Firm or squishy. There's a seat for you at this MSP Delta Sky Club

Notes: I personally prefer this room to the alternate (remodeled) Sky Club adjacent the G/F concourses. While still large, it feels cozier and more exclusive. This was a morning visit so I was greeted with the standard Delta Sky Club bagel and mini-muffin buffet. Food isn’t a typical perk of US domestic lounges, so it’s no surprise I walked out hungry. The unattended self-serve bar means the lounge is 21+. A bar reasonably well stocked with some mid-and-top shelf booze for self mixing. There’s a good mix of seating here with deep lounge chairs arranged with a few more upright chairs mixed in, all comfortable.

Wi-Fi: Yes/Free

Service: Friendly greeting, quick check-in.  Lounge attendants kept snacks (what there were of them) stocked and everything clean.

Convenience to gate:  This club is best suited for A/B/C concourses and maybe even a few of the higher-numbered G Concourse gates. It’s a quick tram ride and about a 5-7 minute average walk to farther gates.

How to get in: Delta has a number of options for entry. One of my favorites is the 30-day membership that allows you and up to 2 guests into Delta Sky Clubs worldwide for $90. This is a great option if you have a glut of Delta flights upcoming and traveling with a spouse or friends. Otherwise the $25 entry fee using your Delta branded American Express option is a good one, but charges are per-person (so it would be $50 for your AND your spouse or buddy).

Rating: 3 hops (of 5)

Airline/Club Name: United Club
Location: LGA (New York. LaGuardia)
Terminal/Concourse: Central Terminal (Land-side) near “C” Concourse.
How we got in (support modhop): Priority Pass

Notes: This Red Carpet Club at LaGuardia is decidedly business-like and caters well to that end. You’ll find an array of business newspapers and magazines, a full service (cash) bar, lots of power ports for plugging in laptops and a conference room for you pre-flight meetings. For those of us just looking for a snack and some quiet it delivers with the  standard coffee, soda and snack-mix…The “quiet” depends mainly on what time you’re there (as with any airline lounge), but was library-like on my visits.

Wi-Fi: Yes/Free. Accessed with either Red Carpet Member # or with PIN code issued at front desk.

Service: Friendly greeting, quick check-in. Snack/beverage area was well stocked. Breakfast items were minimal but sufficient. Speedy clean-up.

Convenience to gate: Being a land side club, it’s a little more complicated as you’ll still have to deal with security on your way to the gate. You’ll need to allow an extra 15 to 30 minutes (or maybe more) to get there which is inconvenient (to say the least), but the lines have been fairly speedy on my recent visits. Check with the club reps to see what the average wait is during the time/day of your flight.

How I got in/Strategies: Priority Pass. If you’re not particularly loyal to a specific airline or don’t travel enough to use airport club rooms, I highly recommend joining. You can also access this room with annual Red Carpet Club memberships and by purchasing day-passes either online in-advance at United’s website for $39 or at the club upon your visit for $50 (prices are per-person). You may also use miles to enter the lounge, but at 7,000 I think it’s a bit steep.

Rating: 2.5 hops (of 5)

Location: West Hollywood, CA

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The Room: Very simple considering the hotel location and remarkably different from the vibe you get from walking through the lobby. With an all-orange bathroom and blue/white everywhere else, the decidedly retro color scheme gives rooms this room the only charm it needs to keep from being just “standard”. Rooms are clean enough, but with Hollywood being Hollywood You might be forced to wonder what happened in your room last night. In most rooms you’ll have either a patio or a small balcony, a nice way to enjoy the excitement by the pool (on the first floor) or a view of the neighborhood. (1st floor rooms with patios are subject to some noise, but seem to quiet down after 11pm).

Service: Front desk service has always been great. It may be that I’m staring at the human aquarium behind the front desk or distracted by the seemingly endless party by the pool, but I always seem to be greeted with a smile and friendly attitude.  Room service is slightly pricey but always quick and tasty. Over a few visits I’ve had  standard breakfast and coffee service, both were acceptable to good. The valet was particularly helpful and speedy…Good with directions and treated my rental Kia like it was something much nicer.

Perks: No real extras unless you want to pay for the aromatherapy candle or mix CD you can buy from your rooms mini-bar/snack/goodies supply. Very simple setup.

Location: Above Average. The Standard is a reasonable distance from tourist attractions. You can get to them easily by car or taxi, but not a simple walk. Personally, I prefer having a car when in LA.

Lobby: The lobby is pure LA trendy. From the aforementioned human aquarium to the lively bar/pool area… you’re certainly not in Kansas anymore.

Parking:  Average. $29 a night for Valet. Expensive, but good service for the price in my experience.

Overall: Average. The Standard’s website claims that they are “anything but”, which I can agree with…except when it comes to the guest rooms. The lobby/bar/restaurant are fun and flashy, but the rooms are quite standard aside from the retro curtains, orange bathroom and ikea furniture. One extra note: I’ve recently read guest reviews that mention the “creepy” hallways. They ARE dark and a little drab…That said,  I rarely find myself spending much time in the hallways of hotels.

