2013 › June

Hotel News We Noted: June 14, 2013

by McLean Robbins on

Happy Friday, “Hotel News We Noted” readers. Summer is heating up, and that means that the hotel world is in full swing, promoting summer travel, touting new resort openings and even launching new initiatives. This column brings you the best, the weirdest and the most interesting news of note from the hospitality world each week. Have a tip, comment or question? Leave your note below or shoot us an email. We’d love to hear from you!

News of Note: Omni Gets Five
Dallas-based Omni Hotels & Resorts has gotten even grander as of July 1 with the acquisition of five of the country’s best-known resorts. The five properties are Barton Creek Resort & Spa in Austin, TX; La Costa Resort and Spa in Carlsbad, CA; Rancho Las Palmas Resort & Spa in Rancho Mirage, CA; The Grove Park Inn in Asheville, NC; and The Homestead in Hot Springs, VA. We’re excited for the addition of these new properties to the brand’s portfolio – it gives us an even better way to use our loyalty points!

Wellness World: Trump Launches New Wellness Endeavor
We all know that Donald Trump doesn’t do anything halfway. It’s all in or “you’re fired,” as the catchphrase goes. So now, the brand has launched a comprehensive wellness program that blends healthy menus (Trump’s “Nourish”) with a healthy kids menu and super-fast-delivery menus (“Quick Bites”), plus has a fitness component (“Travel Fit”) that includes delivery of equipment to the room plus apparel, footwear and an iPod. In addition to working with two of the best brands in the biz (Technogym and Under Armour), Trump has done a brand-wide sweep of all in-room dining, quick dining and minibar options to make them all healthier and locally focused wherever possible. Kudos to Trump for going over the top – in a very good way.
Sad Hotel News: Carbon Monoxide Kills Young Boy At North Carolina Best Western
It was reported this week that a young boy was killed by carbon monoxide at a North Carolina Best Western hotel. The room, which was directly above the hotel’s pool heating equipment, also had caused the death of an elderly couple earlier in the year. While the incident is certainly unfortunate, it illustrates a scary fact – hotels are not often required to have in-room carbon monoxide detectors. If you feel faint, dizzy, or develop severe headaches in your hotel room, alert a member of the staff immediately.

Cool Promo: Marriott’s Autograph Collection Develops A Limited Edition Cocktail Book With Jim Beam Bourbon
Capitalizing on the small-batch cocktail trend (and just in time for National Bourbon Day, today!) the Autograph Collection of Marriott, a portfolio of fun independent hotels, has launched a special limited edition cocktail book with special drinks inspired by 12 of the hotels. Sample a drink that reminds you of Scrub Island in the BVIs or the Bohemian Hotel Savannah Riverfront. Scrub Island did a “Scrub Island Dream,” a mix on a Dark and Stormy with bourbon, passion fruit puree and ginger beer, while the Bohemian reinvented a classic gin martini with a mix of Bourbon, amaretto, bitters and orange juice dubbed the Maritime Martini.

Thieves Steal 200-Pound, Hot-Pink Bulldog In West Hollywood

by Libby Zay on

West Hollywood is searching for a lost dog: a 10-foot-tall, 200-pound, hot-pink bulldog, to be more specific. The Los Angeles Times reports the dog sculpture was stationed along Santa Monica Boulevard as part of an art installation put in place in advance of last Sunday’s gay pride parade. But it went missing on Monday, perhaps as a prank, or because someone wanted the dog in their personal collection.

The LA Times says William Sweetlove, the Belgian artist behind the bubblegum-colored canine, is asking the dognappers to come forward, and will even reward anyone who leads him to the missing pink pooch with a frog statue worth $1,600. There’s no word on what the lost pink dog is worth, perhaps to discourage others from stealing the artist’s five other statues lining the boulevard. Meanwhile, local police are reviewing video surveillance from nearby businesses to try and find the culprit(s).

Watch A Man Catch Keys Mid-Air On Roller Coaster (VIDEO)

by Libby Zay on

Remember that one time Fabio was smacked in the face by a goose while riding a roller coaster? Maybe if Fabio had cat-like reflexes – like the guy in the video above – his face would have been spared. While on a roller coaster ride in Spain, a pair of keys flew toward two riders while the coaster sped downhill. One of the riders reached up and grabbed them, and according to an account on Reddit.com, successfully returned the lost keys to their rightful owner. The perfectly timed, one-handed grab is pretty impressive. Watch and be amazed – and remember to always secure any loose items when you’re on a roller coaster, because most people aren’t as lucky as this guy.

Watch Out Boeing: Airbus A350 Takes Maiden Flight

by Libby Zay on

Watch out Boeing 787 Dreamliner, the Airbus A350 is nipping at your heels. The A350 was officially sent skyward Friday for a four-hour test flight in France, marking a new milestone in the battle between the two companies, who each hold a corner in the market for wide-body planes.

USA Today reports that thousands of people came out to see the plane take off in person, and about 60 Airbus workers in offices near Washington’s Dulles airport erupted in applause after the plane safely touched down at 8:06 a.m. eastern time.

According to the news outlet, Airbus plans to start delivering the 616 orders it has for the A350 sometime next year. By comparison, Boeing has already delivered nearly 60 787 Dreamliners and has more than 800 orders worldwide, despite some early issues with lithium-ion batteries that caused the entire fleet to be grounded for three months earlier this year.

American Airlines To Cram More Seats Onto Aircraft

by Reena Ganga on

As if squeezing into an economy-class seat wasn’t already a claustrophobe’s nightmare, American Airlines has announced plans to add even more seats to its planes, further encroaching on passenger legroom.

The carrier, which is trying to raise revenue following its merger with US Airways, will increase the number of economy class seats on its 737s and MD-80 fleet. The news came out after the airline’s VP of flight services made an announcement to the carrier’s flight attendants.

American Airlines says it doesn’t know exactly how many extra seats it will add, but airline consultant Michael Boyd told CNN that for the plan to be cost-effective, the airline would have to install at least 10 new seats in each aircraft. Adding what amounts to roughly two extra rows would mean taking 2.5 inches of legroom from each of the existing rows of seats.Freaking out yet? Well Boyd said passengers shouldn’t be too concerned at this stage. A slimmer seat design, along with changes to the bathroom and galley layout could save precious space. All up, he believes we might be left with about one inch less legroom once the new seats are installed. Still, it’s one inch too much for passengers who are already feeling the pinch.