traveling to the US? | easy Covid testing

 

I recently flew back to the US from Zurich. Before leaving for our trip, we ordered a two-test kit from e.med.com. I packed the two kits in my suitcase and downloaded the NAVICA app to our iPhones. When we were within 72 hours of our return home, we were tested from the convenience of our hotel room at Park Hyatt Zurich.

Easy and convenient, there was no need to locate an approved pharmacy that could perform the test, and the cost was significantly lower than having our hotel make the arrangements. Here's how it worked:

(1) While still in the US, we ordered a two-test kit and installed the NAVICA app on our phones. I set up our Navica accounts with usernames and passwords for Claire and me.

(2) The package made it clear: do NOT open the test kit until you're online with your certified emed guide.

(3) When we were ready to do the test, I sat in front of my MacBook. All you need is a computer, iPad, or phone with working camera and internet connection.

(4) I surfed to emed.com and logged in to begin the test.

(5) Once our certified guide came online (it was only a couple of minutes), they gave us clear step-by-step instructions. We were asked to place the unopened test kit on a flat surface in view of the video camera (to verify the integrity of the unopened kit). Then holding the QR code on the box up to the camera, the guide scanned it, then watched as we opened the box, removed the testing swab from its packaging, swirled it inside each nostril, inserted it in the test kit, put a few drops of the provided reagent onto the kit, and finally left everything in place for 15 minutes. Everything was done in view of the camera.

(6) After the 15 minute wait, another guide came online to examine the test result. It was posted to the NAVICA app in about 10 minutes, and we also received an email with the certified test results. We uploaded our negative tests to the travel ready section of our United app. They were approved, and we were all set to fly home

The entire process took less than 30 minutes per passenger. It could not have been easier! 

copyright (c) 2021 by Ourisman Travel LLC.  All rights reserved. We provide Virtuoso and other Preferred Partner amenities as an affiliate of Brownell, a Virtuoso® Member.

the difference between 5* and 4*

lobby of the Grand Hyatt Washington (c) 2019 by David Ourisman, all rights reserved

I'm in Washington, DC for a family wedding, and we're spending two nights at the Grand Hyatt, Washington, DC. Why the Grand Hyatt? Two reasons ... it's literally across the street from the reception venue, and transportation is being provided from the hotel to the church where the wedding is being held.

As you may be aware, my business is focused on five star, luxury hotels. This stay gives me an opportunity to explain the differences between five- and four-star hotels. Here are some thoughts:

(1) A great value, I booked the Hyatt Privé rate for myself. For the nightly rate of $189, I am also receiving daily breakfast for two and a $100 hotel credit (which entirely paid for last night's dinner in the hotel's restaurant, Cure Bar & Bistro).

(2) The hotel is much larger than the typical luxury hotel, 897 rooms and suites. Guests enter the stunning 12-story lobby seen above. By way of comparison, the Park Hyatt Washington (Grand Hyatt's boutique luxury sister) has just 220 rooms and the Michelin-starred Blue Duck Tavern.

(3) We were upgraded to a Guest Room on the 12th floor with Grand Club privileges. Our room is an efficiently organized 351 sq ft with an attractive contemporary design and, most important, a comfortable bed. The workspace is intelligently designed with easily accessible power plugs and ports, and the internet is free and fast enough to do serious work. The bathroom was small with a single vanity and shower-in-the-tub.

(4) What about the Grand Club? I'm writing this blog from the Club at 7:30 a.m. on Saturday morning. Other Club guests are coming in to enjoy the breakfast

buffet which includes hot items such as scrambled eggs and quiches and a cold buffet spread including the fixings for lox and bagels, and an espresso machine. The selection thoughtfully includes such items as gluten-free muffins. While not pretending to offer the ambiance of a Ritz-Carlton Club Lounge, Grand Club provides a pleasant place to gather with a residential feeling. There is a presentation of snacks mid-day, hors d'ouevres and cocktails at the dinner hour, and a presentation of desserts after dinner.

