Stuck in Texas: The Dallas Hotel Zaza
April 1, 2023
Imagine there is no worse airline than United domestic? Think again! American Airlines pulled absolute garbage service on my last trip. First some background.
A last minute talk opportunity popped up and the hosts promised to pay for a business class day trip. So the plan was to fly into Dallas at 9am (departing the house at 5:15am) and get home before 10pm. Ha!
The talk was great and the day was going smoothly, and then American Airlines operations just FUBARed things up. I mean wow. First there was the drip delay supposedly cause by weather (there was no weather), then there was a plane and no crew, then the crew landed at a gate 40 minutes away, and then, the coup de grace, the captain timed out and walked away. Leaving 300 or so people stranded in Dallas all wanting to get to Washington DC.
American, after some real delay during which I purchased a seat on the only United flight to Dulles the next day, “rebooked” me on puddle hoppers through some tiny ass Ohio town and into DCA. Nope. I flew United the next day and burned 24 hours.
American Airlines had a hard time accepting my rejiggering as reality. After a couple of hours of bullshit and waiting 10 days, they refunded my original business class leg. They had to be forced to do that. No more American Airlines for me!
Anyway, Hotel Zaza in Dallas came up during a cursory search for hip hotels. And off I went, arriving around 10pm…ironically the same time I was due to be in my own bed at home.
I think I was assigned 418. Of course no clothes and no bathroom amenities were with me.
At least the shower was top notch.
Here is the free bathroom stuff you get for your money. Yuck.
Finding a cocktail nearby at 11 was a thing. Even super barman Jacques was at a loss and sorry I was stuck in Dallas. LOL.
The car service at Zaza was good and was more than willing to drive me 4 blocks in style.
The Kennedy room (above) was a dive serviced by kids who were utterly clueless. Don’t even bother. Beau Nash looked promising, but closed at 11pm on a Wednesday. So it was off to the Tipsy Alchemist on a tip from the bartender at Beau Nash.
Though I was the wrong demographic being over 35, the cocktails were well made, and there was real bourbon in the house. Needless to say, insanity reigned after too many shots, but I somehow woke up back at the hotel in the morning. So that was good.
Actual real Weller in the house.
After a somewhat late breakfast at the hotel (pretty not bad, but also unremarkable), a visit to the Dallas Art Museum was in store.
I felt kind of like the picture above. DFW airport was still a pit. Overcrowded and old. The United gates are way better than the American worn out 80s mall gates through.
Three showerheads for the Zaza. Lets just skip Dallas from now on.
Heavy Turbulence at the Alexis in Seattle
June 4, 2017
NPS is not a first-timer at the Alexis, but we sure do miss our guy Keith (once concierge) who is no longer at Kimpton. Because we have no feet on the ground at the hotel, we had to rely on social media and the CRM system that Kimpton uses to track its guests. Guess what? Knowing people beats the heck out of any computer-based guest database. Especially a guest database that elides the only real hotel room criteria we hold dear.
Which is a short way of saying, “WTF Kimpton, a room with a plastic shower??!” Really, the warm greeting by Sam, the sparkling water, the really beautiful newly-renovated room, all that stuff means not a thing if the shower is plastic. We’ll pay more. We’ll do pretty much whatever it takes to avoid the shower over bathtub thing. We’ll even cash in our loyalty and find a different hotel.
NO PLASTIC SHOWERS!
The first room was 634. It had a plastic shower. What exactly does that mean, you ask? Lets review.
This is a plastic shower. It looks not too awful from here.
But when you approach, the plastic liner becomes apparent
And this bendy “obesity bar” which is not up to the task of such heavy plastic.
Gross. This is just gross. We do not do this.
And over a step in bathtub. No no. A thousand times no.
We tried to make this all very obvious.
Does the machine have a memory??
The rest of the bathroom is very nice and spacious
So lets put this shower episode behind us and hope somebody out there in Kimpton CRM-land is paying attention.
Leave the bathroom behind. Never go back.
High style evident
Cluttered quirky and fun
This is just fine.
Sparkling water is always very nice, and we do appreciate that.
But we do not at all like this trend where our rooms are bugged. Please make these spy devices that invade privacy optional Kimpton.
No bugs please. Spy on your spouse not on your guests.
Anyway, for the record, the Alexis has a great little bar called The Library, where from time to time great bourbon flows through.
The next morning, a room adjustment was already underway. That is good. But it was already too late.
