It’s ‘girl’s weekend’ at my house, (3 women + their 7 daughters under 5!) , so I got greenlit to get a hotel for the weekend and chill! I booked the Stamford Plaza Hotel on Summer St., a former Sheraton now under new management.

I didn’t want to go far or pay alot of money, I just wanted a decent place to stay close to home where I could work and relax. After scanning Expedia and almost booking the Stamford Marriott ($109/night), I decided for once I was going to roll the dice and try one of those ‘unpublished rates’ – you know, where they offer you a super-low rate IF you book without knowing what hotel it is first (like Priceline).

Frankly, I would normally *never* do this, unless, say, it was for an overnight stay on a road trip and they promised me a 3-star and the next option was twice as much. But I was intrigued, and convinced I could figure out which hotel it was before booking.

It was described as a 3.5 star hotel, and I used the other amenity clues they gave me to narrow down the list of their ‘published rate’ hotels to about 4. The giveaway was an amenity ‘tennis nearby’ – that had to be unique – it was – unique to The Stamford Plaza, which had good reviews. I was sure of it, so I booked it, and was rewarded with a $59/night rate – $50 less a night than the Stamford Marriott. Nice!

The first thing you notice walking into the Stamford Plaza is that it is big. The atrium reminded me of the Las Vegas Luxor – while it obviously was not that big, the size is impressive. It is also meticulously clean, and rather quiet. I suspect the hotel is largely supported by traveling staff and events for their next-door neighbors, GE Asset Management, which is how they could afford keeping their superdomish atrium air conditioned.

The Plaza is also very clean, without exception, and check-in was quick and staff helpful and polite.

The one issue I had was with parking – you have to check-in before you park, as you need your room key to get into the parking garage. No big deal, but the street to the parking garage has several gratuitously huge speed bumps which scratched the bottom of my car – and from the looks of the tops of them, many other cars as well. They are just too high and too many. I am glad I would not be going to and from the hotel frequently.

I did, however, get a spot right next to the elevator, as the massive parking garage was barely populated. Parking is $10/day for guests (The Stamford Marriott is $12).

Although it seemed the hotel was lightly booked, they assigned me a room as far from the elevator as possible, which was really annoying and puzzling – because, again, the hotel is pretty big.

While I knew from the atrium that I was going to be fine staying at the Stamford Plaza, I was still taken aback with how nice the room was. It was very standard-sized – the bathroom a little smaller than most, but very tastefully decorated. The couch and coffee table were a plus.

My only complaint was the 20-inch CRT TV – although most hotels have been very slow on the upgrade to flat screens, so this was no surprise.

Although I had a very strong wireless signal, the speed was disappointing, about .3 Mbps. I couldn’t get the wired ethernet connection to work, but didn’t care enough to call the desk for help either.

Regardless, overall, this place was a lot better than I expected and I can heartily recommend the Stamford Plaza as a super value hotel (even the published rate was only $89/night). I don’t know how to describe it, but it has that atmosphere of ‘chain buyout’ – there are giveaways, like the canvas sign on the front with the logo that looks kinda-like-but-not-really Sheraton’s – but that’s not a negative, the owner is towing the line well and in exchange you get a great room at a great price.

Originally appeared on: StationStops - Metro-North Train Schedules and NYC Commuting Blog See the original post here: Stamford Plaza Hotel Review

By far the most absurd and insulting humanitarian inconvenience recently implemented is the inability of passengers to use the lavatory during the last hour of the flight – this is completely unacceptable.

Already, restrictions on when passengers can get up from their seats make some flights incredibly uncomfortable for passengers – especially children, the elderly, and those with incontinence or other medical issues.

Some examples are when a plane is held at the gate or tarmac before takeoff (up to two hours under new regulations), and passengers are not allowed to get up from their seats – once the plane takes off, it can be another 15 minutes or more before the seat belt lights go off and passengers are allowed to wait in line to relieve themselves.

But that’s in the best case – in some cases, turbulence is encountered upon takeoff which may last for an hour or more (a situation which often goes hand in hand with a tarmac wait for weather clearance).

