A first visit to any city and then travelling from the Airport, Rail station or other terminal can be a worrying time. Walk or taxi. Perhaps a bit of research beforehand can make this a less stressful experience.

In Paris for example you have from Charles de Gaulle airport the train the Airport bus or Taxis.  I have not tried the train but I have used both the Bus and Taxis. Paris Taxis have on all occasions used the Meter and are delighted when given a tip. Knowing Paris I have on all occasions believed that they took either the quickest or shortest route as appropriate. The Bus goes to The Arc de Triumph and a couple of other destinations, and is economical. If you have only Hand Luggage it is an excellent option.

London offers a big choice and again the Taxis can be trusted to be honest . However do not repeat NOT use a unordered mini cab or any person who approaches you in the airport. I guess this would apply in all cities. You have no safeguards or insurance should something go wrong. Often these unlicensed cars will charge more than a taxi and have contacted a mate or two to be at your destination to make sure you pay up. BE WARNED.

We always check the IHG hotel web page to have an estimate at to the cost and distance from the airport and hotel. On one occasion the Taxi did take a much longer route and charge more. We noted the number of the Taxi spoke to the concierge and he contacted the Taxi firm and had them banned from the Hotel. Often in the bigger hotels where there is a bell boy or Capitan you can enlist their help.

In less secure areas have your destination hotel printed out together with the estimated price and distance from the hotels web page.

On other journeys have the concierge book your taxi and get a price for you. The Bell boys will often, if you ask, get a confirmation from the driver as to the price or that it will be metered.

When returning from a meeting or restaurant I have had the local person I am with speak to the driver confirming that I will ring the establishment or my contacts on my arrival back at the hotel.

Normally just usual precautions are taken and so far only one issue that was resolved by the hotel.

Of course if it is a hotel that can book your taxi and have a name up at the airport a few £/$ extra is worth it for peace of mind.

The Room is not available at check in.

When arriving late and tired at a hotel reception and being given a blank look asking you if you are sure you have a reservation is  something that can cause a rise in blood pressure along with many other problems.

So firstly make sure that you have a copy of your reservation such as this:-

All the information to help the reservation clerk is there. It’s Possible that as in one of my colleagues cases he had the wrong Holiday Inn and was directed on his way as well as the clerk phoning on to advise the correct one he was on his way.

But what if you do not have your reservation or your PC card, You may remember your PC number and pass word. You could get them to log on and view your “current reservation” Should you find that you do have a reservation and disaster strikes that they have, very rarely, let your room you have options. They could bounce another guest or get you another room in a comparable hotel nearby I would expect if with out transport a hotel supplied taxi and some extras.

What if there is No car park space at the hotel.  Well I would ask for advice from the front desk. But firstly I do review the parking options in the hotel web site before booking. I will include a request for parking in my advance Email and seek advice if the seems a possible difficulty. Failing that I would double park in the car park and leave details as to where I am at the front desk. One competitor Hotel runs this system very well in a tight carpark having a bell boy keep an eye on the double parked areas  to help out as required. Should this be overnight then you may be required to leave your key with reception. The German quality cars have a special key that only allows the front drivers door and ignition to work

If you are too late/ early for restaurant which is often a problem but room service is the first option for the evening.  Breakfast is more of a problem and as the window for delivery of room service Breakfast is quite wide enough in most cases the best way of dealing with this is to ask at reception for a precise time making sure it is noted.

After departure you find that there are No points / nights have been awarded so fill in the points discrepancy online form found now in “customer care”

Find after departure bill overcharged.  We found a charge on a two week leisure stay that was for the Mini bar that should not have been as we are Royal Ambassador so Emailed to hotel by return we received an apology as well as an on line refund.

You want to bring excellent service to attention of Managers. The Best Way it to Email the Hotel Direct and post on this site and for those who  so wish on trip advisor as well.

I have found that most hotel issues are resolved by keeping cool polite and Calm but firm and offering solutions too the hotel.

Coming back to the theme of leisure breaks and getting the most out of them by using all the tools on the web is the subject to my today’s blog.

If we are going to a new beach destination I always check the “what’s nearby” tab on the tool bar on the hotels front page on the web.

We like to know what we can do other than sit by either the pool of sea drinking in both the local culture views and drink.

