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Singapore Weekend By The Numbers: Was it Worth It?
A weekend in Singapore? From Chicago? That’s utterly crazy, right? Most people would think so, but not me. I love and adventure and I love to spend miles and points on truly unique experiences. If you haven’t read about my Singapore Weekend yet, you can do so by starting here.
Here are the critical numbers on the trip:
- Time Spent in Transit/Flying: 44 Hours
- Time Spent in Singapore: 68 Hours
- Flight Segments: Five
- Number of Airlines Flown: Three
- Total Miles Flown: 20,300
- Michelin Starred Restaurant Meals: Two
- Airlines Miles Redeemed: 160,000 (United Mileage Plus)
So, was it worth it? Absolutely. I loved the journey to and from Singapore and I had a blast while exploring the City for the first time and can’t wait to return.
What do you think? Am I nuts for spending 160,000 United Miles for a long weekend on the other side of the planet? What crazy trips have you taken?
Hotel Bristol: A Luxury Collection Property
After flying all day from Singapore, I found myself in Vienna at 18h30. I had booked myself a room on points at the Hotel Bristol right across from the Opera House. This is the only hotel I’ve stayed in while visiting Vienna. I love it. I even used Suite Night upgrades which cleared a week in advance. These upgrades moved me to an Opera Suite. I’ve been fortunate enough to ONLY stay in the beautiful Opera Suites at the Hotel Bristol.
I arrived straight away from the airport at 19h00, timing on transfers were perfect. Upon check in, the man working reception attempted to down grade me to a normal room because “you are just one person here for one night, you dont need this much space, it is too hot.” He was accurate, it was very hot in Vienna (33C), but I didn’t follow, nor like his logic. After a bit of discussion, he allowed me to stay in my original room.
Opera Suite
This time, my suite was on the third floor, with the same stunning view of the Wienner Staatsoper (Vienna Opera House).
The summer view from my Opera Suite at the Bristol Hotel Vienna
The room was quite warm and being in the room for less than 5 minutes a knock came at the door. It was hotel maintenance. He came to check on the air conditioning. Evidently these large suites don’t cool down as efficiently. He was here to make sure certain doors and windows were closed to ensure the bedroom area was as chilled as possible.
Ah…so that’s what the guy at reception was trying to say…
Main seating area – a Formal Affair
Seating and chandelier in the main room
Coffee Service for a Coffee City
The romantic fireplace in the Opera Suite
I didn’t spend much time in the room, since I had a flight home before 10h00 the next morning. Plus, I wanted to explore Vienna in the summer.
I slept well, albeit not very long. The hotel is really wonderful. The rooms are so perfectly appointed and the service is always on point. Plus, the views cant be beat!
The Main Bedroom – Luxurious
The perfectly appointed bedroom in the Opera Suite
Twin Vanities in the Master Bath
The large soaking tub
The separate shower was a bit small, but still quite luxurious.
Le Chemin Bath Products
Small Guest Bath in the Opera Suite
Small Guest Bath in the Opera Suite
A second bathroom is a lovely luxury in a hotel.
Have you had the opportunity to stay at the Hotel Bristol? How are the standard rooms? What is your favorite hotel in Vienna?
Beagle 2.0 an American Express Gift
I recently signed up for the new Starwood Preferred Guest Luxury Card by American Express. Two days later I received my card and have been using it diligently ever since. I chose to sign up for this card because of the sign up bonus – after spending $5,000 in three months you earn 100,000 Marriott Points. Today, I received a surprise gift from AmEx – the Beagle 2.0.
Beagle 2.0 seems like an odd gift from American Express.
What is the Beagle 2.0
What is it exactly? Well, it’s a bluetooth tracking device, like Tile, Protag or TrackR. If you aren’t familiar with these devices, you attach them to your keys, your wallet, your dog or anything else that could get lost and you’d want to find in quick order. You connect the device to your mobile phone and when you lose it, you can find it with your phone. These ubiquitous devices are given away quite frequently; I get them at conferences all the time.
Now, it’s not necessarily strange to get these from a credit card company, but what I do think is strange is that it arrived with no warning. Usually credit card companies like to tout the additional benefits they are giving their members. There wasn’t even a welcome letter or real instruction on how to use the device. The only thing in the box was a card with the app name – other than the disclosures. The first of which, says that AmEx will not be tracking me with this new tracking device they’ve gifted me. Well, isn’t that nice of them?
Who else received Beagle 2.0 from American Express? Is it just me, or does this seem like a strange gift? Do you find any value in these bluetooth trackers?
Singapore: By the Numbers
Regular readers know that I had a quick trip to Singapore – returning home last Monday. This was indeed a whirlwind trip. My better half was in Singapore for work and since I had never been and always wanted to go, I found a way to make it work. I’ll have much more details notes coming soon, but here are the high level numbers and stats.
- Airlines Flown: 3
- Flights Taken: 5
- United Miles Redeemed: 180,000
- Miles Flown: 20,288
- Hours in the Air: 44
- Time in Singapore: 68 hours
- Time in Vienna: 15 hours
- Airport Lounges: 6
- Hotels Nights: 4
- Hotels Stayed: 3
- Cities Explored: 2
- Meals Eaten: 6
- Restaurants Dined: 1 (everything else was Street Food / Hawker Stalls)
- Cocktails / Wine / Champagne Consumed: Countless
My route to Singapore
It was a quick trip, but with more hours on the ground than in the air, which is always a key metric for a trip like this. That being said, spending 44 hours flying (excluding layovers) in some great business class products isn’t too bad of a way to spend a the dog days of summer.
Give me your honest opinion – would you go to Singapore for just 68 hours? Does the fact that it cost nothing (other than points and time) change your opinion? What’s the longest you’ve traveled for the shortest stay?
Important Changes to Marriott / Starwood Redemptions: Act Now!
Marriott acquired Starwood in 2016 but had a very slow and methodical integration of their loyalty programs. Kudos to them. Doing it right is better than doing it fast. I’d prefer to remain an SPG member, but the changes that Marriott is making are pretty reasonable. These changes are much better than we’ve seen with other travel related acquisitions.
The new program launches on August 18 and with that there are changes in Elite Status, Earning Rates and Redemption Rates. I can’t do anything about Elite Status or Earning Rates, but I can use the Redemption changes to my advantage.
For example, I have another trip to Austria coming up later this summer and I found that my favorite hotel, the Hotel Bristol, is going to cost 14,000 points more per night. Now this hotel only costs 12,000 SPG Points (which are worth 36,000 Marriott Points). After August 18th, the hotel will cost 50,000 Marriott Points to book. Booking now, I’ve saved myself 14,000 Marriott Points — there are about 1,700 Marriott (and Starwood) hotels in the world were those 14,000 points could get my one or two free nights. I’d be a fool to ignore this savings!
Bristol Hotel Vienna – The main seating area was enormous and filled with classical music our entire stay.
This also goes the other way too. If you were planning on staying at the St. Regis San Francisco, that property will cost 30,000 points less than it does now! You can go ahead and book it now, but just know that you won’t automatically get those points refunded, you’ll have to call and ask for them to be credited back.
Marriott has a great website that helps you review their properties, how many points it takes now and how many it will take in the future. Go check out your upcoming travel plans and see if you should book now or after August 18th.
Where are you traveling and how are you favorite hotels working out with this change?