Review: Le Meridien Mexico City

By

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Jun 4, 2016

The Milelion’s RTW Trip 2016: Trip Planning
Introduction: Around the world in 28 days
EVA Air B77W Business Class Singapore to Taipei
EVA Air B77W Business Class Taipei to Los Angeles
Silvercar LAX
Avenue of the Arts Costa Mesa
Sheraton Gateway Los Angeles
United A319 First Class Los Angeles to Mexico City
Le Meridien Mexico City
United A319 First Class Mexico City to Houston
United B767 Business Class Houston to Sao Paulo
Sheraton Sao Paulo WTC
South African Airways A330 Business Class Sao Paulo to Johannesburg
Hilton Sandton
Ten Bompas Johannesburg
Turkish Airlines A330 Business Class Johannesburg to Istanbul
Turkish Airlines A319 Business Class Istanbul to Zagreb
Westin Zagreb
Croatia Airlines A319 Business Class Zagreb to Frankfurt
Lufthansa First Class Terminal Frankfurt
Lufthansa A330 First Class Frankfurt to Riyadh
Four Points Riyadh
Air India B77W Business Class Riyadh to Mumbai
St Regis Mumbai
ANA B787 Business Class Mumbai to Tokyo
Asiana A330 Business Class Tokyo to Seoul
Westin Chosun Seoul
W Walkerhill Seoul
Asiana B744 Business Class Seoul to Tokyo
ANA B787 Business Class Tokyo to Singapore

This would be my first time in Mexico and unfortunately my knowledge of the country was limited to what I’d seen on Breaking Bad. And heard from Donald Trump. And various other poorly-informed stereotypes on American television. But as Mark Twain said,

“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one’s lifetime.”

There were no fewer than 11 Starwood options available in Mexico City, although only 8 of them were in suitable locations. Price ruled out another 6 options until it was just the four Points and the Le Meridien, at which point the choice was clear.

The Le Meridien Mexico City brands itself as an all-suite property and I can understand why. Although it is “only” a Cat 4 property (and yes, I understand that SPG Categories have nothing to do with quality per se but rather occupancy but explain to me why all the uberluxe properties are Cat 7s), each room is huge and has a separate bedroom and living room, as shown in this publicity photo below

On paper, the Le Meridien Mexico City is 15-20 minutes from the airport, but if you haven’t seen Mexico City traffic, well. I’ve been in Mumbai traffic, I’ve been in Sao Paulo traffic and I’ll say both of them put together have nothing on Mexico City. To add to the fun, the day we arrived there was a big teachers’ protest around our hotel, so a lot of roads were closed and there were cops everywhere. Mexico City teachers must be the most badass teachers ever to warrant that type of response (but then again the mall cops were all packing, so maybe it’s a Mexico thing)

We got to the hotel after 90 minutes in traffic. In the end we weren’t able to get past the police blockade so the bellmen from the hotel had to come out about 200m down the road through the blockade and escort us through.

The Le Meridien lobby is on the second floor, up a flight of stairs (or a lift, if you’re in a holiday mood)

The usual formalities were done- the property gives both the 500 welcome points and the complimentary breakfast to Platinum members, which I appreciate. I know a lot of properties in the USA which will make you choose, and if you pick breakfast they’re careful to stick to the letter of the T&C, giving you a very small continental breakfast instead of the full breakfast option.

My 7th floor room was huge. And this is why I love SPG. Because (outside of the States) they always delight their elite members with upgrades like this. Here’s the view from the entrance

And the sitting area infront of the TV

There was a fully stocked wet bar

There was also a microwave oven, because why not

Hopefully this gives you some idea as to how big the room was- up two stairs on a small wooden platform there was a corridor from the sitting room that leads to the bedroom (with the bathroom through the door to the left)

The bedroom was similarly fantastic. I appreciated the fact the windows were double-glazed because we were infront of a major traffic junction. I’m a light sleeper and still slept like a baby. My absolute favourite feature was that there were 2 USB plugs next to the bed. I am amazed at how many hotels miss out this simple step in this day and age.

There was a big work desk in the bedroom too

And a cupboard with the usual iron and safe. The safe is built into the wall, apparently because portal safes have been stolen en bloc from rooms in other hotels in the past.

There were two sinks for whatever reason. One outside the bathroom

And then another sink inside the bathroom.

The bathroom was spacious with plenty of counter space, a nice change after my airport Sheraton. The toiletries were standard issue Le Meridien stuff, but still light years ahead of Sheraton’s “Shine” brand

10 minutes later there was a knock on the door and someone brought me my SPG Platinum welcome gift, which was a nice gesture even though I didn’t eat it.

There was a handwritten card that went with the gift. The cynic in me thinks that this is all codified into the SPG service manual, but I still appreciate the time taken to do it.

What I loved the most was that on all the SPG floors they had this little setup with water and snacks. It’s a small gesture but it was so convenient to have as much water as I needed. How many places could engender so much goodwill by paying a few bucks for bottled water?

There was an indoor pool but since I was recovering from a very nasty canker sore I didn’t want to risk swimming (the excuses to forestall exercise keep growing)

I never saw a single other person at the pool during my 3 days at the Le Meridien, but this hotel didn’t exactly scream getaway resort either

On the first night I had dinner in the hotel because work didn’t leave me any time to explore. The menu was, I suppose, a passable interpretation of Mexican cuisine. But keep in mind that my baseline for comparison is Chipotle.

I am rather proud of myself that I did not cave and order the pasta (which I am sure would be underwhelming and teflon cut) because I was going to Eataly in Sao Paulo anyway (more on that anon). In the end, tacos were the order of the day.

A small amuse bouche was served, which was cute considering I wasn’t exactly in a place that screamed haute cuisine. It was a parma ham wrapped melon with some balsamic vinegar.

A bread basket accompanied the proceedings. This bread basket was already better than 95% of bread baskets out there because they bothered to heat up the bread. I cannot believe that so many expensive restaurants fail to do this simple step. The next time you’re in a restaurant and they bring you room temperature bread, ask them to heat it up. Trust me, you’ll know the difference.

The main event was tacos with flank steak, as well as guacamole, peppers and onions. I’m almost afraid to say I thought it was delicious for fear that the hipster community (which I am very much trying to court) will despise me for declaring hotel tacos “good”.

Breakfast on the other hand, was a very basic affair. I think I’ve been spoiled by all the amazing buffet spreads you’ll find in Asia, where you’ll get everything from champagne to ice cream at a breakfast buffet.

Over here it was more along the lines of yoghurt

Cereal with hot or cold milk

And a Mexican selection of hot items. This had meats, veggies and eggs

There was also fruit

And something trying very hard to convince me that it was a waffle.

I’ve enjoyed most of my Le Meridien stays, and this was no exception. With the Starwood-Marriott merger there are whispers that the Le Meridien brand may be one of those on the chopping block (after all, it’s not feasible to manage a portfolio of 30+ brands). Le Meridien has come out swinging though, announcing a $300M renovation and expansion plan and its intention to focus more on North America. I do like the Le Meridien brand and hope it stays as a stand-alone brand, because let’s face it, the world doesn’t need another Courtyard by Marriott.

