World Traveller 73 
At times, a great discounted travel opportunity comes up that becomes the genesis of a new trip. While I was searching around for something to do in this pandemic disrupted travel environment, I came across a great international business class fare from Western North America to Europe. Without much hesitation, we booked ourselves into a trip to France, Jordan and Israel. Read on to see how we put it all together.
This post is one chapter on our trip to Jordan, Israel and France during the end of the pandemic. This trip was enhanced through Marriott Bonvoy Elite Status, Hertz Gold Plus Rewards and Alaska Mileage Plan. For more information on how this trip was booked, please see our trip introduction here. For other parts of the trip, please see this index.
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✈️ Read more from this trip:
- Introduction: Driving 1,265 kilometres in Jordan, Israel and France via Icelandair, Turkish Airlines and Royal Jordanian Business Class
- My Favourite Long Layover Restaurant at SeaTac Airport: 13 Coins
- The Club at SEA Business Lounge, “S” Concourse, Seattle Tacoma, USA
- Icelandair Saga Business Class: Seattle – Reykjavík
- Icelandair Saga Business Class: Reykjavik – Paris Charles de Gaulle
- The Residence Inn by Marriott Paris Charles de Gaulle Central Airport, France
- Salon Paul Maxence Lounge, Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport Terminal 2A, France
- Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge, Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport Terminal 2A, France
- Turkish Airlines Business Class: Paris – Istanbul
- Turkish Airlines Business Lounge: Istanbul International Airport, Turkey
- Turkish Airlines Business Class: Istanbul – Amman
- What to Expect Driving through the Kingdom of Jordan
- Dead Sea Marriott Resort and Spa, Jordan
- Top Five Tips for a Day of Canyoning – Hiking the Wadi Mujib Trial, Jordan
- Petra Marriott Hotel, Jordan
- How to Tackle the Ruins of Petra, Jordan
- Is it Worth Seeing Petra by Night?
- Al Manara, A Luxury Collection Hotel, Saraya Aqaba, Jordan
- Going Local: Al Mohandes Cafeteria, Aqaba, Jordan
- Memories Aicha Luxury Tented Camp, Wadi Rum, Jordan
- Getting Sandy in Wadi Rum, Jordan
- The St Regis Amman, Jordan
- Views from the Citadel in Amman, Jordan
- Royal Jordanian Crown Lounge, Queen Alia International Airport, Amman, Jordan
- The Petra Lounge, Queen Alia International Airport, Amman, Jordan
- Royal Jordanian Business Class: Amman – Tel Aviv
- The Sheraton Tel Aviv, Israel
- The Intersection of the World’s Religions, Visiting Jerusalem, Israel
- Visiting Tel Aviv’s Beaches, a Day at Gordon’s Beach, Israel
- The Dan Lounge, Ben Gurion International Airport – Terminal 3, Tel Aviv, Israel
- Turkish Airlines Business Class: Tel Aviv – Istanbul
- Turkish Airlines Miles and Smiles Lounge, Istanbul International Airport, Turkey
- iGA Sleep Pod, Istanbul International Airport, Turkey
- iGA Lounge, Istanbul International Airport, Turkey
- Turkish Airlines Business Class: Istanbul – Paris
- The Westin Paris Vendôme, Paris, France
- Returning to the Eiffel Tower, Paris, France
- What’s Left of the Notre Dame Cathedral, Sacré Coeur and Montmartre, Paris, France
- Bateau Mouches Seine Cruises, Paris, France
- Le Cafe de la Paix, Paris, France
- Bouillion Pigalle, Paris, France
- Le Café du Trocadéro, Paris, France
- Extime Lounge, Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport Terminal 2B, France
- Icelandair Saga Business Class: Paris – Reykjavík
- Icelandair Saga Business Class: Reykjavík – Seattle
Trip Introduction: Driving 1,265 km in Jordan, Israel and France via Icelandair, Turkish Airlines and Royal Jordanian Business Class.
Planning the Trip:
Planning Flights:
Flights from Canada to France
While I was sitting around in the early summer of 2022, I happened to notice a deeply discounted Icelandair Saga Business Class sale for the fall of 2022 and spring of 2023. Icelandair was offering full business class tickets from nearby Seattle to most points in Western Europe for a cheap $1,500 CAD or $1,100 USD.
We booked Icelandair Saga Premium Business Class Seattle – Reykjavík, Icelandair Saga Premium Class Reykjavík – Paris and return Icelandair Saga Premium Business Class Paris – Reykjavík and connecting home to Icelandair Saga Premium Business Class Reykjavík – Seattle. These fares booked into “A” Class and allowed earning of 125% on Alaska Mileage Plan.
This was a great deal since business class tickets on Icelandair were usually around $4,300 CAD. It was made even more of a great deal considering that international business class reward availability had pretty much dried up immediately after the pandemic. Although the Icelandair seats were not fully flat business class, at this price point; who’s complaining?
Thinking that we could use the fares to visit Paris, France, in the fall, we started to build our itinerary around this. My thinking then evolved that we could then fly further afield from Paris, France. I started to research the countries of Jordan and Israel since I had yet to visit this part of the world.
Flights from France to Jordan / Israel
The original plan was to redeem an Air Canada Aeroplan frequent flier reward between Paris and Jordan on an open jaw entering into one country and departing from the other. The business class tickets were pricing at 45,000 Aeroplan points each way for a total of 90,000 Aeroplan Points per person round trip. There was lots of availability on Lufthansa, Turkish, Agean and Egpyt Air. Of these, only Turkish seemed to be most interesting.
Dependent on aircraft, Turkish Airlines offered a fully flat seat instead of the usual European Business Class Seat which was an economy version with a blocked middle. While we could have routed on “dry” Egypt Air with perhaps a 15 hour layover to visit the Egyptian Pyramids; we were looking for convenience and comfort. There were also occasionally routes on Oman Air and Etihad Airways through the Middle East for 65,000 Aeroplan Points, but I wasn’t able to locate any dates and availability that worked for our schedule.
After that analysis, I discovered that Turkish Airlines was having a sale on business class fares. I was able to get a fully paid business class fare from Paris to Jordan, returning Tel Aviv to Paris for $1,400 CAD ($1,039 USD). By flying Turkish, this would allow us to travel from Paris to the Mediterranean Middle East on their Boeing 787, Boeing 777-300 and Airbus 330 aircraft with a stop over at the new Turkish Airlines Istanbul International Airport Business Lounge. We would credit these fares to Air Canada’s Aeroplan with this fare booked into “J” class, which allowed for the accumulation of 110% RDM in Air Canada’s Aeroplan frequent flier program.
Flights from Jordan to Israel:
Since there remains travel scrutiny on Israeli Passport stamps, we decided to fly between Jordan and Israel as opposed to getting a Jordan Exit Immigration stamp near an Israeli land border. Royal Jordanian airlines has a monopoly on this short 68 mile air route between the two capitals.
Regular paid economy tickets were pricing at about $400 CAD or $315 USD for a one way ticket. As Royal Jordanian is a One World Member, I redeemed 6,000 British Airways Avios and $391.50 CAD ($290 USD) against two business class reward seats on a Royal Jordanian Crown Business Class Amman – Tel Aviv trip.
While I could have redeemed a “full” 12,500 British Airways Avios and $261.50 CAD ($194 USD) for a ticket outright, I didn’t find that the price difference of $130 CAD ($95 USD) was worth the additional 6,500 BA Avios Rewards points. I transferred these points in from American Express Membership Rewards and the transfer took about 48 hours from American Express (Canada).
While I could have redeemed a smaller 6,000 Avios + $ 261.10 or 3,350 Avios + $331.10 for an economy class seat, there wasn’t any availability for the day I wanted to travel. The Royal Jordanian Crown Business Lounge Amman, Jordan is a member of Priority Pass, so the only real benefit for flying in Royal Jordanian Business Class is priority check in, and additional baggage allowance, since you can typically access this lounge through Priority Pass.
When I booked the 2 seats left remaining within award inventory, I was a bit surprised to discovered that they were in fact the only two seat remaining in this class of cabin for this flight 3 months in advance. I went to select seats and we didn’t get the opportunity to sit next to each other. As a result, we ended up in the middle one behind each other for this 45 minute flight.
Lastly, I needed a positioning flight to get to our gateway city of Seattle, Washington, United States. I booked departing from our home city of Vancouver, BC, Canada on Alaska Airlines. Each of these flights would allow earning of a minimum of 500 Alaska Airlines Miles on the 117 mile flight as a result of their generous Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan program. I was also able to use a $175 USD discount voucher from my earlier Las Vegas trip when my checked bag mis connected in Seattle. Tickets for two between Vancouver – Seattle booked about 3 weeks in advance with the discount code applied came to $246 USD return. I have reviewed this short service-less flight dozens of times so I won’t do so again.
YVR-SEA (paid – Alaska Airlines)
SEA-KEF-CDG (paid – Icelandair)
CDG-IST-AMM (paid – Turkish Airlines)
AMM-TLV (British Airways Executive Club Award)
TLV-IST-CDG (paid – Turkish Airlines)
CDG-KEF-SEA (paid – Icelandair)
SEA-YVR (paid – Alaska Airlines)
Planning Hotels:
On our way into France, we had the need for one night stay between our two tickets. With several options near the Paris Airport, we ended up at the Residence Inn by Marriott Paris Charles de Gaulle Central Airport, Paris, France. Our stay at this almost brand new property included complimentary breakfast and a comfortable suite like environment.
The country of Jordan has a very strong Marriott presence with many Marriott properties, a brand new Sheraton, Luxury Collections, a W Hotel, a St Regis and a Ritz Carlton having a presence in the country. Likely thanks to a strong business travel posture, the country is a great deal on Marriott Bonvoy reward points.
We booked in for one night at the Dead Sea Marriott Resort and Spa. This was our first night of arrival into the country. This would turn out to be a great resort, and I wished that we had more time at this location.
We booked in for two nights at the Marriott Petra. There were reports that this was a dated and high turn over property. The rates at this property soared to upwards of $600 CAD ($445 USD) a night, making points possibly a great value here. Luckily, I was able to find a rate of only $286 CAD ($212 USD), so I paid cash for this stay.
We booked in for two nights at the Al Manara, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Saraya Aqaba, Jordan. I used two a American Express Marriott Bonvoy Free Night Awards redemption worth 35,000 Marriott Bonvoy with an additional payment of 5,000 Marriott Bonvoy points (total 40,000 Marriott Bonvoy points) against a room worth 245 JOD ($368 USD). The rate eventually went up to 368 JOD ($519 USD) so it was tremendous value outsized value to redeem these certificates against a property of this price point. I applied Marriott Bonvoy Suite Night Awards against a number of Suite Categories. We would end up being upgraded into a Superior Suite worth 510 JOD ($968 CAD or $719 USD) a night. As a result, we received tremendous value for a free stay.
In terms of picking a Wadi Rum camp, I did some research on the area. The thing to do in Wadi Rum is to sleep in a glass dome under the stars. If this price point isn’t your thing, they also have fabric glamping tents which are neat, but aren’t nearly as exciting or glamourous.
My first pick of the popular Wadi Rum UFO Hotel and the Wadi Rum Luxury Hotel were actually located outside of the Wadi Rum eco reserve. Since it didn’t appeal to come all this way not to see the actual Wadi Rum itself, we ended up at the tried and tested Memories Aicha Luxury Camp Wadi Rum, Jordan. It was difficult to get domed availability even at three months out and I had to move many parts of the trip around to days when they had domed availability. I booked this property with the property direct through the Memories Aicha Wadi Rum Camp website on a free cancellation basis up to 7 days in advance of travel. The property was responsive and provided a list of tours and parking information in advance.
We booked in at The St Regis Amman, which was a brand new property. It appeared more interesting than the W Hotel Amman (which had a strange no personal alcohol policy; perhaps too many raucous parties?), the Marriott Amman and the Ritz Carlton Amman (that didn’t offer elites breakfast). The St Regis Amman would end up being a very comfortable stay as a result of a Marriott Titanium upgrade into a St Regis Suite.
For our time in Isreal, we again stuck with the Marriott properties. For a short stay, we wanted to stick close to the beaches and the central part of Tel Aviv. As a result, location mattered and became the primary driver of selecting a property. Between the Sheraton Tel Aviv, the Renaissance Tel Aviv and the cool looking The Jaffa, a Luxury Collection hotel, we ended up at The Sheraton Tel Aviv. While the Jaffa was leading the way, we opted for the Sheraton Tel Aviv which was located right on Gordon Beach. The Sheraton Tel Aviv was a great choice, and I’d easily return again to this property due it’s location and availability of a Sheraton Executive Lounge.
In terms of Paris, France, there were dozens of Marriott options. Since Paris hotel rooms are typically very small, we decided to leverage the Marriott Bonvoy Suite Night Award route by choosing a hotel with many suites. We had Suite Night Upgrades to use so we looked to find a hotel that had the highest number of available suites. This translated into The Westin Paris – Vendôme, which had a great location.
Planning Activities:
We elected to self drive within Jordan by renting a vehicle. While we could have gotten ourselves a driver, we preferred the independence of renting a car. It’s always a bit unnerving to land in an international country and decide whether you want to drive, so I developed a post on What to Expect while Driving in Jordan.
We had two major activities while in Jordan. We had a guided tour of Wadi Rum from a beduoin driver within Wadi Rum. We also did an excellent day of water canyon hiking within Wadi Mujib. Both activities were highly recommended.
In other highlights, we also did a tour of Jerusalem through the intersections of all the various religious sites. I was happy that we took the time to take in this history while we travelled through this corner of the world.
Our points and miles redemption summary:
While this wasn’t entirely a free trip, we leveraged the large discount that we received on our international business class air fares. We elected to pay for most of our hotels instead of redeeming points; saving the Marriott Bonvoy points for higher value redemptions.
In summary, we earned and redeemed:
- Redemption: Alaska Voucher for $175 USD against Alaska Airlines Vancouver – Seattle – Vancouver
- Earned: 1,500 Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan Points (500 + 250 + 500 + 250) on Alaska Airlines Vancouver – Seattle – Vancouver, as an Alaska MVP.
