Hotels

Dorothy

L. Frank Baum, creator of the world-famous story The Wizard of Oz, was born on May 15, 1856. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz was first published in 1900, and it is one of the most popular children books ever written. As a child, I used to know the lyrics to every song from the movie, something I didn’t realize until I was about fifteen and found myself singing the songs as I was watching the movie!

If you’re a fan of Frank Baum and the Wizard of Oz, it might be fun to plan a little vacation celebrating his birthday. There are actually quite a few sites around the country

Hotel Belle Helene

Ok, so this hotel doesn’t actually have anything to do with Frank Baum, other than the fact that it’s about three miles from Chittenango, New York, which is where he was born. Chittenango, New York, is a very small town, but they do have several Frank Baum sites there. There’s the Wizard of Oz Museum, an Oz Cream Parlor (cute!) and a yearly festival called Oz Fest which is held in late May or early June. And yes – there are even actual yellow brick roads, which have been inlaid into the sidewalks. The town’s original yellow brick road is what gave Baum the idea for the movie.

The Culver Hotel – Culver City, California

If you’ve seen The Wizard of Oz movie, you surely remember all the wonderful munchkin characters. The characters were played by a large number of midgets, most of whom stayed at The Culver Hotel, which was a short distance from the studio. Over the years, the hotel fell into disrepair, but it was completely remodeled and re-opened in 1997, almost 60 years after the movie was made. A “Munchkin Reunion” was held for the 14 surviving actors from the film.

Crown Room Hotel del Coronado

Hotel del Coronado -San Diego, California

The crown-shaped chandeliers in the gorgeous, 10,000 square feet Crown Room, the hotel’s formal dining room, were designed by Frank Baum. He apparently did a lot of the writing for The Wizard of Oz at this spectacular hotel on Coronado Island in San Diego, California. In fact, rumor has it that Baum’s designs for Emerald City were based on the hotel.

Dorothy’s House in the Land of Oz – Beech Mountain, North Carolina

Not really sure about this one. It looks interesting, but again, doesn’t really have anything to do with the book or the movie other than the name.

Victory Inn – Wamego, Kansas

I only included this hotel because it’s in the town where you can find the Oz Museum. Could be a fun weekend trip with the family!

I’m actually shocked to find that no real, Wizard of Oz theme hotel exists, especially given the popularity of the book and the movie. There’s a business opportunity there, I think!

Photo Credits: VirtualErn, DBKing

Kentucky Derby

The exciting Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs has been held in Louisville, Kentucky since 1875. This year marks the event’s 135th anniversary, and it promises to be even more fun than usual! The Kentucky Derby is the first leg of the renowned Triple Crown – the Belmont Stakes and the Preakness Stakes follow. If you’re planning on attending the KEntucky Derby, you’ll have to move fast – tickets for the event are still available, but hotels are selling out quickly!

Here are some hotel ideas in Louisville, Kentucky, for the exciting May 2 weekend. The race itself is only two minutes long, but Louisville is a fun city to visit and there are many things to see and do.

Holiday Inn Airport & Fair/Expo

Clean, basic accomodations less than three miles from Churchill Downs, the site of the Kentucky Derby. There’s an indoor heated pool, a 24-hour fitness center and high-speed Internet access in all rooms.

Hilton Garden Inn – Airport

All rooms are non-smoking and offer free wireless Internet access. You’ll be only a few miles from Churchill Downs. Two restaurants are onsite, making grabbing a quick bite to eat easy and convenient.

Ramada Limited – Airport

This Ramada offers more basic accomodations than the previous two, but you’ll still be close to all the Kentucky Derby action. There’s a heated pool!

Photo Credits: boboroshi

If you’re a mini-bar connoisseur, you’re probably aware of the lack of premium wine found in most hotels. Heck, you’re lucky if you can find a cork screw and wine glasses in most places!

This is a huge tragedy for wine folk, and I just discovered that online Wine Super Hero Gary Vaynerchuk has started to do reviews of the wine found in hotels. What a fun concept!

He did the first one in LA at Hotel Sofitel, in Episode 625, Chardonnay from a Hotel in Los Angeles. There he found a Clos du Bois 2006 North Coast Chardonnay — half bottle with a screw top. Which was lucky because the room didn’t have a cork screw, and he wound up drinking it out of a tumbler. A nice tumbler, but still, for wine folk that’s a thing.

Nice, but unexciting rooms at Sofitel LA

It’s kind of surprising that the Sofitel doesn’t have fancier wine, because it’s a luxury hotel. Rooms start in the $250/night range and then so sky high. But maybe all of the rich, famous people who stay there go down to Rande Gerber’s Stone Rose Lounge to get liquored up. You know Rande is Cindy Crawford’s husband, right?

Where's Cindy Crawford?

In Episode 664, Hotel Wine Search in San Diego, Gary has better luck at the W Hotel in San Diego, finding two bottles in his room, a Coppola Merlot and a Root Cabernet Sauvingnon from Chile.

