World Traveller 73 
While passing through San Antonio, I ended up visiting the area’s primary historic tourist attraction, the Alamo Mission. The Alamo Mission was the home to the Battle or Siege of the Alamo, a historic battle between American and Mexican forces that resulted in the elimination of many historic American leaders such as Davie Crockett and William Barrett Travis.
This post is one chapter on a work trip from Canada to San Antonio, Texas, United States of America. This trip was enhanced through Marriott Bonvoy Elite Status, and Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan. For parts of the trip, please see this index.
If you enjoyed this post, please follow us here or on social media through Facebook, Twitter “X” or Instagram for more travel tips and hacks on how to “Upgrade Your Travels”.
✈️ Read more from this trip:
- Trip Introduction: Mission Visit – Jetting Down to San Antonio, Texas, USA
- San Antonio Marriott Rivercenter on the Riverwalk, San Antonio, Texas, USA
- Explore the San Antonio Riverwalk, Texas, USA
- Exploring the Alamo Mission, San Antonio, Texas, USA
- San Antonio’s Missions: Misson Concepción, Texas, USA
- Discover Pinkerton’s BBQ: Best BBQ in San Antonio, Texas, USA
Exploring the Alamo Mission: A Historic Landmark in San Antonio, Texas, USA
During my three day visit to San Antonio, I had the opportunity to visit the Alamo. The Alamo is one of the United States of America’s most historic battle sites, and is revered in American history. While I didn’t know too much about American history before my trip, I was able to learn all about the Alamo during my visit.
About the Alamo:
The Alamo is a historic Spanish mission and fortress compound founded in the 18th century by Roman Catholic missionaries in what is now San Antonio, Texas, United States. It was the site of the Battle of the Alamo in 1836, a pivotal event of the Texas Revolution in which American folk heroes James Bowie and Davy Crockett were killed. Today it is a museum in the Alamo Plaza Historic District and a part of the San Antonio Missions World Heritage Site.
Locating the Alamo Mission:
The Alamo Mission happened to be a short walk over from the San Antonio Marriott Rivercenter at Riverwalk hotel that I happened to be staying at for this particular week. I ended up walking over on a sunny afternoon after my conference let out.
The Alamo Mission was easy to find and was situated in a medium sized foot print area located in the downtown core of San Antonio a few blocks from the San Antonio Riverwalk. The area was surrounded by historic buildings, which set the period of the Alamo quite nicely.
Visiting the Alamo Mission:
It was quite easy to visit the Alamo Mission. Tickets were on sale for various categories of the Alamo visit. Free tickets were available to visit the Alamo church (pictured below), where as various “add ons” were available to visit the church and museum exhibitions.
While I initially was going to save the Alamo for a departure day, I ended up visiting the church on a Friday evening between 4:15 PM and 5 PM, before it closed for the day.
On arriving to the grounds, the church facade is the most prominent structure that still remains from the year 1744. The church was located well inside the Alamo Mission, with exterior walls have long been removed.
The front of the church at the Alamo Mission contained plaques that referenced the siege at the Alamo, the letter written by commanders requesting assistance in defending the Alamo, in addition to the historic timeline of the siege at the Alamo.
I took a wander through the exterior grounds of the church at the Alamo Mission, appreciating the general statues and historic nature of this revered site.
While there was occasionally a line to get into the church, in my late afternoon visit one hour before closing, there wasn’t much line and I ended up just walking straight in.
Inside the Alamo Church:
Once inside the Alamo Church, I found myself in a historic building that very much represented a building from the 1750’s. The interior was partially restored to the basic foundational period, with simple walls and space.
Towards the far end of the hall, confederate flags marked the space. A plaque farm also highlighted the occupants during the seige of the Alamo, along with those that did not make it out alive.
The exterior walls of the Alamo provided a demonstration of the various re-builds that had occurred over the past two hundred years. A host identified the various layers of construction that had occurred throughout the church over the hundreds of years.
This explanation was finalized through a multi media presentation of what it was like to “experience” being in the church during the Siege of the Alamo.
While it was a little dramatic to have a multi media presentation, I guess the children and youth that visit the church are entertained by these types of presentations. Despite this I found it a little “Hollywood like”.
The Grounds and Park of the Alamo Mission:
After visiting the church, I ended up exploring the grounds. The Alamo Mission has a nicely curated park next to the church. The trees made for a pleasant break from the southern Texas heat.
After enjoying the park, I ended up walking back towards the Riverwalk for a dinner.
My Thoughts on my visit to the Alamo Mission:
The Alamo Mission marks a must see attraction visit if your travels take you through San Antonio.
While I was expecting the visit to take the better part of a day, I managed to view the area within the space of an hour. Despite this as an international visitor, I enjoyed the ability to learn a little bit of American History.
If you’ve visited the Alamo Mission, did you enjoy your experience ?
My work travels took me through San Antonio’s River Walk area, where I was able to experience the San Antonio River Walk. The San Antonio River Walk river winds through the heart of old downtown San Antonio beneath the streets that make up the central business district. Starting off with a GO RIO River Cruise, I would get oriented with the area. I later followed up with a self guided walk through the river promenades.
This post is one chapter on a work trip from Canada to San Antonio, Texas, United States of America. This trip was enhanced through Marriott Bonvoy Elite Status, and Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan. For parts of the trip, please see this index.
If you enjoyed this post, please follow us here or on social media through Facebook, Twitter “X” or Instagram for more travel tips and hacks on how to “Upgrade Your Travels”.
✈️ Read more from this trip:
- Trip Introduction: Mission Visit – Jetting Down to San Antonio, Texas, USA
- San Antonio Marriott Rivercenter on the Riverwalk, San Antonio, Texas, USA
- Explore the San Antonio Riverwalk, Texas, USA
- Exploring the Alamo Mission, San Antonio, Texas, USA
- San Antonio’s Missions: Misson Concepción, Texas, USA
- Discover Pinkerton’s BBQ: Best BBQ in San Antonio, Texas, USA
Explore the San Antonio River Walk: a Unique Experience
During my three day visit to San Antonio, I had the opportunity to experience the San Antonio Riverwalk. The Riverwalk is unique in terms of a city attraction and, outside of a visit to Venice, Italy, I’ve never experienced anything quite like it.
About the San Antonio River Walk:
The San Antonio River Walk is a city park and special-case pedestrian street in San Antonio, Texas, one level down from the automobile street level. The River Walk winds and loops under bridges as two parallel sidewalks lined with restaurants and shops, connecting the major tourist draws such as the Shops at Rivercenter, the Arneson River Theatre, Marriage Island, La Villita, HemisFair Park, Petty House, the Tower Life Building, the San Antonio Museum of Art, the Pearl, and the city’s five Spanish colonial missions, which have been named a World Heritage Site, which includes the Alamo. During the annual springtime Fiesta San Antonio, the River Parade features flowery floats that float down the river.
The area within the circumference of the River Walk is the heart of the original 1700s Villa de Bejar outpost, which would eventually become the City of San Antonio.
GO RIO Cruises on the San Antonio River Walk:
The San Antonio River Walk is connected to many hotels in the downtown San Antonio area. It was conveniently located outside of the back door of the San Antonio Marriott Rivercenter on the Riverwalk; mere steps from my hotel.
In my case, the easiest method of experiencing the San Antonio River Walk was on a GO RIO Cruise. GO RIO Cruises operates dozens of barge river boats on the River Walk.
The GO RIO Cruises depart when full. During peak hours in the evenings and weekends, there can be occasional waits for a river cruise.
Getting Underway on a GO RIO Riverboat Cruise:
After being in a convention hall for a full day, it was time to get out and enjoy some of what San Antonio had to offer by experiencing a GO RIO Riverboat Cruise. There are several embarkation points situated around the River Walk. After paying for a ticket near the San Antonio Marriott Rivercenter on the Riverwalk, we headed out on the newest portion of the Riverwalk.
The first major extension of the Riverwalk occurred in 1988 with an extension towards the Rivercenter Mall and the Grand Hyatt. This portion of the Riverwalk featured a more natural setting, without the corresponding shops and hotels down on the water.
The cruise set out with host narration, pointing out the features of the area. These included pointing out some of the sculpture features in the newer portion of the area.
Our cruise took us towards the left circle of the River Walk, passing the famous Casa Rio restaurant. Taking a left turn at the “T”, we headed clockwise around the River Walk.
The trees and sculpture surrounding the River Walk, giving the area a bit of personality.
We looped back from the main river at dusk, with coloured spotlights starting to light the area.
The GO RIO River Cruise dropped us off at the place of embarkation after about 45 minutes.
Wandering through the River Walk:
After the GO Rio Riverboat cruise, I wandered the upper and lower streets around the San Antonio River Walk. There were some neat angles and opportunities for watching the river that was found underneath the city streets of San Antonio.
With something happening during all hours on the San Antonio River Walk, the area was everything that you might need as a convention traveller visitor.
I have to recommend visiting the San Antonio River Walk while staying in San Antonio. While you can experience by walking on foot, it’s much more fun to experience in on a GO RIO Cruise where you can sip an iced tea and enjoy some narrated guide entertainment.
My Thoughts on the San Antonio River Walk :
Every great convention town needs a solid attraction to keep it’s visitors engaged. The San Antonio River Walk is a great feature of the town that attracts visitors from all around the area.
If you’ve visited the San Antonio River Walk, did you enjoy a River Walk cruise ?
Work travels took me to San Antonio, Texas, in the United States of America. After visiting this convention city, I ended up for several days at the San Antonio Marriott Rivercenter at Riverwalk on a convention stay. The hotel treated this traveller well by offering a great upgrade, a late check out and by offering a solid M Club Executive Lounge with a great hotel location. Read on to see what this Marriott offers travellers…
This post is one chapter on a work trip from Canada to San Antonio, Texas, United States of America. This trip was enhanced through Marriott Bonvoy Elite Status, and Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan. For parts of the trip, please see this index.
If you enjoyed this post, please follow us here or on social media through Facebook, Twitter “X” or Instagram for more travel tips and hacks on how to “Upgrade Your Travels”.
✈️ Read more from this trip:
- Trip Introduction: Mission Visit – Jetting Down to San Antonio, Texas, USA
- San Antonio Marriott Rivercenter on the Riverwalk, San Antonio, Texas, USA
- Explore the San Antonio Riverwalk, Texas, USA
- Exploring the Alamo Mission, San Antonio, Texas, USA
- San Antonio’s Missions: Misson Concepción, Texas, USA
- Discover Pinkerton’s BBQ: Best BBQ in San Antonio, Texas, USA
Review: San Antonio Marriott Rivercenter on the Riverwalk, San Antonio, Texas, United States of America
“Perfectly oriented to business Marriott travellers looking for an anonymous stay in a large format Marriott property in the San Antonio Riverwalk area”
Work travels (for once) took me outside of Canada to San Antonio, Texas for a little southern charm. When I had the opportunity to attend some training in this historic city, I jumped at the opportunity for a change of scenery.
Booking the San Antonio Marriott Rivercenter on the Riverwalk:
The event I was attending was next door at the Grand Hyatt San Antonio Riverwalk. San Antonio is a city that sees a tremendous amount of convention traffic. As a Marriott Bonvoy loyalist, I was surprised to see that there were two Marriott hotels located immediately across the street from each other. This has been one of the few locations in the world where I’ve seen Marriott’s immediately across the street from each other.
When making the choice between the two Marriotts: the San Antonio Rivercenter on the Riverwalk, and the other San Antonio Marriott at the Riverwalk, I ended up at the San Antonio Rivercenter on the Riverwalk (this review) as a result of reports that this Rivercenter property had slightly better reviews overall, the property offered newer construction and had recently been fully renovated. Those three things were enough to convince me to stay at the San Antonio Marriott Rivercenter on the Riverwalk, despite the horribly confusing and unmemorable name.
I booked a standard “Guest Room – 1 King’ room. These are pretty standard hotel room at a snug 286sqft/26sqm, which is slightly smaller than your average hotel room.
It’s worth mentioning that most rates at the San Antonio Marriott Rivercenter on the Riverwalk have a $25 “Daily Destination Fee” that offers the following inclusions:
- A Daily $25 USD Food and Beverage Credit
- Daily In Room Fitness Package, upon Request
- Tickets to a Local Attraction of your Choice for Two Guests per Stay. Choices include GO RIO River Boat Cruise, Tower of the Americas Observation Deck or Alamo: The Price of Freedom
These items are actually items that most tourists and visitors to town might actually use. The GO RIO River Boat Cruise is very popular, with a boarding stop located behind the hotel. It’s difficult to get a lot of value out of the food and beverage credit, since there are many excellent restaurants located within ten minutes walk from the hotel. Most visitors appeared to turn this into a bar credit at the lobby bar, before heading out for dinner.
