Waldorf Astoria Amsterdam: Lukewarm feelings

Waldorf Astoria Amsterdam: Lukewarm feelings

More Hits than Misses, but one expects more

Visited Jan 2016
Published Apr 2016

After great stays at Intercontinental Amstel and the Andaz, and not-so-great W Amsterdam, I arrived at the last and most expensive hotel of this trip to Amsterdam for one night.

This also meant I had the highest expectations.

In other words, I was setting myself up for disappointment.

So how much was it? 

Slips in Service as Sheraton Samui Shapes Up

Saved by Service Recovery for Staggering Slip-up

As well as several smaller situations

Visited May 2015

 

View of the hotel pool and beach

Koh Samui is one of the resort islands in the Gulf of Thailand, arguably the most visited in that region, definitely contributed by the presence of an airport on the island itself.

For this trip, I flew via Silkair Business from Singapore to Koh Samui by redeeming my precious  Kirsflyer miles. The paid rates were going for SGD$800+ per person for economy!

Awesome View at Westin Paris! But service is truly unsatisfactory.

Book an Eiffel Tower View Room here! And lower your expectations for everything else.

Stayed April 2015
First published May 2015
Updated with Tripadvisor reply June 2015

The Louvre is one of the main attractions of Paris and I was looking for a hotel near it for easy access.

In the end, Westin Paris - Vendome right along the Tuileries Gardens was the choice and was incidentally featured in Scarlett Johansson's Lucy.

The entrance to the hotel is rather grand and I was thinking if the hotel actually deserves a 5-star rating.

The hotel even has its own Wikipedia page which states "It was designed by Charles Garnier's son-in-law Henri Blondel and was intended to be the most luxurious hotel in Paris at the time."

Westin Taipei, Taiwan - December 2014

During my trip to Taipei, I stayed in the Westin Taipei as well, as the rates were lower compared to W Taipei.

Sometimes it is hard to leave the nice room to explore the city and this is one way I 'force' myself to vacate the room by switching hotels.

The Chinese name of the hotel is 六福皇宮 which roughly translates to "Imperial Palace of Six Blessings".

Grand Hyatt Erawan, Bangkok, Thailand - September 2014

Hotels are aplenty in Bangkok and I have a previous entry on the Intercontinental Bangkok which is actually in the same area.

The political situation seems stable for now, but still very guarded.

The stability of the Royal Family is crucial in Thailand.

Why choose this hotel?

The Grand Hyatt Erawan is one of the representative properties of the brand in Asia.
The hotel is next to the famous Erawan Shrine.
The property is simply gorgeous!
A direct link to the metro is available.

The Management

Hyatt, as stated in the name of the hotel.

Getting to the Hotel

Taxi is definitely the way to go in Bangkok most of the time.
If not, the hotel is at the Chit Lom BTS (metro) station with a connection from the sky-bridge through the mall.

The Hotel

Classic colonial grandeur is evident from the entrance!

Well, take a step back to look at the impressive driveway too!

The lobby is similarly just as breathtaking!

The front desk is at the other end of the lobby, but is easy to spot.

Small ponds filled with koi adorn the lobby. Maintenance must be very costly and labour-intensive.

 The corridors are brightly lit with many nice details such as a chair for sitting and flower bowls.

The basement which is linked to the Erawan Mall is decorated as well.

The Rooms

We had a complimentary upgrade to a Deluxe room upon request. The room was a rather spacious 40 sq m room.

The toilet also has an opening from the bathtub into the room. I wonder why this voyeuristic setup is becoming more prevalent. There is an adequate separate standing shower.

 The bathroom amenities were fine but not memorable.

The view from my room was not too great, blocked by the tall building on the other side of the road.

A special octagon table with an animal (Pardon my ignorance if this represents something divine). It actually holds the LAN wire.

There are some universal plugs in the room if one forgets to bring.

The Food and Drinks

There are quite a number of cafes, restaurants and other shops in the basement of the hotel.  I didn't take any meals here so I cannot comment on the quality and range.

 A restaurant is located at the lobby as well.

The Pool, The Gym, The Spa

I did not get to use any during this stay. Guess I would return someday...

The Service

This made this understand why this hotel is a truly remarkable representative of Hyatt. The room rates are very high for a hotel in Bangkok but I was blown away by the whole service experience.

Firstly, there was a pre-arrival email which arranged for a complimentary room upgrade.

Secondly, we were greeted by almost every staff from the moment we reached the entrance through to the front desk. This was the first time I felt like royalty on arrival to a hotel.

Thirdly, we were given free internet as well which was of good speed.

Lastly, there was even a personalized follow-up email after checkout.

In Summary

Beautiful and big hotel, good location with convenient access and, most importantly, with very impressive service. What more should I add?

Happy Travels!
fred

ANA Intercontinental Tokyo

 I visited Tokyo as my birthday vacation in July this year and was warned the weather was hot.

Compared to Singapore, the temperature was rather mild, but there was a strange discomfort of feeling cold air while experiencing hot rays from the sun.

 We traveled by the red-eye flight via Singapore airlines and arrived at the hotel at 9am.

We were unable to check into a room as it was too early, but given access to the lounge to rest.

The lounge is one of the better ones in Tokyo according to my online research.

For Intercontinental Ambassadors, the gift (package) is shown below. I still don't know what it (left upper corner) is...

Why choose this hotel?

 The hotel is located centrally and very near the Tameikesanno metro station which is a hub for several lines.

The rooms are considered large for Japanese hotels.

 

The Management

 Intercontinental Group or IHG

Getting to the Hotel

We had plans to take the bus which stops at the hotel but it was an hour's wait so we decided to take a taxi instead.

Taxi fares are rather expensive in Tokyo and the trip was about $80 sgd ($60 usd).

We took the bus for the ride back to the airport and it was really convenient.

The Hotel

 

The hotel is really grand with a large lobby and a giant waterfall.

The front desk is readily visible from the entrance.

 

 The Rooms

We had a basic room which was definitely sufficient to rest for the nights here.
At 32 sqm, the room is considered rather big by Tokyo norms.

The toilet is on the smaller side and I don't really enjoy seeing into the toilet from the room.

A traditional teapot sits on the minibar but stayed unused for my stay.

The Food and Drinks (The lounge actually)

We had a great time at the lounge which offered nice views and a good range for breakfast and cocktails.

The lounge breakfast is the best I have had so far.
The range is so wide and almost like a full buffet breakfast in other hotels.

 There was a selection of fruit, including the famous (read expensive) Japanese Musk melon!

And a good selection of soft drinks and tea as well.

Ample seats around too. There was never a need to flight for space.

The lounge also had a quiet area, which was the place where we rested while we waited for a room on the first day.

At other times, you can have cookies and drinks at the lounge. Ice for the drinks came in balls and I wonder if they were made in the way as the video after the pictures.

Food at evening cocktails were similarly impressive. (Forgot to take pictures while munching!)

The Pool And Gym

No time to visit the pool or gym! Tokyo is a city to explore and experience.

The Service

I have to really compliment the staff, especially those at the lounge.

Everyone was warm and helpful, although check-in was slow because of inexperience (which didn't matter much since a room was not ready.)

The staff at the lounge always greeted us and even made a birthday cake with fruit decoration and sang me a birthday song! That really made my night and the entire stay great.

In Summary

Definitely the service  is top-notch! Location is great for city exploration via the metro and the rooms are large and comfortable for Tokyo.

The lounge is a must-do.
In fact, I witnessed men bringing their girlfriends to the lounge to impress them.

Happy travels!