The seriously bright W San Diego room

The W is way more wine friendly, providing stemmed glasses, a cork screw, and smart marketing — there is a tag on the bottle of Cab recommending that you order a cheese plate to go with it!

Mmmm blueberry mojitos!

You can usually count on the W to be beautiful and well appointed, and the property in San Diego lives up to this. Rooms are bright and sunny, and when you finish all of the wine in your room, you can head down to the Magnet bar for a blueberry mojito.

Maybe that’s not what Gary would order, but some of us cannot live by wine alone! I will, however, be watching for Gary’s next hotel wine review. It’s good to know when you need to BYOB!

Hotel Shangri-La, Santa Monica, CA

Everyone wants to feel like a movie star, even if you have no desire to trod the boards or too many scruples for full frontal. The Hotel Shangri-La, in Santa Monica, California, is the kind of old school glamorous hotel that real celebrities prefer, the ones who want the luxury that fame brings, without the gawkers and paparazzi that a stay at the Chateau Marmont entails. They might not even let Lindsay Lohan stay here, she’s so B-list these days!

The ritzy yet paparazzi-free lobby

The property is finishing up a $30 million renovation, and you have to admit, they spent their money well. This place looks like a movie set! Photographer Bruce Weber — inventor of the soft core porn pretty boy Ambercrombie model shots — loves to use the hotel as location for his shoots.

This is what celebrities see when they wake up

Hotel Shangri-La was built in 1939, and has seen its share of celebrity guests, from JFK Jr. to Madonna to Tom Cruise. It sits on a cliff above the Pacific, offering amazing views, and it’s also walking distance to the Santa Monica pier. They’re advertising introductory rates from $255/night.

And this is the suite where celebrities drink coffee, vodka or both

I would probably do full frontal to stay there. But of course, I love hotels. And drinking vodka on animal print rugs.

Cat nap at the Hemingway House in Key West

Another week, another hat tip to deeply discounted hotel packages from our friends over at DealBase.

If you’ve ever tried to book a trip down to see Hemingway’s cats (or his house, if that’s your fancy), you’ve noticed that Key West ain’t cheap. Book the “Travel Spike Promotion Package” at four-star Hawks Cay Resort for as low as $175 per night for king room.

Visitors to San Francisco know the cost of visiting that city climbs when you’re staying in Union Square and need to pay to park. Book the $119 per night parking package at three-star Sir Francis Drake Hotel and hoard your savings from all that free valet parking.

Dark and stormy night? Stay in and drink.

Finally, the Green Getaway Package at W Atlanta celebrates Earth Day with a discounted room, continental breakfast for two, cocktails and a donation of 100 trees to Trees for the Future’s plant-a-tree program. We’ll drink to that.

Hey, it’s Earth Day! Let’s talk about green hotels!

One way you can tell if a hotel is eco-friendly if they are LEED-certified. People usually think of this as something that you get on new construction, confirming that the design and construction process was done in an environmentally sensitive way. What you may not know is that it’s also possible to upgrade an existing building to LEED standards, and receive an LEED EB certification.

A property can earn credits for an LEED EB certification in the areas of sustainable sites, water efficiency, energy and atmosphere, materials and resources, and indoor environmental quality. In a way, it’s even better than a straight up LEED certification (which is already pretty amazing) because it confirms that the property is actually performing up to environmental standards, above and beyond the design.

So far there are only two hotels in the U.S. which have managed to take an existing property and achieve this badge of honor, both in California: The Ambrose in Santa Monica, and the Orchard Hotel in San Francisco.

The Ambrose earned their LEED-EB certification in July 2008. It’s a gorgeous “sustainable boutique” hotel, with an an Arts & Crafts inspired design. Located near Wilshire, it’s a five minute drive to Venice Beach and that crazy boardwalk.

Arts & Crafts meets Green at The Ambrose

Guests at The Ambrose enjoy complimentary organic continental breakfast and you can rent a hybrid car on-site. Hybrid vehicles also get “preferred” parking!

Green and luxury go together!

Their green practices include water conservation, non-toxic housekeeping products and methods, and a waste reduction program.

The Orchard Hotel in San Francisco just received their LEED-EB certification this month. Like sister property, The Orchard Garden Hotel, which was the first hotel in California to be LEED certified, this is a boutique hotel, set in the heart of San Francisco’s Union Square neighborhood, with a heart of green.

Orchard Hotel is urban outside, green inside

Cable cars and shopping are just steps away from the front door of The Orchard, while inside the rooms offer an oasis of environmentally-friendly luxury. Rooms have recycled textiles, are cleaned with organic, citrus-based cleaning products, and all of the paper products — even the toilet paper! — is recycled.

Chemical-free luxury

Now that these trailblazers have demonstrated that you can have a profitable luxury hotel that is uber-green, expect — or even demand! — to see more properties with LEED and LEED EB ratings. It’s the hotel trend of the future!

The Silverado Mansion

Our friends over at UpTake’s Lodgings blog posted a contest we want to share with you.

