Kinglobjaw's Blog

Posts Tagged ‘marriott’

So I’m sitting in the Star Alliance Lounge in at the Los Angeles International Airport and thinking about my favorite Phoenix trip past-time. I have to tell you, one of the reasons I decided to go to Phoenix before the Africa trip was to check-out the recently renovated JW Marriott Camelback Inn. The Camelback Inn renovation introduced Arizona to a fantastic Steakhouse whose locations usually dominate the East Coast. The steakhouse, you ask? BLT.

By no means, will this be a professionally written restaurant review, but I’m hoping that my very positive experience could possibly serve as a reccomendation for a pleasant steakhouse dining experience. I’ll be blunt, you have most likely never been to such a unique steakhouse.

Basically, the dining experience is not only about enjoying a delicious piece of meat, but it’s all about customizing and trying new things. Along with your cut of meat, you have the option of selecting many  steak sauces and enjoying every single piece of meat with a different sauce. I have to say, it was very fancy and I enjoyed comparing the many options. I didn’t order the steak, barbeque or mustard sauces since I’ familiar with those, but I tried chimichura (brazillian w/ olive oil), peppercorn, bouilabaisse. red wine sauce and blue cheese. The red wine sauce was my favorite! Alongside the 12 oz. piece of well done filet mignon, it was a match made in heaven.

Side dishes are shared, which reminded me of an Asian restaurant. I really enjoyed that option since I could try many more sides and regulate the amount of each that I ate. Since my excersize and healthy eating “regime” I bestowed upon myself, I opted for veggie sides: glazed carrots, grilled asparagus, creamy spinach. I also tried mashed potatoes and and potatoes au gratin with gruyere, which my parents ordered. All great sides. One interesting bit- they also serve a side dish of cactus fries. And that’s no nickname! Those are actual fries made from a cactus. I’m assuming this is only a specialty served in Scottsdale.

Unfortunately, no room for dessert after this meal, but I’m sure one can look forward to something creative and unique.

Visit BLT Restaurants online.

Here’s me dining with my folks at BLT. Notice how full our table is!

I normally don’t write restaurant reviews, but I still hope this helps.

Have a nice clicK life,

-Mark

Currently staying at the JW Marriott Camelback Inn until Monday, before I leave for my Africa journey. In the hollywood world, one could say- this is a pre-party prior to the main event.

I’m on a $90 AAA rate which is a fantastic deal, even better than at the IC Montelucia.

We got upgraded to a room w/ a double balcony (one is actually so big’, it’s a patio/terrace).

One quirk was a resort fee which was unexplained during the booking process. A few weeks later, Marriott finally published what was included in the $25-per-night resort fee:

RATE PROGRAM FACTS **

Daily resort fee includes the following amenities ($150 value)

*High speed internet and wireless internet in guest rooms

*Unlimited local and domestic long distance calls

*Use of the resort’s recreational amenities including

-Unlimited range balls for driving range, chipping, putting

-Use of Callaway golf clubs while on the driving range

-Use of Callaway golf shoes while on the driving range

-50pct off Callaway golf club rental when buying round of golf

-$25 rounds of golf including greens fees, club and cart rental

(space available basis)

-Shuttle service from resort to golf course

-Use of 5 lighted tennis courts

-Complimentary two hour bicycle rental (upon availability)

*Complimentary breakfast, lunch or dinner for children 12 or

under with each adult ordering off the regular menu

*One complimentary dinner appetizer daily with purchase of equal

or greater value, per room, in either BLT Steak, Rita’s Kitchen

or R-Bar

*15pct off retail purchases in resort, spa and golf pro shops

Since I have my own  aircard for internet and a cell phone, I knew, I wouldn’t use the internet or calling. As for the other “offerings”, I knew point blank I would definitely NOT be using them. I just came for a little rest & relaxation and I was upset that aside from the room rate, it would cost me $25 extra per night to do that.