For me, I have a limit – if I have to go, and there is no foreseeable end to the turbulence, I get up and go. In my past experience, flight attendants will protest and tell me to sit down, but they will not stop or report me. In many cases when the attendants themselves are allowed to get up, they will say nothing.

It can also be an issue when turbulence in encountered just before descent – again, passengers are in lockdown until the plane lands.

As far as managing the seat belt light, it varies widely from pilot to pilot, which is probably the most annoying variable. Some pilots – especially international pilots, in my experience – are very good about making sure that the seat belt light is off as soon as possible and not flipping it on with the slightest bump.

Other piltos are just oblivious that there are human beings in the cabin. I have been on flights where the turbulence had stopped for over an hour before the pilot turned off the seat belt light, and that was only after someone complained and a flight attendant called the cockpit to remind them.

It’s obviously impossible to completely deny passengers access to the restroom on flights, and its already a frustrating experience for the reasons mentioned. Making it even worse for passengers by keeping them in the seat for the last hour of the flight is a massive inconvenience for thousands of passengers every single day while offering nothing in terms of meaningful security.

Just drop it.

Originally appeared on: StationStops - Metro-North Train Schedules and NYC Commuting Blog See the original post here: FAA: “Not Allowing People to Urinate’ is NOT an Acceptable Security Measure

I remember the first business trip I went on with my boss. It was a 4-day trip, and I had a giant check-only wheelie and a briefcase. My boss had a lightly packed wardrobe which wouldn’t have gotten a second look as a carry on, plus a briefcase.

He knew I was wet under the ears, so he set me straight on the importance of never checking luggage. I mean never checking luggage. A savvy air traveler just never does it. Its unnecessary, and its time consuming. It’s also risky – not only losing your luggage, but even having it delayed can be a massive hassle.

It is such religion, there are even circumstances where checking luggage would actually make life a little bit easier, but we won’t. We can’t. It’s wrong. Because never checking luggage is all about control.

I was totally confused about how he could achieve this, especially when we needed to pack suits and shoes. Ever since that day, I have honed my packing skills significantly to the point where I live out of a ‘guaranteed’ carry-on roller no matter what the itinerary. This is no small feat, as I am a big guy with big clothes, and I have very little tolerance for wearing clothes twice without washing.

The goal is that my carry-on pretty much always contains, at most, the following:

1. Bathroom kit: razor, advil , shaving cream, toothbrush, toothpaste, antiperspirant , and a hairbrush
2. 6 T-shirts, 6 Boxers, 6 Pair Socks, 2 Collared shirts, 4 Pair pants.

And thats it. On the plane, I wear a t-shirt, collared shirt, and usually a sweater or sweatshirt.

Recently I purchased some packing cubes, which are just magical. They are a set of 3 nylon square shaped bags, which are designed to all fit perfectly together in a standard carry-on roller. It is *amazing* how much stuff you can pack into these cubes, and how easily. They are also pretty cheap. I have only traveled with them once so far, but will never travel without them again.

Another big advantage of the packing cubes are that if you need to pull something out of the cubes, you only have to open that one cube, leaving the rest of the cubes intact. It is also much easier to repack a single cube than to repack a portion of a full carry-on.

In addition to the carry-on, I carry a black backpack with a sleeve that slips over the roller-handle. I always carry a backpack for a briefcase, as it is far more versatile and I can carry it with both hands completely free without a briefcase flapping on my hip and bumping into other people. Also, when you are on a trip you can use the backpack for weekend sightseeing. Upon your return trip, you usually have overflow – you can stuff the hell out of a good backpack.

In the backpack, I usually pack the following:

1. Dell XPS 1330 Notebook and charger.
2. Blackberry USB cable (for tethered EVDO broadband to the laptop and charging)
3. Canon SD870 IS digital camera (with spare battery and charger)
4. An Apple Airport Expresswireless access point (for when I visit hotels and homes with wired but no wireless internet access).
5. A short ethernet cable(some hotels charge you for one)

The backpack easily slides over the extended carry-on handle. Since the carry-on is ‘guaranteed’ spec, I never have to worry about it getting checked. I can roll the whole kit with one hand, and it stands alone easily.