- Earned: 17,564 Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan Points (6,339, + 2,443 = 2443 + 6339) on Icelandair Saga Business “A” Fare Seattle – Reykjavik – Paris – Reykjavik – Seattle, as an Alaska MVP)
- Earned: 4,610 Air Canada Aeroplan Miles (1,519 + 828 + 744 + 1519) on Turkish Airlines Business Class Paris – Istanbul – Amman, Tel Aviv – Istanbul – Paris, as an Air Canada Elite 35K
- Earned: 15,300 Points (5,200 Base + 3,900 Elite + 6,200 Extra) Marriott Bonvoy points at Residence Inn by Marriott Paris Charles de Gualle as a Marriott Bonvoy Titanium level member.
- Earned: 15,300 Points (5,200 Base + 3,900 Elite + 6,200 Extra) Marriott Bonvoy points at Dead Sea Resort Marriott and Spa as a Marriott Bonvoy Titanium level member.
- Earned: 15,300 Points (5,200 Base + 3,900 Elite + 6,200 Extra) Marriott Bonvoy points at Petra Marriott Hotel as a Marriott Bonvoy Titanium level member.
- Redemption: 2 Free Night Certificates courtesy Marriott Bonvoy American Express Credit Card at Al Manara, A Luxury Collection Hotel, Saraya Aqaba + 10,000 Marriott Bonvoy Points
- Earned: 15,300 Points (5,200 Base + 3,900 Elite + 6,200 Extra) Marriott Bonvoy points at St Regis Amman as a Marriott Bonvoy Titanium level member.
- Earned: 15,300 Points (5,200 Base + 3,900 Elite + 6,200 Extra) Marriott Bonvoy points at Sheraton Tel Aviv
- Redemption: 12,000 British Airways Executive Club Avios Points (6000 X 2) for Royal Jordanian Business Class: Amman – Tel Aviv as a Marriott Bonvoy Titanium level member.
- Earned: 15,300 Points (5,200 Base + 3,900 Elite + 6,200 Extra) Marriott Bonvoy points at Westin Paris Vendôme
- Redemption: 12,000 British Airways Executive Club Avios Points (6000 X 2) for Royal Jordanian Business Class: Amman – Tel Aviv as a Marriott Bonvoy Titanium level member.
While this was a complicated trip to put together, it was not all that impossible to do with a little research and advance planning. In the end, it became a great trip back into international travel after the end of the suspension of travel from the pandemic.
If you have visited Jordan or Israel, how did you put it all together ?
We’ve all heard lots of stories on the problems on renewing a passport in a post pandemic world. With an upcoming international trip planned for the Maldives, I had timed out on my ten year Canadian Passport, which would be expiring in the summer of 2023. Without any options to extend, I was required to renew it. How would my experience fare? Let’s just say it didn’t go all that quickly…
My Story: Renewing a Canadian Passport in a Post Pandemic World
A passport is an essential international travel document. If you plan on flying anywhere, you need a passport as a document to guarantee your citizenship.
My Travel Circumstances:
I had a ten year passport that was issued by the Government of Canada in the year 2013. It had thirty two pages of glorious passport stamps. I had spent many trips organizing my passport using creative post it note covers on the visa pages, so that I wouldn’t run out of passport stamp real estate before the passport did.
With an upcoming trip to the Maldives planned in March 2023, I checked the entry requirements to enter the Maldives. Unfortunately, they required six months of validity left on a passport. My current passport was set to expire in the summer of 2023. I was stuck! Come Christmas Holidays time, I passed the calendar period when I needed to have six months of validity time left on the passport itself.
I needed to renew. But how exactly?
The Service Standard for Renewing a Canadian Passport:
The health pandemic has not been kind to Canadian Passport applications. After a several months of full closures of all Canadian passport offices, the offices were now open once again. Functioning, sort of…
Unfortunately, along with the offices being re-opened, there were several horror stories floating around in the news and on Reddit with how long it took to get a passport re-issued. Along with a mad rush on the supply side to get travel re-going again, came an avalanche of renewal applications.
Officially, the Government of Canada offered several routes to re-apply for a passport for those within Canada:
- Apply in Person at a Passport Canada Office
- Apply in Person at a Service Canada Office
- Mail in a Completed Application
The service standards for producing a passport were all over the map. The service standards were listed as:
- Twenty (20) days plus mailing time for mail in applications
- Ten (10) day processing time for Passport / Service Canada offices that offer 10 day processing
- Expedited two to nine day (2-9) processing time for Passport Office applications picked up at the Passport office
- Urgent Pick Up (end of next business day) for passport applications picked up at the Passport Office
While ten days doesn’t seem to be an unreasonable amount of time to wait for a passport, I had a trip planned in less than sixty days. I wasn’t so inclined to leave it that long in case something went wrong. This was especially given the amount of “world of mouth” stories out there about Passport Canada grossly missing the service standards.
Locating a Passport Office:
I decided that I wasn’t going to risk missing my trip by “mailing in” the passport under the “twenty day, plus mailing time” service standard. I made the decision I was going to attend a Passport Office for processing.
Despite living in a metro environment of Vancouver, Canada (with a population base nearing four million persons) the Government of Canada only runs three (3) passport offices. Not all offer urgent or express pick up.
While the Passport Office website advertised the ability to make an appointment, I was unable to get any appointments at any of the three Vancouver area Passport Offices for the next sixty days, through until the end of February 2023.
I was able to locate some appointments in the Edmonton, Alberta passport office, which was a 90 minute flight away. I was also able to locate some appointments in the Kelowna Office towards the end of February; about a 450 kilometre drive away and about two tanks of gas worth away.
I decided that I didn’t want to drive, or fly over the holiday period and would at least make an attempt at my local offices prior to this extraordinary travelling step.
Deciding to Walk In to a Passport Office:
Step One: The Temporary Hold Room = Three hours and Thirty Minutes
I decided I was going to have to “Walk In” to a Passport Office and brave any queues that might be there. Unfortunately, the Passport Office keeps banker hours. They are only open between 8:30 AM and 4 PM on weekdays in my area and are closed on every weekend. and statutory holiday. Why they haven’t moved to a weekends and evening model, I’ll probably never understand.
Over the Christmas Holidays, I turned up at the Surrey Passport Office. The passport office was guarded Corps of Commissionaires security guards. I was immediately directed upstairs into an overflow office.
Walking upstairs, I arrived to a retail storefront that had been taken over in a temporary manner as a result of a pandemic store closure. Passport Office Canada had set up a space in this abandoned retail store as a temporary reception for it’s passport applicants.
I arrived to this no mans land about fifteen minutes after opening. When I walked in, I was put into an “Applying / Renewal Line”.
I was given a ticker tape coupon with the number “D74” on it. Within 15 minutes of opening, there were apparently already seventy four applicants ahead of me. I would later learn that line ups at this location typically start at 7 AM, or ninety minutes before the regular business hours of the passport office’s opening time.
I was relegated to these comfortable chairs for an undetermined wait. With no obvious counters or pacing, I was committed for an unknown period of time.
I would end up waiting patiently on these chairs for about three and a half hours.
During my time here, an older government type woman would make several public service announcements in a slightly cranky tone:
- “I recommend you go away and mail in your passport application if you don’t need it”
- “This isn’t a field trip. Your kids shouldn’t be here and won’t be allowed into the Passport Office unless they are applying”
- “I don’t need my Commissionaires coming up telling me people are trying to crash the line”
These comments were met with uncomfortable, but committed glances by other applicants around the room.
Like waiting for a standby flight, I chatted with a few people while I was waiting based on our new found group kinship. There wasn’t anything else to do, and a smart phone can only keep you engaged for so long.
I met several people whom had mailed in their passports and had been waiting for six months for it to be processed. I had a little feeling of dread over me; was all this going to get worked out within a two month time line, before my international travels?
Getting into the Actual Passport Office:
Step Two: At the Passport Reception Counter = Three Minutes
After three and half hours, my number “D74” was called up. I was led in line and taken down in a group of ten people to the actual passport office.
I showed my D74 butcher counter coupon to the Corps of Commissionaires security guard. By simple virtue of the distribution of numbers, I happened to be the first called up in the ten of us in the group that were lucky enough to enter the actual passport office. It was 12:15 PM by this point in time, and they had less than 4 hours worth of business hours left in the day.
I was told to advance into line one. I called up to Counter #3, where a friendly and relaxed looking agent assembled my application. He did the following things:
- He took scissors to cut off the bottom part of my application that represented the “payment portion” of my passport form
- He verified my photographs had been taken within the last 6 months and removed them from the photo lab envelope
- He printed off a secondary claim ticket
- He told me to take a seat to speak with a “Passport Officer”
I had no idea if this was a routine thing or a bad thing. It was like being sent into secondary screening at the customs and immigration hall. Sometimes it ends well, but sometimes it doesn’t end quickly.
Waiting in the Passport Office:
Step Three: Waiting for Two Hours and Forty Five Minutes
I entered into the holding room which was absolutely stuffed to capacity. I took an uncomfortable and institutional seat.
With clerks telling everyone it would be a four to six hour wait, I had no idea whether this included my early temporary hold room wait time or represented just time within the passport office itself.
I pretty much ran out of things to do while I was waiting in the Passport Office waiting room. There is only so much news you can consume on a smart phone. I even resorted to watching downloaded leftover netflix content.
I chatted with a person who was attempting to get a passport issued. He had mailed his passport application in the month of July 2022. He indicated that it was stuck in Toronto, Ontario and he hadn’t seen it in six months. He was trying to get it transferred to the Surrey office.
Maybe I did do the right thing by coming and applying in person?
I would end up waiting in the Passport Office itself for an additional two hours and forty five minutes.
Speaking with the Passport Officer:
Step Four: Five Minutes
Eventually, my second S091 coupon was called up on the Passport Office Monitors. With materials in hand, I promptly stepped up to the counter.
I indicated to the Passport Officer that I was here for a simplified Renewal. The passport officer was a pleasant older asian lady in her early sixties. She didn’t seem phased by the hundreds of people lining up at her footsteps, and perhaps had gotten used to the sea of impatient faces.
I made the assumption that the Passport Officer verified my identity to that of the photograph, although she didn’t make any obvious moves like holding up the passport document to my face, much like the US Customs and Border Protection or the TSA Officers do whenever I pass through their checkpoints.
The Passport Officer asked me four things:
- She asked me if I wanted regular or expedited processing?
- She asked me if I wanted my passport mailed or held for pick up?
- She placed my passport photographs in a bar coded envelope.
- She asked me if I wanted my current passport returned?
I answered all of these things and presented my credit card for payment. She told me to put it away and that it would get processed by someone else further along in the process. She punched pages 1 – 3 of my existing passport and returned it to me; my treasured collection of international passport stamps collected over nine years intact.
She handed me a green claim slip and told me to come back within five business days.
After a six hour and fifteen minute wait, and exactly eight minutes of interacting with Passport Office staff, I was headed out of the door.
Picking up the Passport
Step Five: Seven Minutes
Five business days later, I returned to the passport office towards the end of the business work day. There was no wait at the temporary storefront upstairs. I received a new coupon number and asked to head immediately down to the passport office about twenty minutes before it closed.
Once inside the passport office, i waited for about seven minutes in line of about ten people. My passport was promptly made available and all appeared to be in order.
The passport was ready as promised, and I walked out the door with my passport in hand.
It seemed bizarre to pick up a passport with an expiration date in 2033 but that’s what a ten year passport comes out at these days.
It was a tremendous relief to actually have this travel document in hand, given all the horror stories occurring about challenges getting this travel document renewed.
My Thoughts on the Passport Office Experience:
On application day, it took six hours and fifteen minutes of queueing. My time interacting with Passport Office staff was exactly eight minutes.
After five business days, on pick up day, I had my passport in hand, picked up without any issue, and was on my way.
In my humble opinion, the main challenge with this process is that each point of contact refers you into a stream that is not capable of delivering the results.
- Passport Office Managers refer you into the “mail in” stream, but the mail in stream seems to have no credibility to deliver on time.
- There are appointments available to be booked, but you can’t actually book any appointments for upwards of sixty days.
- Passport Office Hours do not appear to be aligned with the actual demand, and don’t operate on evenings or weekends.
Despite being in the year 2023, several months after the countries’ borders have re-opened to leisure and business travel, the system still appears to be under heavy strain.
I’m not sure why the simple fixes of extending the hours of operation aren’t being considered. This seems to be a simple method in order to address the back logs.
In Summary: My Experience Renewing a Passport
After deciding to complete a walk in application at my local Canadian Passport Office, it took me six hours and fifteen minutes of waiting in order to apply. My time at the passport counter itself was only five minutes in duration.
It seems incredible to have to wait that long for a system that is clearly under continued strain and pressure, for such a simple travel document. While I can appreciate that the country needs a safe and secure travel document, the system clearly seems under strain. There appear to be easy fixes to the system, such as extending the hours of operation, that don’t appear to be under consideration at the moment. Despite this, I was able to get a passport in about five business days, and applying in person was likely the fastest possible route.
Be prepared for a long wait, if you have to get a passport renewed in your near future.
Do you have a passport renewal coming up in your future ?
The Aspire Lounge Calgary International Airport was one of the first Aspire Lounge entries into the Canadian airport marketplace. The Aspire Lounge in the International Departures hall of the Calgary International Airport offers the sole lounge space servicing international travels. Read on to see how our visit to the Aspire Lounge International Calgary International Airport and how our experience was…
Review: Aspire Business Lounge International “D” Concourse – Calgary International Airport, Alberta, Canada.
This review is of the Aspire Lounge International at the Calgary International Airport. There is also a different Aspire Lounge in the US Pre-Clearance Transborder Area of Calgary International Airport.
Dependent on your departure area and carrier, you may also have access to the other lounges in the Calgary International Airport such as Westjet Elevation Lounge – Calgary International Airport and the Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge – Calgary International Airport.
The Calgary International Airport underwent a much needed expansion in the year 2016 that saw a new US Transborder and International Terminal built adjacent to the legacy old terminal. With the new international terminal came two new lounges: The Aspire Lounge International Calgary International Airport (this review) and the Aspire Lounge Transborder – Calgary International Airport.
The Aspire Lounge International – Calgary International Airport compliments their other Canadian Lounges: the Aspire Lounge Calgary Transborder, the Aspire Salon Lounge – Ottawa International Airport, and the Montreal Bank National Bank Lounge.
Locating the Aspire Lounge Calgary International:
The Aspire Lounge is located on the main concourse floor at Calgary International Airport. The Calgary International Airport almost adjacent to Gate D80.
Map Courtesy of Terminal Maps at yyc.ca
I arrived on a flight from the Calgary International Airport domestic terminal “C” Gates. I took a rather long walk between the “C” Domestic and “D” International Terminals on a walkway that included a travellator and quite a dead retail zone.
