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jechho
 
 
 
jechho's stats
 
  • Review count
    116
  • Helpfulness votes
    223
  • First review
    October 25, 2011
  • Last review
    October 10, 2015
  • Featured reviews
    0
  • Average rating
    3.9
 
  • Review comment count
    1
  • Helpfulness votes
    1
  • First review comment
    January 31, 2015
  • Last review comment
    January 31, 2015
  • Featured review comments
    0
 
 
jechho's Reviews
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Unwind minutes from the UNC campus and airport thanks to our thoughtful comforts, inviting outdoor spaces, and warm Southern hospitality.
 
Overall rating 
3 out of 5
3 out of 5
Customer avatar
Age:35 - 44
Frequency of Travel:High
Purpose of Travel:Weekend
Travel Agent:No
Meeting Planner:No
Member Level:Platinum
from:Norway
Month of Arrival:September 2014
Decent enough, but breakfast a let-down
PostedSeptember 4, 2014
Perfectly decent hotel for a quick stop over. Free parking. Close to Chapel Hill downtown. Nothing luxurious here, and especially the breakfast in restaurant was weak (out of yogurts, very dry pancakes, limited selection, ice cold locale). Good fitness room, but one of the thread mills was not working. Nice looking pool, but at 7pm there was a lot of leaves etc. in it, and we skipped the dip we had planned. Plumbing seemed old, and there was an intense noise in the room from either below or next to us when they used their water which kept me awake from 6am. The fridge was a nice amenity, but it was also very noisy and had to be switched off at night. OK room size, but only one bed lamp & table to share in rooms wih two double beds.
Yes, I recommend this hotel.
Month of Arrival:September 2014
+1point
1of 1voted this as helpful.
 
Only minutes from Savannah’s attractions, our downtown resort provides an escape when you want it and accessibility when you need it.
 
Overall rating 
3 out of 5
3 out of 5
Customer avatar
Age:35 - 44
Purpose of Travel:Romantic
Member Level:Platinum
from:Norway
Month of Arrival:August 2014A
so and so
PostedSeptember 2, 2014
do not mind pet-friendly hotels, but I do mind dogs barking next door in the night. Please let the animal lovers have their own floors.
The platinum upgrade was to an okay-looking suite, but this hotel is soon in need for a refurbishment. There was a strange noise coming every 10th second or so from above, I think it was from the elevators (though the room was not even next to them). Needed earplugs. And avoid connecting rooms, the alarm clock that went off a 6am next door could easily have been in my own suite. And why oh why do the hotels not fix that gap under the doors, and install soft-lock-mechanism. This hotel is on a secluded island, but it was as noisy as my old dorm.
Platinum breakfast had the hint of the usual nickel-and-diming: You can have the cold part of the buffet, but no-no to the hot items. Why treat their most loyal customers like this? Why not let me have (a rather sad looking) piece of bacon and egg for all I put into the hotel program?
Service varied from great (like the new one Katie, and Melissa at front desk) to clueless (the new one at check out, do not recall her name). I had a Best Rate Guarantee Rate, but they would not let me pay as they INSISTED that the rate was prepaid by a mysterious third party. Sigh. After a few weeks of emails back and forth with the hotel and the BRG department, they first charged me double rate, before their revenue manager reached out at and made it right.
Oh, and almost forget their attempt to get into my room when I was at sleep. On my last night at about 1130 pm room service knocked on my door. The do not disturb sign was on, which he ignored. Had not ordered anything. And when I did not open, they openend my door an tried to enter the room! Yes, that’s right. The security bolt was on, which stopped him. He then made a scream and left. A very strange and unsettling episode late at night.
The hotel has a lot of advantages (especially locationwise – love Savannah!), but need to up professionally and get their service right. It is frustrating to use time after check out to clear up things from the Starwood program that the hotel should know about
Yes, I recommend this hotel.
Month of Arrival:August 2014A
0points
0of 0voted this as helpful.
 
Located on the banks of the Caloosahatchee River near Sanibel Island, our waterfront resort offers convenient access to Tarpon Point Marina.
 
