Westin Pasadena

In a rare business trip, I found myself spending 3 nights at the Westin Pasadena.

As I was checking in at 11AM, having made my way from the first flight in from New York, I did not have especially high expectations for my room.  The front desk found me a high floor room, 921.

At the door, I tried my keycard.  Nothing.  Figuring my swiping technique was somehow lacking, I tried a few more times.  Nothing.  To see if the lock was even powered, I swiped a Starbucks card.  Still nothing.

Thoroughly confused, I went back to the front desk.  The apologetic front desk clerk realized that I was actually supposed to be in room 912 and that the rate card was incorrectly marked for 921. My return to the 9th floor was far less eventful.

Lately, I’ve been noticing that I’ve been spoiled by the decor of Westins.  I’m perfectly willing to admit that it could just be an elaborate marketing gimmick (or success, for that matter), but the rooms at Sheratons lately have felt much more… tired.

Before I find myself taking back everything I said about Westin, the white balance of my camera was off.

While I didn’t choose the hotel, Starwood’s current Better by the Night promotion, offering triple points on 3+ night stays, worked out nicely.  Ordinarily, I’m much more stay rather than night-driven, as I tend to make only brief stops in locations and to try to maximize stay-based bonuses (and progress towards elite status).