There is an option to take an electric trolley called the YYC Link between terminals. However, this seems to be a bit more trouble than it’s worth and I just elected to walk.
I eventually came to the access point for the Calgary “D” International Terminal. Although it was on the secure side, today the area was not wholly serving international flights with several domestic Westjet flights leaving from the terminal.
I eventually passed through several passageways and eventually arrived into the Calgary International Airport “D” International Concourse.
The Calgary International Airport Concourse features North America’s first “call to gate” boarding area. As a result, there is more space than expected around the retail zone, with minimal seating near the gates. We were last through this departures hall on our Westjet Airlines Calgary – Varadero flight a few years ago.
I eventually wandered down towards Gate D80, passing by “Vin Room” wine bar and restaurant. The lounge access point is located shortly down this hallway on the left before the Chili’s Restaurant. The Aspire International Lounge Calgary International Airport access elevators were located behind the stainless steel pillar.
The elevators to the Aspire Lounge contain a multi media display on either side. The displays professionally show that the lounge is affiliated with Air Canada, American Express, Edelweiss, KLM, Priority Pass and Westjet departures.
Accessing the Lounge:
After riding up the elevators, it was a short walk across an open air walkway towards the lounge reception. The lounge features a view over the US Transborder Terminal Floor below.
Admittedly, it was pleasant to be stepping off a lounge elevator into a bright reception space. It was a stark contrast instead of in the usual tiny dark corridors that most lounge elevators lead into.
The Aspire Lounge Calgary International Airport is accessible through a variety of means.
The Club Aspire Lounge is affiliated with Priority Pass, Lounge Key, Dragon Pass and Executive Lounges.com. If you have a premium credit card, such as the American Express Platinum Card that offers a lounge membership benefit, you’ll likely be gaining access through this route.
The lounge also appears to partner with most of the major international carriers that depart from Calgary International Airport. These include lounge access for:
- Air Canada
- American Express
- British Airways
- KLM
- Edelweiss
- Priority Pass
- Westjet
The Club Aspire Lounge also offers lounge access for sale on its website. At the time of our review, access was available to the lounge for approximately $46.20 CAD ($33 USD) for up to 2.5 hours prior to your flight.
Interestingly, the lounge entry did not feature access to the showers. Travellers wanting access to a shower, were required to pay an additional $10 CAD ($8 USD) to access the shower suite.
In my case, I ended up using a Priority Pass Select membership that came with the American Express Platinum Card to enter along with the possibility of a free guest. After showing my Priority Pass digital membership card, I was admitted without delay and invited inside.
I might also add that the terms and conditions of the Priority Pass program allow access solely as a departing customer. While this isn’t usually an issue with Plaza Premium Lounges, I was turned away from this Aspire Lounge International on my date of arrival. As a result, your mileage may vary if you attempt to access this space as an arriving domestic customer.
Inside the Aspire Lounge Calgary International:
The Aspire Lounge Calgary International offers a long rectangular room in a medium large lounge space.
Immediately after entering the lounge, you’ll find yourself in a long rectangular hall that leads into the lounge area. A combination flex work island space anchored the centre of the lounge, along with a single row of tables.
Moving into the lounge, there were a bank of lounge chairs against the glass walls that overlooked the terminal concourse. Towards the end of the lounge island area, there was a large flat screen television.
The area surrounding the glass featured a combination of lounge seating of leather lounge chairs and plush lounge tables in configurations of four.
There were some reasonable airport concourse views out of the Aspire Lounge. The views were into the “E” Concourse US Transborder terminal which was mostly deserted in the evening when I visited.
The back part of the lounge offered a four pack of restaurant styled booth seating. The booth seating area was incredibly popular, as it contained easy charging for devices. It was fully occupied during the entirety of my visit.
Moving to the very back of the lounge are, there was another television area with additional lounge seating. The back area had Canadian Rockies mountain view photographs, in addition to another flat screen television. In addition to the booth area, this also remained a popular spot to lounge in this particular space.
While I was in the lounge, I used the bathrooms at the rear to change out of my business suit and into jeans and a sweater for a more comfortable after hours ride home. The bathrooms were pretty tiny, which made changing in them a bit of a balancing act. If the lounge could be improved somewhat, it would be with a slightly larger bathroom footprint.
Except for those bathrooms, the Aspire Lounge Calgary was pretty spacious overall and is arguably among the most spacious feeling of the available lounges at Calgary International Airport. The lounge itself wasn’t densely populated with seating. While this made for a spacious feel, it also limited the amount of available seating spaces. With most of the seats configured in a four person configuration, the available space got taken pretty quickly.
Food and Beverage:
Any great international business lounge should offer a decent amount of food, ideally so that it’s travelers can even substitute a meal in the lounge for what they might get on board.
In the middle of the lounge, the Aspire Lounge Calgary International offered a central island that housed it’s food offerings.
Much like the Aspire Lounge Ottawa, the Aspire Lounge Calgary offered a pretty solid food offering for a business lounge.
There were ample cold cuts and salads available. All items were covered with cafeteria styled covers.
There were a number of hot items available. Tonight’s menu included some tasty looking ginger beef and jasmine rice. There was also some white macaroni and cheese along with vegetarian chili.
In addition to the hot items and salad bar, there were fruit cuts available in the cooler. There was a full self service bar consisting of several kinds of white wine, rose wine and red wine. There were also spirits available for self service, along with ice located in the cooler.
I spent about 40 minutes in the lounge prior to heading off to my Air Canada Calgary – Vancouver flight route home; a route that I had previously reviewed on Air Canada Business Class Calgary – Vancouver. It was a short walk back to the “C” Terminal and onto my flight home. Much like my Aspire Lounge Ottawa experience, it was a really nice and pleasant stay.
My Thoughts on the Aspire Lounge Calgary:
The Aspire Lounge Calgary is a complimentary of the Aspire Lounge location in Ottawa. The Aspire Lounge Calgary International is the most spacious lounge at the Calgary International Airport, with much more room than the Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge Calgary, and the Westjet Elevation Lounge Calgary. The food was reasonable, and the space was welcomed.
Perhaps the only negative part to this lounge, was the long walk out to Calgary Concourse “D”. The long walk makes this lounge a little inconvenient for a quick visit, so you’ll have to allow a little extra time to visit this space, unless you happen to be departing from the Concourse “D” gates at Calgary International Airport anyway.
If you’ve visited the Aspire Lounge Calgary International, how was your experience ?
The town of Canmore, Alberta, Canada is located immediately outside of Banff National Park. Canmore is known for it’s plentiful hotels that are convenient for exploring Banff and Lake Louise, in addition to being a great place to attend a conference. How would my trip to the Coast Canmore Hotel and Conference Centre fare for a work trip through the area?
Review: Coast Canmore Hotel & Conference Centre, Alberta, Canada
“A Conference Centre Hotel that was a little light on the business facilities and experience”
My work travels took me to the Coast Canmore Hotel and Conference Centre located in the town of Canmore, Alberta, Canada. The hotel hosted a week of meetings in their medium sized facilities within the hotel and conference centre. In terms of context, my travels were within the first year of travel restart after the pandemic as the world slowly re-opened again.
Booking The Coast Canmore Hotel and Conference Centre:
Although I was travelling for work and part of a meeting group, I never got the official invite or group code for the event from my employer. As a result, I booked my room directly on the Coast Hotels Reward website. I had no part or decision making influence in choosing this location for this event, and as an invited attendee, I just went along with the process by staying directly at the event hotel.
Since most of the base level rooms were already taken as a result of the group function, I ended up with a Coast King Bed with a Patio for $156 CAD ($115 USD) under a Coast Rewards Member Rate. There were also some deeply discounted pre-paid rates, but given that I was travelling for work, I didn’t elect for the pre-paid rates. With over one hundred delegates as part of our meetings, there wasn’t a whole lot of choice with respect to room types or category selections.
I also was part of the Coast Rewards loyalty program. However, as a base level “pink” member, I wasn’t expecting all too much. The Coast Rewards Pink level offered 1 point earned for every dollar spent, a dedicated phone line, member exclusive rates and a preferred car rental rate.
It’s worth noting that there are not many chain hotels in Canmore. Aside from the IHG Holiday Inn Canmore, the Coast Hotel is about the only other larger franchised hotel in the area.
Getting to the Coast Canmore Hotel and Conference Centre:
I arrived into Calgary International Airport on an Air Canada flight. I picked up a Hertz rental and received a conservative upgrade from my full size booked to a mid siz SUV; being issued a 2020 Ford Escape Sport Utility Vehicle courtesy of Hertz President’s Circle.
I set out on the drive from the Calgary International Airport westward on the Trans Canada Highway. After an hour and twenty minutes on an excellent four lane highway, I arrived into Canmore. The mountains had recently received snow, so the scenery was really picturesque.
The hotel is located just off the Trans Canada Highway and was really easy to find. It was situated on the primary road paralleling the Trans Canada highway.
The Coast Canmore Hotel and Conference Centre was generally well located. The hotel was near to highway access, and walkable to several restaurants within a ten minute walk. There also happened to be a strip mall across the street that featured a dinner restaurant, a Subway Sandwiches restaurant, and a Beamers Coffee shop which featured during my visit for breakfast.
On arrival to the property, I self parked at the hotel in the outdoor parking lot. There were a lot of available parking stalls and I had no issues finding a spot to park. During my stay, parking was complimentary. I was required to place a parking coupon on the dash provided by the front desk.
Checking into the Coast Canmore:
I walked inside and checked in at the front desk. The hotel started off as a Radisson Hotel and Conference Centre and had been reflagged as a Coast Hotels and Resort property in summer of 2014.
Immediately upon entering the lobby, there was a seating area with four chairs and a gas fireplace.
Consistent with the price point of the hotel, the lobby area was decorated in a modern ski lodge type of feel that was functional, instead of more than over the top elegant.
At the front desk, there was no wait for check in. I was provided my room key and told my room was just up the hall on the ground floor.
I was also provided a parking coupon for my car. While it’s great that hotels want to keep track of what cars are in their lots, theres nothing more inconvenient than arriving to the front desk with your luggage, having to head to the room to drop your bags, and then having to return back to your car to place a slip of paper on the dash. Typically, when I arrive to a hotel after a flight and a 90+ minute drive, all I want to do is get to your room and get unpacked. Perhaps registering a licence plate at the front desk would be a more convenient, time sensitive and customer centric way of arranging this?
The Room: A Coast King with Patio
I led myself over to Room #111, which was located on the ground floor level just around the corner from the front desk. I was travelling with only a carry on and I didn’t need any luggage assistance, nor was any offered by the front desk.
The Coast King with Patio room had recently been modernized and renovated. The room had some modern touches to it, including a print wall behind the bed. The room had new carpeting and things looked mostly fresh and new.
Immediately after stepping into the room, the king size bed was evident. In a great touch, the bed had five pillows. There was one more than I usually find, which was a great touch for sleeping.
There was also a modern looking occasional chair rounding out the room.
In a strange renovation upgrade decision, the room did not have a working desk. Instead, it had a round occasional table located towards the window area of the room. I really couldn’t understand the lack of desk in the room.
While the hotel is situated in a leisure area, it markets itself as a Hotel and Conference Centre. In addition to the challenges of working at a round table, there weren’t any power plugs easily near the table. All to say, this was a weird decorating choice for a conference centre hotel that didn’t make a business stay all that more comfortable. Working away on the round table, I felt like I was back at home working on my uncomfortable kitchen dining table in the early days of the pandemic.
The room did offer a long bench like storage area. The bench like storage space was convenience for storage, but it did give the room a bit of a low rent touch. A flat screen television that was smaller than the standard 55 inch televisions was mounted on the wall. While you don’t come to the Canadian Rockies to spend time watching television, I couldn’t help but notice that the television looked smaller than it actually was, thanks to the lack of any other wall art on the television wall.
For some reason when I booked a patio room, I was expecting a nice view like on a lanai balcony like in Hawaii. Perhaps it was because the hotel was located in the middle of the Canadian Rockies Mountain Range. Instead, the Coast King “with Patio” was indeed just that, a patio area with a small viewless space. I couldn’t say that I’d be inclined to book this particular category of room again just for the sake of having a patio. Perhaps, I might feel differently in the warmer summer months.
Moving onto the bathroom, the space was pretty small and designed for one. The outer bathroom space contained a small empty mini fridge, a coffee maker, an ice bucket and a wall mirror.
Inside the bathroom, there was another small mirror, along with a single sink and vanity. The bathroom also featured a shower and tub combination.
The toiletries were branded as Bee Kind dispenser type tubes which were located on the bathroom counter. They were easily moved into the shower for use. The shower had a slow running drain, and I had to remove the stopper completely in order to get the bathwater to drain during my morning showers.
In another bit of an irritant, the bathroom door was on a tilt so that the door didn’t stay wholly open. Instead, the door leaned towards close. This caused the door to brush up against me while I was standing at the sink; brushing my teeth, shaving, towelling off after the shower and while doing all the usual bathroom actions. While this isn’t a major deal, it did tend to get irritating after a while.
The hotel offered me a welcome amenity and a welcome letter which was found on the coffee table in the room. For some reason, the welcome letter had me listed as a Coast Rewards Silver Member; usually attributed to someone who stays ten to nineteen nights a year. A bar of locally produced Rocky Mountain Soap of Seaweed and Spearmint was also provided. This was a nice touch and I happened to find the Rocky Mountain Soap store while walking around town. The soap was retailing for $7.95 CAD, so this was a great souvenir to take home.
The hotel appeared to have a rectangular layout, with most rooms located around a bank of the main building. The meeting and conference space was located on the ground floor behind the front desk area.
The overall sleep quality in the room was very good to good. While there was a little hallway noise from other hotel guests being one door away from the main lobby, there also happens to be a major train track that runs east – west across the street from the hotel.
While it wasn’t constantly noisy, there were times where I could hear train noise inside the room. In fairness, the train track runs right through town. As a result, the noise isn’t something that exclusively only to the Coast Canmore Hotel and Conference Center. It’s something that likely impacts almost all hotels in the Canmore area.
Around the Hotel Property:
The Coast Canmore Hotel and Conference Centre didn’t have a whole lot of on property amenities. It notable that the word “Resort” is not in the title, and that the property correctly refers to itself as a “Hotel”. Despite this, there were a few items worth mentioning.
Indoor Heated Pool:
The hotel offers an indoor pool. Unusually, and especially for a hotel that probably faces cold winter temperatures of up to -20 Celsius, is that the access to the indoor pool requires going outside into the parking lot.
