Starling Travel

I’m a HORRIBLE house guest and I KNOW it, so I rarely stay with friends when I visit their towns. Some of them consider it a insult, but most of them understand that we keep strange sleeping hours and even stranger habits. We find a hotel as near to their home as we can and we spend almost as much time with them as we would if we had stayed at their home.

If finances or familial duties require that you be a house guest, here is an EXCELLENT article on how to be a good one:

• How to Be a Good House Guest – wikiHow

Here is the condensed version:

• Arrive when you say you will arrive.
• Don’t overstay your visit.
• Bring a gift to say thank you at the outset.
• Keep your guest area neat.
• Be reasonable about sharing a household bathroom.
• Be sensitive about your own body odor.
• If towels are not placed out for you in the guest room, don’t presume that the fancy towels in a shared bathroom are for you.
• Don’t keep the hosts up late.
• Always offer to help at mealtimes.
• Offer to make contributions.
• Do your own laundry.
• Entertain yourself.
• Be home on time.
• Be careful about Internet and phone usage.
• Leave a thank you gift on your departure.
• Strip your bedclothes on leaving.
• Leave quietly and thoughtfully.
• The Golden Rule: Don’t outstay your welcome.
• Send a thank you note.

You can go their website for more detailed instructions about how to be a good house guest. When I was a child, my grandmother housed many guests, so I learned all these things first hand. Most importantly, it set the standard so high that it’s far easier for me to get my own hotel room rather than try to live up to all these expectations. There have been times when I’ve had to be a house guest because of finances or because my family insisted, and I’ve done my best to be a good house guest, but even then, I’ve fallen below my expectations. I guess that’s why I love hotels so much.

Las Vegas has snow for the first time in years, and they got 6-8 INCHES! That’s probably the best Christmas present they could get this year.

Mike and I were caught in a snowstorm in Vegas once. It was that flurry of dandruff-like snow that we Utahans are very used to dealing with, so we drove right through it without a second thought. It melted before the end of the day.

To see my beloved Luxor Hotel covered with snow like this is so strange. It’s almost as if the black pyramid has been turned white.

More photos after the break: (Continue Reading…)

Hilarye at Dotting the Map has done the research on a number of Hotel Rewards Programs. Her goal was trying to find out which one is the best to go with.

• Dotting the Map » Blog Archive » Who offers the best hotel rewards program?

In the end, she really had a hard time making a decision:

I guess what it really comes down to is what you personally prefer and what you find convenient. I would take time and figure out which program is right for you and your travel needs.

Personally, I think that Hotel Rewards Programs are a waste of time if you only travel once or twice a year. If you travel more often (i.e. for business), then you should be a member of ALL of them. Whichever is the best hotel for the location you’re traveling, make the reservation and use your rewards card. Don’t limit your choice based on the promise of rewards.

We stopped in Baker City, Oregon on our way home from Mount Hood this month. This time, we stayed in the Best Western Sunridge. You can see the entire group of photos here:

• Best Western Sunridge in Baker City, OR – a set on Flickr

The hotel SWAG was typical, but nicely presented:

They were having the Miner’s Jubilee in a few days, so all the windows of the town were painted with this miner, Ma and the mule:

It was a nice stay at the hotel and we enjoyed ourselves there!

Our snowy stay in West Yellowstone was made more pleasant by our hotel. We stayed at the Comfort Inn in West Yellowstone.

Here are the photos of the Hotel SWAG as it was presented on 04-19-08:

Here is the coffee setup.

This Quattro razor was also on the counter. I don’t know if it was included in the SWAG or if we will be charged if we use it. The sign says complimentary, but it’s hard to know.

Here is the keycard.

The Internet connection wasn’t screaming fast, but it was usable. Additionally, there were several open wi-fi networks nearby that were also available.

Where:

Comfort Inn West Yellowstone

638 Madison Ave.
P.O. Box 1050
West Yellowstone, MT 59758
406-646-4212 • Fax 406-646-4212
Reservations 888-264-2466

Fail by Nicole Lee from Flickr

She commented, “Upside down door hook, in the MGM Grand restroom.”

Actually, the downward sloping part is a device meant to prevent theft of your purse or coat. You’re supposed to hang your items on the metal hook below below it.

You may remember my unpleasant stay at Buffalo Bill’s Hotel and Casino back in November of last year. If not, you can read about it here:

• Starling Travel » Don’t Stay At Buffalo Bill’s Hotel and Casino

A few months after posting that entry, I received a call. I didn’t recognize the number, but I answered the call anyway.

“Hello?”

“Hello, is this Laura Moncur?” He mispronounced my name, but then again, everyone does.

“Yes?”

“I’m calling from Buffalo Bill’s Casino and I notice that you stayed here last November. We were wondering how your stay was.”

“You can find out about my stay on Starling Travel.”

“Ah… yes… I have that review here. We were wondering if there is any chance you’d be willing to stay with us again.”

The first response that came to my mind wasn’t very polite, so I asked Mike. “Is there any chance that we’d be willing to stay at Buffalo Bill’s again?”

Mike said, “Yeah, I guess…”

I replied to the man on the other end of the phone, “Yeah, I guess…”

“Well, we’d like to give you a couple nights’ stay to try us again.”

