Kinglobjaw's Blog

Archive for June, 2009

Just spoke to a PR contact overlooking the future Marriott property in the Maldives. Here’s what I found out:

• Will not be a Renaissance hotel, but a JW Marriott instead (will it still bear the name Gaakoshibee?)
• Scheduled opening is now third quarter of 2010 (but it’s safe to assume it will probably be pushed back, unless Marriott is truly up to speed to get it ready for the Winter 2010 season)
• No category mention yet (I’m going to guess 7 or 8 since it is the Maldives, people!)

I spoke to another rep who also mentioned that a Ritz-Carlton property is also being planned in the Maldives. No dates mentioned.

All sounds very enticing!

Have a nice clicK life,

-Mark

A few weeks back I casually mentioned that I was one of the winners of Advance Your World Challenge. Unfortunately I didn’t win the grand prize, but was one of 993 first prize winners. The prize consisted of 10,000 Hilton HHonors points and Diamond VIP status extended thru early 2011. While terms and conditions guaranteed the posting of points within 8-10 weeks, I got my points today. They posted with the description “AMEX ONLINE GAME WINNERS BONUS”. Am still not happy with the final outcome of this screwed up promotion which went downhill from best of it’s kind, quite quickly, if I may add.

Oh! Better than nothing…

Have a nice clicK life,

-Mark

I’m a sucker for themed planes and I absolutely love LOT’s repaint of one of it’s 737-400′s. The new livery symbolizes a 20 year anniversary of a movement called “Solidarity” which was an opposition movment that overthrew communist rule in Poland in 1989 (also the year Kinglobjaw was born) and gave way for democracy.

Normally, I find golden paint tacky, but I really like what LOT did with this bird.

LOT's special livery on this 737-400 celebrates the introduction of democracy in Poland

Have a nice clicK life,

-Mark

US Airways is introducing snacks for purchase on shorter flights over 1 hour in length. Details can be found here.

But, I do wonder- will they be complimentary in First Class? Or does this change also indicate that the snack basket will see some kind of snack rotation? Looks like I’ll find out soon!

I’m willing to say US Airways will offer this up front at no extra charge. This hypothesis is based on a recent experience on USAirways’ Hawaii flights offering complimentary premium/energy beverages in First that are for purchase in coach. No, I don’t mean wine/spirits- I mean Mai Tai’s and other premium alcoholic/energy beverages which cost $7 in coach on the Hawaii runs.

Have a nice clicK life,

-Mark

If you look into the Delta Shuttle operation, you’ll realize US Airways is king in the shuttle market.

First, Delta decided to add First Class to lure more passengers. Then they added WiFi internet. Didn’t really help. A few months later, Delta downsized the fleet, from the maddog (MD-88) to the Delta Connection outsourced EMB-170 cutting seats by almost half. That move doesn’t seem to help either, now does it?

Currently, Delta is offering 3,000 miles for each segment instead of the usual 500. US Airways hasn’t matched yet, but do they really have to?

The fact of the matter is US Airways rules the shuttle market. They are far more convenient, offer a better product and a much more reliable service. Since Delta is merging with Northwest to become the world’s largest airline, I doubt it will drop the shuttle operation entirely, but DC to New York La Guardia seems to be Delta’s weakest of the three shuttle routes. They’d be foolish to downgrade the aircraft further as they’d loose any remaining premium traffic, but I see them reducing flights. To be fair, Northwest was never a big player in Boston, DC and New York, so they can’t bring in that many loyal customers to the new Delta.

Me? I’m just glad US Airways has a solid shuttle operation I can rely on. Including weekends! And those twelve First Class seats on every flight? They’re icing on the cake!

Have a nice clicK life,

-Mark

Not all companies have a generous “Above & Beyond” program like US Airways, but no matter the method, praising and rewarding employees that strive to do well is a must! Sure this post isn’t exactly airline related, but some companies  actually  turn “sour” at the thought of receiving a letter filled with complements about one of their employees. That said, it’s really nice to see a company actually go above and beyond to recognize an employee. Allow me to set the post so you’ll understand what I’m trying to say.

Right before Mother’s day this year I was purchasing a gift for my Mom at Bloomingdales. I was also purchasing new cologne and sunglasses for myself. The clerk was one of the nicest I’ve shopped with in years. I decided on a gift card for Mom, she even packaged it to look nice. I told her my intentions of buying something for myself and she suggested the Bloomingdales charge card in a manner that made me want to sign up. Funny part is- I never wanted to apply for that card until that day. In the end I walked away with a hefty discount and soon enough my Mom was using my card to make purchases for herself at Bloomingdales.

You probably won’t believe this, but afterward the lady gave me her business card with a telephone number and told me to call her in advance when I want to come by to shop again. She wanted to assist me with my future purchases by being there in person. She told me she was also there if I had any problems with the current products I use that I bought from Bloomingdales. That’s nice to hear! Not just smiles and friendly attitude during the purchase, but even after when something goes wrong. That was all said and done after giving me tons of extra samples and goodies.

Fast forward a week later. Along with the usual mail advertisements I got a form asking me to rate Bloomingdales service. I’ve never gotten such a thing from any other store, so I decided to fill it out and commend the lady clerk I shopped with. She was excellent.

Here’s an email I received from the store manager today:

Dear Mark

Thank you for taking the time to share your comments on your recent shopping experience in our North Michigan store. As the Store Manager, I rely heavily on feedback from my customers. I believe it is my most effective tool in creating the best possible shopping experience for you.

“M” of the Cosmetics department is a true asset to our team and always makes serving her customers an engaging and positive event. I will personally forward your comments to “M” and plan to recognize her in a letter of commendation, which I plan to present at our next storewide meeting to celebrate her success. Our priority is to provide our customers with a courteous, professional interaction, and clearly Ms. “M” did just that. Exceeding our customers’ expectations is a high priority. I am always so pleased to hear when we have succeeded!

I realize you have many shopping options and trust you know that we will continue to offer the kind of service that makes North Michigan your favorite!

Sincerely,

“Store Manager” (I replaced real names to keep anonymity)

Isn’t it an indication that the company really cares? For me, that’s part of the experience! It’s a complete 180 degrees from the joke called “Macy’s” where employees are generally disgusting and the employers are even worse! My Macy’s comments are limited to Chicago stores- at least for now!

Have  a nice clicK life,

-Mark