinal Tap. The so-called “riot hotel” was also the scene of many real band-behaving-badly moments back in the day.  

I didn’t seek out this rock’n’roll experience (it came as part of a deal secured by a friend), but there are plenty of people who do want to stay in hotels with connections to the rich and famous.

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How influential are the travel ‘influencers’?

We can’t all afford the champagne lifestyles enjoyed by influencers.

Updated: October 19 (see footnote)

The world is being taken over by “influencers”. It’s especially true in the world of travel, where it seems every second person is desperate to be one.

It seems we’ve all got “influenza”, but exactly how influential are these people, and are some of them taking us — and the travel industry — for a ride?

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Tourists deserve a little respect, too


A screen grab showing Svenska Nyheter host Jesper Rönndahl . (YouTube)

I’ve written quite a lot about the importance of showing respect for your destination and its people when you travel. But, of course, it’s a two-way street.

Your hosts should also respect you. And that means that they probably shouldn’t poke fun of you on national television.

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What to do when your server is self-serving

Do you feel welcome?

A while ago I used to review bars for a newspaper — somebody had to do it — and I still remember one venue where I got particularly annoyed about the standard of customer service.

Actually, it wasn’t the customer service, it was the self-serving attitude of the bar staff that got to me.

An older colleague and I went to this Brisbane city pub for lunch. There were only two other customers — two men who seemed to be in their 70s, who were watching horse-racing on the television.

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Is it ever OK for a restaurant to charge over the odds?

We all know that any product is worth whatever somebody is prepared to pay for it. But sometimes, especially as a traveller in a strange place, the customer doesn’t have a choice.

Social media and the web are full of stories about people who believe they have been ripped off  when it comes to paying for food and beverages..

Recent examples include a man who was charged €43 (US$50 or nearly A$70) for two coffees and two bottles of water at a cafe in St Mark’s Square, Venice.

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Boracay: can paradise be regained?

The official government website still ranks Boracay as a “top” destination. (tourism.gov.ph)

Update: Boracay reopened on October 26, 2018, but some venues remain closed, tourism numbers have been limited and infrastructure work is ongoing. Details here.

There’s an old saying that birds don’t [defecate] in their own nests. Having recently allowed pigeons to take up residence on my balcony, I know that that’s a crock of ….

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What makes a great pub?

Does live music do it for you when you’re choosing a pub?

In common with many, many others, I like a drink. But, these days at least, I don’t drink at home alone. To me, drinking is wound up with socialising and discovery.

I know some people prefer the familiar comforts of their “local” — and I admit that I have a few favourites myself — but part of the appeal of travel and life in general is exploration, be it of your own backyard or the big wide world.

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Don’t stay away, just stay safe on holiday

It’s no secret that I’m a big fan of Thailand, and that I’d urge anybody who hasn’t visited to seriously consider doing so. However, as with every travel destination, there are risks that you should keep in mind.

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All cities are different, yet so many hotels are the same

As I’ve said before, I tend to choose brand-name hotels when I travel, because I figure there’ll be less hassle when I’m dealing with a reputable provider*.

One downside, though, is that many hotels in the same brand — and even across brands — tend to look and feel the same. Whether you’re in Brisbane or Barcelona, Singapore or Seattle, a hotel is a hotel is a hotel.

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‘How was it for you?’ A review of airline and hotel surveys

I have just taken a quick return trip between Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur. Within two days of my return, I received emails from both the airline I flew with and the hotel I stayed at asking me to fill in a survey about my experience.

(malaysiaairlines.com)

So, in the interests of doing them a favour, and sharing my experience even further via this blog, I did.

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Five reasons why Airbnb is not really for me

I received a special offer from Qantas to receive extra frequent flyer points if I give Airbnb a go. I don’t think I’ll be taking it up.

Is the couch too comfy?

As I’ve said before, I prefer to stay in hotels — specifically brand-name hotels — and it’s going to take a lot of convincing to get me to go into a privately owned home. Again.

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Is your travel provider really paying attention?

I once read an article about the apparently ridiculous “riders” that touring bands have in their contracts, such as asking for the red M&Ms to be excluded from the dressing-room snacks.

View from the seventh floor

It turns out that they serve a function other than pandering to the ego or perceived power of the band members. And that reason can be useful to travellers.

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Extras. Read all about them

We’ve all been asked if we “want fries with that” or otherwise been enticed to buy something more than we originally planned.

Are special touches worth paying extra for?

It’s no different in the travel business, but sometimes what’s part of the package and what’s extra isn’t quite as easy to understand as an upsized Big Mac meal deal.

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A hotel by any other name

How can a traveller be sure that a hotel is what it claims to be?

The accommodation-booking website Wotif.com sells rooms at a hotel called the “Shreaton” in Khalidiya, a district of Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
Bookings.com calls the same premises the Khalidiya Hotel. Locally, the hotel is known as the Sheraton Khalidiya and, as the photo on the Bookings.com website shows, it has the Sheraton name and logo on the side of the building.

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The man from the Mercure

I’ve moved from the Ramada Downtown and I’m now ensconced at the Mercure City Centre, Abu Dhabi.

As this is an Accor Hotel, I’m on more familiar turf here. The hotel — one of the oldest in the Abu Dhabi CBD (and, I believe, originally The Novotel), is showing a bit of wear and tear, but the experience so far has been very pleasant.

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The key to nowhere

This is a hotel keycard. It’s supposed to let you operate the lift and open your room door. Except it doesn’t always do that.

I’ve been in the Ramada Downtown for a week, and I’ve had to have my card “recharged” or changed four times.  [Update: it’s happened five times in 10 days.] On the second occasion, the very pleasant check-in clerk told me I shouldn’t keep it in my pocket near my mobile phone.

But it’s not as simple as that.

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