Where Will 2015 Take You?
At the beginning of each year I sit down and look at the calendar to plan out my next adventures. Do I want to visit 4 new countries? Go back to an intriguing spot from a previous trip? For me, December/January are great months to tentatively set up what my coming year will look like in terms of travel.
The first step for me is to put all my work obligations on the calendar, zero in on holidays, and then look at possible dates for vacations. Even though I like spontaneity, I don’t want to be “that guy” sitting there a few days before Christmas sweating the details of how to pack in a lot of travel to new places, see family/friends before the end of the year and retain status when all the flights are full and hotel prices are sky-high.
If you’re thinking of planning out your own year of travel, it helps to break out a map, globe, or a “bucket list”. Get out those inspiring pictures you found in a magazine, or on Pinterest. It’s actually a fun process, figuring out what vacations you can start to arrange now while prices are good and other folks still have room in their schedules too.
This year especially there are very reasonably priced flights available to a bunch of places right now (try The Flight Deal) for details. Once flights are arranged or even before, I typically book hotels using refundable rates. The important part is that the hotel booking is done, so I can then watch to see if rates go down or cancel if my plans change.
The question of which hotel to choose takes more time. Some places I have a “go-to” property where I’ve stayed before and simply love the location/property so much or find the hotel points redemption value so great I don’t even look around for anything else (like the Park Hyatt Paris Vendome). Other times if I’m thinking of staying at a hotel I haven’t been to before, I’ll scour a bunch of trip reports and hotel reviews (I find View from the Wing and One Mile at a Time‘s reviews especially helpful) before choosing.
Sometimes staying at a hotel is just an inexpensive place to catch some sleep in between but it can also be part of the adventure in a new place, and there are properties that do a phenomenal job of taking cues from the local culture and area to provide guests with an extension of their adventure (Ritz-Carlton Kyoto comes to mind).
Here are the hotels I reviewed in 2014:
Andaz Napa
Andaz West Hollywood
Bagni di Pisa Palace & Spa
Embassy Suites San Juan Hotel & Casino
Four Points Sheraton Sacramento International Airport
Grand Hyatt Dubai
Grand Hyatt Hong Kong
Grand Hyatt Tampa Bay
Hilton Colombo, Sri Lanka
Hilton La Jolla Torrey Pines
Hilton London Heathrow Airport
Hotel De Russie
Hotel Ideal
Hotel Imperial Vienna
Hotel Laurin, Santa Margherita Ligure
Hotel Pulitzer
Hotel Sirmione
Hyatt House Seattle Bellevue
Hyatt Regency Crystal City at Reagan National Airport
Hyatt Regency Huntington Beach Resort & Spa
Hyatt Regency Long Beach
Hyatt Regency San Francisco Airport
Hyatt Regency Santa Clara
InterContinental The Clement Monterey
JW Marriott Atlanta Buckhead
Le Méridien Chicago Oakbrook Center Part I
Le Méridien Chicago Oakbrook Center Part II
London Marriott Hotel Maida Vale
Mandalay Bay Hotel & Casino
Park Hyatt Beijing
Park Hyatt Chicago
Park Hyatt Maldives Hadahaa Part I
Park Hyatt Maldives Hadahaa Part II
Park Hyatt Milan
Park Hyatt Paris-Vendome
Park Hyatt Saigon
Park Hyatt Seoul
Park Hyatt Shanghai
Park Hyatt Tokyo
Park Hyatt Vienna Part I
Park Hyatt Vienna Part II
Park Hyatt Zurich
Ramada Hotel La Palma au Lac Locarno
Renaissance Zurich Tower
Ritz-Carlton Half Moon Bay
Ritz-Carlton Laguna Niguel
Ritz-Carlton Lake Tahoe
Ritz-Carlton Marina Del Rey
Ritz-Carlton Santiago
Ritz-Carlton Toronto
Ritz-Carlton Tyson’s Corner
Ritz-Carlton Vienna
Ritz-Carlton Washington DC
Sheraton Amsterdam Airport Hotel & Conference Center
Sheraton Grand Sacramento
Sheraton Milan Malpensa
Sheraton Oklahoma City Downtown Hotel
Sheraton Seattle
Sheraton Stockholm Hotel
Sheraton Zurich Hotel
St Regis Bal Harbour
St Regis Venice San Clemente Palace Part I
St Regis Venice San Clemente Palace Part II
St Regis San Francisco Astor Suite
St. Regis Rome
the Nines, Portland
The Westin Chicago North Shore
The Westin Europa & Regina Venice Luxury Suite
W Fort Lauderdale
Westin Arlington Gateway
Westin Excelsior, Florence
Westin Lombard Yorktown Center
Of course, there are also brand new properties that are just about to open their doors. I’ve been on the list to get updates on Poseidon Resorts for a while now, and even though I have no idea when they’ll be opening it looks really really cool. Here’s a pic from their website –
HotelChatter has even put together a list of hotels that are due to open their doors this year. Not every property is included, just the most eagerly anticipated ones.
Where will your travels take you in 2015? Are there any hotels on your must visit list?
