There are not many occasions in life that deliver red carpet treatment quite like a honeymoon or anniversary. If you are like my wife and I, you may attempt to "get away" from the "day to day" and travel somewhere for a memorable experience during this special time in your lives.
While I have elite status with a few hotel chains (Starwood, Hyatt, and Club Carlson) and I enjoy the many benefits that come with the status, one of the simple things I do to ensure a little bit of "extra mile" treatment is writing an email to the hotel/resort general manager to share with him/her about our special occasion. I never request a room/suite upgrade or any sort of specific special amenities in my emails, but rather I simply ask if they can assist in making our time with the property as memorable and special as possible. More often than not, the more reputable hotels will bend over backwards to enhance your stay with them.
We are traveling to Greece next week, so I scribed some emails to the general managers at each of the three properties we're visiting. Here's a snippet from the response I received from the top-rated hotel in Athens:
"We are also excited for your upcoming stay at our hotel to celebrate your three year wedding anniversary! We will be happy to extend our wedding amenities (sparkling wine and strawberries) and arrange a nice accommodation with best possible view."
The "best possible view" at this hotel is a room or suite with an Acropolis view. The Deluxe Acropolis View room runs about $500 per night and comes with butler service. This room was booked on points with a 25% discount award applied (worth ~$200-250 per night).
Here's a snippet from the response I received from a 5-star resort in Crete:
"Thank you for your e-mail. It is nice to hear that you will be celebrating your 3rd wedding anniversary during your stay at our resort and in order to make it a memorable one, our General Manager has decided to upgrade your accommodation to a Mediterranean Maisonette Suite Sea View Private Pool, which is 5 categories up from the Superior Bungalow Sea View that you have booked for your stay with us!"
This room is a 750-square foot, two-story suite with a semi-private plunge pool and a view of the Mediterranean and Spinalonga (a famous island). Due to the early booking I made during a really good deal, I paid $170 out of pocket per night. This room runs about $500 per night.
Moral of the story: It never hurts to ask.
P.S. - I write these types of posts on Facebook in order to share some of the little things I do in my life to help make our experiences better, whether it is travel tips, shopping tips, or points/miles schemes. I figure I will start posting them on here, as well.
While I have elite status with a few hotel chains (Starwood, Hyatt, and Club Carlson) and I enjoy the many benefits that come with the status, one of the simple things I do to ensure a little bit of "extra mile" treatment is writing an email to the hotel/resort general manager to share with him/her about our special occasion. I never request a room/suite upgrade or any sort of specific special amenities in my emails, but rather I simply ask if they can assist in making our time with the property as memorable and special as possible. More often than not, the more reputable hotels will bend over backwards to enhance your stay with them.
We are traveling to Greece next week, so I scribed some emails to the general managers at each of the three properties we're visiting. Here's a snippet from the response I received from the top-rated hotel in Athens:
"We are also excited for your upcoming stay at our hotel to celebrate your three year wedding anniversary! We will be happy to extend our wedding amenities (sparkling wine and strawberries) and arrange a nice accommodation with best possible view."
The "best possible view" at this hotel is a room or suite with an Acropolis view. The Deluxe Acropolis View room runs about $500 per night and comes with butler service. This room was booked on points with a 25% discount award applied (worth ~$200-250 per night).
Here's a snippet from the response I received from a 5-star resort in Crete:
"Thank you for your e-mail. It is nice to hear that you will be celebrating your 3rd wedding anniversary during your stay at our resort and in order to make it a memorable one, our General Manager has decided to upgrade your accommodation to a Mediterranean Maisonette Suite Sea View Private Pool, which is 5 categories up from the Superior Bungalow Sea View that you have booked for your stay with us!"
This room is a 750-square foot, two-story suite with a semi-private plunge pool and a view of the Mediterranean and Spinalonga (a famous island). Due to the early booking I made during a really good deal, I paid $170 out of pocket per night. This room runs about $500 per night.
Moral of the story: It never hurts to ask.
P.S. - I write these types of posts on Facebook in order to share some of the little things I do in my life to help make our experiences better, whether it is travel tips, shopping tips, or points/miles schemes. I figure I will start posting them on here, as well.
