Hotel Tonight lets you stay warm during the Midwest blizzard with iPhone room reservations

by Scott Carmichael on

Last week, we wrote about iPhone hotel app “Hotel Tonight”. When we first mentioned it, hotels could only be booked in New York, San Francisco and Hollywood. Just in time for the big Blizzard of ’11, Hotel Tonight has added Chicago, Boston and Washington DC.

Like the other cities, these new options let you pick a hotel room for tonight, and results display several price categories.

For tonight in Chicago (and our upcoming 22 inches of snow), you can spend the night for as little as $59.

Best of all, sign up and book a room, and you’ll get $25 off your first reservation. Invite friends from within the app, and you can earn an additional $25 each time one of them makes a reservation.

The app is free, and is available in the iTunes App Store.

5 reasons you should use AirBnB

by Elizabeth Seward on

I lived in New York City for over eight years. I spent many months out of those eight years traveling. With expensive rent due in each month I was away, I quickly mustered up the temerity necessary to regularly relinquish my apartment to a subletter from Craigslist. Craigslist did the trick well enough to keep me afloat and mobile all of those years in NYC, but Airbnb.com is better. At least for subletting arrangements. Here’s why:

1. Airbnb has profiles. Instead of opening up your house to, or crossing your fingers and staying with, total strangers, Airbnb has a profile system for users that allows you to take a closer look. You can read friends’ recommendations of users and you can check out reviews other folks they’ve worked with from the site have left. Granted, you’re still hosting or staying with complete strangers, but being able to scope their photos and interests will at least give you a better idea of who you’re going to stay with or host.

2. Airbnb pays you. If you read the above paragraph and thought, “Well, couchsurfing.com has profiles, too”, you’re right. Couch Surfing does have profiles. But with Airbnb, you can actually rake in some dough. List a room or two in your house, or the entire place, for whatever amount you want per night. And people pay to come stay with you–people who you get to look over and approve as guests first.
3. Airbnb allows you to be a guest. If you sublet through craigslist, you’re a subletter. If you travel using Couch Surfing, you’re a couch surfer. But if you accommodate yourself while traveling with Airbnb rooms, you’re a guest. Each host is different, but you can at least count on breakfast, clean sheets, and clean towels.

4. Airbnb is a good place to make real-life friends. You can also make friends using the popular sources I’ve been citing, like Craigslist and Couch Surfing, but why not make some more?

5. Airbnb backs you up. They might not be obligated to protect you when things go wrong, but they have practices in place that will help out along the way. From setting up a security deposit to having staff readily available to mediate any situation that goes sour, Airbnb just feels a little more reliable to me.

[photo by Elizabeth Seward]

U.S. hotels donate hotel room rates to charity

by Melanie Nayer on

It feels good to give back, and at Gadling, we’re always eager to showcase hotels that do good. Case in point: Sage Hospitality. During the first two weeks of February 2011, each of the 53 Sage hotels across the country will run “While You Were Sleeping” promotions, which donate overnight rates on randomly selected rooms to the guest’s choice of charity.

From Feb. 1-14, 2011, each Sage property will choose four guests at random, and each guest’s room rate will be donated to a charity. The guest will be offered the opportunity to select a beneficiary from a list of renowned charities compiled by Sage Hospitality including FoodforthePoor.org, Volunteers of America, Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, Big Brothers Big Sisters, World Vision and UNICEF.
Hotels participating in the promotion include:

Alabama: Courtyard Mobile Spanish Fort/Eastern Shore in Spanish Fort, Ala.; Fairfield Inn & Suites Mobile Spanish Fort/Eastern Shore in Spanish Fort, Ala.

Arizona: Sheraton Airport Hotel Tempe in Tempe, Ariz.; Sheraton Tucson Hotel and Suites in Tucson, Ariz.

California: Courtyard Los Angeles Pasadena/Monrovia in Monrovia, Calif.; Courtyard by Marriott San Diego Downtown in San Diego, Calif.; Homewood Suites by Hilton SFO Airport North in Brisbane, Calif.; Del Mar Hilton San Diego in Del Mar, Calif.

Colorado: The Curtis, a Doubletree Hotel, in Denver, Colo.; Courtyard by Marriott Denver Downtown in Denver, Colo.; Hilton Garden Inn Denver South/Meridian in Englewood, Colo.; JW Marriott Denver at Cherry Creek in Denver, Colo.; The Oxford Hotel in Denver, Colo.; Pueblo Marriott in Pueblo, Colo.; Denver Airport Marriott at Gateway Park in Denver, Colo.; Residence Inn by Marriott Denver City Center in Denver, Colo.; TownePlace Suites by Marriott Boulder Broomfield in Broomfield, Colo.; TownePlace Suites by Marriott Colorado Springs in Colorado Springs, Colo.; TownePlace Suites by Marriott Denver Downtown in Denver, Colo.; TownePlace Suites by Marriott Denver Southeast in Denver, Colo.; TownePlace Suites by Marriott Littleton Southwest in Littleton, Colo.; TownePlace Suites by Marriott Denver Tech Center in Englewood, Colo.; TownePlace Suites by Marriott Denver West Federal Center in Golden, Colo.; The Westin Westminster in Westminster, Colo.

Florida: Hilton Garden Inn Orlando at SeaWorld International Center in Orlando, Fla.

