Hotel News We Noted: February 16, 2013

by McLean Robbins on

It’s that time again. We spent the week rounding up the world’s best places to go over the top for your love, but now Valentine’s Day is over and we’re back to tracking the best news in the hotel world, price not a factor.

Here’s this week’s “Hotel News We Noted“:

Get the Travel Bug: Tweet To Win
Relais & Châteaux’s “Winter Scene Around the World” Twitter contest runs through today. One lucky winner will enjoy a one-night stay in each of the Relais & Châteaux Northeast properties: The Surrey, Blantyre, Windham Hill Inn and The White Barn Inn, as well as a private cooking class with Grand Chef Jonathan Cartwright at The White Barn Inn. To win, tweet your favorite winter photo and using hashtag #RCWinter. Particularly for those of you that got the brunt of the Nemo storm, this should be a pretty easy way to win!

Hotels We’d Love to Visit: Where the Swimsuit Models Stayed
We heard lots about the 2013 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue this week, but most of the news was focused on cover girl Kate Upton’s shoot, which took place in Antarctica (Classic Antarctica with Abercrombie & Kent aboard ‘Le Boreal’). We’re a bit more interested in the exotic – many of the models spent close to two weeks at Rapa Nui on the remote Easter Island. It wasn’t cheap, either. Rates at Posada de Mike Rapu, explora Rapa Nui start at $2,385 per person for a three-night, all-inclusive stay.

Crazy Hotel Mascot: Falcons on the Team at Fairmont Jaipur
The falcon may be classified as a highly-endangered species, but the animal has found a new home at this luxury hotel. In the ancient times, falconry was a sport practiced by the Royal families, who hunted wild quarry using trained birds of prey. Shahid Khan, the only living Indian UNESCO certified falconer in India, is the proud owner of four falcons, and even boasts his own captive breeding program. Originally from Jaipur, Shahid comes from a long line of falconers and works with Fairmont Jaipur to keep pigeons away from the hotel.

Cool Hotel Deal: The Colder It Is, The Cheaper Your Upgrade
The Grand Hotel Minneapolis is embracing the winter weather and offering complimentary upgrades based on the temperature at check-in, and here, you pray for cold. If, for example, it’s 25 degrees on average, an upgrade is just $25. Added perks? Free hosted wine hour (red, whites and even hot toddies) from 5-6 p.m. every night and free Wi-Fi Internet and $10 worth of Mini Bar items for InTouch Members (it’s free to join). We wonder what happens if the average dips below zero …

[Image Credit: Grand Hotel Minneapolis]

Hotel News We Noted: February 9, 2013

by McLean Robbins on

Welcome to this week’s edition of “Hotel News We Noted,” where we round up the week’s best, most interesting and just downright odd news of note in the hospitality world. Have a tip? Send us a note or leave a comment below.

It’s Valentine’s Day: Kindle The Romance With One of Travel’s Richest Names
We’ve been tracking all things over-the-top this Valentine’s Day in an ongoing series, but we couldn’t resist passing on just one more piece of information we came across this week. Enjoy this Business Insider article about 2013’s wealthiest hotel owners in America. No word on the relationship statuses of these wealthy ladies and gentlemen, but we’re sure that girls (and guys) could dream.

Snap a Shoe: Four Seasons Gets Down At Fashion Week
Four Seasons Hotel New York is celebrating New York Fashion Week (now through Valentine’s Day) by offering up #FSShoeCam. The first-ever shoe photo booth will snap photos of the most fabulous shoes seen at fashion week – from booties to heels – worn by bloggers, fashion enthusiasts, Four Seasons guests, and just about anyone who wants to submit a photo. Of course, you could also tweet your own using the hashtag. We’re pretty sure that it’s a good excuse for you to don your most fashion-forward shoes, even if you’re watching live from Topeka, Kansas. Photos will be Instagrammed and Tweeted from @FSNewYork and @FourSeasons.

