Let's Talk Hotels

Human

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Nov 24, 2009
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After an overwhelmingly amazing response to the Gratuity Included thread, I thought I'd follow up with another discussion in the hospitality and tourism niche.

I'm taking my girlfriend here for her birthday night. It's the Westin Atlanta Perimeter North. Four stars. Got it on Hotwire.com for $75 after taxes and fees. Not bad, since it typically goes for $160 a night.

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Overview

The Westin Atlanta Perimeter North is less than 30 minutes from downtown Atlanta and its major attractions, including the world’s largest aquarium, the new Georgia Aquarium, as well as Atlanta’s new retail and entertainment district – Atlantic Station. Situated on a private lake, guests will be sure to enjoy this tranquil retreat from the city.

Refresh in our outdoor pool, or reinvigorate at the adjacent Concourse Athletic Club, the fourth largest health facility in the nation. Host an event in our flexible 20,000 square feet of newly renovated, flexible meeting and banquet facilities featuring an amphitheater style learning center and boardroom.

Enjoy a beautiful lake view from one of our 372 spacious guest rooms and suites. Each room is renovated and features our signature Heavenly Bed® for a wonderful night’s sleep, as well as the Heavenly Bath® for ultimate relaxation.

The Westin Atlanta Perimeter North offers commanding views of our private lake and a host of amenities in each of the 372 guest rooms. Renovated guest rooms boast Westin's own Heavenly Bed® and the newly introduced Heavenly Bath®, a true oasis for the weary traveler. All accommodations feature generous work areas, dual line telephones and in-room movies.

Westin didn't discover fresh air, but we're proud to offer smoke-free guest rooms at this hotel.

  • Video Check-Out
  • Wet Bar
  • In-Room Movies
  • Data Port
  • The Heavenly Shower/Bath®
  • Westin's Guest Office® Room
  • Grab Bars In Bathroom
  • Non-Smoking Room
  • The Westin Heavenly Dog Bed Available
  • In-Room Video Games
  • 27" Television with Remote Control
  • Floor-to-Ceiling Windows
  • Rollaway Beds
  • Refrigerator
  • 24-Hour Room Service
  • Full-Length Mirror
  • The Heavenly Bed®
  • Chaise Lounge
  • Cable Channels
  • Hairdryer
  • The Heavenly Crib (SM)
  • Cordless Telephone
  • Suites Available
  • Iron/Ironing Board
  • Coffee Maker with Starbucks Coffee
  • In-Room Safe
  • Desk
  • Lake View Room
  • Courtyard View Room
  • Radio/Alarm Clock
  • Disability Accessible Room
  • Coffee and Tea Maker
  • Voicemail
  • High Speed Internet Access in All Guest Rooms
  • Signature Bath Amenities
  • Dual-Line Telephone
  • Ergonomic Desk Chair
  • Bathrobes
  • Fax/Copier/Printer
My plan is to have us check in at noon, have a snack, check out Atlanta (maybe the Aquarium, maybe the Mall of Georgia), come back to the hotel for dinner around 5:30 at the Lakeside Grill, chill in the room and go swimming in the pool, relax for a while, have dessert at Jasmine's Lounge around 8:00 or so, relax some more, go to bed, eat the continental breakfast in the morning, check out more of Atlanta, and go home.

It's about two hours away from home. Not that bad.

So what about you? Ever stay in an awesome hotel? If so, tell me about it. Ever thought about living in one? I mean, $59 a night is around $1,600 a month, and I'm sure there's discounts. For all of that above. Free electric, free internet, free toiletries, free laundry, free housekeeping... Not that horrible if you ask me.

Just a thought.

PS: I know some of you guys could afford way more than that, but I'm a college kid, so this is pretty freaking nice.
 


I mean, $59 a night is around $1,600 a month, and I'm sure there's discounts.
why would you want to live in a Motel 6?

I really like the London NYC, Intercontinental hotels, Wynn/Encore in Las vegas, and the Mandarin Oriental in SF has some killer city views.
 
why would you want to live in a Motel 6?

