Save and label wine corks – Souvenir tip

by Gadling Staff on

A great take-home and space-saving souvenir for wine lovers are corks from bottles you’ve enjoyed while traveling.

What to write on the cork is up to you, but I usually include the date, where, and with whom I drank the wine.

At home, purchase or salvage an empty vase, bowl, or jar and simply start keeping the wine corks in there. The cork-filled vase also passes for decoration over the fireplace or on a coffee table.

Over time you can re-visit your trips by pulling out a cork and reminisce about that day.

W Boston Hotel owner faces financial woes; files for bankruptcy

by Melanie Nayer on

The hotel has only been open a few months, but developers of the upscale W Boston Hotel and Residences are already facing financial problems. The owners filed for bankruptcy this week – a severe blow to the recently revitalized theater district area where the 28-story W Boston stood ground.

The W Boston was a welcome addition to Boston’s downtown theater district, which had been under construction for years working on the restructuring of worn facades and dilapidated buildings. The sheer glass exterior of the W Boston added a light to the darkening theater district streets giving Bostonians a reason to venture back to their old stomping grounds, which once hosted some of the best night life events and late-night clubs in the city. While the lights still shine bright on the theater marquees, there’s a dim shadow cast on the future of the W Boston.

According to documents filed in US Bankruptcy Court in Boston by SW Boston Hotel Venture LLC, a subsidiary of Sawyer Enterprises, the owners list liabilities of $100 million to $500 million.

The Boston Globe reported that several months ago, in an effort to help the ailing hotel group complete the project, the City of Boston provided a $10.5 million loan to the developer, claiming it would take another $234 million to finish the project. However, troubles began way before the opening.

The high-end touches and amenities added to the residences and hotel rooms were purchased on the assumption that people would the price for the W brand. Unfortunately, not everyone bought into the trendsetting digs.

As of the filing, the W Boston Residences are only 10 percent sold. The Globe reports the condominiums have sold for as much as $1.9 million for a three-bedroom and $345,000 for a studio. According to the W Boston website, hotel rooms average around $300 a night, depending on the day of the week.

Think overnight spa instead of red-eye stress – Airplane tip

by Gadling Staff on

Most people like to travel during the day, but I prefer to take the night flight and pamper myself. In my carry-on, I pack an eye mask, ear plugs, soothing music on my iPod, my fuzziest socks, and a journal.

As we start off, I order a glass of wine and write down my thoughts about the trip, and the top three things I have to do while I am there to feel like I experienced the place.

Then I sit back, listen to my music, wearing my eye mask and fuzzy socks. Before you know it, we have landed, and I am refreshed and ready to explore.

Documenting meals via beer coasters, cocktail napkins – Souvenir tip

by Gadling Staff on

Have you ever tried to recount an exquisite meal from a trip a couple months prior, only to discover that you really can’t remember that memorable meal?

Restaurants can help, as many of them provide their own unique “notebooks” to jot down those menu memories while they are happening: cocktail napkins and beer coasters.

Just make sure you carry an ink pen in your pocket or purse. When that fantastic bite of cheesecake or grilled lamb chops has your taste buds spinning, jot a few notes down on the napkin or coaster. It will make a perfect addition to your scrapbook.

Pro tip: note who was with you at that great meal, so you can reminisce with them later.

Luxury pet hotel to open in Savannah

by Melanie Nayer on

Pets need a little pampering, too, at least that’s what the owners of Catnip ‘n’ Biscuits believe. The new luxury pet ‘hotel’ is opening this Saturday in Savannah, Georgia, giving pet owners are new reason to leave town.

Catnip ‘n’ Biscuits, a doggie day care and luxury pet hotel, is similar to human hotels in that it has individual rooms for pets, heating and air conditioning, and recreational and eating areas, but the pet hotel offers something human hotels don’t: obedience school. “All pets are tested for temperament, and there’s an attendant on duty at all times,” said Cathi Denham, co-owner of the hotel. “We’re not a kennel with chain link fences and concrete floors. We have recycled rubber floors and theme rooms with toddler beds and TVs.” In addition, Denham says that pets older than 7 months must be spayed or neutered to attend the day care at her luxury camp (insert joke about illicit hotel room affairs here).

According to the website, dogs have their pick of luxury themed-boarding suites complete with a toddler bed and padded bedding and throw rugs, TVs and DVD players. Felines stay in kitty condos, a private area of the facility far away from all the dogs.

To make sure pets are well taken care of and to eliminate any parent-pet anxiety, parents can check in our their furry friends via Web cams, thanks to state-of-the-art equipment the owners installed in the camp area.

Laugh as you might over this new luxury amenity but there’s a simple fact that makes this hotel a cash cow: Data from the American Pet Products Association, a not-for-profit trade association, estimates that $47.7 billion will be spent on pets this year, up from $45.5 billion last year and $43.2 billion in 2008.

[via Savannahnow.com]