RENAISSANCE HOTEL, VIENNA, AUSTRIA

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The Renaissance Vienna hotel is a short 2-minute walk from the nearest U-Bahn stop, this modern hotel on a busy street lies 1.5 km from Schönbrunn Palace. The Vienna State Opera is 3.9 km away. It is somewhat away from the city centre but compensates this with very attractive room rates. 

Check-in was a bit slow despite checking-in previously using the Bonvoy app. The credit card reader and/or the printer were not working properly and the staff did not really know how to handle it. I also asked for a map of Vienna which was not available and the staff seemed rather uninterested. 

My room and the bathroom was on the smaller side but clean with a comfortable bed. 

I found my stay at this Marriott property unimpressive and pretty standard. Nothing really to write home about. 

I would choose a hotel closer to the city centre next time. 

https://www.marriott.com/en-us/hotels/viehw-renaissance-wien-hotel/overview/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI_5CBxu3PhAMVaso8Ah38TQaPEAAYASAAEgIu8vD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds&cid=PAI_GLB00050CK_GLE000BLSV_GLF000ONTP

ALTSTADT HOTEL BY RADISSON BLU, SALZBURG, AUSTRIA

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The Radisson Blue Hotel Altstadt is located right in the heart of Salzburg’s Unesco-listed old town centre, within a few steps of Mozart’s birth house. The hotel has two entrances, one on Rudolfskai by the River Salzach, and one on the (more atmospheric) Judengasse within the old town. Salzburg’s old town is one of the best preserved examples of this ecclesiastical town.  Fabulous Baroque architecture and The Sound of Music filming locations can be found on almost every corner – a city quite impossible not to fall in love with.

The hotel has 62 elegant, luxurious rooms and suites. All rooms come with original wooden beams, antique furniture, heavy rugs, white walls hung with framed prints and engravings of old Salzburg, and parquet flooring. Bathrooms have elegant marble sink tops and twin sink basins, and either a walk-in shower or a combination.

Service was excellent on our visit, with friendly, helpful and welcoming staff. Check-in was charming and efficient and my beautiful room faced the Salzach river on the quieter side of the hotel.

An excellent breakfast with a wide choice of food items including freshly prepared waffles and egg dishes is served at the hotel’s Symphonie restaurant on the first floor overlooking the Salzach river. 

Public parking areas are located a five-minute walk away. Location and the friendly staff are definitely the best attributes of this hotel and my stay there was excellent. 

https://www.radissonhotels.com/en-us/hotels/radisson-blu-salzburg-altstadt

LUFTHANSA BUSINESS CLASS LOUNGE, MUNICH, GERMANY

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My visit to the Lufthansa Business Class Lounge in Munich Airport was an underwhelming experience and nothing to write home about. The lounge is located upstairs, above the security checkpoint and offers a partial view of the security check area). The lounge design is clean and simple, if not to say somewhat boring with no alpine or Bavarian design elements.

The lounge has a standard food and beverage offering, showers, and a small business area along with lounge chairs and a co-working space area near the buffet.

I found this lounge solid and adequate but not more than that.

https://www.lufthansa.com/ge/en/lounges

FLIGHT CHECK: LUFTHANSA

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Bangkok-Munich, Business Class A350-900

Check-in and bag drop was very efficient and was completed in a few seconds.

Boarding was separated for Business and Economy Class, and went smoothly. 

The crew welcome on board was warm and charming. Food and beverage was good quality and tasted good.

Unfortunately, the seat configuration is still 2-2-2 and is rather dated. Lufthansa has been planning new layout for more than a  decade now, and my guess is that it will take at least another year before it is finally installed in the first aircraft. By the time all planes are reconfigured, there will definitely be plans for further future changes.

Transit in Munich was a breeze and with a 2 hour layover there was still enough time to go to the lounge. (separate review)

Lufthansa offers a solid product where you know what you can expect and what you get in return.

 

 

Lufthansa.com

EVA AIR LOUNGE, BANGKOK, THAILAND

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The EVA Air lounge at Suvarnabhumi Airport is located at the corner of E and F gates (F1) and is open some 20 hours per day. EVA Air operates several flights daily to Taipei and Europe (Amsterdam, Vienna and London).

The EVA Air lounge is spacious, modern and offers a dining area, a common work space (bar-style tables) and a large lounging area. I visited late at night and there was a nice mood light concept in place which I liked very much.