Breakfast at Biscuit Bitch is worth seeking out, even if you have to trawl for a table.
And then work. And then some sailing.
We did some racing, and the good news is that we won first place in our class (really great huge boats that start late and come in last).
By the time the ferry shenanigans finished up, it was midnight and time for the room switch. Imagine our surprise when told that the water was off for maintenance. The Alexis can’t win for losing this trip. We were assigned room 425 which was very nice. We spent 5 hours in it all told.
Though we really do appreciate the shower in room 425, it works better when the water is on.
New room for you
The staff left a very nice amenity which there was no time to get into. Sadly, the water was not sparkly, though who knows it might have started out that way hours earlier.
Fancy
The bathroom is very spacious and awesome. Wish there were more time to use it properly.
Big giant tub with its own platform
Now that’s better Alexis. A glass shower!
All told this chunky visit to the Alexis deserves three showerheads on average. Plastic showers bring your final semester grade way down here at NPS university.
Buchanan Gets it Right in San Francisco
February 12, 2017
Want to be near the Pacific in a terrific city? San Francisco can do that for you.
This visit included a bug free stay at the Buchanan Hotel in Japantown where Emily G and her excellent co-workers made us feel especially welcome. Here’s how.
First, the giant tetris game that is specific hotel room request came out in our favor and we secured 416 (the best room in the property with lots of windows and a great bathroom).
Yellow roses
Second, yellow roses!
Third, a mystery gift…
What’s in the bag?
Sleepytime tea, honey, and some pottery mugs. Just like home.
Arrival was delightful.
416 and roses
Notes, sparking water, cheese and fruit. All good. Plus tea!
416 has a spacious bathroom with a glass shower. No plastic showers!!
The glass shower cube
A little rain never hurt anything. Especially in drought stricken California. The fact that the weather was perfect for the weekend was, well, perfect.
Rainy day Japantown
With the expert help of Jacob, Saturday’s itenerary was outstanding.
Brunch at Foreign Cinema was first. We used the show up at 10:45 and walk right in at 11 hack.
Foreign Cinema brunch
Followed by a quick last minute stint at the Farmer’s Market
Saturday morning market
And a trip to Lands End.
Land’s End
Who’s that?
Cocktail hour was spent at the always fantastic Smuggler’s Cove for tiki, rum, and conversation. A meeting of the secret book club was held.
Smuggler’s Cove is one of the best bars in the world
Dinner was at The Progress. Super fantastic, rollicking fun time. And the food was good too!
Sunday should start with a great brunch, say at the Hillside Supper Club.
And then a trip to Napa on a gorgeous day! Domaine Carneros is a great target, especially if you have club privileges.
One of my favorite wines in the world is Old Hill from Ravenswood.
Pizza evening (due to a 2 hour wait at the sushi place we targetted) was followed by a visit to the delightful Churchhill bar. This is a low key almost dive like neighborhood place with an outstanding collection of serious booze.
In other San Francisco fun NPS gladly notes the following establishments:
lunch (every day) at cafe claude
ramen in Japantown at Waraku
fun and games with superb cocktails at Forgery
world class brunch at Plow
jacques incredible cocktails in a relaxed and gorgeous room at Wildhawk
outstanding food at rich table
About which these twitterz:
Thursday madness was particularly fun this iteration.
Five showerheads with a wink and a nod for the Buchanan where everything went as planned.
The Driskill: Old School in Austin
September 23, 2014
Austin, TX. You can’t help but think of live music of course…which can be found in the airport BTW. But there is old school elegance here too from the early days of the “Republic.” Well, elegance if you’re into spittoons.
Checkin is efficient, Texas-friendly, and slides in the upsell without even blinking a lash or ruffling a feather. That’s just what happens when you have a glass shower problem!
The Driskill Lobby screams cattle baron
Where I’m Blogging From (apologies to Raymond)
I found myself in a corner suite due to the glass shower issue. Accounting may be mad, but we’ll get it handled. 536 is the “bridal suite.” Must be the hot tub. So Texas cheerleader.
536. Corner balcony.
Outside looking good.
Of course it’s hot out since it’s Texas. But no so very. Only 85 today, which compared to the 105 I know from my High School days is downright cool. Sadly, the view from the balcony has changed somewhat since 1886.
Reality check on the view. About as awesome as downtown Austin gets though. This is not Buenos Aires Toto.
But we’re all about the bathroom on NPS. Marble. 1886. Plus a Texas cheerleader hot tub (cheerleader not included).
