Hotel News We Noted: April 19, 2013

by McLean Robbins on

As we bring you this week’s “Hotel News We Noted” column, we must first take a moment to share our thoughts with the people in and affected by this week’s events in Boston and in West, Texas.

If you’re joining us for the first time, “Hotel News We Noted” is a weekly column bringing readers the best, oddest and most interesting news of note from the hotel world each week. We welcome reader tips via comments and email, so feel free to send us a note!

Hotel Security: Hotels In Boston Tighten Security
Earlier this week, we shared some basic safety tips for travelers both home and abroad, but we also have word that hotels in the Boston area have tightened security in response to the bombing earlier this week at the Boston Marathon. Hotel Management has reported that the Mandarin Oriental underwent a forced evacuation and, due to an “abundance of precaution,” Marriott, Ritz-Carlton, Starwood, Loews, InterContinental and Westin have upped security measures. Nearly all hotels have waived last-minute booking fees as well. Hotels in New York and Washington, D.C., have also upped security to some degree.

Unique Hotel: World’s First “Chocolate Hotel” Opens
A 13-room hotel in Bournemouth, near Dorset, has opened, featuring cocoa-themed rooms, cooking classes and a chocolate bar serving boozy cocoa-inspired cocktails, the Daily Mail has reported. The family run hotel is dubbed perfect for “hen nights and girlie get-togethers.” Guests paint their portraits with chocolate and enjoy sugar-high inducing amenities like chocolate fountains installed at the foot of each bed. The hotel is relatively affordable as well – £170 gets guests the “best suite” and single rooms start at just £65.Fit for a Princess: The Goring Wins “Top Afternoon Tea” Award
The Goring hotel, perhaps best known to Americans as the hotel where Kate Middleton stayed on the night before her wedding, now has a new honor. The hotel was awarded one of the highest accolades from the UK Tea Guild, The 2013 Top London Afternoon Tea Award. Now in its 28th year, The UK Tea Council’s Tea Guild Awards are considered to be The Oscars of the tea world. The Goring was judged by anonymous tea inspectors on 16 categories including décor, efficiency of service, tea appearance and flavor. Want to try for yourself? It’s relatively affordable, starting at $49 per person USD.

Hotel Opening: The Graham Georgetown
Washington, D.C., has had a busy few weeks with hotel openings, and now the Georgetown area boasts a new boutique hotel, The Graham. The revamped and renamed hotel offers just 57 rooms (all suites) plus a rooftop lounge called The Observatory, which will be the only public rooftop lounge in Georgetown. Expect a popular cocktail lounge, A.G.B., Bvlgari spa products, a 24-hour gym and a prime location off to M Street.

[Image Credit: The Graham]

Hotel News We Noted: April 13, 2013

by McLean Robbins on

Welcome to spring, “Hotel News We Noted” readers. If you live on the East Coast like we do, you’ve been experiencing downright balmy weather and it’s making us crave summer resort escapes, ocean breezes and open-air roof terraces. Lucky for you, we have lots of that kind of info in this week’s column. This week, as always, we round up the best, the worst and the most interesting news in the hotel industry, tracking resort openings, pampering packages and other reportings from our travels – which this week includes a recap of our recent trip to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.

Have a hotel we must visit or a tip you can’t wait to share? We welcome your feedback and comments, so feel free to shoot us an email or leave a note below with ideas and thoughts.

Over-The-Top Hotel Package: Viceroy’s $500,000 Once-In-A-Lifetime Wedding
Television and magazines have shown us that a wedding can certainly be a lavish affair. But by just about anyone’s standards, a $500k wedding package is over the top. As part of a celebration of their new experiential video, Viceroy Hotels and Resorts is offering a Destination Wedding Package for just that price. But what do you get for half a million? The package includes:
· A Marchesa bridal gown
· Fitting and alterations by exclusive couture tailor Madame Paulette in New York
· A complete Marchesa for Lenox china set (12 settings)
· A three-night destination wedding for up to 75 guests at the Viceroy Hotel or Resort of your choice, which includes a Welcome Reception, Rehearsal Dinner and Wedding Ceremony and Reception
· 60 Guestrooms at any Viceroy Hotels and Resorts property for the three nights of the wedding

While this package seems quite expensive, it does include an all-expenses paid wedding for you and 75 guests, plus your gown and china. What do you think? Would you buy this once-in-a-lifetime offer, or get a house instead?Travel Recap: The Latest On Cabo’s Hotel Scene
Cabo has long been a playground for Hollywood’s rich and famous, a safe yet tropical jaunt down from LA that’s known for its high-end hotels and discreet service. It’s also one of our favorite vacation destinations, and we just returned from a five-day trip.

