Hotels

The exterior of XV Beacon

Boston hasn’t always been known for its luxury boutique hotels, with a few exceptions – one of them being the XV Beacon Hotel on historic Beacon Hill.  XV Beacon, one of Travel + Leisure’s top small city hotels is offering a fabulous vacation special to celebrate it’s 10th anniversary.

The  10th Anniversary package includes overnight accommodations, an automatic upgrade, and a special anniversary remembrance gift.  In addition, 10th Anniversary guests are able to choose an add-on to their package, including:

·         Full American Breakfast
·         Ramos Pinto, a 10-year Tawny
·         A bottle of Champagne
·         A Boston Beer Tasting
·         In-room movie and munchies
·         A bottle of red wine; a bottle of white wine
·         Bottled water and seasonal whole fruit
·         Parking
·         or a return ride to Logan Airport in XV Beacon Read More »

Cape Pines Motel, Hatteras Island, Outer Banks of North Carolina

“Our rooms are so clean, you would think your MOTHER works here!” claims the Cape Pines Motel. That sounded good to me; cleanliness is always at the top of my list when choosing accommodations. But though the Cape Pines more than lives up to its reputation for being immaculate, I soon discovered that this charming old brick motel had so much more to offer, not the least of which was its gracious owners, Bill and Angie Rapant.

The Rapants purchased the Cape Pines in July of 2006 after years of dreaming of owning their own motel. Both had worked in the hotel industry – Bill most recently as the controller at the Plaza Athenee on Manhattan Island in New York City, which is rated one of America’s finest hotels. With their backgrounds, Bill and Angie know what service and hospitality is all about, and they set out to provide guests with the most enjoyable vacation experience of their lives.

In order to achieve this goal, they gradually remodeled each of the motel’s 29 rooms, upgrading where appropriate, but restoring the original wood floors and classic tongue-in-groove knotty pine walls and ceilings wherever possible. With the addition of custom linens and modern amenities such as mini refrigerators, Read More »

Olivier House

I’ve got to get to New Orleans sometime soon, I’ve always wanted to go! With a large dog, though, it’s difficult to find places that will accept her. Now, the Olivier House in New Orleans’ French Quarter only accepts small pets, but the place looked so nice that I decided to write about it and let everyone know what a cute place it is.

The Olivier House is on Tolouse Street in the center of the French Quarter, awesome location. And it’s actually not one but three townhouses that date from the early 1800s, which I find really exciting! The fascinating history and architectural elements of this hotel make it worth visiting on their own. Check out the hotel lobby’s checkered floor – love it!

In addition to having a few rooms which allow dogs, the Olivier House has free parking (hurray) and a swimming pool. And the rates are quite good, especially for the French Quarter! Single-bed rooms start at $135, two-bed rooms start at $145 and the grand two-bedroom suites are $375-$450 (there are other rooms available as well, of course.)There’s also an amazing Creole Cottage, a Garden Suite and The Honeymoon Suite.

The Olivier House’s website has a great section on the hotel’s history, be sure to read it before you go.

Photo Credits: Paul Schultz

Those of us who live in the Bay Area love our pets. A lot. We have many hotels from all price ranges that allow you to bring your pet – or “child” for some – with you during your stay.

However, what about when you need to leave town and head to Boston or the Seattle-Tacoma area? What do you do with your dog or cat then, especially if you cannot bring them along? If you don’t have a pet sitter or trusted kid on the block, you are now in luck.

Wag Hotels has been receiving lots of high marks in San Francisco, Sacramento and Solano County since they opened. They offer doggie day care, obedience training, and grooming in addition to their luxury pet boarding. I stopped by their San Francisco location and they are worlds beyond a kennel [I dislike even writing that word].

Wag Hotel Reception - photo credit: Wag Hotels

This group of hotels is set up to provide your pet – their guest – with the best possible experience that they could have, given that you are not there.

Here are some highlights:

• All rooms are indoors.
• Choose from a variety of pet sitting rooms based on your pet’s size and the level of luxury.
• Playgroups are all indoors in a climate-controlled environment, with dogs grouped together according to size and temperament.
• All guests go to the bathroom at playgroups twice daily.
• Staff members are certified by the Pet Care Services Association [formerly known as the ABKA (American Boarding Kennel Association)]
• They serve at no additional charge, dry Iams or Nutro brand food, unless you prefer your own.

Wag Hotels welcome all breeds – yay for German Shepherds and Huskys! They also offer lots of A La Carte Services – prices start at $25 a night for a 2 Story Condo, and Private Bathroom for your kitty and $38 for a comfortable bed, meals up to 3 times per day (incl. medicine), Playgroups and Classical Music for your smaller size pooch.

Typical Wag Hotel Guest

Courtesy of Kimpton

The Muse Hotel in Manhattan is pretty, you guys. And they’re doing special things for Valentine’s Day.

Starting at $199 per night, The Muse is offering little things that will make you love them. These little things include:

• Late check-out times
• Hot chocolate and marshmallows at bedtime
• Romantic NY movies on your TV like Breakfast at Tiffany’s
• A guide to romantic places to make out. I’m serious! Okay, well they said “steal a kiss,” but still.
• A map of secret spots in Central Park … wait a minute, that’s just dirty, Kimpton, what kind of a show are you running?
  