This shower no plastic has.
The powder room has his and her sinks (no hers and hers in TX!)
Three showerheads. Hot damn!
And then there is this (literally through glass).
536 has a ceiling fan.
536 is a nice room, and rumored to be the best one. It could use an ipod player from this decade (nano no worky). But what it really needs is some outlets. Any outlets. The bedside tables have none. The TV dresser has none. There are no outlets. Better hurry up and post this before my mac dies.
When I came back from cocktail hour at the very interesting bar in the Driskill, there was a note, some sparkling water and some fruit waiting for me. Thanks!
Amenity and personal note. Nice touch Driskill.
Four very high showerheads for the Driskill (oh so close to five). Just goes to show you how spoiled we are…and addicted to our machines.
A workaday “Italian” dinner can be procured at Carmelos. Skip it. There have to be better places to eat in Austin!
Drinks at the speakeasy Midnight Cowboy were very well made. Old school with a west coast flare. We did get one experimental beverage but neglected to write down the recipe. The interior reminds me of Bourbon and Branch. In a twist, the bartender comes to your table with a trolley to make drinks.
Late night pretzel and some William Larue Weller at Easy Tiger seemed like a good idea at the time. Real bourbon.
Fleming’s Steakhouse is pretty straight down the Bell curve in steakhouse-land. Good meat. Butter heavy sides. But the wine list is pretty lame. It’s as if TX is trapped in the ’80s wine wise.
Half Step is a world class bar with very talented barkeeps. About the only complaint about our visit was that the band was great but WAY too loud. Had to yell to talk. Every old cocktail we ordered was made to perfection (sazarac, corpse reviver #2). Whitney Hobbs materfully triangulated a Paige Ellis as follows:
1.5 bourbon (whiney used dickel 8 yr, I would use something hotter)
.75 suze
.75 barolo chinato
stir down, serve up with a big ice cube (drape drink over cube), express orange peel and slip down the side.
The Palomar Wars: DC Joins and Surges Ahead
October 23, 2013
For a month now, the Chicago Palomar has been leading the “battle of the Palomars.” With their artists suite hack, replete with house made jerky and a truly outstanding bar downstairs, they were looking like a lock. (Not to discount what San Francisco has been up to this year, I just need to get back there!) But Steph Vogel, GM at the DC Palomar has joined the game, and the Presidential Suite certainly doesn’t hurt!
Super friendly checkin. The valet guys remembered the mosquito.
Room 924 is not just a suite in name, with tons of room and stylish decor.
The fruit and cheese welcome package came in very handy as dinner was slated for late. And loyal readers already know how we feel about sparkling water here in noplasticshowersland.
Greetings
What President would like this?
It’s refreshing to be in a presidential suite that was designed well after the Reagan administration. Compare this gorgeous space to what the nearby Westfields Marriott has to offer. Kimpton = skinny pants, Marriott = khakis.
Presidential sleep land at the DC Palomar.
This chair is crazier than it looks from this angle.
There are two bathrooms in this space, and room for a small gathering.
Powder room.
The master bath has a glass shower and a gigantic whirlpool tub.
Old school glass shower with a marble floor.
The usual sink.
A visit to obelisk (right next door) for said late dinner was solid, but not outstanding. A couple of the creations were remarkable. However, the day’s entres needed more sparkle. Fourth visit not a charm.
It got better.
Cupcakes and san pellegrino!
Imagine that after a long boring meeting you walk in to drop off your computer and you are greeted with cupcakes and a specially concocted cocktail. Jerry Chou made day2 special. Thank you Jerry. (Hey Jacques, you know that sitting a manhattan around in a barrel after mixing it destroys the vermouth, but the guys at Urbana don’t.)
A nice dinner at Noras followed by a visit to Bourbon just up the street made the day complete. And what does Bourbon have in stock?
 William Larue Weller |
 Hirsch 16 Reserve |
Day3 allowed for some time at the Phillips collection after a nice lunch at Bistrot du Coin. The Van Gogh Repetitions show is fantastic even if you have been to Amsterdam (where I will be Monday).
The permanent collection (Bonard)
This Bonard of the purple person shares a theme with the Postal Worker edition six. Disappearing subject.
Purple person Bonard.
Dinner at the much anticipated Range (a Voltaggio restaurant) interesting. Won’t be going back. See review here.
Five showerheads and current lead in the battle of the Palomars to the DC Palomar. Better watch out San Francisco and Chicago!
Kandinski at the Phillips.
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