Product Review – Page 4 – Traveling Tiger

Four Points by Sheraton (San Diego, CA) – Whirlpool Suite

After last week’s travel meltdown, I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect on the road. I knew there would be some cascading issues that lingered with all the disruptions to Delta (which translated to a little more than an hour delay on my flight to San Diego), so I went in expecting the worst.

I couldn’t be more wrong.

Not only did Avis give me one hell of a fun car for the week (Camaro SS!), the Four Points I was staying at upgraded me to one of their suites. Being my first visit to a Four Points, I didn’t really know what to expect, but it was safe to say I was blown away by everything it had.

Surprise Number One

One of the nice things about having Avis First is that you get upgrades from time to time upon arrival at your rental location (not to mention the ability to pick out a new car if you don’t like the one you were assigned).

As I landed, I checked my email to see what I would be driving this week, and I definitely did a double-take. Though I’ve been given cars like Charger R/Ts in the past, this was my first Camaro, and to have it be an SS was icing on the cake.

The Hotel

The Four Points has two restaurants (Citrus, where breakfast is served, and the Montfield Bar), a swimming pool and fitness center, and on-site golfing. Though located a fair distance from downtown, it is still quite well positioned for a variety of activities. There is even a shuttle to the airport (which is quite nice, as parking is not complimentary).

The interior isn’t particularly remarkable in terms of decoration, but it is very well-maintained. There are trees placed throughout as well, which is quite nice. The trees make it feel a lot more open and adds a nice touch. I’m not sure if other hotels could pull it off, but the Four Points does it well!

Surprise Number Two

I wasn’t too surprised as I entered the room, as it had fairly standard furnishings in the “living room” area, but as I made my way into the bedroom, I was wow-ed.

In a nook to the side of the bed, on the way to the bathroom, was a Whirlpool!

Continuing into the bathroom, I noticed that the trend of spacious elegance continued with the shower and counter area with the sink. There was even a bidet in a separate room with the toilet!

All in all, I was very pleasantly surprised this week and can definitely see myself coming back to this hotel.

New @Delta Serviceware by Alessi // @Matteo_Alessi

This week I had the opportunity to give the new Alessi serviceware a whirl, and I am very much a fan. The napkin ring went from being a paper hoop to a nice hexagonal metal ring, and the mugs and glasses are markedly nicer than before.

Another nice touch was that the old salt and pepper shakers (with what appeared to be tape on top to keep the contents in) have been replaced by resealable ones with a modern look that aligns with the rest of the serviceware.

Overall, I quite liked my experience and I look forward to using it in the future!

Salmon and veggies

Domestic #DeltaOne on a Boeing 757-200

For some travel I have coming up, I noticed that my usual plane from JFK to San Diego was replaced with an internationally configured Boeing 757-200. Though this means there are substantially fewer seats in First Class (down to 16 from 20 to 26 depending on configuration), there is an opportunity to fly Delta One domestically without any upgrade certificates!

To be safe I didn’t miss out on this opportunity, I went ahead and called Delta to apply a Regional Upgrade Certificate to my reservation. As soon as I was off the phone, I noticed that my reservation now had a note indicating I was wait-listed for my upgrade (since no upgrade space had cleared yet). I wasn’t worried, though, as using a Regional Upgrade Certificate moves you to the top of the list so you are only competing with others that are using them, or those who are willing to pay to upgrade.

History

Delta first introduced the lie-flat seat configuration for the Boeing 757-200 four years ago. Interestingly enough, my plane had the same BusinessElite branding as from all those years ago. Some things never change, eh? 😉

B757 Delta One Cabin

As you can see from the seat-map above, the DeltaOne/BusinessElite cabin is arranged into four rows of four seats. While that means no aisle-access for everyone, it is still a huge improvement over the standard first class product. Even with the older seats, being able to be completely flat goes a long way to being functional when you land.

Outlets and headphones, as well as a drink holder.

My only complaint with this configuration is that it is impossible to rest your left arm without hitting controls!

