Hyatt Regency Bellevue

As a city, Seattle manages to balance perfectly between cutting edge and perfectly grounded. Home to some of the world’s most successful tech companies and a thriving organic food industry, the seaside metropolis pulls off both style and substance beneath a seemingly constant drizzle of rain.

While not technically in Seattle proper, the Hyatt Regency Bellevue is a perfect reflection of the city’s functional sleekness. The front lobby features floor to ceiling glass as well as babbling water features and greenery. The Twisted Cork, one of the hotel’s restaurants on the main floor, easily flips from hip nightclub in the evening to spacious dining room for breakfast in the morning. The staff is friendly, accommodating, and just as quick and efficient as you’d expect from a property that likely sees a lot of business travelers.

The Hyatt Regency Bellevue is a short drive from the Nintendo Americas Headquarters (where I was visiting), as well as Microsoft offices and other East Seattle corporations. It’s also within walking distance from restaurants, shopping and relaxed nightlife, a convenience often missing from airport hotels and other locations catering to conference crowds.

I stayed in a king room during my visit and found the bed comfortable, the bathroom plenty large enough, and the room itself spacious enough to accommodate working, relaxing, and unpacking. I would request a better view since I’ve learned that some of my fellow travelers were able to see the mountains from their rooms, whereas I was greeted each morning by office buildings.

If you’re visiting Seattle, the Hyatt Regency Bellevue’s out-of-the-way location wouldn’t be convenient. However, if you’re in town doing business in Bellevue, you can book a stay at the Hyatt with confidence.

Photo courtesy of Hyatt Hotels

You can see the hipness from here! Photo: Best Western President Hotel

Last fall I stayed at the Best Western President in Times Square, NYC. It was a rocky stay for a number of reasons, including a totally random housekeeping fail, and the ongoing construction in the lobby. Rather than trash the well-intentioned property, which really did go out of their way to make things better, I held off on the review pending another stay.

Last month my husband (and frequent co-reviewer), Jeff, was headed to New York for a brothers’ trip. It seemed like the perfect time to check back with the Best Western, who offered up a nice discounted media rate for the guys.

Overall, Jeff had a much better time than I did. The biggest change is that there was actually a lobby bar, and a place for the breakfast service, which was missing when I was there. Also, the absence of the loud and mess construction — and construction workers — did a lot to improve the atmosphere of the place.

Here’s Jeff’s review: Read More »

The Claremont Resort & Spa, Berkeley, CA

Some dear friends recently celebrated their 10 year wedding anniversary with a stay at the Claremont Resort and Spa, an old school “Grand Hotel” in Berkeley, California. In addition to being a beautiful and historic property, it’s also where they spent their honeymoon.

Pools, Bars and Chicken Fingers

The Claremont was nice enough to offer me a room at their media rate, so my husband and I decided to join our friends with a one-night staycation of our own!

The scene of chicken fingers and greyhounds!

We spent a delightful afternoon by pools (yes, plural — one for everybody, a second for kids and a third for laps) sipping cocktails while nibbling on chicken fingers and fries, which were delicious and a bargain at $7, don’t miss ‘em!

That was followed by an hors d’oeuvres and wine-filled evening in the Paragon Cafe and Bar, home of amazing San Francisco skyline views and breathtaking sunsets over the Golden Gate Bridge. Oh, and tasty food and drink. After so much decadence, we were more than happy to stumble upstairs to our room with a partial Bay View and extremely comfortable king sized bed.

Secret Agent Hotel Reviewer Financial Services Offsite Meeting Attender

My behind remembers sitting thru 3 day meetings in those chairs

But let me back up: before I could start drinking by the pool, the Claremont’s extremely friendly and funny Senior Sales Manager, Quincy Smith, gave us a tour of the property so I could do a (relatively) informed review of the hotel. Little did he know, I’m sort of a ringer.

Read More »

70 Park Avenue Hotel, New York City. Limo not included, I asked.

In honor of turning 40, I enjoyed a full month of birthday celebrations. It culminated in a romantic long weekend in New York City with my husband. We did a good mix of visiting friends and seeing tourist sites like the Empire State Building and the phenomenal Metropolitan Museum of Art – they have an actual wig from an actual Egyptian mummy!

