Save with HHonors Points!

It does pay to be loyal to one chain or another.  Mike and I often stay at the Hilton Garden Inn in Manchester, NH, because we go to a lot of Fisher Cats games.  And we’ll likely be staying there a LOT more next year, because we are getting season tickets.

So I decided to sign up for the HHonors Rewards Program.  Why not, we stay at this place enough, why not earn some points to use for free future stays?

It’s a cool program, you can also choose to earn airline miles, as well as room stay points.  Or, if you are like me and don’t fly, you can earn HHonors Points and HHonors Points, earning 150% points in lieu of airline miles.  Not too shabby.

A cool thing they do is offer Point-Stretcher periods…these are only in selected hotels at selected times, but if it happens to be where and when you want to travel, you can make out very well.  You can get a free room for 40% less points than normal.  This worked out very well for us – we are planning to go to Manchester, NH in November for the New Hampshire Brewers Festival.  Naturally, we have to stay at a hotel nearby, as we don’t want to be driving all the way home drunk!  Rather than staying at the Radisson, where the beer fest is taking place, I checked and saw  that the weekend of the beer fest was a Point-Stretcher period at the Hilton Garden Inn.  So I booked with them…the room will be free, and they also have a free shuttle van that will take us to the Radisson and back, we stayed there for last year’s fest and used it.  Even so, it’s still a reasonable walk.

The points can be earned and spent at the entire Hilton Family of hotels.  When we visited Mystic Seaport, and I had a choice of hotels, I chose the Hampton Inn in Mystic, because I could earn some HHonors points for staying there.  Sadly, they are not a Point-Stretcher hotel, but the Hampton Inn in Sturbridge is.  And they have Point-Stretcher periods every weekend in December, right when Old Sturbridge Village has their Christmas programs.  Yay!  Another free hotel stay!  Yeah, we’ve been normally staying at the Super 8, which is closer to the Village and also walking distance to the Piccadilly Pub.  Nothing wrong with it, but who am I to turn down FREE?  I did sign up for the Wyndham Rewards thingy through Super 8, but we don’t stay at any of their properties enough to ever maintain membership or qualify for any freebies.  So why bother?

The Hilton properties are nice – the Hampton Inns are a small step down from the Hilton Garden Inns, mostly in that most rooms do not have refrigerators.  But we have a portable mini-fridge, so that is not a problem.  Still, they have a lot of amenties, such as cable TV, free internet, free breakfast, and a well stocked bathroom.  No acne treatment gel, if you need that, as I do, you gotta bring your own. But they have shampoos, conditioners, nice soaps, lotions, and more.

I’m so glad I signed up for this!  We’ll be enjoying many freebies now!

Military Appreciation Weekend at Mystic Seaport

This coming weekend, July 10-11, visit Mystic Seaport Museum and help celebrate Military Appreciation Weekend.  Visitors can tour a real Navy ship and meet real Navy men and women who work on board.  And all active duty and retired military of all branches, and their families, will receive special discounted admission!

If you will be in the Newport, RI area and like to sail, there are still some spots left for the Mystic Seaport America’s Cup Regatta.    The yachts all have nice names and a lot of history, none of them are called prototype 37-c or anything like that. I suppose if you are not sailing, you’re allowed to go down there and just watch.  The race will take place on Saturday, July 10.

Finally, back in Mystic on Sunday, wind down your weekend with one of the Seaport’s Summer Sunday Evenings by the River. These free events run from 5-8PM every Sunday during the summer.  The exhibits will be closed, but visitors are still allowed to stroll the grounds, listen to live local musicians, and enjoy outdoor dining and a cash bar at Schaefer’s Spouter Tavern ($ applies to food and drinks).  Beat the heat by enjoying the lovely evening breeze from the river!

Should you use third party websites to book travel?

After reading this letter on Planet Feedback, the answer to that is an emphatic NO!

