Five steps to free Mexico and Caribbean travel from Marriott and Renaissance

by Tom Johansmeyer on

Need a little sunshine in your life this holiday season but can’t get out on the road? Hey, I get it: we all shell out enough cash this time of year. There are gifts for the kids, unavoidable family travel and those Christmas dinners that get expensive pretty quickly. These costs can sneak up on you, depriving you of a little mental health time out on a beach somewhere.

Well, a travel contest hit my inbox today that can make the whole situation much easier for you to deal with.

How does the Marriott and Renaissance brand sound, especially down in the Caribbean or in Mexico? Yeah, I figured that would get your attention! Marriott and Renaissance Caribbean & Mexico Resorts and online travel agency CheapOair are kicking off a “12 Days of Travel” holiday sweepstakes that could leave you sprawled out on the sand under the warm sun this winter, while the neighbors and family are breaking their backs with shovels full of snow.

Okay, this is a social media contest, so it helps to have Twitter and Facebook open frequently during the contest, which kicks off Wednesday, December 1, 2010 and ends Monday, December 13, 2010 (12 days … get it?). There are five steps you’ll need to follow:1. Start by following @CheapOair and @MarriottResorts on Twitter. If you aren’t among the 175 million people on Twitter, now’s the time to get on board!

2. On each of the 12 days of the contest, check out the CheapOair contest page for the day’s tweet (a designated phrase): you’ll need to use this.

3. Head over to Twitter and unleash the tweet of the day. Remember that this is your entry in the contest, and you can only do so once a day.

4. Be (a little) patient … there will be a winner announced every day, with the grand prize coming on the last day.

5. Get more chances to win by visiting the Marriott and Renaissance Caribbean & Mexico Resorts Facebook page and following the bouncing ball: “like” Paradise by Marriott and CheapOair on Facebook, post a comment during the “12 days” period on the CheapOair blog saying which of the nine resorts you want to visit and why and then cross your fingers for the win!

What’s up for grabs? Take a look at the day-by-day prizes below!

Day 1: Three-night stay at the Aruba Marriott Resort & Stellaris Casino*
Day 2: Three-night stay at the Curacao Marriott Beach Resort & Emerald Casino*
Day 3: Three-night stay at the CasaMagna Marriott Cancun Resort*
Day 4: CheapOair $75 gift certificate
Day 5: CheapOair $75 gift certificate
Day 6: Three-night stay at the Frenchman’s Reef & Morning Star Marriott Beach Resort*
Day 7: Three-night stay at the CasaMagna Marriott Puerto Vallarta Resort & Spa*
Day 8: Three-night stay at the St Kitts Marriott Resort & The Royal Beach Casino*
Day 9: Three-night stay at the Renaissance Aruba Resort & Casino*
Day 10: Three-night stay at the JW Marriott Cancun Resort & Spa*
Day 11: CheapOair $75 gift certificate
Day 12/Grand Prize: Three-night stay at the Grand Cayman Marriott Beach Resort and roundtrip airfare for two

*Each hotel giveaway will also include a $25 gift certificate from CheapOair

[photo by gerriet via Flickr]

Kimpton hotels rank top among gay, lesbian community

by Melanie Nayer on

The LGBT community has honored Kimpton hotels as the most friendly hotel, according to a new survey. Of the more than 4,700 people surveyed by Community Marketing, 13% chose Kimpton as the hotel that does the best job of promoting itself to the gay and lesbian travel market. Starwood’s W chain came in second with 11%, trailed by Hilton, Hyatt and Marriott, according to USA Today. Kimpton and Starwood tied in 2009. In 2008, Starwood took top honors.

“Of all the hotel brands, (Kimpton is ) the most active in LGBT community,” Paisley told USA Today. “They have a website, they sponsor tons of events and they advertise in gay and lesbian media. W is very active and well respected, but they did fall behind.”

Headquartered in San Francisco, Kimpton has consistently been involved in fundraising and community awareness events for the gay and lesbian community. The hotel group also co-sponsors an event at one their hotels during San Francisco Pride, and spends quality advertising dollars in LGBT publications.

