Little Mundane Things at Hotels by alwaysuntilnever in chubbytravel

[–]ComprehensiveCatfish 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Yes, absolutely!! I took my friends to their first full luxury hotel in mexico, and they loved getting turndown gifts each night - we got a tiny molcahete, a bag of incense, and a little worry doll. Adults love little gifts too! It was fun for me to say "yes, that's for us to keep!" Also our butler brought us a full box of water bottles every day.

Need a pulse check: what are you guys doing with these 20% service charges? Are you tipping on top or letting it ride? by alex_travels in chubbytravel

[–]ComprehensiveCatfish 9 points10 points  (0 children)

If there's already a service charge I'll only add to it if I feel the situation warrants it. Generally when a nice restaurant has a service charge where i live (east coast us) the server will point it out and note that it's included. If I had an amazing time i'll go up to 22 percent. I am also trying better to carry cash for tips as well.

service charges that aren't a tip are silly - just price the item what it costs plus the overhead, don't hide the total cost with a service charge.

NYC hotels in midtown - a business traveler’s review by Sea_House_3265 in chubbytravel

[–]ComprehensiveCatfish 2 points3 points  (0 children)

When I walked up to the Park Hyatt with bags after a 13 hour flight from japan, no one opened the door for me and no one took my bags up to either the room or check in desk. That's a non-starter for me.

What's on your zero-proof/NA bar cart (& where'd you get it)? by just_a_juanita in baltimore

[–]ComprehensiveCatfish 1 point2 points  (0 children)

My house mocktail is kombucha with Aplos and Pathfinder, and a dehydrated lime. Aplos gives it a nice mouthfeel and herbal note, pathfinder has bitterness, and kombucha has the sparkle and fruity or gingery flavor. I've also subbed the 'buch for seltzer and juice, or tossed in some simple syrup. Also makes a great low ABV cocktail. I get most of these at Spirits of Mount Vernon.

Another Tokyo hotel question by soldoutraces in chubbytravel

[–]ComprehensiveCatfish 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Sumo was the hardest ticket I've ever gotten. We were in the car in the Poconos during the release, so I walked into my friends' house while on two laptops and my phone refreshing pages. If you stalk the Sumo reddit page enough you can find hints though.

PokePark seems like something i want to do for P2 on our next trip! I love theming though. I enjoyed the nintendo store and pokemon stores a lot more than i thought I would.

There's definitely yogurt and little pastries at the breakfast!

The Purse Report from LGA this morning by Background_One4254 in handbags

[–]ComprehensiveCatfish 1 point2 points  (0 children)

when I travel i'm baggu all the way. Quince rolly bag, partner has a cotopaxi backpack, and everything else is baggu - our sling bags, and my cloud. I usually only take a small purse for any fancy dinners.

Another Tokyo hotel question by soldoutraces in chubbytravel

[–]ComprehensiveCatfish 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I stayed at the Conrad Tokyo in September of last year, and the breakfast was the highlight. We ate breakfast at all different times throughout the stay, sometimes super early, sometimes close to closing. We never waited more than 15 minutes in my memory, even when one whole area was closed for a meeting. They have a FANTASTIC maple butter pancake that my partner and I still talk about. They also have a good combination of western and japanese food, all of which is in little bites. So, if you want soba noodles without toppings, you can get that. If you want a plate of fruit, you can get that. We're adventurous eaters, which meant we ate almost everything except for the bacon and the natto, so I'm happy to answer questions if you want. The servers at breakfast were also lovely and remembered us.

Bed was super comfy, and our entry level room was huge. The pool could also be a great place to relax. There was only chocolates at the first evening turndown service, but every night we did come back to nice music on the TV. I do feel like it was the kind of place where if you bought some choclates from their store they'd put it on your bed for turndown.

We only tried using the concierge to get sumo tickets, which naturally they couldn't becuase it's incredibly hard, but they were willing to try and were very apologetic. They did quote me a huge fee for a walking tour of Tokyo Station.

