Oh no a Raddison Blu in Oslo (the Plaza one)
November 20, 2021
Sadly when you have to give a keynote talk at a conference there is often a conference hotel. These are great if you like hamster cage rooms, overcrowded breakfast room scrums (during a pandemic), watery espresso from machines with only one button, and that sort of corporate stuff.
Oslo is ready for xmas
At least they let us check in to 2622 early. But for the sake of all gods, don’t stay here unless you must.
Hamster cage with bed (you can’t really see the water bottle drip mechanism thingy, but it is there)
Euro-shower was not plastic, so there’s that
But it is over a tub and crammed into the rectangle rather uncomfortably
This view kind of says it all. Yes there is Fjord out there somewhere. Past the industrial haze.
The (apparently coveted fjord view)
But it was free! And we got to do the big show.
And the Top Floor bar makes very good cocktails if you stick to the script. The view from up there at night is nice. (Oslo is not Tokyo.)
When in Oslo, try to see some art. If you want to add to your collection, go to purenkel.
Art
Or walk the streets.
We stayed in and had a very nice meal at the hotel on Thursday night (the restaurant seems to be called Gaio). The wait staff is enthusiastic. The cooking is old school but quite good. NPS had some reindeer and a very nice Barolo.
Friday night dinner was excellent. Definitely get to Arakatata. Wow. (Ask for the wine list).
The best dish this trip. Homemade spaghetti with caviar. The sauce was incredible.
Can’t wait to see you again, Oslo. But we will award the Raddison Blu Plaza a measly three showerheads (up from two since the restaurant and bar are ok). Nopey nope.
oslo lights
Westfields Marriott, Dulles, VA = Still a Marriott
July 13, 2014
Even when you fill a hotel with 300 people, things can go sideways in Marriott land. Met at the door by a persnickety doorman, I was refused luggage service when I arrived and asked to drive around to the loading dock. What?! Well, there was a bit of music equipment, but in the past it has all fit on 2 carts. No bending of the rules for mr door weeny.
Too much luggage for the front door? Nah.
So, instead of a welcome I got to bake in the heat, sweat through the shirt I was going to wear in a video shoot an hour later, and work with (the very able and excellent) security people. Hey Westfields, your front entrance situation needs a reboot. (FWIW, after a chat with the manager, the checkout situation went much more smoothly.)
Still from the video shoot. Had to change shirts due to checkin SNAFU.
But there is some good news. The Internet situation has been fixed. Free, more reasonable net. Which when you are running a conference full of geeks (like last year) is important.
And there is some bad news. The shower still sucks in suite 130. I mean really, get a new shower in here. The rest of the room is far better.
This is the bad shower in 130 at the Westfields Marriott.
After a long day, including a video panel, a talk, and a music performance, it was nice to retire to some wine and cheese left by the event staff. Thanks for that! It was demolished before I thought to take its picture.
The stage ready for some Gently Let Down by Catherine.
There was fruit and cheese here last night?!
Thanks for the note and the wine.
All in all, the Westfields Marriott is an even better place for a meeting than in past years. But the staff needs some training and suite 130 needs a new shower. They can make you an espresso in a pinch though, and they’re actually pretty good at it.
Morning at the Marriott.
Three showerheads for the Westfields. Run a meeting here, but don’t come here for the sleeping rooms.
Westfields Marriott, Ronald Reagan, and Paint (Dulles, VA)
November 15, 2013
Not that long ago, all 300 of us piled into the Westfields Marriott for a technical meeting of the minds. I just came back to this Marriott property to run another conference—smaller but including executives from 38 different firms dispersed around the world.
I stayed in the same room (130 which is the Presidential Suite). Sadly, they did not get around to fixing the shower since my last visit. So this well-appointed marble palace of a room is marred with a plastic shower curtain. Add that to the fact that the shower has no water pressure at all—an insufficient dribble—and we have a problem Houston. Miserable. Here in noplasticshowers-land that sort of problem is a fatal flaw.
This shower is not good.
One of these things is not like the others.
The rest of the room is probably decorated about the same way it was when Ronald Reagan stayed here in the ’80s. New paint? New carpets? That would be nice. (Contrast with this.)
Living room. Nice place for an ’80s party.
Fireplace (fake variety). On switch.
And then down the spiral stairs.
Spiral down.
To the room where nobody wants to hang out. Even when the full bar is put down there and there are too many people upstairs.
Yuck
Need music? No problem. Some massive, heavy, metal core speakers can be hooked up with a metal box, RCA adapters, and thick cables to your ipod. Time warp!
The bed is nice.
Bedroom
But Marriott still has very bad Net that costs money?! Authentication systems straight out of the early ’90s too. yay?
Desk with a view.
Bathroom art (in bathroom 1)
No shower here.
We had some fun times in 130. The rent-a-cop came to visit once but then went on his way when informed that it was only 11pm.
All in all the Westfields Marriott is a very good place to hold a meeting. Nice facilities, but very very dated technology. Creaky internet with really stupid authentication (why is net not free here?!). A/V equipment manufactured before advanced alloys. A default liquor and wine list that needs work. But the food is great, and the lobby is gorgeous. Can’t win ’em all I guess.
All in all a three showerhead (a one head demotion) for this place. Hey Marriott, fix your shower!
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