United, please stop bragging about your service

I flew on four United flights this past week and four times heard their motto ”Service is our passion but safety is our priority”.  I hope their priority about safety is true but for United to say that service is their passion is laughable. They obviously don’t know what service is.  I could write a book about the poor service levels of UA even compared to other airlines. 

San Antonio is a great city for a winter weekend getaway – I just returned home from a weekend business meeting in San Antonio, Texas.  SAT is a great winter getaway city as the weather is usually pretty moderate and the riverwalk is a delightful entertainment district for food and fun. Throw in the history of the Alamo and the beauty of the surrounding hill country and you have a nice city to add to your bucket list. 

Sheraton hotel brand appears to be dying domestically – On Sunday night I missed my connecting flight to Omaha and was put up in the Sheraton by the airport. The hotel was probably 50 years old. It made me think that most of the Sheratons I have stayed at are all about that same lineage. Many of them are very outdated and seem to be holding on for a rebranding or refresh. I have not personally seen any new Sheraton hotels built in the last 20 years in the U.S.. However, in Asia and parts of Europe, they appear much stronger. Perhaps the Sheraton brand is being expanded internationally and being left to die in the U.S. 

I have changed my mind and now like the jumbo shampoo bottles in hotel showers – All major hotel chains are moving rapidly away from tiny, one use, shampoo, body wash, and conditioner bottles in the shower and are replacing them with jumbo, multi-use bottles. I didn’t like them at first but now am starting to warm up to the idea. I know they save the hotels a lot of money and are better for our environment.  See you can teach an old dog new tricks. 

One of my biggest hotel pet peeves is the small print on shampoo bottles – The print is so small that it makes you have to jump out of the shower to put on your glasses to make sure you are not putting conditioner on instead of shampoo. I also like to have the bottles in order starting with body wash, shampoo, and then conditioner. Life would be so simple if I was king. 

Domestic first-class service on United is nothing more than wider seats than coach class – It used to be when you flew first class you not only got wider seats but you received a pre-flight beverage, great service, and upgraded food. Now you get the same pretzels and drink as everyone else. Actually, if you can find a row in coach class with an empty middle seat you probably will enjoy the same experience as flying United Airlines’ first class and save a lot of money or points. 

The “Sound of Music” Journey – Attend our FREE Travel Night
We invite you to join our free and informational travel night this coming Sunday, February 5, 2023, at 7:00 PM at First Plymouth Congregational Church, 2000 D Street, Lincoln, NE 68502. During the presentation, our host, Lora Black (former “Classics by Requests” announcer for Nebraska Public Media), will walk you through one of my favorite trips: The “Sound of Music” tour to Germany, Austria, and the Czech Republic, taking off this June 4-15. Whether you love music of the masters, old-world architecture, history, gardens, castles, fairy tale towns with cobblestone streets, art, or just fabulous cuisine, this is the tour for you! CLICK HERE to see the detailed itinerary. Let us know if you can join us on Sunday by CLICKING HERE TO RSVP we would love to see you! For more information, call or email our friendly group department at (402) 435 8888 / GroupDepartment@executivetravel.com.