I’m just thinking back to what I opened with, about travel being fatal to prejudice and bigotry. I think if more Americans simply visited Mexico and interacted with the people there they’d realise how far off base many of the things that have been said about the Mexicans are. Service in the hotel was gracious to a fault. When my first room had a really noisy A/C unit, they shifted me to another one and when I got there 2 technicians were fiddling with the A/C unit in the new room to ensure it wasn’t also rattling. The concierge was full of great dining ideas and even volunteered to send a bellboy to a pharmacy in the middle of the night when I needed some chapstick.

Outside the hotel, the people I met on my site visits and meetings were amazing, warm and wonderful. During one site visit to a school the kids made my colleague and I this diorama to take home.

And all the kids said “I love you” and for a brief moment I stopped being angry at every kid I ever saw on a plane. But only for a brief moment.

I’ll be the first to admit that I did have a curated view of Mexico. I only saw the airport, the hotel and whatever sites our handlers wanted us to see. But every local I met was warm and hospitable, and at no point did I feel unsafe or unwelcome. If given a choice I’d be more than glad to come back again in the future.

Provided President Trump hasn’t annexed it, of course.

Hotel Review: Four Points by Sheraton Namsan Seoul

By

Fred Ee

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Jun 3, 2016

0

Great Value for Money!

Published June 2016

This would probably be the shortest review ever on this blog. I was not planning to write something for this hotel as I merely used it for single nights in Seoul.

However, I now think it is a wonderful place to stay for specific reasons and it does deserve a mention.

The hotel is located within walking distance of the central Seoul train station and is connected underground which is mostly sheltered.

The Seoul station connects the many trains, subways, as well as the Airport Express from Incheon Airport. This allows very easy access and was the reason I stayed at the hotel for the start and end of my trips to Seoul.

Four Points by Sheraton is, unsurprisingly, a brand under Starwood Hotels, catered to the budget traveler.

As such, I was not expecting much (in terms of luxury) from my stays here.

The hotel is located on the upper floors of a commercial building which was still quite empty during my stays.

Indeed, the first room I had was the basic room and it was very tiny. European-size small and the bed was right next to the wall.

A complimentary upgrade put me in a deluxe room and the size was way better. There was even some space for the 2 chairs pictured below.

Deluxe Room

Work Desk

The bathroom was definitely bigger than expected and the hotel managed to put in a bathtub and a separate shower.

The bathroom amenities were better in the deluxe room as well.

The view was not too bad as the hotel is on the upper floors of the building.

Depending on the location of the room, one can have a view of the Seoul station and even the Seoul Tower which is also at Namsan, albeit a small distance away.

What was really good was the availability of a complimentary shuttle with a few routes at different times, including a stop at Myeong-dong. Take note there is no shuttle on Sundays at the point of writing.

The standard of the breakfast was also acceptable for a budget hotel. I apologize for the lack of pictures.

Food is also easily available at the Seoul Station which, as mentioned, is only a short walk away.

The staff were very competent, most of them fluent in English and are fast workers. There was hardly any queue at the front desk.

The room rates are very reasonable, priced well below SGD$200 for my stays.

A new and clean hotel with great rates and good service. The proximity to the Seoul station would be perfect for day-trips to other parts of South Korea via the trains.

I really cannot think of anything to fault the hotel, but to share a tip that one should book the bigger deluxe rooms for a more comfortable stay if one is spending more nights here.

Happy And Healthy Travels to all!

Review: United Airlines A319 First Class Los Angeles to Mexico City

By

Aaron Wong

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Jun 1, 2016

6

The Milelion’s RTW Trip 2016: Trip Planning
Introduction: Around the world in 28 days
EVA Air B77W Business Class Singapore to Taipei
EVA Air B77W Business Class Taipei to Los Angeles
Silvercar LAX
Avenue of the Arts Costa Mesa
Sheraton Gateway Los Angeles
United A319 First Class Los Angeles to Mexico City
Le Meridien Mexico City
United A319 First Class Mexico City to Houston
United B767 Business Class Houston to Sao Paulo
Sheraton Sao Paulo WTC
South African Airways A330 Business Class Sao Paulo to Johannesburg
Hilton Sandton
Ten Bompas Johannesburg
Turkish Airlines A330 Business Class Johannesburg to Istanbul
Turkish Airlines A319 Business Class Istanbul to Zagreb
Westin Zagreb
Croatia Airlines A319 Business Class Zagreb to Frankfurt
Lufthansa First Class Terminal Frankfurt
Lufthansa A330 First Class Frankfurt to Riyadh
Four Points Riyadh
Air India B77W Business Class Riyadh to Mumbai
St Regis Mumbai
ANA B787 Business Class Mumbai to Tokyo
Asiana A330 Business Class Tokyo to Seoul
Westin Chosun Seoul
W Walkerhill Seoul
Asiana B744 Business Class Seoul to Tokyo
ANA B787 Business Class Tokyo to Singapore

One of the policies for Star Alliance RTW tickets is that if an airline does not have a business class cabin, your ticket is automatically upgraded to first class (if you’re on a premium economy RTW ticket on an aircraft without premium economy, you get downgraded to economy). Don’t get too excited though, because this policy really only applies in the case of US domestic/central America flights.

Before I go any further, I think it’s important to contextualise the reader (at least those who don’t have much experience flying in North America/Europe) to the difference between the premium cabin experience in Asia versus the USA.

In Singapore we’re quite blessed that SQ operates an all wide-body fleet, and even on a short SIN-BKK hop (~2 hours) you can expect an A330 with angled flat 2-2-2 seating in business class. You also get frills like champagne, a proper meal service, IFE and lounge access.

Compare this with the experience of domestic US first class flights (or flights to Central America) where you’re basically flying in a narrowbody B737 or A320, the same aircraft used for short 45 min hops as it is for 5+ hour jaunts (the exception would be special routes like JFK/EWR-LAX/SFO where United’s p.s configured aircraft/Jetblue’s Mint Service have lie flat beds in business). You do get different seats from economy, but they’re just big recliners, the type you might laze in at a foot massage in Bangkok

The same goes for intra- Europe business class (they don’t call it first class), which is exactly the same seat as economy class with a blocked off middle seat. The only difference is that you get a meal and maybe champagne.

intra-europe business class on Lufthansa (courtesy of thepointsguy)

So the point I’m trying to make is that expectations shouldn’t be so high, despite the “first class” moniker. Add that to the fact that I was flying the United Airlines. The same airline that engenders so much goodwill it leads to specialised fan sites like

etc, etc.

I arrived LAX’s Terminal 7 bright and early for an 820am departure. LAX may have a spanking new international terminal (I hear the StarAlliance lounge there is world class), but its domestic terminals are like something out of a triage unit.

There were construction boardings up everywhere. The check out desks were entirely outside the terminal, by the curb. And they weren’t even desks. They were kiosks with a handful of roaming agents to deal with troubleshooting. I lost my photo, but it looked something like this, only a lot more crowded. And outdoor. On the kerb.

And then there was the usual security theater. I wondered briefly how the TSA knew the difference between someone with a firearm in his pants and a particularly well-endowed gentleman. Fortunately, neither issue was a concern for me.