The lounge offers Chinese, Asian and Western food (cold and hot section) as well as a full self-service bar, coffee/tea with sweet desserts including ice-cream. The lounge also offers a business corner and a shower area.

I found this lounge very pleasant and comfortable. The tarmac view on one side and the view into the F pier was also entertaining.

https://www.evaair.com/en-th/index.html

SHERATON KOWLOON, HONG KONG, CHINA

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Sheraton Hong Kong Hotel & Towers was built in 1973 and is perfectly located for both business and leisure guests in Hong Kong. It is accessible to all forms of Hong Kong’s public transport and is just 2 minutes walk from the Tsim Sha Tsui MTR station, which provides quick and easy transportation throughout the city. This hotel is ideally located in the Tsim Sha Tsui area and provides excellent shopping and entertainment opportunities, and all the major landmarks are within a short walking distance. 

This 5-star hotel offers 782 luxury guest rooms and suites and was recently renovated during the Covid 19 pandemic. Each room is tastefully designed and decorated with simple comfort and convenience in mind; the majority feature breathtaking views of Victoria Harbour and the city. 

The hotel offers various restaurant outlets and a top-floor lounge with a spectacular view. It also hosts Hong Kong’s only famous Morton’s of Chicago Steakhouse and Grill.

There is a small swimming pool on the rooftop along with a gym and both offer panoramic views over the city and the harbour. Both facilities seem a bit dated and have not been recently renovated. 

I checked in online on the Marriott App but still had to wait at the check-in for some time to receive my room key as there were many people requiring services from the front desk and only two counters were staffed.

Housekeeping staff were fast and efficient and very helpful and were always present on the corridors and made sure that the guests had everything they might need. 

This makes the Sheraton Hong Kong Hotel & Towers a comfortable hotel offering a full spectrum of services for business and leisure visitors alike.

 

https://www.marriott.com/en-us/hotels/hkgsi-sheraton-hong-kong-hotel-and-towers/overview/

ORCHARD RENDEZVOUS HOTEL, SINGAPORE

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The Orchard Rendezvous Hotel (formerly Orchard Parade Hotel) is a long-established landmark on the corner of Tanglin and Orchard roads. The easy accessibility to the hotel via subway or taxi is another plus point. I always prefer taxis in Singapore. Public transport to and from Changi airport is inconvenient and time-consuming.

I booked the hotel through a booking platform and reserved a king-size bed. Unfortunately, I was then assigned a double bed. I emailed the hotel to change this and, unfortunately, never got an answer. Also at check-in, a change to a king bed was unfortunately not possible, and I was not happy about that.

The rooms are appropriately equipped without frills and are clean. The hotel has a nice swimming pool, but some plants would be nice. (Construction was going on during my stay.) The staff throughout were very friendly and efficient.

The hotel is good value for money, and I had a pleasant stay.

https://www.rendezvoushotels.com/en/hotels/orchard-rendezvous-hotel

FLIGHT CHECK: SINGAPORE AIRLINES

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BANGKOK-SINGAPORE-BANGKOK

Economy Class

SQ705   BKK-SIN B787-10 (Configuration 36-301). Aircraft: 9V-SCB

Check-in: ***** 5/5

Boarding: **** 4/5

Inflight Service : 

Food and Beverage ***3/5  

Cabin Crew: **** 4/5

Comfort: *** 4/5 

Flight Time: 1.57 hrs

Impressions: 

Booking and check-in via the SQ App worked very well. Singapore Airlines opens online check-in 48 hours before departure and lets you change your seat assignments online (For those who did not pre-pay a seat reservation). Airport check-in desks had an “Internet Check-in lane” which was very efficient.

Singapore Airlines continues its full service offering, including a small meal service (a hot meal in a sustainable box) on short sectors. Unfortunately, the meal had not been heated properly and was not hot. Cabin service was polite, if not a bit robotic.

On-time arrival in Singapore in heavy rain and there was a minimal waiting time for the bags of about 10 min. Despite this, an announcement was made to apologise for the delay and cold drinks and cookies were handed out by Changi Airport staff. I found this an excellent and very unexpected service. It was a pleasant surprise for all the waiting passengers.