[via LezGetReal]

Hotels.com Black Friday and Cyber Monday hotel deals

by Melanie Nayer on

Still thinking about ways to get away this holiday season? One of the best things about the Thanksgiving holiday is what comes after – Black Friday and Cyber Monday. To help buyers celebrate, Hotels.com will launch one of their biggest sales of the year during the busiest shopping weekend of the year.

In addition to 50 percent off nightly room rates, the first 500 hotels.com customers who book the Hotels.com® 4-Day Sale and use code “4DAY” will receive a Flip™ Ultra camcorder.

The Hotels.com 4-Day Sale goes live at midnight on November 26 and ends at 11:59 p.m. CST on November 29. Some Black Friday and Cyber Monday hotel deals include:

The Hard Rock Hotel Chicago: The hotel is located in the center of Chicago Loop and close to the shopping district on Michigan Avenue. This four-star property has rates as low as $134 a night and is just one block from the Chicago Theatre and Grant Park.

Hotel Erwin, Venice, California:

Some of the best one-of-a-kind shops and restaurants can be found in Venice, California. With rates starting at $239 a night, the property is within two miles of fantastic shopping in Santa Monica and Marina del Rey. The hotel’s open-air rooftop lounge, High, provides panoramic views of the beach and Los Angeles

Le Meridian, Dallas:

The four-star Le Meridian in Dallas has weekend room rates starting at just $79 a night. Conveniently located across from Galleria Dallas, where signature stores, dining venues and an ice-skating rink are sure to bide your time, the Le Meridian is a perfect spot to stay while you shop for cowboy boots, bling and 10-gallon hats for the entire family.

Get inked: Tattoo artist in residence at The Marcel at Gramercy

by Melanie Nayer on

Who said luxury hotels can’t be a little edgy? Renowned LA-based tattoo artist to the stars, Mister Cartoon, is coming to New York City and will be inking New Yorkers as part of the “Tattoo Artist in Residence” series hosted by The Marcel at Gramercy.

Seat yourself in the artist’s chair through Nov. 24 and let Mister Cartoon ink you. The boutique hotel, located on the border of New York City’s Gramercy Park and Murray Hill neighborhoods, will feature a pop-up Ink Suite so you can get tattooed in private.

Not sure what you want? Consult some of his famous clients including various members of the New York Yankees, and celebrities such as Beyonce, Christina Aguilera, Eminem, Mena Suvari and Ryan Phillippe.

As part of his time at The Marcel, Mister Cartoon will unveil a one of a kind artwork to be displayed in the hotel lobby, in addition to acting as The Marcel at Gramercy’s “Tattoo Artist in Residence.”

Need some inspiration? Our own Mike Barish offers a list of travel-inspired tattoos and resident globe-trotter Aaron Hotfeider put together a list of travel tattoos you won’t regret when you’re old and wrinkly.

As an added bonus: Hotel guests will have the unique privilege of skipping the one-year waiting list to get “inked” by the master himself.

Renovated Opryland Hotel reopens with glitz, glam and a whole lot of country

by Melanie Nayer on

The Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center reopens today following a $270 million face lift after the May 2010 flood that shut down the hotel and convention center for six months.

Most of what took place over the past six months is repairs from severe water damage after May’s devastating floods in the region. The famed Opryland Hotel reclaims its place in hotel history when it opens with five new restaurants, flat-screen TVs that line the marble wall space behind the check-in counters, renovated rooms and the hotel’s famous atriums.

From the lobby sofas to the business center to a large, museum-quality glass sculpture that now sits in one of the hotels’ lobby, everything in this hotel is brand new. According to the hotel, the Opryland Hotel already has 11,000 rooms booked for 2011.

To celebrate the rebirth of Nashville’s favorite attraction, Gaylord is putting on one hell of holiday splash: a three-day series of Christmas-themed events featuring the Rockettes, a playground made of ice, fireworks and free concerts. For some lucky guests, a private audience with Keith Urban and Sheryl Crow are among the perks of the hotel’s opening.

The hotel staff has been hard at work since July putting together the following touches to the holiday decorations. The Gaylord Opryland Resort will revive it’s annual “A Country Christmas” from Nov. 19, 2010 through Jan. 2, 2011. Nearly 1 million guests each year experience the family-friendly shows and activities and beautiful 2 million twinkling lights that are the hallmark of the world-famous A Country Christmas at Gaylord Opryland.