This is a good example for the Crowne Plaza near to Naples:-

Crowne Plaza Hotel STABIAE-SORRENTO COAST

·                     Pompei Roman Ruin (12 KM  /  7.46 MI )

·                     Sorrento (12 KM  /  7.46 MI )

·                     Positano (30 KM  /  18.64 MI )

·                     Vesuvius Volcano (15 KM  /  9.32 MI )

·                     Island of Capri - by boat (30 KM  /  18.64 MI )

·                     Amalfi Drive (30 KM  /  18.64 MI )

·                     Naples city centre (35 KM  /  21.75 MI )

·                     Ravello (40 KM  /  24.86 MI )

·                     Island of Ischia - by boat (50 KM  /  31.07 MI )

·                     Herculaneum Archaelogical Site (20 KM  /  12.43 MI )

·                     Caserta Royal Palace (50 KM  /  31.07 MI

Then looking under "Amenities" we see there are other opportunities for relaxing:-

Access to Wellness services like Turkish Bath, Sauna, Hydrojet Pool, Fitness Room with Technogym facilities, and Tea Corner, at a charge. Access not allowed under 18 years old, and after check out.

We always check out the "Transportation" tab, in this instance in the last lines we see an added bonus:-

Complimentary Local Area Shuttle Radius 4.0 KM

We find that the additional research on the IHG hotels web can greatly increase the enjoyment of a stay.

There are occasions when it is necessary to visit non IHG hotels, for example family reunions, group reunions and business requirements. We visit the local Marriot as it has a convenient leisure club for us to use. As such the membership card allows discounts in the restaurants and bars. There are towns where IHG does not have hotels that are appropriate to our needs such as Bournemouth in the UK, a very pleasant seaside resort town.  We often go to the Bournemouth Marriot for the day using their facilities such as lounge, car park and wash rooms.

When this happens I notice that I go, subconsciously into comparison mode.

Difficult as most Marriott’s seem to fall into a category slightly above the Crowne plaza but well below the Intercontinental Brands.

At the Bournemouth Marriott there are those staff who recognise us and show a genuine welcome, but those who do not tend to ignore us in the public places. Most IHG hotels staff do show some awareness of our presence. In our local Marriott, where we use the leisure facilities twice a week or so, the leisure team, as expected show a warm welcome as we as an efficient one. This is rather better than the leisure clubs we have visited at Holiday Inns where on occasions I have felt like we were intruding on the reception staffs time and their own leisure time; like magazine reading. In one I mentioned that there was rubbish poolside and was greeted with a look of annoyance; nothing was done about it that I was aware of.

When I visit the smaller Hotels locally for celebrations etc. the Restaurants are the facility that comes into mind for comparison. What is the service like? Well none really compare for service to all three of the restaurants in the new intercontinental hotel in Mauritius.

I Have little experience of Hiltons although I just this week met a friend  for coffee at the Swindon Hilton. I felt that the place was cold, no carpeting or even rugs on the floors of the public places. No meet and greet people. A good point was as I was waiting I was offered a newspaper to read. The service in the lounge was reasonable quick. We did find that the televisions a little obtrusive but I have seen these in most hotel lounges and bars but in the IHG there does seem to be a lower volume on them.

It sometimes feels that I should have a clipboard and pen in non IHG establisments.

We spent two nights at the London Intercontinental, Park Lane earlier this week, with one night a reward night and one a Advance payment night. Being a Royal Ambassador (RA) I had the paid night as the first night to establish the upgrade. We were checked in and took advantage of the special rate, that was nor so special, for a RA was it discounted from the new daily rate of £90 down to £60 although earlier in the week it had been offered at £40.

Things were then not as they should be, there was no VIP welcome from the reception desk, not even a point in the directions of the lifts, although we remembered from previously. We found the room and although we were upgraded in accordance with the RA status we were given a room similar to those we had had in years gone by as an Ambassador.

The bowl of fruit consisted of three apples, this does not compare to other Intercontinentals where the fruit offering is usually a large selection of fruit. Two previuos times we were upgraded to suites.

There was no welcome from either the GM or DM. We searched for a note pad and pen or pencil but the room did not have any. A request for room service was ignored.

All this we were happy to live with but on checking out we settled our account to find that the charge for the Club was excluding VAT a UK tax at 17.5% which was not mentioned on any correspondence written or verbal.

My Amex account was then charged an extra £124 with no explanation. Fortunately the Hotel account had the phone number so on calling I was informed that it was an adjustment as they had miscalculated the car parking charge. To right they had it was an over charge. We had asked if there was any thing else to pay as we checked out re the car parking and it was confirmed we did not.