Haute Hotel Deal of the Week: Loews’ Academy Award Package
Loews Hotels & Resorts is joining in on the Oscar fun by offering guests the Hollywood treatment. Their “Red Carpet Room Service” package would make a great staycation at any of their numerous properties around the country. The package features Loews’ best available rate; a complimentary in-room film, which includes many of this year’s Best Picture contenders like “Life of Pi,” “Argo,” and “Silver Linings Playbook”; a $25 food and beverage credit; and buttered gourmet popcorn delivered to your room. It’s available through the end of the month.

[Image Credit: Loews Hotels]

Hotel News We Noted: February 3, 2013

by McLean Robbins on

Welcome to this week’s edition of “Hotel News We Noted,” where we round up the week’s best, most interesting and just downright odd news of note in the hospitality world. Have a tip? Send us a note or leave a comment below.

Welcome to February, friends. We’re feeling full of romance this month (have you checked out our series on over-the-top Valentine’s Day packages?) and of course, full of hotel news too … here’s this week’s latest.

Haute Hotel of the Week: Hyatt Regency New Orleans
Chances are, if you’re not already in New Orleans for the Super Bowl, you won’t be getting a room for tomorrow night. But if, in fact, you head to the Big Easy soon, check out this week’s Haute Hotel, Hyatt Regency New Orleans – the closest property to the former Super Dome (now Mercedes-Benz Superdome). The famed stadium has been completely re-done post Katrina, as has the aforementioned Hyatt. From the rooftop fitness center (formerly a revolving restaurant) to the airy atrium lobby and the James Beard Award-winning chef in the kitchen, this hotel deserves a visit.

News of Note: W Tops The Digital IQ Index
We’ll be reporting further on this later in the week, but the latest hotel research report is out and Starwood’s W Hotels and Resorts has topped the world’s list of the most digitally savvy hotel brands. From its online web presence to social media, W far exceeded all other brands in the biz.

A Hotel Fit For a Queen: The Goring Gets a Royal Warrant

The Goring in London has been famous for some time – and is now even more so thanks to its most well-known celebrity guest, Kate Middleton, who stayed at the hotel the night before her wedding in 2011. Now the hotel is enjoying another honor. It is the only hotel in the world to be granted a Royal Warrant by her majesty the Queen. What makes this even more special? It’s the first time a monarch has ever given this distinction to a hotel. The Goring has welcomed Royal guests ever since it first opened its doors in 1910 with the Coronations of George VI and since then, the present Queen filled the hotel with foreign royalty (she holds her annual summer garden party at the hotel).

Daring Designs: Sofitel Taps Karl Lagerfeld
The Sofitel brand has invested a large amount of money into its Asian expansion and they’re dong their best to ensure that the entrance to the market is well received. To celebrate their latest opening in Singapore, Sofitel Luxury Hotels has commissioned the famed head of the house of Chanel, Karl Lagerfeld, to design the emblem of the new Sofitel So Singapore, the third of the boutique line’s new luxury properties worldwide. The emblem will be displayed on the hotel’s exterior as well as on branded items throughout the property. This isn’t Lagerfeld’s first foray in to hospitality – he has worked in Monte Carlo and even created a chocolate hotel room.

[Image Credit: The Goring Hotel]

Hotel News We Noted: January 25, 2013

by McLean Robbins on

Welcome to this week’s edition of “Hotel News We Noted,” where we round up the week’s best, most interesting and just downright odd news of note in the hospitality world. Have a tip? Send us a note or leave a comment below.

News of Note: Hotel Industry Rebounding
Good news for the hotel industry, although perhaps not so great news for consumers seeking a deal. Early reporting from Smith Travel Research show that the hotel industry is growing, perhaps even rebounding to pre-recession levels. Houston, Nashville, New Orleans and Oahu are doing particularly well.