Enter to win a “Spa Girl Getaway” for you and three of your friends at Napa Valley’s tony Silverado Resort–a trip valued at $1,140–simply by writing a post on your personal blog and linking back to UpTake.

The basics:

1. Write a post about why you deserve a getaway on your blog and include a link to the UpTake.com homepage (www.uptake.com.) Linking to the home page on the UpTake site is a requirement for entry.
2. You must also tell us you entered by commenting on the contest post on the Lodgings blog. Please include your email address in the comment field. We will contact you using this email address if you are the winner.

The contest ends May 15th. Find the rest of the guidelines, rules and requirements over here.

Good luck!

Athens, Georgia

I went to Athens, Georgia this past weekend with a friend. It was just a day trip, but it could have easily been a fun girl’s getaway weekend! Athens is such a fun town. It’s a total college town, so there are lots of great bars and restaurants offering cheap food and drink specials. There’s some good shopping too, and of course, if you’re there during football season you’ll hear “GO DAWGS!” every two seconds.

I highly recommend getting a hotel if you go to Athens and want to party it up a bit. There are so many cool eateries to explore. We went to East & West and Casa Mia, but we had to pass up on some other yummy looking places too.

Here are some hotels you can stay at in Athens, Georgia if you want to plan a longer weekend. Wish we had!

Best Western Colonial Inn

I don’t usually recommend Best Western, but this one gets great reviews! It’s surrounded by quaint, historic buildings and it’s smack in the middle of historic Athens.

Candlewood Suites

This one’s a little farther away from the historic center, but it’s brand spankin’ new, it opened this spring.

Georgia Gameday Center

Check this place out! It’s all suites, and the entire place is decorated in Georgia Bull Dogs memorabilia. The perfect place for true football fans.

Holiday Inn Express

Budget-friendly, clean and friendly. And in the center of town, too.
Stay tuned for the brand-new Hotel Indigo opening in Athens this August!

Photo Credit: The Classic City

Clermont Hotel

So, my boyfriend won a free night at the Clermont Hotel here in Atlanta at his work. It was a joke, and if you know anything about the Clermont Lounge in the Virginia Highland area, you know why. The rooms are $34.98, I think, and the downstairs Clermont Lounge is – well, it’s a legendary strip club. It’s been around since 1965, and it’s Atlanta’s oldest strip club. Blondie, the main act there, crushes beer cans with her breasts. (Really.)

We’ve had many a good night at the Clermont Lounge (just go, trust me, it’s a good time), but as for the hotel/motel above – I’m sort of thinking of just giving the free pass away. Part of me would just like to go inside the room to see what it looks like. The other part of me doesn’t want to come any closer to the rooms than the smoky bar and $2 cans of PBR below.

So now, we have a predicament on our hands. It could make for an interesting story. Tripdadvisor doesn’t have any reviews for it. And, we’d be able to be the first people to review the Clermont Hotel on Yelp. And, Uptake readers would benefit from our feedback as well!

But, I think we both know what the hotel room is going to look like….but man, the curiosity is really killing me.

So, Uptake readers – what’s the vote? Do we dare set foot into the rooms? We don’t have to touch the beds. Not sure if I’d want to. Or, is it a really bad idea to even set foot in them?

Opinions, please!

Photo Credit: Dr.JimiGlide

Portland, Oregon

Economy got you down? Me, too, but we all need to get away from it all sometime and take a short weekend trip! Luckily, there are plenty of affordable hotels out there which can let you spend your money on good food and entertainment instead. Citysearch came out with their Best Budget Hotels for a wide range of cities this year for 2008 and some for 2009. Check out some of the ones below!

Portland, Oregon

Portland is a beautiful city with lots of things to see and do in the city and in the surrounding nature as well!

Jupiter Hotel

La Quinta Inn Portland

Holiday Inn Express Hotel and Suites

Ready to pack your bags? Here is a great resource for Portland flights.

Los Angeles, California

Los Angeles offers a wealth of fun activities and experiences for both families and for couples. These hotels will help you pinch your pennies.

Cadillac Hotel

Glendale Lodge

Beverly Garland’s Holiday Inn

Farmer’s Daughter Hotel

Miami Florida

Miami, Florida

Entertainment options in Miami can get a little expensive, but staying at these hotels will help make sure your money is spent on food and fun instead of just a place to crash for the night.

Holiday Inn Coral Gables – University of Miami

Miami River Inn Bed & Breakfast

Circa 39 Hotel

Houston, Texas

Check out what this vibrant city in the Lone Star State has to offer. These budget hotels put some of Houston’s most fun things to do within easy reach.

Sheraton Suites Hotel

Kemah Escape

Residence Inn Houston

Atlanta, Georgia

This peachy city is a wonderful place to visit year-round. These hotels are closer to downtown, where all the action is.

Glenn Hotel

Highland Inn

Hotel Indigo

Photo Credits: Stu Seeger, (le) doo