StarwoodGuy: Around the World With Starwood Hotels in 30 Days

I arrived at Berlin’s massive main station early enough to grab an iced coffee and get rid of some unneeded currency from the Asian countries I had been to previously. The train trip ahead was five hours, the longest one I would be taking, with no express train having been created from Berlin to Prague. I boarded the older regional train, immediately missing the ICE and wifi. The First Class section is divided into cabins of six. A nice Argentinian couple sat at the windows and I had one seat at the door, the other three seats were empty. The train moves much slower then the speedy ICE but the view out at forest, farms, and fields was very relaxing. I was trying to write and get some work done when the Deutsche Bahn ticket agent came through twenty minutes into my trip. She looked at my Eurail Pass and reservation, all of which was fine, and then she asked the Argentinians for their tickets. They had printed out their ticket with a scannable bar code on it. They showed it to her, but she said in German that they needed the Visa card they had purchased the ticket with as proof of identity. They explained in English that they did not have it, the card had changed since they had bought the ticket and they had the receipt and their passports. The agent became almost incensed and said she would be back for the correct card or they would have to repay, again in German. It is of course natural to speak in your own language and no law says you should take up another one. Certainly native English speakers get very spoiled that so many people around the world can speak to us, while we do not have to learn their languages. But here was a German/Spanish clash, with the usual bridge of English between people failing miserably. It is very odd in my experience to meet a German who does not speak English, and certainly not one who works specifically in a tourist industry, but here we were with the German speaking only German, and the Argentinians speaking only Spanish with a little English. Years of trips to Mexico have given me a very basic grasp of Spanish, and the Argentinian accent was so different then what I was accustomed to hearing in Mexico or the Spanish tapes I had used which focussed heavily on Spain. When the agent returned I had to play translator in my basic German/Spanish, it was kind of exciting for me after sitting around having people feed me constantly and it was nice to be briefly useful. After fifteen minutes I made no headway with either side. The couple had to pay or the police were coming for them in Dresden, a threat which seemed a little drastic since they were in possession of two tickets and they were sitting in two reserved seats with their names assigned to them, just not the credit card they had purchased the tickets with. I suggested they pay now, and since I had found out their return flight home was out of Frankfurt, that they take their unused tickets, their receipts, and hopefully a credit card statement they could print out at their hotel in Prague to the Frankfurt airport’s Deutsche Bahn station since it is right there at the airport and hopefully they would be helpful and accustomed to dealing with tourists from all over. They agreed to pay again, but the agent said the payment would only be to the border, the next Czech agent would want further payment. I wondered if the Czech agent would take their original tickets and receipt, and when the time came he was very friendly but he did ask as well. He nicely assured the couple that they could get reimbursed in Frankfurt. The train along the water is very beautiful and while the Deutsche Bahn staff was curt, the Czech Rail staff was very friendly bringing around complimentary water in First Class.

Arriving in Prague I decided to walk the twenty minutes to my hotel, the Sheraton Prague. I had read much about Prague and how beautiful it was but even on the short walk I was amazed at the buildings. I had also read that the Sheraton was close to everything, but that it was not in a picturesque street nor was the hotel itself matching the history and charm of the city. Unfortunately when I arrived this was confirmed. The hotel was a business hotel, neither modern nor old, on a nondescript street, and lacking ambiance. The restaurant and Club Lounge were being renovated so that meant breakfast would be served in a conference room and afternoon snacks in the temporary Club Lounge off of the lobby. The staff at check in were very friendly, giving me tips on restaurants and sights to see along with an upgrade to a bigger room but not a suite since the hotel was almost full with a group. I looked over to the side of the desk to see the now dreaded red flag draping a table and a Viking River Cruise agent sitting at a desk ready to great travelers. I had apparently booked my trip along the same path as Viking River Cruises. The room was renovated very nicely but the view was of the inner courtyard, not that the street view would have been much better. Once leaving the hotel I headed right out onto a walk around the old town, looking at the marvelous architecture, the old churches and synagogues, and the astronomical clock and town hall. It was all simply beautiful, though very crowded with tourists. I walked over one of the bridges to the lookout on the other side and then walked along the top of the hill and the beautiful park with views back to the old town. Eventually I came to the stunning Prague Castle, which is more a fully contained city rather then just a singular castle structure. I did not have the time for the full interior tour of the massive Cathedral or dozens of buildings you could visit for around $10 US. I then crossed through the cobble streets, passing by what may be the best Starbucks location in the world in a three terraced location next to the castle. The entire neighborhood is architecturally stunning as I wound my way back to the Vltava River and the famous Charles Bridge with its multiple statues and amazing views. From there it was a quick walk along the river to the hotel. I stopped into the Club Lounge which was serving wine, beer, sparkling wine and some basic cheese and crackers and a warm chicken dish. It was pretty basic but the service was good. Beer, soft drinks, chips and cookies are provided throughout the day. After I headed out for a quick walk to see the old town all again by night.

The next morning I had asked for a wake up call at 6:00 am so that I could make the trek over the bridge to the Castle at sunrise. The wake up call was unnecessary as at 5:30 am the Viking River Cruise people left en masse creating noise and havoc in the hallway. I grabbed a quick to go cappuccino from the Club Lounge and headed out to do the sights all again in the morning light. Just beautiful. When I got back to the hotel after my early two hour walk I had a quick workout in a similar gym to Hamburg and Berlin, showered, and headed down to breakfast in the conference room. The staff was very friendly and the chefs came out to ask how everything was while two manned omelet stations. The food was good but while some items (scrambled eggs, brochen) were not as good as other hotels, the bacon labelled ‘crispy bacon’ and the warm croissants were outstanding. The ambience was certainly lacking in this ballroom space but the hotel is after all going through a renovation. After breakfast I downloaded a movie for my next train and headed out on the quick trek to the station.

Prague is one of the most beautiful if not the most beautiful city I have ever seen. It was inexpensive, picturesque, and my only complaint would be the large number of tourists and tour groups, but of course I am a tourist as well. The Sheraton Prague is in a good location with a wonderful staff and I had an excellent stay, the renovations will surely only help the hotel, but sadly the hotel itself lacks the romantic charm which the city exudes. A great value for the money overall.