What hotel chain could HAL be compared with?

[TheCalicoCat]

Doubletree. It's Hilton's brand now for older properties that are either acquired or already another Hilton brand (like Embassy Suites) that can not be kept at its current brand standards or brought up to standards for the better class of Hilton brands (like Hilton, or Waldorf=Astoria)

 

;)

 

DANG! Now that is an interesting POV.

 

I'm not quite reading this as a positive of Doubletree, but I've been satisfied in all of the Doubletrees in which I have stayed...

 

Based on my interpretation of your comment in this context -

 

I think that you feel that HAL is a net negative?

 

Which brand would be "Hilton" to use your analogy?

 

Pray tell where would you place the other major cruise lines?

[kira5]

If you go by the brochures or on line photographs it looks like a five star Hyatt or similar.

[RedneckBob]

Motel 6, cause they always leave a light on in the cabin :D

 

Actually someone said beauty is in the eye of the beholder. HAL may seem like a Hyatt to one, Holiday Inn to another. It doesn't matter to me what it's like as long as I like it.

 

There is a similar thread on Oceania comparing Princess to Oceania. One of their cheerleaders said Oceania was a Ritz Carlton, Princess is a Best Western.

 

I have stayed at a Ritz Carlton, and Oceania is no Ritz Carlton :D

[JPH814]

Part of the difficulty with this thread is the range of accommodations -and therefore experiences - on HAL. When you stay in a pinnacle suite with access to the lounge and the Pinnacle Grill Breakfast and the amenities of the room itself, it can be much more like a high end hotel. If you are at the other extreme - an inside cabin or ocean view - it is much less. I always use Marriott properties and have stayed in their Ritz Carlton and Renaissance Brands and their Fairfield Suite and Courtyard Brands and everything in between. So I say HAL can be anything from a Courtyard to a Renaissance experience depending on your cabin choice.

 

 

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[RuthC]

I would compare HAL to Hilton Garden Inn. Not quite the best in the "family", but far from the worst.

 

Service is every bit as good as found at the full Hilton hotels, but not even close to what's found at a Conrad.

It's what's offered on the property that keeps it less than a full Hilton, where there is some real luxury. Food is decent, but not a lot of choices. Linens and toiletries are very nice. It's comfortable.

[slidergirl]

DANG! Now that is an interesting POV.

 

I'm not quite reading this as a positive of Doubletree, but I've been satisfied in all of the Doubletrees in which I have stayed...

 

Based on my interpretation of your comment in this context -

 

I think that you feel that HAL is a net negative?

 

Which brand would be "Hilton" to use your analogy?

 

Pray tell where would you place the other major cruise lines?

 

Properties that were developed as Doubletree are just fine. But, in the past few years, Hilton has used it as a place to put acquired, lower end properties. They can't bring them up to Hilton-brand standard, so the Doubletree works for that.

Hilton is a standard business-class brand, in there with Sheraton, Hyatt and Marriott. Mass-market, but not as upscale as Westin, W, Conrad, JW, Marquis, Renaissance, Grand Hyatt. Those have a little more "pop" to them.

 

It's not a net negative to HAL, just what my perception is as a professional in the hotel business.

The business-class hotels don't correspond to a ship, to me. HGI is a good one as Ruth C listed. Courtyard also. Maybe Four Points for some ships. Solid hotels, but nothing flashy.

[TheCalicoCat]

The business-class hotels don't correspond to a ship, to me. HGI is a good one as Ruth C listed. Courtyard also. Maybe Four Points for some ships. Solid hotels, but nothing flashy.

 

Thanks, I appreciate the extra information that you provided.

 

I agree with many of the responses posted here - it kind of depends on the room you are in, etc.

 

& all of it reminds me that I need to book my Seattle pre & post cruise hotel room. :p

[blizzardboy]

We're spending the night before our 7-day cruise at the Renaissance Port Everglades next week. After, we head to San Juan for 7 days at the La Concha Renaissance on Condado Beach. I expect more from HAL due to the staff-passenger ratio, but I'd liken HAL to a Marriott, Renaissance, or Westin Resort Hotel. We tend to stay in suites or on Concierge/Club floors at Marriott family properties and in Neptunes on board HAL so we usually have a first rate experience. No Hotel or cruise line is perfect, but the difference is in their daily efforts to excel and especially in how they handle adverse situations with style and grace.

Edited January 4, 2017 by blizzardboy

[Lakesregion]

As a former Hyatt Front Desk Clerk, I would say Hyatt. The beds are the best.

 

 

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- "and you know this how?"

 

Sorry could not let such a hanging fast ball get by.

[FlyingFishy]

My personal comparison:

 

Holland America: Hilton / Marriott :)

 

NCL: Holiday Inn / Hampton Inn :cool:

 

Carnival: Howard Johnson / Fawlty Towers :eek:

[IllinoisGirl1978]

- "and you know this how?"

 

 

 

Sorry could not let such a hanging fast ball get by.

 

 

 

[emoji1319][emoji1303]

 

Honestly, they wanted us to experience the stay like typical hotel guests. This was ten years ago....

 

 

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[navybankerteacher]

No way on earth is HAL a Holiday Inn (that's Carnival) and no US line is anything less.

 

HAL is a Renaissance or Hilton Conrad.

 

I'd agree that Carnival might correspond to Holiday Inn - while HAL and Celebrity to Hyatt or Westin. NCL brings Days Inn or Sleep Inn to mind.

[slidergirl]

I'd agree that Carnival might correspond to Holiday Inn - while HAL and Celebrity to Hyatt or Westin. NCL brings Days Inn or Sleep Inn to mind.