The first sign of the lowered expectations I spoke about previously comes when you get to the lounge. United Clubs will sell access to just about anyone. Last I checked, the following groups of people had access

United Global First Passengers
United Business First Passengers
First Class Passengers on Star Alliance Partners
Business Class Passengers on Star Alliance Partners
Domestic United Passengers travelling on P.S service routes
Star Alliance Gold card holders
United Club Membership holders
One time United Club pass holders (staring at US$59)

I don’t see why anyone would bother paying for access, given that the clubs aren’t that much less crowded than the main terminal, the F&B layout is basic and you’d be much better off spending that $59 on a nice meal at an airport restaurant.

But still, the lounge was completely packed at 7am on a Wednesday morning. Presumably this is peak time for domestic departures

It was almost impossible to find a seat, but my colleague and I eventually found some really uncomfortable stools near the pay bar.

United clearly recognises the urgent need to upgrade the facilities at LAX, despite the fact they already operate 2 clubs in the same terminal

There was a buffet spread, but again remember that you’re talking about a United Club, not the Private Room.

Let’s get this over with shall we? First up- fruit.

Next, illy-brand coffee (one of United’s much vaunted improvements). I don’t drink coffee so you’ll have to tell me whether it’s worth the press

Tea was available

As was oatmeal (the sole hot item) and pastries

Fighting for attention was some trail mix and granola

And that’s it. Apart from a cash bar, there wasn’t anything else. United Clubs aren’t lounges you go to hungry. They aren’t places you go to for a haircut, for a spa treatment, for sit down dining service, for a golf simulator. They’re places you go to wait out time between flights. If you can accept that, the experience becomes much less painful.

I really couldn’t get out of the lounge and onto the plane quickly enough. United’s boarding system splits people into different groups based on your seat location and status.

I was part of Boarding Group 1, but that was by virtue of my class of travel rather than Star Alliance status. As per FT, here’s the order of boarding

Group 1: Premier 1K, Premier Platinum, BusinessFirst, and First.
Group 2: Premier Gold, Star Gold, Premier Silver*, MileagePlus Presidential Plus, Club, Explorer and Awards, purchased Premier Access
Group 3 – Window Seats
Group 4 – Middle Seats (Aisle Seats on UA Express)
Group 5 – Aisle Seats

Boarding order actually matters in the States because of bag fees. Everyone tries to get on board as soon as possible to secure valuable overhead bin space. Those who can’t get any have to gate check their bags (which is free of charge, but can still mess up your plans a bit). So people queue up really early…

Here’s the seat. No glamour shots. No multiple angle photos. No different position commentaries. Because really, it’s just a tired leather recliner. It’s comfortable for sitting. It’s not good for red-eyes.

United’s next generation of domestic first class seats is on the way, and it’s a bit telling that the changes are incremental rather than revolutionary

It’s a bit telling when “granite cocktail table” and “side seat storage” are two of the key selling features of the new seat

But back to the present. It is highly unlikely you will get an empty seat next to you, or any empty seats at all in domestic first class. This is because of United’s upgrade policy, which offers unlimited upgrades to United’s elite members on certain routes

So for you to have an empty seat in First class, there’d need to be a strange confluence of factors including

No United Premier Silvers, Golds, Platinums, 1Ks or GS on your flight
No one buying an upgrade that United aggressively sells during the check in process
No members of the military/pilots/United employees who will otherwise occupy the seat

Our cabin was 8/8 full. I had seat 1A, which on most Asian carriers is the dream seat to occupy, and on this one meant I had the best view of the flight attendant jumpseats and no floor storage space.

Given all the horror stories I had heard about United flight attendants, I was genuinely surprised that the attendant serving me was pleasant enough. No small talk, no addressing by name, but let’s face it I was happy enough not to be snapped at.

And I got a pre-departure beverage. Given all the hoo-hah that’s been written about it on FT (74 pages on this thread alone!) I thought that was especially monumental. Again, those of us who have been spoiled by Asian carrier service may be wondering what the big deal is.

Here’s the TL;DR version- Flight attendants in the USA get paid by the hour. They are only paid for hours flying. (starting pay for an FA in the USA can be as low as US$14K a year) So everything that happens during boarding is “free time” (technically there is an hourly per diem but it’s really small so we’ll ignore it). Flight attendants are understandably cheesed off about this, but some of them go one step further and say “because I’m not getting paid, like hell I’m going to offer you a drink before the flight”. So when you get a PDB (yes, it’s been acronymized), you’re lucky.

On of the few remaining perks of domestic/central America first class travel is that you get a hot meal (again there are a lot of exceptions to these rules, all based on flight timings) There was also a choice of french toast or cereal. I noticed the attendant didn’t go in sequence, she went to specific people to ask them what they wanted to eat. I’m guessing this has to do with United status, but I was asked second despite having SQ status only so I’m not sure.

The meal was perfectly edible, although the hot croissant was probably the highlight. No champagne is served on United’s domestic/central America flights.

The other nice thing about United is that all their aircraft are WiFi-equipped.

The WiFi pricing actually makes sense, based on duration rather than volume (are you listening, SQ?). WiFi for the entire flight cost US$6.99, with the following options

Because I was running out of things to comment on, I paid the bathroom a visit. Standing before the toilet, I wondered aloud- “everyone knows what a toilet looks like. Do I really need to take a photo of it?”

“Yes,” I decided. “The people have a right to know”.

A similar thought process went through my mind before I snapped a photo of the sink.

And that was that, really. We landed on time. No one got hurt. And those are probably the two most important things about any flight.

I think if there’s one phrase that can sum up this review, it’s “lowered expectations”. I didn’t expect great service. Or a gourmet meal. Or a luxurious seat. Or a memorable lounge. And I got just that. Short haul first class travel in the USA is not intended to rival international premium cabin travel. It can’t.

It’s certainly not like short haul first class from SIN-CGK, where passengers can expect this on a flight under 2 hours. Seriously, go read this guy’s trip report for SIN-CGK and you’ll be amazed at what short haul first class can be (albeit at a huge price differential)

Of course it’s not a fair comparison. The American airlines need to connect hundreds of cities a day, smaller aircraft allow for better capacity adjustment. Domestic first class costs a fraction of what SQ charges. I know.

I’m just saying.

Why the HSBC Advance card may be worth the hassle

By

Jeriel Leong

-

May 31, 2016

78

Since discovering the Miles and Points game 3 years ago, Jeriel has now spent a disproportionate amount of time reading the T&Cs of credit cards and frequent flyer programs. His grand plans for round-the-world premium travel has taken a hit since the arrival of his daughter, but he is still determined to fly as far, frequently and luxuriously as possible on Miles and Points. Expect more family-orientated trip reports and travel tips from him!

The HSBC Advance Visa Platinum – Worth the Hassle?

If you are just starting out on this miles and points endeavour, you’d soon realize that juggling a portfolio of >10 active cards (and even more inactive sock drawer cards) may start to get a little confusing. Each card usually has 1 or 2 specific uses, and some of these uses may overlap with each other. Perhaps the most frustrating aspect is trying to explain to and convince your spouse to adhere to the myriad of ‘rules’ of the game.

To be successful, it is essential to have a good game-plan; a streamlined strategy.

The optimum strategy minimizes the number of cards one has to carry on a day to day basis, and limits the decision making process at the point of sale to 2, if not 3 steps maximum. All this, while maximizing the number of miles or points earned.

There is no one-size-fits-all solution, and best strategy for you entirely depends on your spending patterns and habits. However, it is obvious that you should try to find a card which offers the maximum rewards bonus (in Singapore, this will generally be 10x rewards points, usually equivalent to 4 miles per dollar spent) for the most number of spending categories.