I was surprised how easily and without protest the front desk staff removed the resort fee and thanked me for returning to the property! Here I was, preparing a speech and a print out of how next-door brand-new competitor IC Montelucia waived resort fees, when it was a simple as asking the staff to have it removed!

A final comment! I have to say, the property looks great after the renovation! I’m heading to BLT Steak for dinner tonight- menu looks delicious. No dessert however, hehe! My only wish is for a second, larger pool.

Happy 4th of July!

Have a nice clicK life,

-Mark

With the good news of two Marriott properties in the Maldives, comes a reality check. JW Marriott Fiji Resort & Spa At Momi Bay will never happen. All plans have been abandoned. I don’t know the exact reasons, but I recall reading it had something to do with a 50/50 mix of financial problems and political troubles.

That’s all I have for you. Sorry I couldn’t dig up more.

Have a nice clicK life,

-Mark

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

This is an update to the post on getting 10K Northwest miles the cheapest way.

Merchant #6 is FootLocker. You can search for keyword “sport bands” or look at item directly here.

The cost is $0.99+ tax and shipping is free. While checking out, they will inform you that shipping is $4.99, but select “Standard” and on the final page (before confirmation/purchase) you will see that the shipping becomes $0.00.

So that’s 6 merchants, 4 to go and I’ve confirmed with NWA that all 6 are pending and will post since I’m not returning anything.

How to make this US Airways related? Following the completion of the NWA promotion and Delta promotion I will dedicate an entire post to comparing online shopping malls for major US carriers and Marriott.

Have a nice clicK life,

-Mark

Very easy and free 100 miles with Delta, Northwest, Lufthansa and 16 other companies after filling out a simple form. More details available at Mobile Miles.

One thing regarding the phone number you enter. DO NOT enter your own or change the ‘+372′ prefix for Estonia! Just add 7 more random digits and hit submit. You will then get a confirmation page.

You can try doing it again and again for all the programs that you earn miles/points with; however be sure to enter a different phone number every time. You can also use a different email every time, should you choose to do so, but it is not necessary.

Have a nice clicK life,

-Mark

If you are not a RewardTV member, now is the time to join. Free of charge, of course! You get tons of valuable points for just watching your favorite TV shows, even if you don’t really watch them at all. You end up earning lots of points since you earn them in bunches of thousands. What can you do with your points? You spend them on shopping sprees. There are two each week and they announce the guaranteed prizes ahead of time. This is no silly sweepstakes.

An upcoming shopping spree on Wednesday, March 4, 2009 at 2:30PM Eastern Time is offering 1,000 AADVANTAGE miles for 300,000 RewardTV points (if you sign up for today, you can still earn in time- yes, you really earn them that fast). RewardTV very rarely offers miles as a reward, as it’s usually a gift card to places like BestBuy, Staples or Amazon.com (my favorites).

Besides American Airlines they partner with other airlines, but those miles are offered even more scarcely than the AA miles. Here are the airlines:

• Delta
• Northwest

They also partner with Marriott, but since I’ve never seen them offer it, I have no clue whether it’s a $10 Marriott gift card or Marriott Rewards points.

Have a nice clicK life,

-Mark

Just received my quarterly paper statement from Marriott Rewards. Yes, some companies still send those!

Page 2 hightlights Ritz Carlton savings if you are wanting to stay using Marriott Rewards points. More info can be found here: http://www.marriott.com/rewards/ritzCarltonPointSavers.mi (or if that link doesn’t work try http://www.marriottrewards.com/pointsavers)

Tier 2 Savings

• 1 night award- 50,000 pts (normally 70,000)
• 2 night award- 80,000 pts (normally 110,000)
• 3 night award- 110,000 pts (normally 150,000)
• 5 night award- 150,000 pts (normally 200,000)
• 7 night award- 190,000 pts (normally 250,000)

Tier 1 Savings

• 1 night award- 35,000 pts (normally 45,000)
• 2 night award- 60,000 pts (normally 75,000)
• 3 night award- 80,000 pts (normally 100,000)
• 5 night award- 120,000 pts (normally 150,000)
• 7 night award- 140,000 pts (normally 175,000)

I hear the Ritz-Carlton Grand Cayman (Tier 2) is really nice, and for a 7 nights stay it’s a savings of 60,000 Marriott Rewards points. Excellent deal for an excellent property.