Here’s the letter.  If you click the above link to go to the letter on the Planet Feedback website, you can see the comments.  Pretty much, they suggest that this guy book directly through the hotel of his choice in the future.  I agree with that.

Tried to use their new top secret hotels service. They showed me a 3 star rating would be what I got so I agreed since the 3 star hotels were hotels like Embassy Suites. After I paid I got confirmation back that I was getting the LaQuinta Inn. Curious because of the other 3 star rated hotels I did some research to find LaQuinta as well as every other travel site rates it 2 stars. I called Travelocity to see why this happened. They continued with the lies that it was a 3 star hotel. Even spoke to a supervisor (over 40 minute wait) who said he called the hotel directly and they confirmed it was 3 star. At this point I just hung up. I then called LaQuinta who confirmed that the hotel was a grade C, tier 3, 2 star hotel. I then called Travelocity back since Dan had lied to me. I got to speak to another supervisor James (nearing 2 hours now) who said Dan hadn’t spoken to LaQuinta headquarters he spoke directly with the hotel. I asked to soeak to someone who doesn’t lie and could fix this lie. While I was on hold I decide to call the hotel directly and the one girl working there said she had no idea what the star rating was and neither did the other guy working this evening, confirming Dan’s lie on the first call. James comes back to the phone (15 more minutes) to tell me that LaQuinta does rate it 2 star, but the company Travelocity uses rates it a 3 star. How bogus is that? This means they can put whatever rating they want and just say its done by the company they use. James agreed that this was deceptive and attempted to contact Travelocity headquarters to get authorization for a resolution. He was denied because they use their own rating system, which in my opinion isn’t valid since the rest of the world sees it as 2 star. I then got to speak with a manager Samuel (2 nad a half hours now) who continued to say he couldn’t do anything about it. He gave me an email address (executive.offices@travelocity.com) that I could follow up with as next step.

Just give me the refund I deserve. You lied to me to get me into an agreement. If you would’ve just done the right thing from the start I would’ve just rebooked thorugh you with another hotel. Now that you’ve lied to me multiple times and continue not to resolve the lies. I just want the money back.

This guy has every right to be angry. I wouldn’t have thought that LaQuinta was a three-star hotel.  He was led to believe that he was paying for a three-star hotel, and didn’t get one.  Not that there is necessarily anything wrong with LaQuinta, but it is definitely a budget hotel, a step above a Super 8 or a Motel 6, and not what this guy was looking for.  And now Travelocity won’t give him back his money so he can book elsewhere.

I have found that you don’t necessarily save money by booking through one of these third party websites.  I used to do some online promotional work for a hotel reservations site, and at first, I was booking through them.  In these cases, I was able to choose the hotel I wanted.  However, I found it very difficult to impossible to make specific requests.  For example, the Hilton Garden Inn in downtown Manchester…there was no way to request a room facing the NH Fisher Cats ballpark, and actually get it.  These rooms cost $10-20 more per night, and the third party site only listed the less expensive rooms, with a panoramic view of the parking lot.  It didn’t take me long to figure out that a room with a view of the ballpark could be mine, if I’d only book through the HGI website.

Also, neither Mike nor I are good with climbing too many stairs, and having to lug a suitcase up them makes it worse.  When we go to Portland, we always stay at the Inn At St. John, a quirky old hotel that has lots of stairs and no elevators.  I don’t think that the Inn At St. John even uses any of those third party booking sites, but if they did, we would not book that way.  When I book through the hotel’s website, I can put in the notes section a request for a ground floor room.  If I plan ahead and book early enough, I get it.  Someone at the hotel’s front desk will usually respond within the hour, confirming that we’ll be put in a ground floor room.