Georgia: Doubletree Hotel NE/Northlake in Atlanta, Ga.; Hilton Garden Inn Atlanta Perimeter Center in Atlanta, Ga.; Glenn Hotel in Atlanta, Ga.

Illinois: Renaissance Blackstone Chicago Hotel in Chicago, Ill.; Chicago’s Essex Inn in Chicago, Ill.; Hilton Garden Inn Hoffman Estates in Hoffman Estates, Ill.;

Michigan: Courtyard by Marriott in Brighton, Mich.; Courtyard by Marriott in Lansing, Mich.; The Baronette Renaissance in Novi, Mich.

Minnesota: Crown Plaza Hotel Minneapolis North in Minneapolis, Minn.; Fairfield Inn by Marriott in Duluth, Minn.

Mississippi: Courtyard Biloxi North/D’lberville in D’lberville, Miss.

Nevada: Fairfield Inn by Marriott Las Vegas Airport – Las Vegas, N.V.

North Carolina: Charlotte Marriott Executive Park in Charlotte, N.C.

Ohio: Crowne Plaza Cincinnati North in Cincinnati, Ohio;

Oregon: the Nines, The Luxury Collection, Starwood Hotels & Resorts in Portland, Ore.; Courtyard by Marriott – Portland City Center in Portland, Ore.

Pennsylvania: Renaissance Pittsburgh Hotel in Pittsburgh, Pa.

Rhode Island: Renaissance Providence Hotel in Providence, R.I.

Texas: Hilton College Station and Conference Center in College Station, Texas; Hampton Inn Six Flags in San Antonio, Texas; Houston Holiday Inn South Loop in Houston, Texas

Utah: Marriott Ogden Hotel in Ogden, Utah

Washington: Courtyard Seattle in Seattle, Wash.; Hawthorn Suites in Kent, Wash.; Holiday Inn Renton in Renton, Wash.

Wisconsin: Residence Inn by Marriott Milwaukee Downtown in Milwaukee, Wis.

Get more information on While You Were Sleeping

Ritz-Carlton Dallas plans month-long football promotions for Super Bowl

by Melanie Nayer on

Whether or not your favorite NFL team will play the Super Bowl is irrelevant. What matters is where you’ll watch the game. The Ritz-Carlton, Dallas, is making things easy for you by offering month-long football promotions in partnership with Fearing’s Restaurant.

With Super Bowl XLV scheduled to take place February 6, 2011 at Cowboys Stadium near Dallas, the luxury hotel and its neighboring restaurant have customized the following gridiron treats for hotel guests and local residents:

Fearing’s Tailgate Cooking Class (January 22, 2011). Need some tailgating snack ideas? Head to Celebrity Chef Dean Fearing counter and get some tips from the acclaimed chef on menu items and beer pairings for the big game. On the menu: Chili Frito Pie, Jalapeo-Braised Carnitas Sliders, and Tacos with Barbecued Thousand Island Cole Slaw, Pickled Red Onions and Dutch Oven Beans. A dessert of Peanut Butter Cheesecake Bites will complement the menu.

If the game is getting to be too much for you, head to the the Ritz-Carlton Spa for the Quarterback Sports Wrap, First Down Facial and Tight End Body Treatment. The Ritz-Carlton Spa has also introduced a new Rookie Package, providing a 20 percent savings on Monday-through-Thursday spa treatments for first-time guests of the spa between now and February 28. If the spa and tailgating menu options aren’t enough, the hotel will pay tribute to the pigskin with Spa Tailgate, offered all Sundays in January coinciding with major televised sports events.
And this is all before and after the big game. On Super Bowl weekend, the Ritz-Carlton, Dallas and Fearing’s will also offer the following:

  • A roster of hotel Football Concierges will provide guests with information on the upcoming game, team stats, road traffic updates, driving routes to the stadium and more.
  • Hotel guests staying during game weekend will receive a complimentary in-room gift of a luxurious cobalt blue throw blanket commemorating the special date.
  • A special menu of added In-Room Dining selections will include a post-revelry, wee-hours selection called “Aftermath”, consisting of a bacon & egg pizza with ranch dressing, an array of sliders and cold beer. Additionally, In Room Dining will offer an ultra-gourmet hot dog menu for the weekend.
  • Fearing’s Restaurant will offer several specialty food items and specialty cocktails in honor of the two team cities represented in the game. Fearing’s will offer extended dining and bar hours during Super Bowl weekend (Friday, Saturday, Sunday), including dinner beginning at 5 p.m. and continuing to 11 p.m.

For those not staying at the Ritz-Carlton, fear not: you can still enjoy the Super Bowl and all the excitement in the hotel’s lobby bar starting at 6 p.m. on game day!

Court fines hotel owners for refusing gay couple a room

by Sean McLachlan on

A court in England has fined hotel owners Peter and Hazelmary Bull for refusing a gay couple a double room, the Sydney Morning Herald reports.

Martyn Hall and his civil partner Steven Preddy tried to get a room at the Chymorvah Hotel, near Penzance , in 2008, but were turned away. The judge ruled that this was discrimination and awarded the couple £1800 ($2,863) each in damages.

The Bulls are Christian and say they object to giving any unmarried couple a room. The judge ruled that since Hall and Preddy are civil partners they have the same rights as married couples. The BBC has filmed a statement by Hall and Preddy.

[Image courtesy Ludovic Bertron]

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