Orlando, Florida Airport (MCO) / Embassy Suites, Southwest Airlines

February 2018, weekend, 1 night, king guestroom 730

Diamond perks at Embassy Suites by Hilton Orlando Airport

I had reserved a king bed guestroom for 3 adults because the living room sofa folds out into a bed. I did not receive an upgrade to a premium or executive room, although I received a small bag with bottled water and a couple of snacks. I also received complimentary Internet access, which is a standard perk for Diamond guests.

View from hallway outside guestroom 730

Embassy Suites guestroom 730

This guestroom is on the top floor, and not too far away from the elevator. It had recently been remodeled. It was comfortable and clean. The king-size bed in the bedroom was especially comfy. The suite contained the usual Embassy Suites furnishings: separate bedroom with door, wet bar area with microwave and small fridge, table and chairs, sofa bed, safe, and two flatscreen TVs (in the living area, and in the bedroom).

View toward living room and entrance from in front of bathroom

Travel between Lansing, Michigan and Cancun, Mexico via MiamiAir booked through Apple Vacations (destination Luxury Bahia Principe Sian Ka'an in Riviera Maya )

January - February 2017

This post could easily become extremely long. I have condensed the information somewhat to focus on the main points. If you have any questions, or would like more details, just ask!

Although our travel experiences include over 15 resort stays in Mexico and the Caribbean (some before I started this blog), this was our first experience with Apple Vacations and MiamiAir. You can find separate posts in this blog for Luxury Bahia Principe Sian Ka'an and our excursions.

Booking through Apple Vacations with MiamiAir charter flight

We booked our vacation over the telephone with an Apple representative, since we had not booked with them before, and I had a few questions. If you want to have access to your Apple Vacations booking online, I suggest booking online instead. I found out afterward that you can access your Apple Vacations booking online, if you book online; however, you cannot access your itinerary and such for reservations that have been booked over the telephone.

We booked this trip at the last minute because we happened upon an amazing price--$839 each for 7 nights, including air. We then paid an additional $78 each to upgrade our airline seats to Preferred Perks Plus roundtrip, which is similar to first class. The airline upgrade said it included the following per person each way: fresh meal/snack box, two standard alcoholic drinks (21yrs.), and preferred check-in, security, boarding and seating. Without Preferred Perks Plus, there is a fee to select seats, and another fee to check bags ($40 roundtrip per bag when purchased through Apple beforehand--$50 at the airport).

The telephone number provided in our travel documents to check flight status before heading to the airport was incorrect. The telephone number Apple Vacations provided was for Norwegian Air. The telephone number on the MiamiAir website to check flight status is: (305) 871-8001.

Miami Air in Lansing, Michigan

Departure from Lansing, Michigan via Miami Air 

The MiamiAir website provided the following information for check-in: Ticket counters will open 3 hours prior to departure. Check in locations are as follows: Lansing, Michigan Capital Region International Airport (LAN) – Main Terminal, check-in counters located at Door 2. I also found this news story about the Apple Vacations/MiamiAir/Lansing Airport relationship.

Miami, Florida - MIA / Residence Inn Miami Airport

February 2016, Weekend, 2-nights, King/queen 2-bedroom suite #3620

This was our second time staying in the Residence Inn Miami airport, and our third time staying at the Miami airport Marriott hotel complex. Previous reviews can found at the following links: Residence Inn February 2013, and Marriott February 2011.

view of kitchen in suite from living room

Arrival experience and shuttle ride

We had taken the Tri-rail from the Ft. Lauderdale airport, and we had hoped the hotel shuttle bus would pick us up at Miami Central Station. I called the Residence Inn before we arrived to ask if we could be picked up at the station, and the agent said we needed to go to the airport to get the shuttle bus. To get to the airport from the station, we needed to take the MIA mover, and then wait there for the hotel shuttle. The Residence Inn is less than 1½ miles from the train station, which would have been walkable for us without our luggage. The shuttle bus runs regularly between the airport and the hotel complex. All of the Miami airport hotel shuttles pick up passengers and drop them off at the departure level. There is not a designated pick up area in the airport. Passengers walk out to the curb to watch for the hotel shuttle bus needed, and then flag it down. We have been through this process many times at MIA, and it is always chaotic. Fortunately, we have never missed our bus! Not that we know of, anyway. We have waited more than 15 minutes sometimes, so it is possible we missed a shuttle before and did not know it.

When the shuttle bus arrives at the hotel complex, the bus stops at the Marriott first. I suggest disembarking then, if you do not have much luggage. We initially stayed on the bus when it arrived; however, after the driver had disappeared with no comment for over five minutes, we grabbed our luggage and got off. We walked to the Residence Inn behind the Marriott, and had just finished our initial check-in encounter when the shuttle bus arrived with the remaining guests.

I had considered staying at Element Miami Airport because it is less than ½ mile from the train station, and they had said they would pick us up at the station. The Element is a new hotel; however, the Residence Inn has better dining and pool options, we were going to be staying two nights, and we had received a room upgrade before our arrival.