  Courtesy of Kimpton

Kidding, kidding. But check this out. Meet Ginger (right).

Ginger is “Director of Pet Relations” and works side by side at The Muse with owner/concierge Lauren Myerson. that’s right. They’re pet friendly. They even have a “Pampered Pooch Package” wherein they spoil your dog for you.

I read about the package. Please, someone. Take me to The Muse and tell them I’m your dog. Kthx.

dog friendly hotel

Gatlinburg, Tennessee is a great city for outdoors enthusiasts, and if you’re looking for a pet-friendly city, Gatlinburg is it! Nestled in the heart of the Smoky Mountains, Gatlinburg offers a wide range of camping, hiking and boating activities, and at the end of a fun-filled day, you and your pet can hunker down for the night in one of the city’s pet friendly hotels.  As a dog owner, I love the fact that this city offers so many hotels which allow my pooch to travel with me.

The Knights Inn Gatlinburg has a very liberal pet policy – up to two dogs of any size are

Smoky Mountains

permitted for only $10/night. Rates start at about $55/night and you can ask for the jacuzzi suites. Free breakfast and a business center make this hotel a good place for those who want to take their dog with them on business trips, and there’s even an outdoor swimming pool which is open in the summer months.

If you and your furry friend are looking for slightly more posh accommodations, check out the Park Vista Hotel and Convention Center. Take as many of your dogs with you as you like – so long as they’re under 25 pounds, it’s $20/night per pet. You’ll enjoy beautiful views of downtown Gatlinburg as well as 360 degree views of the Smokey Mountains. The hotel provides a designated pet walking area, or you can make the short drive to one of dozens of local hiking trails. While your pet is relaxing in the room, take the family down to the great pool area – there’s an indoor swimming pool, a jacuzzi and even a kids wading pool. Not bad for a hotel with rates that start at $85/night!

The pet-friendly Holiday Inn Sunspree only charges you $15 per stay, not per night, for your dog, and you can bring dogs of all sizes, which is a rarity.  Relax in your room with your pet and surf the Internet for free. Your pooch will even get a little baggie of pet treats! Most of the rooms are oversized, too, so you and your pet will have plenty of room to spread out. Rates start at around $55/night depending on the season.

Gatlinburg, Tennessee

Photo credits: Jared422_80, Snotgoblin and jrubinic.

On a recent trip to Nashville, Tennessee, my boyfriend and I decided to bring our Rhodesian Ridgeback, Penny, with us. Mind you, Penny is 75 pounds of action-loving pooch, so we were a little nervous about finding a place that would take her. And, at first, all we could find were pet friendly hotels that had a strict “40 pounds and under” rule (for pets, of course.) After poking around on the Web a bit, though, we discovered that the Sheraton Music City (which turns out to be at the top of Uptake’s list!) allows dogs up to 80 pounds. Perfect! As long as Penny didn’t eat her way out of the house before we left, we’d just squeak in under the weight limit.

And as it turns out, the Sheraton Music City completely exceeded our expectations in every way. It’s a large (over 400 rooms), with Georgian-style architecture, two pools, a business center and a good gym. Penny was enthusiastically greeted by the hotel staff as we walked across the spacious, attractive lobby, and not a single person gave us a funny look, unless you count the smiles. The woman at the front desk even asked if we needed a doggie bed! We had brought our own, but we were pleased to discover that the doggie beds are completely complementary, though they are available on a first-come first-serve basis. I was a little nervous when they told us that because of the dog, we were staying in a “special, reserved” section of the hotel, and I instantly got images of tiny, dark rooms that smelled like wet dogs and pet accidents. But then I realized that, if the lobby was any indication, the hotel was a classy place, and I probably didn’t have anything to worry about.

All of my fears went away as soon as we got to our first-floor room. The room was spacious, clean and the beds were very comfortable (Penny tried out both beds during our stay.) I couldn’t detect a hing of “doggie” smell, and the only problem we ran into was Penny trying to eat all of the room service plates which had been placed outside of the rooms. In fact, the only shortcoming I could mention was that, while there was a patio just outside the room, there were no dividers in between the rooms, so we couldn’t let Penny hang out by herself without tying her up. Not a huge deal at all, just something I thought I should mention in the spirit of full disclosure. There was plenty of space to take her on long walks – the hotel has 41 acres of lush, green property (i.e. pet paradise).

The Sheraton Music City was only about seven miles from downtown Nashville, so it was very convenient to all of the attractions we could have enjoyed had we stayed longer. We did manage to get some great bbq, an authentic ice cream soda and even see a life-size Parthenon in the middle of a park. (Check out my next blog for more info on all of that.) Definitely check this place out if you want to travel with your above-average sized pet, we’re definitely staying there again when we go back.

Thank you to GoGeoffrey on Flickr Creative Commons for his photo of Jack’s BBQ in Memphis. I took the photo of Penny.