Through an introduction from my travel writing buddy Annie Scott, we were able to get a great deal on four nights at the 70 Park Avenue, one of the beautiful luxury Kimpton properties in NYC, in a perfect location,  two blocks south of Grand Central Station.

70 Park Ave lobby, scene of wanton wine drinking, nightly.

If you know the Kimpton line, then you’re familiar with their tradition of each hotel telling a story. The story of the 70 Park is “live life well” and they certainly do what they can to help you do just that, with a wine happy hour in the lobby every evening, Frette linens (which I wanted to steal) and a pillow bar.

A pillow bar might seem like a silly thing, but let me tell you, married people have BIG fights about things like pillows and it was a surprisingly delightful perk to have my nice firm foam pillow while my husband got to have his weird, squishy, totally uncomfortable down pillow.

Like all Kimpton properties, the 70 Park Ave is part of the admirable and extensive EarthCare green program, which includes in-room recycling, energy efficient water fixtures and non-toxic cleaning products.

A Deluxe King room feels big b/c of light and mirrors

Location Location Location
We stayed in a king deluxe on the 4th floor, in the front of the building overlooking the corner of Park Avenue and 38th Street. The convenient mid-town location on the East side, plus the proximity to Grand Central Station, meant we were close to everything. You have a Starbucks one block up the street, the gym is two blocks away, and the Empire State Building an easy five minute walk.

The Room
When you travel to NYC, you think “Tiny, space at a premium, be ready for cramped luxury.” So the size of the rooms at 70 Park Avenue was a delightful surprise. Good size (235 – 500 square feet), with a good sized window overlooking Park Avenue, and letting in lots of natural light but keeping out the street noises.

The rooms were made to feel larger by excellent use of mirrors and lighting. Huge mirrors covered most of the walls, and there were several area lights with individual controls.

The Bathroom
Small, but cleverly designed, using all of the available space. The shower curtain was probably the best part. It had a curved curtain rail, so you get a little more space when you’re inside the shower.  The L’Occitane bath amenities are my new favorite — I’m even thinking of buying the lavender conditioner.

But…the worst thing about the bathroom was the sliding door. I hate sliding doors on hotel room bathrooms. They never give you a good “sound seal”. Also, this one didn’t have a handle, so it was incredibly hard to get it to shut all the way. I’m sure there’s some cool sliding door trick, but I don’t know what it is.

The Silverleaf Tavern

Food and Drink
As I mentioned, the 70 Park Avenue does a wine happy hour every evening between 5 and 6. It was so nice to get back from a long, hot afternoon of sightseeing and be greeted with a a glass of wine from the sassy Mr. Patrick. And he didn’t even yell at me – well, maybe  just a little – when I spilled my wine. In fact, he came right over and refilled my glass up to the very brim.

The Silverleaf Tavern is off the lobby, and you can get a nice buffet breakfast in the am and cocktails and food in the evening. If you do have breakfast there, brace yourself for the price: it was $70 for the two of us, although they were extremely nice and brought me scrambled egg whites, without an extra charge, when I asked for them. Before you chalk it up to NYC being expensive, on another morning we took a two block walk to a neighborhood diner and paid $30 total for the same basic meal.

The Mini Bar
Full fridge, with loads of great snacks and a wide variety of booze and soft drinks. I was able to resist the cashews (can you believe I forgot to write down the price?) but I did succumb to the siren song of Pringles at 3 am with a cold Corona! More usefully, the mini-bar area also contained a toothbrush, toothpaste, razors, and a myriad of other things you need when you need them. It was like staying overnight in a Walgreens, which for some of us is a dream come true.

If You’re Going to Stay
I can highly recommend this as a location for travelers who want be somewhere central, safe, and comfortable. You’re close to everything, including the subway in Grand Central Station, and there is plenty to see within walking distance. The neighborhood is pretty dead at night but hey, it’s New York – if you want action, jump in a cab and $10 later you’re in a dive bar in the East Village, watching a 3 piece rock-a-billy band. Your luggage and everything else will be safe and sound back at your nice clean hotel, waiting for you to come sleep on the pillow of your choice!