Should I have been sent to the hospital?
Stayed October 2016
While writing this entry, I was thinking if I should split it into 2, but I decided I needed to reduce my backlog as much as possible.
From the St Regis, I moved to the nearby Westin which have much better online reviews.
The walk to the Westin wasn’t too bad even with luggage, and I was also eager to leave theย small room atย St Regis.
There, I had an amazing upgrade due to a special set of circumstances.
The hotel is easy to spot as the exterior looked really classic with the balconies and cupola as in the picture above.
This was when my companion got concerned and asked Mr Flaviano to check on my booking.
The bathroom was more than fine and the bathtub came with Jacuzzi jets. That, I really liked.
So what happened?First,ย I had booked a Junior Suite under a refundable rate (which I advise to do when booking in advance) and had changed the rate and room typeย subsequently.
My changes were acknowledged by the SPG system, however, I think the hotel booking was not updated.
That explains the large pre-authorization amount (I remember it was 1500 Euros) and I do think the upgrade could have been a mistake. Of course I can be wrong.ย Perhaps the hotel is really that great to elite members!
I made my way to the lower lobby which leads to the meeting rooms, the business center and the gym.
Breakfast the next morning was solid with a nice range and good quality in a opulent restaurant.
Not as grand as the St Regis surely, but it is only a meal…
However, it was also much more crowded and I had to wait for some time before being seated.
I took a walk around the lobby extension before checking out which was very efficient.
I returned the bottle of Martini to the front desk as I was already very surprised by the upgrade and that I do not drink alcohol either.
Sadly, I did not manage to bid farewell to Mr Flaviano and thank him for his help.
On reaching the gate, I was picked up by the temperature scanner for having a high reading.The airport staff stopped me and motioned me to the side.Oh Dear!
I was questionedย on several things, includingย how long I was and what I did in Dubai, and if I came into contact with camels. I gathered there were concerns of MERS from the Middle East.
My temperature reading was less than 38.0 Celsius, so I was simply told to go to the hospital if I got worse by the protocol.ย
Happy and Healthy travels! (To myself as well!)
Congrats on getting the upgrade! I was there with my family in Oct 2016 (booked a regular room) as SPG Platinum. The first night was full house for suites hence I had to settle for no upgrade (and was assigned a courtyard-facing room of the original category booked). On the second night, I tried my luck as suites became available for booking. The front desk agent checked with the manager who declined the upgrade.
I just got a reply from the hotel on TA that it was really a mistake in assignment. So I really lucked out here!