As with anything, the value of these credits lessens the longer that you stay. As a result, the daily destination fee incentivizes short stay travellers.
As with other hotel stays, my general booking strategy was to book the cheapest room possible and hope for a Marriott Bonvoy Platinum / Titanium level upgrade to a better room.
As always, 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, and a complimentary late check out up to 4 PM.
Marriott Bonvoy Opportunities:
The San Antonio Rivercenter on the Riverwalk has variable pricing, dependent if you are travelling during a period of high demand. Rooms can be found for as little as 24,000 Marriott Bonvoy points with variable pricing up to 40,000 Marriott Bonvoy points. It is worth checking out to see whether there are any Marriott Bonvoy point redemptions available in order to maximize value.
As a refresher, If you value Marriott Bonvoy points at 0.8 cents per point, it only makes sense to redeem points under the right circumstances. For example, it would only make sense to redeem 24,000 Marriott Bonvoy points for a room valued at over $192 USD. If you are redeeming against a room that is 40,000 Marriott Bonvoy points, then you’d have to have a room rate over when those same points are worth approximately $320 USD. While it’s unlikely you’ll get this much value out of your Marriott Bonvoy points, it is probable that room rates could get this high during a peak travel season.
Marriott Bonvoy members get the fifth night free when redeeming five or more day stay. Keep in mind that by redeeming five nights, and getting the fifth night free, will increase the value proposition by lowering the average number of points per night.
Getting to the San Antonio Marriott Rivercenter on the Riverwalk:
I arrived into San Antonio International Airport. I ended up taking an Uber XL from the airport to the property. The ride took approximately forty minutes and $40 USD, as a result of a traffic accident along the way.
The property is well located in an easily accessible hotel district that is steps from the San Antonio Riverwalk area. In other conveniences, the property is steps from dozens of restaurants located in the Riverwalk area. This makes a stay at the property convenient, in terms of dining options.
The San Antonio Rivercenter is a massive imposing structure on the Riverwalk in downtown San Antonio. There is no mistaking the large monolithic structure as a mega hotel when you approach.
It’s worth mentioning the San Antonio Marriott on the Riverwalk is located right across the street. When hailing your taxi or ride share, you’ll want to double check the name of the property (San Antonio Marriott Rivercenter on the Riverwalk) to ensure you end up at the correct property.
Checking into the San Antonio Marriott Rivercenter at Riverwalk:
I arrived to the property and headed inside. I was offered assistance with my bags from the doorman. However, since I was travelling with carry on only bags, I was pretty self sufficient for this trip.
The San Antonio Marriott Rivercenter at Riverwalk lobby area filled a massive atrium inside the property. The property is thirty eight floors tall with over one thousand hotel rooms. With such a large format hotel, it’s pretty easy to feel anonymous in such a large facility.
The lobby area contained the hotel restaurant “Triburary”. With such a large property, the lobby area was a gathering area for most visitors.
I had a friendly check in experience that was short and professional. While I did not get any fantastic suite upgrades, I did get a soft Marriott Bonvoy Titanium upgrade to an M Club lounge access – Guest room, 1 King, High floor; which was perfectly satisfactory for my three night stay.
Unlike some desperate haggling I’ve had to experience at other Marriott Bonvoy properties, I was confirmed for a complimentary Marriott Titanium late check out guaranteed at 4 PM on a Sunday night, without any dispute. This allowed me to take my last flight home on Alaska Airlines San Antonio – Seattle – Vancouver without any issues.
While I didn’t have a car, self parking was a steep $47 USD with valet parking at an even steeper $60 USD. While this isn’t out of line for most inner city hotels, it’s still pretty expensive for leisure oriented travellers.
The Room: M Club Lounge Access, Guest Room 1 King – High Floor
I navigated my own way up to the twenty sixth floor. The elevators at the San Antonio Marriott Rivercenter at Riverwalk were all key coded and using bucket elevator efficiency.
I was happy to discover that I was located on the same floor as the M Club Lounge. While this typically meant a lot of foot traffic, I was assigned room #2610 located at the opposite end of the corridor.
The M Club Lounge Access room was a standard renovated Marriott room in current and contemporary colors. I’ve visited these rooms so much recently, they’ve really gotten to feel like home.
The sleeping area offered iHome clock radios, along with USB B & C power ports. This was an upscale touch from the usual clock radios I typically find in Marriott properties.
The room offered a small seating couch that was comfortable for one person. The room featured two small round occasional tables
The room featured a long desk, which was perfect for computers, electronics and other convention paperwork. These long desks are among my favorite features of Marriott properties. I typically use as much counter space as possible when I’m on the road. In this case, I was even able to store a few dessert trays from the M Club Lounge in addition to all the electronics I usually travel with.
The M Club Lounge room offered a great view from the twenty sixth floor.
The room also featured proper glassware and a small refrigerator to chill your water.
The M Club Lounge room offered the usual Marriott bathroom. The room offered a single vanity sink, which was perfectly fine for a single business traveller. The room also offered a stand up shower with the usual low pressure square Marriott rain shower head.
The San Antonio Marriott Rivercenter at Riverwalk floor plan offered limited suites. The property offers eighty seven suites out of a total possible one thousand rooms. As a result your Marriott Bonvoy elite upgrade chances are not likely to all too great at this property. One thing the floor plan did have going for it was limited foot traffic, making for a quiet environment.
In terms of sleep quality, the San Antonio Marriott Rivercenter at Riverwalk offered. solid sleep. Despite being located on the M Club Lounge floor, there was minimal traffic by my room.
Around the Hotel Property:
The San Antonio Marriott Rivercenter at Riverwalk is an urban business hotel with amenities that you would expect under this category.
Marriott M Club Concierge Executive Lounge:
The hotel featured a fully featured M Club Executive Lounge.
During my stay, the lounge was in operation twenty four hours per day. There were quite a few options for dining, including breakfast, evening h’ors d’oeuvres and dessert options.
The M Club Lounge was frequently occupied and rarely empty; even outside of food service hours. Located on the twenty sixth floor, the lounge offered terrific city views.
Consistent with North American Marriott Lounges, the lounge offered an honour bar. I usually don’t get too excited by these, since you can usually do nicer and better at a restaurant with a happy hour. However, it’s nice to have the option.
The lounge offered restaurant recommendations, along with friendly service.
It ended up being exceptionally convenient to have the M Club Lounge located on the same floor as the hotel room. I would end up swinging by for dessert items on a repeated basis.
Outdoor Pool:
The San Antonio Marriott Rivercenter at Riverwalk offered a small outdoor pool. The pool was located on the third floor on the shady side of the building. Unfortunately, this location meant that the pool and deck didn’t get a whole lot of sun.
Whlie the pool was not the highlight of the stay, it was nice to have in the event you’re the type of traveller that prefers to take a small dip to cool off.
Exercise Room:
The exercise room was located on the third floor. At times, we see exercise rooms that are located without any natural light. The San Antonio Marriott Rivercenter at Riverwalk offered a day light gym area that overlooked the pool zone.
The fitness centre was open seven days a week on a twenty four hour a day basis.
San Antonio Riverwalk:
Outside of the back doors of the San Antonio Marriott Rivercenter at Riverwalk is the San Antonio Riverwalk. I have written a separate post on the San Antonio Riverwalk and all that it entails. However, within steps of the hotel are dozens of restaurants and entertainment options.
There is a stop for the GO RIO Riverboat Cruise right behind the hotel. This is convenient for those using their credit from their daily destination fee.
Food and Beverage:
With dozens of restaurants located outside of the hotel doors on the San Antonio Riverwalk, it made little sense to enjoy dining inside the hotel itself. This is perhaps why the hotel has added a food and beverage credit within the destination fee at this property. Most were exchanging this into drink credits, since the lobby was a popular place at all hours.
The Tributary:
The primary food and bevreage outlet was the Tributary. Located in the lobby, the Triburary was frequently busy throughout most of the afternoon into the late evening.
While I didn’t get the opportunity to enjoy a drink at the Triburary, it’s nice to have a great lobby bar as an option.
Café Boccadillo:
Café Boccadillo represents the hotel’s grab and go option. While we’ve seen some Marriott’s offer an exceptionally small market, this one is among the largest that I’ve seen throughout the Marriott brand.
The Café Boccadillo offers a full suite of grab and go items, including alcohol. During my visit, it’s hours were 6 AM – 9 PM.
Bottom Line: San Antonio Marriott RiverCenter at Riverwalk
Overall, I was really pleased with my stay. It’s not often I’m happy staying at a large format hotel. Despite having over a thousand rooms, I ended up being quite pleased with my stay.
The property offered a solid lounge offering, a soft upgrade to a great view room that was in excellent condition, a convenient location on the San Antonio Riverwalk and a great 4 PM check out courtesy of Marriott Bonvoy status.
I couldn’t ask for anything more from a business hotel in a convention city.
If you have stayed in San Antonio, have you experienced a stay at the San Antonio Marriott Rivercenter at Riverwalk ?
This trip introduction is about a short work trip I ended up taking to San Antonio, Texas, United States of America. While I don’t typically get into the trip planning for work trips with any regularilty, I thought I would take the time to highlight this particular city visit off the usual business beaten path. I would end up going down for four nights and three days. Read on to see how I put this quick weekend visit together.
This post is one chapter on a work trip from Canada to San Antonio, Texas, United States of America. This trip was enhanced through Marriott Bonvoy Elite Status, and Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan. For parts of the trip, please see this index.
If you enjoyed this post, please follow us here or on social media through Facebook, Twitter “X” or Instagram for more travel tips and hacks on how to “Upgrade Your Travels”.
✈️ Read more from this trip:
- Trip Introduction: Mission Visit – Jetting Down to San Antonio, Texas, USA
- San Antonio Marriott Rivercenter on the Riverwalk, San Antonio, Texas, USA
- Explore the San Antonio Riverwalk, Texas, USA
- Exploring the Alamo Mission, San Antonio, Texas, USA
- San Antonio’s Missions: Misson Concepción, Texas, USA
- Discover Pinkerton’s BBQ: Best BBQ in San Antonio, Texas, USA
Trip Introduction: On a Mission – Visiting San Antonio, Texas, USA
At times, work travel can take you to an unusual destination that’s outside the norm of your regular travel patterns. This week’s trip had me scheduled to travel to San Antonio, Texas, USA for some specific training that was not available in Canada. As a result, I put together a quick four day and three night trip that would allow me to take in the most of the area in the shortest amount of time possible.
Booking Flights:
Unusually, on this occasion, I was travelling in economy class. While my employer typically pays for business class, when budgeting the trip to the managers, I didn’t want to get into the debate of cost expense; favouring instead the opportunity to get to a unique destination, instead of perhaps waiting for the training opportunity to re-appear in Canada.
When I booked, the price point for most fares were identical on United Airlines, American Airlines and Alaska Airlines. Since I’ve been collecting miles in both Air Canada’s Aeroplan and Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan, I ended up purchasing an Alaska Airlines fare since they all earned 100% Elite Qualifying Miles. Most United Airlies fares in economy class earned only 50% Elite Qualifying Miles.
I ended up picking the cheapest route, which took me through Dallas Forth Worth on the way down. I was lucky enough to get the Alaska Airlines non stop San Antonio – Seattle on the way back.
Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan Elites get access to unlimited domestic upgrades. While I’ve been lucky travelling with my wife’s Alaska Mileage Plan MVP Gold status, the upgrades likelihood drops off quite considerably at my lower Alaska Mileage Plan MVP level. The medium haul flight from Seattle – San Antonio only had two First Class Seats open at check in.
I was way down on the MVP upgrade list at number 13, so I got comfortable in the back on Alaska Airlines Seattle – Dallas Fort Worth for the ride down.
When it came to my connection, Dallas Fort Worth airport was decorated for Christmas holidays. I had an easy connection in Dallas Fort Worth.
My short flight from Dallas Fort Worth to San Antonio was on American Airlines. Although Alaska Mileage Plan Elite members are afforded access to American Airlines domestic upgrade space, for the first time ever, I was the very last on the upgrade list at #27. As a rule, it’s usually difficult getting upgraded out of alliance hub cities. This was no exception.
As a result, I settled into a short one hour flight American Airlines Dallas – San Antonio, eventually getting into my destination.