I gave him my address and he made promises of free meals and hotel suites before he hung up. Mike and I discussed the offer and decided that we would take them up on it, but at the same time, bring Stacey and Dan and see how they treat normal customers. We’d test them again.

We talked to Stacey and Dan about it. “Isn’t that the hotel on the California/Nevada border?”

“Yes.”

“That’s like a half hour away from Vegas. Didn’t you say that their Internet was slow?”

“Like molasses.”

“Um… no… As inviting as that sounds… no.”

“Fine. We’ll test ‘em on our own.”

Over a month later, the letter finally arrived.

Dear Ms. Moncur,

Thank you for contacting us during your recent visit. One of most important tasks is to learn directly from our guests how they enjoyed their Primm Valley Casino Resorts experience.

Please accept my sincere apologies for the disappointments and inconveniences you experienced during your stay at Buffalo Bill’s. I regret that your stay with us did not meet all of your expectations.

As a gesture of goodwill, I would like to offer you a complimentary room for one night at Whiskey Pete’s, Primm Valley or Buffalo Bill’s. Please contact my assistant, XXXXX, directly at (XXX)XXX-XXXX extension XXXX, and she will make the necessary arrangements. She may be reached Monday through Friday between the hours of 9am-5pm. This offer is based on availability, valid through February 2009 and excludes holidays, special events and major conventions.

You are truly a valued guest of ours and we look forward to welcoming you back to Primm Valley Resorts in the near future.

It took a month for the form letter to come and when it finally did, they offered us ONE night’s stay with restrictions and based on availability. They didn’t address any of the deferred maintenance problems or the Internet connectivity issues. One night’s stay at their hotels ranges from $31-$50. After all the issues that Mike and I had that night, all they offered was a one-night stay. It teetered on the edge of insulting.

They say that customer complaints are the perfect opportunity to create a loyal customer for life. Unfortunately, Primm Valley didn’t achieve that. As “gracious” as their offer seems, I won’t be taking them up on it.

We made reservations to stay at the Luxor Hotel, but when we arrived, I was heartbroken. They were tearing out everything I loved in the hotel and it was all blocked off by big walls. It was 1996.

They had already removed the Nile River Ride on the lower level and were constructing a huge registration desk right at the front of the pyramid (where it should have been in the first place). I had been looking forward to riding the Nile River Ride again, but it wasn’t going to be. If I had known, I would have taken a bunch of pictures the previous time.

Large portions of the attractions level were quartered off. The Manhattan Buffet was gone and a transformation was overtaking the big city skyline. I’m so glad I took this photo with my beloved 110 camera. It was the last time I was going to see that little King Kong on the top of the Empire State Building in the Luxor. Sure, the “building” is still there, but it is painted to look like a building from Egypt instead of New York.

The Millennium Cafe was intact. Little did I know that it was going to become a La Salsa. I like the foot long margaritas and the Mexican food, but I still miss the “Cafe Eighties” feel of the Millennium Cafe.

They didn’t ruin everything. The view from my hotel room on the twentieth floor was still spectacular. The pool looked inviting as ever. It is the one facet of the Luxor Hotel that has changed little over the years.

You can see more photos from my 1996 stay at the Luxor Hotel here:

• Flickr: Luxor Hotel Remodel 1996

The Luxor Hotel has gone through yet ANOTHER renovation this year and I talk about it here:

• Starling Travel » Open Letter to The Luxor Hotel and Casino

What used to be my favorite hotel in Las Vegas has dwindled down to just another casino. It makes me sad and I wish for its glory days of the Nineties.

Megan Wallent visited Paris, France last month and shared her experience with us all:

• Paris – Getting Here « M( )

• A Day in Paris, but no Good Food? (Almost!) « M( )

• Paris Day 2 or “Look, That Kid Has No Head!” « M( )

• Paris Travel Summary (Details to Follow!) « M( )

My favorite entry, A Day in Paris, but no Good Food? (Almost!) talked about how exhausting traveling and getting fed can be:

At this point, Anh and I, in our tiredness, broke one of our rules – always eat good food. We settled for a crappy café, and while edible, was not great. Oh well.

I don’t have a rule like that: “Always eat good food.” Most of the time, I am so absorbed in what I am experiencing when I’m traveling that I delay eating until I’m starving. Then I will eat anything that is nearby. Sometimes, we end up finding wonderfully delicious food from a street vendor, other times… well, you know.

I know the food of a place is just as important as the architecture, museums or amusements, but sometimes I let it fall by the wayside.

Looks like Megan and Anh had a wonderful visit to France and I wish them much happiness.

It seems that Best Western is giving out some mixed messages:

blue_j on Flickr describes it best:

On the wall, a placard stating a number of important rules and regulations. Important enough to be posted in every room, even if they did stick it in the back of the ‘closet’, behind the ironing board.

In my hand, the key card I was handed when I checked in, as well as the protective sleeve it came in.

The Placard. Full of information, but the first thing it mentions, in big bold lettering, is “PLEASE LEAVE KEY IN ROOM WHEN CHECKING OUT”

The Sleeve. Sparse and elegant, but the last thing it tells you is “Please return key when checking out.”

So which is it: Leave the key in the room when I check out, or return it?

I usually leave the key cards in the room because I don’t bother checking out at the hotel desk. What do you usually do?