If you travel a lot, brand loyalty can pay off.  We stay at the Manchester Hilton Garden Inn several times a year, and once I started booking these stays through their website, I joined their HHonors loyalty program.  Each stay earns points, which can be redeemed for free stays.  The points can be earned/redeemed at any of the Hilton Family hotels.  So when we traveled to Mystic, CT, to visit the Mystic Seaport Museum, I chose the Hampton Inn there.  Not as many amenities as HGI, the main one being that they don’t have refrigerators in the rooms (but they do in the suites).  But still a very acceptable choice for a budget hotel.  The only reason we don’t stay at the HGI when we’re in Portland is that we’re usually there for Sea Dogs games.  The Inn At St. John is an easy walk to the ballpark, the HGI is not.

Another bad thing about letting Travelocity pick the hotel is that you don’t get a chance to read online consumer reviews before you plunk that credit card down.  I always try to look for reviews before booking a place we’ve never stayed at before.  There have been a few times when I could not find any reviews but took my chances anyway.  I had mixed results.  So now I write reviews, good and bad…you can read them by clicking the links at the top of this page to Yelp, TripAdvisor, and FourSquare.  I also write reviews right here on this blog.  All of my reviews are 100% honest, I am never paid to say something nice about a hotel or restaurant.

Booking through the hotel’s website can often get you discounts that you can’t get anywhere else.  The Hampton Inn  and HGI often have super-low rates, if you are willing to pay in advance.  The downside is that these rates are non-refundable, but if you are sure you’ll be able to make the trip, some great savings can be had.  We’re going up to ManchVegas over the 4th of July weekend, for Fisher Cats games, of course.  Because Manchester is not the tourist capital of the world during summer holiday weekends, and because I was willing to pay in advance, we got a room at the HGI, facing the ballpark, for just a little over $100 per night!  Sometimes, simply choosing to travel to a place where everyone and their dog doesn’t go can pay off in big savings.  Everyone seems to go up to the mountains, the lakes, or the seacoast for summer holidays, and as a result, ManchVegas is rather quiet.  Good for us when we come, that means that the restaurants and bars are not so crowded.  At least we noticed that when we were there over Memorial Day weekend!

So that’s my take on this…always book directly through the hotel to be sure you get exactly what you want, with less hassle!

Summer in New England – Minor League Baseball

Going to a Boston Red Sox game is fun, but damn, it’s pricey.  I often wonder how people can afford to go to games more than once or twice a year.  I read an article a while back saying that it costs an average of $350 to take a family of four to a Sox game.

But did you know that there are many, many minor league alternatives in the area?  You can see the stars of the future, including future Red Sox players, for a mere fraction of the cost of going to see the big club.  So you don’t need to try to earn a second income by participating in the top affiliate programs on your website or blog to be able to afford them!  Not only are the tickets much cheaper, but so are concessions and parking.

Here is a list of the minor league ballparks here in New England that I have personally visited:

