My last trip of 2023 was also my first trip of 2024. I arrived in Seattle for New Year’s Eve and then attended the Winter Classic on New Year’s Day. I’d hoped to stay at the Embassy Suites near the stadium using Hilton points (referral link), but the hotel was entirely booked. I ended up paying the cash rate for the Silver Cloud, but I’m still working on a few credit card bonuses so the high cost of a New Year’s hotel room is offset by the 75,000 American Express Membership Rewards bonus I’ll receive. The nice thing about the Silver Cloud was that it was an easy walk from a light rail stop and it’s directly across from the stadium where the game was played. The hotel had holiday chocolates for all the guests too. For airfare, I used 45,000 American Airlines miles. On the trip I was also able to make use of the Centurion lounges at both Sky Harbor and SeaTac. I always enjoy the Phoenix lounge, but I was disappointed by what I found in Seattle—the food selection was pretty limited (I had yogurt and fruit for breakfast) and hardly any of the more comfortable looking seats had power outlets. The last time I flew out of SeaTac I used my Priority Pass to go to The Club and found the food selection better although that was lunch instead of breakfast; I think I’ll use the Priority Pass again the next time I go to Seattle. Both the Centurian lounge and Priority Pass access come from the American Express Platinum card.
During the trip I participated in the Winter Classic fan event which really means I stood in line for over two hours just to see the Stanley Cup. There were other things to do there, but I wasn’t all that interested in showing off my nonexistent hockey skills. I did end up getting a $10 Amazon gift card from it though by answering a survey they had about the event. In comparison to the fan event for the Super Bowl held in Phoenix in 2023, I wasn’t too impressed with the offerings but maybe I was just cold since the NHL held theirs outside and the NFL opted for indoors. The game was totally worth the ticket price, especially since the Kraken won. There was great entertainment before the game and for the intermissions as well. It was a fun way to start the new year.
