Location: West Hollywood-Los Angeles, CA

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My reviews are (not surprisingly) better for rooms with soft robes and well stocked mini-bars..

The Room: Nothing here suits my taste. Grandma lamps and clearance bin carpet aren’t things that I want for my apartment. But if you drop them into a good sized room inside a hotel with great service and an even better location, I’m in. There’s plenty of room to spread out in this, the base suite offering at West Hollywood’s Le Parc Suites. With a full sized living area, small dining area and kitchenette it’s an ideal spot for longer stays. The kitchenette looks useful, but serves little purpose with the mini-fridge stocked with pay-per-booze, wine and soda and small microwave. I guess the counter-top and included dishware could be useful for plating late night “In-and-Out Burger” fixes.

The bed was comfortable and the linens soft, so there was no trouble sleeping. Add that the hotel is on a relatively quiet side-street, You’re sure to snooze well. The good-sized washroom is just beyond the bed with lots of counter-space but just a single sink. The water pressure was also  disappointing. Showers took…well, longer than showers should take.

Service: Great staff. The front desk was all smiles and very helpful in getting us set up. Calls from the room were handled with cheer and the staff always had a quick answer to our many problems (“I forgot my toothbrush!”, “Where can I get a cab?”, “How late is the pool open?”, etc.).

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Overall: Le Parc Suites is a great alternative to the louder and/or more expensive options found on nearby Santa Monica Blvd. Situated on a quiet side street, You’ll get a good nights sleep. What the hotel lacks in modern elegance and decor, it does a pretty good job making up for with quality service and by being in a great spot. If you can look past the all-over-the-place room design, It’ll be a nice stay.

Rating: 3 Hops (out of 5)

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US travelers may get dizzy looking for mini-muffins and yogurt pretzels as their healthiest food option. Plaza Premium Lounge Salad Bar at Kuala Lumpur Int'l.

Notes: The long rows of lounge seating aren’t ideal as I prefer more compartmentalized, sectioned-off seating but there was enough room to stretch out and grab a bite. Cafe style and bar-stool seating is convenient for those looking to just pop in and out. There’s a good variety of food for this class of lounge with a few entrees, soups and salad options. Small pastries were available for afternoon tea as well. Beverages are average and with the exception of the single beer tap, non-alcoholic.

I could probably spend a good amount of time just touring this airport. There’s top-notch shopping, food options, viewing areas and even the mini-jungle I show at the front of my video review. But as it was, my mission was to review this lounge and thankfully it’s a decent one. A decent selection of food, good seating and work areas (albiet a little worn) and helpful staff leave this Plaza Premium Lounge in the slightly-above-average category.

Wi-Fi: Yes/Complimentary.

Service: Front desk staff were friendly, efficient and helpful. Buffet was constantly re-stocked.

Convenience to gate: The lounge is on the mezzanine level in the most central part of the terminal so you’re facing equal distances to most gates. Allow up to 15 minutes on top of your airlines recommended time to arrive at the gate.

How I got in/Strategies: Priority Pass. If you’re not particularly loyal to a specific airline or don’t travel enough to justify the cost of a full lounge membership, I highly recommend joining. You can also become a member directly or buy individual passes at the lounge or by visiting plaza-network.com. If you’d like to buy a pass in advance and are paying in British Pounds (GBP), try goSimply. Other options are available to holders of certain Citibank and American Express credit cards.

Rating: 3 hops (of 5)

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The Air Canada Diet: B.Y.O. Mayo and bread.

The Seat: This Air Canada “Executive First” cabin is configured nearly the same on all of their 767 fleet with the exception of a few “767-300ER” planes. The seat is from the same line as aboard Delta Airlines 777-200LR aircraft and offers full, lie-flat extension and lots of legroom while upright. One big plus (one that was a big minus in the Delta seat) is that the alignment with the window is such that you’re not required to crane your neck if you want to peek outside. You’ll find an easily navigable touch-screen entertainment system with a handful of movies and TV programs, although I didn’t see enough to think that I’d be entertained for more than a few hours. If you’re going trans-oceanic, you may want to toss a few extra movies on your tablet or laptop, which you can keep charged with the built-in power outlet. With plenty of room to move around and at least a few options for entertainment, this is a good choice for travel within North America.

Food: The cold chicken dish I was served was a healthy but bland choice. It was also small.   For the money I’d hope for a side salad and maybe a brownie.

Summary:. If your upgrade cleared or a paid one didn’t cost a fortune, then this seat is great. If you’re on a long-haul flight overseas, there may be some value in using miles for an upgrade or having your cash-rich company foot the bill (assuming the food is different). If you’re on anything under a few  hours and are still working on a good nights sleep, there’s really no reason to drop miles or money on the upgrade.