After key carding yourself into the pool area, you found yourself inside an indoor pool area. There was also a small hot tub.
Hotel Fitness Centre:
The pool building also featured a long rectangular gym. The gym was a little cramped, but it was always nice to have access to a gym, instead of going without.
Probably the best part about both of these features, is that there was no Resort Fee applied to the property.
Views from the Property:
Probably the best feature of staying at the Coast Canmore Hotel and Conference centre were the views from around the property. When the visibility allows, there are some absolutely world class views from the property.
The views in October weren’t always clear like this, and there were days that the visibility of the mountains were completely obstructed. This might be something to keep in mind if you happen to be visiting the area during the shoulder or winter season.
Food and Beverage:
Table Food and Drink
The Coast Canmore Hotel and Conference Centre had an in house restaurant called Table. The restaurant was located on the ground floor lobby adjacent to the conference centre facilities.
Unfortunately, despite over a hundred people attending our event and staying in the hotel, the restaurant was not open for breakfast and offered limited capacity service for lunch.
I’m not sure if this was intentional on the part of the hotel, or the lack of available restaurant staff hired and ready to go after the pandemic, but the restaurant was shuttered for a good portion of our stay.
As a result, I ended up at the Beamers Coffee shop for breakfast, and the Subway Sandwiches Restaurant for lunch during both days of my stay. Both were located just across the street and were a convenient alternative. Dinner was also taken off the property, with many restaurants located within a ten minute walk of the hotel.
Checking Out of The Coast Canmore:
On my day of departure, I ended up in my meeting event in one of the hotel meeting rooms. I wasn’t really sure exactly what time check out was but I aimed to get to the front desk as soon as my session ended. I did check for the departure time on the night before, but a check out time wasn’t ever provided to me at check in, it wasn’t written on the door of the room, or printed on the key card folder when I checked in. My plan was to get to the front desk before twelve noon; the usual check out time for most properties.
It was about 11:40 AM before I got to the room. I found that my key had been de-coded and no longer worked. I went up to the front desk in order to check out. While there was no line, I could sort of tell that the reception wasn’t all that impressed. I had my key re-coded in order to regain access to the room. I returned to the front desk after to finalize the bill about 3 minutes later, which was as expected.
While I didn’t get a full lecture, I did get a comment that staff had entered my room to check on it’s status. I wasn’t really sure how to take this, but it didn’t leave me with a warm hospitable feeling; especially for a group that brought the hotel 100 guests over a week. While I wasn’t expecting a Marriott Bonvoy 4 PM Titanium Check Out, it was a cold experience among my 70 nights in various hotels this year. It wasn’t what I would consider a service failure by any means, but rather one of the odder experiences I had staying. I didn’t follow up further, despite the property sending me several survey requests.
Lastly, my Coast Rewards points never posted to my Coast Rewards account after my stay. I followed up by email with a copy of my hotel bill. The response from Coast Rewards was exceptionally prompt, and the matter was sorted out within 4 hours of me emailing the contact us address that was provided.
The Bottom Line: The Coast Canmore Hotel and Conference Centre
The Coast Hotel and Conference Centre offered “about as expected” accommodations in recently refreshed rooms. However, there were some strange elements to my stay that I hadn’t recently experienced in a business hotel.
The lack of proper work space in a room that is marketed as a conference business hotel was bizarre. The restaurant being closed during breakfast hours was confusing and caused a little last minute searching, My check out experience at the end was a little odd. While these things didn’t break the stay, it was noteworthy enough that it caused me to question some elements of my stay, especially for someone like me who spends a great deal of nights in hotels.
Despite this, I’d probably stay here again. I might just adjust my expectations accordingly.
If you have stayed in Canmore, Alberta, what hotel do you use ?
Oklahoma City found itself in the middle of the United States’ first serious domestic terrorism incident in April of 1995. After the dust had settled, the are was memorialized in a fitting memorial and historic museum that pays appropriate tribute to this horrific incident. Our visit to Oklahoma City would allow us an afternoon to take in this space and monument.
Remembering at the Oklahoma City National Memorial and Museum, Oklahoma, United States of America
For those in their forties and older, you’d likely remember the first horrific act of domestic terrorism in the United States of America. It wasn’t the horrors of the New York City Attacks, but the year of 1995’s Oklahoma City Bombing outside the Alfred P Murrah Federal Building that killed scores of innocent office workers and civilians.
I happened to be visiting Oklahoma tagging onto MrsWT73’s work trip. Where I got the opportunity to visit this commemorative sight.
About the Oklahoma City Bombing:
The Oklahoma City bombing was the first substantial domestic terrorist truck bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States. The attack was perpetrated by two anti-government extremists, Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols. The bombing happened on April 19, 1995 at 9:02 a.m. and killed at least 168 people, injured more than 680 others, and destroyed more than one-third of the building, which had to be demolished. The blast destroyed or damaged 324 other buildings within a 16-block radius, shattered glass in 258 nearby buildings, and destroyed or burned 86 cars, causing an estimated $652 million worth of damage. The attack marked the first material case of domestic terrorism in the United States prior to the New York City September 11 attacks.
Arranging a Visit to the Oklahoma City National Memorial:
I was staying at The Ambassador Hotel by Autograph Collection, which is located in Midtown Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States.
It was a short drive (or a possible twenty minute walk) up to the Oklahoma City National Memorial. The Oklahoma City National Memorial is located on the site of the bombing location, and the former site of the Alfred P Murrah Federal Building.
It’s central location was easy to reach. While the Oklahoma City National Memorial offered free parking with a museum entry, after squaring the block in the rental car, I wasn’t able to locate the actual entrance to the parking garage. We ended up in a paid parking lot to the west of the memorial at a $2 an hour rate, although street parking was also free to park on the street on the weekends.
Arriving to the Oklahoma National Museum:
After parking the car, we wandered our way up to the memorial pool. We would end up saving the memorial pool for after the museum. I couldn’t help but notice the serene space of the memorial pool as we wandered towards the nearby museum building.
The Oklahoma City National Memorial Museum building was located just adjacent to the memorial pool.
Admissions:
I visited the museum website the day before we visited. They were selling tickets under blocks of time and you could select a particular time slot for your visit. Having said that, on our visit on Saturday, we didn’t have to wait for a preferred time slot. We ended up just walking in with no wait what so ever.
Inside the Oklahoma National Museum:
Like the National September 11 Memorial and Museum New York, the Oklahoma Museum contained a combination of multi media elements and traditional museum pieces.
The Oklahoma City National Museum started off describing what appeared to be an average spring day in Oklahoma City. The stage was set with workers heading off to work, people starting an hearing, along with sights of the sky line.
There were more ominous exhibits, including seized closed circuit television cameras that captured the Ryder truck that was used to convey the explosives that started the bombing attack.
There was also a long list of occupants of the Alfred P Murrah Federal Building. These included many United States federal investigative agencies which included the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, the Drug Enforcement Agency, the United States Customs’ Service and the United States Secret Service to name a few.
After hearing the transcript sound of an agricultural licensing hearing that captured the sounds of the explosion on tape, you were led into exhibits. The exhibits included video interviews of survivors and responders attending to the disaster.
The museum led through to artifacts and evidence recovered from the explosion site. This included the Florida Licence Plate from the Ryder Rental Truck parked out front of the federal building.
While there weren’t too many artifacts collected from the museum itself, the museum did a great job at profiling the citizens involved in the building, along with the rescue workers who responded to the attack.
The museum also covered the various international news reporting of the incident. It was among the first to be covered amongst the international cable news networks, at a time that main stream media was becoming ever more popular.
There was also the vehicle that Timothy McVeigh was stopped in for failing to display a licence plate just ninety minutes after the explosion by an Oklahoma State Patrol member on the interstate just outside of Oklahoma City.
The museum concluded with a review of the evidence presentation against the accused Timothy McVeigh and his accomplice Terry Nicols. The museum concluded with a walk through the Gallery of Honor. It contained a memorial of all those that had perished in the attacks, including those that perished saving others during the bombing.
Our visit through the museum took us a medium paced ninety minutes, but I could have spent about two hours in there as a serious museum buff.
The museum did a pretty good job and making the experience and visit a multi media one that resonated with visitors. There was certainly enough in television format and video reels to keep any visitor engaged and entertained.
The Oklahoma City National Memorial:
After the museum, we took a walk around the Oklahoma City National Memorial. The memorial pool contains the street of where the Ryder truck explosive device was parked before it was detonated almost directly underneath the Alfred P Murrah Federal Buidling.
The architects did an impressive job with the water memorial. Each end contained a window into the before and after. Each end was marked with a time stamp of 9:01 AM (representing the before), and 9:03 AM (representing the after).
The memorial chairs were covered on the lawn next to the location of where the actual Alfred P Murrah Federal Building was located. The chairs represented the location of the victims of each floor; with each row representing a floor of the building.
The rows of chairs overlooking the reflection pool was a pretty sombre but touching memorial for those that passed just going about their daily work.
Their also contained a singular row of chairs for those that passed after the bombing, or those that were rescue workers on the day of the bombing.
My Thoughts on the Oklahoma National Memorial and Museum:
The Oklahoma National Memorial Museum was a poignant reminder and memorial to the first and worst domestic terrorism incident in the United States. While the experience is not as enriching as the New York September 11 Memorial and Museum, it is a stark reminder of the extremism ideologies that are possible.
It’s easily worth a visit if you happen to find yourself in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA like I did.
If you have visited the Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum, how did you find the memorial captured this moment in history ?
The Aspire Salon Lounge Ottawa is the newest Aspire Lounge in Canada. Taking over the space previously occupied by the Porter Lounge Ottawa, the Aspire Lounge Ottawa has arrived to the scene offering a legitimate competitor to the Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge next door. Read on to see how our first visit to the Aspire Lounge Ottawa was, and whether it would stand up to our review…
Review: Aspire Salon Business Lounge – Ottawa International Airport, Ontario, Canada.
This review is of the Aspire Salon Lounge at the Ottawa International Airport. For a review of the other lounge in Ottawa, please see see our review of the Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge Ottawa International Airport, so that you can go over your available options.
For many years, the lounge environment at Ottawa International Airport was delicate and scarce lounge environment. As the sole lounge, the Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge Ottawa had a monopoly on lounge offerings out of the airport. Since there was almost nothing in terms of food and beverage on the secure side, lounge access was important if you wanted somewhere to relax prior to your flight.
The Aspire Lounge at Ottawa International Airport is a brand new lounge that is located in the space previously occupied by the Porter Lounge Ottawa. This space became available when Porter Airlines decided to exit their lounge network, and closed their Toronto Billy Bishop, Newark and Ottawa lounge locations.
The Aspire Lounge Ottawa compliments their other Canadian Lounges: the Aspire Lounge Calgary International Airport, the Aspire Lounge Calgary Transborder, and the Montreal Bank National Bank Lounge.
Locating the Aspire Lounge Ottawa:
The Aspire Lounge is located on the main concourse floor at Ottawa International Airport next to Gate 18. Turning right after descending the escalators from the new security screening area on level three (this was previously a left turn when security was completed on level two), it’s a short 4 minute walk up to the lounge.
Map Courtesy of Terminal Maps at yow.ca
The Aspire Ottawa Lounge is really easy to find, thanks to a large frontage on the concourse. It’s located on the right as you navigate the terminal. On my visit, there were pop up displays outside the lounge, which was located right after Booster Juice. The Aspire Ottawa lounge also happens to be located immediately across the hall from the Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge Ottawa.
It’s worth noting that this lounge is in the main domestic hall of Ottawa International Airport. If you’re departing on a US Transborder flight that is processed through US Customs and Border Protection Pre-Clearance, you won’t have access to this lounge as a result of the design of the airport.
Accessing the Lounge:
The Club Aspire Lounge Ottawa is accessible through a variety of means.
The Club Aspire Lounge is affiliated with Priority Pass, Lounge Key, Dragon Pass and Executive Lounges.com. If you have a premium credit card, such as the American Express Platinum Card that offers a lounge membership benefit, you’ll likely be gaining access through this route.
The Club Aspire Lounge also offers lounge access for sale on its website. At the time of our review, access was available to the lounge for approximately $46.33 CAD ($33 USD) for up to 2.5 hours prior to your flight.
In my case, I ended up using an American Express Platinum Card to enter along with a free guest privilege for my travelling co-worker. After showing my Priority Pass digital membership card, I was admitted without delay and invited inside. Our lounge reception host was pulling double duty and also clearing the tables in addition to being the reception host. She worked her tail off during our visit and was very attentive and welcoming.
During our visit, the lounge was in operation between 9 AM – 6 PM.
Inside the Aspire Lounge Ottawa:
The Aspire Lounge Ottawa has done a great job at renovating the space to make the lounge a contemporary looking and bright location that is easy to relax in.
Immediately after entering the lounge, you’ll find yourself in a long rectangular space with a curved pathway that leads into the lounge space. You’ll find lounge seating on your left with a combination of tables and chairs, and individual tables with semi formal occassional chairs for two.
The lounge was virtually empty during our mid day visit on a statutory holiday. As a result, the space offered many options in terms of seating and had a comfortable feel to it with low noise levels.
Immediately on your right as you enter the lounge, you’ll find a long high top communal table. The work / relax space was integrated with power outlets, and had a great view of the airside operations.
Moving further into the lounge there were a few lounge chairs located immediately against the glass. Myself and my co-worker took up seating right against the glass in some reasonably comfortable but firm lounge chairs.
The lounge also offered complimentary lockers for storage that were located within the space. While this was a great and thoughtful feature, I can’t imagine many people taking full advantage of this. I’ve found these features to be really useful in major international airports when you have a long connection and you can drop your carry on bags and head into the city for a few hours. I can’t imagine many people doing that here as the lounge hours are too short, and Ottawa doesn’t get a whole lot of connecting traffic. Still, it’s always nice to have options so I would imagine some will have use for this secure storage space.
Further back into the lounge, there were some individual lounge chairs. This space would end up being the most occupied and popular location of the lounge. It was almost walled off from the rest of the lounge with large wooden separators; this gave it a very Canadian feel to the space.
The Aspire Lounge Ottawa had really impressive seating arrangements. Consistent with being a brand new space, the decor was smart and up to date. There weren’t a lot of people using the space when I passed through, and it was a lot more low key and relaxed than the busy Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge Ottawa usually is.
