Ritz Carlton Berlin

The RitzCarlton Berlin is located in the Potsdamer Platz and across the street from the Sony Center.  The hotel is also conveniently located close to a metro station so exploring the city is an easy task.

Potsdamer Platz during the day

Potsdamer Platz at night

I booked the room through Virtuoso, whose benefits include an upgraded room based upon availability, 4:00 PM late-check out, breakfast daily at Brasserie Dubrosses, and Club access.  Normally, Virtuoso benefits will include a $100 food or spa credit at Virtuoso properties, including those participating in the Virtuoso program, so having Club access is a bonus.  An offer is usually made at Ritz Carlton properties to upgrade to having Club access for at least a $100 per day, so this is a bonus.

Entrance

As you approach the hotel, there are no less than three doormen to greet you.  The front desk is to the right.  Check-in was somewhat slow as the front desk agents take their time with each guest explaining all features of the hotel.

Deluxe Room

I was immediately recognized as a Ritz Carlton Platinum member and all benefits were explained.  I was upgraded to a Deluxe Room with a view overlooking Potsdamer Platz.

Bathroom

Tub

Shower

Toilet

Upon entering the room, the bathroom is located to the right.  The bathroom is very large with a separate tub and shower.  The toilet is enclosed with a glass door.  There are two sinks with sufficient counter space.  There are Ritz Carlton branded toiletries.

Hallway/Closet

There is a large free standing closet along the hallway that leads to the bedroom.

Luggage Rack/Dresser/Suit Hanger

Upon entering the bedroom, there is a luggage rack to the left along with a dresser, TV and coat hanger.

Desk

There is a small glass surfaced desk with plenty of room for getting some work done.

Sitting Area

Next to the desk is a sitting area with ottoman and small coffee table.

Macarons

Champagne

There was a welcome amenity of macarons, which were delicious and a half bottle of Moet champagne.

Bed

The King bed comes with a ton of pillows and is super soft and extremely comfortable. 

Light Controls

The light controls are conveniently located right next to the bed.

There ample outlets in the room which makes charging all electronic gadgets very easy.  The air conditioner is not the best, as the room never got very cool.  Based upon my experience, this seems to be the norm in Europe.

The Club is spacious with several booths and tables along with a lounging area.  The Club attendants are pleasant and there to help.  The food offerings are not great unfortunately.  Sandwiches often contained hard and stale bread, as if they had been sitting out for a while.  There was usually one hot option such as soup.  The quality and quantity of food was definitely not enough to make a meal.

The breakfast buffet (38 Euros) at Brasserie Dubrosses was large and had many choices.  Hot options included eggs benedict, pancakes, French Toast, bacon, sausage, beans and an omelet station.  There are a wide variety of meats, smoked fish, and cheese, along with a plethora of different fruit and more bread choices than many bakeries.  Other options included yogurt, pastries and museli.

Given its convenient location and service, I would definitely stay here again if traveling to Berlin.  Although I don’t think the Club access is worth it if having to pay, booking through Virtuoso is almost a must given the great benefits.

Park Hyatt Vendome Paris

The Park Hyatt Vendome Paris is one the aspirational properties in the chain.  Overlooking the Place Vendome the hotel is centrally located in the 2^nd arrondissement.  Set among luxury shopping such as LouisVuitton, Cartier and Rolex among others, the Park Hyatt Vendome Paris is a shopper’s dream.

Like many Park Hyatt’s, the exterior is understated, and if not looking for the hotel, one could easily walk right by.

As you approach the hotel at least three doormen always seems to be present.  Once you enter the hotel, the concierge desk and bellman will be directly towards your left.

Down a long marble hallway is the front desk.  There are three separate counters rather than one long continuous desk.

Check-in was quick, efficient and professional.  All Hyatt Diamond benefits were clearly explained, including the ability to have breakfast via room service rather than the restaurant.

I was upgraded to a Park Deluxe King, however the view was of the courtyard rather than of Rue De La Paix.

Bed

Upon entering the room, there is a Nespresso coffee maker directly to the right.

Desk/TV

Desk

Butter Cookies

Along the left wall sits a long L-shaped desk and TV.  There was a box of butter cookies that were complimentary for the stay.  The cookies were individually wrapped and rather tasty.

Welcome Amenity

A welcome amenity of six macaroons and a half bottle of champagne was also provided.

Sitting Area

There is a small sitting area in the corner with only one chair.

Closet Area

The bathroom is located on the right and is rather spacious.  There is an open closet located to the left with drawers to store your belongings as well as an area to place your suitcase.

Storage/Vanity Area

There is a small vanity sink as well.

Bathroom

The main area of the bathroom has a single sink.  The bottom of the sink is flush with the rest of the cabinet, so watch your toes!  I managed to stub my toes a couple of times throughout the stay.