Rating: 4 hops (of 5)

Strategy: Upgrades can be purchased at check-in or at the airport for miles or cash. If nothing is available when checking in online, try again at the counter when you get to the airport (get there early).

Location: Hong Kong (SAR), China

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Nothing to see here. Drive through please.

The Room: I’m not normally one to nitpick about normal wear and tear, but my room at the Marriott SkyCity had reached just the other side of “normal”. Stains all over the obviously aged black lacquer furniture, rips in the faux-velvety blue loveseat (which only crowded the rather small room anyway) and worn linens were points off for this otherwise pretty average hotel room.

The beds are comfortable enough for western travelers looking for a softer sleep but still pretty firm. Check to be sure your linens are clean. By that I don’t mean “grab the black light”, but give them a once over. It appeared that the staff might have skipped at least one of the two in our room. It’s okay, You can say it. “Ewww”.

Service: The front desk was nice enough to take my word for it that I was a AAA member. I had forgotten that I used my membership for a lower rate and wasn’t about to fly back to NYC for the card. Room service was fast and friendly too. Cleaning crew seemed to be the only ones hiding on this visit.

Overall: It’s too close to the airport to NOT stay here if I’m in late or out early from HKG. Hotel service is great, shuttle to/from the airport is free and the restaurant’s breakfast buffet served up tasty and filling western and Asian choices. Cleanliness of the room and excessive wear and tear were my complaints this time.

Rating: 2 Hops (out of 5)

Management Response to this review from General Manager Nicholas Tse MIH
Greetings from Hong Kong SkyCity Marriott Hotel! How do you do. Thank you for choosing to stay with us at the hotel during your trip and for sharing your valuable feedback. All our customers’ feedback is taken seriously, in order for us to strive for continuous improvement.

It is heartening to hear that you have enjoyed our services and breakfast offering. However, we also note that your experience at our hotel rooms did not meet your expectations. We sincerely apologise for your experience.

With regards to the cleanliness of the room and quality of the bed linen, rest assure this problem has been addressed with our Housekeeping Team and we are happy to announce that we have invested in new bed linen in January 2012 to upkeep the brand standards and image of the Marriott Brand. The stains on our black lacquer furniture is also scheduled to be fixed.

We will continue to improve on our Service Excellence and we look forward to welcoming you back to the five-star Hong Kong SkyCity Marriott Hotel. We are confident you will regain your trust in the Marriott brand on your next visit.

Thank you once again for your kind feedback and comments.

6. There’s a cool little observation deck above the “D” gates. A quiet room with seats and big windows that give you a decent view onto the tarmac. Great for plane watching or just getting away from crowds.

5. There are TWO quiet seating areas (sort of like food and drink-free airline lounges). One is located above Ike’s Food and Cocktails on the mezzanine level overlooking the mall area below. The other is at the other end of the mall on the mezannine above MSP news.

4. There’s a private nursing mothers room that can be used for a multitude of mothering tasks above the food court on the C concourse. There’s also a family center that can be used for nursing, diaper changes and play located near the entrance to the E concourse.

3. Anti-social types can even rent a private room in the airport conference center. There you can check e-mail or get some work done in peace before your flight.

2. Also, many don’t know about the security checkpoint adjacent the rental car & transit center. There’s rarely a big line here but it’s far from the main terminal so it’s only worth seeking  it out if you’re NOT checking luggage. It’s also great if you’re coming IN from those super-far A, B, C or G concourse gates because you can exit security close to those far gates and jump the monorail back to the main terminal.

Lucky Lindy's @msp

1. “Lucky Lindy’s” arcade.  The airports signature arcade is on the “F” concourse near gate F7. This is just one of 4 arcades that includes one each on the C and G concourses and one pretty big one at the Humphrey Terminal…or Terminal 2.

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Staring at 24+ hours of economy class gourmet, I was sure to stuff my face.

Notes: My first thought when I hopped the quick escalator ride up to the Skyview Lounge at Changi was that I was about to be scammed. I’d use up a valuable Priority Pass tick and have spent an hour plus in a skyway that’s not really even separate from the airport. But once you’re in, this open-air bridge style lounge… feels like a lounge. The main area is spacious and seating areas are sectioned off nicely for both small groups and singles making connections or departing from Terminal 1.

Food is equal to or greater than most indie lounges than I’ve visited. For this breakfast visit, I had an assortment of pastries, snacks and western or Asian entree items. Tiny chocolate croissants (okay, some Euro representation there too), mini-pancakes and noodles were enough to get me started on a full day of economy flying back to the US.

