Earlier today I published a review of my recent stay at the Park Hyatt Dubai. Only standard rooms were available the first night, but I was offered a suite my second (and final) night. Would you move rooms just for one night?
Moving rooms, even if traveling lightly, is a hassle. It requires extra packing and unpacking, which is annoying and time-consuming.
But a suite…
Sometimes I wonder what the allure is, especially when traveling alone. I love the extra space and having two bathrooms, but it’s not like I spent time sitting in my living room or on both balconies.
I think I have a much easier answer to my question than others — I write about hotels for a living and therefore reviewing a suite provides useful content for my blog.
It is also fair to note that not all suites are created equal. I’d assume that almost all of us would be willing to move to a Presidential Suite for a night versus just a junior suite.
Last week in Zurich I waited three extra hours for a “junior suite”. What a waste of time. Had I just looked online at the room descriptions, I would have known that a junior suite is simply a slightly larger room–
Everything else is the same.
But I can also tell you that without this blog I would not have bothered to change rooms at the Park Hyatt Dubai, especially for just one night. There I certainly had a real suite. But all I did was sleep and work.
So I’m just curious here — do you consider suites like first class upgrades, i.e. not to be turned down even on short flights/stays? Or would you have turned down a one or two-night suite upgrade at a hotel if it required moving rooms? Does it all depend on who you are traveling with?
Depends how long of a stay I have and whether or not I will be in the room much. If it’s a new city and I plan on sightseeing then I will probably stick with the regular room. If I plan on staying in the room a lot to work or just chill at the hotel, I will probably switch to the suite after the first night.
With about 60 nights/50 stays a year, I’m no stranger to one-night stays (I usually switch hotels and not just rooms), but I’m pretty indifferent to suite upgrades. If I had a 2-night stay I likely wouldn’t bother to switch rooms. If I did it would be out of curiosity to see what it looks like, not because I truly value a suite.
Isn’t the answer for a blogger, always yes? You guys need to take photos of a room and photos of a suite are always more numerous and flashier. As for me, I would not switch to get a suite for just one night. Maybe for two nights, but not for one!
If I’m offered an upgrade, I will move. It’s not that much bother to do. Two or three minutes of re-packing. Totally worth it.
It seems to me that as Arlington Traveler observed, for your profession the answer is always yes. For me personally, if traveling alone I would do so if (i) I am not working crazy hours and just using the room as a crash pad for a few hours a night, and (ii) if it is an upgrade to a true suite–sometimes the aesthetics and feeling of well-being alone is worth it. If traveling with my wife, then the answer is almost always “yes.”
Depends on what kind of “suite” it is, along with who I’m traveling with. Assuming it’s a real suite, if it’s just me, or my wife and I, then yes, I’d move for one night. We travel light so you’re talking maybe 10 minutes to pack up and move. If the baby’s with us, though? No way. I can’t think of an upgrade worth the PITA of re-packing and then unpacking the baby’s stuff.
Personally, all I really want is a larger one bedroom where I’m not feeling stifled. Oftentimes a suite is so cut up into separate spaces that the rooms end up feeling tiny. Though a second bathroom is always useful when traveling as a couple.
I’d definitely move! Upgrades are never a bad thing!