Food and Beverage:
I sometimes approach independent lounge food and beverage programs with a little skepticism. Unless the space happens to be a airline network lounge, or a wonderful American Express Centurion Lounge, I haven’t typically been impressed by food that’s usually available at an independent lounge.
I was actually surprised at the food available at the Aspire Lounge Ottawa. While you won’t be mixing it up with the table served dining program at the Qantas First Class Lounge Los Angeles, it was pretty good and surprising for a business lounge.
The food area was located towards the rear of the lounge. It consisted of an island serving both hot and cold dishes. Our visit was right at the breakfast / lunch changeover, so I was able to sample both of what the lounge had to offer.
During our breakfast hour, the lounge was offering scrambled eggs and waffles. There were also small bowls of cut fruit, cereals and yoghurt parfaits that had been freshly prepared. A freshly prepared yoghurt parfait is going to win out over the packaged Chobani Yoghurts located in any United Club Lounge, so there’s certainly an advantage here.
As the lunch service was brought out, there were cold salads along with a pretty solid array of toppings available. They included cucumbers, pickles, shredded carrots, bacon bits, croutons, and a number of salad dressings.
Two soups were available. Today’s offerings were vegetable and what appeared to be broccoli cheese; both were unlabelled and unmarked. There were also four hot dishes that consisted of macaroni and cheese, macaroni bolognese, and a form of curry over top of rice.
Simple Macaroni and Cheese – yet so dee-lish!
The macaroni and cheese, vegetable soup and cut fruit that I sampled was crisp and fresh tasting. It was more than enough to enjoy as a snack prior to getting onto a flight from Ottawa International Airport.
Perhaps the least exciting feature of the lounge was the beverage program. The lounge offered draft beer and select spirits. The wines on offer were some pretty straight forward varieties. The beer tap was “on request” due to a defective tap spigot.
Given the hour, I didn’t focus too much on the alcoholic beverages portion of the lounge and just stuck with juice which was available from a self serve jug on the counter.
The Aspire Lounge Ottawa also appeared to featured table ordering. A QR Code was set up on all tables consistent with what occurred during the pandemic. However, when I clicked through to see what was available, it seemed that much of the menu was wiped out. asI couldn’t actually pull up any menu items. As a result, I suspect that this feature will be shortly discontinued in favour of the excellent self service buffet.
I spent about 90 minutes in the lounge prior to heading off to my Air Canada Ottawa – Ontario flight that connected onwards to my Air Canada Toronto – Vancouver flight back home. Overall, it was a really nice and pleasant stay.
My Thoughts on the Aspire Lounge Ottawa:
The Asprie Lounge Ottawa is a great addition to the Ottawa International Airport scnee. While I used to rely heavily on Air Canada Aeroplan Elite status for lounge access, it’s great that there is now a Priority Pass option in the otherwise lack luster food and beverage space inside Ottawa International Airport.
The Aspire Lounge Ottawa is a nicely designed and contemporary space. There was more than ample seating and it didn’t have the frenzy feel that comes with the packed Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge Ottawa just next door. The food and beverage program was more than I expected.
I’ll be sure to visit this space again, and thanks to it’s addition, I won’t be as reliant on the Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge system while passing through Ottawa.
If you’ve visited the Aspire Lounge Ottawa, how was your experience ?
After two pandemic years, I returned to Ottawa for a recent business trip and stayed at The Sheraton Ottawa Hotel. The Sheraton Ottawa Hotel has been a fixture of downtown Ottawa for many years, and I have stayed many times as a result of it being a comfortable place to be while on the road. However, one of the hotel’s best features was suspended during my visit. Read on to see which one it was…
Review: The Sheraton Ottawa Hotel, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
“An old school business stay favourite, The Sheraton Ottawa becomes a little less appealing when one of it’s best features is closed”
As a regular traveller to the nation’s capital of Ottawa, Canada there are a number of business hotels located in the central downtown areas. While I’ve stayed at many of these hotels, including The Westin Ottawa, I generally return to the Sheraton Ottawa when travelling for work. As an old school business hotel, The Sheraton Ottawa offers a reasonable combination of comfort, space and business amenities.
Booking The Sheraton Ottawa:
As a government town, and a hotel catering to business travellers, the rates at the Sheraton Ottawa are highest in the early mid week and tend to drop off on the weekend. The hotel generally offers rates between $250 – $300 CAD ($180 – $215 USD) during the early week, with rates as low as $180 CAD ($130 USD) on some Saturday and Sunday nights.
I booked my usual standard 1 King Bed, Guest Room for approximately 209 CAD ($150 USD) on my last 4 night stay. I booked through the Marriott Bonvoy website, which as a Marriott Titanium Member, entitled me to a complimentary upgrade to the best available room, including select suites, complimentary access to the Sheraton Club Lounge, and a complimentary late check out up to 4 PM.
Marriott Bonvoy Redemption Opportunities:
The Sheraton Ottawa Hotel was a Marriott Bonvoy Category 4 prior to the move to variable pricing. As a result, rooms are approximately 30,000 – 40,000 points per night , with 30,000 points a night as an average standard. I did happen to see some 27,000 point redemptions that were available on a Sunday night (in the middle of November) as the lowest possible redemption.
If you value Marriott Bonvoy points at $0.005 a point, you’d have to spend more than $150 USD to come out ahead for a 30,000 point redemption. While this represents reasonable value, I can’t actually imagine anyone redeeming points at this particular property, since most travellers here are likely on the business travel circuit.
Getting to The Sheraton Ottawa:
I arrived into Ottawa International Airport on an Air Canada flight. I picked up a Hertz rental and received a nice Hertz President’s Circle upgrade to a Lexus RX300 SUV.
It was a short twenty five minute drive from Ottawa International Airport up to downtown Ottawa under comfortable cooled and heated leather seats. The Sheraton Ottawa is located in the central business district of downtown Ottawa. The drive is mostly through wide four lane city boulevards since there are no freeways from the airport to the city.
For the most part, the Sheraton Ottawa Hotel is well located. The hotel is located in the downtown area of Ottawa, which is not located near any easy freeway access. This means there is a short drive through frost heaved city blocks in order to arrive to your destination.
Once you’ve arrived at the hotel itself, The Sheraton Ottawa hotel is located 2 blocks from the federal Ottawa parliament buildings. It has access to a Tim Horton’s, Starbucks and a Second Cup coffee shop one block away from the hotel. It is a short walk to the Byward Market entertainment district, which is relatively easy in the spring, summer and fall seasons, and manageable with a layer of gloves, toque and coat in the winter months.
I arrived to the hotel and parked in the loading zone out front. The hotel offers only valet parking at $29 CAD ($20 USD) per night with unlimited in and out privileges. I arranged for the valet of the car through the street side kiosk which was located outside on the curb. The valet service here has been really prompt, and I’ve never had to wait more than 5 – 7 minutes for the car to be delivered.
Checking into the Sheraton Ottawa:
I walked inside and arrived to the front desk. The front desk area offers a high ceiling, but it doesn’t offer the grand lobby features of modern hotels.
Almost on the entertaining side, the lobby features a nineteen sevenenties-esque “Studio 54” caged circular stairway that might find a go – go dancer hiding behind the cage. It’s an odd look, but it fits with the era and appearance of the hotel.
The lobby also featured a number of Sheraton Link computers. I used these during my stay but unfortunately, couldn’t get the printers to work due to them being “offline”.
Getting back to the front desk and my check in, there was no wait to be served. I had completed the mobile check in through the Marriott Bonvoy App about 24 hours in advance of my arrival. As a result, I had a friendly check in with my keys already programmed and ready to be picked up.
I was politely informed that, as a result of the pandemic, the Sheraton Lounge remained closed. As an alternative as a Marriott Bonvoy Elite, I was offered complimentary breakfast in the lobby restaurant, in addition to the welcome bonus of 1,000 Marriott Bonvoy points. I was given four coupons for breakfast.
While I appreciate the goodwill offer of offering a breakfast, it’s a little disappointing that the lounges remain closed at many Marriott Bonvoy properties citing “the pandemic”. At the time of my travels, the province had no mask mandates and it’s become much cheaper and more convenient for hotels not to offer lounge access for its members. If not even for the fact that lounges are typically a great place to work, it’s nice to have access to a little extra space outside of your immediate hotel room.
I was assigned room #1515 on the Sheraton Club Executive Floor. For one of the my first time ever at this hotel, I received a city front of hotel facing view. I have never been successful ever getting a Marriott Bonvoy Suite Upgrade to an actual suite at this particular property, even as a returning guest having stayed previously on 5 separate occasions. My usual Marriott Bonvoy Elite upgrade is a high Executive Sheraton Club Floor in the same room category.
Lastly, I was able to get a 1 PM late Check Out as a Marriott Bonvoy Titanium level member without any issues or haggling. This was convenient and accommodated an afternoon flight out of Ottawa, Canada.
The Room: Executive Level, Guest Room, One King, High Floor
I led myself up to Room #1515, which was a soft Marriott Bonvoy Upgrade to an Executive Level Guest Room, One King, High Floor. I was travelling with only a carry on and I didn’t need any luggage assistance, nor was any offered by the front desk.
The hotel hallways are a little dated but the property is very functional. The hotel is set up in a straight forward rectangular orientation, with a single hallway that runs a straight length of the property.
One of the main reasons that I enjoy staying at The Sheraton Ottawa are the size of the rooms. The hotel is a much older property, and as a result, has very large guest rooms as compared to newer hotels that are often more densely configured.
The regular size of the rooms are 392 sq feet, which make for a spacious feeling stay. The room itself feels much more like your room at home, as a result of its rectangular square configuration. This feel is very much in contrast to hotel rooms that offer a more rectangular high density long and thin shoe box styled room. The Sheraton Ottawa’s style is much more comfortable, even if this is not immediately apparent in nature.
Entering into the room, the rooms are similar to a residential bedroom. Since my last stay from before the pandemic, the rooms are starting to look a little more dated in style. At least they were more dated than I remembered them. Despite this, the bedroom colours are still pretty neutral. The colour scheme faded into less memorable memory after a few days in the room.
The Sheraton Ottawa features the usual Sheraton Sweet Sleeper Bed. This room was outfitted with a King Size bed. It was pretty comfortable and I had some solid sleeps in this space, despite time zone changes.
Along with the space, the room featured a single occasional chair that was comfortable. The chair wasn’t exactly ideally placed for television watching, but I used it for putting on my shoes. The room also contained a full sized mirror, which was great for dressing in the morning since the bathroom was a little compact.
One of the better features of the room is the rail desk that is a large space to house many work computers. It is broad enough to spread out and has a comfortable enough area to work. The wifi was strong, and I was able to easily connect a computer on both cellular networks and hotel wifi to support MS Teams video calls without dropping. The room also offered wired internet available, for those travelling here with challenged corporate Information Technology departments; the hotel still offered that old school way to connect.
The hotel does not offer many suites. In fact, there didn’t appear to be any on my assigned Sheraton Club Level floor at all.
The room also offered a Sunbeam Coffee Maker, along with in room Starbucks Coffee. I didn’t end up using any, favouring either the restaurant, Sheraton Club Lounge (when open), or the Starbucks Coffee shop down the street.
Despite the old school coffee maker, the hotel did offer the full service touches of a Sheraton Hotel by offering proper glassware and two bottles of Aquafina Water. The water was replaced daily during the daily housekeepings, which were “on request” due to the pandemic.
Probably the weakest part of the hotel room was the compact bathroom. As a result of the age of the hotel, consistent with the designs of that era, are that the bathrooms are a little on the small side. The bathroom is really set up for one traveller, with a single vanity sink and a compact combination shower and tub.
The bathroom colours are a little dated being a dark marble brown. Despite this, the fixtures were in good condition. The soaps had been upgraded to Gilcrest and Soames from the usual Sheraton Le Bain toiletries since my last stay. Both had large format dispensers on the counter and through dispensers in the shower.
The overall sleep quality in the room was excellent on the Sheraton Sweet Sleeper bed. There was no outdoor noise from the downtown area on the fifteenth floor and hallway noise was minimal to non existent. The sleep was quiet and everything that I’d expect from a peaceful hotel stay.
Around the Hotel Property:
The Sheraton Ottawa Hotel is a full service hotel property. While it may not be the grandest of spaces, it has almost every feature you’d expect in a full service Sheraton hotel.
Indoor Salt Water Heated Pool:
The hotel offers an indoor pool. What makes this feature unique is that the pool happens to be a salt water heated pool. While it’s not a super large space, it’s perfectly suitable for a series of small laps to shake off the airplane jet lag. I have also never seen children in the pool, which is something that’s unique about this particular hotel pool space.
Sheraton Fitness Center:
The Sheraton Ottawa offered a Sheraton Fitness Center. There was a spacious gym that offered a number of treadmills, along with elliptical cycles and a small free weight area consisting of a a few benches and light weights.
While I have found this place to be busy during the after work hours, it was pretty deserted on my most recent visit.
While the area appeared really bright in these photos, I have found the area is sometimes a little dark in the winter, thanks to darkness of large daylight floor to ceiling windows that can be pitch black in the wintertime. The televisions have also been integrated into the equipment; something which can be considered a good thing or a bad thing dependent on your gym tastes.
Food and Beverage:
The Sheraton Ottawa Hotel offers a restaurant, a lounge, and an executive Sheraton Club Lounge. While each of these spaces are functional, they are more on the utilitarian side than aspirational.
For starters, the public food and beverage restaurants were located on the main ground floor, just a short walk away from the lobby. Passing by the Sheraton Link computers led you to the food and beverage options.
Carleton Grill – Breakfast Only
Marriott Bonvoy Platinum Breakfast
The old school named Carleton Grill is the hotel’s primary restaurant. It started serving breakfast at 6:30 AM, and typically features a buffet and a – la carte dishes during breakfast hour. The Carleton Grill is a windowless space but typically the service is friendly and efficient. For those selecting the elite complimentary breakfast option as Marriott Bonvoy Platinum / Titanium or Ambassador, your full breakfast will be served here.
It’s worth mentioning that the Carleton Grill is open for breakfast only and closes at 10:30 AM on weekdays and 11:00 AM on Saturday & Sunday. There is no dinner restaurant at this property aside from snacks in the bar. If you find yourself downtown needing dinner, you’ll need to refer to the Room Service Menu or perhaps a short walk to another restaurant in the downtown area.