Wi-Fi: Yes/Complimentary. Speed was acceptable but not blazing fast.

Service: Front desk staff were friendly, efficient and helpful. Lounge was kept impossibly clean by staff on this visit so the entire crew was on their game.

Convenience to gate: This is a large terminal so ask at the front desk what the trip to your gate will take. For Delta flights, it’s a quick jump (about a 3 minute walk).

How I got in/Strategies: Priority Pass. If you’re not particularly loyal to a specific airline or don’t travel enough to justify the cost of a full lounge membership, I highly recommend joining. If you’d like to buy a pass in advance and are paying in British Pounds (GBP), try goSimply.

Rating: 3 hops (of 5)

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Service:The pre-flight exit row briefing was probably the most time I’d ever spent pretending to listen to someone. Dull (and as important) as it was, it gave me a good feel for the courteous nature of the crew. Everything here was efficient and friendly. Save for the poor guy who tried to nab an exit seat for free and was swiftly told to move to his assigned seat.

I wish I could un-eat this.

Food: Blech! There were no hot food options on this short flight between Singapore and Kuala Lumpur, but I had pre-ordered a cold, quick lunch via the airline’s website when booking. The chicken-loaf, mayonnaise sandwich type thing was pretty awful but barely on the safe side of edible, so I managed to scarf it down. If you’re on a shorter JetStar flight, I’d be willing to bet anything at the airport would be better so grab something pre or post flight.

Special note: Web check-in isn’t allowed for exit row seats which may mean having to wait in a longer line at the airport.

Summary:. There’s a lot of value in this exit row upgrade. Prices at the time of this review ran between $15 to $25 (USD), a fee that’s far less off-putting than those of US and European discount airlines. Wrapped with friendly service and whatever food you bring aboard on your own, this could turn out to be a pretty nice flight!

Rating: 4 hops (of 5).

Strategy:Book your JetStar Asia flight early to make sure you get a seat in the second of the two exit rows aboard this plane (seats in row 12 have zero recline). Upgrade from “Starter” fare or purchase the more flexible “Starter Plus” fare which allows you to choose these seats at no additional charge.

A nice spot to sit and enjoy your complimentary warm soda and bag of chips.

Notes: The Amtrak Club Acela Lounge at New York Penn Station is dark, a bit worn and offers little in the way of snacks or refreshment. What it does have is reasonably comfortable chairs and wi-fi. With just that You’re upwards of 90-something percent better off than being stuck waiting around the hoards of commuters shuffling between Amtrak, Subways and regional rail in the main areas of the station. Well, except for the food part.

The lounge does provide a cup of coffee and (maybe) a wrapped danish. It’s enough to get you started before digging in to get some work or pre-ride tweeting done.

Wi-Fi: Yes/Complimentary.

Service: Service is good if you’re ready to go. Maybe it was the slightly less than business-casual attire, but the front desk didn’t seem to believe that I was traveling in first class. While fishing for my ticket, I was grilled with questions like “Are you SURE You’re in Acela First and not Business?!”. Things got much friendlier when I found the ticket.

Convenience to gate: All tracks are just outside the lounge.

How I got in/Strategies: Access is available to Amtrak Select Plus Guest Rewards members, active United Club members or passengers with same-day business class air ticket aboard United. Amtrak passengers with same-day Acela First or sleeping car tickets are also admitted. One day passes are also available at any Acela Lounge.

Rating: 2 hops (of 5)

Location:Tucson, Arizona

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Mmmm. Memory foam.

The Room: Perhaps I’ve been in New York City too long but I was most impressed by the size of this room. I wasn’t sure what to look for when searching out Tucson hotels but I hadn’t even thought of having plenty of space for cartwheels… or maybe a splash pool (The latter is unnecessary thanks the the gigantic spa/tub). I was so happy to have this much space that I barely noticed that it’s size made the furniture look a bit small…almost like a kids room. Although nothing was actually small. The bed is king sized and the washroom could fit about 5-10 clown-cars full of clowns in it.

While the mix of contemporary and Southwestern seems a little awkward in places, I think the room is pretty well appointed. The work space might be a little uncomfortable though…But that just gives you an excuse to play golf or go to the pool.

Service: The front desk staff was tested very little on this visit, but were very friendly at check in and check out. They were very helpful in setting me up with the upgrade and great with directions.

Overall: At the time of my stay here at Lodge on the Desert it was one of tripadvisor.com’s top picks for Tucson hotels. Thanks to some disingenuous hotel owners, competitors and terribly disgruntled guests, the site has become less reliable in recent years but it steered me in the right direction on this one. For the money and location, Lodge is a good value.

Rating: 4 Hops (out of 5)