Well, the HSBC Advance Visa Platinum (AVP) seems to fit the bill perfectly.

Aaron had briefly touched on this card awhile back in his article on Dining cards in Singapore. Yes, the HSBC AVP does award 10x points for all dining spend (based on merchant coding) in Singapore. However, the 10x point bonus also applies to online spending, and spending on merchants with entertainment listed as their main business.

Features (with the main exclusions) of the HSBC AVP Card.

Of course, they come with certain exclusions, the main ones listed in the extract from HSBC Singapore’s website above. For the exact terms and conditions, they can be found here. But all things considered, this seems pretty generous.

For starters, there is no mention of a spending cap for online spend, which expressively includes airline and hotel purchases, and even insurance payments. EZ-link/Transitlink transactions do have a cap of S$200 a month, but that is the only exception. Buying airfare and accommodation for your whole family, or perhaps an S$20,000 round-the-world business class ticket? No sweat. This is in contrast to the other options – DBS’ Women’s World MasterCard has online spend capped at S$2000 a month, and DBS’ Altitude Series only gives 3 miles / dollar and has a cap of S$5000 a month (from 1 June onwards).

Secondly, the AVP seems to be a potential successor for the now dead (?) UOB Preferred Platinum Amex. It has similar terms to the UOB PPAmex, awarding 10x points based on the MCC of the establishment. Of note, this only applies to local dining, as opposed to worldwide dining for the UOB PPA.

If you are the chiongster kind, or frequent pubs often, the bonus points for entertainment will come in handy as well. No free club entry, 1-for-1 drinks or similar perks, but I’d take more points over rewards-in-kind any day.

To top it off with a cherry on top, annual income requirements are ridiculously low at S$30,000 p.a. for Singaporeans and PRs, and S$40,000 p.a. for foreigners. Not forgetting the perpetual annual fee waiver as well. A bit of a moot point given that an annual fee waiver is usually just a short phone call away, but it does save you that 5 minutes of annual irritation. 😀

Now we get to the interesting part. What is the catch? Simple, you’d have to be a HSBC Advance Account holder first.

The HSBC Advance Account is something like an entry-level preferred banking account with HSBC. The Relationship Balance requirement (bank parlance for amount of money you park with them) is a princely sum of S$30,000. (For home mortgage account holders with HSBC, your initial loan quantum must be at least S$200,000). This is in contrast to other banks’ preferred banking programs (including HSBC’s own Premier Banking) which usually require a Relationship Balance requirement north of S$200,000. In return for maintaining this S$30,000 with them, you get the following perks;

HSBC Advance Account Perks

What you’re done reading that already? Sorry, I must have fell asleep. Yeah, nothing much exciting there.

TL;DR – Park S$30,000 with HSBC and you get the HSBC AVP Card.

Unless you already have a qualifying Relationship Balance with HSBC, the million dollar question (or in this case, the $30k question) naturally will be – is the hassle (going through all that bank admin) and opportunity cost of parking S$30k with HSBC worth getting the card?

The answer, without fail, is that it depends.

I have been eyeing this card for about half a year now, and am still yet to take the plunge. Let me share a few of my reservations.

Money, Money, Money

Do you even have S$30k lying around? Obviously not an option if your savings are still non-existent, or if you need the cash eminently for some massive spending.

Opportunity Cost

If you have S$30k lying around, why do you have S$30k lying around?! It is certainly not a small sum of money and instead of lying in a bank doing nothing, it could be (and should have been) put to work earning you some interest in a fixed deposit (if you are risk-adverse) or flipping some profits in the stock market.

Better Options?

I already have the UOB Preferred Platinum Amex for dining, and between the DBS Women’s World MC, DBS Altitude, UOB Preferred Platinum Visa and Citibank Rewards series, my online purchases are almost completely covered. Do I really need another card?

Lack of Good General Spend HSBC Card

A big part of miles and points strategy is trying to consolidate your points earned into as little banks as possible so that you don’t end up with ‘orphan’ miles or points – a negligible balance of points in an obscure bank not worth paying the transfer fee for. Having an equal number of points spread across all 5 to 6 banks isn’t wise as well, as you’d end up paying 5 to 6 different transfer fees to convert them to usable miles. These can add up to a significant amount. Bulk of my points are with DBS and UOB because of their solid general spend cards (the DBS Altitude and UOB Prvimiles Card respectively). Will adding HSBC to the fray complicate matters unnecessarily?

Of late, I’ve found myself running out of excuses to not get this card though. Let me refute my own arguments.

Money, Money, Money

S$30k may be hard to come by, but HSBC does provide a grace period to hit the minimum Relationship Balance. If you credit your monthly salary (minimum of S$3750/month) or make a recurring monthly deposit of at least S$2500/month, you will be given a 24 month grace period to hit the required amount.

Even if you don’t want to change the account your salary is credited to now, setting up a recurring transfer isn’t too much of a hassle. Correct me if I’m wrong but I don’t see any clause prohibiting you from transferring that S$2500 right back, so at the very least you get to use the card for 24 months. 😀

Opportunity Cost

Most financial planners would advocate you setting aside a sum of money in cash or liquid assets (usually a few months’ worth of expenditure) as an emergency or rainy day fund. In addition, it is also generally prudent to spread your investment portfolio across a spectrum of high to low risk products.

HSBC does have a portfolio of Timed-Deposit products, and also run occasional promotions which are worth taking a look at. The current promo runs till 31^st May and offers a 1.5% p.a. interest for a 7-month timed-deposit for HSBC Advance account holders. These investment options are worth taking a look at.

Disclaimer: I am in no way a qualified or trained financial advisor; the above represents my own personal views on money management and investments, and do not constitute financial advice. I also do not have any vested interest in HSBC in any way.

Better Options?

The UOB Preferred Platinum Amex is a great card for dining, but it does irritate me sometimes. It is no secret that in Singapore, Visa is accepted at a greater number of merchants than Amex. Also, the rule which divides points earned on UOB cards into blocks of S$5 is probably negligible in the grand scheme of things, but frustrates me to no end when the bill for my meal ends up being something like S$39.99.

There are many cards for online spend, but in practice, many of them impose many restrictions on what qualifies for the bonus 10x points. The DBS Women’s World MC is well known for being the most inclusive, but it has a monthly cap of S$2000. How inclusive is HSBC’s policy? I do not yet own the card and it is difficult for me to deliver a verdict, but here is where the collective experience of the internet can be very helpful.

Lack of Good General Spend HSBC Card

You’d really only need one good general spend card, and if you plan your expenses well, you usually shouldn’t even need to use your general spend card much. If HSBC can replace either DBS or UOB as one of my main points accounts, then this is definitely a card worth getting despite the lack of a good general spending or traditional ‘miles’ card.

In conclusion, I am tending towards replacing UOB with HSBC as one of my 2 main points accounts. The HSBC AVP can very potentially replace both cards in the UOB Preferred Platinum series.

What do you think? Do you already own the HSBC Advance Platinum Visa Card? What is your experience with the inclusions and exclusions of the dining, online and entertainment categories? Do share in the comment section below!

The Milelion is featured in the Straits Times!