For my return trip, I didn’t have much more excitement. The San Antonio International Airport didn’t have any available lounges to explore. San Antonio International Airport Terminal Two was actually quite austere and compact.
I didn’t get any Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan MVP upgrade love on the way back either. With only two first class seats open when the flight closed, I ended up being first on the upgrade list getting assigned into Alaska Airlines Premium Class for the longer San Antonio – Seattle leg.
Arriving into Seattle after several days of warmth and heat, I experienced the usual rain arriving to the gates in Seattle Tacoma International Airport.
The trip didn’t contain anything new in economy class. As a result, I’ve elected not to complete posts on my flight segments down and back.
Planning Hotels:
San Antonio is a convention city. As a result, all the major hotel brands were in town. My event was taking place at the Grand Hyatt San Antonio convention area. As might be exepcted, the hotel was quoting rates upwards of $269 USD per night.
I ended up choosing to stay across the street at the San Antonio Marriott Rivercenter on the Riverwalk for a much more reasonable $200 USD a night.
While there were other Marriott hotels, the San Antonio Marriott Rivercenter on the Riverwalk appeared to be more interesting of the two, featuring the newest rennovated rooms and a comfortable M Club Executive Lounge.
Planning Activities:
San Antonio offered several attractions that were within close walking distance from the hotel. In addition to being a neat city to visit while on expense, there were ample attractions to visit.
Simply wandering around town was pretty interesting, with ample Spanish architecture to take in and enjoy, along with being an old American city.
I also made it out to San Antonio’s Missions. San Antonio has five unique Missions developed by the Spaniards in the 1750’s. The ruins of these missions are around San Antonio. All of the locations are UNESCO World Heritage Sites, making them worthy of any travellers’ time and well worth a visit. I was able to take in Mission Concepción on my trip, which was interesting and worthwhile.
San Antonio also features the famous Alamo, where the Battle and Seige of the Alamo occured. For followers of American History, the Battle of the Alamo represented one of the greatest tragedies in battle. I was able to take in a self guided visit to the Alamo site, which proved to be an interesting learning event of American History.
Lastly, San Antonio has the historic San Antonio Riverwalk running through its central business district. The lively entertainment district offers a whole host of restaurants and entertainment venues.
Overall, there was enough in San Antonio to keep me entertained for a few days on both the professional work front and on the leisure side with a host of attractions and sights to see.
My Thoughts on Planning San Antonio:
Ultimately, this wasn’t too hard a trip to put together. While it would only last a few days, I made the most of my limited time in San Antonio, Texas, USA.
It’s worth taking a little time in San Antonio to get out and see the various sights on offer.
Have you visited historic San Antonio Texas ?
For those that are lucky enough to qualify or re-qualify for Marriott Bonvoy Platinum or Titanium elite status, it’s time to select your Marriott Bonvoy Annual Choice Benefits. This is a simple process but it requires a little thought towards your own travel patterns in order to maximize the benefits. In this post, I’ll go through what I think are the best value benefits for selecting your Marriott Bonvoy Annual Choice Awards.
If you enjoyed this post, please follow us here or on social media through Facebook, Twitter “X” or Instagram for more travel tips and hacks on how to “Upgrade Your Travels”.
Maximize Your Marriott Bonvoy Annual Choice Benefits: Which Ones to Select?
For those of you that are fortunate enough to spend over 50 or 75 nights in a Marriott Bonvoy hotel last year, it’s time to select your elite benefits for the upcoming year.
There are typically quite a few to chose from, so I thought I would go over the selections that I find to be of value, compared to the other selections I typically skip over.
Getting Invited to Select Your Elite Benefits:
Shortly after you pass your elite threshold of staying fifty and seventy five qualifying nights, you’ll get invited to sign in to select your elite benefits.
The fifty night level offers the basic level of Annual Choice Benefits. There are two additional benefits offered at the seventy five night level.
There’s no urgency to select your benefits mid year. However, if you won’t accept your benefits by January 7, 2025, you’ll automatically be assigned default benefits for the year.
What you Earn at 50 Elite Night Credits:
The fifty night elite credit gifts are the base level Marriott Bonvoy Annual Choice Benefits. Marriott Bonvoy members that qualify (or re-qualify) for Marriott Bonvoy Platinum status by crossing this threshold get the opportunity to select from the following:
- Select Nightly Upgrade Awards (five) to redeem for upgrades to select premium rooms or standard suites on your next adventure.
- Choose Your Favorite Mattress and save US$1,000 on your purchase of a bed from Marriott Bonvoy® retail brands.
- Gift Marriott Bonvoy Silver Elite Status to a family member or friend
- Support the Arne M. Sorenson Hospitality Fund by donating US$100 to champion the next generation of diverse leaders in hospitality.
- Support the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) by donating US$100 for children’s aid worldwide.
- Support World Wildlife Fund (WWF) by donating US$100 to their global conservation work.
- Add Elite Night Credits (five) to get you closer to higher Elite status and enhanced benefits in 2024.
You’ll likely be prompted to make your selection upon re-qualification, although there is no need to actually make your selection until the end of the year.
What you Earn at 75 Night Credits:
At seventy five nights, you’ll have qualified (or re-qualified) for Marriott Bonvoy Titanium status. You’ll get the opportunity to select from same fifty night benefits, in addition to these two selections:
- Select a Free Night Award with a value of up to 40,000 points to redeem for a stay on us.
- Gift Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite Status to a family member or friend.
Which Selections Offer the Most Value?
The selections that offer the most value really depend on your travel patterns and knowledge and use of the Marriott Bonvoy program. Depending on what you select, you have the ability to come out ahead if you make the right selections.
- Select Nightly Upgrade Awards (five – default selection)
- If I have a personal trip planned in the next year, I generally select five nightly upgrade awards. While I haven’t had much luck in using them against a 7 night beach holiday, I have used them to upgrade to great suites in several locations for shorter stays under 4 days.
- Choose Your Favorite Mattress and save US$1,000 on your purchase of a bed from Marriott Bonvoy® retail brands.
- I don’t find this option to be all that useful. The beds retail for over $2,300 CAD. Unfortunately, the $1,000 US promotion code is not stackable with any discount that might be on the website. As a result, you might actually be better off waiting for a black friday / boxing day sale than selecting this option.
- Gift Marriott Bonvoy Silver Elite Status to a family member or friend
- Marriott Bonvoy Silver Elite status is pretty useless in itself, aside from an additional 10% earning of Marriott Bonvoy points. While it might turn someone into a Marriott Bonvoy loyalist, I usually skip this option.
- Support the Arne M. Sorenson Hospitality Fund by donating US$100 to champion the next generation of diverse leaders in hospitality.
- While charitable donations are always nice, I generally prefer to donate directly and obtain a tax receipt. In addition, I find you can get better value from Nightly Upgrade Awards greater than $100 USD. I usually skip this option.
- Support the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) by donating US$100 for children’s aid worldwide.
- While charitable donations are always nice, I generally prefer to donate directly and obtain a tax receipt. In addition, I find you can get better value from Nightly Upgrade Awards greater than $100 USD. I usually skip this option.
- Support World Wildlife Fund (WWF) by donating US$100 to their global conservation work.
- While charitable donations are always nice, I generally prefer to donate directly and obtain a tax receipt. In addition, I find you can get better value from Nightly Upgrade Awards greater than $100 USD. I usually skip this option.
- Add Elite Night Credits (five) to get you closer to higher Elite status and enhanced benefits in 2024.
- On years when I am short re-qualifying for Titanium level status, this option can be really useful if you find yourself at 70 elite nights with no furhter travel planned for the rest of the year. I’ve used this option once (in 2022 just after the pandemic) to get me over the threshold of 75 qualfying nights.
- It’s important to remember that these night credits are awarded for the current year, and not a future year ahead. As a result, you’ can’t game the system by getting a jump start on next year’s qualifying nights.
For the seventy five night benefits, these are the ones I end up selecting:
- Select a Free Night Award
- The free night award can be used against any properties up to 40,000 Marriott Bonvoy points. While it’s not as easy to use this as it was in the past, it’s the obvious choice.
- Gift Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite Status to a family member or friend.
- While this is a nice gift for a friend that allows them to earn 25% more Marriott Bonvoy bonus poiunts, this is easy accessible through many American Express Marriott Bonvoy credit cards meeting a minimum spend limit.
While some have reported difficulty redeeming the free night award at a 40,000 point level, with a little advance planning, it can provide some solid value.
As with all elite programs, it helps to take the time to complete a little research to maximize the benefits. If you’re prepared to do that, you can come out with some terrific value.
However, if you want a “set and forget” option, then I’d probably select the ten Nightly Upgrade Awards, which can then be used throughout the travel year when and as needed.
Selecting your Marriott Bonvoy Annual Choice Awards:
Within about 2 – 3 days of qualifying or re-qualifying for Marriott Bonvoy Platinum or Titanium status, you’ll be invited to sign in to select your Marriott Bonvoy Annual Choice Awards.
There is nothing wrong with making your selection at the end of the year. You just have to make a selection before the first week of January. Otherwise, you’ll automatically be assigned five (or ten) Nightly Upgrade Awards into your account.
By waiting until the end of the year, you can determine which awards work best for you. For example, if you are short Elite Qualifying Nights, it might be better to select these dependent on your travel patterns. If you have no personal trips planned, it might be better to forgo Nightly Upgrade Awards for something else.
In my case, I ended up selecting Nightly Upgrade Awards for my fifty night Marriott Bonvoy Annual Choice Benefit.
For my seventy five night benefit, I went with the Free Night Award with a value of up to 40,000 points to redeem for a stay on us.
Shortly after making the selections, I was asked to confirm the selections with a caution that there was no going back after a selection was confirmed.
After confirming the selections, I had my choices confirmed and in my account almost instantly (within the hour).
Overall, the selection process was about as easy as could be expected.
In Summary: Selecting your Annual Choice Benefits
Selecting your Marriott Bonvoy Annual Choice Benefits is a pretty straight forward process.
OVerall, I recommend you wait until the end of the travel year before selecting your Marriott Bonvoy Annual Choice Benefits. This will allow you to select the best benefits to fit your personal travel situation and make sure any benefits don’t go to waste.
I typically select the Marriott Bonvoy Nightly Upgrade Awards combined with the Free Night Award, as I find that the combination works best for my travel patterns.
However, if you just want a “set and forget” option, I’d probably just select the ten (five – five) Nightly Upgrade Awards and use them when needed.
What Marriott Bonvoy Annual Choice Awards are your favourites ?
Fall travels took me back to Whistler, British Columbia for a winter conference visit. Since I had previously stayed at the Westin Whistler Resort, I ended up mixing it up and calling in on the Delta by Marriott Whistler Village Suites. The Delta by Marriott Whistler Village Suites has operated under the Delta flag since it opened, although I hadn’t had the opportunity to stay for quite some time. I would end up discovering a functional hotel that offered a little extra room for my three night stay.
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Review: Delta Hotels by Marriott Whistler Village Suites, British Columbia, Canada
“With recently upgraded rooms, the Delta Whistler Village Suites offers fully featured rooms set against a hotel offering slightly less hotel features, and a less than convenient location for ‘ski in – ski out’ downhill skiing”
The mountain resort town of Whistler, British Columbia has a number of hotels that cater to it’s destination oriented visitors. As a regular visitor to town, I usually try out the Westin Whistler Resort and Spa. However, I ended up staying at the Delta Whistler Village Suites instead for a little variety. The price point of the Delta Whistler Village Suites was also slightly cheaper for the company, who was paying for this stay.
Booking The Delta Hotels Whistler Village Suites:
I booked direct on the Marriott website. Rates are typically variable dependent on the season. Rates during my stay were around $300 CAD during shoulder season. The rates average between $400 – $500 CAD in the peak of summer – winter, going as high as $1,300 CAD during Christmas week.
For this three day stay, I booked a base standard Guest Room – 1 Queen Bed, Guest Room for approximately 293 CAD ($180 USD) this three 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 Marriott Executive Club Lounge, and a complimentary late check out up to 4 PM.
With Marriott Titanium Level status, I was fortunate to be upgraded (in advance) one category into a One Bedroom Suite with a separate living space. While it is rarer to get actual suite upgrades these days as an Elite member within the Marriott Bonvoy program, I really appreciated the upgrade.
I would chalk this up to my stay occurring during shoulder season with a low amount of elites. I suspect that your experience may be different during busy summer or winter ski seasons.