Shower/Tub

Vanity Area in Shower

There is a large, deep tub as well as a shower with two shower heads, a handheld and rain shower.  There is also a mirror in the shower area, which makes shaving more convenient.

Toilet

The toilet is enclosed in its own room.  It does have a wooden toilet seat, which probably went out of style 40 years ago.

Although the room is fairly spacious, it is sorely lacking in outlets.  Trying to find adequate outlets is like playing a game of hide and seek.  I only managed to find three outlets in the entire room, which is almost unacceptable in this day and age.

Breakfast Menu

Breakfast for Diamond members in the restaurant includes the American Breakfast (50 Euro), which includes the buffet and eggs any style.

Mango Juice

The buffet is not large, but the selection only contains high quality ingredients.  There is quiche, sliced meats, vegetables, cereal, pastries, bread, yogurt and fruit.  Breakfast also includes coffee and a selection of juice if you like.  The mango juice is just heavenly.

Runny Ome

The omelet was somewhat overcooked on the outside, yet still not quite set on the inside as it was “leaking” like a sinking ship.  Despite its outward appearance, the taste was great.

Service throughout the hotel is top notch.  Employees are friendly, congenial and professional, but not overly friendly.

Due to its great location and service, I would definitely stay here again.  I did stay here on points, which is 22,000 per night, while the daily rate for the room was ~910 Euros (~$1275).  Getting ~5.7 cents/point is a great redemption value.

Due to the upcoming changes in point redemptions along with the introduction of a new Category 7 in which this property will cost 30,000 Gold Passport points per night, make sure to book before the changes take place on January 7, 2014.

Hyatt Devaluation

Hyatt recently announced changes to their Gold Passport program that will become effective on January 6, 2014.  The changes have been discussed in numerous travel blogs since the announcement.

Changes include the introduction of a new hotel category (7) that fortunately only includes 6 properties at the current time.  Unfortunately, those 6 properties are among the most "aspirational" properties in Hyatt's portfolio and includes:

-  Park Hyatt Beaver Creek
-  Park Hyatt Milan
-  Park Hyatt Paris Vendome
-  Park Hyatt Sydney
-  Park Hyatt Tokyo
-  Park Hyatt Zurich

The new category 7 will require 30,000 Gold Passport Points per night for redemption, an increase of nearly 27% over the previously required 22,000 points per night.

Here is a comparison of Hyatt's current award chart, and the new chart that goes into effect on January 6, 2104.

While Categories 1-4 remain the same for standard rooms, there is only a modest increase in Categories 5-6.

The bigger changes are noted if wanting to redeem Gold Passport points for Regency Club/Grand Club access or for a suite.

As you can see, there was only a modest increase in points needed if wanting to redeem points for Regency Club/Grand Club access, and a 50% increase if wanting to redeem points for a suite which I felt was reasonable.

The new changes require substantially more points than previous.  While I never took advantage of redeeming points for Regency Club/Grand Club access, or for a suite this will definitely put a hamper on those wishing to use their Gold Passport points.

Although the changes in Categories 1-6 are reasonable, the introduction of Category 7 with a substantial increase in points needed for redemption will definitely make planning a trip to one of these properties more of a priority before the changes take place.

If planning a trip to one of these destinations, it would be wise to book your rooms before the changes take place.

Irvine Marriott Hotel

The Irvine Marriott Hotel is located fairly close to John Wayne Airport in Santa Ana, just over ¾ miles away.  They do offer complimentary airport shuttle service, which is good to know if traveling and needing a place to stay by the airport.

The hotel is located amongst many business parks, and is definitely a business hotel.

Upon entering the hotel, the front desk is located to the left.  All Marriott Platinum benefits were clearly explained.  This hotel, like many that I have recently stayed, now has the Concierge Lounge open for breakfast on the weekends.  I was also given four bottles of water while checking-in, in addition to the two bottles of water already in the room so staying hydrated was not a problem.

Sink

Shower/Tub Combo

After entering the room, the bathroom is located on the right.  There is a single sink with somewhat limited counter space and a shower/tub combo.

Dresser/TV

There is a dresser with a flat screen TV atop.

Desk

The desk would have ample working space if the coffee maker was not placed on top of it.  Like many Marriott’s, there is an “under” desk in which to expand your work space if needed.  Although this desk is somewhat optional, it is almost mandatory in order to have your keyboard at a comfortable level unless you are nearly seven feet tall.

Sitting Area

There is a small sitting area, that contains a chair and small table with bottled water and an ice bucket.  The chair looks like it has had better days.

Bedroom

The bed is comfortable with the AC unit working well.  There is almost nothing worse than staying in a room where the room won’t get cold.

The Concierge Lounge got really crowded at breakfast.  Hot items included eggs, bacon, sausage and oatmeal.  Cold options include bread, muffins, pastry, fruit, cereal and yogurt.

Although my stay was pleasant, this is a cookie cutter hotel and nothing especially stands out.  Rates are fairly good on the weekend however.