Overall rating 
4 out of 5
4 out of 5
Customer avatar
Age:35 - 44
Purpose of Travel:Romantic
Member Level:Platinum
from:Norway
Month of Arrival:august 2014
Still nice
PostedSeptember 1, 2014
Westin Cape Coral
Third time at this hotel. The location is a little bit out of the way, but that is exactly what we like about it. We can sit on the balcony for hours, looking at the swamps and only hearing animal sounds. Nice! And the beach is not that far away if you have a car.
I think their standard platinum upgrade is to at 1BR suite, which we really enjoy. They seem to have a lot of them, but we prefer high floor with marsh views. The pool view rooms/suites may have better views, but also have a small risk for noises from the pool.
Their balcony furniture should have something under them to avoid very high scratching noises when moved. We could hear furniture moving early and late into the bedroom, which was quite loud.
We were also a bit disturbed by the large family with a dog next door. Since their room was connecting to our suite, plus they had their balcony open most of the day, we just could not use our own balcony due to noise for several hours. Since it was Labour Day weekend, we expected the hotel to be full, but having babies and dogs next to you when you are there for a quite couple-stay, is never fun. Please note that they do not seem to have designated floors or rooms for pets, so it seems you always run the risk of staying in a room that have just had a pet, or get pets next to you. Being allergic, I do not like this.
Platinum breakfast was full buffet this particular weekend, but normally you get a specific amount to use from their menu.
They have a resort fee that includes Internet, which platinums already are entitled to due to their loyalty status. As per the Starwood rules, the hotel should in this situation offer the platinum member an alternative amenity (or waive for the resort fee). This hotel NEVER gets this right, and I always get a blank stare when I ask about it. Please fix this, you are not THAT new to the Startwood program anymore!
All in all a good stay, and we consider returning for a stay over New Years.
Yes, I recommend this hotel.
Month of Arrival:august 2014
+1point
1of 1voted this as helpful.
 
Engage in a world of intracoastal cool at W Fort Lauderdale, where sand, sun and W sophistication is the most stylish address on the ocean.
 
Overall rating 
4 out of 5
4 out of 5
Customer avatar
Age:35 - 44
Purpose of Travel:Romantic
Member Level:Platinum
from:Norway
Month of Arrival:august 20104
Improving, but who designed that bed/bathroom
PostedSeptember 1, 2014
W Fort Lauderdale
Third stay at this hotel. Dervin at front desk was great, and told me I had been upgraded to a Fantastic suite. Being August and low season, I asked for a possible upgrade to an apartment, which I find more quiet (but does not have the best view). He only had something on the 10th floor, which I accepted, but later changed to 11th floor on the opposite side due to traffic noise. Front desk was more polite and professional than I have experienced in the past – think less W/model/actor-attiude, more SPG orientated hotel-service.
I had read a lot about the W apartments, but was a bit let down. My main concern is the bed room lay out. Why oh why do they have a tub, toilet and sink directly in the master bedroom next to the bed? It is just not my cup of tea. And since the plumming noises was quite noticeable, I heard my neighbors using both their sinks and toilets all night. Please but a wall between the bedroom and the bathroom, do you hear me Starwood?
Breakfast is café-style for platinums, which I also do not like very much. 25 dollars for two people is the maximum, and unlike my last stays, they did not let me go over that amount – even if it was only a dollar or so. Why not treat platinums better and give us a credit in the restaurant? But on a positive note, they offered two types of delicious quiches at breakfast for 4,50 each.
The usual partying did not bother us much this time since we were in the apartment tower. However, light sleepers should be aware that this property usually has people out on the balconies at all hours, for a smoke, drink or just partying. If you avoid the weekends, your chances of a nice and quiet stay increases.
We did not have a lot of interaction with the staff, but housekeeping was nice and the twitter team (I think?) gave us a bottle of wine and cheese for our special occasion. All in all a good stay, and we will probably return at Christmas time.
Yes, I recommend this hotel.
Month of Arrival:august 20104
0points
0of 0voted this as helpful.
 