This time, we stayed at Capella Pedregal. The area’s newest ultraluxury resort opened in 2009 and doesn’t disappoint. With fewer than 100 rooms and a spa ranked as one of the top ten in the world, the hotel features amenities that most would deem celebrity worthy, including private plunge pools in every room, personal assistant service and entrance through a man-made tunnel carved into Pedregal Mountain. It’s no wonder that A-listers like Reese Witherspoon have made this a regular stop in their vacation rotation. Visitors seeking a true VIP experience should opt for the Estrella Suite, which overlooks the resort and offers prime sunrise views, or a beachfront Casita, which features a private beach area, oversized pool and bathrooms that open directly to the outdoors.

We also visited two of the area’s other grande dame hotels: Las Ventanas Al Paraiso, a Rosewood property, and Esperanza, an Auberge property. Both have their own loyal followings, and also boast fewer than 100 rooms. Notable updates at Las Ventanas include a newly re-launched spa menu focused on holistic treatments, a new menu at their fine dining restaurant focusing on high-end specialty dishes from around Mexico and plans to close the property in May for several weeks to complete new luxury villas on the beachfront. Esperanza also has made recent updates to their spa and fitness center, and continues to boast one of the best fine dining restaurants in the Cabo area, Cocina del Mar, located on a rocky outcropping with exceptional sunset and views of crashing waves.

In other notable Cabo hotel news, San Jose del Cabo just got a new boutique hotel opening of its own. This slightly quieter and more traditional town is located about 30 minutes from Cabo San Lucas. The 72-room Hotel El Ganzo (which translates to “The Goose”) boasts a rooftop bar, three farm-to-table restaurants, a Film Club, a recording studio accessible through a trap door in the lobby floor, a full-service spa and a cool line-up of artists and musicians in residence. Located at the base of the marina in an old fisherman’s wharf, the property offers exceptional views of the Sea of Cortez as well. At just $193 per night for the opening rate, this property’s a steal and well worth a visit.

Want more Cabo news, plus images of the trip? Check out our photos on the Gadling Instagram from this past week.

Article Update: Hotel Wi-Fi
Last week, we told you that IHG had made a big deal over the advent of free Wi-Fi for their loyalty program members, and we mentioned a few other hotels that also offer a similar benefit. We inadvertently forgot to mention that Canadian-based Fairmont Hotels and Resorts also has offered complimentary Wi-Fi for their President’s Club loyalty program members worldwide since 2006.

[Image Credit: Capella Pedregal]

Hotel News We Noted: April 5, 2013

by McLean Robbins on

Hola and buenos tardes from sunny and warm Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, “Hotel News We Noted” readers. This week, as always, we round up the best, the worst and the most interesting news in the hotel industry, tracking resort openings, pampering packages and other reportings from our travels.

Stay tuned next week for a special edition, including a full recap of our Cabo exploration. We welcome your feedback and comments, so feel free to shoot us an email or leave a note below with ideas and thoughts.

Hotel Wi-Fi: IHG Announces Free Global Wi-Fi for Travelers … An Innovative or a “Finally, What Took You So Long” Moment?
Late last month, InterContinental Hotels Group announced that they were offering free Wi-Fi to all loyalty members worldwide, regardless of whether or not a guest was staying at the hotel. The announcement bandied about terms like “first in the hotel industry.” We wanted to do some digging before reporting this to you. The statement was bold, and in some respects, it’s true. When we asked, IHG told us the following:

While some of our competitors do offer free Internet in some of their hotels or in some regions, IHG is the first and only global hotel group to offer free Internet to all of our loyalty program members in all hotels, regardless of whether they are staying with us, conducting a business meeting with colleagues, or simply stopping in for coffee. In other words, our IHG Rewards Club, as the program will be named come July, members do not have to be staying in the hotel to take advantage of free Internet access.

Another key factor that separates IHG from our competitors is our sheer global scale – more than 4,600 hotels in nearly 100 countries and territories – and likewise for our loyalty program, which has more than 71 million members (the largest of all hotel loyalty memberships).

They are right: IHG is the first global hotel company we can find to offer free Wi-Fi to loyalty members, although there is a caveat: Wi-Fi is free to Elite status members from July 2013 on, and for all members beginning in 2014.