Updated IFE, complete with pinch-to-zoom and usable controls for media

Domestic Delta One Meal Service

When it came time for dinner, we were given an option of fish (poached salmon) or beef. I opted for the fish as I had a delicious steak for lunch. 😉 Though this was the same meal as offered on other domestic flights, the flavor of the dish was much nicer. The acidity worked quite well for it and it maintained its flavor at 35,000 feet.

Poached salmon on russet potatoes and mushrooms

Closing Thoughts

From what I can see, there are quite a few more opportunities for domestic lie-flat in my future, so I am quite excited. Since I have to be up early the next morning, being able to stay well rested makes a big difference. Having Ku-based GoGo is icing on the cake!

Vacation Report, India: Departure

Vacation Report, India: The Arrival

Vacation Report, India: Poetree Sarovar Portico

Vacation Report, India: Periyar National Park

Vacation Report, India: Grand Hyatt Mumbai

Vacation Report, India: Airport Lounges

Vacation Report, India: Departure

COK-DOH

Upon arriving at the airport I inquired to see if it was possible to upgrade to Premiere (Business Class). Finding out that there were seats available, we opted to pay the difference (cheaper than a single ticket from COK to DOH, amusingly enough) for the upgrade.

The seats were noticeably wider than economy, as to be expected, but were not lie-flat as it was a Boeing 737-800. They did, however, have extra recline and calf-rests which helped considerably. We were offered per-departure beverages and we were soon on our way.

The only frustrating thing was that the TV screens were shared and were always on for the duration of the flight, so it made sleep a little difficult.

Chicken Shish Taouk / Laham Kefta / Grilled Prawns

DOH-LHR

For the flight from Doha to London-Heathrow, I opted to take the backwards facing window seat on the B777. While this made for some frustrating navigation when leaving my seat, it offered some excellent views of the terrain!

As we boarded, I managed to capture a few pictures of the suites available in the First Class cabin.

Full Menu

Terrain Shots

Sheraton Skyline

With a 20 hour layover in London, we took some time to really catch up on sleep. After having spent a lot of time with recycled air and confined spaces, a nice big bed was definitely appreciated.

As a pleasant surprise, I was given a toy Mini-Cooper upon check-in (the local specialty) and was given a customized fruit basket! Talk about service! It is nice to see brand loyalty rewarded, truly.

LHR-DTW

From London to Detroit we used Delta SkyMiles to book Upper Class tickets on Virgin Atlantic’s VS107. This flight is serviced by an Airbus A330-300. This was our first experience flying Virgin Atlantic, let alone their Upper Class product, so we were both extremely excited. The seats were arranged in a herringbone configuration with the ottomans facing the aisles.

Aux Inputs and USB charging (110V under the seat)

Though we already had a feeling we were in for a treat from everything we experienced getting situated, the meal service is what really made that clear to us. In addition to a private bar available (not pictured) behind the Upper Class cabin, the menu is carefully thought out with fairly healthy options. Furthermore, everything was adorable.

One interesting feature of the flight-map is that it also showed various landmarks, like the location of the Titanic, in addition to cities.

Full Menu

DTW-RDU

The last leg of our flight was by far the most frustrating. Instead of the initially scheduled 5 PM departure, our flight was moved up to 3 PM, which left very little time to get through customs and re-check all our bags. Thankfully, the Diamond Medallion line was very helpful and took care of rebooking both of us on the 8 PM flight (keeping us in First Class, no less). Though it took a fair amount of time on hold, everything was sorted out before we even boarded our flight in London. I love how helpful Delta staff are – they go above and beyond, consistently!

Instead of a regional jet, we returned home in a Boeing 717-200, which offered a lot more room for our cabin luggage (to our relief!).