Marriott Bonvoy Redemption Opportunities:
The Delta Whistler Village Suites has moved to variable pricing within the Marriott Bonvoy program. As a result, rooms are typically approximately 40,000 – 55,000 points per night, with 50,000 points a night as an average standard.
If you value Marriott Bonvoy points at $0.008 a point, you’d have to spend more than $320 USD to come out ahead for a 40,000 point redemption or $440 USD to come out ahead for a 55,000 point redemption. Whether this represents value will be dependent on what the cash rate is at the property at the time of booking. Given the seasonality or Whistler, this can potentially represent solid value for a Marriott Bonvoy points redemption.
Getting to The Delta Whistler Village Suites:
I self drove up from Vancouver on the Sea to Sky Highway – Highway 99. The drive took about two hours and fifteen minutes on a weekday afternoon.
The Delta Whistler Village Suites is located in the Whistler Village complex. It’s is centrally located on the village strolls. It’s location makes the hotel very central to shopping, restaurants and accessing Lost Lake Trails or the Valley Trail Network.
However, in perhaps it’s largest geographic downfall, the hotel is located a 10 minute walk and 650 meters (0.40 miles / 2135 feet) from the ski slopes of Whistler Blackcomb. While the hotel may be lightly marketed as “ski in / ski out”, this is only true if you enjoy carrying twenty pounds of ski equipment. For those looking for true “ski in ski out convenience, you’ll have to consider The Westin Whistler Resort and Spa as your preferred choice between the two.
Getting back to my arrival experience, the property was easy to find. It’s a short turn off the primary Village Gate Boulevard from Highway 99.
I parked at the front door of the hotel loading area. As with the case with most Delta Hotels, there was no door man working the doorway & arrival area. I went inside and started the check in process at the front desk.
Self Parking was available for $32 CAD a day, with Valet Parking available for $40 CAD a day. This information was not posted on a sign or placard, like it might be in the United States, and I learned about the rate through the front reception.
Checking into the Delta Whistler Village Suites:
The Delta Whistler Village Suites has a functional and compact lobby. The lobby has been refreshed and looks like a contemporary mountain lodge. The lobby consisted of two check in desks. Neither had a wait when I arrived to the property.
I had a pleasant and transactional check in at the Delta Whistler Village Suites. I was informed of my suite upgrade into a One Bedroom Suite courtesy of my Marriott Bonvoy Titanium level status.
During the check in process, I was explained that since the property did not offer an Executive Lounge, I would be given an additional 750 Marriott Bonvoy points per night as compensation.
In terms of selecting the breakfast benefit afforded under Marriott Bonvoy Elite Welcome Bonus, the property offered $10 CAD a day towards the “Perk and Pedal” coffee cart located in the lobby. This is a pretty light breakfast option when compared to the excellent buffet breakfast offered up the street at the Westin Whistler. As a breakfast person, this didn’t too much to jazz up my stay experience.
In perhaps the only advantage, the property does not add on a “Resort Fee” with extras. As a result, there weren’t any extra loop holes to jump through. Despite this, the property didn’t add to many extras.
Through the check in process, I was provided a sheet containing the resorts inclusions, which included “Complimentary Board Games” and “Yoga Mats” available at the front desk to sign out.
I would end up self parking the car and heading directly up to my assigned room from the parking garage.
The Room: A One Bedroom Suite – 1 King Sofa Bed:
The property offers two separate buildings that are not attached at higher levels. I led myself up to Room #1362. I eventually figured out was on the third floor through a little self deduction. My room was located right at the end of the hallway away from the elevators, making it exceptionally quiet.
Room #1362 was a one category hard upgrade from the Guest Room – One King that I booked. My assigned one bedroom suite arrived through a pro-active upgrade in the Marriott App that arrived about twenty four hours prior to my stay as a Marriott Bonvoy Titanium Elite member.
The suites at the Delta Whistler Village Suites are a compact 475sqft/43sqm. In terms of size, the room feels as though it might be more suited in an urban downtown hotel environment, rather than a spacious mountain lodge. Accordingly, the theme is on compact living.
Immediately upon entering the room, I found myself in the living area which featured a small kitchen space.
The living space was consistent with that of a one bedroom suite being in a separate demarcated space. The living room was quite small for two travellers. I would imagine that it would feel even smaller with children sleeping on the sofa bed.
The living room featured a small stool coffee table, a large flat screen television along with a small desk combination. Functionally, the space worked quite well
The compact desk featured a full power bar for plug ins. It was a little tight on surface area, although it served well as a location for dropping laptops and cellphones for charging.
The kitchen itself was a small version in an “L” shaped configuration. It featured a compact stove, a small dishwasher and a compact fridge and freezer. All are perfect elements for a longer stay.
The suite also offered a small washer and dryer, which was great for longer stay activiites. Most hotels offer washer dryers in communal facilities. This was terrific for convenience and not having to hang out waiting for a machine to free up.
The room also featured a gas fireplace. Although it shared a wall with the bedroom, the fireplace was one sided and oriented towards the living room.
The bathroom ran the length of the wall behind the living room television. The bathroom featured a corridor style format, with an unusually combined bathroom and stand up shower area. The room featured a single vanity sink, when most larger suites these days feature two sinks.
The shower and tub area was a little compact, and apparently designed for “one”.
Moving towards the bedroom, our room featured a king sized bed in a compact space. There wasn’t a whole lot of room around the sides of the bed, a measure of how large the room felt.
The bedroom featured a second compact flat screen television, which was located over top of a single luggage rack. There was a small closet in the corner, which I was able to use to hang up suits. There wasn’t a whole lot of surplus space in the bedroom, which made storing luggage a little bit of a challenge.
The Delta Whistler Village Suite was kind enough to leave a Marriott Bonvoy welcome amenity. This consisted of a nice card, a Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory chocolate bear claw, and a British Baker Bear Paw Chocolate cookie. All of these were greatly appreciated since that I could’t head to an Executive Lounge for that after dinner snack.
In terms of sleep quality, the room was reasonably quiet. Although situated in Whistler Village which can be known for is reveillers’ noise, there were no sounds of noise from the hallway or the village strolls. My floor was very quiet and being an end room, I had limited noise towards my end of the hall. As a result of my stay was very peaceful.
Around the Hotel Property:
The Delta Whistler Village Suites is a limited full service hotel property. It has most of the features that you might expect from a full service hotel, except for an attached restaurant.
Indoor / Outdoor Pool & Sauna:
The Delta Whistler Suites offered an essential indoor / outdoor pool. There is nothing more important than hot tubs and pools after a day of hitting the ski slopes. The pool at the Delta Whistler Suites is slightly better than the Westin Whistler, but won’t reign as one of the top pools in Whistler.
The pool was operating between the hours of 7 AM to 10 PM during our visit.
The indoor pool area offers a small hot tub. Given that Whistler is all about outdoor hot tubs in the mountains, I can’t imagine that this gets too much primary use.
The Delta Whistler Suites offers an indoor access to the pool which allows you to descend into the water and make your way outside.
Once outside you’ll find yourself in a large pool space with a bit of deck space in case you happen to be visiting . The hotel backs onto the Village gate Boulevard so you might get the sounds of traffic noise but you’ll have some views up towards Whistler Mountain.
There was also a smaller than expected outdoor hot tub. I would think that this is smaller than expected for a hotel of this size, and I would imagine that this gets quite full during winter season.
The pool was pretty much deserted during our visit. We didn’t have any concerns accessing the facilities during our stay.
Fitness Center:
The property does have a very small fitness centre adjacent to the pool. It’s hard to imagine working out on the property when there are so many recreational facilities just outside your hotel room door.
During our stay, the fitness centre was open 24 hours a day, with no reservation required.
There were a few treadmills and free-weights available. During my visit, the gym was pretty quiet with no issues getting a machine.
Food and Beverage:
The Delta Whistler Suites food and beverage environment is probably the weakest part of the hotel stay experience. Despite the hotel being located in Whistler Village with dozens of independent restaurants at it’s footsteps, the hotel doesn’t operate it’s own restaurant. This means there isn’t a restaurant where you can charge food directly to your room. It also means that those seeking a full breakfast, will have to travel up the street.
Perk and Pedal Coffee Bike:
Marriott Bonvoy Platinum Breakfast
The Delta Whistler Village Suites’ primary food and beverage option is a cart that is open from 7 AM to 9 AM daily. These are pretty short hours for a breakfast cart. For late risers, there is a likelihood you might miss out given that last call is at 9 AM.
Our Marriott Bonvoy Titanium Elite Welcome Gift of breakfast was worth $10 CAD per person at the coffee cart. The coffee cart had a cafeteria vibe to it, with limited pastries available in the morning.
There’s no lounge at the property. Aside from coffee in the room, this is your only “on property” choice.
Front Desk Snacks and Drinks:
The Delta Whistler Village Suites offered snacks such as chips, bars of popcorn and sodas and energy drinks available at the front desk. This can be accessed “in a pinch”, in case you happen to arrive late.
The property does not offer room service. There are ample restaurants around within walking distance that potentially offer take away (or a Skip the Dishes alternative).
It’s worth mentioning that the Fresh Street grocery store is about 5 minutes walk, and The Grocery Store is also 5 minutes walk from the property. Each of these can meet your needs, provided you visit during operating hours.
Brickworks Public House:
There are several restaurants located within the hotel building, but not affiliated with the hotel. The Brickworks Public House is located in the second building. It’s even accessible though an interior walkway without going outside.
The Brickworks Public House has all of the feel of a hotel operated bar and grill without any of the benefits of room charging (allowing for potentially extra point earnings).
Checking Out of The Delta Ottawa City Centre Hotel:
On departure day, I uattempted to get a Marriott Bonvoy Titanium level late check out. I was leaving on a Thursday of the US Thanksgiving Long Weekend. As a result, I wasn’t too optimistic that I’d get very far.
The hotel was able to grant a 1 PM checkout, despite asking for “the latest possible time. While I wasn’t expecting a 4 PM check out, I suppose anything later than 11 AM was an added bonus.
I had no surprises on the bill with everything as expected.
My Marriott Bonvoy points posted to my account within 72 hours as promised.
The Bottom Line: The Delta Whistler Village Suites Hotel
I’m a bit conflicted about my stay at the Delta Whistler Village Suites. Perhaps this comes from spending too much time on the road, cycling through different hotels.
The Delta Whistler Village Suites offered a nice room upgrade into a suite category. The rooms were well appointed and in great condition. However, the lack of executive lounge and having a coffee cart as a breakfast option wasn’t ideal. I also found the rooms to be slightly compact, but well featured.
When compared against the Westin Whistler up the street, the Westin is clearly the more impressive hotel, with a full restaurant and a better location for ski in – ski out activities.
If you have visited Whistler Village, which Marriott property remains your favourite ?
Sometimes, things change in the credit card earning environment. When MBNA cancelled the MBNA Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan Mastercard, I stuck with the replacement MBNA Rewards World Elite Mastercard until a major benefit was removed. I ended up looking for another credit card earning opportunity and ended up landing on the popular American Express Cobalt Credit Card. Read on to see how I ended up coming to this conclusion, and how my application process went.
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I (finally) applied for an American Express Cobalt Card: here’s what happened
The American Express Cobalt Card had been on my radar since it’s inception. However, it’s initial launch offering a lessor diluted Membership Rewards Select points category didn’t seem appealing to me. As a result of lessor acceptance of American Express Cards, I ended up putting off applying for this card until recently. This is the story of how I ended up at this credit card intersection and cross roads.
Cancelling my MBNA Rewards World Elite Mastercard:
When MBNA decided to cancel their MBNA Alaska Airlines Mastercard, they decided to replace it with an MBNA Rewards World Elite Mastercard. It even came with a sign up “loyalty” bonus with the promise to be able to covert MBNA Rewards points to Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan miles on a 1 : 1 basis in the future.
I ended up sticking with the MBNA Rewards World Elite Mastercard for about a year. Much like similar cards in this category, the MBNA Rewards World Elite Mastercard offered generous category bonuses.
The MBNA Rewards World Elite Mastercard earned 5 points for every $1 spent on eligible restaurant, grocery, digital media, membership, and household utility purchases until $50,000 is spent annually in the applicable category, followed by 1 point for every $1 on all other eligible purchases. The card also offered a Birthday Bonus equal to 10% of the total number of Points the Account earned in the 12 months before the month of the primary cardholder’s birthday, to a maximum Birthday Bonus each year of 15,000 Points.