That said, they aren’t first to market. Luxury brand Capella offers gratis Wi-Fi to all travelers, as do most Four Seasons. Kimpton, which currently has only U.S.-based hotels, offers free Wi-Fi to loyalty members (without requiring a stay) and has since 2009. While we’re glad to see IHG touting their new benefit, perhaps they shouldn’t be so excited to push that they are offering a service that several of their competitors have been offering for years.
Hotel Openings: The Sirtaj Beverly Hills
Beverly Hills’ newest boutique hotel destination is now open. Marketed as a “chic, sexy retreat with a scent of spice and a nod to the east,” the SIRTAJ is named for the Indian word meaning “highest crown.” The 32-room hotel features contemporary decor and luxurious touches like 42-inch smart TVs and Lavazza espresso makers in each room. The indoor-outdoor restaurant dishes up organic cocktails and craft beers, and nice touches like complimentary breakfast either in-room or in the hotel restaurant are welcome perks.

Haute Hotel Package: Pie Camp at Paws Up
We’ve loved this ultra-luxe Montana resort ever since we visited a few years back to explore the glamping trend, and now Paws Up is at it again with a new “Upper Crust” weekend for baking enthusiasts. By day, visitors will enjoy baking, wilderness and food photography lessons from Kate McDermott, of the famed Art of the Pie in Seattle, and New York Times photographer Andrew Scrivani. At night, they’ll retreat to the resort’s private vacation homes and enjoy food prepared by Robin Leventhal (of “Top Chef” fame) and wine pairings. The event doesn’t take place until October, but spots fill fast. Three all-inclusive nights are $5,361 for two or $3,102 for one.

Luxe Hotel Amenity: Ritz-Carlton Turns to Asprey
The Ritz-Carlton has made the shift from Bvlgari in-room amenities to Asprey’s Purple Water fragrance. The ultra-luxe Brit-based brand boasts a purple jacquard print tube and will now be found in all guest rooms and suites. It’s a notable change for the brand, and, to the best of our knowledge, Ritz is the only hotel partnering with Asprey for in-room amenities.

Green Hotel: Fiji’s Turtle Island Goes Almost 100 Percent Solar
Fiji has always been an escape for travelers seeking extraordinary natural experiences, but now the island nation is better than ever. A multi-million dollar renovation has rendered Turtle Island the greenest place in Fiji, with nearly 1,000 solar panels providing, on average, an island powered by 85 percent solar power. The new solar installation on Turtle Island produces 1 mega watt of power a day, enough to cover 100 percent of the power needs of the island on a sunny day. Even on rainy or cloudy days, the backup generator reduces the total solar power to about 85 percent, maintaining outstanding energy efficiency. As if we needed yet another excuse to visit the all-inclusive luxury retreat.

[Image Credit: The Sirtaj]

Hotel News We Noted: March 22, 2013

by McLean Robbins on

Welcome to this week’s edition of “Hotel News We Noted,” where we round up the best, most interesting and just downright odd news of note in the hospitality world. As always, we welcome your tips, so feel free to leave comments below or send us an email.

Hotel Opening: Capella Washington, D.C., Georgetown
Finally, after what seems like months of waiting, our “Birth of a Hotel” feature property has opened its doors. The 49-room ultraluxury hotel features personal assistants for each guest, 24-hour check in and check-out, a locally-focused restaurant, The Grill Room, and a spirits focused bar, The Rye Bar. Boasting a prime location along the C&O Canal in the city’s prime Georgetown neighborhood, the property has been called one of the States’ most exciting openings of 2013.

Gansevoort Las Vegas To Open in Early 2014
Style seekers jet-setting to Las Vegas now have more than ever before to be excited about. Along with the new Nobu hotel and the planned 2014 opening of SBE’s first Las Vegas property, Gansevoort Hotel Group and nightlife guru Victor Drai have announced plans to build their first Las Vegas property in the former Bill’s Gamblin’ Hall & Saloon location. A planned $185 million renovation will transform the property into 188 Parisian-style guest rooms, including 19 suites, plus a 40,000-square-foot casino, destination restaurant and high-end retail shops. The resort will also include Drai Beach Club and Nightclub, a 65,000-square-foot indoor/outdoor nightclub/pool experience. The After Hours by Drai club will remain, and this venue will be included in the planned LINQ development, opening in late 2013.Hotels Celebrate Earth Hour on Both Coasts
March 23 (tomorrow) marks “Earth Hour,” the world’s largest single environmental event. Hotels coast to coast are turning off their lights at 8:30 p.m. tomorrow for an hour, making a commitment to the environment. Hotels are participating in the event in various ways, including:

  • Fairmont Miramar will have lighted candles around the property, which will produce a very picturesque sight under the iconic Moreton Bay Fig Tree at the hotel’s entrance.
  • The Sheraton New York Times Square is dimming the lights and offering guests several “green” treats, including a special “Green Cocktail” for guests in their 44th floor club lounge.
  • Ritz-Carlton hotels around the globe well also participate in the celebration, including candlelight yoga at the Doha property, LED candles in Barcelona and a naturalist guiding guests in constellation spotting at the Laguna Niguel property.