Sasha’s Lounge:
Immediately next door to the Carleton Grill is the hotel’s licenced lounge feature. The Sasha’s Lounge has a plain and simple bar located in the lobby, along with a dark room that offers a lounge. Much like the Carleton Grill, this space has a functional theme to it, over a place I’d actually come for a drink based on it’s appearances.
The Sasha’s Lounge room had sort of a Sheraton Club type feel with the ivory and blue decor. The only way I’d really see myself having a drink here is if I were meeting colleagues or couldn’t be bothered to go out to tackle extremely cold weather in the winter.
Sasha’s Bar did offer light snacks during the evening, making this a possible option for those looking for on property food after dark. I wouldn’t expect any healthy tuna poke bowls here, but more rather the traditional comfort food of a pub.
Sheraton Club Lounge:
The Sheraton Ottawa offers a Sheraton Club Lounge like many other Sheratons and Marriott properties. Lounge access is provided for those that book a Club Level room, or whom have Executive Lounge privileges courtesy of Marriott Bonvoy Platinum / Titanium or Ambassador level services.
The Sheraton Club Lounge is located on the 18th floor. It is accessible from the 17th floor, and requires a short flight up some angled stairs.
The Sheraton Club Lounge at the Sheraton Ottawa Hotel is situated in a bright space lit through atriums on the top floor. In addition to couches, there was ample light in stark contrast to the lobby restaurants. Since I couldn’t get in there on this visit as a result of it being officially closed, I’ve borrowed a photograph courtesy of Marriott.
Photograph Courtesy of Marriott Bonvoy – Sheraton Ottawa Hotel
The Sheraton Club offered a full hot and cod breakfast within the lounge, in addition to evening snacks. In the past, there were typically two hot items at breakfast (egg dish and waffle dish) along with evening snacks.
Unfortunately, the Sheraton Club was closed during my visit for the pandemic. This was really unfortunately a the Sheraton Club was probably my favourite feature of this hotel while on a business trip. The space allowed for you to quickly grab something and go, and not be confined to the time structure of a restaurant where you need to be seated, order food and wait for a bill.
Checking Out of The Sheraton Ottawa:
I had no surprises checking out of the Sheraton Ottawa. My bill was delivered electronically to my email address and the check out was instant. The hotel stamped my valet ticket and my car was brought up without any challenges.
The Bottom Line: The Sheraton Ottawa
The Sheraton Ottawa Hotel is among my favorite business hotels in downtown Ottawa. Despite being an older property, it’s really comfortable in feel; mostly as a result of the individial hotel rooms being extra large and very residential in nature.
Unfortunately, my favourite feature of this hotel was the Executive Lounge. I really appreciated this space as a location where you could go to get a snack or spend some time working. As a result of the closure, and the lobby not really offering much hybrid relax / work space found at other hotels, you’re pretty much stuck in your room by default.
The closure of the lounge really makes me re-consider whether I’m going to return to this property or perhaps try somewhere else on my next visit through town. Having said that, if the lack of lounge space doesn’t really matter to you, you’ll find this a very comfortable place to stay, if you don’t mind a hotel that looks a little older but has been nicely renovated and appointed.
If you rely on the Sheraton Club Executive Lounges, what have you done when you’ve found them closed ?
Every quarter or so, we see a promotion that offers value to select credit card holders. Now that we are well into fall 2022, we’ve seen the fall promotion for the Royal Bank of Canada Avion Rewards card launch with a good 30% bonus. Is taking advantage of this transfer bonus going to be in your best interest as an RBC Avion Rewards credit card holder? Read on to see what our analysis is…
Royal Bank Avion Rewards Offers Fall 30% Transfer Bonus to British Airways Avios
The Royal Bank of Canada has announced an value added promotion for holders of the RBC Avion Cards that allows for RBC Avion Rewards to be transferred to British Airways Avios Points. While the RBC Avion Rewads program usually allows for a 1:1 transfer rate, the promotion allows for a 30% bonus at 1:3 rate.
The Essentials of the Promotion:
Earn a Transfer Bonus on Point Conversions:
The promotion is specifically valid for Royal Bank Avion Rewards Elite Credit card holders. These include their premium RBC Avion credit card lines that include:
- RBC® Avion® Visa Infinite,
- RBC Avion Visa Platinum,
- RBC Royal Bank Visa Business Platinum Avion
- RBC Avion Visa Business Infinite
- RBC® Avion® Visa Infinite Privilege,
- RBC® Avion® Visa Infinite Privilege for Private Banking account
- RBC® Commercial Avion Visa.
The details of the promotion are as follows:
- This offer is available beginning October 3, 2022 at 12:01 AM (PT), ending November 16, 2022 at 11:59 PM (PT).
- For every 10 Avion points which are converted, you will receive 13 Avios.
- Please allow up to 4 weeks for your Avion points to be converted and for your Avios to appear in your Avios account.
- Once Avion points are converted to Avios, they must remain in the British Airways Executive Club program and they may not be reversed/returned or converted back to Avion points.
- A minimum of 10,000 Avion points must be converted, and the Avios account must be in the same name as the RBC® Avion® Visa Infinite‡, RBC Avion Visa‡ Platinum, RBC Royal Bank Visa Business Platinum Avion, RBC Avion Visa Business Infinite, RBC® Avion® Visa Infinite Privilege, RBC® Avion® Visa Infinite Privilege‡ for Private Banking account, RBC® Commercial Avion Visa.
- Once the Avion points have been converted to Avios, they are subject to the full terms and conditions of the British Airways Executive Club program including, but not limited to, those pertaining to Avios expiry, flight booking, seat availability and blackout periods.
- British Airways, not Royal Bank of Canada, is responsible for the British Airways Executive Club program. Visit www.ba.com/ for full program terms and conditions.
The full terms and conditions of the promotion are also posted. While most seem straightforward, you need to convert a minimum of 10,000 RBC Avion Points in order to take advantage of this offer, and it takes up to 4 weeks for the points to credit.
What Can You Use British Airways Avios Points For:
British Airways Avios can be of tremendous value for short haul business class flights in the One World airline alliance. As a distance based reward chart, you can find yourself in the front cabin for substantially less than a comparable redemption on other carriers and in order airline alliances.
We have redeemed British Airways Avios on Qantas Business Class in Domestic Australia. Since business class airfares around Australia can be expensive for the market, redeeming Qantas Business Class Sydney – Adelaide can be a terrific deal.
We’ve also redeemed against British Airways Club class on flights in and around the Southern African Continent. Our British Airways Club Class Victoria Falls – Johannesburg was easily accessible through BA Avios.
We’ve also redeemed British Airways Avios for Iberia Business Class Madrid – Marrakech. It was a great value reward that allowed us to get across into Africa, without paying a huge premium on an inter-continental reward increase by redeeming a limited amount of points.
While you’re not likely to get ahead on long haul destinations, you can find some tremendous value in short haul up front cabins under the British Airways Avios program.
My Thoughts on the Promotion:
While I used to be an RBC Avion Credit Card Holder, I lost interest in the program as my goals shifted to enjoy more premium business class cabins. The RBC Avion Rewards program is primarily designed for redemption in economy class cabins under a fixed dollar amount, and occasionally offers transfer opportunities to frequent flier programs that allow for the big value redemptions.
While the transfer rates used to be 1:1, we’ve seen many examples where the transfer rate has been diluted to 1:0.7 (RBC Avion to American Airlines Advantage). As a result. there has been a lot less value in this card than in years past. When I started this hobby in the years between 2000 – 2010, a 50% RBC Avion to BA Avios transfer was common. Today’ we are only seeing transfer bonuses of 30%.
With the occasional transfer bonus to British Airways Avios of 1:1.3, this potentially represents a good value if you have a British Airways Redemption in mind. We recently redeemed British Airways Avios on an upcoming Royal Jordanian flight between Amman and Tel Avis in Business Class on their Boeing 787.
Under the right circumstances, this good be a great to excellent offer to take advantage of, as we are unlikely to see the return of a 50% transfer bonus rate anytime soon.
In Summary: RBC Avion Rewards Transfer Bonus to BA Avios
RBC Avion Rewards and British Airways Avios are offering a fall transfer bonus of an additional 30% points for transfers made between October 3, 2022 and November 16, 2022. You’ll need a minimum of 10,000 Avios points to start to qualify for the bonus.
With the right reward in mind, this can be an excellent use of your RBC Avion points in order to leverage them into a better award under the British Airways Avios program.
Will you be taking part in this promotion now that the world is re-opening ?
It has been about eight years since our last visit to the American Express Centurion Lounge Las Vegas. Our last visit occurred when this location was one of the initial Centurion Lounges in the system. Since then, the American Express Centurion Lounge Las Vegas has undergone a mild expansion to address capacity issues. How would the lounge fare after all these years, and did the American Express Centurion Lounge still deliver?
This post is one chapter on our trip during the end of the pandemic to Las Vegas, United States of America. This trip was enhanced through Marriott Bonvoy Elite Status, Hertz Gold Plus Rewards and Alaska Mileage Plan. For more information on how this trip was booked, please see our trip introduction here. For other parts of the trip, please see this index.
If you enjoyed this post, please follow us here or on social media through Facebook, Twitter or Instagram for more travel tips and hacks on how to “Upgrade Your Travels”.
✈️ Read more from this trip:
- Introduction: Las Vegas via Alaska Airlines
- The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas by Autograph Collection, Las Vegas, USA
- Joël Robuchon Restaurant, Las Vegas, USA
- What it Actually Costs to Eat at Joël Robuchon, Las Vegas, USA
- Marriott’s Grand Château Las Vegas, USA
- My Experience Renting as a Hertz President’s Circle at Las Vegas International Airport
- Gordon Ramsey’s Hell’s Kitchen, Las Vegas, USA
- Bouchon Restaurant at the Venetian, Las Vegas, USA
- The Club at LAS Lounge, Terminal 3 – “E” Gates, Las Vegas, USA
- The Club at LAS Lounge, Terminal 1 – “D” Gates, Las Vegas, USA
- American Express Centurion Lounge, Terminal 1 – “D” Gates, Las Vegas, USA
Review: American Express Centurion Lounge, Terminal 1 – “D” Gates, Las Vegas Harry Reid International Airport, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States of America.
This marked a return visit to the American Express Centurion Lounge Las Vegas. For a review of our initial visit to the Lounge, please see our earlier review of the American Express Centurion Lounge Las Vegas.
I had arrived to the airport and checked into my flight on Alaska Airlines at the Terminal 3 – “E” Gates check in area. After a visit to The Club at LAS Lounge Terminal 3 – “E” Gates, and The Club at LAS Lounge Terminal 1 – “D” Gates, I headed over to the American Express Centurion Lounge.
The American Express Centurion Lounge Las Vegas under went an expansion in 2019 and increased in size from its’ initial 9,000 square feet, to a more comfortable sized 13,400 square feet. As the American Express Centurion Lounges occasionally get concerns of overcrowding, this expansion was welcomed.
Locating the American Express Centurion Lounge:
The Las Vegas Harry Reid International Airport is split into three buildings and two terminals. Our Alaska Airlines flight had us departing through the newer Terminal 3; which exists of a stand alone building.
The other Terminal 1 building is split between a primary building and an in-field concourse called “D” Gates. The second The Club at LAS – Terminal 1 “D” Gates was located within this in field terminal.
The Terminal 1 – “D” Gates building is shaped as an “X” and consists of a main retail area in the middle part. The American Express Centurion Lounge Las Vegas is located immediately adjacent to Gate D1. It is located in a space that is opposite from the terminal to The Club at LAS – Terminal 1 “D” Gates; a space that contains a similar footprint on the other side of the terminal.
Map Courtesy of Las Vegas Harry Reid International Airport
After checking in, immediately after passing through TSA Pre-Check at Terminal 3, I took the underground train that connects Terminal 3 to Terminal 1 D Terminal. This process took about 12 minutes. There was a train that was waiting for me on arrival to the underground train station area, making the wait as short as possible.
The American Express Centurion Lounge is very easily found with strong American Express branding on the outside of the lounge. The wall features a large version of the American Express Centurion emblazoned in bright blue.
The lounge entry has been upgraded since my last visit, where it featured a more subtile white entrance.
Accessing the Lounge:
The American Express Centurion Lounge is accessible by holding American Express Platinum or Centurion Cards. Access with these cards are complimentary up to three hours before your flight, and include up to two guests. Additional guests may be invited in for $50 USD. If you are on a connecting flight, you are exempt from the three hour time limit.
On my visit today, there was no wait to be admitted into the lounge. After showing my American Express Card, photo identification and boarding pass, I was admitted without delay and offered a copy of the wifi password.
Inside the American Express Centurion Lounge Las Vegas:
Since our last visit, the American Express Centurion Lounge Las Vegas had expanded from it’s initial 9,000 square feet, to a more comfortable 13,400 square feet. The expansion was marketed as an almost a 50% increase in floor space.
Indeed, the additional space led to a lot more elbow room in what is traditionally a very busy space. There was additional seating that could be found and a much more spacious orientation surrounding the restaurant area.
The older part of the lounge surrounding the outdoor windows remained unchanged. This space contained the familiar seating typically found in American Express lounges, and offered dedicated reserved seating for American Express Centurion Card members.
In terms of wear and tear, the American Express Centurion Lounge is showing remarkably well for a lounge that is almost ten years old. The condition of the lounge is in great condition, and it shows much better than an airline lounge that typically doesn’t get upgraded as quickly as the American Express Lounges.
Food and Beverage:
The food and beverage program at the American Express Centurion Lounges are exceptional. Each lounge features a prominent bar, which is usually the focal point of the beverage program. The American Express Centurion Lounge Las Vegas was no exception to this rule, featuring an attractive looking space. The space has been opened up, and features a brighter setting accented with natural light.
The bar offered a comfortable list of interesting cocktails, which are one of my favourite features of the American Express Centurion Lounge. There is usually an interesting cocktail available on the menu, and it’s a refreshing treat to be able to enjoy a cocktail, when most other airline lounges offer a limited an unexciting beer, wine and spirit collection.
In addition, the upgraded American Express Centurion Lounge featured an expanded food area featuring a self service buffet. The space was upgraded since our last visit, and offers room for lots of people to easily access the food area.
The American Express Centurion Lounge Las Vegas offered a comfortable buffet of attractive looking snacks and salads. Today’s food offers included sweet potato purée, couscous, and Mediterranean olives, peppers and an assortment of mesculin salad.
I really appreciate the efforts that American Express Centurion Lounges put into their food and beverage program. There is often enough in the lounge to substitute as a meal replacement for those that are on the go and don’t have time to stop for a proper sit down meal.