Located uptown, our modern architectural hotel offers 700 rooms and suites, 44,000 square feet of event space, and a chic Wellness Center.
 
Overall rating 
2 out of 5
2 out of 5
Customer avatar
Age:35 - 44
Purpose of Travel:Romantic
Member Level:Platinum
from:Norway
Month of Arrival:August 2014
Will not return
PostedAugust 20, 2014
Too pricey for what we got. Hotel needs a refurbishment. Self-parking expensive (18 dollars), and platinum breakfast rather limited (only cold buffet, please, no-no to the hot items, then you must pay.)
But the worst was the noise. Oh, the noise. We had a corner suite, and the designer thought it was a good idea to have wall to wall windows in the bedroom. Well, not when there is a train track UNDER the hotel and a six lane motorway next to it. And the gap under the door was ENOURMOUS – heard everything that happened in the hallway.
The service was the best part of this hotel. Except for one snarky comment when I asked about a room change: Well, you got a free upgrade, you could always go back to your regular room. Honey, a platinum upgrade is part of the program, and is not free, it comes with putting thousands of dollar from my own pocket into starwood every year.
Oh, and still waiting for my stay to post. Hate when that happens.
No, I do not recommend this hotel.
Month of Arrival:August 2014
0points
0of 0voted this as helpful.
 
Rejuvenate after an exhilarating day exploring downtown Washington D.C.’s inspiring sites with a pool plunge and serene night’s sleep.
 
Overall rating 
4 out of 5
4 out of 5
Room Comfort 
4 out of 5
4 out of 5
Staff Responsiveness 
4 out of 5
4 out of 5
Quality of Sleep 
4 out of 5
4 out of 5
Facilities Met My Expectations 
4 out of 5
4 out of 5
SPG Recognition 
4 out of 5
4 out of 5
Food & Beverage 
4 out of 5
4 out of 5
Customer avatar
Age:35 - 44
Frequency of Travel:High
Purpose of Travel:Family
Travel Agent:No
Meeting Planner:No
Member Level:Platinum
from:Norway
Month of Arrival:August 2014
Nice stay
PostedAugust 20, 2014
Nice business hotel, usually reasonable rates. Got a nice platinum upgrade to a suite, however it was a let down that all the suites (supposedly) face the highway. Next time I will downgrade to a jr suite facing the interior.
Free self parking a plus.
It was a bit confusion regarding what the platinum breakfast covered, but in the end we got coffee+ juice+ 1 entre, and we were happy with that.
Yes, I recommend this hotel.
Month of Arrival:August 2014
0points
0of 0voted this as helpful.
 
Energize the body and mind with a custom stay in the center of Berlin, where attentive amenities and a private garden meet inspiring sites.
 
Overall rating 
5 out of 5
5 out of 5
Customer avatar
Age:35 - 44
Frequency of Travel:High
Purpose of Travel:Romantic
Travel Agent:No
Meeting Planner:No
Member Level:Platinum
from:Norway
Month of Arrival:June 2014
Great property
PostedJune 10, 2014
For the price and location, we found this hotel unbeatable.
Had some request before we arrived, and Ms. Weschke took very good care of us. Thank you!
Platinum breakfast amenity was good, and it was nice to have the green choice option.
Room (jr. suite) was lovely, but the windows were not totally soundproofed. Until the huge construction around the hotel is finished, rooms facing the courtyard are the best bet for light sleepers. (But even those had some noise early in the morning.)
Room for improvements:
- breakfast area was hot, humid and rather tight. Maybe they could work a bit on the ambiance?
- had to log onto the internet over and over again. Not very stable, in other words.
Yes, I recommend this hotel.
Month of Arrival:June 2014
+1point
1of 1voted this as helpful.
 
The Mediterranean scene has never been hotter—ride the waves of whimsical wonder at W Barcelona, a stylish icon that raises the bar.
 
