Hotel News We Noted: November 10, 2012

by McLean Robbins on

It’s official, and hopefully you’re not too blue about it. We’re in for four more years of President Obama, but that doesn’t mean Washington (hotels) are any less excited about inauguration. We’ve been tracking what our favorite properties are doing to prepare, but also what’s going on in the hotel world at large for this week’s “Hotel News We Noted.”

As always, send us questions and comments via email, and don’t forget that our annual Black Friday / Cyber Monday roundup is fast approaching. If you know of a great deal, sent it out way.

Hotel Openings: The James Miami, Four Seasons Beijing, Kukui’ula Club Cottages, Andaz Amsterdam
It’s a big week in the world of hotel openings! Here are the highlights:

  • The James has expanded their brand to the hot, hot, hot Miami with the opening this week of The James Royal Palm. The renovated property (formerly The Royal Palm) will join The James’ brand of boutique hotels in New York and Chicago.
  • Prefer something a bit more exotic? Four Seasons has opened their first hotel in China’s capital this week. The 313-room property is close enough to be useful to downtown business travelers and leisure guests seeking access to China’s many cultural attractions too.
  • We’ve had our eye on Hawaii for some time now, as airfare from the East Coast has been unusually affordable. On our next visit, we’re excited to check out the new Kukui’ula Club Cottages on Kaua’i, 15-single family cottages right next to the main Plantation House. Hello, if the President rents a private home while in Hawaii, why shouldn’t we?
  • Hyatt’s most hip brand just got a bit cooler, thanks to the opening of the new Andaz Amsterdam. What makes it a haute hotel opening? Awesome art (think in-room video art installations), a bicycle repair shop on-site (the city’s first) and a new step forward for the brand, as it’s the first Andaz in mainland Europe.

Hotel of the Week: Secrets The Vine Cancun

It takes a lot for us to express a desire to visit Cancun, a city better known for spring break than relaxing resort vacations. We’re intrigued by the new Secrets The Vine Cancun, an upscale take on the all-inclusive option. The adults-only resort is inspired (as The Vine name suggests) by wine, and includes a bar with 3,000 wine varietals, sommelier-led classes and tastings, wine-inspired spa menus and private chefs dinners. It’s not a trip to France, but it’s still pretty cool.

Happening Hotel Package: Bond, James Bond at Trump Toronto
In celebration of Toronto’s special “Designing 007: Fifth Years of Bond Style” exhibit and the newest Bond film, “Skyfall,” Trump Toronto has launched a totally over-the-top package we’re dying to try. The $17,007 “Shaken Not Stirred: Bond on Bay” package includes a two-night stay in an Executive Suite on the hotel’s 30th floor, offering fantastic downtown views, access to a Continental Bentley GT for duration of stay, all meals, including dinner with champagne at STOCK™ Restaurant Bar & Lounge for two for the duration of the stay, admission for two to the exhibition and two movie passes to a Bond film at TIFF Bell Lightbox, as well return limousine service, designer cocktail dress and Hugo Boss tuxedo with private fitting at The Room, courtesy of The Hudson’s Bay Company, a spa experience at Quartz Crystal Spa™ that includes a couples massage, hair and makeup for her and manicure for him, a martini “Shaken not Stirred” lesson at Suits Lobby Lounge and an in-room bespoke chocolate from the Chocolate Lab at STOCK Restaurant Bar & Lounge, as well as complimentary fruit and cigar box. Stays are available through January 20 using code PKG007.

[Image Credit: Secrets The Vine Cancun]

Canadian Hotel Rooms Test High For Bacteria, Investigation Shows

by Laurel Miller on

Oh, Canada. You’ve got national healthcare and spectacular scenery, but your hotel rooms … those need work.

According to a recent CBC Marketplace investigation conducted by a microbiologist, six diverse chain hotels ranging from budget to high-end had, “high levels of contamination creating potentially hazardous conditions for guests.”

Marketplace apparently surveyed thousands of “high-touch” spots in 54 rooms, using a “an adenosine triphosphate (ATP) measuring device that determines microbial contamination on surfaces.”

The filthiest items likely won’t come as a surprise to frequent travelers: bed comforters, bathroom faucets, and remote controls took top honors for bacterial counts. Microbiologist Keith Warriner of Guelph University, who conducted the investigation, warns that hotel bacteria is a greater health risk to guests, because the germs come from literally thousands of different bodies. In the case of bedding, we’re exposed to those nasties for a longer period of time.

If money is tight, you’ll be happy to know that ubiquitous cheapie Super 8 had some of the cleanest bathrooms, while luxury hotels often had poor results. The big picture is that just because a room looks clean, doesn’t mean it is. Blame overworked (and likely underpaid) hotel staff, who often don’t have adequate time to deep-clean all of the required rooms on their shifts.

Here’s a tip: Bring your own pillowcase, fold down the comforter, and make friends with a bottle of Purell when staying in a hotel or motel. Otherwise, just look at it as an immune system-building holiday.

[Photo credit: flickr user adrigu]

Birth Of A Hotel: A Purely ‘Presidential’ Bathtub

by McLean Robbins on


It may be four more years for President Obama, but the presidential suite at Capella Washington has yet to be inaugurated. The latest on-property amenity, a 6-foot-wide bath stone tub, was installed earlier this week. We can even envision a Republican and Democratic bath-off … the hotel has two 1,300-square-foot presidential suites.

We wonder what high-rollers will be bathing in it on opening day.

“The Birth of a Hotel” is a Gadling-exclusive series that details what happens as a hotel prepares to open. Follow along with the articles and updates at “The Birth Of A Hotel” page, here. We’d also love to hear from you, our readers. If you have a topic about hotel development or trends that you’d love to see explored, email us or leave a comment below.