Under this combination, I picked up about 80,000 MBMA Rewards points in the first year alone. Unfortunately, MBNA would later announce that the conversation of points from MBNA Rewards to Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan miles would change to a “one time” offer. This was opposed to a standing agreement similar to RBC Avion Visa and British Airways Executive Club when transfers can be made at any time and occasionally offer seasonal transfer bonuses.
I didn’t see much thrill or value in exchanging MBNA Rewards points for dynamic pricing into economy class cabins on the MBNA Rewards booking engine. Without the ability to transfer MBNA Rewards points into Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan, it made the MBNA Rewards card completely irrelevant to my leisure travel needs.
Given the end of this earning opportunity, I decided I needed to explore a new card opportunity.
Why American Express Cobalt?
I ended up enjoying the restaurant category bonuses found on the MBNA Rewards card. As a corporate traveller, I end up spending a lot of time on the road. It seems that every month, I am out dining in restaurants – sometimes a week at a time. Much of it is reimbursed from my employer, through our generous travel policy.
The American Express Cobalt made sense to add value into my earning stream, given that it offered the following earning opportunities:
- 5X points earn on “eats and drinks” such as eligible restaurants or food delivery in Canada.
- 3X points on streaming subscriptions, in Canada.
- 2X points on gas, transit and ride share purchases, in Canada.
The fine print reveals that these category bonuses are only valid for purchases “within Canada”. As a result, this doesn’t offer the total value of an American Express Business Platinum Card that usually earns full bonuses on every category internationally.
For those that are travelling from Canada within the United States, this might not be your ideal set up. As a mostly domestic traveller, within Canada, I’d still expect to see some value.
Applying for an American Express Cobalt Card:
With a fall travel schedule, I ended up looking to pick up a Cobalt Card as I entered the fall business travel season. Unfortunately, I wasn’t in a position to wait around for a larger sign up bonus given a quarter cycle of travel expenses coming up.
I searched around for the best available sign up bonus. American Express was offering a forward public facing sign up bonus of 15,000 American Express Membership Rewards points.
However, Perkopolis (Canada’s Largest Employee Perks provider) was offering a slightly better offer with 15,000 American Express Membership Rewards points, with an extra bonus of an additional 10,000 American Express Membership Rewards points on eligible eats and drinks within the first three months of card membership. This was a potential earn of 25,000 Membership Rewards points within the first year.
The 15,000 Membership Rewards welcome bonus was conditional on meeting $750 CAD of minimum spend per month; split into 1,250 Membership Rewards points across twelve months.
I applied on the offer through Perkopolis. This generated a unique code, which was then to be entered on the American Express Canada website to validate the additional welcome bonus.
I followed the links through and was taken over to the American Express application website. The Perkopolis offer was accurately replicated on the American Express website without any functionality challenges.
I was requested to enter the Perkopolis code on a secondary screen to validate the offer. The offer validated without any obvious issues, with the code being accepted.
The website offered terms and conditions of the American Express Cobalt 5X eats and drinks earning offer, 3X on eligible streaming services and 2X at stand alone gas stations, local commuter transportation in Canada including street car, subway and taxi. limousine and ride sharing. It’s clear that the terms and conditions would require a little study on the card holder’s part if you were looking to maximize the benefits.
Processing the Application:
I have been an existing American Express cardholder for twenty four years. I currently hold the American Express Platinum Business Charge Card, the American Express Marriott Bonvoy Credit Card and the American Express Bonvoy Business Credit Card. As such, I’ve been fortunate enough to establish a long financial relationship with American Express.
With a long existing history with American Express Canada, my card approval came instantly. I was promised delivery of the American Express Cobalt Card within 10 business days.
I was given an option to import the card information into Apple Pay. I was able to complete this step, and got my card uploaded into Apple Pay for immediate use without any technical challenges.
Using the American Express Cobalt Card:
My card arrived as promised in approximately six business days. The card was easy to activate on the American Express Canada website.
I started using the card immediately. After some use, and after my transactions posted, I was able to do a little research to maximize earning opportunities.
By signing into the American Express Membership Rewards portion of the website, I was able to track my spending.
I was able to determine the amount of room left in the additional 10,000 Membership Rewards points on eats and drinks within the first three months. I was also able to confirm that after meeting the minimum spend of $750 was met, that the welcome bonus 1,250 points were added to the account.
Doing a little math, I was able to manage my rewards in order to maximize the welcome bonus. While this wasn’t a “set and forget” welcome bonus, it’s true that with most things related to points and miles, this application required a little oversight in order to get the most out of it.
Merging the American Express Membership Rewards Accounts:
My American Express Cobalt Card started earning Membership Rewards into a separate Membership Rewards account. After several years of earning under the American Express Business Platinum card, I had accumulated a sizeable balance. I contacted the American Express customer service line to see whether it was worthwhile merging these two Membership Rewards accounts.
It was recommended to me by American Express Canada to keep the accounts separate until the end of the welcome bonus period. In my case, that was about one year. As a result, I didn’t end up merging the accounts. While it was a little inconvenient to monitor the balances in two separate accounts, I wasn’t willing to risk the bureaucracy of having to chase membership of a welcome bonus.
In Summary: Completing an American Express Cobalt application
After all this time, I finally joined the clients that hold the American Express Cobalt Card. Already, I am finding a strong earning potential given that I find myself on the road frequently for business travel dining out at restaurants.
The only negative to the application process was having to keep track of two American Express Membership Rewards accounts for the first year. I would also have to spend a little effort tracking the additional bonus of 10,000 Membership Rewards points.
Otherwise, I think this card will make a solid addition to my wallet given it’s generous earning for points in the eats and drinks categories.
If you have an American Express Cobalt Card, do you find that it delivers value ?
On my recent returning flight from Calgary to Vancouver, I was fortunate enough to be upgraded into Air Canada Business Class on a short haul rapid air segment between the two neighbouring provinces. I would enjoy a short but fully serviced hop which included a full lounge visit to the Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge Calgary, a full breakfast on board, along with a suite of priority services including free checked baggage. Read on to see what a short haul rapid air flight with Air Canada features on the West Coast.
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Review: Air Canada Business Class B737 – Max 8, Calgary International Airport – Vancouver International Airport
On my return segment flight back home from Calgary to Vancouver, I ended up bidding for an Air Canada Aeroplan E-Upgrade to upgrade myself into business class. My company travel policy only offered business class on flights of more than eight hundred and fifty kilometres. Accordingly, I was booked into economy class on this section.
I ended up signing into my Air Canada Aeroplan E-Upgrades account and listing for an upgrade shortly after purchase. My upgrade would end up getting cleared into business class at approximately twenty four hours prior to the flight departure.
Checking into Air Canada Business Class:
I had an early 6:30 AM Mountain Standard Time wake up from The Residence Inn by Marriott Calgary Downtown Beltline District. It was all the more earlier given that I was still operating on a 5:30 AM Pacific Standard Time when I got out of bed.
I drove myself to the Calgary International Airport and returned the rental car to Hertz. I was checked out without any trouble.
Entering into the Calgary International Airport terminal, I located the Air Canada check in area. Air Canada has reduced it’s footprint at Calgary International Airport as a result of cut backs and ceded a bit of retail territory to its direct competitor Westjet Airlines.
There was no wait at the Air Canada Priority check in counter. I was attended to immediately.
I ended up purchasing at Tumi Alpha suiter in Calgary, as a result of it’s no sales tax environment. I made the decision to carry on the suiter as a personal item, and I ended up checking my Tumi Alpha 2 rolling suitcase. This was accepted and tagged with a Star Alliance “Priority” baggage tag.
Given that I was flying Air Canada Business Class, I was entitled to two free checked bags up to fifty pounds. If that didn’t work, I was also covered as a result of Air Canada Elite status for two checked bags. You may also be entitled to one free checked bag on Air Canada if you hold select credit co-branded credit cards, such as the Air Canada Aeroplan Visa Infinite Credit card.
Locating the Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge:
After completing the check in process, I proceeded through security to the B gates. There was no line at the verified traveller security check point. I find that the Calgary International Airport is somewhere between being a large airport and a small airport. It’s large enough that you’d expect it to have a full suite of services, but quiet enough that it’s often deserted.
The Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge Calgary Domestic is located right after security after crossing the C Train pathway. Access to the Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge Calgary Domestic was provided courtesy of flying in Air Canada Business Class on a complimentary basis. While I have reviewed the lounge previously in detail, I won’t do so again.
On this flight, had approximately forty minutes to kill off so I entered the lounge. The lounge was almost completely deserted for this mid morning visit.
I was really surprised to see that the Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge was offering fresh made to order smoked salmon eggs benedict with capers and slivered onions. I enjoyed a serving as a snack, served with a self poured café latte while I waited for my boarding time.
I haven’t come to expect to much when visiting an Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge. They are typically overcrowded and the food hasn’t been all to exciting recently. However, I was pleasantly surprised by the quiet nature of the Calgary lounge, along with a great snack prior to a flight.
If you don’t happen to have access to the Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge – Calgary Domestic, you may have access to the Westjet Elevation Lounge – Calgary, or the Aspire Lounge – Calgary International with an American Express Platinum Card that offers Priority Pass Select membership. Please feel free to see those reviews if you’re interested in visiting a lounge in Calgary, but don’t happen to have access into the Maple Leaf Lounge.
Air Canada
AC 207 – Business Class (R)
YYC – YVR (Calgary International Airport – Vancouver International Airport)
Nov 1, 2024
10:00 AM – 10:38 AM
Booked: Boeing 737-Max8
Flown: Boeing 737-Max8
On Board Air Canada Business Class:
I have reviewed the Air Canada Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft on several previous occasions. It has become the bulk of my flying these days, on short to medium haul segments. Please see the following posts if you’d like a little more description of the features of the cabin.
- Air Canada Business Class: Los Angeles – Vancouver
- Air Canada Business Class: Vancouver – San Francisco
- Air Canada Business Class: Ottawa – Toronto
- Air Canada Business Class: Vancouver – Phoenix
- Air Canada Business Class: Calgary – Vancouver
- Air Canada Business Class: Vancouver – Ottawa
- Air Canada Business Class: Ottawa – Vancouver
Getting on board today’s flight, it is a combination of older and newer photographs. The Air Canada Business Class seats on a Boeing 737 Max are the newer slim line generation of seats. They offer a little more room over an economy seat, although you’ll never mistake them for a pod styled seat with a fully flat bed.
As in the past, I’m happy to report on the Air Canada Boeing 737 Max seats are actually more comfortable than their older Air Canada Airbus Series Business Class barcalounger style counterpart. I also found them more comfortable than the comparable puffy seat found in the Alaska Airlines First Class product.
I was seated in 2F today, a window seat on the right hand side of the aircraft. I was able to store my carry on baggage and had no issues stowing my luggage in the overhead bins.
The upscale interior offered next generation monitors that offered photographs of the destination. In case of this flight to the west coast, the images were of my hometown of Vancouver.
The Air Canada Business Class Boeing 737Max seat offered a little foot rest. Although the foot rest is a lot sturdier than versions that I have seen on the Airbus series of aircraft, it’s of limited use from a comfort perspective for a tall person like me.
The seat featured Empower charging based on a North American plug, and also offered a laptop storage contained underneath the centre arm rest.
The Seat Featured a recline option and a foot rest option. These features were accessed through level buttons on the wall of the seat itself.
There is also a seat extender for reclining comfort. You won’t mistake this for a fully flat seat, but it might make relaxing a little more comfortable.
The Boeing 737 Max featured individual air nozzles above the travellers seat. This is something that I always appreciate, since you’re able to control your own air flow, and make your flight just that more comfortable.
Pre Departure Services:
We had a pretty tame pre-departure beverage service. Today’s domestic pre-departure service was limited to a Naya bottle of water left on the seat.
While it is always better to have more service during the pre-departure phase, having a bottle of water is about what I’ve come to expect from Air Canada domestic flights in business class.
Departing Calgary International Airport:
We had an on-time departure at 10 AM from the Calgary International Airport.
It was snowing on my drive to the airport. As a result, we had a taxi over to the de-icing pad for de icing treatment. It was only November 1; early in the winter season but it goes to show that it’s never to early to be snowy when travelling in Canada.
After the deicing treatment was applied, we departed on runway 17. We had a southern track over downtown Calgary.
We had some really interesting cloud formations on the way out of town. The cloud bank had rolled right up to downtown Calgary, with only the tops of the skyscrapers peeking through the clouds.
After passing over downtown Calgary, we headed westwards towards the Rocky Mountains. It is always gorgeous flying over the Rocky Mountains and today’s flight, with fresh snow, was no exception.
