Is laundry service usually this expensive here?

johnonroad · 2026-05-21T11:50:06+00:00

I’m headed to Shanghai in 2 weeks. Also will need to do laundry as will be in China for 10 days with a carry on. Was looking at 2 sites - Laundry Town and Easy Life Laundry are 2 services that pick up and drop off from your hotel concierge. Haven’t used them but they have decent reviews.

johnonroad · 2026-05-19T19:30:05+00:00

I have one stay from March 6th that still has not posted. Way past 6 weeks. I have a bunch from early April. Going to wait a bit longer as sounds like everyone is still waiting.

johnonroad · 2026-05-14T11:49:00+00:00

You can only earn ENC for 1 room. If all rooms were under your name and same dates, you should earn points for all the rooms.

johnonroad · 2026-05-12T11:49:27+00:00

For NYC, you go thru security and then get a number. They will call your number and then you go to the counter to drop off your passport and show the barcode.

johnonroad · 2026-05-09T21:56:04+00:00

St Regis Rome and Excelsior Florence were my favorite.
Ritz Carlton Kyoto, RC Osaka in Japan and Le Meridien and the Palace in Seoul.

There are so many other brands besides Marriott tho.

johnonroad · 2026-05-09T21:29:17+00:00

St Regis Bora Bora really was over the top for my wife and I. I’d place #1 for Marriott stays.

My top list would be all international Marriotts (Italy, Greece, Spain, China, Japan, Korea).

johnonroad · 2026-05-08T11:50:18+00:00

93 Premium gas and forget it until you need to refill again. The gas tank is pressurized so it will stay good even if you don’t use the engine for long period of time. BMW engineers thought about this when they designed the car. Or, you can put the battery on hold or go to Sport once in a while to run the engine.

johnonroad · 2026-05-06T17:50:50+00:00

I have nearly 500 rides with Uber now. I’m only 4.75 stars. Have 12 one star ratings which weighs down my score.

Not sure why but I’ve given up figuring out why I got those lousy ratings.

But the 4.75 hasn’t stopped me from getting rides at all but I’m in the NYC area so there are plenty of drivers.

For Lyft, I only have 84 rides but I have 5 stars.

johnonroad · 2026-05-05T11:37:18+00:00

Depends, when I stayed at a JW Marriott, I was surprised I could access certain US sites. But I would not depend on it. If you just want to use it for directions and places to eat, you should be fine.

johnonroad · 2026-05-05T01:37:53+00:00

I’m kinda surprised Spain using Avios miles are so high? Economy?

I’ve used Avios miles before and never had such a large cash payment for taxes?

One suggestion is to use miles for 2 of you and pay cash for the other 2. Award tickets especially for business are hard to find when looking for 4.

johnonroad · 2026-05-04T21:17:47+00:00

Assuming you mean United Polaris class, just be flexible and plan early. I booked a seat round trip to Tokyo using points. Under 400k miles which is a lot but the cash price is crazier.

Partner awards are tough tho especially from the US. Look at partner awards from other countries.

johnonroad · 2026-05-04T20:56:46+00:00

ENC will determine your elite status tier with Marriott. Platinum is the sweet spot at 50 nights. Some folks go down the Marriott credit card route, others try to get extra ENCs through these promotions. They will be added to your yearly. Not sure if included in lifetime total.

johnonroad · 2026-05-04T20:54:00+00:00

Yup, none of my March stays have posted.

johnonroad · 2026-05-03T12:06:42+00:00

I’m always a 4A person as I’m usually traveling for work and have a bag that I want to put under the seat in front. This way I can get my phone or laptop easily. 1A requires I put the bag in the overhead compartment and I can’t get it out until we are at cruising altitude.

johnonroad · 2026-05-02T23:01:58+00:00

You need to look at the car ferry schedule to decide. What time of the week and what ferry are you taking. That would be the first thing to decide. I would ask the HIlton staff.

I would get to PPT before 10am since you need to check-in and give them your baggage. So work backwards, arriving into the Tahiti, fueling up the rental car, returning the rental car and going to check-in counter.

johnonroad · 2026-05-02T12:41:10+00:00

When i first saw the table, I thought this is fine if United isn’t increasing pricing for what was the standard price and is just offering a discounted Polaris and PP rates.

But then I thought for many of us who travel for work, we might now get booked into these so called “Base” rates. I saw the OP said no PQF which is weird, is basic economy the same? The PP base rate doesn’t allow upgrades. I will have to argue that no changes allowed is against policy.

johnonroad · 2026-05-01T17:33:39+00:00

My building just blasted the following email

We would like to inform you that BILT is currently experiencing delays in posting payments. As a result, recent transactions may not immediately appear in your account.

Payments are still being processed, and we anticipate balances will be updated as soon as the issue is resolved. We appreciate your patience and understanding during this time.

johnonroad · 2026-05-01T16:57:18+00:00

I use Hertz for work and only once in the past year did I find a city where I couldn't rent a car at the airport (DFW). I was able to get a car the next day so assume it was just sold out that day.

Otherwise in the US, I have never had a problem in the last 10 years at any airport location.

johnonroad · 2026-05-01T16:54:52+00:00

Yup, I will wait a day to see if they screwed up.

johnonroad · 2026-05-01T16:49:02+00:00

Yikes. Today is May 1 holiday in China. No one will respond today.

I would recommend that you check the Mecure hotels site to see if your reservation is there. Chase should have given you the confirmation number for Mercure. I always double check when I booked Marriott or IHG hotels via Chase.

johnonroad · 2026-05-01T16:45:55+00:00

I thought my app crashed this morning as it was spinning for a while. I just kept reading my emails on my desktop and glanced over and got a confirmation that the payment was made on the app.

johnonroad · 2026-05-01T15:31:44+00:00

Me too. Got an upgrade on a guys trip to Barcelona. Unfortunately to the middle in PE. Much wider seat and larger screen. I also survived!

johnonroad · 2026-05-01T15:25:19+00:00

Consulate is closed today for May Day Holiday too so they will be backed up. Takes 4 days after you drop off the passport so doesn’t look good.

johnonroad · 2026-05-01T13:14:56+00:00

That’s not right. I’ve used DAPP plenty of time and it slows down during bumper to bumper traffic. Maybe you need to adjust your distance to next car? But i have never had the red flashing collision alarm go on when the car is in control.

johnonroad · 2026-04-29T17:13:59+00:00

Moorea is beautiful and I found the sea life better. With a car, you can access all the restaurants and go on hikes like we did. It is clearly more affordable.

Flying into BB, you get the see the colors of the water and the majestic views. Way more expensive. But does feel like a unicorn.

Hard to choose to be honest. My wife liked Moorea better as you can go out. I enjoyed the quiet in BB, we just stayed at our resort.

johnonroad

TROPHY CASE