(5) Who should choose the Grand Hyatt? Grand Hyatt is an obvious choice for business travelers or families with a budget of $200-$250 per night. Extremely well located for tourists, the hotel is just half a mile from the National Mall and the White House ... and atop Metro Center, the hub of Washington's metro system and the intersection of four subway lines. You can get quickly from the Grand Hyatt to most any place in the city

copyright (c) 2019 by Ourisman Travel LLC. All rights reserved. We provide Virtuoso and other Preferred Partner amenities as an affiliate of Brownell, a Virtuoso® Member. If you have comments on this column, or questions about booking travel, email me or visit my website.

good morning, Sydney

Opera House at dawn (c) 2019 by David Ourisman, all rights reserved

We're now in Sydney, and with our return from the Outback, we again have ample bandwidth to post on Travel Horizons. I got out of bed at 4:45 a.m. this morning to capture the sunrise. The heavy cloud cover prevented any meaningful dawn colors ... but they created drama. I converted this photograph to black and white and am happy with the image.

Taken from the boardwalk in front of the Park Hyatt Sydney, located in the historic Rocks district, this is an ideal location if you're into sunrise or sunset photography of the Opera House.

copyright (c) 2019 by Ourisman Travel LLC. All rights reserved. We provide Virtuoso and other Preferred Partner amenities as an affiliate of Brownell, a Virtuoso® Member. If you have comments on this column, or questions about booking travel, email me or visit my website.

Amansara | exploring the temples of Siem Reap

statues on the Angkor Thom bridge (c) 2017 by David Ourisman, all rights reserved

Amanresorts prides itself on special connections to the history and community of their settings. I want to devote a series of blog articles to several iconic Aman properties. Amanjunkies already know about Aman's elegant and spacious guest rooms and incredibly personalized service. Perhaps these articles will tempt you to try Aman!

Amansara in Siem Reap, Cambodia was originally the guest house of King Sihanouk of Cambodia where his royal guests stayed. Aman has turned it into a resort with just 24 suites and pool suites. The guest experience includes daily temples tours and cultural walks with English speaking guides. Here are the highlights of the area...

Angkor Wat is one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. A large temple complex constructed in the 12th century, its stone walls are adorned with carvings.  The scale of the temple complex is immense, its outer wall being 2.2 miles in length. Come in the early morning to avoid the crowds and the heat of the day.

Angkor Thom is equally fascinating. A fortified city 4 km north of Angkor Wat, Angkor Thom is surrounded by a moat. The walkway over the moat is lined with the mythic statues pictured above.  This photograph was my favorite take-away from my 2007 visit to Siem Reap.  

Ta Prohm Temple, found 5 km east of Angkor Thom, is in ruins. I have vivid memories of the trees growing out of the temple ruins.

Amansara is the ultra-luxe option in Siem Reap, and the Virtuoso amenities include an upgrade to a Pool Suite if available, daily breakfast, and a 60 minute massage per room. Virtuoso guests have the choice of three other luxury options — Belmond Residence d'Angkor, Park Hyatt Siem Reap, and Raffles Le Royal, each with exclusive Virtuoso amenities.

copyright (c) 2017 by Ourisman Travel LLC. All rights reserved. We provide Virtuoso and other Preferred Partner amenities as an affiliate of Brownell, a Virtuoso® Member. If you have comments on this column, or questions about booking travel, email me or visit my website.

I blame the bean counters at Marriott

view from the Club Lounge at Ritz Carlton Half Moon Bay

Ritz Carlton is truly one of my favorite hotel brands. It is for this very reason that I want to push back against the new cancellation policy being instituted by Marriott, its corporate parent. A few Ritz Carlton hotels still have a one day cancel deadline (Buckhead!), but most Ritz Carlton hotels now adhere to the 2-3 day cancelation deadline that is the new Marriott standard.

I blame the bean counters. This self-inflicted corporate unfriendliness is bad news for guests and bad news for Marriott Luxury Brands. I have nothing but the highest admiration for the ladies and gentlemen of Ritz Carlton, among the warmest and most gracious hosts in the entire luxury hotel industry. This unfortunate policy makes life harder for everyone, especially their business guests who need flexibility when they travel for business. What the Marriott bean counters may not appreciate is that this also makes life harder both for their travel partners (luxury travel advisors like myself) and for our Ritz Carlton Guardian Angels. I'm thinking of all the time I'll waste requesting waivers of cancellation penalties ... and the time my Guardian Angels will waste working on exceptions for my clients.