I was treated to endless mountains covered in snow, as we made our way down to Vancouver. With views like this, I had no need to get into the entertainment on my iPad or on the Air Canada En Route entertainment system.
The Meal: Breakfast
Air Canada offered a full meal on this short flight. Despite the flight being only an hour and thirty minutes, and an hour and ten gate to gate, a full meal was offered for this short flight.
The meal service started with the usual towel service. Air Canada dropped off a nuked towel, that wasn’t very “spa like” in its quality.
Surprisingly, there was a full breakfast being offered on this flight from between 10 AM – 11:30 AM. While it wasn’t over a meal period, it was a treat to have a full meal.
Today’s breakfast was the familiar parsley omelette. There wasn’t a choice between entrees with the omelette being the sole choice offered. The parsley omelette was presented with sliced fruit on a tray, all at once.
Today is Air Canada flight offered a small fruit plate, along with a cranberry biscuit loaf and on Iögo yogurt. This was presented all at once.
I enjoyed this with a regular drip coffee.
The service on board was the usual Air Canada politeness; pleasant but not super interactive. Breakfast was cleared very promptly given our short flight time.
Landing at Vancouver International Airport:
After those beautiful mountains, it was time to descend to Vancouver International Airport. It was a stark contrast of wetness as I returned to Vancouver International Airport, arriving to a moist atmosphere.
We pulled up to Gate 47 at Vancouver International Airport. After a few minutes, I was able to de-plane. Without much wait in the terminal, I was able to pick up my checked bag. I was able to get to the Park and Fly Valet and home for the rest of my day off.
The Bottom Line: Air Canada Business Class
The Air Canada Business Class rapid air flight between Calgary and Vancouver was pretty straightforward.
Air Canada still offers many inclusions on it’s short haul flights, including a full meal service, along with access to a great Maple Leaf Lounge in Calgary International Airport.
If you’ve flown Air Canada Business Class on short haul rapid air, do you stay loyal to Air Canada over other options ?
For a week long stay in downtown Calgary, I ended up staying at the Residence Inn by Marriott Calgary Downtown Beltline District. I would discover a brand new hotel that offered spacious suites, bright workout and breakfast spaces, in addition to a relatively convenient location to all things within the Beltline District and Downtown area of Calgary. Read on to see how my week long stay fared.
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Review: Residence Inn by Marriott – Calgary Downtown Beltline District, Canada
“The World’s Largest Residence Inn, the hotel is an outstanding spacious new build property who’s only weakness is its proximity to the noisy Beltline train tracks and that the hotel earns much less than others as a Residence Inn in the Marriott Bonvoy program. “
I had a week long series of meetings taking place inside the convention space at the Residence Inn Calgary Downtown Beltline District hotel. I try to avoid staying at Residence Inn hotels since they only earn 5 points per dollar in the Marriott Bonvoy program, when compared to it’s regular hotels that earn 10 points per dollar.
Despite this, the property looked to be much better than the other hotel inventory in downtown Calgary. As a result, I thought that I would give it a try.
For a different property in the Calgary area, you may also enjoy our review of:
Booking The Residence Inn Calgary Downtown Beltline District:
This property was selected by the hosts of the series of meetings that I was attending. While I debated staying off property at a higher earning Marriott Bonvoy brand, I ended up aiming to keep things simple by staying in the recommended venue hotel.
The Residence Inn by Marriott falls into the Marriott Bonvoy Longer Stay brands that include The Residence Inn, Townplace Suites, Element, Homes and Villas by Marriott and Apartments by Marriott. These properties only earn 5 points per $1 USD USD.
In contrast, most other properties in Marriott Bonvoy program, earn 10 points per $1 USD. These include the majority of the other Marriott Bonvoy hotel brands that include Edition Hotels, The Ritz Carlton, The Ritz Carlton Reserve, The Luxury Collection, St Regis, W Hotels, JW Marriott, Marriott Hotels and Resorts, Sheraton, Marriott Vacaction Club, Delta Hotels and Resorts, Westin Hotels and Resorts, Le Meridien, Renaissance Hotels, Autograph Collection, Tribute Portfolio, Design Hotels, Gaylord Hotels, MGM Collection with Marriott Bonvoy, Courtyard, Four Points by Sheraton, Springhill Suites, Fairfield Inn and Suites, AC Hotels, Aloft Hotels, Moxy Hotels.
Given that Calgary can be quite cold (at times) resulting in a chilly walk, I ended up not seeing anything more interesting in the immediate area. As a result, I ended up staying at the Residence Inn Calgary Downtown Beltline District for a four night stay.
I was able to get a group rate of $239 CAD ($170 USD) for this property which booked into the basic Studio Room configuration. I booked direct on the Marriott Bonvoy website. As a Marriott Bonvoy Titanium Level member, I would also be entitled to Upgrade to best available room, including select suites.
The price point was about as expected for an urban metro downtown Calgary hotel mid week.
Marriott Bonvoy Opportunities:
The Residence Inn by Marriott Calgary Downtown Beltline District has variable pricing, dependent if you are travelling during a period of high demand. Rooms can be found for as little as 20,000 Marriott Bonvoy points with variable pricing up to 37,000 Marriott Bonvoy points. It is worth checking out to see whether there are any Marriott Bonvoy point redemptions available in order to maximize value.
As a refresher, If you value Marriott Bonvoy points at 0.8 cents per point, it only makes sense to redeem points under the right circumstances. For example, it would only make sense to redeem 37,000 Marriott Bonvoy points for a room valued at over $296 USD. If you are redeeming against a room that is 20,000 Marriott Bonvoy points, then you’d have to have a room rate over when those same points are worth approximately $160 USD. I found that this property was quite cheap for an urban metro downtown property and of good value on points.
Marriott Bonvoy members get the fifth night free when redeeming five or more day stay. Keep in mind that by redeeming five nights, and getting the fifth night free, will increase the value proposition by lowering the average number of points per night.
Getting to the Residence Inn Calgary Downtown:
The Residence Inn by Marriott Calgary Downtown Beltline is located just south of downtown in the Beltline District.
The Calgary Downtown Beltline district is a neighbourhood in transition. It’s Calgary’s most densely populated areas in terms of high rise condominiums, consisting of up and coming restaurants, nightlife and urban culture.
Given that the property is not located near any airport – downtown transit links, I opted to rent a car for the week. Given my corporate rate, this was about as cheap as taking an Uber XL both ways to and from the Calgary International Airport.
Checking into Residence Inn by Marriott Calgary Downtown:
Upon arrival to the property, I parked in the loading area at the front to complete check in procedures. The parking garage was secured. While it was possible to drive into the underground to park, the set up wasn’t immediately clear to me being a shared property with other apartment buildings.
The Residence Inn Calgary Beltline District lobby made a terrific first impression. The spaces offer double story high seatings, along with a small lounge area with access to the hotel’s wine bar restaurant “Stable”.
I had a friendly check in. I was pro-actively upgraded from a studio suite to a one bedroom suite courtesy of Marriott Bonvoy Titanium status which entitled me to the best available room, including Select Suites. I accepted 500 bonus Marriott Bonvoy points as my Marriott Bonvoy Elite Welcome benefit. Instead of the points welcome benefit, i was alternatively offered a market item as a welcome gift.
Self Parking was $30 CAD a night with complimentary in and out privileges. The front desk recorded the licence plate. I was not required to place a parking permit on the dash, which was appreciated. I was given an exit code along with my room keys. However, in actual practice, the secure underground gates opened automatically without entering a code.
I was also given a complimentary 355ml bottle of Nestlé PureLife 355 ml water as a thank you for being a Marriott Bonvoy elite.
The Room: A One Bedroom Suite
After self parking the car, I ended up taking the elevators up to room #2103. The elevators were key carded, and I needed the key card to get to my floor.
The Residence Inn Calgary Downtown Beltline District offers 390 rooms across thirty three floors. It is described as an all suite property. At the time of the hotel’s launch in the year 2019, it was reported to be the largest Residence Inn in the world.
After getting off on the twenty third floor, I wanted back towards room #2311. The floor had an odd layout combining a “U” format and a long hallway.
I wandered around behind the elevator bank to locate room #2311, which ended up being a corner room on the North East corner of the building.
The Living Space:
Immediately upon entering the room, I found ourselves in the living space of the room. The room was really spacious and felt much larger than the 506 sq ft / 47 sq m that was described.
The room featured a sofa bed chaise lounger. While the orientation of the lounger was facing towards the centre of the room, it made it a little difficult to watch television.
The room didn’t offer a desk space. Instead, the room offered an oversized dining room table. This offered chair seating for two, along with bench seating for two. I ended up taking a few MS Teams calls from this particular location, without any challenges.
The hotel was kind enough to provide a welcome amenity in the form of chocolate brownies with white icing. There were more than enough for a four night stay. There was also a hand written note, which was very much appreciated.
The Kitchen:
The room offered a pretty robust kitchen that was much larger and better equipped than many other Residence Inn’s I’ve had the opportunity to stay in. The kitchen offered a small two plate hot plate, a microwave, and a full sized refrigerator and a freezer.
The coffee found in the room wasn’t all super inspiring. The featured coffee was a rainforest blend. Generally, I have found Marriott coffee brands haven’t been all to spectacular, and this hotel wasn’t any different.
The kitchen also featured a sink, cooking knifes with cutlery, a coffee maker, a kettle, along with a toaster. There was more than enough there to make yourself a home for a day or two and be comfortable doing so. There were enough dishes that I would end up making it through the entire week without having to take care of dishes in the dishwasher.
My complimentary bottle of water from check in went into the fridge. There was no additional in room water offered.
Room Foyer:
The hotel room foyer offered a small coat room area. The space was highly functional with coat hooks appropriate for Calgary’s cool winter weather, an open closet area along with bathrobes and room safes.
I appreciated having open access space for suits and casual clothes. While this can be at a premium on some rooms, there was more than enough room.
The Bedroom:
Off the living area was the bedroom. The bedroom offered a king size bed. As someone who prefers a firmer sleep surface, I did find the mattress and pillows to be a little softer for my liking.
The bedroom featured a second smaller flat screen television, allowing you to watch television in bed. The bedside tables offered USB – B connections, which allowed me to conveniently to set my iPhone alarm.
In the first hotel property that I’ve ever stayed at, there was a sound machine that was used to block out ambient noise. While I found this initially to be a neat future, I would end up finding the ambient room noise to be quite loud.
In terms of sleep quality, I had some challenges getting a solid night sleep at this property. The Residence Inn Calgary Downtown Beltline District happens to be located next to four train tracks. These tracks carry almost all the rail cargo that is crossing Canada. As a result the trains are in operation almost twenty four hours per day.
Despite being up on the twenty third floor, I still found the trains to be disruptive. The trains were loud enough to impact sleep. Coupled with a change in time zones, and the noise from the trains, I didn’t find my sleep at the Residence Inn could be as restful as it could have been.
The Bathroom:
The bathroom was located immediately off the bedroom. The bathroom featured a stand up shower along with a single vanity sink. The shower toiletries were dispensed from dispensers.
In a somewhat unusual and non functional manner, the hotel did not install any additional shelving in the shower. For road warriors like myself, this meant placing toiletries on the floor of the shower or balancing them on the soap dispensers.
While the room was functional, it was completely brand new with a minimal amount of markings that you’d otherwise expect in an airport hotel. The highlight was the spacious bathroom, along with the availability of actual glassware in the kitchen, and just having that little extra space to stretch out in the living area.
My room offered a city view that offered great views of downtown Calgary. While this is the nicer side, it’s also likely the noisier side as a result of the train tracks.
If sleep is important, I would recommend requesting a view away from the train track side. You might get a small respite from the train noise.
Around the Hotel Property:
Being a brand new hotel, everything in the hotel looks new and fresh. The hotel offered everything that you might need for a comfortable hotel stay.
Gym Facilities:
The property offered a gym space that was accessible from the main floor. The gym space also offered access to the Guest Laundry room.
The gym space offered two levels of treadmills, elliptical cycles along with yoga space. The gym offered bright daylight space through giant windows stretching across two levels. This was a welcome change from some dark underground hotel gyms.
The gym was fairly empty on my visits through.
Food and Beverage:
The property offers two “in hotel” restaurants. It’s hard to imagine eating on the property, given that with a little research, there are quite a few restaurants within a three block walk of the property.
The Stable Restaurant:
Located just off the lobby, and on the front corner of the building marked the Stable Restaurant. This was a combined space that offered both a morning coffee location, along with an evening wine location.