As the person I was speaking to appeared to be proficient I listed my other complaints as above and kept my cool. I was rewarded by having the corrected car park charge cancelled as well.

On the positive front the club is well managed and spacious. The staffs are welcoming, friendly and efficient. The breakfast choice is very good. The downside is at £90 plus VAT is expensive in my opinion and even the discounted RA rate is still not a good deal.

Lessons leant; well always keep an eye on your creditor charge card statements, preferably on line. Check that the rate quoted is gross and not excluding taxes.

Marshal your facts before phoning your complaint.

Yes and Advanced Purchase rate appears to be a qualifying rate.

In Many airports world wide but those having flights direct to many European countries and those of North America are experiencing increased security. The Hand luggage allowance has been reduced again to one item.

Travelling from UK to USA the rules are amended. I would expect this to be the case for flights from other airlines and countries. (As per the British Airways web site) to:-

Also look at:- http://www.heathrowairport.com/

We must consider now carefully what we choose to take in hand luggage and well as hold luggage.

Choose carefully weather a belt with metal is required. Slips on shoes are quicker to remove and replace at check in.

Are fluids really required in hand luggage?

Remove all coins, phones, pens, and wallets Etc from trousers (pants) before Xray Scanners. I put all these type of things in a side pocket on my hand luggage before the security checks.

If you have medications have a copy of the prescription.

Allow about an hour extra for increased security.

Check your travel insurance to see if cover is applicable to missed check in to your hotel. Consider flex rates that can be cancelled on the day of departure up to mostly 4.00pm of the day of arrival.

Be patient its for your own good.

On this Forum we use a number of abbreviations and phrases that we may not be fully conversant with. I will list some I use and others may wish to comment with others.

IHG   this is Intercontinental Hotel Group PLC website :-

http://www.ihgplc.com/

This is the company that holds the name4s and brands to the hotels we frequently stay at.

PC   Priority Club The loyalty scheme we belong to

PCC Priority club connect the forum we contribute to.

IC Intercontinental Hotel

CP Crowne Plaza Hotel

HI Holiday Inn Hotel

HIX Holiday Inn Express

RA Royal Ambassador Status

http://community.priorityclub.com/people/ronaldchadwick/blog/2009/06/09/so-just- what-is-royal-ambassador-status

Amb.  Ambassador status

Initial enrolment $150.00 annual renewal $100.00

An annual Complimentary Weekend Night Certificate shall be awarded. Each Complimentary Weekend Night Certificate is valid for 12 months from the date of issue and is redeemable in conjunction with a minimum two-night weekend stay at any InterContinental Hotels & Resorts property hotel

Plus 5000 bonus points enough for a points break night.

GM General Manager of the hotel

DM The most senior manager on duty in that hotel at that time.

There are some fellow guests who seem oblivious to the needs of others and do various things that do not allow for the peace and tranquility that we may crave. It is how we deal with this that I would like to discuss.If you book a room in the hotel and you have the impression that the hotel is fairly full then it could be that a conference is being held. It is fairly certain that a number of the conference delegates will have big egos and some have a larger than reasonable appetite for drink. Both of these situations lead to late night loud conversations in the corridors and over enthusiastic closing of doors. I would ask the front desk to speak to the conference organizers to remind delegates that other guests are staying and that they, the delegates, are representing the good name of their organization and that the other guests have more peaceful needs. With the company I was with this was mentioned at the close of the days business and at the end of the evening meal. Those who transgressed were bought to book and on one occasion one was sent home early in disgrace.We are staying in a Resort Intercontinental and there was a large conference, the delegates were exceptional aware of other guests and they were exceptionaly discreet. They should be complimented Well done! The company Is LG the electronics company.

So what to do about the next room guest who has the TV or Radio on loud at night, you could call room to room and ask politly if they could lower the volume, I believe this usulaly works. Then there are those who entertain in there room with a number of excited and loud voices. This is totaly unaceptable and a call to the front desk is needed; Unless you want to join the party that is. Should this fail then I would ask for a room change with assistance to at least the same level or better and some type of compensation, free breakfast extra points or similar.

It is unfortunate that young children's hours do not  always suit your so unless it is persistent crying or screaming the disruption should only be for a short time. Should it be persistent the again have a room change. Hotels could help in this by putting families with young children on end rooms reducing the number of adjacent rooms.