By

Aaron Wong

-

May 29, 2016

12

I’m delighted to be featured in today’s (29th May) Straits Times feature on how careful credit card spending can reap massive rewards. And a big shout out to our resident guestwriter and hotel review expert Fred for being featured too.

The full article can be found here, and because over time the link will become invalid you can find a PDF version here. Or you can just click below…

Although I am disappointed I was not portrayed as a loopy, Howard Hughes type huddled in a dim room with long fingernails, jars of urine and mountains of discarded credit cards, my hope is that with sufficient time I will achieve such levels of eccentricity.

Man, that’d be awesome for publicity.

Review: Sheraton Gateway LAX, Los Angeles

By

Aaron Wong

-

May 28, 2016

9

The Milelion’s RTW Trip 2016: Trip Planning
Introduction: Around the world in 28 days
EVA Air B77W Business Class Singapore to Taipei
EVA Air B77W Business Class Taipei to Los Angeles
Silvercar LAX
Avenue of the Arts Costa Mesa
Sheraton Gateway Los Angeles
United A319 First Class Los Angeles to Mexico City
Le Meridien Mexico City
United A319 First Class Mexico City to Houston
United B767 Business Class Houston to Sao Paulo
Sheraton Sao Paulo WTC
South African Airways A330 Business Class Sao Paulo to Johannesburg
Hilton Sandton
Ten Bompas Johannesburg
Turkish Airlines A330 Business Class Johannesburg to Istanbul
Turkish Airlines A319 Business Class Istanbul to Zagreb
Westin Zagreb
Croatia Airlines A319 Business Class Zagreb to Frankfurt
Lufthansa First Class Terminal Frankfurt
Lufthansa A330 First Class Frankfurt to Riyadh
Four Points Riyadh
Air India B77W Business Class Riyadh to Mumbai
St Regis Mumbai
ANA B787 Business Class Mumbai to Tokyo
Asiana A330 Business Class Tokyo to Seoul
Westin Chosun Seoul
W Walkerhill Seoul
Asiana B744 Business Class Seoul to Tokyo
ANA B787 Business Class Tokyo to Singapore

It’s no secret that Starwood realises the Sheraton brand has some serious issues.

Even before the Marriott takeover, Starwood had already announced Sheraton 2020, a blueprint to revamp the tired Sheraton brand. This plan involved a $100M marketing campaign, opening 150+ new hotels by 2020 and converting 100+ premier Sheraton hotels to the Sheraton Grand tier. In other words, they wanted Sheratons to go from this

To this

But would that be enough? When Marriott acquired Starwood, Marriott’s CEO said (regarding the Sheraton brand) “Some hotels are holding the brand back and might, over time, have to be deflagged.”

Which brings me to the quintessential airport Sheraton. I’m pretty sure Arne Sorenson had properties like this in mind when he talked about holding the brand back.

To be clear: it’s not a “bad” hotel by any means. It’s just a very “Sheraton-y hotel”. Sheratons aren’t the place you fantasise about staying at when you plan your dream vacation. Sheratons are the selected for location, not luxury. Sheratons are when you’re having a conversation with a colleague and tell him about your work trip and he says “so where’re you staying?” and you say “Sheraton” and he says “oh” and then changes the topic.

So, on to the Sheraton Los Angeles Gateway. The check-in line was long but fortunately they actually gave priority to the SPG elite lane (remember that you can get Gold status with a single stay through your World mastercard). Still, it couldn’t compare to the line I saw in the evening when a shuttle bus dropped off 20+ people at one go. I felt sorry for the 2 desk clerks on duty then, having to juggle a line that stretched out the entrance of the hotel.

I had been upgraded to an executive suite on the 11th floor, which was probably the highlight of the stay given how notoriously tight-fisted US-based Starwood properties are about upgrades (compare this to the Asia-based properties which have consistently upgraded me to fantastic suites time after time)

The room was big. Like really big. Although it wasn’t two separate rooms it still had a large living room area with the writing table forming a semi-partition between the living room and the bedroom

The desk didn’t have universal power plugs, which was surprising for an airport property. It did have 2 fast-charging USB plugs though along with the usual coffee machine and surprisingly not ridiculously overpriced water (US$3 for a 1 litre bottle).

The bedroom had a spectacular view of the carpark, which I suppose is a defining feature of most Sheratons.

The bathroom had the usual assortment of Sheraton toiletries. If Sheraton really wants to reinvigorate the brand they would be wise to start with the toiletries, because the in-house Shine brand pales in comparison to what’s offered at similar competitor properties (eg Peter Thomas Roth at Hiltons)

The sink had zero storage space for personal items. Fortunately, there was a small table next to it. If this is the standard-sized sink in regular rooms I can imagine it’d be quite an annoyance

A tiny bathtub was on the opposite side of the bathroom. I do wonder why business hotels feel there’s a need to still go with bathtubs. I don’t imagine the majority of business travellers feel inclined to draw themselves a luxurious hot bath and soak in a tub that people probably pee in (not guilty). By having just a shower they could free up more space for a dressing table or something.

The previous guest had left a nice souvenir on the wall that housekeeping had overlooked…

The property was 15 floors high, which given its proximity to the airport (you could see the runway from some rooms) was probably subject to a maximum height restriction

On the 15th floor there was a lounge behind a keycard-accessed door. The lounge is technically for club room guests and SPG Platinum members only, but in practice there is very little stopping you from just inviting yourself in when someone opens the door to get out. Contrast this with the arrangement you find in most other Sheratons ex-USA where there’s a host at the entrance to take your room number

I visited during happy hour (or I suppose because it’s a Sheraton it might be more aptly termed “less sad hour”)

The food layout was a strange mix of everything. There was pasta salad with pesto sauce

There was something they swore were meatballs (but everyone else in the lounge seemed to know better, judging by the uptake)

Fresh fruit and veggie sticks (which are quite hard to screw up, let’s be honest)

A cheese and fruit platter

Something suspiciously resembling tomato salsa

And a random assortment of soft drinks

As is the case in most US Sheratons, no alcohol was available, even for purchase.

I never saw any more than 5 other people in the lounge, so it was a nice quiet place to work and watch planes land.

The lounge overlooked the tarmac and you could do all kinds of plane spotting

On the morning of the second day I explored the outside of the hotel. There was an outdoor pool area where you could take breakfast, but with the weather a brisk 17 degrees there wasn’t much uptake

There were several cabanas by the pool, which was a bit of a curious decision given that the property wasn’t branding itself as a resort. I mean, does the average airport hotel passenger really have time to sit by the pool and sip a maitai?

The pool itself looked perfectly servicable but again with the weather at 17 degrees there were no takers

There was also a “spa pool” with hot water, but there were so many discarded towels strewn around it the whole setup just looked dodgy.

Breakfast was a small-scale affair. I opted to have it in the main restaurant instead of the lounge, figuring that it would have a larger spread.

In reality though the spread was equally small, the main difference being the addition of an egg chef in the restaurant.

I didn’t get any photos of the spread so please make do with the poorly focused shot above and the excellent photo of a box of lucky charms below

Random gripe: The property charged a $5 handling fee for each package received. I cannot understand the purpose of this fee, especially when other hotels are perfectly fine signing for and storing packages for free. I mean conceptually how hard can it be? I was having 2 packages redelivered to me after the Avenue of the Arts hotel lost them, so ended up having to pay $10 out of pocket. I briefly contemplated asking the Avenue of the Arts to reimburse me for this as well, but decided that there had to be some logical point at which their financial responsibility for the loss ended. After all it wasn’t there fault that the Sheraton wanted $10 for what essentially amounted to signing for 2 packages.