Grand Rapids, Michigan - GRR airport / Hilton - DoubleTree

February 2015, Weekend, 1-night, King guestroom with mini-fridge, #411

I did not realize when I made this reservation that the hotel was changing from a Hilton to a DoubleTree. We stayed at this hotel a few times when the property was a Hilton, and here are links to reviews for two of those stays: March 2011 and April 2011. At the time of this stay, the hotel was still classified as a Hilton, and some remodeling was still in process.

Status perks and check-in

I received the 1,000 bonus points I have chosen for my Hilton Honors "my way" benefit, and I received two beverage coupons. This hotel does not have an executive floor, and I was told that they could not give out a suite upgrade unless it is authorized by the sales department, because the suite cost is so much higher.

Guestroom 411

This guestroom is located on the top floor near the center of the west wing. The window faces the courtyard. It had been nicely remodeled; however, there was a strong scent in the hallway and in our room that smelled like glue or urethane. Since the windows in the guestroom do not open, and there was no exhaust vent in the bathroom, I returned to the front desk to inquire about a different guestroom. The only other remodeled guestroom like the type we had reserved was on the first floor (#114). The front desk agent gave me a key so I could look at the room to see if we wanted to switch. The odor in the second guestroom was fainter than it had been in guestroom 411; however, I decided not to switch, because the first floor room is located by the elevator in a high traffic area.

You Don't Ask, You Don't Get!

I have often thought about publishing a book with the title You Don't Ask, You Don't Get! I have learned a lot in my 15 years of traveling, and I always like to share my ideas and experiences. Asking for an upgrade or something extra is often a necessary first step to receiving it, although I think there are many aspects to obtaining an upgrade or extra perks.

Today, I am sharing an often overlooked detail, which many may consider unimportant. I think that every piece of information is just as important as taking the initiative to ask.

Pay attention to what is going on around you. Here are a few examples of experiences I have had, and things I learned by paying attention.

Around the year 2000 – Traverse City, Michigan

I was waiting to check-in behind another guest who had walked in without a reservation. It was dinner/evening time, and I observed the guest doing some quiet negotiating. I easily overheard the guestroom rate he was given, which was about $10 - $15 less than the rate I had booked. When I got to the counter, I said, “I heard he just got his room for $XX. Can I get that rate, too?” The front desk agent looked up my reservation, and then lowered my rate to match what I had overheard.

Lesson learned: Be aware of your surroundings, and do not be afraid to ask!

ATL - Atlanta, Georgia / Atlanta Airport Marriott Gateway

December 2014, Weekday-Holiday (Christmas eve), 1-night, King guestroom #509

The Atlanta Airport Marriott Gateway is our favorite hotel when needing to stay in ATL overnight. Here is a link to the review of our prior stay in November 2013. 

Status perks and check-in

At check-in, the agent recognized my status, and said that the concierge lounge was closed. She provided a goody bag and a coupon for a free ($10 value) appetizer in the bar or restaurant. The bag contained a half-bottle of red wine, gummy bears, and pretzels. I loved the wine! Later, I thought I should have asked about water, too, since the bottled water in the guestroom was $3.50, and this was complimentary during our last stay. 

Providence/Warwick, RI (PVD airport hotel) -- Hilton Garden Inn

April 2010

Status perks

I did not receive any special perks, although the front desk agent noted my status at check-in and there were two small bottles of water in my room. I observed housekeeping carts with cases of mini water bottles, and I did not receive a personalized letter with the water, so I think each room was receiving two bottles. When I have received standard sized water bottles as a Gold member, it has always been delivered with a personalized letter.

Guestroom

I received a top floor, king-bed room, at the end of the hall--exactly the room type I have in my profile and comment requests! The spacious room contained a chair and footstool, desk and chair, flat screen TV, fridge and microwave (all HGIs have a fridge and microwave), and three end tables. Wireless and cable Internet service was provided in the room for no charge, although the speed was pretty slow. The bed and pillows were comfortable, and I did not hear any hall or room noise. I observed a newspaper in front of every room in my hall when I left the next morning, so the quiet comfort did not have anything to do with the absence of guests.

Food & Beverage

Complimentary snacks were available in the lobby in the afternoon. There were cookies, cheeses, meats, crackers, grapes, and strawberries. Apples were available in bowls by the elevator on each floor. Complimentary apples and bananas were at the front desk the next morning. This hotel has a full service restaurant and bar in the same building called Iron Works Tavern. The prices, food selection, and service were excellent. I had the lettuce wedge salad. I was disappointed I was not aware of this restaurant before my arrival, and I had eaten a large lunch with the expectation that the food I would find after arriving at my airport hotel was going to be only the standard HGI fare. The restaurant information is listed on their website; however, since I had never stayed at a HGI with a restaurant other than the grill by the front desk, I did not look for this. Their website is http://www.theironworkstavern.com/

Business center

There were two computers, a printer, and a copy machine in the business center, along with HGIs "printer on" feature.

Fitness center

There were several cardio machines and a weight machine. Everything was in good working order.

Overall

I was impressed with my room, the service, and the on site amenities. I would definitely stay here again. When I called for the hotel shuttle, the employee arrived in less than 10 minutes. The hotel is less than a mile from the airport, and I thought about walking it; however, some of the way was not walker friendly. There was parking lot construction going on between the airport and the hotel, and the shuttle driver told me that there will also be a walkway built between the hotel and the airport.