Singapore-Bangkok

SQ714 SIN-BKK, A350-941 (Configuration: 40/263)  Aircraft: 9V-SHO

Check-in: ***** 5/5

Boarding: *** 3/5

Inflight Service: 

Food and Beverage ****4/5

Cabin Crew **** 4/5

Comfort: **** 4/5

Flight time: 1.57 hrs

Impressions: 

Automatic online check-in was preselected and about 30 hours before departure an Upgrade at a flat rate was offered. The price was about the same as I paid for my ticket BKK-SIN-BKK so I declined the offer. I used the automatic bag drop at Changi Airport and it was fast and efficient. Changi Airport also offers automatic Passport Control Lanes for speedy Immigration which worked well.

A boarding announcement was made which called for passengers to board by groups as indicated on their boarding passes. However, many passengers stood up at the same time and nobody checked the boarding groups which led to a very long queue. 

The hot box food was hot this time and as an extra perk ice cream was served with it. This is always a nice treat when flying. 

Singapore Airlines does not provide menu cards anymore, but the full menu including all beverages are shown in the SQ App about a week before the flight (enough time to order a special meal if desired). I find this a very good solution as passengers are able to get the information before the flight and it is not only cost-efficient but also environmentally friendly.

The aircraft operating on both flights were very modern and in stylish colours with USB plugs on every seat.

Singapore Airlines offers a an excellent value for money product and is a pleasant way to fly. 

 

https://www.singaporeair.com/en_UK/th/home#/book/bookflight

RAILJET TRAIN AUSTRIA

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Railjet is a high-speed rail service in Europe operated by Austrian Federal Railways(ÖBB) and Czech Railways(ČD). Branded as Railjet Express (RJX) for the fastest services and as Railjet (RJ) for services with additional stops, it was introduced in 2008 and operates at speeds of up to 230 km/h (143 mph). Railjet is ÖBB’s premier service and operates both domestically within Austria and on international services to adjacent major cities in the Czech Republic, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Hungary and Slovakia.

Railjet trains have three levels of service; economy, first and business classes.

Business class has the highest level of service, containing premium seating for 16 passengers located in the front part of the control car at the opposite end of the train to the locomotive. The seating plan is in an ‘open compartments’ style similar to a corridor coach layout, but open plan and doorless, and intended to be a considerable improvement over previous first class accommodation. A galley separates the business and first class compartments.

First class seating occupies the remainder of the control car, the second coach and half of the third coach which also contains spaces and facilities for wheelchair users. 76 seats are provided in [2+1] formation. The remainder of the third coach contains the restaurant which provides an at seat service. The remaining four coaches provide 316 economy class seats in [2+2] formation, the fourth coach also contains an area for families and children.

https://www.oebb.at/en/reiseplanung-services/im-zug/unsere-zuege/railjet

FLIGHT CHECK: MALAYSIAN AIRLINES

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Flight Check: 

Kuala Lumpur – Bangkok, Business Class

MH 774, Boeing 737-800

(Configuration: 16-144)  Aircraft: 9M-MXH

Check-in: via MAS App

Lounge: *** 3/5

Boarding: ** 2/5

Inflight Service: Food and Beverage: **** 4/5

Cabin Crew: ***** 5/5

Comfort: ****4/5

Flight Time: 1:43 hours

Impressions:

I used the Malaysian Airlines Golden Regional Lounge which was located near Gate 2, overlooking the tarmac and the aircraft parking stands .

The Lounge offered a generous seating area, a bar, a dining buffet, a coffee bar and working tables as well as a Prayer room and a napping area.

The food offered was decent, comprising a choice of Asian and Western dishes, soup, a small salad bar and some sweets. (Unfortunately the hot food items were only lukewarm but the taste was fine)

No announcements were made in the lounge but the staff informed me personally about a small delay to my flight departure time.

Boarding was a bit chaotic as the flight was delayed by nearly one hour and passengers on the next flight were already queuing up. (KLIA uses a gate security check so there was an unexpected long queue.) The gate staff did not separate passengers for the “first flight” so this caused a lot of confusion among the passengers.

When I boarded the flight I was greeted nicely and as I was the only passenger in Business Class the crew always mentioned my name when they approached me. I pre-ordered a so called Chef-on-Call menu and it was delivered promptly. The meal was delicious and the crew was charming and professional.

https://www.malaysiaairlines.com/us/en.html