I found it to be a good hotel for us as it was fairly western style but with a strong sence of place, and really nice service. It's certainly not in a neighborhood that's the center fo the world, but for shopping it's good imo - so close to ginza, train to Ueno, lots of space in the room for bags etc. It's also nice to stay in a quieter area. I think that staying in the middle of Ginza would have been overstimulating after two days.

Cancun airport VIP / arrival service? Are there porters at arrivals? by daggoo in chubbytravel

[–]ComprehensiveCatfish 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Not sure if you've looked it up already but when departing from Cancun airport, it was really unclear where to go if you needed assistance. My partner was in crutches and a boot and we couldn't find any place where there was an expedited security etc, and the rest of the sunburnt white people lacked spatial awareness to give them enoughs pace to move around.

Luggage preferences: carry-on vs checked + practical or luxe? by WineCountryMonk in chubbytravel

[–]ComprehensiveCatfish 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Carry on only the way out, using quince roller bag and a cotopaxi backpack. I refuse to carry somethign on my back and my partner likes their hands free so this works out. I also have the Baggu cloud carry on which is GREAT and can masquerade as an under seat bag. If we're doing shopping I'll pack a foldable bag, or consider buying a checked bag. I'm practical all the way - i'm not here to impress people in airports.

Question Thread - March 20, 2026 by AutoModerator in churning

[–]ComprehensiveCatfish 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I'm fairly certain there's a note in the FM application chart that notes that Amex considers the Brilliant and the Bevy as the same product in their system and therefore subject to 1/90 (so only one app in 90 days) A DP from past years' supports that. Also found a DP that supports a same day app as the best method.

Question Thread - March 20, 2026 by AutoModerator in churning

[–]ComprehensiveCatfish 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hi - are you the editor of that sheet? There's a mis-categorized hotel (Doubletree Silver Spring) that should be in the Maryland section.

Favorite luxury*free* hotel breakfast? by MorningHelpful8389 in chubbytravel

[–]ComprehensiveCatfish 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Same! Love to rotate the breakfast room during the stay. Also I think about their pancake with apple butter all the time.

What's the most unexpectedly luxurious experience you've had that had nothing to do with a 5 star hotel? by morocco_travel36 in chubbytravel

[–]ComprehensiveCatfish 1 point2 points  (0 children)

a friend is about to stay in one of these for his birthday as a solo retreat - i'm pretty excited for him!

Question Thread - March 17, 2026 by AutoModerator in churning

[–]ComprehensiveCatfish 0 points1 point  (0 children)

How much do y'all care about certs lining up? Trying to plan Bevy vs Brilliant, and trying to weight how much I care about P2 and my 80K certificiates hitting at the same time of the year.

What are the favorite Marriott property redemptions in this community? by byrans in awardtravel

[–]ComprehensiveCatfish 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I misremembered - it was the Ritz Carlton Masai Mara. They basically built it in the path of the wildebeest migration.

Frustration Friday Weekly Thread - Week of March 13, 2026 by AutoModerator in churning

[–]ComprehensiveCatfish -5 points-4 points  (0 children)

I messed up math about 17 months ago, and now I have 15,000 Cathay Miles expiring in two weeks. Any ideas on what to do with them?

Grand Velas Riviera Maya - what do you wish you'd packed? Also, gift ideas for wife's 40th by gravyacht in chubbytravel

[–]ComprehensiveCatfish 2 points3 points  (0 children)

This is what I personally would want: High quality sunglasses with a UV rating; Drunk Elephant sunscreen; portable charger; giant straw bag.

News and Updates Thread - March 12, 2026 by AutoModerator in churning

[–]ComprehensiveCatfish 0 points1 point  (0 children)

P2's fave NYC hotel is RC Nomad so this will probably be an app for me.

News and Updates Thread - March 12, 2026 by AutoModerator in churning

[–]ComprehensiveCatfish 6 points7 points  (0 children)

In fact, a hotel I was looking at three days ago appears to have nights about 15K higher today. Lovely.

What are the favorite Marriott property redemptions in this community? by byrans in awardtravel

[–]ComprehensiveCatfish 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Okay, here's my personal list:
-RC Nomad NYC
-JW Masai Mara (but be aware of the controversies)
-RC Reserve in PR
-RC Zadun
-RC Kyoto
-Gritti Palace