• Pawtucket Red Sox – McCoy Stadium is an hour or so south of Boston in Pawtucket, RI, the PawSox are the Triple-A affiliate of the Red Sox.  This is where you can see players right before they get promoted to the big club.  Tickets are cheap…as low as seven bucks for General Admission ($5 for kids and seniors), and $11 for all reserved box seats.  Parking is free if you get there early enough for the lot or a space on the street, but even privately owned lots are never more than five bucks.  If you have kids, bring a bucket with a rope tied to it, and something for players to autograph.  The dugouts are set in such a way that they are BELOW the seating bowl, and so kids lower the bucket with their baseballs or whatever down to the dugout, and then reel them back up to see who signed their stuff.  This is only allowed before the game, not during.  But that’s the rule with autographs anywhere.
• Portland Sea Dogs – Located up in beautiful Portland, ME, Hadlock Field is about two hours north of Boston.  The Sea Dogs are where players in the Red Sox minor league system go before they get promoted to the PawSox, they are the Double-A affiliate of the Red Sox.  General admission tickets are $7 for adults, $4 for kids and seniors, reserved seating is $8-$9, depending on where they are.  Parking is mostly in privately owned lots for $5; on-street parking is hard to find and risky.  The City of Portland does indeed tow any illegally parked cars, so just pony up the five bucks for a lot.  We’ve gotten our first looks at players like Jacoby Ellsbury, Josh Beckett, and Kevin Youkilis at Hadlock!
• Lowell Spinners – The Spinners are the short-season Single-A affiliate of the Boston Red Sox.  A lot of these guys are kids just out of college, many are still in college.  They play at LeLacheur Park in Lowell, MA.  Seats prices range from $6-$10, they will also sell standing room tickets for $5, but only after all the seats sell out, which they usually do.  The Spinners are a huge draw for young families, and as such, there are more kids running around wild than we’ve seen at other ballparks.  We don’t care for it.  But it is what it is.  We avoid going there, but if you have little kids, it’s great.  Parking is available on the street for free if you get there early enough, and there are also some private lots that charge maybe five bucks.
• New Hampshire Fisher Cats – Our favorite minor league team, they play in MerchantsAuto.com Stadium, on the banks of the Merrimack River in beautiful downtown ManchVegas.  The Fisher Cats are the Double-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays.  Ticket prices start at $6, the most expensive seats are $12.  To attract families, they have a special where you can get four tickets, four soft drinks, four hot dogs, and four bags of chips starting at $30, a small fraction of the $350 it would cost to take the family to Fenway.  There is metered parking on the street, which is just $1 for night and weekend games.  Bring quarters, the meters don’t take paper money.  If you have to park some distance away from the ballpark on Commercial Street, take advantage of the free Auto-City shuttle bus, which will pick you up anywhere along Commercial Street where it is safe to do so, and will drop you off right at the front gates.  They’ll take you back to your car after the game is over, as well.  If you’re lazy, parking can be had to close lots for $10.
• Brockton Rox – The Rox, who play at Campanelli Stadium in Brockton, MA are not affiliated with any major league team, they are a part of the independent Can-Am League.  Owned in part by actor/comedian Bill Murray, their motto is “Fun Is Good”.  And they are known for some crazy promotions and gimmicks.  Once they tried to set a world record for the world’s quietest ball game, complete with librarians working as ushers for the night to shush people. Another time, they had Biff Henderson from the David Letterman show pay a visit, and he even played for an inning.  I was not at that game, but Biff’s participation was shown on Letterman’s show.  You never know what these guys will come up with next!  Ticket prices range from $5 to $15…the $15 tickets are SuperBox seats, and they come complete with servers who will bring you food and beer, and you never have to leave your seat unless you have to go to the bathroom,  They can’t do THAT for you!  As of last year, parking in the neighboring Brockton High School lot was $4.  Not much street parking at all.
• Worcester Tornadoes – Another member team of the Can-Am League.  They play at Hanover Insurance park at Fitton Field, in Woostah, MA.  A big draw is their manager, former Red Sox catcher and lifetime Woostah resident Rich Gedman.  Ticket prices range from $6 for general admission ($5 for kids and seniors), to as high as $18 for Executive Box seats.  We usually go for the ten buck seats, they are perfectly good.  There is limited parking on the street, but the best bet is the garage, last year it was $3, if I recall correctly.  We haven’t been there yet this year, we’ll be there this coming Sunday.
• North Shore Navigators – The Navs are part of the New England College Baseball League, and play in Fraser Field in Lynn, MA.  This is college-level ball, but they play very well.  All tickets are general admission and are $6.  The last time we went there, we parked free in the lot, have no idea if it costs anything now.  There is also some on-street parking for free.
• Sanford Mainers – Another team in the NECBL, they play at Goodall Park up in Sanford, Maine, about an hour and a half north of Boston.  A good thing to do if you are up that way on vacation this summer.  All tickets are general admission, and cost $5 for adults, $3 for kids and seniors.  Free parking in the lot across the street.  Get there early or else you wont get a parking space, or a seat.

