Sponsored post disclaimer: Millennial Central is providing me with a promotional item, Marriott Rewards elite status, and Marriott Rewards points in exchange for this post series, but I was not pressured to write a positive review and all opinions expressed in today’s post are mine alone.
It has been a whirlwind of a weekend… and I realize it’s only halfway over! I’m on a plane back to Dallas right now for work tomorrow, but I had a bit of an extended weekend, heading to New York on Thursday morning and staying till this afternoon. My friend Lori’s wedding was Friday night, so I was able to combine that with a bit of business in the city… and a surprise visit with my mom!
My mom and I haven’t been staying in as close touch lately as we once did, but while catching up earlier in the week, we realized that we were both going to be in New York City on Friday – me for Lori’s wedding, and my mom because she was giving my stepmom a ride to/from JFK. It was a surprise to both of us that we ‘d end up getting to see each other, but we quickly adjusted our plans so that we could spend Thursday night at the Algonquin Hotel near Bryant Park, courtesy of Marriott Rewards®!
As a Platinum member of Marriott Rewards, I received a free upgrade to a beautiful suite – my mom and I were both so impressed by the luxuriousness of it! My favorite part was the beautiful light-up photo of New York City (circa 1925) that was over the bed. Lori’s wedding on Friday night was a Great Gatsby-themed black tie event, so this put me perfectly in the mood!
Another favorite perk of having Platinum elite status at Marriott properties is free WiFi, which can be used for multiple devices. I usually travel with my laptop, Kindle, and phone, and we added my mom’s phone to the connection too. Since some hotels don’t always have great cell service in the rooms, I like being able to connect to WiFi for email/data. Makes catching up on both work emails and blogs easy, especially when I’m there for a dual purpose stay!
Platinum guests also receive free lounge access and/or breakfast for up to two guests per day. The Algonquin doesn’t have a lounge, so my mom and I got to go have free breakfast downstairs in the famed Round Table Room. I chose a really delicious Greek yogurt and granola parfait with honey – yum!
Although the Algonquin doesn’t have a lounge, I’ve spent enough time at various Marriott properties in Dallas for work to be able to tell you about the breakfast that is usually available in properties with lounges: coffee, tea, juice, toast, muffins, yogurt, sausage, scrambled eggs, hard boiled eggs, cold cereal, and oatmeal are all usually available, along with various condiments and spreads. To keep things healthy, I usually go with oatmeal with a spoon of brown sugar, plus a few egg whites sprinkled with salt and pepper.
Finally, the Algonquin was great about honoring my request for late checkout, which received priority thanks to my Platinum status. Although normal checkout was at 10am, my mom and I were able to stay in the room until 1pm! That was really helpful for us to have time to come back and get our things together after my morning event instead of having to drag it around NYC with us. Before checking out, I made a quick video from the living room of our suite to tell you a little bit more about Marriott Rewards.
The contest that I referenced in the video is Marriott Rewards’ Year of Surprises. Marriott Rewards is celebrating their 30th birthday this year, and they want to celebrate by offering to throw someone special in your life a surprise they’ll never forget. The third round of nominations is coming up (the contest runs from August 1-31), so start thinking about who you’d like to nominate and then go to YearOfSurprises.com to enter. (For the full rules of the contest, visit YearOfSurprises.com/Rules.)
For those of you who aren’t currently a member, I’d definitely encourage you to sign up for Marriott Rewards. It’s totally free, and you can sign up at Marriott.com/Rewards. It’s totally free to join, and if you stay frequently enough, the perks of becoming elite are really fantastic. Marriott Rewards was voted hotel program of the year for six years in a row at the annual Freddie Awards, and after switching most of my Dallas stays to Marriott instead of Starwood properties, I can see why – the service is superb! I stay in hotels at least four nights a week, sometimes more, so I really appreciate how Marriott Rewards goes the extra mile to make me feel valued and at home when I’m at their properties.
Disclaimer: Millennial Central is providing me with a promotional item, Marriott Rewards elite status, and Marriott Rewards points in exchange for this post series, but I was not pressured to write a positive review and all opinions expressed in today’s post are mine alone.
Great video! Marriotts are always my hotel chain of choice.