The Deal-How I got it: Booking with the hotel directly seems to get you an upper level room away from the noisy pool area. Booked once on Orbitz and got a first floor room with a patio separated from the pool area with a tall fence with a thick mesh fabric so outsiders can’t see in. Paid roughly $120 for the first level special on Orbitz and have paid up to $175 for higher level and sometimes slightly larger rooms.

Rating: 2 Hops (out of 5)

Notes:Delta has an ever-growing collection of 757 configurations. With at least 4 different seatmaps and more with the addition of Northwest Airlines 757s, picking a seat can be a little confusing. For easier reference, this particular layout is referred to as “transcon – 75X” at seatguru.com. *Note: This particular aircraft no longer used on Transcon routes (eg.between JFK and SFO or LAX). It’s been replaced by similar 757 aircraft, but with a more spacious Business Class cabin and the personal TVs no longer carry live channels but several movie and recorded TV options. For legroom, 9C  is your best bet in this group of seats (9 A-B-C) as the exit door protrudes into the space of the window seat (9A). However, you’ll have to deal with people loitering in the area in front of you waiting for the lavatory no matter what seat you’re in. Another drawback is that you may find yourself gazing  into the first class cabin longing for free mojitos and a hot meal. On the plus side, you can always just pay for a mojito and buy a sandwich…not such a bad deal. The Delta EATS menu offers a great selection of food items for the trip. Breakfast is available for morning flights while sandwiches, salads and snacks are offered all day. These seats are reported to have less padding in the seat cushion; I didn’t notice at all.

Also, because it’s an exit row, seat width is naturally reduced due to the placement of the tray table and video screen within the seat itself. Despite the drawbacks this still rates as a premium seat to me. If you love to be first off the aircraft after the 5+ hour coast to coast hop like me, it’s just about perfect. Deltas inflight entertainment for transcons is great too. Several options are available with their touch screen system including movies and HBO offerings for sale and free live TV, flight map and games. In this particular row of seats, I like having the TV screen IN the seat instead of the seatback in front (less reaching). You’ll also find USB power ports beneath each seat for recharging your phone and gadgets.

Summary:Great seat for legroom junkies or anyone who likes being the first out the door.   Worth paying a little extra for if you’re given the choice. Delta’s transcons in general are a great alternative to the other legacy carriers and rival (at least) some of the coach amenities of Virgin America and Jet Blue.

Rating:4 hops (of 5).

How I got it: Delta Medallion Status. Alternately you could ask at the gate for exit row seating, or this seat in particular on the day of your flight.

Airline/Club Name:Delta SKY Club
Location:LGA (New York. LaGuardia)
Terminal/Concourse:Delta Terminal (Airside) left after security, located just before gates.

Notes:I was pleasantly surprised by this Delta lounge. I’m not sure if it’s now standard to provide members with a more reasonable array of food choices, but on this visit I was greeted by a relatively generous (please note the word “relatively”) food buffet. Bagels, cream cheese, mini-muffins, fruit and more were available at breakfast and after my flight had been cancelled, I came back to find Delta’s standard olive, pretzel, and snack mix upgraded with more choices like cookies, mini-carrots (obviously a cue from NWA) and a few other surprises. The lounge itself is spacious with plenty of comfortable seating in multiple rooms. There are cubicles, some of which are equipt with PCs, free for use and an adjacent business center with copy, fax, shredding and other services. If  you need quiet time, there is also one of Deltas famous “Quiet Areas” that is reserved for those who want to get away from chatty people on their cell phones.

Wi-Fi:Yes/Free. As with all Delta SKY Clubs Wi-fi is now complimentary.

Service:Friendly greeting, quick check-in. Clean-up was quick, entire staff was pleasant. Reservations crew at front made announcements for those of us who’s flight had been delayed and were there to make changes to my reservation if necessary. Check-in was a little backed up upon my initial arrival, but staff was quick to get through the line.

Convenience to gate: This isn’t a large terminal, so even getting to the farthest gate from this lounge shouldn’t take more than 1-3 minutes.

How I got in/Strategy: Priority Pass. [As of September 1st 2009, Delta SKY Clubs no longer accept Priority Pass] Other options for entry are to buy a $50 one-day pass or full yearly membership at Delta.com or at the club itself. American Express Platinum Card holders can also access this lounge for free (Excludes co-branded cards). [*As of 2/1/2010 day passes are available to holders of Delta branded American Express cards for a reduced rate of $25 per guest].
Rating: 4 hops (of 5)

Notes:This Delta Sky Club is minimally appointed and lacks the roominess an ammenities of the larger, legacy Delta Club just steps away. If there is an advantage to this lounge, it’s that fewer people frequent it so it’s relatively quiet. The 90s-style cafeteria decor could use an update (that is, if they even decide to keep this location open beyond NWA’s full transition to Delta). Decent beverage service and friendly agents make up for some of it’s drawbacks, but this smaller and somewhat dated lounge has me walking about 10 extra steps to the sister SKY Club just before the gates.