Conclusion

What is the fundamental problem with the Sheraton brand? I think the one word answer is “joy”.

Sheratons have this general miserable feel about them. Perhaps it’s because they’re so closely associated with work, or being away from family, or because I have yet to see a Sheraton that incorporates natural light as a feature.

But I’m trying to think of the last Sheraton stay that I truly enjoyed and I’m coming up blank. Over the years I’ve stayed at numerous Sheratons- Times Square, Towers Singapore, Sao Paulo, Casablanca, Hongqiao, Pudong

The best of that lot was probably the Sheraton Pudong, and it’s quite telling that that property has been reflagged as a Sheraton Grand representing the best Sheraton had to offer.

Would I stay at a Sheraton again? Of course. Let’s get things in perspective. Sheraton hotels are clean (well, hair in my bathroom excluded), they’re predictable, they’re functional. A Sheraton will give you a good night’s rest and get you on your way the next day. And for some people, that is all hotels need to do. But for those of us who think a hotel needs to be more than that (and the Sheraton’s below par brand performance suggests there are more of us than you think), the Sheraton is in desperate need of a spark.

Protip: How to book cheaper RTW tickets

By

The Milelion Community

-

May 27, 2016

4

Like Aaron, Shyh Jie is a miles geek. At last count, there are over 60 cards in his drawer. He has earned and redeemed over 200,000 miles since getting his first credit card in 2010. He and his team run Card Cow, a portal which aims to help credit card users to choose the best credit card for their transactions.

While Aaron was having a good time sampling the different Star Alliance business products, (Milelion note: I’ll have you know it’s harder than it looks) I couldn’t help but wonder if he could save more dough for the same flights.

I remember reading on Flyertalk that the base fares vary from countries to countries and Japan is known as one of the cheaper countries to start a RTW.

For a fair comparison, I plugged in the exact same flights as Aaron’s in Star Alliance’s booking engine with the exception that the last sector becomes the first sector.

TYO – SIN
SIN – TPE – LAX
LAX – MEX
MEX – IAH – GRU
GRU – JNB
JNB – IST – ZAG
ZAG – FRA – RUH
RUH – BOM
BOM – TYO

Ex-JPN Star Alliance Round-the-World Itinerary (up to 39,000 miles)

The result’s a jaw-dropping ~7k difference! (Milelion note: Well technically you need to factor in the price of a ticket from Tokyo back to Singapore, but yes you’re still saving a lot of money)

I decided to find the base fares for RTW ex-SIN, KOR and JPN by plugging in more data: –

BASE FARES

*Business*
Distance	Up to (miles)
Origin	26,000	29,000	34,000	39,000
Singapore	$13,291	$14,699	$16,873	$18,649
Japan	$8,772	$8,772	$10,221	$11,923
Korea	$10,240	$10,567	$12,346	$14,305

*First*
Distance	Up to (miles)
Origin	26,000	29,000	34,000	39,000
Singapore	$23,976	$23,976	$26,648	$30,051
Japan	$14,191	$14,191	$16,715	$18,710
Korea	$17,001	$17,001	$19,542	$22,247

All amount in SGD.

If Aaron has chosen to start his journey in Japan, he could have flown First class for almost the same amount! (His company probably doesn’t allow it anyway…)

Even with a positioning business class flight between Singapore and Japan (S$1,600 with Asiana via ICN), he could still have easily shaved S$5,000 off his bill.

What’s the lesson here? We know that airlines price their fares according to the markets. I also checked out the base fares ex-Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, Hong Kong, Taiwan and China but Japan has the cheapest Star Alliance RTW fares among them.

Card Cow’s recommendation: Start your Star Alliance RTW in Japan! The savings are probably enough to fund your next vacation.

Milelion notes: It is pretty stunning to note how different the price can be by simply tweaking the starting point. It confirms what a lot of us in Singapore have thought for a while- that we’re getting hosed on airline ticket prices. It’s too late for me to do anything about this, but if another RTW itinerary appears in my future you can bet I’ll be looking at a Tokyo start point.

Hotel Review: Intercontinental Times Square

By

Fred Ee

-

May 26, 2016

7

Dr Frederick Ee is a medical doctor, author, blogger and traveler. He discovered his passion for travel on his first long-haul trip to New York City in 2012. His quest for premium travel experiences started on that very same flight as he endured a smelly foot beside him from the passenger behind him for the 24 hours of flight from Singapore to New York. He blogs at goodhotelreview.blogspot.com, focusing on hotel experiences. His most memorable moment of travel was to participate in the resuscitation of a collapsed patient during a long flight to Paris. Feel free to add him on Facebook with a message and his Instagram at @drfrederickee

He would like to thank MileLion for having him as a guest writer and hope readers would enjoy his writings and musings.

Intercontinental New York Times Square

Made me glad to have the Ambassador membership

Stayed Feb 2016
Published May 2016

After fulfilling my goal of seeing the Aurora Borealis in Iceland, it was time to go home.

Considering I would be almost on the other side of the globe (in terms of longitude), I was pondering if I should continue westwards through North America or back via Europe.

After looking at the flights and seeing Icelandair was offering a good deal at USD$215 (about SGD$300) on Economy to New York for a one-way, it was decided I would stop in NYC for a few days before heading home.

As a true MileLioner (does this sound legit?), I used my Ascend Card hotel voucher for a free first night at Millennium Broadway Hotel, which I also used at previously and got upgraded to a suite. This time, it was only a room but no less comfortable. Looking at my review then, it was really so dry.

From that hotel, it was an easy walk to the Intercontinental New York Times Square and using my Certificate from my Intercontinental Ambassador membership, I got a 1-for-1 weekend rate for this stay.

The hotel is located at the edge of Times Square and is a relatively tall building in the immediate area.

The decor is a clean business hotel with a dash of opulence.

Front Desk in the day and the Ambassador Desk to the left

As an Intercontinental Ambassador, checking in was done seated at a desk with a very friendly lady, Ms Christol.

In my not-so-great memory nowadays, she was the best Front Desk agent I have ever encountered in my travels so far. Well, I admit there is a bias in the form of a minimal language barrier.

To my delight, she was able to upgrade, with compliments, my basic room to a sky-view corner room (at least 2 levels of upgrades) and she also offered late check-out proactively.

Lounge at the Lobby

The corridor was a tad too plain and I think that bag is my rubbish. The photo was taken on a later date.

Corridor

The room was located high up the building, and the ceiling-to-floor windows provided a great view of the Hudson River.

Hudson River

The room was of a decent size in New York, and I have to say I dread the tiny hotel rooms of Europe.

Say Hello to my traveling bears!

The bathroom was adequate as well. The amenities are the usual Intercontinental ones.

Rain-forest Shower!

The location at the edge of Times Square is quite good as there are lesser crowds and there is also a subway stop with an exit right next to the hotel.

Subway Exit and Front Entrance

If there were any crowds, it is most likely to be because of the Shake Shack at the corner of the block.

The burger joint was also the bane of my diet plans as it was so convenient to order takeout back to my room.

