Back in March, I wrote about how to book partner award flights on Etihad Airways.  We originally booked First Apartments both to Abu Dhabi from London and from Abu Dhabi back to London over the Thanksgiving holiday, but unfortunately, the airplane for our flight from London was switched from an A380 (which has First Apartments) to an A340 (which has Etihad's standard First Class). The airplane switch was somewhat devastating, but at least we will still experience the Apartments on our way home. We planned a whirlwind luxury long weekend in Dubai around these flights and I'll be covering all the details in upcoming posts. 

Review: British Airways Club World SFO - LHR
Review: LHR Etihad Airways First & Business Class Lounge
Review: Etihad Airways First Class LHR - AUH
Review: Park Hyatt Dubai
​Review: Afternoon Tea at At.mosphere Burj Khalifa
​Review: Burj al Arab Part I: One Bedroom Suite
Review: Burj al Arab Part II: Grounds and Amenities​
Review: AUH Etihad Airways Premium Lounge 
​Review: Etihad Airways First Apartments AUH - LHR 
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Etihad flies out of London Heathrow Terminal 4. We arrived at Heathrow about 5.5 hours prior to our flight to Abu Dhabi after flying in on British Airways from San Francisco, so we had a bit of time to kill before being able to check in for our Etihad flight. Luckily, Etihad allows check in 4 hours prior to the flight, so we didn't have to wait an extremely long time. Check in was fairly quick, since we were first in line and off we were to the lounge. Once we cleared security, we headed towards gate A10, which the Etihad First and Business Class lounge is located across from. 

Review: American Airlines Business Class LAX - PVG 
Review: PVG Cathay Pacific Lounge 
Review: Dragonair Business Class PVG - HKG 
Review: Andaz Xintiandi Shanghai
Review: Grand Hyatt Shanghai
Review: Hyatt Regency Suzhou

Suzhou is a small town (by China standards) of about 5 million people located about 60 miles outside of Shanghai. I spend a lot of time in the area for work and have stayed at the Hyatt Regency Suzhou more times than I can count. The Hyatt Regency is a quite new hotel and just opened about 15 months ago. The hotel is located in the Suzhou Industrial Park and is adjacent to Times Square Station. Upon arriving at the hotel, you'll be greeted by hotel employees and led inside. Once inside, you can turn left to find the concierge desk and then continue to the right past that to find the front desk. You'll immediately notice the hotel's 29 story atrium, which is a striking feature of the hotel. It even has "stars" at the very top of the atrium at night. 

The Market Cafe is found on the second floor, just above The Atrium and serves breakfast in the mornings for hotel guests. Breakfast consists of a large buffet area with breads, pastries, pancakes, salads, sushi, meats, eggs, juices, and a ton of other items. You'll find a significant number of staff members in this restaurant ready to help with anything you might need and there's almost never a line in the morning to be seated. ​

Review: American Airlines Business Class LAX - PVG 
Review: PVG Cathay Pacific Lounge 
Review: Dragonair Business Class PVG - HKG 
Review: Andaz Xintiandi Shanghai
Review: Grand Hyatt Shanghai
Review: Hyatt Regency Suzhou

The third of four Hyatt properties in Shanghai that I've stayed at is the Grand Hyatt Shanghai. It's located in Pudong, just across the street from the Park Hyatt Shanghai in the third tallest building in Shanghai, the Jin Mao Tower. Pudong is Shanghai's business district, so it's bustling during the day, but at night, the area is dead. If you venture across the river to other parts of Shanghai for dinner or drinks at night, be prepared for the fact that taxis won't want to take you back across the river because they likely won't be able to get a fare back. This is easily remedied by ordering an Uber, but is something to consider location-wise with this hotel.

Upon arriving at the Grand Hyatt, you'll enter a lobby area and head straight for the elevators. The lobby is found on the 54th floor and just like the Park Hyatt, has an amazing view of the surrounding area. The Grand Hyatt is tastefully decorated with many traditional Chinese elements, but unlike the Park Hyatt, it's a bit less subtle and not so modern. I prefer the decor at the Park Hyatt, but it's certainly a personal preference. 