Originally appeared on: StationStops - Metro-North Train Schedules and NYC Commuting Blog See the original post here: Travelling Light: Traveller Tips For Packing Your Carry-On Suitcase

However, I was able to get my schedule (and rate) moved to the desired week through a corporate travel agent backchannel.

Recently I booked a one-week business trip at a Hilton hotel, which I would usually do with Expedia or Hotels.com, and decided to use the Hilton web site instead.

WHAT A HUGE MISTAKE.

When I needed to move the trip (it was weeks away, and I only needed to move it one week later)- United Airlines actually sent me a REFUND since the new fare had dropped! Hertz similarly had no problem changing me – these are professional travel companies, why would they?

However, when I called the Hilton reservation line and told her my reservation number, the Hilton Representative on the phone awkwardly paused and apologetically told me I needed to call another number because I had a ‘special prepaid reservation’.

OK, so I booked on the Hilton website, called the Hilton reservation number on the Hilton website, but somehow I called the wrong number (?) – and cannot be transferred – how does that happen?

So, I call the new number, and I get this rep on the phone – I can tell from her voice – she is one of those phone reps who has been designated to give people bad news all day long.

I gave her my reservation number and told her the original Hilton Representative on the ‘other’ Hilton Reservations Line had told me to call this number because I had a ‘special prepaid reservation’, and that I needed to move it a week.

She instantly informed me that I could not move it.

I can’t move it

I can’t get it refunded.

I can’t reschedule it – even with a change fee!

Nothing.

Period.

If I don’t spend that week at the hotel,
I just LOSE MY MONEY.

ALL OF IT.

They are going to take my $659.12, taxes and all, and put it in the bank.
No services rendered.

I was stunned. I have booked probably over 100 hotel stays in the last 30 years, and I have encountered change fees and what-not, but I have never heard of a reservation that could not be moved – at the forfeit of the entire reservation cost!

I have also stayed at this hotel before – which is why I was coming back, I liked it – and planned on coming back for my annual business trip to the area.

I mean – I am staying at the same hotel – JUST ONE WEEK LATER. I’m still your guest! (or could be!)

I could still stay their customer – they could still have their money AND keep a customer who has stayed at this hotel before (just last year).

But she refused.

She was unyielding.

She offered my no quarter, no compromise, no nothing.

I asked to speak to her supervisor – and, of course, I got the ‘I am the supervisor’ line.

Well of course you are.

She told me that the terms of my reservation were made clear on the website when I checked the box which indicated I understood the terms of the reservation.

I told her that every transaction on earth has that box, and that every single one of them has more terms and conditions to read then any normal consumer could possibly be expected to digest.

She told me this one was especially clear.

Later, I called the hotel directly and asked to speak with the hotel manager. Perhaps if I explained that I was a regular customer he could fix this for me with reservations, or simply give me the other week free or discounted (after all, he is getting a weeks worth of money with NO GUEST). (BTW, they still have availability the new week as of today).

I was told the hotel manager was in a meeting, and the front desk sent me to his voicemail. I left a message and asked him to call me back – which he never did (5 days ago).

Today I was working on a pile of taxes, so my wife called the hotel to see if she could get it straightened out. The girl on the phone was completely unyielding and would not offer any type of compromise whatsoever – nothing – to keep me as a customer.

In almost all discussions we had with Hilton and the hotel, this was a common theme – rather than attempting to compromise in any way, it was instead just a bunch of adolescent finger-wagging about terms and conditions.

It was clear to me that Hilton was much more interested in bagging the $650 I pre-paid for this one reservation than it was in all of my future reservations put together.

As a small business owner for 6 years, I can tell you the #1 rule of business: “It is 10x cheaper to keep an existing customer than to get a new one”.

When you book a hotel for you or your Manhattan business, keep my story in mind.
I know I will.

Originally appeared on: StationStops - Metro-North Train Schedules and NYC Commuting Blog See the original post here: Hilton Hotel Reservations – $659 Hilton Hotel Reservation Is Forfeited Because I Wanted To Move It A Week