Hyatt Hotels personal reflections Starwood Hotels

Seattle on my mind

I spent the past week in Seattle. The weather was cold, rainy, and periods of brightness, even if rather brief.  I spent the week at my sister’s house, although I tried to stay in the Seattle Sheraton.

I filed a Best Rate Guarantee for the Seattle Sheraton when Kayak.com revealed a $99 rate compared to $129 on Starwood’s websites. The BRG claim was denied due to filing it at 4 pm the day before arrival. The Starwood BRG representatives stated claims for a Best Rate Guarantee must be submitted at least 24 hours priot to arrival. I submitted the claim 23 hours before the hotel check-in time of 3:00 PM. The rate was still $99 on the Kayak listed website on Saturday, May 1 for when I filed the BRG night and the rate was still $129 on the Starwood site.

Lesson Learned: A third-party website may have a lower rate than the Starwood site the day before you want to book a room and you will have no recourse if Starwood Hotels posts higher room rates in the final 24 hours before hotel check-in time. You must decide between paying a higher room rate through Starwood Hotels to receive loyalty program benefits and points or pay the lower room rate and receive no loyalty or SPG elite qualification credit for the hotel stay.

a group of people walking on a street
Seattle Sheraton

 

Seattle Art Museum and sculpture garden view

a red bird sculpture by a tree

There is statue of a boy in the right side fountain totally obscured by the water fountain. I liked this angle with the Space Needle in the background.

a statue of a man in a fountain

The Westin Hotel is actually two cylindrical towers. I liked the monorail passing by at this moment.

a tall building with a bus in the background
Seattle Westin and monorail

 

My sister had a free night certificate for the Seattle Hyatt Olive 8 Hotel. She offered it to me, but it just didn’t seem right to take her free night when I have several free night credits of my own. The hotel name Olive 8 is based on the hotel address at the intersection of Olive Way and 8th Street.

a close-up of a building
Seattle's Olive 8, a Hyatt Hotel

 

The first Thursday of the month is free museum night in Seattle. Thursday, May 6 was the last free museum night until October. I went to the Experience Music Project.

a close-up of a building

The Jimi Hendrix room with neat memorabilia and photos was most interesting to me. There were dozens of iconic rock photos in an exhibit selected by Graham Nash. I listened to Whitney Flynn performing on her harp as Hooves and Beak.

a woman playing a guitar on a stage

The Hampton Inn Seattle is located right by the Space Needle and EMP. The sign outside the hotel stating HHonors Points & Miles caught my eye.

a hotel with a sign in front of it

At dusk on my last evening in Seattle I walked up the street from my sister’s house and saw Mount Rainier for the first time during the nine days I stayed in Seattle.

a bridge over a lake
Mount Rainier in the background, past Lake Washington, Seattle

2 Comments

  • Oliver May 11, 2010

    I am going to spend a long weekend in the Seattle area in August and plan to use some of my free nights from GWB – any recommendation as to what Hyatt I should look at? I believe there are three, including a new Hyatt Place opening in June or July. Since I’ll have a car, minimizing parking cost will be a factor.

  • Ric Garrido May 12, 2010

    I do not know about the Hyatt Place. Grand Hyatt and Olive 8 are only about 100 yards apart between their entrances. Downtown Seattle requires paid parking, but I am sure there are places that are cheaper to park than the hotels.

    Lucky had a great post last week about his stay in a suite at the Grand Hyatt Seattle.

    Since I didn’t stay at Olive 8. I have no opinion on the advantages of each hotel.

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