How Does the Centurion Lounge Compare to The Club at LAS?
For those holding an American Express Platinum Card, and are considering whether to visit the American Express Centurion Lounge or the other lounges accessed through Priority Pass, it is obvious that the American Express Centurion Lounge is miles ahead of The Club at LAS Terminal C – “E” Gates and The Club at LAS Terminal 1 – “D” Gates.
The American Express Centurion Lounge offers a nicer space that is nicely decorated. Despite being placed in the same footprint of The Club at LAS Terminal 1 – “D” Gates, American Express has made their lounge space much more exclusive and comfortable looking. The food and beverage program is far ahead of the other spaces. As a result, it’s easy to recommend the Centurion Lounge over the competing spaces.
My Thoughts on the American Express Centurion Lounge Las Vegas:
The American Express Centurion Lounge Las Vegas has easily maintained its standards as a premium travel lounge. Thanks to its recent expansion, the space is even more comfortable. The food and beverage program continues to deliver, and the lounge is wearing well as it nears its tenth birthday.
If you’ve visited the American Express Centurion Lounge Las Vegas after the expansion, did you notice that your visit was more comfortable ?
The Las Vegas Harry Reid International Airport conveniently offers several lounges operated by The Club at LAS. With two locations split between this version at Terminal 1 and the other version in Terminal 3, you’ll likely have a The Club at LAS nearby your departure gate. We would visit this particular location in Terminal 1 “D” Gates. How would our experience fare?
This post is one chapter on our trip during the end of the pandemic to Las Vegas, United States of America. This trip was enhanced through Marriott Bonvoy Elite Status, Hertz Gold Plus Rewards and Alaska Mileage Plan. For more information on how this trip was booked, please see our trip introduction here. For other parts of the trip, please see this index.
If you enjoyed this post, please follow us here or on social media through Facebook, Twitter or Instagram for more travel tips and hacks on how to “Upgrade Your Travels”.
✈️ Read more from this trip:
- Introduction: Las Vegas via Alaska Airlines
- The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas by Autograph Collection, Las Vegas, USA
- Joël Robuchon Restaurant, Las Vegas, USA
- What it Actually Costs to Eat at Joël Robuchon, Las Vegas, USA
- Marriott’s Grand Château Las Vegas, USA
- My Experience Renting as a Hertz President’s Circle at Las Vegas International Airport
- Gordon Ramsey’s Hell’s Kitchen, Las Vegas, USA
- Bouchon Restaurant at the Venetian, Las Vegas, USA
- The Club at LAS Lounge, Terminal 3 – “E” Gates, Las Vegas, USA
- The Club at LAS Lounge, Terminal 1 – “D” Gates, Las Vegas, USA
- American Express Centurion Lounge, Terminal 1 – “D” Gates, Las Vegas, USA
Review: The Club at LAS Business Lounge, Terminal 1 – “D” Gates, Las Vegas Harry Reid International Airport “D” Concourse, Nevada, United States of America.
There are two lounges branded as The Club at LAS at the Las Vegas Harry Reid International Airport. This review is of the The Club at LAS Terminal 1 – “D” Gates at Las Vegas Harry Reid International Airport. If you want to see what the other lounge looks like, please see our review of The Club at LAS Terminal One – “E” Gates at Las Vegas Harry Reid International Airport.
After four days in Las Vegas, it finally came time to head back home. We checked out of The Marriott Grand Château Las Vegas and self drove up to Las Vegas Harry Reid International Airport courtesy of a great rental from Hertz Las Vegas.
While I didn’t bother reviewing our flight on Alaska Airlines, I did want to take the time to review several of the lounges at Las Vegas Harry Reid International Airport. We were departing from Las Vegas Harry Reid Terminal 3 on Alaska Airlines. With Alaska Airlines usually departing from gates E14 – E15, the closest lounge to our gate was located at The Club at LAS in Terminal 3 – “E” Gates. However, there was another The Club at LAS located in Terminal 1 – “D” Gates so I took a spin out there to see what this lounge looked like.
Locating The Club at LAS – Terminal 1:
The Las Vegas Harry Reid International Airport is split into three buildings and two terminals. Our Alaska Airlines flight had us departing through the newer Terminal 3; which exists of a stand alone building.
The other Terminal 1 building is split between a primary building and an in-field concourse called “D” Gates. The second The Club at LAS – Terminal 1 “D” Gates was located within this in field terminal.
The Terminal 1 – “D” Gates building is shaped as an “X” and consists of a main retail area in the middle part. The Club at LAS “D” Gates is located immediately adjacent to Gate D33. It is located in a space that is opposite from the terminal to the American Express Centurion Lounge Las Vegas; a space that contains a similar footprint on the other side of the terminal.
Map Courtesy of Las Vegas Harry Reid International Airport
After checking in, immediately after passing through TSA Pre-Check at Terminal 3, I took the underground train that connects Terminal 3 to Terminal 1 D Terminal. This process took about 12 minutes. There was a train that was waiting for me on arrival to the underground train station area, making the wait as short as possible.
When I arrived into Terminal 1 “D” Gates, I found myself at atrium with the escalators that led up to the D Concourse Level. This space is poignant for fans of the film “Up in the Air” as is marked one of the film locations where character Alex Goran calls Ryan Bigham with the escalators in the background.
I found my way over to Gate D33. First time visitors to Las Vegas Harry Reid International Airport will be amused by the slot machines that mark the airport concourse.
The path towards Gates D30 – D43 were well marked and the lounge was easy to find. It was located immediately next to a Tumi Retail location situated on the concourse.
While the lounge itself has a small storefront entrance area, it was easily identifiable and I had no challenges locating it.
Aside from the time investment to get from Terminal 3 “E” Gates to Terminal 1 “D” Gates, it was a pretty easy transfer process that took me about 15 – 20 minutes to get from the secure side of the security screening check point to lounge.
Accessing The Club at LAS Las Vegas:
The Club at LAS can be accessed through a variety of means:
The Club at LAS is a member of Priority Pass. If you have a Priority Pass Membership offered with certain premium credit cards such as the American Express Platinum Card, you will likely have access to this lounge along with one guest. If you have an American Express Platinum Card, you’ll also have access to the upscale American Express Centurion Lounge Las Vegas, which we have visited several times previously.
The Lounge is also a member of Lounge Key; a membership program that comes with select premium Visa and Mastercard credit cards. If you have an affiliated credit card, you may potentially gain access subject to the terms and conditions of your credit card agreement.
The Lounge is also a member of Diners Club; a membership program that comes with the Diners Club credit card. Dependent on the car, you may potentially gain access subject to the terms and conditions of your credit card agreement.
If you are flying as a Business Class traveller, on Virgin Atlantic Upper Class, Condor Business Class or KLM Royal Dutch Airways Crown Business Class departing from Las Vegas, you will be assigned access to this lounge.
The Club at LAS also offers lounge passes available for sale on its website (marked as subject to availability). At the time of writing, the price of admission was $45 USD.
I accessed the lounge today courtesy of Priority Pass provided with the American Express Platinum Card. As my lounge reception host was in the middle of a conversation with another traveller while my entry was processed, I didn’t get (or expect) a description of the lounge beyond the “head on in” indication.
Inside The Club at LAS Terminal 1 – “D” Gates:
The lounge has a substantially different footprint than its sister The Club at LAS Terminal 3 – “E” Gates. This The Club at LAS Terminal 1 – “D” Gates finds the lounge located in an arc and sphere with large daylight windows located across a large portion of the lounge.
The really interesting comparison is between The Club at LAS Terminal 1 – “D” Gates and the American Express Centurion Lounge Las Vegas, since they both occupy a footprint that is almost identical in size.
Showers:
Entering the lounge, I found myself in a hallway that led inwards to the lounge space. Immediately upon my right was the lounge’s shower and washroom facility. It’s worth noting that between the two The Club at LAS, this is the only facility that offers showers.
Consistent with this being a mostly domestic lounge facility, there didn’t appear to be any wait for showers or the washrooms.
Immediately opposite the shower facilities was a smaller room containing relaxing lounge chairs. While it was likely intended as a quiet room, it was pretty full when I was there.
The smaller relax room contained a small countertop for food and beverage. During my visit, it was not being used. The counter did offer a cappuccino machine, which didn’t appear to be all too popular.
Moving into the lounge, there was another smaller room along the outer glass area, containing a mix of communal lounge couches, and tables and chairs. Unlike the other Club at LAS, the lounge took advantage of having day light windows which made the space bright and inviting.
Heading into the primary area of the lounge, the space was divided into a central dining hub and an external seating area. The two spaces were partitioned by a glass divider that was shaped in a crescent.
On the outer crescent, the lounge seating was arranged in compartmentalized bench rows. There was counter seating located around the outside glass windows, in addition to bench or chair lounge row seating on the inner side of the lounge compartments.
The seating area felt a little less intimate given the configuration of the room. I suspect the lounge had to go to higher density seating configurations. Despite this, there were places to sit, even if they weren’t in conventional lounge chairs. The high density seating led to the feeling that the space was a little cramped, at the expense of privacy, in my opinion.
At the end of the lounge area, there was a full service bar area. There were some tables and chairs located in the bar zone. Given that there was some tennis on during the time of our visit, the bar area was a popular place to stay.
The inner part of the crescent featured a tables and chairs seating area. Most of the tables were set up in a four person configuration, although there were a few seats that During my visit, the space wasn’t too occupied.
In summary, it was pretty easy to locate a place to sit throughout the lounge. Despite the ease of finding a place to sit, I did find that with the way they had configured the seats, the seating felt a little cramped and compact.
Food and Beverage:
The Club at LAS Lounge offered a similar food program that was offered at the nearby The Club at LAS Terminal 3 – “E” Gates. However, consistent with shorter domestic flights being serviced from this lounge, the food offering was not as substantial as the other lounge. In addition, many people didn’t appear to be eating.
The Club of LAS offered a set menu for lunch and dinner. The lounge offered the same menu items as in it’s other location.
The lounge offered roasted pepper gouda pasta. chicken salad sandwiches, soup and salad and a few snacks and sweets. While crudités and hummus plates were offered on the menu, there were none out on offer during my visit.
While the menu was not specific on the type of soups being served, the soups on offer today were chicken noodle soup, along with a tomato basil bisque.
The elements of a Caesar Salad were also made available to assemble on your own.
There was also a self service cappuccino machine, that didn’t appear to get much use during my afternoon visit.
I had a good visit before heading up to the American Express Centurion Lounge Las Vegas for a little comparison visit.
Which Club at LAS is the Better Club Lounge?
There are two locations of The Club’s at LAS. There is this version at the Terminal 3 – “E” Gates, and there is the sister version at The Club at LAS Terminal 1 – D Gates. It’s a natural question for those looking to maximize their experience: “Which The Club at LAS” is the better lounge?
In terms of space, The Club at LAS Terminal 1 – D Gates offers a much brighter but smaller space. This “D” Gates lounge offers a bright daylight space, at the expense of some more compact and less comfortable seating.
Both Club’s offer the same food program, although I found that The Club at LAS Terminal 3 – “E” Gates did a better job at keeping the food looking fresh and up to date than The Club at LAS Terminal 1 – “D” Gates.
Both The Club at LAS locations are remarkably similar and I would probably just pick the Club that’s located closest to my gate. This is, if I didn’t have access to the excellent American Express Centurion Lounge Las Vegas.
Overall: Our Experience at The Club at LAS Terminal 1 – “D” Gates
The Club at LAS Terminal 1 – “D” Gates at Las Vegas Harry Reid International Airport is a space that is conveniently located next to many flights departing from the in – field “D” Gates. While it offered a bright space, I found the seating to be a little compact and less comfortable than I would have ultimately liked.
The Club at LAS Terminal 1 – “D” Gates offers the only showers between the two locations, so if you’ need or are seeking a shower, this marks the lounge that you’ll want to head to.
If you have visited The Club at LAS, did you find the space to be high density, and as a result, less comfortable ?
The Las Vegas Harry Reid International Airport conveniently offers several lounges operated by The Club at LAS. With two locations split between Terminal 1 and this version in Terminal 3, you’ll likely have a The Club at LAS nearby your departure gate. We would visit this particular location in Terminal 3 “E” Gates. How would our experience fare?
This post is one chapter on our trip during the end of the pandemic to Las Vegas, United States of America. This trip was enhanced through Marriott Bonvoy Elite Status, Hertz Gold Plus Rewards and Alaska Mileage Plan. For more information on how this trip was booked, please see our trip introduction here. For other parts of the trip, please see this index.
If you enjoyed this post, please follow us here or on social media through Facebook, Twitter or Instagram for more travel tips and hacks on how to “Upgrade Your Travels”.
✈️ Read more from this trip:
- Introduction: Las Vegas via Alaska Airlines
- The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas by Autograph Collection, Las Vegas, USA
- Joël Robuchon Restaurant, Las Vegas, USA
- What it Actually Costs to Eat at Joël Robuchon, Las Vegas, USA
- Marriott’s Grand Château Las Vegas, USA
- My Experience Renting as a Hertz President’s Circle at Las Vegas International Airport
- Gordon Ramsey’s Hell’s Kitchen, Las Vegas, USA
- Bouchon Restaurant at the Venetian, Las Vegas, USA
- The Club at LAS Lounge, Terminal 3 – “E” Gates, Las Vegas, USA
- The Club at LAS Lounge, Terminal 1 – “D” Gates, Las Vegas, USA
- American Express Centurion Lounge, Terminal 1 – “D” Gates, Las Vegas, USA
Review: The Club at LAS Business Lounge, Terminal 3 – “E” Gates, Las Vegas Harry Reid International Airport “E” Concourse, Nevada, United States of America.
There are two lounges branded as The Club at LAS at the Las Vegas Harry Reid International Airport. This review is of the The Club at LAS Terminal 3 – “E” Gates at Las Vegas Harry Reid International Airport. If you want to see what the other lounge looks like, please see our review of The Club at LAS Terminal One – “D” Gates at Las Vegas Harry Reid International Airport.
After four days in Las Vegas, it finally came time to head back home. We checked out of The Marriott Grand Château Las Vegas and self drove up to Las Vegas Harry Reid International Airport courtesy of a great rental from Hertz Las Vegas.
While I didn’t bother reviewing our flight on Alaska Airlines, I did want to take the time to review several of the lounges at Las Vegas Harry Reid International Airport. We were departing from Las Vegas Harry Reid Terminal 3 on Alaska Airlines. With Alaska Airlines usually departing from gates E14 – E15, the closest lounge to our gate was located at The Club at LAS in Terminal 3 – “E” Gates.
