Kimpton’s Summer Deals – all over the US and Canada!

by Annie Scott on

Kimpton has a number of great specials going on this summer, and if you’re booking any last minute travel (before September 7th), you can totally take advantage!

Their Summer Playground Package, which starts at just $199 per night (enter PLGD in the rate code box or mention “Summer Playground” when calling 1-800-KIMPTON), includes comfy amenities like a $25 food and beverage credit and an in-room movie with popcorn. That doesn’t sound too playground-y, but how about this stuff:

  • Play a game for upgrades. I’m talking rock paper scissors or a hula hoop challenge. You could get a free upgrade.
  • Sangria Happy Hour. Need I say more? There are also “Play Dirty” and “Play Nice” -themed cocktails available.
  • Virtual Wii Sports. Get your golf, tennis, or baseball game on.
  • Tag! They have playground-themed luggage tags available in the lobby.

If the Summer Playground Package sounds like a bunch of insanity to you, perhaps you’d be more interested in the “Cocktail or Breakfast for Just $1 More” deal … which is exactly what it sounds like.

The above deals are available at all of Kimpton’s nearly 50 hotels throughout the US and Canada, but there’s even more special stuff happening at NYC’s 70 Park Avenue, where you can “Shape Up Your Stay” (starts at $229 — which is pretty darn cheap for New York!), a package which includes:

  • 20% off the Best Available Rate
  • Healthy Power Bar and bottled water
  • Complimentary in-room yoga basket for use while at the hotel
  • Jump rope
  • Personalized running route mapped by the concierge

If you like to see some art when you head into to New York, both 70 Park Avenue and The Muse (also in NYC) are offering a “Summer Art in the City” package. This package starts at just $199 per night and includes a complimentary breakfast, a bottle of wine upon arrival, and unlimited daily MTA metrocard — which will take you directly to the ferry to Governor’s Island, where there’s a huge public art quadrennial called Plot 09: This World & Nearer Ones, which features works by artists from nine different countries, including Patti Smith and Mark Wallinger. You also get a map of Governor’s Island. (Rate code: PSMA.)

Basically, Kimpton is rocking this summer. They’ve just earned the Top 2009 Customer Satisfaction Ranking from Market Metrix Hospitality Index — topping their own previous winning scores with a 94.7 percent — beating out Fairmont Hotels & Resorts, W Hotels, and other leading luxury hotel chains.

And the low prices they’re offering at their chic boutique hotels in these tough economic times are no coincidence. “Over Kimpton’s 28 years in business, I don’t believe we’ve ever seen travelers in greater need of the extraordinary kindness and care they find at our hotels,” said Niki Leondakis, chief operating officer, Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants.

So, if you’re traveling anywhere in the US and Canada before September 7, be sure and check out the nearest Kimpton. And if your next trip is happening after that date? Stay tuned; we’ll tell you what’s up.

Weird and wacky finds from the hotel minibar

by Scott Carmichael on

I’m of the opinion that there are two kinds of hotel guest – one that is so scared of the hotel minibar that they’ll refuse to be handed the key, and one that makes it one of the first things they check out in their room.

I’m one of the latter – and find that the contents of the minibar says a lot about the quality of the hotel chain. A low end hotel chain may offer nothing more than a couple of bottles of water and some full size cans of soda. High end hotels may have as much as $2000 of items behind the door (their prices, not retail prices).

I’ve collected some of the weirdest things I’ve come across in the hotel minibar. And before you ask – yes, I too hate the automated minibar where a mere touch of the door makes a computer think you robbed the place.
W Hotel, Times Square New York

Many hotels know that their guests might/will get a bit frisky when they enter the room, and most of them understand that their guests don’t always carry “protection”. For that reason, the minibar may be where you’ll often find an assortment of intimacy products. The W Hotel at Times Square takes adult fun a little further with their “sex in the sheets” product. Sure, it isn’t really a minibar item, but it certainly is worth mentioning in this lineup.

For $18, someone will come up to your room with ice cream, a bunch of toppings and plastic sheets. I’ll leave it up to you to decide what these are for. Add $20 and you get a disposable camera. Kinky!

Edgewater Hotel, Seattle

The Edgewater is one of my personal favorites in Seattle. The whole place just feels more like home than most hotels, down to the contents of their minibar. Sure, they have the regular overpriced booze and soda, but they are also the only hotel I know of that will gladly sell you a teddy bear or rubber duck. Sure, some people may claim they want it for their kid back home, but I’m sure there are guests that gladly spend the $40 to have a companion to keep them company in their bed.

Hotel Rivington, New York

The hotel on Rivington is one of those hotels that tells a lot about itself just by looking at the minibar. This thing has it all – from full size bottles of Champagne to six (yes, six) different “intimacy products”. They also have T-Shirts, full bottles of Patron and $6 gummi bears. You can instantly tell this is an expensive minibar, because they don’t stock any regular soda, but they do have 8 different flavors of juice.