The Stable coffee bar space was a small urban space. While I didn’t get the opportunity to visit, it appeared to have some soul with many visitors and residents occupying the restaurant.
Hearth Room: Residence Inn Breakfast
The Residence Inn Calgary Downtown Beltline offers a daily breakfast on the hotel’s third floor. Consistent with being an urban property, the hotel offers a bright and nicely appointed breakfast space with high floor to ceiling windows.
During my visit, The Residence Inn Calgary Downtown Beltline District was offering breakfast between:
- Weekdays: 6:30 AM to 9:30 AM
- Weekends: 7:00 AM to 10:00 AM
There was quite a bit of items available for breakfast ranging from fruit salad, to cereals to an extensive hot station.
The coffee was a bit of a low point, as I didn’t find it all to exciting or flavourful. This wasn’t particular to this unique Residence Inn, as most have had pretty unexciting breakfast coffee.
The next morning, we enjoyed an included breakfast along with our room rate at the Residence Inn. The Residence Inn breakfast was pretty extensive and contained a pretty robust featuring of continental bakery items, in addition to more American hot item
I was pretty satisfied with the breakfast offered at the Residence Inn. There was ample food available with more than enough variety to keep any traveller happy.
Checking Out of the Residence Inn:
My check out was without incident. Everything was “as expected” on my bill, which was accurate. My 50% Marriott Bonvoy earning points would post without any issue after approximately 96 hrs. While this was longer than usual, everything was accurate when it posted.
Bottom Line: Residence Inn by Marriott Calgary Downtown Beltline District
The Residence inn by Marriott Calgary Downtown Beltline District was an enjoyable stay for a week long businss trip.
The Residence Inn offered a brand new contemporary space, that offered exceptionally spacious rooms, bright workout and breakfast spaces, and a convenient location to off site restaurants.
The main draw back from this hotel is the train noise which will likely affect you if. you are a soft sleeper. The fact that you only earn 5 Marriott Bonvoy points per $1 USD, when compared to a full service property, is also a drawback for Marriott Bonvoy point collectors like myself.
Aside from that, the property was really enjoyable and I would be happy to stay here again in the future.
If you have stayed at the Residence Inn Calgary Downtown, did the stay meet your needs ?
This flight would find me flying in Air Canada’s legacy short haul product on it’s popular Airbus 320-200 series aircraft. My rapid air flight between Vancouver and Calgary had me upgraded courtesy of Air Canada elite status. Although it was a short flight, I would find a full suite of features that would come along with the experience, including a full meal. Follow along to see what the short haul flight experience on Air Canada offers on the west coast.
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Review: Air Canada Business Class A320-2, Vancouver International Airport – Calgary International Airport
While Air Canada has previously flown an all Airbus fleet domestically within Canada, they’ve recently upgraded to several Boeing 737 – Max 8 aircraft. The Air Canada Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft are the newer versions of the narrow body fleet. Occasionally, you’ll find yourself on one of the older Airbus 320 aircraft, like I did today.
This ticket was purchased as a regular economy class category in Flex Fare economy class. I used e-upgrade credits achieved from flying with Air Canada’s Aeroplan frequent flier program as a top tier elite, in order to upgrade into business class.
After purchase, I signed in to my Air Canada Aeroplan account and submitted an upgrade request shortly after purchasing the ticket. After the pandemic, I usually got upgraded several days prior to arrival to the airport. This time, my upgrade did not clear until the flight closed at the gate.
This was a bit of a smart economic move on the part of Air Canada. By only upgrading passengers at the gate, they likely save the expense of servicing the traveller at the Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge – Vancouver Domestic.
In the end, approximately five persons out of fourteen people that were listed for upgrades were cleared into Business Class. This left eight on the list without the opportunity to get upgraded.
Checking into Air Canada Business Class:
It was a bright and sunny day when I arrived to the Vancouver International Airport. I parked at Park and Fly Valet Vancouver and was dropped off by the shuttle bus. It as a short walk over to the domestic terminal.
To save my phone battery, I picked up a boarding pass re-print at the kiosk. The Vancouver International Airport authority has recently relocated the Trusted Traveller security screening check point upstairs. It’s almost been a private affair every time I’ve passed through, with no wait at the screening checkpoint. I eventually located my departure gate at Gate 47.
While I was waiting at the gate, I got a push notification through the Air Canada app. My economy seat had cleared into a business class seat just a few minutes after the flight had closed one hour before departure. My seat assignment was moved from a window (18F) to an aisle (3D). However, I wasn’t really complaining considering it was only a short one hour and ten minutes flight.
Air Canada
AC 212 – Business Class (R)
YVR – YYC (Vancouver International Airport – Calgary International Airport)
Oct 28, 2024
Scheduled: 1:10 PM – 3:40 PM
Booked: Airbus 320-200
Flown: Airbus 320–200
On Board Air Canada Business Class:
At the gate, boarding was called with Boarding Zone 1 being called first. My ticket was processed and I headed down the jet bridge.
I stepped onto the very familiar glacial blue cabin of the Air Canada Airbus 320-2 cabin. The Air Canada Business Class cabin used to be state of the art, but it’s looking a little tired these days with a lot of wear.
The Air Canada Business Class Cabin on the Airbus 320(2) offers 14 recliner seats, with four rows on the right hand side of the aircraft, and three rows on the left hand side of the aircraft. The top of the left hand size of the aircraft offers a storage closet, instead of a pair of seats.
While the seats aren’t super spacious, they do offer a substantially more amount of room than an economy seat. While it wouldn’t make much difference for a short haul flight under two hours, a longer trans continental flight, you’d certainly notice the difference.
My assigned seat 3D was showing quite a bit of wear, with a map pocket that wasn’t able to hold an iPad under it’s weight. The seat also offered a foot rest, which my long legs didn’t end up using.
While the seats are showing a bit of wear and tear, they remain comfortable for short to medium haul flights. The seating isn’t state of the art, but it’s far better than what you might expect in economy class.
Pre Departure Services:
The pre-departure services on Air Canada domestic remain pretty tame by comparison to United States carriers. Unlike the usual open bar beverage offered on the large American three, there was a chilled bottle of Naya water waiting at the seat.
It’s always nicer to offer a customized pre-departure beverage, I’ve grown accustomed to getting only water on these flights.
Departing Vancouver International Airport:
We had our usual departure route from Vancouver International Airport. We had a long taxi over to runway 26L, which meant a departure out over the water. Since we were leaving in the early afternoon, we didn’t have any wait to depart.
In Flight Entertainment:
While we were climbing to altitude, I played with the Air Canada in flight entertainment system. On the positive side, all of the Air Canada aircraft offer in seat back monitors for entertainment. This is a great feature which is missing from most of the American domestic carriers.
On the downside, the entertainment system on this generation of aircraft is exceptionally slow. you’ll spend a great deal of time waiting for the system to respond to your touch screen commands. You’ll also possibly experience “freezing”. At the worst case, perhaps the occasional hard reboot required from your flight attendants.
I ended up setting up the moving map to track my flight from Vancouver – Calgary.
I’ve been spending more time in Air Canada cabin’s these days and I’ve recently started packing along an iPad to bring my own entertainment. Aside from setting the map, I didn’t bother with exploring any movies on board in the Air Canada En Route entertainment system.
The Meal: A Snack
The in flight service started with a brief warmed towel service. Despite the shorter flight, Air Canada still goes through the motions of offering a towel service.
Our rapid air flight from Vancouver – Calgary was scheduled at one hour and thirty minutes. This meant that we were in the air for approximately one hour and ten minutes.
Despite this short flight of only four hundred and twenty eight miles, Air Canada offers it’s business class customers a short snack. During this afternoon flight between 1 PM – 3:40 PM, it was a snack offering instead of a full lunch meal.
Today’s snack was a slice of cheese and pepperoni pizza that was softly warmed. This was presented on a tray, all at once. Most travellers got two small pieces of pizza, where I ended up getting a plate with one larger piece.
A beverage service was offered. I ended up sticking with Sprite soft drink, which was served with some ice and the remaining can on the side. I was also offered some Krispy Kernel Roasted Salted Almonds as an accompaniment.
I do have to applaud Air Canada for offering a meal tray service on such a short flight. I’d be quick to point out at United Airlines has cut out First Class meal service on all domestic and trans-border flights under 850 miles. As a result, you’d have to be flying twice as long in order to get a meal in the other Star Alliance carrier south of the border in the United States.
The service on board was the usual Air Canada politeness; pleasant but not super interactive. Staff were available for drink refills, although my can of Sprite kept me full until I arrived to Calgary.
Landing at Calgary International:
With the flight being really brief, it wasn’t long before we were navigating into Calgary International Airport.
We had a pilot announcement to expect some bumps on the way into Calgary, as is usually the case given the city’s proximity to the Rocky Mountains.
We arrived to Gate C52 in the Domestic Terminal at Calgary International Airport and deplaned without any issues. Headed for the rental car desk for a Hertz rental before heading over to The Residence Inn by Marriott Calgary Downtown Beltline District for the week.
My Thoughts on Air Canada Business Class:
Air Canada Business Class offers a more spacious seat, along with a suite of priority services. While this short flight didn’t offer a whole lot, it was nice to have a snack meal offered in business class.
Simply, I’ll take a business class seat over economy any day. Today was no exception that rule.
If you fly on Air Canada rapid air short haul segments, do you make an effort to get into business class ?
Sometimes tales from the road can be a little repetitive. The same destinations, the same flights. While you can take it as dreary and unexciting, I still feel the excitement and getting out of the office and stepping on a plane. Despite reviewing this past flight early this year on a visit to Regina, I was called back for another series of meetings. Despite reviewing it earlier, for entertainment purposes I’ve decided to review it again. Please join on a familiar route on this blog; Air Canada Express Regina to Vancouver.
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Review: Air Canada Express Business Class Canadair Regional Jet – 900, Regina International Airport – Vancouver International Airport
Sometimes, the road isn’t all too exciting. In this case it was a repetition of places that I’ve already been to. While I had previously documented flying from Vancouver to Regina on Air Canada Express CRJ-900 Vancouver – Regina. I figured I would document the outbound and return trip, just for entertainment purposes.
This visit was another two day trip to Regina Saskatchewan. While I was treated to Air Canada A320 Newer Business Class Vancouver – Regina on the way out, today’s return flight would be on Air Canada’s Express’s regular product on their Air Canada Express Canadair Regional Jet.
Checkin In at Regina International Airport:
I was departing on the middle flight of the day of three possible flights. The first flight of the day was at 5 AM, and I didn’t relish the thought of getting up at that hour. As a result, I ended up on the 10:30 AM departure.
In a repeat of my last trip, I got up early and visited Cora’s Breakfast Restaurant in the strip malls south of the Regina International Airport. If anything, once discovered, it’s that the road offers familiar spots. If it isn’t broke, there isn’t any need to fix it.
I returned the Hertz rental car and found myself in the usual Regina International Airport Departures Hall. There was no wait or other travellers at the Air Canada Priority Check In. The area was decorated in the usual sleek Air Canada black signifying Air Canada Priority Services.
I ended up checking a bag as I was travelling with a lot of clothes and supplies. Air Canada offers a 2 bag limit at 70 lbs per bag on a business class ticket. As a result, I had room, weight and baggage allowance to spare.
I headed down the hall and headed up the escalators to the departure concourse. I had security screening without any wait and headed over to the secure side.
I met some fellow co-workers who were travelling on this flight. As a result, I didn’t stop in at the Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge – Regina. As I’ve previously mentioned, this isn’t a very exciting lounge but it takes the crown for being among the smallest sized lounges in the Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge system.
If you are travelling through Regina in Air Canada Business Class, you’ll have access o the loune as a result of the class of your ticket.
When it came time to board, I boarded with Group #1. We had short line of people waiting to get on board, in a compact boarding area.
Air Canada Express
AC 8191 – Business Class (Z)
YQR – YVR (Regina International Airport – Vancouver International Airport)
Oct 24, 2024
10:30 AM – 11:52 AM
Booked: Canadair Regional Jet – 900
Flown: Canadair Regional Jet – 900
On Board Air Canada Business Class:
Air Canada Express offers a small twelve seat business class cabin on it’s Canadair Regional Jet – 900 series aircraft. The cabin is set up in a 1 – 2 configuration in business class across four rows of business class, versus a 2 – 2 configuration in economy class in the back. Given that this was a familiar cabin type, today’s review offers a combination of old and new photographs.