I really like the London NYC, Intercontinental hotels, Wynn/Encore in Las vegas, and the Mandarin Oriental in SF has some killer city views.

london NYC... ah man, so many great drunken stories come up in my mind when i think about this hotel
 
I've been down there. I usually pass it on my way to Lawrenceville for my master's during the week. I personally like cruises if you are going to go into all that kind of dining, etc. and everything is pretty close together. I just hate dealing with Atlanta traffic.

I'm of the sound mind (and I know this thread is all about fancy hotels) that you can sacrifice some flair for relaxation when you are deciding on where to lodge for a weekend getaway.

For instance, since Human is close enough for a decent drive into North Georgia, he could rent a very nice cabin (and some of the ones around here have a lot more amenities than fancy hotels) and get more bang for his buck while also having a much better atmosphere.
 
At $75/night they're gonna give you a view of the parking lot. Or a wall. If the person checking you in is a woman, be extra nice. Bordering on gay. Mention it's your girlfriend's b-day and ask if there any upgrades available.

If it's a dude, bribe him.
 
Encore is the place to be if your in vegas... hands down.

Those deal sites can screw you with a POS room. I had a horrible experience once in NYC. Just make sure you have some sort of "upgraded from standard" room :)
 
Most hotels won't allow you to stay ~30 consecutive days. At a certain threshold you essentially become a resident and you're granted certain rights like a renter (which they don't want to deal with). This is the difference between a extended stay hotel and a regular hotel. But if you're willing to move every few weeks you could stay in hotels indefinately.

Combine spending some decent time on research with a hotel points credit card and you could probably acrue a couple months free of points. This brings your costs down another 10 percent or so.

Having done the full time travel thing, there's some definite advantages. The main thing I liked was that it simplifies your life. You only deal with the shit you can fit in a bag. All things become disposable. Everything is neat and clean every day and you can live like a complete slob and have no penalty.
 
If you're going to live in Atlanta, you can find nice 3 br houses in the Emory area (actually ITP as opposed to OTP, there is a difference) for $1200+ a month to rent.

Don't live in a hotel in Atlanta, there's enough very affordable housing around here that you wouldn't have to do anything like that.

And if you just wanted to know about an extended stay, like a month or so, go this route:

Atlanta vacation apartment rental - Buckhead-Midtown: Newly Renovated Serviced Studio Apartment - Best Location

For $1600 a month, you're in the middle of everything. The High is in walking distance, as is a lot of other stuff. Yeah, its small and IKEA'd the fuck out but I damn sure wouldn't mind staying there for a while if I was from out of town.

Edit: That hotel you're staying at is nice. It's like a mile from my gf's house. You'll catch hell in traffic on 400 and on the perimeter during rush hours so stay away from both of those during that time if you can, especially if you're not used to the kamikaze Atlanta commuters. They're fucking assholes and the reason I don't even fuck with that area unless I have to unless its during the middle of the day, the evening or the weekend.
 
There is also a 15% lodging tax added to that amount. And yes it does look like an IKEA catalog. :)



If you're going to live in Atlanta, you can find nice 3 br houses in the Emory area (actually ITP as opposed to OTP, there is a difference) for $1200+ a month to rent.

Don't live in a hotel in Atlanta, there's enough very affordable housing around here that you wouldn't have to do anything like that.

And if you just wanted to know about an extended stay, like a month or so, go this route:

Atlanta vacation apartment rental - Buckhead-Midtown: Newly Renovated Serviced Studio Apartment - Best Location

For $1600 a month, you're in the middle of everything. The High is in walking distance, as is a lot of other stuff. Yeah, its small and IKEA'd the fuck out but I damn sure wouldn't mind staying there for a while if I was from out of town.

Edit: That hotel you're staying at is nice. It's like a mile from my gf's house. You'll catch hell in traffic on 400 and on the perimeter during rush hours so stay away from both of those during that time if you can, especially if you're not used to the kamikaze Atlanta commuters. They're fucking assholes and the reason I don't even fuck with that area unless I have to unless its during the middle of the day, the evening or the weekend.
 
For lack of a better picture...

Anyways, I like high rise big city hotels with bay windows like this. There's nothing like hoisting up a chick and fucking her with her back pressed up against the glass (or from behind, her palms on the frames) - late at night with the city all lit up. Tough to describe, just do it.

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