I acknowledge that cancellation penalties can serve a valid function. Once a room has been sold, it's "off the market" and cannot be resold. Last-minute cancellations do not leave enough time to re-sell that room. It's reasonable for the guest to compensate the hotel in the form of a one-night penalty if the cancellation prevents the hotel from selling the room to someone else. But unless a hotel is nearing a sell-out, nothing is really lost.

My appeal to the bean counters... read the Mission Statement of Ritz Carlton, and realize how this policy contradicts that mission:

The Ritz-Carlton Hotel is a place where the genuine care and comfort of our guests is our highest mission.  

We pledge to provide the finest personal service and facilities for our guests who will always enjoy a warm, relaxed, yet refined ambience.  

The Ritz-Carlton experience enlivens the senses, instills well-being, and fulfills even the unexpressed wishes and needs of our guests. 

My appeal to my clients and fans of Ritz Carlton: vote with your dollars. You don't have to tolerate minimum 3-day cancel deadlines at city hotels. The only way the bean counters will get the message is for us to send our business to their worthy competitors. Just checked a random day in New York City, and the cancel deadline is just one day at Four Seasons, Mandarin Oriental, Fairmont (The Plaza), Peninsula, Park Hyatt, and Rosewood (The Carlyle). 

copyright (c) 2017 by Ourisman Travel LLC. All rights reserved. We provide Virtuoso and other Preferred Partner amenities as an affiliate of Brownell, a Virtuoso® Member. If you have comments on this column, or questions about booking travel, email me or visit my website.

Park Hyatt New York | a Virtuoso preview hotel

Park Studio Suite at the Park Hyatt New York

During my recent trip to New York, I had a "hard hat" site inspection of the Park Hyatt New York. Located on 7th Avenue between 57th and 58th Street, this is a good west side location, convenient to Broadway shows and Carnegie Hall. Still under construction, I was able to get a good sense of what the hotel will be like once ready for occupancy. In a word, the Park Hyatt New York will be a winner!

Fans of the Park Hyatt aesthetic will appreciate the cool, masculine, yet residential atmosphere of the hotel. Materials are elegant and attractive, and the design team has done a fabulous job in creating both public spaces and guest rooms. Guest rooms will be on floors 8 - 23 of this entirely new build with 118 guest rooms and 92 suites. Lead-in Park rooms average an impressive 530 square feet, and Park Deluxe rooms are even larger. Pictured above is the one display room on property, a Park Studio Suite at 680 square feet. Every bathroom in the hotel has everything you would expect for a new state-of-the-art hotel — dual vanities, a large rounded-rectangular soaking tub, rain shower, and WC. I found the view on high floors facing west to be especially interesting.

The hotel's 25th floor features a 60-foot long lap pool, jacuzzi, and fitness center. Michelin-starred chef Sam Hazen will preside over the hotel's restaurant which will be an American/New York grill. Other guest services include free internet, free bottled water, free bike rentals (the hotel is just two blocks from Central Park), and complimentary car services within a 2 mile radius. Park Executive Suites and above receive round-trip airport transfers from the three New York airports.

Virtuoso amenities offer added value to guests who book through their Virtuoso travel consultant: complimentary daily full breakfast for two guests, $100 hotel credit, room upgrade if available at check-in, and early check-in/late check-out if available. Rates will be competitive with other top New York five star luxury hotels; guest rooms will start around $700 in low-season and $1100 in high-season.

copyright (c) 2014 by David Ourisman LLC. All rights reserved. We provide Virtuoso and other Preferred Partner amenities as an affiliate of Brownell Travel. If you have comments on this column, or questions about booking travel, email me or visit my website.

room upgrades | the holy grail of hotel stays

Ocean View Prime Suite at FS Hualalai

I can't show the comic strip, as King Features wanted $60 for a one-time license, but go to the Rhymes with Orange website and click back to the April 15th cartoon. Cinderella is standing in front of "The Enchanted Forest Rental Desk" to rent a pumpkin coach. The rental agent, a flying fairy godmother complete with wand, informs her, There are no more pumpkin coaches on the lot, but for the same price we can upgrade you to a butternut squash.*

Room upgrades are the holy grail of luxury hotel stays. For many hotels and resorts, the only difference between a less inexpensive lead-in room and higher room categories is the view. A great example is the Four Seasons Maui where lead-in Mountainside rooms look away from the ocean with a view of the roof of the parking garage. Higher room categories (Garden, Partial Ocean, Ocean View, and Ocean View Prime) have progressively better views. So a room upgrade is a valuable perk that can save you $100 every night of your stay, depending on time of year.

