Wow, what a difference RA makes. I will have to milk it for all it is worth for the next year.
I booked the cheapest rooms everywhere and:
IC Manila:
Executive corner suite (3 times bigger than standard room)
Letter
Fruit
Flowers
Chocs
Nice Red Wine
Club
Decent minibar (remember it is FOC!)
IC Jakarta, 2 stays:
Letter
Useless presents - batik bookmark, fan
Great suite
Fruit
Extra mineral water (San Pellegrino) despite great minibar
No club
IC Hanoi:
Letter
Decent chopsticks for a present
Very very nice executive suite, Bose IPod system, 2 balconies, etc etc overlooking the lake
Lots of fruit
No club
Poor minibar, just wine and beer.
IC New Delhi :
Letter
2 way limo transfer (granted it was a Corolla, but certainly beats a smelly Tata)
Nice French Chardy for a present
Good minibar
Club status
and piece de resistance:
Upgrade to Presidential Suite, worth about 90000 INR (about 2.5 K)
Now in IC The Grand Mumbai
Started off just ok
Free airport pick up
On arrival they appeared flustered when they saw my RA card but eventually (after 10 minutes of looking)took me to a normal club room with status. I was not amused since I used to get that all the time with Platinum but was too tired to argue, domestic flight delayed, it was 1 am. Went down to breakfast (not in the club, have a choice), where they attempted to charge me.
Went over to duty manager on the way out and innocently asked him why it took so long to check in for a 2 week old confirmation with airport pick up in place for RA, and why they tried to charge me for breakfast even though I had full club status. He checked my card, checked computer and started appologising profusely, saying that for some reason RA was not in the system (just platinum) and that I was due a suite upgrade.
Upon return:
Met at the door. Helped to move luggage to:
Huge modern exec suite on top floor. Guest bathroom, livingroom, bidet, 2 huge LCDs, obscene amounts of furniture, dining table, etc.
In the room I found:
Letter of appology for great inconvenience (seriously I did not even raise the voice downstairs, I just asked about the "confusion with reservation")
A huge bunch of long stem roses (which I took to a customer's site so they would not go to waste)
A bottle of 2007 Indian Merlot (not sure about that
Great minibar (Grey Goose Vodka, Black Label, Perrier). Now I have to clarify, I rarely drink, and definitely do not empty out the contents into my suitcase, it is the thought that counts. Soft drinks were replenished
3 huge bowls of various nuts
Very big cheese platter with more nuts
Absolutely enormous fruit platter
2 boxes of chocolates
more chocolates on the pillow
biscuits
A selection of pastries and other deserts
My distributor came over in the morning and we had so much food that breakfast was not needed!
Privileges including laundry (just as well, left marking pen with open cap in trousers, needed a spot of dry cleaning) and one hour massage at the spa. Very civilised!
I wonder how the other half lives (and what I need to do to keep the "Royal" for next year! Having very quickly gotten used to the suite I will even pay for ambassador out of my own pocket if I do not find the challenge code!)