Wi-Fi:Yes/Free. As with all Delta SKY Clubs Wi-fi is now complimentary.

Service: Friendly greeting, quick check-in. Snack/beverage was tidy, but lacking in content. Clean-up seemed slower than normal, but lounge was clean and well kept.

Convenience to gate: This isn’t a large terminal, so even getting to the farthest gate from this lounge shouldn’t take more than 2-3 minutes.

How I got in/Strategy: Priority Pass. [As of September 1st 2009, Delta SKY Clubs no longer accept Priority Pass] Other options for entry are to buy a $50 one-day pass or full yearly membership at Delta.com or at the club itself. American Express Platinum Card  holders can also access this lounge for free (Excludes co-branded cards). [*As of 2/1/2010 day passes are available to holders of Delta branded American Express cards for a reduced rate of $25 per guest].

Rating: 2 hops (of 5)

Notes: As long as you’re not in a war with someone for the right armrest, 18D on this 737-800 is a good place to be on a transcon flight if you’re in economy. There are minimal drawbacks, in that the seats in this row are slightly narrower due to the tray table in the armrest (normal for exit seating); also the touch-control video screen is a little harder to reach as row 17 is a few extra inches away because of the exit. The video system comes with 22 channels of Dish Network satellite TV, several choices from HBO (for purchase), flight view, games and more. On transcon flights, selections from Delta’s “Eats” menu are available (The Turkey/Brie Sandwich is a favorite of mine) with either breakfast or lunch/dinner offerings depending on the time of day. Typical meal price is $8. (*Note that in the video I mention that Delta has many or most of these planes equipt with the seatback video, yet there are still many without.)

Summary: I personally prefer being closer to the front of the cabin but I won’t hold that against this seat. The seat pitch is great and the full recline makes this an above average seat for economy. Take note that the non-aisle seats in row 18 (A,B,E&F) suffer from other drawbacks according to other sites so beware. As for 18D, you’ll be just fine.

Rating: 4.5 hops (of 5).

How I got it: Used medallion (elite) status to choose seat at booking. May also be available to non-elites within 24 hours of flight or at the gate.

Service: Average. Check-in was quick but not particularly friendly. The attendant seemed to be in a hurry to get the process over with but supplied me with a bottle of California Merlot (as they do for all guests) upon check in. That made it a little better. Everyone else provided me with average to slightly above average service from the Valet to the guest services attendant who brought me toothpaste.

Perks: Free bottle of wine and free coffee service in the morning. Nothing else comes included in your stay, but there are tons of options for food, drinks, etc right outside in the gaslamp area.
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Location: Above Average. Doesnt seem to me like you could get too much closer to the middle of everything…at least not for the price I paid. Whether you’re there to walk around the Gaslamp district or hop the light rail to the Zoo, just about everything is accessible.

Lobby: While the decor and feel of this hotel lends itself to a younger crowd, but I did notice couples and families of all ages. Plenty of space for meeting guests, relatives, clients in their lounge area.

Parking: Below average only because of price. $32 a day seemed excessive to me but might be the best option for 24 hour access to your vehicle.

Overall: Above Average. Modern with welcoming decor and a mostly friendly staff, Hotel Solamar is a great place to stay in San Diego. Comfortable rooms and convenience to attractions also make for a great visit.

The Deal-How I got it: Found this room for an amazing $109 per night via my subscription to the Travlzoo Top 20 list that comes out weekly. Sign up here. I typically find great deals here a few times a year that are well worth the extra 1 e-mail a week.

Rating: 4.0 Hops (out of 5)

Notes: These seats seem more comfortable than most (“Definitely more comfortable than some of the legacy carriers like American or United” says our guest modhopper Debby DeLuca.) This window seat also seems a bit wider and (as with each seat) is equipped with 110v power ports and all VX flights now have wi-fi ($12). The touch screen entertainment system “Red” is great for “techies” and comes with a wide variety of games, movies for $8, free live TV, and can be used to order food/drinks. The people are “very nice” says Debby. She was offered a standby flight for free (normally $25). At kiosk, Upgrade to “main cabin select” (basically exit row with free food, movies and extra baggage) was offered for $100 or $250 for VX’s unmatched First Class seats.

Summary: Great seat for coach. Service was equally great and the “Red” entertainment/service system “made the flight” with plenty of games, movies and options to keep one occupied for transcon flights.

Rating: 5 hops (of 5).

How she got it: Used 1 way free flight from signing up for VX Visa at their website for outbound flight and used 30% coupon upon signing up for “Elevate” frequent flyer program for return trip.