Overall rating 
3 out of 5
3 out of 5
Room Comfort 
2 out of 5
2 out of 5
Staff Responsiveness 
3 out of 5
3 out of 5
Quality of Sleep 
3 out of 5
3 out of 5
Facilities Met My Expectations 
4 out of 5
4 out of 5
SPG Recognition 
5 out of 5
5 out of 5
Food & Beverage 
4 out of 5
4 out of 5
Customer avatar
Age:35 - 44
Frequency of Travel:High
Purpose of Travel:Weekend
Travel Agent:No
Meeting Planner:No
Member Level:Platinum
from:Norway
Month of Arrival:April 2014
Just average this time
PostedMay 18, 2014
Stayed here during Easter for the third time with my partner, and overall, the experience was a mixed bag.
Positives:
- excellent spg platinum recognition, was upgraded to a cool corner suite.
- no coffeemaker in room, but the brought one up promptly upon request.
- pleasant staff.
Negatives:
- The room (1719) was not up to the standard we had experienced on previous visits:
a) the windows facing the sea were extremely dirty, it was actually not possible so see much through them.
b) electrical outlet by the bed was loose (looked dangerous)
c) big and dark carpet stains under the desk (coffee?)
d) big scratches and marks in the windowsill, and on the wall
e) stains in the shower
f) the tap in the bathroom sink just fell off when it was used
- Very odd lay-out of the room: The bed was placed directly against the wall to connecting room, plus very close to the entrance. This made it noisy, you could litterally feel it every time the people next door was coming and going.
- We picked the breakfast as the platinum amenity, but were told we could not eat in Bravo. We loved eating in Bravo on previous visits, as it is a bit more quiet than in Wave. Hopefully this is not a change of platinum policy.
- The starpoints did not post correctly after check out, and it took a whole lot of emails back and forth (and more than two weeks) to get them.
After providing feedback to the hotel, they promised us to do better in October when we are returning. We will see.
Yes, I recommend this hotel.
Month of Arrival:April 2014
+2points
2of 2voted this as helpful.
 
Located in Madrid's center, it's known for its spectacular stained glass dome and proximity to the Prado, Thyssen and Reina Sofia museums.
 
Overall rating 
5 out of 5
5 out of 5
Room Comfort 
5 out of 5
5 out of 5
Staff Responsiveness 
5 out of 5
5 out of 5
Quality of Sleep 
5 out of 5
5 out of 5
Facilities Met My Expectations 
5 out of 5
5 out of 5
SPG Recognition 
5 out of 5
5 out of 5
Food & Beverage 
5 out of 5
5 out of 5
Customer avatar
Age:35 - 44
Frequency of Travel:High
Purpose of Travel:Weekend
Member Level:Platinum
from:Norway
Month of Arrival:April 2014
Great hotel and staff
PostedApril 28, 2014
We stayed here during Easter and had a great stay.
Platinum recognition and the benefits (room upgrade and breakfast) were very nice.
When we wanted to change room/suite due to potential noise issues, Aurealia (what a gem!) went above and beyond to relocate us.
Had dinner in the Asian restaurant - very good.
Breakfast buffet was extensive and of good quality, but the waiters were a little bit overwhelmed during the busy Easter. I missed some more healthy options.
The lounge/patio on top floor was small and not advertised very well. Has potential.
Soft-lock mechanisms should be installed, the usual door slammers annoyed us from time to time.
Yes, I recommend this hotel.
Month of Arrival:April 2014
+2points
2of 2voted this as helpful.
 
Situated along the Arabian Gulf, just minutes from Dubai, our resort overlooks endless expanses of pristine sand and turquoise water.
 
