Posts

Showing posts from April, 2016

Trip report: Singapore Changi airport SATS Premier Lounge review

Image
After 4 whole days in SIN and a lot of alcohol in different forms and strengths, it was time to say bye to the Lion City. I had a 10.25 am flight back to Chennai, but chose to get to the airport a little early in order to check out the lounge, and look around for a few new single malts at the duty free. My flight was boarding from Terminal 3, and the SATS Premier Lounge is located on the first level on your left (up the escalator) after immigration. A young Barack Obama look-alike was in charge of the lounge's front desk! SATS Premier Lounge Singapore - front desk The F&B is placed immediately to the right, behind the wooden separation you can see in this picture below. SATS Premier Lounge Singapore - front desk On the left and to the back of the front desk, is the entire seating area. SATS Premier Lounge Singapore - seating   SATS Premier Lounge Singapore - seating There were very few guests in the lounge at the time I was there, so I had ample choice with seating. SATS Premie

Is this the best hotel amenity ever?

Image
I was recently in Singapore for a few days, on business. While I'll be writing in detail about this trip, I spent one night at the Holiday Inn Singapore Atrium, to help my cause for IHG’s Accelerate 2016 and Book Direct promotions. Anyway, I had to meet some friends for lunch, so one of the things I didn’t notice until I returned to my room later in the afternoon, was a smartphone called handy , that was placed in the room. The signage near the phone was hotel-branded, so I initially disregarded it as some sort of ancillary revenue generating promotion by the hotel. Turns out, it is way cooler than that!  Let me introduce you to handy .  handy is a smartphone that allows you free access to a smartphone that you can use to make local and international calls (to specific countries), free 3G or 4G internet within the city, a built-in city guide, ongoing local promotions and discounts, etc.  I looked up more information about handy, and connected with Tink Labs , a Hong Kong based t

Hilton summer 2016 promotion - registration now open

Image
Last evening we wrote about Hilton HHonors' summer 2016 promotion , which is the same as the previous promotion - double miles for all stays. At the time we published that post, the promotion page and registration weren't live. However, these have been updated by Hilton HHonors, and here is the relevant information. You can access the promotion here , and also scroll down that page to register for the promotion. Here are a couple of important points about the promotion: Unlike the previous quarter's promotion, there is no option this time to earn 2x miles (if you're a miles earning member). The bonusing is only on points. Some promotions allow you to register before the promotion expires. Not so here. You will need to register first, and only those stays after registration earn bonus points under this promotion. As there is no downside to signing up, you should register immediately. You can make your Hilton bookings here . Breakfast at the Conrad Centennial Singapore

Hilton's summer 2016 promotion "Unlimited Bonus" announced - 2x points at all properties

Image
Hilton HHonors will soon be launching its promotion for summer 2016, presumably called "Unlimited Bonus". Via FlyerTalk , the Hilton HHonors rep has today issued details about this upcoming promotion. Representative image only In summary, this will be a 2x points promotion (ie 1x bonus) on all stays. There are no non-participating properties, which is great news. There is no landing page yet, but registration will be required, when it is open between 29 April and 31 August 2016 . The promotion itself will be valid on stays between 1 May and 31 August 2016 . Unlimited here seems to refer to the fact that there are no limitations in terms of participating hotels, and of course, there's no cap on how many bonus points you can earn. We will post more information on the registration, once it opens. However, amongst the top programs that I track, Hilton is one of the last to announce their summer 2016 promotion, after IHG's Share Forever , Hyatt's Stay More Play More ,

Trip report: Chennai to Singapore on Jet Airways B738 business class

Image
This is going to be a short report, simply because with a 2.05 am departure, and lots of running around on the eve of my flight, I had to catch some rest on the flight. Nonetheless, here is a quick report of the flight for your reading. I have a more detailed report coming up for the return trip. MAA-SIN Flight: 9W016 | 4h 15m | 1816 miles | Business Class | Seat 3A The lounge in MAA's international terminal isn't worth visiting , and so I'm not going to write about it. In any case, I made it to check-in with just over half hour to spare before boarding. After completing immigration and security checks, I waited for no more than 5 minutes at the departure gate, before we were bussed to the aircraft. Typically, narrow body international flights from MAA don't get aerobridge gates, which explains the apron parking. Jet Airways B737-800 business class seat Initially, the business class cabin was only 7/12 full, with 5 seats (including the 3 other seats in my row 3) empty.

In pictures: Boat Quay and Clarke Quay, Singapore

Image
If you love your beers, there's no better place in Singapore than Boat Quay and Clarke Quay. If you aren't a beer person, there's no better place in Singapore than Boat Quay and Clarke Quay. And finally, if you are alive and breathing, there's no better place in Singapore than Boat Quay and Clarke Quay. You'll run into all sorts of people - tourists, supermarket employees, telemarketers, investment bankers, what have you! There are amateur and professional photographers with their entire kits, love-struck couples cozying up riverside, families pushing strollers, of every conceivable nationality. The variety of food you get is matched only by the variety of beers (and other beverages of alcoholic disposition) that are available. And if you don't like the music at one pub, there are about a 100 others within a minute's walking distance. But don't take my word. Take a look at these instead. Cruise ferries near Clarke Quay Clarke Quay The iconic Pump Room at