I've spent quite a bit of time traveling this year, which means a lot of time in airports and a lot of time to people watch. Last week, I observed some interesting behavior while waiting for a connection at LAX and by the end, I found it somewhat hilarious. 

It was around 9 in the morning at the American Airlines remote terminal and a couple of individuals were so comfortable in the gate area, I actually felt like an intruder in their living room. Now of course, if there are massive delays or it's really early in the morning or really late at night, you might see people sleeping on the ground around the gates or trying to get comfortable on the chairs in the gate area, but this was a little different. 

I started Snapchatting the situation ​to a couple of friends who were also traveling that day and realized that things were getting weirder and weirder - so much so that it was pretty hilarious to watch. 

What follows are my (quick and random) snaps of the situation over about 40 minutes, which was really one of the odder ranges of behavior I've seen for grown adults at an airport.

What do you think? Is this appropriate behavior for an airport gate area? 

Review: American Airlines Business Class LAX - PVG 
Review: PVG Cathay Pacific Lounge 
Review: Dragonair Business Class PVG - HKG 
Review: Andaz Xintiandi Shanghai
Review: Grand Hyatt Shanghai
Review: Hyatt Regency Suzhou

At this point, I've stayed at 3 out of the 4 Hyatt properties in Shanghai. I've only had a chance to review the Park Hyatt Shanghai so far, but I'm certain that the Andaz Shanghai has the best location of them all. Xiantiandi (新天地) is an affluent shopping district in Shanghai and the area directly around the Andaz is chock full of restaurants of all varieties, high-end shops, and tons of people. As opposed to the Park Hyatt, which is located in a high-rise in Shanghai's financial district (which has very little going on in the evening), the Andaz is the place to be. Andaz is Hyatt's hip boutique brand and in this case, they almost take "hip" to an extreme. 

You'll notice the Andaz from almost anywhere in Xiantiandi, which makes it easy to find your way back after a few cocktails. The building has a unique design with rounded rectangular windows punctuating the facade (although don't confuse it with the Langham, which is across the street and has a similar look).

Upon arrival at the Andaz, you'll enter through gigantic wooden sliding doors and find yourself almost assaulted with the uniquely designed lobby (I unfortunately don't actually have a picture of the immediate view, but it's imposing). The lobby features a bar and seating area directly ahead, while check-in is to your right. To the immediate right is a patisserie where you can buy fresh juices, pastries and the like. 

At check-in, you'll be offered a refreshment, but I've never accepted one, so I'm not sure what you can choose from. The front desk area has beverages and cookies/fruit available throughout the day in case you need to stop by. Check-in is usually quick and efficient and you'll learn about the nightly happy hour from 6 PM to 8 PM which is free for all guests.

Once you're checked in, you will proceed through the lobby and make a right to the elevators. The Andaz is full of interesting art and you'll pass a custom motorcycle and what looks like a giant wad of painted paper on your way. It's all very unique. The elevator area is decorated with a moving fish screen, which is kind of fun.

The Andaz uses wood accents throughout and when you arrive on your floor and step out of the elevator, you'll see nothing but wood. I think it's tastefully done and it definitely gives the hotel a unique look. 

I've stayed at this hotel so many times and I've had a couple of different room types, so I'll cover both the Andaz Xintiandi View King and the Andaz Large King rooms. 

Andaz Xintiandi View King

If you couldn't tell, this room type faces Xintiandi, which gives you a view of the surrounding neighborhood and the Pudong skyscrapers in the distance. When you enter the room, you'll be in a hallway. To the right (usually) is the bathroom followed by a closet and then the room opens up to reveal the bed, a chair, a table with two chairs, and the TV and minibar. 

The quirky decor from downstairs continues upstairs and I think the designers did a good job of making the room a unique and interesting, but still keeping things pretty modern and minimal, which I like.  The bed is very comfortable and the room views are excellent. In addition, you'll notice that the room has some "smart" features as well.