Daily Pampering: Get a Running Concierge

by Annie Scott on

It can be hard to keep up with your workout regimen when you’re out of town. The Westin Jersey City Newport has an extra special service to help you stay on your game — one which is likely to be copied all over the world: The Running Concierge.

The Running Concierge is a free service for anyone who wants to go for a run during their stay. Yes, there are treadmills in the fitness center at the hotel, but who wants to be cooped up indoors when they’re in a location like Jersey City or Newport; safe, friendly cities with stunning views of Manhattan?

The Running Concierge meets you in the lobby and takes you outside to start stretching. During your stretches, you can talk about how hard you’d like to push, how far you’d like to go and if there are any special places you’d like to see. Need to know where the nearest grocery store is? That can be included in your run. Two birds, one stone.

The current Running Concierge at The Westin Jersey City Newport is Dawn Waters, a friendly guy who can take you all around the boardwalks and show you the glittering New York City morning skyline. Whether you want to go one mile, three miles, eight miles or take breaks every couple of minutes, he’s happy to help make your run a good one. Waters is passionate about running and does this job in addition to his duties as Business Travel Sales Manager — in fact, it was his idea.

Knowing that you have an appointment with the Running Concierge makes you at least twice as likely to actually go out and run. It’s not often that you can get a luxury service like this for free.

Want more? Get your daily dose of pampering right here.

I visited The Westin Jersey City Newport as their guest, but the opinions expressed in this article are 100% my own.

Frommer’s travel tools provides nine handy iPhone apps in one

by Scott Carmichael on

Frommer’s just released their newest iPhone/iPad/iPod Touch application – Frommer’s Travel Tools. Their previous applications were mobile versions of their guidebooks, but this newest application acts as a 9-in-1 travel companion.

The app offers the following tools:

  • Tip calculator
  • Packing list
  • Postcards
  • Currency converter
  • Unit converter
  • Time translator
  • Travel trivia
  • City guides Flashlight
  • “Apps we love”

The best part of the application is the price – $0. Unlike some other travel companion apps, the Frommers app is surprisingly comprehensive. The tip calculator lets you split the check, and select the required tip level. The currency calculator can download the latest rate charts, and the postcard feature lets you pick images from a large collection of Frommer’s photos.

All in all, a great little tool to have on your phone. You’ll find the Frommer’s Travel Tools in the App store, or on the Frommer’s Mobile app site.

%Gallery-90410%

W Hotels drops two landmark New York properties; Wyndham’s Fashion 26 enters NYC

by Melanie Nayer on


New York revealed its newest fashion accessory today: Wyndham Fashion 26 hotel, a luxury hotel in New York’s Chelsea neighborhood. Following a few months of delays in opening the trendy hotel, Fashion 26 finally greeted guests into the new art-and-style space.

The hotel is located across the street from the famous Fashion Institute of Technology, and set in one of New York’s trendiest districts. The hotel’s own accessories are created from fashion favorites including cutting room tables and camera lights, and the hallways will host a rotating art program, including some pieces from local New Yorkers and students at FIT. According to a press release from Wyndham, the hotel will feature luxury amenities including Frette linens, free wireless Internet and Gilchrist & Soames toiletries.

Fashion comes at a cost, though: rooms are currently priced starting at $299/night.

Meanwhile, Starwood’s W Brand is dropping two of its landmark New York hotels — The Court and The Tuscany. In a statement on Starwood’s website:

W New York – The Court and W New York – The Tuscany will be leaving the Starwood system on April 14, 2010 at 11:59 PM. Reservations for dates on or after April 14, 2010, at 11:59 PM will not be eligible for Starwood Preferred Guest membership benefits, award redemption or accrual.

According to HotelChatter.com, Starwood signed an agreement to sell W New York – The Court and W New York – The Tuscany to the St. Giles Hotel. The hotel’s new owner has agreed to honor all local negotiated rates previously signed by W The Court and W The Tuscany for confirmed reservations. For further information on St. Giles Hotels, please call 1-888-406-8588 or visit www.StGilesNewYork.com.

W Hotels currently has four hotels in New York City and is planning on opening the W New York – Downtown, later this summer.

New sight on the Strip: Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas to open mid-December

by Melanie Nayer on

The struggling economy in Las Vegas sent tourism officials into overdrive in 2009. The results: More hotels, more casinos and more entertainment options. The opening of Las Vegas CityCenter marked the first step in the city’s attempt to drive tourism dollars — a mini-city smack in the middle of the busiest street in the desert was sure to drive a new type of Sin City crowd. As CityCenter continues to roll the dice on the opening of new restaurants, hotels and residences, other hotel companies are placing their bets that a ‘newer’ Las Vegas will boost the ailing economy.

The newest headline on the marquee: the $3.9 billion Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, which is scheduled to open mid-December.

The new casino-resort hopes to attract more visitors to Vegas with its 13 restaurants, a spa, nightclub and 150,000 square feet of meeting space. It will feature a rooftop pool deck overlooking the Strip and a 3,800-space underground parking garage. The hotel will have a total 2,995 rooms (only partially open by December) and the decor is said to be elegant and, well, cosmopolitan. Each room at the Cosmopolitan has its own terrace and, for the thrill-seeker, a 40th-floor open-air balcony overlooking the Strip. While the scene is likely breathtaking, it’s not for the faint of heart. (A steel-enforced railing bar keeps you about two feet from the terraces’ edge.)

The purpose: to drive a newer, more modern clientele to the famous Strip. The problem: the city’s declining tourism rates.

According to the Department of Transportation statistics, Las Vegas still has a lot of catching up to do. In 2009, the city’s hotel rooms garnered 22 percent less per night than in 2008 – a steal for travelers; a black hole for the books. However, the billions of dollars poured into these new hotels and resort complexes are meant to inspire a new type of traveler looking for more than $5 bets and winning slot machines.

Cosmopolitan Chief Executive Officer John Unwin, a former Caesars Palace general manager, told the Associated Press the resort’s construction is fully funded and plans are firm to have all of Cosmopolitan’s rooms open by July 2011.

How to break into a hotel room with a rubber band

by Jeremy Kressmann on

This past February, we showed you a video of how easily a thief could break into a hotel room, using nothing more than a simple piece of wire. Apparently that’s not the only way. According to a recent video posted at Blackbag, the blog of professional lock picker Barry Weis, a hotel room chain lock can be opened with nothing more than a simple rubber band. Watch in disbelief as a hand slips through the crack in the door, latches on a rubber band, and pulls the chain out of the bolt. It’s an amazingly cunning trick, thought it does raise a few questions. For instance, how would a thief using this trick get the door open if it was locked from the outside?

Before breaking into a state of safety hysteria, remember that not every hotel room is a burglary waiting to happen. Use common sense and don’t leave your valuables lying around when you leave the room. Use the in-room or hotel safe. And if possible, try to stay in rooms with bar-style locks rather than chain ones.

[Via View from the Wing]