Now, if only Ritz-Carlton Molasses Reef would open up already!

Have a nice clicK life,

-Mark

Just a few hours ago, I completed my voting in the Freddie Awards. I have to say, it was a little different this year.

US still got the all the highest marks for all the airline related categories, but I voted differently when it came to the hotels.
Each year I would recognize Marriott with all my votes, but I found 2008 to be poor for Marriott. I’ve had some upsetting stays, dismal customer service and ridiculous reductions in the Marriott Rewards program. I’m also upset with the progress of new properties I was really looking forward to staying at.

This year, I’ve found more value with the Hilton HHonors program, and more than anything else, I’ve found Priority Club very rewarding with their stackable bonus promotions and excellent credit card. In the last 6 months I’ve earned more than 80,000 Priority Club points without spending a single penny for hotel rooms. I will say it again, the Priority Club Visa card is amazing and has a very low annual fee ($25). And while Priority Club outsources all of their customer service (even for the Platinum line), I still find the agents genuinely helpful and friendly.

One other neat thing. Go on USAirways.com and on the top left of the page use their Google based search engine and search for the keyword “freddie”. You’ll find an old page which strangely enough still bears the America West logo. Interesting read.

Don’t forget to vote in the Freddie Awards. Voting closes February 28, 2009.

Have a nice clicK life,

-Mark

Three Marriott resorts are set to open in 2009, and all three are in unique, one of a kind places that are certainly worth the wait. Well… I’ve been patient so hurry up already!  I have almost half a million Marriott points and I’m thinking it’s time to redeem some of them.

The first one is a destination that I’ve already been to, but I really want to return to- Maldives. I absolutely love the Maldives, there’s no place like it! Marriott is supposed to open a Renaissance property at the end of 2009. When I went to the Maldives, I stayed at the Conrad Rangali Resort, so I’m curious as to how the Marriott property will fare in comparison. The fact that the press releases states that all villas will have a private pool sounds very enticing. I don’t think anyone should do Maldives without a private plunge pool! This a photo I took at the Conrad. I stayed at the Deluxe Beach Villa with a private pool.

Conrad Maldives Rangali Island- Deluxe Beach Villa

The next property, is the JW Marriott Fiji Resort & Spa at Momi Bay. It hasn’t opened yet, and given it’s history, the current scheduled December 2009 opening date will likely be pushed back once again. I’m annoyed by the fact that this property was supposed to open in 2006, then in December 2007 which was changed to July 2008 and now December 2009. Marriott isn’t offering any updates, and there were some rumors of this project going completely bust due to lack of funds and problems with the Fijian government. It would be such a shame if the project was abandoned- Marriott’s coverage of the South Pacific region is dismal. Aside from a few Marriott properties in Australia, there is nothing in New Zealand, The Cook Islands or French Polynesia.  Fiji has to work or they won’t have a chance to compete against the other major brands like Sofitel, Hilton or Starwood.

Last but definitely not least, is the Ritz Carlton Molasses Reef located in Turks & Caicos. Something closer to home. This was personally reccomended to me by a friend who used to work at the US Airways Headquarters in Tempe, AZ. He was an “eastie” so he managed to (non-rev, I guess) to the Caribbean quite a lot while he worked at US Airways’ Crystal City Headquarters prior to the merger. He said Provo was a great city and that island was so beautiful, mostly because it was quiet and away from the hustle and bustle of tourists, casinos and mega resorts. Sounds lovely. Sort of reminds me of St. Kitts which was like that too. Besides, looking at pictures the island seems very clean and peaceful, while the water in the sea has a Maldives-like turquoise blue quality.

Have a nice clicK life,

-Mark