Hotel Opening of Note: Hard Rock’s new MEGAPOLIS in Panama
Panama has been a buzzy destination of late, with openings from brands like Westin and Trump, as well as a slew of other planned developments. The latest is the 66-story Hard Rock Panama Megaopolis (originally slated for 2011), featuring 11 bars, for restaurants and a nightclub, meaning the hotel is basically a mini Las Vegas or Atlantic City in Panama. The modern decor features a graphic rock artist wall that varies by floor and “tribal tattoo” themed carpets, HOTELS Magazine reports. Colors are bright, with orange, pink and purple playing a starring role. What do you think? Would you stay here, or leave this to the cast and crew of “The Jersey Shore”?

Openings We’re Excited About: The LEGOLAND Resort
If you’re a parent and reading this, we’d suggest you hide your screen from the kids. California is getting its first LEGOLAND Resort this spring (April 5, 2013, to be exact) and Mashable has a video (OK, really more like a glorified ad) that makes us wish we were 12 again. From a pirate ship and a castle to a bar just for the adults, this first Lego hotel in the United States is sure to be a kitschy yet clever hit. Think you’ve seen this before? Maybe you have – there are other hotels outside of the U.S., and a LEGOLAND theme park in Florida.

Weird Hotel Rooms Around the Globe
We sadly can’t take credit for this great roundup, but one of our favorite parts about this column is being able to share great hotel news we find ’round the web with our readers. A thanks to The Atlantic Cities for this package on the weirdest hotel rooms found worldwide, from former prisons transformed to hotels to ice hotels and capsule rooms. Have you seen a weird room not reported on in this column? Let us know and we’ll share it next week.


Coming up, we’ll round up some of the best over-the-top Valentine’s Day packages … so if you have an idea for sweet suite-style romance, send it over.

[Image Credit: LEGOLAND California Resort]

Hotel News We Noted: January 18, 2013

by McLean Robbins on

Welcome to this week’s edition of “Hotel News We Noted,” where we round up the week’s best, most interesting and just downright odd news of note in the hospitality world. Have a tip? Send us a note or leave a comment below.

Hotels to Spot the Celebs: Washington, DC’s Hottest Inaugural Lobbies
It’s officially here: Washington is celebrating its 57th Presidential Inauguration on Monday, Jan. 21. We’ve already covered how hotels are prepping for inauguration and some of our favorite over-the-top packages, but what about the best places for people watching? We’d park ourselves at the Four Seasons’ Bourbon Steak or Seasons, Adour at the St. Regis, Off the Record at The Hay Adams, the Round Robin bar at The Willard, POV or J&G at the W, Blue Duck Tavern at the Park Hyatt, the lobby of the Ritz-Carlton Georgetown, Quill at The Jefferson or West End Bistro at The Ritz-Carlton, Washington, DC. Washington Post’s Reliable Source is a great place to get the scoop on who is staying where this weekend … and who isn’t coming to town (Oprah, among others).

Tech-Free Trend: Leaving the Gadgets at Home
Could you go tech-free for a week or a weekend? Marriott seems to think so. They’re testing “Braincation Zones” at hotels across the Caribbean and Mexico, ABC News reports. This encourages guests to put down devices and truly relax. The article goes on to detail other hotels that encourage tech-free policies or tech-free zones. We’re totally inclined to put down our gadgets on vacation, but think that actually removing the ability to check email or make phone calls goes a bit far … we’d like the ability to make that choice on our own, thank you very much.

Hotel News of Note: QE2 to Become a Floating Hotel In Asia
Bloomberg Businessweek is reporting that the Queen Elizabeth 2, the former cruise ship that made waves in the luxury cruise space for more than 40 years is being converted to a floating hotel and will be docked in Asia. The property will open in 2014 and may move locations at some point, possibly to Dubai. How does the idea of staying in a floating hotel sound to you?

Hotel Openings: Tropicana Las Vegas
Hilton Honors members just found their next location for a Las Vegas vacation. The DoubleTree by Hilton has invested more than $200 million to renovate the 1,500-room, 35-acre resort. In celebration, Hilton is giving away monthly chances to win one million HHonors points as well as an ultimate Vegas vacation weekend on their Facebook page.

[Image Credit: ~MVI~ (running away from parties)]