Overall rating 
3 out of 5
3 out of 5
Room Comfort 
5 out of 5
5 out of 5
Staff Responsiveness 
5 out of 5
5 out of 5
Cleanliness 
4 out of 5
4 out of 5
Facilities Met My Expectations 
2 out of 5
2 out of 5
SPG Recognition 
5 out of 5
5 out of 5
Customer avatar
Age:35 - 44
Purpose of Travel:Family
Travel Agent:No
Meeting Planner:No
Member Level:Platinum
from:Norway
Month of Arrival:March 2014
A lot of potential, too bad about the noise issues
PostedMarch 9, 2014
We recently had two stays at this hotel with just a few days apart.
Let me first say that the SPG recognition we received was really excellent. Received a seaview suite on both occasions, and the suite itself was gorgeous. Very tastefully decorated, fantastic bathroom and a AC with so little noise that you could hardly hear it. The balcony was also nice, but a couple of loungers would have been lovely.
Staff was also very eager to please. Special mentions to Roxanne, who really went the extra mile for us.
But the big minus for us at this resort was noise from the surroundings. As others here have mentioned, there is very heavy music from the neighbouring hotel (or is it a nearby club/restaurant?) from early in the evening to very late (think 3am-ish). Earplugs did not help us, being in the corner suite facing this area. The vibrating bass was massive.
Our request to be moved was met, and we got a corner suite on the other side instead. However, here there were other noise issues: Being right above the entrance to the hotel next door meant you could hear cars coming and going (especially the beep-beep from buses/cars backing from annoying). And the constant buzz from the generator next to the children's play area meant more noise pollution. We prefered this side of the hotel, but a quiet evening looking out on the ocean was impossible.
In a city hotel, noise is often hard to avoid and kind of acceptable. In a secluded resort, it becomes a major issue and problem.
Other room for improvements:
- glasses very missing in our first room.
- charging 20 AED for each capsule to the coffee machine is cheap.
- the hot water in the shower suddenly turned cold every second minute or so.
- room service did not get it right the two times we used it (orders not right/missing something). A glass of orange juice (!) for one of the mix ups was strange. Fruit basket for the other was nice, but identical to what already was in the room. The meat (both chicken and lamp were overcooked and hard to chew).
- wanted to order a light lunch lying on the beach. Was told no, food had to be consumed in the pool restaurant.
All in all, a lot of potential here, but the hotel should reach out to its neighbours and try to negotiate to keep the noise level on a lower level.
Yes, I recommend this hotel.
Month of Arrival:March 2014
+4points
4of 4voted this as helpful.
 
jechho's Review Comments
 
Located on the banks of the Caloosahatchee River near Sanibel Island, our waterfront resort offers convenient access to Tarpon Point Marina.
 
Overall3 out of 53 out of 5
Just average this time
By jechho from Norway
Stayed here over New Years. This was our forth visit to the hotel. All in all an average experience.
Usually the rooms here are quiet, but this time the family above us was so noisy I almost had to ask for a room change (but we had a nice suite + they seemed fully booked). Most of the noise comes from chairs and other furniture being moved around on the tiled floor in the rooms and/or on the balcony. They should really consider carpets here. After listening to chair scratching for a while, it just gets maddening.
We had the spg platinum breakfast, and like on our last visit, the waiter decided to automatically add a 20% service charge on the bill + plus leave a tip space open. It made us really uncomfortable. Please let your guests decide what amount they want to tip. This policy will not work in your favor in the long run, it will only create irritation. (Besides, this hotel already has enough of those annoying add-ons. You want pancakes for breakfast? Great. You want blueberries in your pancakes? That’s an extra dollar. And don’t get me started on the resort fee.)
The hotel is pet-friendly, and there are a lot of dogs there. I like dogs, but not on holiday. I have learned my lesson, and asked for a room that did not have dogs as neighbors (barking) or had recently been in it (smell). However, if you want to have your breakfast outside in the restaurant, you just have to tolerate the dogs. In my opinion, they should have one of the sides out sides dog-free.
The hotel is still a fine one, with mostly greatly service (love Anna Marie at front desk) and a reasonably good hard product. But the location is isolated, and without a beach nearby, I need it to be perfect to make it worth a visit. This time it was not, and we will probably not be back for a while.
Customer avatar
Norway
Regarding the GMs reply
Posted January 31, 2015
Dear Mr. Ashton,
Thank you for taking the time to comment upon my review. It would however be nice if you would comment on the issues raised in the review (noise from furniture above due to no carpet, and the auto-tipping in restaurant) and not on something that I did not bring up at all (the resort fee).
Best regards, jechho
+1point
1of 1voted this comment as helpful.