SHAKE SHACK

And yes, I have to show pictures of the food.

Here’s Lunch!

And I ate it more than once…

And here’s Dinner!

I wanted to work out after the sinful meals, but both the mind and the body resisted.

Gym

The absence of a club lounge was a little unusual for an Intercontinental, but that didn’t affect my stay at all. I seriously think I wouldn’t pay extra for lounge access in New York.

The other peculiarity was the coffee machine being stored in the closet.

Finally found the coffee machine!

For the readers who are not familiar with hotel loyalty programmes, Intercontinental hotels belong to IHG which also includes the populous Holiday Inns.

Knowledge of the various hotel programmes and airline programmes will allow one to ‘Travel Better for Less’!

So how has this been useful for this stay?

The rate I paid was USD$199 before taxes per night, and the 1-for-1 weekend deal means I was able to get 2 nights for about SGD$320, with an upgrade, and I was also given USD$30 credit for my minibar as a welcome gift. Other perks for me include free bottles of drinking water, 2 welcome drinks at the lobby lounge and a free in-room movie.

Prices were not too shocking and I took the M&Ms

Therefore, I estimate the amount I paid for the room itself is less than SGD$140 per night.

For such a nice room in a luxury hotel, located at Times Square, I am more than willing to pay SGD$140 per night.

So are we MileLioners or simply MileLions?

Happy and Healthy Travels!

Review: Avenue of the Arts Costa Mesa

By

Aaron Wong

-

May 25, 2016

3

The Milelion’s RTW Trip 2016: Trip Planning
Introduction: Around the world in 28 days
EVA Air B77W Business Class Singapore to Taipei
EVA Air B77W Business Class Taipei to Los Angeles
Silvercar LAX
Avenue of the Arts Costa Mesa
Sheraton Gateway Los Angeles
United A319 First Class Los Angeles to Mexico City
Le Meridien Mexico City
United A319 First Class Mexico City to Houston
United B767 Business Class Houston to Sao Paulo
Sheraton Sao Paulo WTC
South African Airways A330 Business Class Sao Paulo to Johannesburg
Hilton Sandton
Ten Bompas Johannesburg
Turkish Airlines A330 Business Class Johannesburg to Istanbul
Turkish Airlines A319 Business Class Istanbul to Zagreb
Westin Zagreb
Croatia Airlines A319 Business Class Zagreb to Frankfurt
Lufthansa First Class Terminal Frankfurt
Lufthansa A330 First Class Frankfurt to Riyadh
Four Points Riyadh
Air India B77W Business Class Riyadh to Mumbai
St Regis Mumbai
ANA B787 Business Class Mumbai to Tokyo
Asiana A330 Business Class Tokyo to Seoul
Westin Chosun Seoul
W Walkerhill Seoul
Asiana B744 Business Class Seoul to Tokyo
ANA B787 Business Class Tokyo to Singapore

In 2015, SPG added a new brand to its portfolio– Tribute Hotels. The idea was to create a collection of independent 3/4 Star hotels which complimented the (usually 5 Star) Luxury Collection hotel brand. I wonder why they couldn’t simply fold this hotels acquired under the Tribute brand into the Design Hotel brand, but I think the acquisition of Design Hotels happened too close to allow for reflagging.

In any case, SPG is actively trying to encourage guests to try out the Design Hotels and Tribute brands. They’re offering a 11,000 Starpoint bonus to anyone who stays in all 11 Starwood brands by 31 Dec 2016

This is easier said than done, though, given that Tribute hotels are few and far between. There are currently 9 Tribute Hotels in the world-

Great Northern Hotel, London, UK
Royal Palm South Beach, Miami, USA
The Riveria Palm Springs, USA
The Kiroro, Hokkaido, Japan
Avenue of the Arts, Costa Mesa, USA
SLS Las Vegas, USA
The Hermitage, Jakarta, Indonesia
Le Dokhan’s, Paris, France
Le Metropolitan, Paris, France

The majority of them are in the USA, 2 are in France, 1 in Japan, 1 in the UK and 1 in Indonesia. So if your travels don’t take you there anytime soon, well you’re SOL.

Fortunately my RTW journey took me to Los Angeles, and Costa Mesa was only slightly more than an hour away. I’d willingly take the detour to check another brand off my 11 brand checklist.

That brought me to the Avenue of the Arts Costa Mesa, a Tribute Portfolio Hotel, where I now file this report

The Avenue of the Arts Hotel was opened in April 2016 after a refurbishment following its purchase by Starwood. There are 238 rooms in this property, and the art deco inspired architecture was done by interior design firm Dianna Wong.

Check-in was straightforward and I was informed of my upgrade to a junior suite. While they processed the formalities I took a quick look around the lobby

The front desk proactively offered me 4pm late checkout and a choice of 500 points or a local gift. I took the 500 points so quickly I forgot to ask what the local gift was.

Keys in hand, I made my way to the 5th floor (the total building is 6 floors)

Although I’d been upgraded (which is rare for US-based SPG properties), I didn’t have high hopes for the room. In American parlance a suite is simply a room with a separate sleeping and sitting area.

I will say that the room was slightly larger than I expected. The main door opened to a separate living room area with a TV and small work desk.

Two small bottles of water were on the table

And the bedroom was perfectly adequate. The bed was one of the most comfortable I ever slept on. My bedroom overlooked an inner park of some sort with a large fountain and duck pond, but noise was never a problem even for this light sleeper.

I was pleased to note that this property also participates in the MAGC program, which fortunately in the USA is still 500 points (versus 250 in Asia and Latin America). For those of you who don’t mind 3 consecutive nights of rolling in your own filth (I sure don’t!), you can use MAGCs to really rack up the points on long stays. 1,500 bonus points per 3 night stint (on the 4th night you must get housekeeping) over a long enough period is going to be some extra reward night stays.

The toilet was small, but they somehow managed to fit a bathtub inside too. It was more decorative than anything as it was way too small for anything other than a tight fit. Or maybe I’ve just put on weight.

There were Baronessa Cali branded toiletries in the toilet. I’m not going to pretend I ever heard of that brand, but a quick google search shows that they’re perfectly respectable.

Rounding out the room was a capsule coffee machine. It’s actually quite an atas branded machine, Keurig. The coffee machine with DRM. No, seriously.

And a closet with bathrobes, an iron, a hairdryer and the safe.

One very annoying trend that’s popping up in a lot of hotels is restricting access to the minibar. I thought it was bad enough in Las Vegas hotels where each item has a sensor and if you remove any item for any reason, even if it’s to store some personal stuff, that item is automatically billed to your account. But some hotels go one step further and lock up the entire minibar.

Breakfast was served at The Silver Trumpet restaurant. This is a sit-down restaurant with no buffet option. Although it’s not ideal for a grab-and-go breakfast, a sit-down restaurant generally comes up with better, freshly-prepared food.

On the first day I went they were serving both breakfast and brunch, so I got to choose from both menus

I wasn’t disappointed with my choice of the California Crab Benedict on the first day (bacon on the side)

Or the Silver Trumpet Classic on the second day.

Outside the Silver Trumpet there is a small gift store with your usual overpriced hotel amenities.

Elsewhere on the property there was a business centre where you could print boarding passes for free.

There was also a gym and a pool, but I didn’t manage to take photos of them due to time constraints.