With the amazing view from their rooms, and the Tempur-Pedic bed, it is no surprise that they keep these items in the minibar, it is a very romantic hotel.

$18 rooms at The Copley Square Hotel!

by Annie Scott on

The Copley Square Hotel, Boston will be celebrating it’s 118th birthday tomorrow. What does this mean for you? Uber-cheap rates!

Starting at 1:18 pm ET and lasting 118 minutes, the Boston luxury hotel will offer rooms at $18 per night — up to 5 rooms per night (from July 14 until September 24, 2009) will be available for $18, and at least five more will be available for $118.

These rooms are going to be first come first serve, so be sure to visit their website right away at 1:18. The deal can only be booked through the website.

The Copley Square Hotel is Boston’s second oldest hotel, and just underwent at $18 million renovation. The property is environmentally friendly, WiFi equipped (complimentary), and has MP3 players, a fitness center and three venues for food and cocktails. Babe Ruth, President McKinley, Duke Ellington and Ella Fitzgerald have all stayed at The Copley Square Hotel.

Rates at this classy hotel normally average $265 – $590, so this is quite a bargain and a great excuse to visit Boston! Visit Copley Square Hotel Birthday Celebration for more information.

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A Super Dining Option at Westin Hotels and Resorts

by Kendra Bailey Morris on

Many of us travelers have had more than our fare share of average hotel dining experiences, especially when it comes to breakfast. I mean, let’s face it. How inspiring can a continental breakfast buffet of day-old scones and room temperature yogurts really be?

Toss in the fact that eating healthy on the road is its own particular challenge, and folks looking for a decent meal are often left to nosh on their own private stash of granola bars along with lukewarm in-room, coffee-maker-coffee, which while arguably better for you than a platter of greasy sausage links, isn’t particularly satisfying.

Lucky for us, Westin Hotels and Resorts has just unveiled a new breakfast and all-day dining menu that features nature’s very own Superfoods, which are best described as foodstuffs which make you feel…well…super.

Based on the nutritional concepts of the bestselling books published by Superfood Partners LLC, the concept is fundamentally simple. Superfoods are ingredients that are well-known for their health-enhancing benefits. Foods such as tomatoes, avocados, blueberries, salmon and nuts contain that ever-familiar, catch-word “antioxidant”. Antioxidants help to slow down the absorption of those evil, damage-causing free radicals that are often responsible for contributing to heart disease, diabetes, macular degeneration, even cancer.
Yet, the best part is that these Superfoods actually taste good, especially when found in carefully plotted combinations such as poached organic eggs and smoked salmon “Benedict”, blueberry-orange granola pancakes, and grilled turkey hash with sweet potatoes and tomato/arugula salad.

And, these goodies aren’t just for breakfast. Westin’s all-day dining menu is a combination of restorative dishes featuring well-known Superfoods including sesame soy-glazed tuna salad with edamame and broiled green tea-lacquered salmon with lemon shiitake essence. Like Westin’s breakfast offerings, each of these Superfood items is clearly defined on the menu by its signature SuperFoodsRx greenleaf logo, making it easy to spot.

It can be argued that Westin isn’t exactly reinventing the wheel here, but they are certainly tapping into a viable need- one that travelers, especially those who are frequently on the road for business, are beginning to seek out more and more. With both health and social awareness clearly on the rise when it comes to personal dining choices (check out the film Food, Inc. to see what I mean) there’s no doubt that Westin’s Superfoods program can fill a highly-publicized gap that will not only leave diners feeling super, but perhaps even a little healthier.

–Kendra

The Top 10 Luxury Hotels in the United States

by Annie Scott on

When I set out to create a list of the Top 10 Luxury Hotels in the United States, I found that there were so many options, it was quite difficult to choose.

First of all, there are the chains. In most cases, I don’t associate the word “chain” with “luxury,” but in the case of hotels, chains are actually very enticing. What list of luxury hotels would be complete without a Ritz-Carlton and a Four Seasons (both listed)? The advantage of visiting a chain is that they employ consistent standards of hospitality and accommodation, which ensure a luxurious stay. Sometimes, when you go to a boutique hotel, you don’t know what to expect. I think knowing what to expect is a luxury.

And yet, boutique hotels are often amongst the most luxurious (like the Chambers Minneapolis, which receives an honorable mention and is pictured above) — particularly the ones which offer unique experiences, or an undeniably authentic and exquisite taste of the local culture. I’ve done my best to include hotels from all over the country; not just the usual “destinations.” I tell ya, getting it down to ten involved Olympic levels of compare-and-contrast.

In short, it is difficult to define luxury, but I think you’ll find the hotels on this top ten list will exceed your expectations and anticipate your needs and desires, as well as provide you with delightful surprises! The people who say “luxury is necessity” haven’t been truly pampered.

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