[Image Credit: Capella Washington D.C., Georgetown]

Star Power: Hotels Owned By Celebrities

by McLean Robbins on

As we’ve learned in the “Birth of a Hotel” series, a crucial part of a hotel’s pre-opening phase involves effectively marketing and creating “buzz” around a new or refurbished property. And when you have a celebrity in your ownership group, that job becomes just that much easier.

That’s the case with the soon-to-open Nobu Hotel (now accepting February reservations), where Robert De Niro is a critical partner in the renovation and re-branding of a tower within the Caesar’s Palace complex. An article in the Las Vegas Review-Journal this past weekend discusses De Niro’s hands-on (but not obsessive) involvement with the project, as well as the brand’s planned expansion to Saudi Arabia, London and Bahrain in the coming months and years. This isn’t his first project, either. He also owns The Greenwich Hotel in New York City.

Designers have long been involved in special partnerships with hotel brands – Diane Von Furstenberg has designed several hotel suites, including a new penthouse on Australian private island Hayman, Trina Turk designed beach cabanas for the St. Regis Princeville, and Lenny Kravitz (yes, the singer) was a key collaborator on the hot new South Beach hotel SLS South Beach. That of course doesn’t exclude big fashion houses like Ferragamo, Versace and Moschino, which have collaborated in design or ownership of luxury properties throughout Europe and the Middle East.

But is De Niro the only celebrity involved in the hotel ownership craze? Not at all. The properties below are owned (in whole or in part) by big name individuals.

Trump Hotels, Worldwide
Perhaps the most famous is The Donald himself, founder and partial or full owner of many of the eponymously named Trump Hotels. While the name is technically that of a management firm, Trump does own portions of several of his properties.

The Clarence, Ireland
Rock star Bono and band mate The Edge invested in this luxurious city property in 1992 during its refurbishment. Today, the 49-room boutique hotel draws a number of well-heeled guests each year.

Sundance Resort, Utah
Purchased by Robert Redford in 1969, what was once a sleepy local ski resort called Timphaven has become a worldwide mecca for film and fun every winter.

Bedford Post Inn, New York
This recently renovated eight-room inn is a favorite of celebrities like Martha Stewart, but it also boasts a similarly A-list owner, Richard Gere. Known as much for the food as for the rooms, the Relais & Chateaux hotel also boasts an in-house yoga studio.Coppola Resorts – Belize, Argentina, Guatemala, Italy
Famed filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola has more than just a vision for film. His resort company has launched a number of luxury projects, including hotels in Belize, Guatemala, Argentina and Italy.

Ariel Sands, Bermuda
Imagine liking a hotel so much, you decided to buy it. That’s exactly what Michael Douglas and wife Catherine Zeta-Jones did with this 14-acre resort in Bermuda. The couple technically owns shares of the property, not the entire thing, but they are also frequent guests.

Kasbah Tamadot, Morocco
We all know about Richard Branson’s famed Necker Island, but what about his luxury retreat in Morocco? It should come as no shock that the Virgin founder has more than one resort at his disposal.

Hotel Tetiaroa, French Polynesia
While filming a movie here in the late 1960s, Marlon Brando purchased the property now known as Hotel Tetiaroa. An eco resort called The Brando is also being built on the site currently.

Mission Ranch & Cypress Inn, Carmel-By-The-Sea
Carmel is a happening celebrity hotel town it seems. Clint Eastwood owns Mission Ranch, while Doris Day is the proprietor of the Cypress Inn.

Have a favorite we missed? Leave it in the comments, below.

[Image Credit: The Clarence Hotel]

Cruise Lines And Vegas: Once Foes, Now Friends

by Chris Owen on

In the past, cruise lines would recoil at being compared to a floating ’70s Las Vegas, even with their ships complemented with neon lights and production shows that featured plumed fan dancers. That belly-up-to-the-buffet stereotype was a bad rap that cruise lines tried to shake for decades.

But that was before both the world of Vegas and the world of cruise vacations survived the worst economic period since the Great Depression, grew up and figured out that they could help each other. Formerly seen as foes, competing for the same polyester-clad vacationer, the two popular travel options are now working together.

Royal Caribbean International and MGM Resorts International have announced an unprecedented strategic relationship that will allow members of both companies loyalty programs to share benefits. Beginning in January 2013, members of Royal Caribbean’s Crown & Anchor Society and MGM’s M life will receive top-shelf offers and benefits, growing as they prove loyalty by giving either company more business.”Whether on land or at sea, Crown & Anchor Society and M life members will enjoy unprecedented recognition for their dedication to our brands,” said Lisa Bauer, executive vice president of Global Sales and Marketing for Royal Caribbean International in a Miami Herald report. “We are delighted to be an M life preferred partner and welcome M life members aboard to experience our world-renowned Gold Anchor Service, innovative cruise ships, unexpected onboard amenities, and unforgettable itineraries to exciting destinations.”

MGM’s M life members will receive offers with a range of benefits when sailing with Royal Caribbean. As members advance to the next M life Tier Level, their cruise offers and benefits will grow. International and domestic cruises will be awarded during special MGM Resorts’ promotions and slot tournaments.

Royal Caribbean’s Crown & Anchor Society members will receive M life offers and benefits including pre-sale access to tickets for A-list concerts and championship boxing matches, priority reservations, priority hotel check-in, room upgrades, VIP services and more, based on their Royal Caribbean loyalty level.




[Photo Credit: Flickr user disneybrent]