The overall location of the hotel isn’t great if you want to go to downtown LA, given how notoriously bad LA’s traffic is. I found the 45 minute ride often stretched to double that.

A final note: I had several Amazon packages sent to the hotel. Although 2 arrived just fine, another 2 were misplaced. The hotel manager was apologetic and agreed to cover the replacement cost + 1 day shipping, so I’d get my packages in time before I left for Mexico. So no harm done overall, but it was still an inconvenience.

I didn’t spend an awful lot of time in the hotel but at the end of the day the only reason I stayed was to check off the Tribute brand from my list. When Monday came it was time to relocate to a much more business-focused, less glamorous destination…

The Milelion’s RTW Trip 2016: Silvercar LAX Review

By

Aaron Wong

-

May 24, 2016

11

The Milelion’s RTW Trip 2016: Trip Planning
Introduction: Around the world in 28 days
EVA Air B77W Business Class Singapore to Taipei
EVA Air B77W Business Class Taipei to Los Angeles
Silvercar LAX
Avenue of the Arts Costa Mesa
Sheraton Gateway Los Angeles
United A319 First Class Los Angeles to Mexico City
Le Meridien Mexico City
United A319 First Class Mexico City to Houston
United B767 Business Class Houston to Sao Paulo
Sheraton Sao Paulo WTC
South African Airways A330 Business Class Sao Paulo to Johannesburg
Hilton Sandton
Ten Bompas Johannesburg
Turkish Airlines A330 Business Class Johannesburg to Istanbul
Turkish Airlines A319 Business Class Istanbul to Zagreb
Westin Zagreb
Croatia Airlines A319 Business Class Zagreb to Frankfurt
Lufthansa First Class Terminal Frankfurt
Lufthansa A330 First Class Frankfurt to Riyadh
Four Points Riyadh
Air India B77W Business Class Riyadh to Mumbai
St Regis Mumbai
ANA B787 Business Class Mumbai to Tokyo
Asiana A330 Business Class Tokyo to Seoul
Westin Chosun Seoul
W Walkerhill Seoul
Asiana B744 Business Class Seoul to Tokyo
ANA B787 Business Class Tokyo to Singapore

Silvercar is a startup car rental service that rents one and only one type of car- a silver Audi A4. All cars come equipped with GPS, satellite radio and a built-in free WiFi hotspot. They currently have operations in

Austin
Dallas-Forth Worth
Denver
Las Vegas
Miami
NYC- Brooklyn
Phoenix
Chicago
Dallas Love Field
Fort Lauderdale
Los Angeles
San Francisco
Newark
NYC-Manhattan

I like Silvercar because of their fair policies. For example, if you drop off a rental car at a traditional agency with anything less than a full tank, they’ll charge you 2-3X the market rate for whatever petrol is needed to fill it up. Silvercar charges you a flat fee of $5 plus whatever the market rate is for gas.

Tolls are another thing. Most rental companies charge ridiculous rates for using the electronic tolling system in the car. Oftentimes they may charge a day-use rate once you’ve used the toll for the first time, even if you only used it once. For example, if the day-use rate is $5 and the toll is $3, if I use a toll on the first day of the 3 day rental I’ll be billed $5 *3 +$3, which is downright ridiculous. Silvercar charges you exactly the amount you paid for the toll, nothing more.

I had a coupon that gave me one day free with a two day rental (LOUNGEBUDDY if anyone wants to use it) plus I used a referral code when starting my account that gave me a US$25 gift card after my first rental. If you want to sign up you can use my referral code here (NOGRVPMX) and get $25 as well.

The total cost of my rental was therefore $78 (before taking into account the $25 voucher)

For comparison, I would have paid US$80 with the traditional rental agencies and gotten their smallest available car.

Finding the pickup spot proved challenging but that’s probably because it was my first time flying into LAX on an international flight.

Here’s the explainer:

Once you’re at baggage claim follow the signs for “Ground Transportation”

After baggage claim you’ll go through customs, and then you’ll exit the secure area into the public area

Once you’re in the public area head straight out the doors

Look up and see the sign for “LAX Shuttle Airline Connection”.

This is the waiting point

And this is the bus you need to take to the Silvercar lot

Once I was on the bus I swiped to the app and pressed the “pick me up” button

This sent an automated text via SMS to Silvercar

And when I got off my pickup was waiting

The Silvercar rep drove me to their facility which was about 2-3 mins away. He told me that in the future I could just call them directly and they’d fetch me from the terminal, avoiding the whole hassle with the shuttle.

Silvercar has about 200 cars in LAX and as you can see business is good. The guy who gave me a quick garage tour said they’re typically running at 80% utilization.

Once you’ve run through the damage check, license verification and credit card verification, you use your camera phone to scan the QR code on the windscreen and you’re all set.

And here’s the moneyshot. I didn’t get the newest of cars (it had 14,000 miles on the odometer) but at less than $40 a day for an Audi A4 I’m not complaining

If I had any gripes about the car, it would be that it doesn’t have keyless entry and go, which is surprising for an otherwise high-end model. Can you imagine that once upon a time people had to insert a car key to start the car? I know right. Soon you’ll be telling me that people had to drive themselves too…

The car also didn’t feature the automatic engine start/stop which is common on a lot of mid-range/high-end cars these days. I know some people find the sudden engine cutoff annoying but apparently it’s good for fuel efficiency.

I tested the car’s built in WiFi hotspot and it ran like a charm. I can imagine this being very useful to you if you haven’t got a local sim card yet or want to tether multiple devices.

In terms of the actual driving experience, it’s definitely nowhere as fun to drive a BMW, but a heck of a lot better than whatever Toyota/Nissan your typical rental car company would give you for the same price. The A4’s handling is quite nuanced and the pickup was very good. Being a law-abiding citizen I didn’t test the engine at any speed over 65mph for protracted periods of time, but I was able to get rapidly up to 70-75 when overtaking.

The returns process was painless too. The Silvercar valet even dropped me off at the Sheraton Gateway instead of at the airport terminal (it was pretty much the same distance but I appreciate the flexibility).

Within 1 hour of dropping off my car, I got the following email confirming my US$25 gift card. Remember that if you want to try Silvercar you can use my referral link and we’ll both get a US$25 gift each.

To sumarise- I’m not sure if I’d be willing to pay full price (US$69 a day) for Silvercar, given that I can usually get a perfectly good mid-sized vehicle for US$40-50, but if you’re only renting for a short period and can make use of both the US$25 sign up credit + one day free rental code, why not treat yourself?

THE MILELION

THE MILELION

THE MILELION

Review: Le Meridien Mexico City

Hotel Review: Four Points by Sheraton Namsan Seoul

Great Value for Money!

Review: United Airlines A319 First Class Los Angeles to Mexico City

Why the HSBC Advance card may be worth the hassle

The HSBC Advance Visa Platinum – Worth the Hassle?

The Milelion is featured in the Straits Times!

Review: Sheraton Gateway LAX, Los Angeles

Conclusion

Protip: How to book cheaper RTW tickets

Hotel Review: Intercontinental Times Square

Intercontinental New York Times Square

Made me glad to have the Ambassador membership

Review: Avenue of the Arts Costa Mesa

The Milelion’s RTW Trip 2016: Silvercar LAX Review

THE MILELION