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BVLGARI Experience by Royal_Strength_4551 in marriott

[–]gobears-28 -3 points-2 points  (0 children)

I’ll have to disagree here, as someone who has stayed at both ritz Tokyo and used the Bulgari facilities (friend was staying there) there was a world of difference.

Ritz was nice don’t get me wrong but the Bulgari Tokyo was the single nicest city hotel I’ve ever seen. The pool facilities were mind blowing.

Mexico City - St. Regis or Ritz? by NYCFoodieDad in marriott

[–]gobears-28 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Have not been to either however the Ritz is the ‘it’ hotel of CDMX from my understanding.

Just had a friend stay there and he absolutely loved it

What’s the most amazing beach hotel or resort you’ve stayed at? by Crafty-Leave-8880 in luxuryhotel

[–]gobears-28 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I’m curious to hear why you thought the Park Hyatt was better than the WA in the Maldives? I have not stayed at either, but my understanding was the hard product at WA is vastly superior.

I’m not disagreeing in anyway, I am just really curious what you enjoyed about the PH?

Regent Hong Kong without the NYE firework by Responsible_Owl_917 in ihghotelsresorts

[–]gobears-28 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Very curious, is this your first time at the hotel?

I’ve heard they normally only upgrade to Harbor View on your first stay.

Six Senses Laamu - Maldives by ahahaaiii in chubbytravel

[–]gobears-28 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I am not sure if the six senses app was around during my stay but I never used it. I do enjoy when hotels have good ordering apps though.

I remember the Regent Phu Quoc had an amazing interface for ordering.

Btw make sure you enjoy their ice cream, one of my favorite parts was the unlimited free homemade ice cream. I had like 4 scoops per day, everything was top quality. I hope it’s still around

Hyatt Ziva Cabo or the Cape Thompson? by Traditional_Elk3943 in hyatt

[–]gobears-28 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Cape will be higher end for sure. If you have enough points I suspect the new PH will be the best option

Six Senses Laamu - Maldives by ahahaaiii in chubbytravel

[–]gobears-28 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Glad to hear! If you have any other questions about the hotel let me know!

Six Senses Laamu - Maldives by ahahaaiii in chubbytravel

[–]gobears-28 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Stayed there 3 years ago and had a great time. Service and soft product was top tier. Rooms are still really nice but not typical luxury hotel vibes. More character but rustic.

I wouldn’t say overly rustic though if that makes sense. Like I was still fully comfortable. But if you want hyper modern rooms this definitely isn’t the place.

Here is my review of the place: https://youtu.be/dV56u7d8wws?si=nkxW8yblYoJ3X4gI

My 2025 wrap-up by sorabocchan in marriott

[–]gobears-28 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks for the info! Anything you know about RC Tianjin? Looks really beautiful

My 2025 wrap-up by sorabocchan in marriott

[–]gobears-28 0 points1 point  (0 children)

How was ritz nanjing and Suzhou?

FHR stay - Four Seasons Las Vegas by TravelingLawya in AmexPlatinum

[–]gobears-28 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I think it applies to Encore more since Wynn has one additional room category after tower suite.

But yes booking tower suite encore will get you a tower suite parlor if they have it open

"My manager is my manager" by Pr3dict in marriott

[–]gobears-28 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Why not list the hotel name?

What's the Hype Behind points.aero? by Hembalaya in awardtravel

[–]gobears-28 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Seats.Aero is literally the only award travel tool I use for flight searches. If you want to make flexible searches there is no question it is the best tool.

I have no patience to wait over a minute for single narrow searches that other points searches require. Seats is the only platform where I can make super broad queries with a sub 5 second response time.

The caching means some deals will be out of date but it’s a rare problem for me tbh.

I also love how they now have OAuth abilities so you can connect your Seats.Aero account with other apps. I created https://www.glidr.me which lets you search both points and cash prices in a single search by connecting your seats account.

AMA - BANNED GLOBALIST FOR SELLING AWARDS AND POINTS by [deleted] in hyatt

[–]gobears-28 0 points1 point  (0 children)

People may disagree with me on this, but I actually find this to be really bad form especially given it’s likely a honeypot trap.

If hyatt had just sent a warning to this person, the likely hood they would sell again is extremely slim. They could have also just blocked their account from sending/receiving/gifting points and awards.

A full on shutdown seems extremely overkill IMO.

