Happy Labor Day weekend, everyone! We hope you’re off to enjoy one last summer fling – did you like our roundups of hotel deals (some are still going on) and great hotel pools for one last dip?
Kids are back in school and it seems like the hotel world has woken from its summer slumber too – we’ve got lots on tap for you, below.
As always, if you have news or notes, please send us an email.
Still Haven’t Booked For Labor Day? Last Minute Hotel Apps
If you still haven’t booked your hotel for a weekend getaway, check out our last-minute hotel specials and these great road trip tips. You could also try an app like Hotel Tonight or Booking.com.
Sweet Treat: A Beer Float at Park Hyatt Beaver Creek
We’ve heard of floats and we’ve heard of craft beer, but what about a craft beer float? That’s exactly what you’ll get at Park Hyatt Beaver Creek, which is pairing craft beers with seasonal ice cream and sorbet combos. Sample New Belgium 1554 Black Ale 13 with Rocky Mountain Road Ice Cream and Raspberry-Champagne Sorbet, or Sam Adams American Kriek 24 with Black Cherry-Nutella Swirl, Dark Chocolate, and Vanilla Bean Ice Cream. Yum.
Hotel Opening: The Ritz-Carlton, Vienna
The Ritz-Carlton opened its first hotel in Austria to much fanfare earlier this week (seen in the image, at right). The 80th hotel in the brand’s portfolio is composed of four 19th century palaces in the city’s downtown. You’ll find a rooftop bar, a restaurant serving authentic Austrian cuisine and a soon-to-open boutique spa by luxury skincare brand Guerlain.
Celebrity Not Welcome: Chateau Marmont
We’re not sure if Lindsay Lohan or Chateau Marmont looks worse in this situation. Word broke this week that LiLo is no longer welcome at the posh L.A. area hotel after refusing to pay a $46,000 bill that she claims should have been taken care of by producers of her upcoming “Liz and Dick” film. It’s not really a shock to us that Lohan is a bit of a train wreck – we’ve seen this for some time now. But it also appears a mark against the hotel itself – hotels of a certain caliber are supposed to have some level of discretion, particularly those that cater to the celeb set. What do you think? Who comes out looking worse here? Hotel staff or LiLo?
Hotel Opening: Refugia Lodge, Chile
It’s a week of far-flung hotel openings. This week, remote Chiloé Island in southern Chile, gets a touch of the luxe in a region known for its rusticity. The 12-room Refugia Lodge sits perched atop a rolling hill with beautiful views of the Reloncaví Sound and the snow capped peaks of the Andes in the distance, just 20 minutes from the capital city Castro. The all-inclusive lodge would be a great place to visit – a place the New York Times named one of the “45 Places to Go in 2012.” The Chiloé Archipelago is culturally and ethnically distinct from mainland Chile due to hundreds of years of relative isolation. Sounds like a real treat from $530 USD per night.