Posts Tagged With: Chicago

Flight Review: SWISS Airlines 777-300 ZRH-ORD

Posted on June 23, 2026 by 2btravel

Passage to Eastern Europe: Trip Introduction
Flight Review: LOT Polish Airlines 797-9 Business Class, ORD-WAW
Lodging Review: Hampton by Hilton Krakow
Our Time in Krakow, Poland
Flixbus from Krakow to Budapest
Lodging Review: Corinthia Budapest Hotel
Our Time in Budapest, Hungary
Our Time in Kalocsa, Hungary
Our Time in Osijek and Vukovar, Croatia
Our Time in Belgrade, Serbia
Our Time in Golubac, Serbia
Our Time in Vidin, Bulgaria
Our Time in Ruse, Bulgaria
Our Time in Bucharest, Romania
Lodging Review: JW Marriott Bucharest Grand Hotel
Flight Review: SWISS Airlines 777-300 ZRH-ORD

While I explained in detail what happened with my return flights in the Trip Introduction, I’ll give a quick recap here so you don’t have to click back to that post.

The Plan vs. Reality

The plan had been to use Aeroplan miles to book a flight on SWISS from Bucharest to Chicago via Zurich. From there I’d use the second half of my MEM-ORD-MEM positioning flight on American to fly home, landing in the 6 PM hour. But then, as usual, airline schedule changes happened and it was enough to have to scramble a bit. A few months after I booked my flight SWISS changed the timing of the ZRH-ORD leg such that it landed in Chicago about 10 minutes after the AA flight to Memphis took off. I kept hoping there would be another schedule adjustment but there was not. I eventually canceled the second half of that positioning flight and bought a flight on United (first with miles, then changed to cash when the price dropped) that finally got me home just before 10 PM.

The First Leg

But to get to Zurich I first had to leave Budapest. The flight was at 0630 which meant that we had to have our bags packed and in the hall at 0300 and be in the lobby of our hotel for an 0330 departure. Fortunately Viking provided us with a sack breakfast which was greatly welcomed. The flight departed on time and soon enough we were above the overcast Romanian skies just in time for the sun to peek out.

Zurich Airport

While I did visit a lounge in Zurich it was quite crowded and I didn’t feel comfortable taking photos. But I was glad to have a place to hang out because our flight was delayed. Due to inclement weather in Europe, several of the flights feeding our longhaul flight were running late and we needed to wait for them to arrive before getting underway. Continue reading →

Categories: Award Travel, Flight Review, Star Alliance, SWISS, Trip Report | Tags: , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Lodging Review: Fairfield Inns and Suites, Chicago O’Hare

Posted on July 16, 2022 by 2btravel

A Quick Trip to the Northern Plains
Lodging Review: Home2 Suites by Hilton Rapid City, SD
Our Visit to the Crazy Horse Memorial and Custer State Park
Our Visit to Mount Rushmore and Theodore Roosevelt National Park
Lodging Review: TownePlace Suites, Dickinson, North Dakota
Lodging Review: Fairfield Inns & Suites, Chicago O’Hare

After driving literally all day, we made it back to Chicago and pulled into the Fairfield Inns & Suites Chicago O’Hare about 10 PM. We’d booked a room here anticipating that our Chicago-based friend would drop off my LA-based friend and me so she wouldn’t have to drive us back out to the airport the next day for our flights. But my LA-based friend decided to stay an extra few days visiting another friend so I had the room to myself. Once again we’d use an expiring free night certificate for our room, booking a room with two queen beds. Shortly before we departed on the road trip we called to see if we could switch to a 1 King room but they said the hotel was nearly sold out so they couldn’t make the change. We didn’t ask about it again at check-in as it really didn’t matter at that point.

Fairfield Inn & Suites Chicago O’Hare
photo from marriott.com

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Categories: Fairfield Inn, Hotel, Illinois, Lodging Review, Marriott, North America, United States | Tags: , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Review: Hyatt Place Chicago O’Hare Airport

Posted on September 23, 2019 by 2btravel

At the end of my business trip my LOT Airlines flight arrived in Chicago too late to catch the last flight back to Memphis on a Friday evening so I booked a stay at the Hyatt Place Chicago O’Hare Airport. The hotel has a free shuttle that runs every half hour. As I have a friend in the area I did not take the shuttle to the hotel but did take it back to the airport in the morning.

One thing I like about Hyatt Places is the consistency and this hotel did not disappoint in that respect. The check-in desk is just inside the front door and I was greeted promptly and thanked for my loyalty as a Discoverist (gained by holding the Chase Hyatt Visa) and offered a free bottle of water. Check-in was quick and I was assigned a room on the second floor.

The lobby seemed a bit larger than I recall at other Hyatt Places, or perhaps it’s just because the hotel is shaped a little differently. I later realized there were several conference rooms which I don’t believe is something I normally see at Hyatt Places, so perhaps that’s why there was more seating.

Hyatt Place Chicago O’Hare Lobby Seating

Hyatt Place Chicago O’Hare Conference Room Lobby

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Categories: Hotel, Hyatt, Illinois, Lodging Review, North America, United States | Tags: , , , , , , | Leave a comment

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