Staying in Fancy Hotels

That's a photo of the Royal Hawaiian Hotel in Honolulu taken after it opened in 1927.  Not shown is its famous pink color.

I've visited it many times, walking its public areas, poking around its shops and having a drink and bar food on its grounds.  But I never stayed there.

Truth is, I've stayed in very few famous hotels.  That's mostly because I can't afford to or cannot justify the added expense compared to more affordable nearby lodging.   And when I was on sales trips for my little consulting business I stayed at Motel 6s plenty of times.  (Tip: the better ones were more distant from those in central city sites.)

Nevertheless, I have overnighted in a few iconic hotels, usually when traveling with my late wife.  In most cases it was because we were able to get good rates.

Our best deal was at the Mark Hopkins in San Francisco where we got upgraded to a suite a floor or two down the the famous Top of the Mark bar.  I also stayed at the Waldorf-Astoria in New York, once while on a consulting project and in the fall of 2016 because we were in town and wanted to do it because it would soon close for a major renovation.  Later that trip we stayed a couple nights at the Chateau Frontenac in Québec in part due to my wife's failing health.

And that was it so far as iconic hotels are concerned.  Well, until I learned of a sweet deal for staying at the original part of the Royal Hawaiian.  Will be there early in 2018.