W Hotels drops two landmark New York properties; Wyndham’s Fashion 26 enters NYC

by Melanie Nayer on


New York revealed its newest fashion accessory today: Wyndham Fashion 26 hotel, a luxury hotel in New York’s Chelsea neighborhood. Following a few months of delays in opening the trendy hotel, Fashion 26 finally greeted guests into the new art-and-style space.

The hotel is located across the street from the famous Fashion Institute of Technology, and set in one of New York’s trendiest districts. The hotel’s own accessories are created from fashion favorites including cutting room tables and camera lights, and the hallways will host a rotating art program, including some pieces from local New Yorkers and students at FIT. According to a press release from Wyndham, the hotel will feature luxury amenities including Frette linens, free wireless Internet and Gilchrist & Soames toiletries.

Fashion comes at a cost, though: rooms are currently priced starting at $299/night.

Meanwhile, Starwood’s W Brand is dropping two of its landmark New York hotels — The Court and The Tuscany. In a statement on Starwood’s website:

W New York – The Court and W New York – The Tuscany will be leaving the Starwood system on April 14, 2010 at 11:59 PM. Reservations for dates on or after April 14, 2010, at 11:59 PM will not be eligible for Starwood Preferred Guest membership benefits, award redemption or accrual.

According to HotelChatter.com, Starwood signed an agreement to sell W New York – The Court and W New York – The Tuscany to the St. Giles Hotel. The hotel’s new owner has agreed to honor all local negotiated rates previously signed by W The Court and W The Tuscany for confirmed reservations. For further information on St. Giles Hotels, please call 1-888-406-8588 or visit www.StGilesNewYork.com.

W Hotels currently has four hotels in New York City and is planning on opening the W New York – Downtown, later this summer.

Ramada hotel reservations for 50% off – as low as $28/night

by Scott Carmichael on

A Ramada hotel might not be your first thought for a romantic hotel, but what if I told you that you can reserve a room with a sweet 50% discount? I’m guessing that suddenly makes it more interesting!

The Ramada Hotels reservation site has a promotion offering 50% off their lowest rates – and this isn’t the kind of promo that makes you hunt for hours to find the “hot deal”.

I spent a couple of minutes on their site, and found plenty of properties participating, with some offering nights as low as $28 for a night. There are even hotels with availability during Valentine’s day (hint hint).

The fine print of the promotion isn’t too bad either – book between February 8th and February 12th for stays to be completed by March 31st. There is no limit to the number of stays you can book, and the rooms are available in the United States, Canada, the Caribbean and Latin America.

Click here for the promotion, and please remember that we have zero control over promotions like this, so if a particular hotel is already sold out of the promotion nights, there is absolutely nothing we can do about it. Did you find yourself a great deal? Share it in the comment section!

Travel to lose 200,000+ jobs

by Tom Johansmeyer on

Nearly 200,000 travel-related jobs were lost in 2008. Another 247,000 are forecasted for 2009. And, the financial crisis is still developing. While we lament the loss of six- and seven-figure investment banking jobs, let’s not forget what those big money gigs mean for the travel industry.

Consider your average Wall Street titan. He’s still pulling down more than $1 million a year (somehow). So, he’s sitting on the couch in his rather large Chelsea apartment, wondering, “Do I need to take that golf trip down to Naples for the weekend?” For him, it’s throwaway. If he doesn’t head out for a few days, his life doesn’t change much.

Now, multiply this by several Wall Street titans for that weekend. Most of them decide to stay at home. Who suffers?

Well, an empty restaurant is a waiter’s nightmare. It’s also rough for the spa therapists, housekeepers and everyone else along the “travel supply chain.” Eventually, the companies have to cut back, and we see how that 247,000 projection becomes a reality.

For this reason, 10 of the largest hotel companies in the United States have urged members of Congress to remember the importance of business travel when developing legislation and regulations that may “unintentionally hinder economic recovery and cost American jobs.”

The hotel companies are: Carlson, Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, Fairmont Hotels and Resorts, Hilton, Hyatt, InterContinental Hotels Group, Loews, Marriott, Starwood and Wyndham Worldwide.