Trip Review: Hyatt House, Sorrento Mesa, CA // @HyattTweets @HyattConcierge

Thanks to work, I recently had the opportunity to visit San Diego, CA for the first time. I took this as an opportunity to get a few more nights with Hyatt to work on their current Stay More, Play More promotion. I opted for the Hyatt House in Sorrento Mesa: in addition to free parking (which is rare in California), it is located a couple of miles away from a few big name breweries:

AleSmith Brewing Company at 9990 AleSmith Ct
Ballast Point Brewing and Spirits at 9045 Carroll Way
Green Flash Brewing Company at 6550 Mira Mesa Blvd
Mikkeller Brewing Company at 9368 Cabot Dr

San Diego is known for being a haven for beer lovers, having such names as Mission Brewery, Ballast Point, Coronado Brewing, and others.

Amenities

The hotel boasts a free continental breakfast with a rotating protein (sausage, bacon, turkey links, and so on), cage free scrambled eggs, breakfast potatoes, various breakfast breads, and a compliment of juices. To add icing on the breakfast cake… there is a complimentary omelette bar! After breakfast, there is a full restaurant and bar in the dining area. The central patio has a perpetually burning gas firepit and plenty of outdoor seating.

I don’t hide the fact that I try to adhere to a workout routine when I travel, and I was thrilled to discover that this property had not only the usual battery of cardio equipment, but also a full set of free weights and a cable machine!

The Room

I was put in a room on the third floor that overlooked the central patio with the firepit, so it was a little noisy at night, but not too bad overall. The restroom was huge. Possibly the largest non-suite, non-handicapped restroom I have had in a hotel to date.

Entering the room, I was greeted with a thoughtful snack and welcome note, which I found to be a nice touch. This was found on the counter with the microwave. Underneath the counter I was able to find the micro-fridge as well as two wine glasses and two drinking glasses.

The rest of the room was well put together. In addition to a spacious King-sized bed, there was a very comfortable couch.

Across from the bed was the chest of drawers and television next to the workspace. There were outlets scattered throughout the room, which is a nice change – no more hunting for power!

The workplace is next to the closet with a full-sized iron and ironing board, which is another nice touch. No more having to iron on a bed!

Overall I had an excellent stay and I’m looking forward to coming back (particularly to explore the refreshments in the area)! Keep up the good work, guys!

@Delta – True Premium Economy Coming! #KeepClimbing

Some really exciting news this morning – Delta has announced that they will be introducing a true Premium Economy hard product with the introduction of their A350 services late next year (Fall 2017). They will begin refitting their B777 fleet with this the year after (2018), as well.

Details of the premium product, from the Delta news site, are as follows:

More space with up to 38 inches of pitch, up to 19 inches of width and up to seven inches of recline. Delta Premium seats will also offer adjustable leg rests and head rests;

Westin Heavenly® In-Flight Blanket with pillow and a TUMI amenity kit featuring Malin+Goetz Travel Essentials, allowing customers to settle in and arrive well-rested;
Pre-departure beverage service followed by fresh, seasonal menu selections presented with Alessi serviceware designed exclusively for Delta;
A 13.3-inch, high resolution in-flight entertainment screen that is among the largest in its class, allowing customers to stay entertained with Delta Studio’s industry-leading library of complimentary movies, shows and games, and noise-cancelling headphones;
In-seat power ports for large and small devices and convenient storage to keep them within reach;
Sky Priority service, which includes faster check-in, accelerated security, priority boarding and expedited baggage service.

Be sure to check out the news site to see the panoramic view available!

The A350 will also feature the brand new Delta One suites (32 of them), which is doubly exciting! The AvGeek within is thrilled at the chance of flying on on an A350 in the near future, and the opportunity of enjoying this new hard product is icing on the cake.

CyberGhost: Mobile VPN

A good friend of mine, Ant Pruitt, recently wrote about CyberGhost’s VPN service on the GoGo blog. Ant goes on to explain just how the CyberGhost product functions. As someone who spends a lot of time online while in the air, this is a pretty big deal for me.

Even if you think nobody could be interested in your information, think about how much information you actually put out there online. Credit card information when you shop? Addresses? Contents of emails? Chat message transcripts?

Though I have access to a VPN thanks to my job, I know many folks don’t. Additionally, many VPN solutions are limited to computer use. Having a way to protect your browsing when you are on your phone is no less important!

Do you use a VPN when you use public services like Boingo and GoGo?

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