There are many more minor/indie/college league baseball teams in New England, these are just the ones we’ve personally been to.  There’s also the Cape Cod League (college), the Pittsfield Colonials (Can-Am League), the Newport Gulls and all the other teams of the NECBL, the Connecticut Tigers and the Vermont Lake Monsters of the short season single-A New York-Penn League.  And then there are the New Britain Rock Cats, double-A affiliates of the Minnesota Twins (Eastern League).  And these are just the teams that I know about!

I’ve linked to websites of all teams in this article, please do go and check them out for more info, to buy tickets, get directions, and more.  I hope this will encourage you go get out there and enjoy all of the inexpensive baseball that New England has to offer!

Very disappointed…and now PISSED!

This past weekend, we went to Mystic, CT for Mike’s birthday weekend.  We’re members of the Mystic Seaport Museum, and wanted to visit.  We also looked forward to trying their new restaurant, Latitude 41°, for Mike’s birthday dinner on Saturday night.

We arrived at the restaurant a little past 7:30PM.  We wanted to sit in the Tavern, but it was jam-packed.  So we went to the hostess station and asked for a table.  We were seated right away.

However, no one came over to greet us, pour us any water, take a drink order, nothing.  We sat there for almost half an hour, before we got frustrated and decided to leave.  We were afraid that there’d be a long wait for ANYTHING regarding this meal…a long wait for drinks if we ever did get to order them, a long wait for someone to take the food order, a long wait for a second drink, a long wait to get the check…you know what I mean!

So, we left.  I was angrier than Mike about this, and I was out the door before he was.  Apparently, after I was out the door, someone did come over, but it was too late, he said that we’d already decided to leave.  Oh, well.  I’m sorry, but first impressions DO matter, and being kept waiting for so long did not give us a good first impression of this very new place.

So we went someplace else, and had a nice dinner.  But I was still pissed, and emailed the Latitude place to express my concern.

This is what I got in return:

I was at Latitude41 on Saturday evening and noticed you enter the Tavern. I was also apprised by my server that you had ordered drinks and upon her return you had left. The server your husband encountered was a busser and had no idea of your dilemma.

My server did explain to me that you waited about 7min before she could get to your table and another 7 min for her to bring you your drinks however you had left…. See More

I am sorry you anticipated the entire evening would have been too long to give us a chance, for I believe if you had stayed you would have found that the food is exceptional and well worth the price and a short wait on a busy Saturday evening.

However as a long time Seaport member and a former employee of the Seamen’s Inn ( some 30 years ago) I would love for you to contact me upon your next visit as to be my guest for a belated birthday dinner. I assure you there will be no wait.
Additionally I saw your review on YELP, I printed it below, hopefully your next dining experience with us will overshadow that review.
Sincerely
David
Mr. David Griswold, Chief Operating Officer
The Coastal Gourmet Group
Office: (860) 572-1111 ext. 227
Cell: (860) 912-4971
www.coastalgourmetct.com

Oh, was I livid when I read this!  We NEVER ordered any drinks at all, because no one came to take the order.  If you know us, you know we are beer drinkers, and we had no idea as to what craft brews they had on tap, other than the Mystic Seaport Pale Ale (which is contract-brewed by Shipyard in Maine for the museum, it is available only in the Mystic, CT area).  Mike’s not into that beer, he would have ordered a Sam Adams Boston Lager, or something else…but we didn’t even know what else they had!  So how in the blue hell could we have ordered any drinks?  They might as well have claimed that they tried to sell us something completely out of the blue, like spa filters or something!

Seven minutes, MY ASS!  We left before anyone came to the table.  That’s the truth, that’s our story, and we are sticking to it!  If someone had really taken our drink order seven minutes after we were seated, and returned with the drinks seven minutes later, we would not have left.  We do cut places slack for being busy!  But waiting close to a half an hour and being ignored is just unacceptable!

I don’t like being accused of lying, and I don’t want to patronize any place where the staff lies to the boss to cover their own asses.  I don’t care if he wants to treat us to a free meal, I’m mad enough in that I never want to see that place again.

A shame, the food sounded really good.  But if they don’t get their shit together, they will not be around for long!