How can you increase your chances of getting a coveted room upgrade? Find a luxury travel consultant who

(1) is a preferred partner of your favorite hotel families. Brownell Travel has preferred partner relationships with Four Seasons, Ritz Carlton, Mandarin Oriental, Park Hyatt, Orient Express, and Rosewood, among other luxury brands. We are among a handful of agencies that are the biggest producers for these brands, and our clients go to the top of the upgrade list.

(2) is a member of Virtuoso, or another consortium with negotiated amenities such as Signature or FHR. These perks include room upgrades on check-in, subject to availability, at over 900 five star hotels and resorts around the world.

(3) has personal relationships with sales managers at the hotels you want to book. If you send a lot of guests to certain hotels, and work with sales managers to VIP your clients, they get to know you and will often try to guarantee an upgrade in advance.

It can help if you are a frequent guest of certain hotels. So when you find a hotel you love, stay with it! Your own relationship, especially when combined with that of your travel consultant, will help you score a room upgrade!

room upgrade (search here on Google)

*Hilary B. Price, "Rhymes with Orange" (April 15, 2012)


copyright (c) 2012 by David Ourisman LLC. All rights reserved. If you have comments on this column, or questions about booking travel, email me or visit my website.
.

Washington, DC luxury hotels

I spent last weekend in Washington, DC to attend my nephew's wedding. I took advantage of being there to make some hotel site inspections ... and to see some sights along the way. Pictured above is one of the more famous residences in the city. However, it's not an easy place to book a room!

The most requested luxury hotels in Washington, DC are the Four Seasons Washington, the Ritz-Carlton Georgetown, the Park Hyatt, and the Hay Adams (currently undergoing a complete renovation). I took the opportunity to visit some less requested Virtuoso hotels. Here are my inspection reports of those Washington DC luxury hotels.

St. Regis Washington. An intimate hotel built in 1926 by a Turkish businessman in the style of an Italian Renaissance palace, I was impressed by the intricately carved 18-foot high wooden ceiling in the hotel's lobby. The location of the St. Regis is ideal for business travelers who want to be convenient to the lobbying firms on K Street or Washington's high-powered corporate law firms - and it is the home to Adour by Alain Ducasse. Guest rooms are small and feature a traditional style. The Superior room I saw was 350 square feet with a gold and red color scheme. Built-ins installed during the 2007 renovation provide hanging space and drawers, creating a bit more floor space in the process. Bathrooms are very small with a single vanity and a shower (but not a tub).

The Willard InterContinental has an impressive history. Abraham Lincoln stayed at the Willard prior to his Inauguration, and Ulysses Grant used to smoke cigars in the lobby and "hold court" with individuals seeking favors (giving rise to the term lobbyist). Rooms have traditional styling in shades of red, green, and gold. Rooms are comfortably sized, beginning at 450 square feet, but bathrooms are small with a shower in the tub and only a single vanity.

The Mandarin Oriental Washington is located near the Department of Agriculture and is quite convenient to the various Smithsonian museums. The hotel has constructed a private footbridge to the Tidal Basin and Jefferson Memorial, and the lobby has a round atrium reminiscent of the architecture of the memorial. Guest rooms are comfortable and well-sized, 400-700 square feet, with large bathrooms that feature step-in showers but only a single vanity. The hotel's restaurant, CityZen, is one of the best restaurants in the city, overseen by Chef Eric Ziebold (who worked with Thomas Keller at The French Laundry).

Want to enjoy free breakfasts and more at the seven hotels mentioned in this article? Just book through a Virtuoso luxury travel consultant to receive complimentary daily breakfasts for two, room upgrade upon arrival if available, and additional amenities that differ by property.


Washington DC luxury hotels (search here on Google)

copyright (c) 2010 by David Ourisman LLC. All rights reserved. If you have comments on this column, or questions about booking travel, email me or visit my website.
.