 

Maybe the upper echelon suites on HAL/Celebrity could be Westin. The insides, ocean views and entry-level suites more Sheraton than Westin. Coming from a Starwood ex-employee and frequent visitor.

 

As for the Ritz Carlton "ship", that would turn me off. Employees there are trained to a script, rather than engaging in genuine interaction. My manager at my first luxury hotel came from RC; she had us memorize some phrases that she had from the RC. I still shudder when I mindlessly say "my pleasure" instead of "you are welcome." I even utter that phrase once in while by rote when my supermarket checkout clerk says "thank you" :eek: I find RCs pretty cookie-cutter - the one I stayed at on Maui at Kapalua felt just like they took the RC Boston and plopped it down on a hillside overlooking the beach. Same with the RC Laguna Niguel.

 

When someone finds a cruise line that they equate with Amanresorts, let me know ;)

Edited January 4, 2017 by slidergirl

[kazu]

I'd agree that Carnival might correspond to Holiday Inn - while HAL and Celebrity to Hyatt or Westin. NCL brings Days Inn or Sleep Inn to mind.

 

 

Boy, NCL must have really gone down hill since our last sailing. I would never call it a Days Inn.

 

HAL is still our cruise line of choice. There is a "perfect" Embassy Suites in old Montreal. Classic, roomy, comfortable with great service and wonderful food. Kind of reminds me of HAL but HAL offers more :). BTW, this is an above average ES :)

[iancal]

We have had two good cruises on each of NCL and Carnival. In some respects they were on a par with HAL, in others they were different.

 

Certainly not on a par with Days Inn or Sleep. Not that there is anything wrong with those two chains...like HAL ships, their properties can vary significantly.

 

I do not think that we would like Cunard but that does not mean that I think any less of them as a cruise line. No doubt they are wonderful.

[slidergirl]

We have had two good cruises on each of NCL and Carnival. In some respects they were on a par with HAL, in others they were different.

 

Certainly not on a par with Days Inn or Sleep. Not that there is anything wrong with those two chains...like HAL ships, their properties can vary significantly.

 

I do not think that we would like Cunard but that does not mean that I think any less of them as a cruise line. No doubt they are wonderful.

 

I would think of NCL more of a Four Points - friendly, not pretentious, people have fun, and instead of stuck with a bar offering high-priced cocktails, they feature local craft beers on tap.

I think some think NCL=Days Inn/Sleep because they believe NCL is a lower class line for people who dress like The People of Walmart instead of dressing for dinner with the Queen ;)

[crystalspin]

I have never dissed NCL (until now?), but we cruised the Panama Canal and Mexican Riviera in 2013 on the N.Star, and she was out-right shabby. Worn slip-cover-like upholstery in the cabins, surly stewards, faded dusty FAKE flowers, and when the Xmas decorations went up after Thanksgiving -- they were garish cut-outs of santa stuck randomly on the walls.

 

It was so bad I kept giggling!

 

I'm thinking Motel 6...

[iancal]

Once in a while we have heard similar comments from people on our Celebrity cruises. I think that it has more to do with aspirations, egos etc. that it does with reality.

 

We have met a few on Celebrity who really think they are somebodies simply because they are cruising on what they like to refer to as a premium line. Not certain why this is- perhaps they like to infer that it makes them premium class folk. It is as mass market line just like NCL or Carnival. Or HAL for that matter.

 

The fares are not much different than Carnival or NCL's, and sometimes even less for seven day cruises. Same as HAL. You cannot live in the past forever.

Edited January 5, 2017 by iancal

[Mosaic]

It is a very average Marriott, unless you are staying in a Neptune suite. Then it is like a nice concierge level Marriott, but with better concierge service.

[iancal]

I think the key is to select the ship, not the cruise line.

 

We met someone who had two terrible cruises, a few months apart, on Veendam a few years ago. No air, plumbing issues, a front desk that was less than straightforward, and apparently a former hotel director who refused to meet with this very loyal customer or other customers for that matter.

 

From his perspective, based on his two most recent (at that time) experiences on that ship, he would probably view HAL as a no tell motel, well below a Motel 6. Not certain if he ever went back to HAL but he had certainly sworn off the line when I spoke to him.

 

That viewpoint is clearly not reasonable because HAL has some wonderful ships. It is no different for any other mass market cruise line. A ship can have poor management, just as a hotel can. And maintenance can slide on a ship or a property, especially if the ship or hotel is not pulling it's weight from a revenue or profit perspective.

Edited January 5, 2017 by iancal

[esimon]

I have never stayed in a hotel that waited on me constantly, room service was free, food made to order, music playing all over, was several stories with entertainment every where -

 

I love to cruise because it is SO MUCH BETTER THAN ANY HOTEL - just saying

[slidergirl]

I have never stayed in a hotel that waited on me constantly, room service was free, food made to order, music playing all over, was several stories with entertainment every where -

 

I love to cruise because it is SO MUCH BETTER THAN ANY HOTEL - just saying

 

I think you missed point of the thread...

 

There are hotels just like what you describe. Some excellent all-inclusive resorts in the Caribbean, South Pacific, and SouthEast Asia.

[Palm Bay Cruise Couple]

Fairmont or Hyatt

[esimon]

the point of this post is pointless - yes there are all inclusive resorts - that's a resort not just a hotel - seriously

[lvz2cruz]

I'd agree that Carnival might correspond to Holiday Inn - while HAL and Celebrity to Hyatt or Westin. NCL brings Days Inn or Sleep Inn to mind.

 

Totally agree on NCL and Days Inn. I would rather stay home than go there.