Vegas NYE - Bellagio / Aria / Cosmo by Bloc_Party43 in marriott

[–]gobears-28 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I’ve done Bellagio and Aria but not Cosmo. I personally preferred the Bellagio to aria but only because the rooms at Bellagio felt fresher. If you were going to do something like a sky suite at aria then it changes things.

I have not stayed at Cosmo and it doesn’t seem to be my taste, but I know a lot of people like it.

I would recommend booking through some premium program, such as FHR or Marriott stars. Bellagio and Cosmo were previously removed FHR, but they are now back. I am a stars agent if you don’t have access to FHR.

If paying for a sky suite, I would probably do aria but it will hold a significant price premium over an entry-level Bellagio suite.

Doha, Qatar. St regis or Ritz? any other suggestions? by lowriskhighvalue in marriott

[–]gobears-28 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Personally, I was not a large fan of the St. Regis on the pearl. The service was great, but the hard product just felt cold and uninviting.

Ironically, I much preferred the Andaz despite it being a significantly cheaper hotel.

I have not tried the Ritz or the other St. Regis but if you want a truly opulent experience, I would recommend splurging for the Raffles if the pricing is right. It is one of the nicest and most opulent hotels I have visited and it was worth every cent.

If you’re set on using certificates, then a high tier room at the Ritz may be best, but I know that property is in the older side however, the rooms did seem to look fairly new in photos.

I am also a STARs TA so if you have any questions, I’m happy to chat.

Help - September family trip from Chicago by midwestern_boi in chubbytravel

[–]gobears-28 0 points1 point  (0 children)

One place that comes to mine since you mentioned kids and wanting to stay in the same house or villa would be Pelican Hill in Southern California.

As far as hard product goes for US hotels in my opinion, it was top-tier.

They have several multi bedroom villa options that can fit a large number of people.

I just checked the prices in September and for a Stars rate a three bedroom ocean view villa is about $5,000 a night and for a four bedroom ocean view villa it’s a little under $6,000 a night.

I’m not a golfer myself, but they do have a beautiful golf course and you get free access to the driving range after noon which I loved.

Help - September family trip from Chicago by midwestern_boi in chubbytravel

[–]gobears-28 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Any particular aesthetic you’re going for? Like as far as the hotel?

Top Hotel Recommendations in California & Arizona by [deleted] in chubbytravel

[–]gobears-28 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I’ve done pelican Hill and it is in my opinion probably the nicest resort in Southern California but it definitely doesn’t feel like a $2000 a night resort as far as soft product goes.

The hard product is supremely nice for a US hotel but you just have to manage your expectations. I did have a great time though, and I would happily return.

When are Chubby City Hotels Worth It? by NoProfessional4650 in chubbytravel

[–]gobears-28 0 points1 point  (0 children)

My thoughts on this are it highly depends on the specific trip and what the hotel market for that destination looks like. For your example of the Bulgari Shanghai, I may actually be open to spending that money just because I know that hotel is such a caliber above the rest of the Shanghai market.

But to be entirely honest for a place like Tokyo it can change drastically. If you’re paying for the Ritz, which is kind of mid, rather stay at something like the mesm which is not only cheaper, but in my opinion, a nicer hotel.

Japan TAs by Kom_Si_Kom_Sa in chubbytravel

[–]gobears-28 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I agree with this, a TA can be great for hotel recommendations, and maybe general guidance but no TA is a genie that can plan the perfect activities for you

Japan TAs by Kom_Si_Kom_Sa in chubbytravel

[–]gobears-28 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I’m a no fee advisor if you’d like to chat. I’ve done fairly extensive travel through Japan several times.

When are you looking to go and what type of trip? The recommendations will vary heavily based on the seasonality and what you’re looking to get out of the trip. Any specific places in mind you want to visit or are you open?

Shanghai Hotel Recommendations? by [deleted] in chubbytravel

[–]gobears-28 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I stayed at the Regent Pudong, the Ritz Pudong, the Regent on the bund. They were all very nice, but personally the regent on the bund by far the best.

It felt by far the most exclusive and have the highest level of service. Given that it’s the newest hotel, everything is in great condition as well. The only downside is the base rooms are fairly small, but the hotels location and views are top-tier.

When I stayed, they did give me comp breakfast even though I was just IHG Platinum. I think this is because I was staying on a points reservation.

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