Something Borrowed, Something Brewed: Hotel Offers Special “Wedding Beer” Packages
Brides and grooms might not think of Four Points by Sheraton Los Angeles International Airport as a great destination for beer, but they should perhaps think again. The new “Hoppily Ever After” package from the hotel leverages the trend of offering custom cocktails at the wedding reception and takes personalization one step further – the couple can work hands-on with a brewer to create a custom wedding beer through a partnership with local Enegren Brewing Company, where they can create up to 30 gallons of beer to be served on their special day. The hotel also has an onsite beer restaurant and pub, Brewster’s – a Beererie, featuring an extensive 100-beer menu including many local, regional, national and international craft beers and microbrews. The Hoppily Ever After Package must be booked at least three to four months in advance to ensure the brewing process is completed by the reception date but is just $1,500 – $2,000.

[Image Credit: Four Points by Sheraton]

Hotel News We Noted: March 16, 2013

by McLean Robbins on

Luck o’ the Irish to you, hotel fans. Welcome to this week’s edition of “Hotel News We Noted,” where we round up the best, most interesting and just downright odd news of note in the hospitality world.

As always, we welcome your tips, so feel free to leave comments below or send us an email.

Hotel Opening: The Ritz-Carlton, Abu Dhabi, Grand Canal
The 532-room luxury resort is the first Ritz-Carlton in Abu Dhabi and the ninth property in the Middle East for the brand. This ultra-luxury destination has seen a slew of new properties in recent years, and the Ritz-Carlton will likely become a favorite. Inspired by the architecture of Venice, the waterfront hotel is actually comprised of ten buildings set in a crescent overlooking a large pool with the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque as the backdrop. A highlight for luxury seekers? The hotel features 85 private one- and two-bedroom villas, as well as five F&B offerings, ensuring that travelers never get bored of eating on property.

Blame it on the Booze: Man Arrested After Flashing Guests at South Carolina Hotel
Here’s an item for news of the weird. A 20-year-old man was arrested last weekend after flashing guests of a Charleston, South Carolina DoubleTree hotel. The guests were gathered for a wedding and spotted a young man waving at them from his hotel window. Minutes later, the man returned and showed the guests his “goods,” shall we say politely. We’ll spare the sordid details: the full story is here, at the Daily Mail.

Spring Break Savings at Stylish Hotels
We’ve got quite a number of discounts to show you this week. Check out our favorites:

  • More than 50 members of Preferred Hotel Group worldwide – including some of the newest hotels on the market – are offering some pretty great discounts for their suites, a discount of 20-50% on the regular rate. Discounts include 20% off rooms at The Mark Hotel in NYC, Hotel de Paris Saint-Tropez in Saint-Tropez, France, and the new ME London as well as Miami’s hot, hot, hot SLS South Beach. For families heading to Disney World … the newly renovated Villas of Grand Cypress is offering 30-50% off its one-bedroom villas (discount dependent on date).
  • The oceanfront 13-villa Trident Hotel opens next month, and the first guests are enjoying a suite deal – 50% off rates (which means rooms start at $375 per night, normally $750) for travel until April 17. We spilled details a few weeks ago about the hotel – but this sounds like a great deal for value-conscious jetsetters looking for a last-minute getaway.
  • Viceroy Hotel Group is offering a flash sale starting Monday, where you’ll save a minimum of 15% at their stylish selection of worldwide hotels (50% in the Maldives and Riviera Maya) and resorts, plus enjoy upgrades, resort credits and more.

Adorable Amenity: Bedtime Snack Cart at Vanderbilt Grace
Newport, Rhode Island’s Vanderbilt Grace hotel (part of the Grace collection) has a kid-friendly amenity we can’t help but think is pretty creative. The hotel rolls in a “bedtime snack” cart for kids (with parents’ permission, of course) with items ranging from fruit and cereal to cookies and popcorn.

[Image Credit: Ritz-Carlton Abu Dhabi]