If you are a solo traveller, the single row of seats on the left hand side of the aircraft will be your area. I don’t mind these seats, but they are not a first choice for me since they are quite exposed and without much privacy. I would end up seated in this single aisle for this particular journey.
I found my seat, which was on the single aisle in 2A. Since I recalled that the seats do not have monitors, I was well prepared to have some entertainment on hand for the two and half hour flight home. My seat was showing a little wear and tear, with a map pocket that had seen much better days.
It is worth mentioning that if you’re seated in the single row of seats, that the overhead bins on this side of the plane are not large enough to stow a rolling suitcase. You’ll have to fight your seat mates across the aisle for space on the right hand side of the aircraft. Accordingly, make sure you board early enough to get bin space.
Pre Departure Services:
Air Canada serves a simple pre-departure beverage, a tiny bottle of Naya Water that was waiting on the seat, unlike most US carriers that offer an open bar. There was no further offer of an extra drink. On the Air Canada Express CRJ, this is balanced on the small cupholder table on the left hand side of the plane.
While waiting for the plane to complete boarding, I reviewed the menu offered for todays flight. While Air Canada used to offer a printed menu service, today they have shifted to menus presented in the Air Canada app.
Since our plane was leaving at noon, we were up for a lunch service today. The lunch menu featured a choice of two hot entrees, a Garlic Ginger Chicken or a Lasagna Pomodoro.
The second page of the menu offered the drink list. It offered a list of beers, unspecified wines, spirits. The spirits were pretty mainstream; although there was an effort at upscale Tanquery Gin, there wasn’t all too much “wow” on the spirit menu.
As I was writing this trip report, and got a mis-matched meal on the way out, that I likely got the garlic chicken that was double catered instead of my pre-ordered meal. It was a bit of a mix up but recognition that the flight is actually double catered from Vancouver, without solid catering facilities in Regina.
For a two and a half hour flight, the menu service was pretty reasonable overall. There’s not a meal plan as extensive on most of my First Class flights within the US. As a result, having a full meal available was a definite advantage.
We got underway fairly quickly with no wait for other aircraft departing the Regina International Airport.
I still can’t get over how flat it actually is in Regina, Saskatchewan.
The Meal: Lunch
The flight time today was scheduled at two hours and thirty minutes gate to gate. The meal service started at about forty five minutes after take off from Regina International Airport.
The in flight service started off with a warm towel service. This isn’t typically expected on domestic flights. However, it is still appreciated.
I ended up enjoying a Lasagna Pomodoro, which was presented with a mesculin salad and a blueberry cheese cake. This was presented all at once on a single tray. I enjoyed a sprite to go with this, served in a glass with ice.
The lasagna was a little limp, but pretty tasty considering the flight. While it wasn’t a memorable meal, it was better than some of the other Air Canada surprises I’ve had over the years.
The fact that Air Canada provides a complete dinner on a quick two and a half hour journey is to be applauded. Compared to our American colleagues, who typically offer a snack basket instead, a full meal is greatly appreciated.
Landing at Vancouver International Airport:
We were back over the Rocky Mountains before we knew it. The weather was more pleasant in Vancouver and the city looks great from the wing.
We approached Vancouver International Airport on Runway 26R. We didn’t have any wait coming in, and we were on the ground before we knew it.
After we landed, it was a quick taxi over to the “C” gates. I was able to get off quickly and was in the terminal before I knew it.
I picked up my car at Park and Fly and headed home for the evening, with another trip accomplished in the books.
The Bottom Line: Air Canada Express Business Class
The Air Canada Express Business Class on the Canadair Regional Jet – 900 Series offers a little more room, but not a whole lot of excitement.
On this trip, I continued with using the single aisle seats on the left hand side of the aircraft. While you won’t have anyone bothering you in these single aisle seats, I still do find them a little exposed with less access to overhead bin space.
When flying an Air Canada Express Canadair Regional Jet, do you enjoy the catering provided by Air Canada ?
A recent trip to Regina, Saskatchewan had me loaded onto one of Air Canada’s newest additions to their fleet; an aircraft that they had recently leased from Alaska Airlines. The new plane offered a “newer” business class, as compared to the older Extreme XM makeover models of years past. The newer business class offered something to look forward to when the carrier retrofits all of it’s aircraft. Read on to see a sample of what might be in store as Air Canada replaces its business class cabins.
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Review: Air Canada “Newer” Business Class Airbus 320-200, Vancouver International Airport – Regina International Airport
As it sometimes happens, I end up travelling on a flight where I’ve previously done a review. In this case, I had a series of meetings in land of living skies Saskatchewan with a multi day visit to the province’s capital of Regina. I had previously flown this segment last month on Air Canada Express Business Class Vancouver – Regina on a Canadair Regional Jet.
This flight would involve travelling in Air Canada is “newer” business class, on an aircraft they inherited from Alaska airlines on a recent lease acquisition. While it wasn’t the new business class being retrofit across all of Air Canada’s Airbus 320 lines, it was a marked direction towards the new product.
My trip was booked in business class courtesy of my company’s travel policy. The premium for business class was not that much more above the price of a regular economy class ticket.
This trip was purchased and paid for through my employer’s corporate preferred traveler program. I credited these flights to Air Canada Aeroplan frequent flyer program.
Pre Ordering Business Class Meal:
This flight provided the opportunity to pre-order a business class meal. Air Canada has introduced pre-ordering on flights from select Air Canada hub cities. Pre-ordering is available 30 days in advance and up to 72 hours before your flight.
I was given an invitation and email link to pre-order from the email that was on the reservation account. I signed in and in a very straightforward method, I was able to pick one of two entrées.
While the system is still new hopefully Air Canada will expand this to offer more than just two entrées to choose from.
Checking into Air Canada Business Class:
I self drove to the airport and parked at the valet of Park and Fly – Vancouver. I stopped by the Air Canada Priority Check in Area in the domestic zone of the Vancouver International Airport.
I wandered through the recently updated and upgraded security screening check point at Vancouver International Airport “C” Gates. The Canadian Air Security Transport Authority had recently upgraded this security screening check point with was recently upgraded with computed tomography (CT) technology, allowing all liquids and computers to remain within bags. There was minimal wait for screening and I was through to the secure in minutes.
Finding time to catch up on some work emails, I headed directly to the Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge – Vancouver Domestic. Since I’ve visited before, please feel free to see the other post in the event you’d like to see more about this lounge.
After a short lounge visit, it was off to Gate C47; located in a dark corner of the Vancouver International Airport. It has a very small holding area with a space that is mostly used for less exciting Air Canada destinations.
The boarding call was announced at thirty minutes prior to flight departure. I boarded with Boarding Group One, which was consistent with a business class ticket.
Air Canada Express
AC 654 – Business Class (Z)
YVR – YQR (Vancouver International Airport – Regina International Airport)
Oct 21, 2024
2:00 PM – 5:05 PM
Booked: Airbus 320-200
Flown: Airbus 320-200
On Board Air Canada “Newer” Business Class:
I hopped on board Air Canada’s Business Class. I was surprised to see that I was gonig to be treated to a “new to Air Canada” plane, Air Canada’s FIN 418 – legally flying as C-FCQX, which the airline has recently leased into Air Canada’s Airbus 320 series fleet.
Air Canada’s FIN 418 was previously flying for Alaska Airlines before it joined the Air Canada fleet. As a result, it’s got Alaska Airlines New First Class cabin, which has since been removed of any Alaska Airlines branding.
Air Canada has plans to retrofit all of the Airbus 320 interiors into the “Dream Cabin” standard. The modifications will include Airspace XL overhead bins allowing roll – a -board luggage to be stored on their side, improved in flight entertainment with exterior tail and belly cameras and Bluetooth-enabled monitors, Intelsat 2Ku Wi-Fi (upgraded, satellite-based), LED mood lighting, power outlets, USB-A and USB-C at every seat. While these are all welcome upgrades, today’s flight didn’t have all of these features.
The temporary cabin is sleek and contemporary, a long way from the glacier blue of the usual Air Canada traditional A320-2 product. While I can’t call this a full review of the new Air Canada Dream Cabin product, it was a definite change from their usual Extreme XM cabin glacier colored business class.
The temporary cabin colours set a nicer and more modern looking interior. I was happy to be settling into this cabin as a refreshing change of pace.
The temporary business class cabin still offers a lot of leg room for a narrow body aircraft. The cabin would meet expectations for a short to medium haul flight, with a reasonable amount of leg room for a recliner styled business / first class seat.
Unlike most of the Air Canada Airbus 320 fleet, these newly leased aircraft do not yet have any in flight entertainment monitors installed. As a result, you’ll have to bring your own entertainment devices if you end up travelling on these aircraft.
The aircraft offer more modern touches, which include better storage pockets. Netted pockets easily store smart phones, along with netted storage space that can easily store tablets. Smart netted pockets allow travellers to see inside the pockets, lessening the liklihood that devices get left behind.
The under seat storage is plentiful. Along with a small retractable footrest, the seat is absent of any entertainment boxes which would intrude into precious seat room.
I was able to sling my iPad over the back seat to allow for some entertainment on the flight. While it wasn’t exactly ‘eye level’, it did the trick for the two hour flight.
The cabin featured USB B and Empower plug in’s at each seat. These were conveniently angled inwards towards each passenger. This was a great design feature so that travellers didn’t have to fumble against a hidden ninety degree console.
The centre console offered two cupholder cut outs for individual glasses or bottles of water. The containers also offered storage space for cell phones, in a pinch.
While this isn’t the final version of the Air Canada Dream Cabin, it’s a welcome addition to what the newer cabin is apt to offer. While we don’t know if Air Canada will take the discounted route by partially modifying existing cabins, or will take the fuller route by keeping all cabins consistent to maintain a brand standard, they are easily off to a great start with these aircraft they have inherited from Alaska Airlines.
Pre Departure Services:
I had the typically light Air Canada pre-departure beverage service. This consisted of a bottle of Naya Water that was presented chilled.
While it would be nicer to have a more comprehensive pre-departure beverage, this is about “as expected” from within the Canadian domestic environment.
Air Canada has eliminated the printed menus on board it’s aircraft. The menus are not available within the Air Canada app after check in.
Today’s menu featured two choices that did not include the “pre-order” menu option.
Departing Vancouver International Airport:
We departed Vancouver international Airport on runway 26L. We had an immediate left turn headed away from our westerly track, headed eastward towards Central Canada.
We had a brief in flight announcement of our cruising altitude and anticipated good weather all the way to Regina.
The Meal: Breakfast
After a smooth climb up to cruising altitude, the in flight service started.
The first part of service involved a towel service. As I have mentioned many times, the Air Canada towels aren’t too fancy, and they seem to be pretty worn.
Along with my flight on Alaska Airlines, the tray table has a tablet holder which I discovered well after the fact. The meal service started with drinks.
I enjoyed a Canada Dry Ginger Ale. This was served with ice, along with the remaining can on the side. I was also offered mixed nuts in a small ramekin.
For lunch service, as I had done the pre-order, I enjoyed a Garlic Chicken presented with mesculin salad.
While the chicken wasn’t all that exciting or spicy, it was enough to hit the spot and fill the flight time. The meal was about “as expected” for a flight of two hours, despite there being not a whole lot of variety.
I later discovered that this wasn’t what I had pre-ordered, not that I remembered my pre-ordered selection at the time. I’m not sure whether that was a well intentioned mistake, or a simple mix up at the time. I did confirm that I did get my pre-ordered item; it’s just that the item wasn’t what was expected.
Despite being a new addition to the Air Canada fleet, the airline had managed to equip the flight with in flight wifi. Connecting was very easy, and allowed me to send a few messages while I was still on board.
Landing at Regina International Airport:
It’s always a stark contrast landing in the Canadian Prairies after coming from the mountains of the Pacific Northwest from my home town of Vancouver, Canada. Today was no exception.
With fall colours turning the landscape brown, I had a dark arrival into Regina, Saskatchewan.
I arrived to the Regina International Airport. It wasn’t long before I was off the plane and into the Regina International Airport baggage claim area. The baggage was put out promptly, given that it was such as small airport.
This flight marked the end of my travel day. Without further commitments, I ended up collecting my checked bag and traveling to my hotel.
The Bottom Line: Air Canada Business Class
While I don’t come to expect too much on a two hour business class flight, Air Canada express offers more than United Airlines offers on its short haul services. The newer cabin was much brighter than the previous generation, marking promise and excitement for the future of the airline.
World Traveller 73 
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