Last-minute Valentine’s Day deals at Taj Boston

by Melanie Nayer on

Still haven’t made your Valentine’s Day plans? Typical of a procrastinator like yourself, but thankfully, hotels in the Boston area are still offering some sweet deals for the sugary event. Just be sure to book before she realizes you forgot…

The Taj Boston, located at the corner of Arlington and Newbury is offering last-minute planners a park-view suite, complete with a wood-burning fireplace and the services of a fireplace butler for $259. The “Sweetheart Package” is good for Feb. 13 and comes with added goodies including:

  • Welcome bottle of French champagne and chocolates
  • A silk and lace La Perla sleeping mask
  • $50 La Perla gift certificate
  • Valentine’s Day Sunday Brunch for two
  • 3 pm checkout

If you’re not ready to leave, or want to check in a few days earlier, pay only $195. You must reserve this package by Feb. 10.

Photo of the day 2.1.10

by Karen Walrond on

I admit it: I’m a sucker for a great shot from the flight deck. And this image, captured by Fly for Fun (otherwise known as our very own Kent Wien) is a beaut — I love the saturated colours and compelling lighting, shot as the flight was descending into Boston. Well done, Captain!

If you’ve got some great travel shots you’d love to share, be sure to upload them to the Gadling pool on Flickr. We might just pick one as our Photo of the Day.

Logan airport to continue offering free Wi-Fi

by Scott Carmichael on

Boston’s Logan airport has voted to continue to offer free Wi-Fi. The service had been free since Google sponsored it during the Holiday season.

Now, the addition of free Wi-Fi is certainly nice, but not really newsworthy. What makes this piece of news more interesting is that it puts an end to a long battle the airport operator had with others that offered Wi-Fi at “their” airport.

Back in 2005, Massport got rather upset when they realized that Continental Airlines was offering complimentary Wi-Fi in their club lounge. Of course, the airport claimed that the Continental system could interfere with the airport wide system.

What they really meant, was that they were annoyed that Continental offered free Wi-Fi, taking away revenue from the overpriced Airport system (at $7.95 per day).

In the end, Continental told the airport operator to take a hike, and got the FCC involved. Since Wi-Fi is in open unlicensed spectrum, the FCC agreed that Massport could not demand anything from Continental.

We are now five years past that incident, and the airport has probably made its multi-million Dollar investment back, which means anyone at Logan can finally enjoy free Wi-Fi without having to pay a penny. Fingers crossed other airports in the country pay attention.

Daily Pampering: Dash off to the Bahamas in style

by Tom Johansmeyer on

Travel would be great if it weren’t for airports, right? Even if you fly first class, there are still plenty of ways for the experience to go sour — from the morons in line at front of you at the security checkpoint to the long wait for your bags at the carousel. And on the plane, you have to cope with flight attendants and first class seating that falls short of the luxury you’ll experience at your destination. The solution, of course, is exclusive jet travel, and Linear Air has just what you need.

This upscale service takes the headache out of travel, making your experience top-shelf from start to finish — not just from arrival to departure. If you’re in New York or Boston and want to escape the cold for a while, take advantage of a special that Linear Air is running, with one-way fares dipping below $9,900 to the Bahamas. Once you set foot on one of the company’s Eclipse 500 jets, you’ll wonder why you ever bothered to fly with the
prolies.

Get your daily dose of pampering right here.

[Photo courtesy of Linear Air]

Nearly 100 new hotels to open across the U.S. in 2010

by Melanie Nayer on

If you build it, will they come? Hotels from Hyatt to Starwood – and all the boutiques in between – are prepared to put that question to the test this year. While some hotels continue to drop prices in an effort to fill rooms, other popular brands prepare to introduce travelers to new hotels in 2010.

The New York Times is reporting a slew of new hotels launching state side in 2010, with 46 of those properties residing in New York. Houston will open doors to approximately 30 new hotels and Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, Miami and Washington are also getting into the game.

On deck: Marriott will launch their boutique brand, The Autograph Collection; Hyatt opens its new Andaz properties; InterContinental will open four hotels, including a 592-room hotel in Times Square; Starwood will open six new hotels and others like Holiday Inn and Sheraton are planning new properties.

One of the more anticipated openings of the year happens next months in Los Angeles when the 878-room J.W. Marriott opens it doors at L.A. Live. It’s Ritz-Carlton neighbor is scheduled to start taking reservations for a March opening.