Locating The Club at LAS – Terminal 3:
The Las Vegas Harry Reid International Airport is split into three buildings and two terminals. Our Alaska Airlines flight had us departing through the newer Terminal 3; which exists of a stand alone building.
The other Terminal 1 building is split between a primary building and an in-field concourse called “D” Gates. The second The Club at LAS – Terminal 1 “D” Gates was located within this in field terminal.
Getting back to our review, The Club at LAS Terminal 3 “E” Gates was located within the main terminal building of Terminal 3. It’s located right at the east end of the airline terminal, in a somewhat out of the way location.
Map Courtesy of Las Vegas Harry Reid International Airport
After checking in, immediately after passing through TSA Pre-Check, I turned left after the security screening. I headed down the length of the terminal towards The Club at LAS Lounge. I started down what would be about a 7 – 10 minute walk towards the lounge.
I passed by the Welcome to Las Vegas signs with the old Las Vegas McCarran International Airport signage. Las Vegas Senator Patrick McCarran was a previous senator of Nevada and the airport was named after him for 73 years. In February 2021, the Clark County Commission unanimously approved renaming the airport after reports of McCarran’s “history of perpetuating racism, xenophobia and antisemitism” began to surface. The new name of the airport is Las Vegas Harry Reid Despite this, there are a few leftover reminders of the airports old name; such as on this sign.
Eventually, I got to signage of “Airline Lounge by Gate E2”. While the walking was mostly on wide concourses, I did benefit from the use of a moving escalator towards the very end.
Eventually, after that 7 – 10 minute walk, I came across The Club at LAS located at the very end of the concourse. The lounge isn’t what I’d call as centrally located, so make sure you allow yourself a little extra time if you come all the way out here to visit this lounge. It can be about fifteen minutes walk if you have to walk from this end of Las Vegas concourse “E” to the other end of Las Vegas Concourse “E” to Gate E15 where my Alaska Airlines flight was departing form.
Accessing The Club at LAS Las Vegas:
The Club at LAS can be accessed through a variety of means:
The Club at LAS is a member of Priority Pass. If you have a Priority Pass Membership offered with certain premium credit cards such as the American Express Platinum Card, you will likely have access to this lounge along with one guest. If you have an American Express Platinum Card, you’ll also have access to the upscale American Express Centurion Lounge Las Vegas, which we have visited several times previously.
The Lounge is also a member of Lounge Key; a membership program that comes with select premium Visa and Mastercard credit cards. If you have an affiliated credit card, you may potentially gain access subject to the terms and conditions of your credit card agreement.
The Lounge is also a member of Diners Club; a membership program that comes with Diners Club credit card. If you have an affiliated credit card, you may potentially gain access subject to the terms and conditions of your credit card agreement.
If you are flying as a Business Class traveller, on Virgin Atlantic Upper Class, Condor Business Class or KLM Royal Dutch Airways Crown Business Class departing from Las Vegas, you will be assigned access to this lounge.
The Club at LAS also offers lounge passes available for sale on its website (marked as subject to availability). At the time of writing, the price of admission was $45 USD.
We accessed the lounge today courtesy of Priority Pass provided with the American Express Platinum Card. As my entry was processed, I was explained by reception that everything inside was on a complimentary basis.
Inside The Club at LAS Terminal 3 – “E” Gates:
As I entered the lounge, I found myself in the lounge’s bar area. The lounge decor was in some general greys, beiges and white colours; a functional but not overly contemporary or aspirational appearance for a lounge.
The bar area featured a long communal counter with stand up bar seating on both sides. The lounge bar seating was mostly spread out and there were places to easily find a seat at the bar.
Along the back part of the room was the bar itself. A functional space, the full service bar didn’t feature elaborate illumination, but did offer complimentary beverages on a full service basis. There were a few cocktails available, but nothing to the level of what you might find by the mixologists at the American Express Centurion Lounge.
The back part of the lounge offered lounge chair seating. As a result of a Condor flight from Las Vegas to Frankfurt departing near the time of my visit, the lounge was really full. As a result, the lounge was almost at capacity during my early Sunday afternoon visit.
The Club at LAS Lounge seating space took over several rooms off the bar area. Each room offered a combination of actual lounge chairs, along with table and chair seating. Most of the seating was configured in a 4 person seating arrangement, but there were a few seats that were configured for two travellers.
The Club at LAS Lounge was a lounge space that didn’t offer much natural light. Due to the orientation of the lounge, it faced inwards into the terminal itself. There are some small frosted windows that offer a glimpse of natural light from the concourse terminal themselves. Despite this, The Club at LAS was a brightly lit space. Even without windows, it had bright feel to it without feeling like a dungeon.
I eventually located myself a spot in the furthest back most room. Despite being the most backward room, it was still pretty full. My seat had a view inwards towards the frosted glass of the terminal.
Overall, the lounge seating was more than adequate, if not a bit full during my visit.
Food and Beverage:
The Club at LAS Lounge offered a reasonable amount of food, given that it wasn’t a meal hour. The food stations were split between a counter to the right of the full service bar area that contained drinks, and a more full service area behind the bar room that contained food.
The primary food area located to your right along the concourse lounge wall as you entered the lounge. This consisted of a lengthy counter that offered both hot and cold dishes.
Consistent with this lounge servicing long haul flights by Condor, KLM and Virgin Atlantic, many people appeared to be stocking up on food prior to their flight.
The lounge offered crudités and hummus plates, roasted pepper gouda pasta. chicken salad sandwiches, soup and salad and a a few snacks and sweets. The lunch and dinner service was displayed on a menu.
While the menu was not specific on the type of soups being served, the soups on offer today were chicken enchilada soup, along with a tomato basil bisque.
There were an ample amount of snacks. Lounges can sometimes fall down or fall behind with the food offerings at times of high demand. Admittedly, given the amount of people in the lounge, The Club at LAS Lounge did a really good job at keeping the food offerings stocked, up to date, and clean. There was enough food available when I was there and the lounge was kept remarkably clean given the amount of travellers.
Showers:
This particular lounge doesn’t offer a complimentary shower facility. The lounge does offer attached washrooms. If you’re interested in a shower facility, you’ll have to attend the lounge’s sister facility at The Club at LAS Terminal 1 “D” Gates Las Vegas where there is a substantial shower facility.
Which Club at LAS is the Better Club Lounge?
There are two locations of The Club’s at LAS. There is this version at the Terminal 3 – “E” Gates, and there is the sister version at The Club at LAS Terminal 1 – D Gates. It’s a natural question for those looking to maximize their experience: “Which The Club at LAS” is the better lounge?
In terms of space, The Club at LAS Terminal 1 – D Gates offers a much brighter but smaller space. This “D” Gates lounge offers a bright daylight space, at the expense of some more compact and less comfortable seating.
Both Club’s offer the same food program, although I found that The Club at LAS Terminal 3 – “E” Gates did a better job at keeping the food looking fresh and up to date than The Club at LAS Terminal 1 – “D” Gates.
Both The Club at LAS locations are remarkably similar and I would probably just pick the Club that’s located closest to my gate. This is, if I didn’t have access to the excellent American Express Centurion Lounge Las Vegas.
Overall: Our Experience at The Club at LAS Terminal 3 – “E” Gates
The Club at LAS Terminal 3 – “E” Gates at Las Vegas Harry Reid International Airport is a solid lounge that offered a comfortable amount of seating, along with a reasonably strong food and beverage program.
While the lounge didn’t offer fantastic daylight views, it did offer a reasonable amount of food and a corresponding amount of space which would be a great place to relax before your international or domestic flight.
If you have visited The Club at LAS, did you make use of the bar and food services ?
There are hundreds of restaurants in Las Vegas but there are only a few terrific breakfast restaurants that are located close to the Las Vegas strip. While there are ample buffets and other Starbucks coffee shop types restaurants, the Bouchon at the Venetian brings me back whenever I am through town. Read on to see why this restaurant is so special. . .
This post is one chapter on our trip during the end of the pandemic to Las Vegas, United States of America. This trip was enhanced through Marriott Bonvoy Elite Status, Hertz Gold Plus Rewards and Alaska Mileage Plan. For more information on how this trip was booked, please see our trip introduction here. For other parts of the trip, please see this index.
If you enjoyed this post, please follow us here or on social media through Facebook, Twitter or Instagram for more travel tips and hacks on how to “Upgrade Your Travels”.
✈️ Read more from this trip:
- Introduction: Las Vegas via Alaska Airlines
- The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas by Autograph Collection, Las Vegas, USA
- Joël Robuchon Restaurant, Las Vegas, USA
- What it Actually Costs to Eat at Joël Robuchon, Las Vegas, USA
- Marriott’s Grand Château Las Vegas, USA
- My Experience Renting as a Hertz President’s Circle at Las Vegas International Airport
- Gordon Ramsey’s Hell’s Kitchen, Las Vegas, USA
- Bouchon Restaurant at the Venetian, Las Vegas, USA
- The Club at LAS Lounge, Terminal 3 – “E” Gates, Las Vegas, USA
- The Club at LAS Lounge, Terminal 1 – “D” Gates, Las Vegas, USA
- American Express Centurion Lounge, Terminal 1 – “D” Gates, Las Vegas, USA
Review: Bouchon at the Venetian, Las Vegas, Venetian Hotel Nevada, United States of America.
Thomas Keller is one of my absolute favourite American chefs. I’ve been a fan of his having visited The French Laundry in Yountville Napa Valley, in addition to Ad Hoc and Bouchon at the Venetian. After several exceptional dining experiences, this review might be a little biased in favour of his restaurants, but it’s still worth a post on how our brunch experience was.
About Thomas Keller:
Thomas Keller is the first American Chef to earn 3 Michelin Stars and the first to hold 3 Michelin Stars at two restaurants “The French Laundry” and “Per Se” simultaneously. As of the time of writing, he currently holds 8 Michelin stars distrubuted across 3 at The French Laundry, 3 at Per Se, 1 at Bouchon (Yountville location) and 1 at The Surf Club. His restaurants are regularly on the San Pellingrino Top 50 Restaurants list.
Thomas Keller is also a cookbook writer and has produced a number of cookbooks that range from highly approachable to highly complex. There are quite a few of them in our household and they’ve definitely added to our “at home” dining experiences.
The concept:
Bouchon Las Vegas at the Venetian is a version of the Bouchon Restaurant as drawn from Yountville (Napa Valley), California, USA location. The menus and decor are virtually identical. The space has even been endorsed by the late Anthony Bourdain who described the place as “the best restaurant ever”. It’s easy to see why.
Booking a Brunch at Bouchon:
My experience getting a reservation here was pretty easy. I booked well in advance through Open Table reservation systems. I was easily able to get a booking on a weekend Saturday morning approximately two months in advance.
We were able to secure a reservation through Open Table and earn 100 point just for dining.
Arriving to Bouchon at the Venetian:
We were staying at Marriott’s Grand Château Las Vegas the night before our visit. On Saturday morning, I woke MrsWT73 up early and we had a leisurely walk up the Las Vegas strip towards the Venetian.
The Bouchon Restaurant at the Venetian is located in a tucked away corner of the hotel. It’s worth allowing an additional 5 – 10 minutes from the front doors to the restaurant. Las Vegas casinos and their hotels are huge, and this location isn’t exactly conveniently located to anything. Instead, it’s tucked away on the tenth floor. This requires an elevator ride and a bit of a walk.
Being well away from the noise of the Casino itself, there are some occasional interesting hallways to look at while you’re on your way up to the front doors.
Inside Bouchon at the Venetian:
On arrival at the restaurant, our reservation was confirmed. We were immediately seated. The decor of Bouchon at the Venetian is french bistro oriented, with high ceilings, small bistro tables, and white paper table settings.
On our way in, we passed by the spacious oyster bar.
Like any french bistro, the room offered blackboard specials. The space was brightly lit as a result of high floor to ceiling windows that were west facing. It allowed a lot of daylight into the space, making it bright and cheerful.
This type of environment is just suited to great eating. Similar to what an Irish Pub is to drinking, a french bistro environment is always a great prelude to fantastic dining.
The Menus:
We were promptly introduced to our waiter who was attired in the usual french bistro attire; white shirts over black apron over striped trousers.
There is also an upload of the official menu for those that are having a little difficulty reading the fine print of the photograph.
There are no unlimited mimosa drink offers here unlike other restaurants located on the Las Vegas strip. This is serious dining, with the food is equally as powerful.
The Meal:
After placing our order, some fresh baguette was placed on the table. Bouchon runs its own bakery, so the french bread you get will be baked in house. The bread was placed right on the table like it would be in France. We had a great time breaking it apart with our freshly sanitized courtesy of dispensers at the front door after the pandemic hands.
I also went for a glass of champagne for brunch. You only live once.
Brunch Course: Bénédict au Crabe
Jumbo Lump Crab with Bouchon Bakery Muffin, two poached eggs, sweet corn, inion confit, hollandaise sauce.
For the main event, I enjoyed a Crab Eggs Benedict described as jumbo lump crab with a bouchon bakery muffin served with two poached eggs, sweet corn onion confit and hollandaise sauce. The dish wasn’t served with any potatoes, although it was pretty filling on it’s own.
On the palette, it was a chunky meal between the shredded crab and the corn rolling across the tongue. It was a unique south western combination that I hadn’t had before and an intriguing regional taste on a french Eggs Benedict.
Brunch Course: Croque Madame
Grilled Ham and Cheese Sandwich served on brioche with a fried egg, and sauce mornay served with pommes frites
MrsWT73 went with her french favorite, a Croque Madame. After many business visits to France, this was always on her menu.
While a french bistro sometimes offers a side cylinder of french fries, today’s version was strewn all over the plate.
I was asked to “assist” with the French Fries. They were mighty tasty but did appear to be quite intimidating on the plate.
The Check was about $100 after two entrees and three glasses of champagne. It was pretty reasonable for a decent and filling quality breakfast brunch.
The Bottom Line: Bouchon at the Venetian Las Vegas
The Bouchon at the Venetian Las Vegas remains among my favourite breakfasts in Las Vegas. A quality french bistro is something to be enjoyed but the Bouchon Restaurant brunch is pretty over the top. We’ve visited before and we will visit again. Make sure you take some time to visit Bouchon at the Venetian Las Vegas while you’re in town.
World Traveller 73 
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