Another great hotel review. This is exactly the type of video review travelers need. Also, you should add your recs on Plannin. Congrats on a job well done.

@thesweetsuites

21 күн бұрын

Thank you, I appreciate the kind words! Good idea regarding planning, I definitely have a unique (and possibly over-engineered) approach. I usually start with Amex FH&R properties as they tend to be consistently great options. Especially in the riviera maya (where this video was from) as there are so many great options. If I’m booking FH&R I get some key perks like early check-in at 12pm (doesn’t always work but usually gets you in earlier than 3), guaranteed late checkout at 4pm, complimentary breakfast, $100+ credit per stay for food/beverage or spa, and room upgrade (subject to availability). Those are pretty amazing perks and they encourage me to do one night stays (in destinations where it makes sense). For example, by staying one night in the banyan tree, I can show up at 12-2pm, get the $100 credit, and leave the next day at around 4pm. That allows me to experience the best restaurants on the property, the pools/beach, etc. And I often leave wanting more (on a good stay) but sometimes I leave just in time (before it gets boring). Because that’s basically 3-4 meals (snack or lunch on arrival, dinner that night, breakfast next morning, and then lunch thereafter). By that point, I may have tried all the restaurants at the hotel. Also, if the beach isn’t great or if the pool area is hit/miss, you’re not stuck spending the rest of your vacation there. The late checkout ensures you’re never left without a room. You just leave the hotel and head to the next one to check-in. And some hotels have a nice check in experience (welcome beverages, cool lobbies, boat rides, etc). The $100 credit is per stay (not per night) so you get more bang for your buck by staying only one night too. And it increases possibility of room upgrade (as they only need it available for that one night). A lot of times, room service will fold your clothes (or you can ask butler to pack for you), so unpacking/repacking isn’t a huge issue. Another huge part here is that you can optimize for pricing. If I’m staying 6 nights, I can put all of the hotels and rooms I want to stay in into a spreadsheet as their own row. Then each column I track the nightly stay for each of those rooms. It’ll often vary by day. Then with some conditional formatting I can spot where the value is. So for example, maybe this room at the Banyan is $600 one night and $900 another night. Meanwhile, maybe the rosewood is $750 this right and $850 that other night. Well then I’m better off paying the $600 for the first night at banyan and the $850 for the next night at rosewood (total cost $1450) vs the opposite ($1750). Lastly, it can help with optimizing travel times or exploration in a city. In riviera maya, I’ll often start furthest away from the airport and then slowly work my way back (so when I’m leaving on the last day, I have the shortest commute to airport). If stay is long enough and pricing allows, sometimes I’ll start close to airport, gradually move further away, and then come closer again. On the other hand, in a place like Mexico City where there’s so many neighborhoods to explore, instead of picking one hotel/neighborhood as a home base, I’d rather just stay in each neighborhood. Then you’re just getting in a taxi and heading to the neighborhood/hotel without needing to taxi back. So it saves time AND allows you to further experience the area (without the annoying stress of needing to get back to base). In terms of the rooms themselves, I’ll usually look for unique in-room features like jacuzzis, pools, saunas, steam showers, outdoor showers, terraces, balconies, etc. I’ll typically go to the hotel website in order to find the pictures (as Amex booking portal kinda sucks). If there’s no FH&R options, I’ll use booking.com as it’s easier to search/filter on amenities. This all kinda breaks if there’s no FH&R though as then you lose too many hours waiting for rooms. Checkout at 11-12p and check in at 3-4pm is no good. Ok every now and then but not on a nightly basis. You can intermix though (eg leave FH&R at 4pm, check into non FH&R after 4pm, checkout of non FH&R at 12pm and then early check into FH&R at 12pm, albeit some risk). It really all comes down to the added time, which is a huge deal IMO. Assuming you’re sleeping 12a-8a, regular check-times mean you get 8hr on check in day (vs 12hr with FH&R) and 4hr on check out day (vs 8hr with FH&R). 20hr vs 12hr is 67% better value! Hope that was informative. I’ll try and figure out how to do a video better outlining this!