If your hotel room has a mini-bar, check to make sure that all the bottles are sealed as soon as you arrive.
Some guests drink the beverages and refill the bottles with water or tea to avoid the high charges. If this goes undetected by hotel staff until after your stay (they do check for it, but aren’t necessarily always diligent about it), the items will be charged to your credit card.
If you find unsealed bottles, report it to the front desk right away.
When visiting a foreign country, especially one with an unfamiliar language, grab a book of matches from the hotel where you’re staying as soon as you arrive.
If you get lost in town during your stay, and you know just a little of the language, the book of matches will be a great way to show locals where you need to go, and have them direct you to the right place.
It’s time to get your green on.
The Montauk Yacht Club in East Hampton New York has had it with the snow and is prepping for summer weather by opening the resort a few weeks early. The Long Island resort has decided to open its doors on St. Patrick’s Day, a few weeks before its normal opening season and just over a month from now.
If you’ve always wanted to party like P-Diddy in the Hamptons, but you don’t have Diddy-dollars, this is your deal. To celebrate the signaling of Spring, the Montauk is hosting a lucky break rate starting at $109/night (promo code: GREEN), and the resort will offer free shuttles to the Montauk St. Patrick’s Day Parade on Sunday, March 22, 2010 from 12:30pm-4pm.
The Montauk Yacht Club Resort & Marina is located on 35-acres of waterfront property at the East End of Long Island, New York. The see-and-be-seen celebs converge during the summer season and guests can stay at one of the 107 guest rooms, 23 villas or dock at one of the 232-slips in the yacht marina.
Remember when you woke up and found Mike Tyson’s tiger in the bathroom? Good thing Bradley Cooper was there to keep you calm (he has a way about him, doesn’t he?). OK, it might not have been your bachelor party, but chances are there was one scene in “The Hangover” you could relate to… or at least try to forget.
While you’re searching your brain trying to remember exactly what happened that night, “The Hangover” continues to dominate the movie world and remind men (and their brides-to-be) exactly why what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas. But for those who can’t let go of that one night, the ultimate bachelor movie remains one of the top rentals in 2009, especially on vacation.
LodgeNet Interactive Corporation announced “The Hangover” took the top spot as the most rented hotel movie last year. The hilarious bachelor movie stars Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, Zach Galifianakis, and Justin Bartha, on their wild night in Las Vegas. Here are the other movies that topped the hotel download list:
1. The Hangover
2. Taken
3. Paul Blart: Mall Cop
4. Angels & Demons
5. The Proposal
6. Gran Torino
7. Inglourious Basterds
8. Quantum of Solace
9. X-Men Origins: Wolverine
10. The Ugly Truth
According to LodgeNet, in 2009 more than 320 movie titles were ordered on LodgeNet systems, with 41 of those titles each generating $1 million or more in sales revenue. With hotel movies averaging around $14, this means fewer people decided to go out to the movies and opted for a night in with a good flick.
What did you think of the movie titles available in the hotels you stayed in last year? What were some of your favorites?
The Hard Days Night Hotel is a Beatles-lover’s must-see, located right in the heart of Liverpool’s city center, just around the corner from the famous Cavern Club. I recently had the opportunity to visit said hotel, which Scott Carmichael told you about back in May (Liverpool Hard Days Night Hotel offers the real Beatles experience).
It’s easy to walk right by the hotel if you don’t know where it is (I did several times), so watch for the sandwich boards for Blake’s, the adjoined cafe. The anonymity of the exterior isn’t necessarily a negative thing; it keeps the onslaught of tourists from entering the hotel (and wandering the guest floors — each of which is locked by keycard for safety), and helps maintain an air of exclusivity for their glamorous Bar Four.
The hotel itself is a four-star luxury property overseen by General Manager Mike Dewey, with whom I had a brief chat and a tour. “We’re a luxury hotel first and foremost,” he said, “but it’s important for an independent hotel to have stuff that’s a little different. To be different is more difficult than you’d think.” I believe part of the struggle he’s referring to is how to keep your hotel in the “luxury” realm while fully expressing a theme like The Beatles. One expects tons of kitsch the moment they walk in the door — but that’s not really what you get. The theme work is surprisingly tasteful, from the enormous murals of John Lennon and Paul McCartney in their respective namesake suites to the “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” montage in Blake’s, where breakfast is served.
Sir Peter Blake himself has actually visited the hotel and the restaurant which bears his name. “He loved it,” said Dewey. “He was very accommodating, willing to sign anything.”
Beatles photos and memorabilia appear all over the hotel. Many rooms feature unique Beatles artwork by Shannon, and even the staircases are lined with photos of the Beatles’ glory days. What I found most impressive were the details, like the scores of … scores (sheet music) hanging from the lighting fixtures in the lobby and a “Rupert the Bear” emblazoned rug in the Paul McCartney suite — McCartney featured the bear in his 1984 music video for “We All Stand Together” and also created him a cartoon vehicle called “Rupert and the Frog Song.”
Two things you’re certain to find at The Hard Days Night Hotel are bullshit-free service (Dewey said his only rules are “wear your uniform and be nice to people”) and like-minded Beatles fans. “In most hotels,” said Dewey, “Sunday through Thursday you look after business people, and Friday and Saturday you look after leisure people. Here, we do leisure seven days per week.”
What, not eight?
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This trip was paid for by VisitBritain and VisitLiverpool, but the ideas and opinions expressed in the article above are 100% my own.