Hotels

Bellagio Glass Art by Dale Chihuly In Las Vegas

For me, this glass art throughout the Bellagio hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada, never gets old. So beautiful, so delicate…like crystallized clusters of colored jellyfish.

See more Wordless Wednesday entries here.

Photo: O Palsson

Sheraton Hotels & Resorts is offering a free night’s stay to thosuands of guests at 86 of it’s properties, as part of a campaign to spread the news that it’s rooms are brand new after a $4 billion renovation.

Sheraton

The Sheraton Check-In On Us Giveaway begins October 6, 2009. You only have a few days to enter for a chance to win a free night at your choice of 86 new or newly renovated Sheraton Hotels & Resorts in North America.

The offer is valid for overnight stays on Oct 23, and you can only book in between Oct 6-9. The booking has to be done online at www.sheraton.com/freenight, and only 2,100 rooms will be available.

The available rooms will likely be snapped up within the first few minutes, so you better be ready to hit the book button on Oct 6, the minute it becomes available.

There’s also the chance that a mad rush for free rooms will lead to a situation like the one faced by Leading Hotels of the World, when their server crashed due to overload caused by a promotion.

Even if you get the free night’s stay, you still have to pay for extra nights, in case you want them. But you won’t be charged for taxes and additional fees.

And in case the rooms are already gone by the time you give it a shot, you still can get coupons for discounts on room rates.

Photo by kevindooley

A room at the beautiful San Ysidro Ranch - payment required!

Okay, maybe they aren’t really making a reality show — yet — but you know someone, somewhere is saying, “We can feature a new hotel every week. And that crazy survivalist beard on Randy will be ratings catnip!”

In case you haven’t heard, Randy and his wife Evi were arrested in Marfa, Texas, for allegedly stiffing Forbes Top Hotel pick, the St. Ysidro Ranch in Santa Barbara, to the tune of $10k.

That’s a lot of cashews, even at a fancy luxury place!

Naturally the Quaids denied everything, while ponying up $20k each to get out of jail.

It’s hard to know who or what to believe. Since Randy was able to hitch a ride to the bank and post bail immediately, he was probably also able to pay the hotel tab. On the other hand, stories about Randy and Evi being among the worst hotel guests (plus a bit of alleged drug use) are plentiful on the internets.

The Quaids claim their current legal troubles are  a publicity stunt by the St. Ysidro, which doesn’t make much sense — if you get a Forbes endorsement, you don’t really need the Lesser Quaid Seal of Grift and Approval. To “prove” their innocence, they’re shopping around a copy of a cashier’s check made out to the hotel, which then begs the question, why do they have a copy of the check?

It’s a mystery wrapped in an enigma of a terrifying billy goat beard. And potentially the best new reality show in development.

Photo credit: San Ysidro Ranch

Asheville, NC

Today is the first truly chilly day in Atlanta, and this creates excitement for Fall lovers like myself, it’s time to start thinking about planning cabin trips for the fall and winter months – and boy, did I just come across a fantastic one!

It’s called the Round Knob Lodge, and it’s about 30 minutes East of Asheville and about four hours North of Atlanta. This place is amazing! It’s a restored, historic railroad retreat that can sleep up to 24 people. There’s a heated full-sized pool (even in winter! spectacular!), grills, barbecues, two decks and it sits on 15 acres. There’s a lake to go fishing in, dozens of nature trails to hike and more. Inside you’ll find a pool table, foozball, two televisions, board games, a bar and a very large, fully stocked kitchen.

I can’t wait to sit on the screened-in porch, sipping hot chocolate and gazing at the Blue Ridge Mountains. That’s the way to spend New Years!

The Round Knob Lodge is only about 30 minutes from downtown Asheville, an adorable town full of antique shops, coffee shops, quaint stores and restaurants. There’s a very active arts and music scene in Asheville as well, which should be a lot of fun.  And don’t forget about the amazing Biltmore Estate in Asheville!

Why stay in a hotel when you can stay in a cabin like this one?

Biltmore Estate in Asheville, NC

Photos: SilenceofNight, Brian and Shannon

On Oct 1, 2009, the Waldorf Astoria Orlando will be opening it’s doors – the first Waldorf Astoria to be built since the original in New York City opened in 1931.

Waldorf Astoria Orlando

And to celebrate the historic occasion, the Waldorf Astoria is offering a ‘Great Beginnings’ package – Pay for three nights and receive the fourth night free. Plus, pay for five nights and receive an upgrade to the next room type category.

Book by Oct 31, 2009, for travel between Oct 1-Dec 24, 2009.  The same package is also available at the adjacent Hilton Orlando Bonnet Creek. Rates from $199 per room, per night, based on double occupancy.

In addition, the Waldorf Astoria Orlando is also offering other opening specials, starting from $179 per night.

Both the 497 room Waldorf Astoria and the Hilton Orlando Bonnet Creek are part of the same Bonnet Creek project. Hotel guests used to the signature comforts of the Waldorf Astoria in New York will find all the same touches in Orlando – dining options include Peacock Alley and the Bull & Bear Steakhouse. You’ll get a Signature Cabana Pool, Spa by Guerlain and fitness center, and a Waldorf Astoria Golf Club.

There’s even a 300 pound grandfather clock in the Waldorf Astoria lobby in Orlando, chiming the same chime as the famous lobby clock in the Waldorf Orlando New York City.

Photos courtesy Hilton Worldwide

For more information, call (407) 597-5500 or visit www.waldorfastoriaorlando.com.

Hotel Mini Bar...Mr. Bubbles anyone?

Ah, hotel mini bars. Here you can usually find exceptionally priced goodies to the tune of nuts, booze and candy. But every so often, the hotel you are staying in might surprise you. I recently came across this article from Travel & Leisure Magazine…some hotels theses days are certainly stocking some curious things.

Mirror, Mirror (Mondrian Hotel in Los Angeles, California)

Get your hands on a Alice in Wonderland inspired hand-held mirror only available at the hotel.

Spray Your Mouth, Get Rid of Toxins (XV Hotel in Boston, Massachusetts)

Not too sure about this one, but apparently the FDA was since they apparently approved the spray. It’s supposed to get rid of “urban toxins.” Hmm.

Designer Condoms (Thompson Beverly Hills in Beverly Hills, California)

Designed by Alexander Wang. Enough said.

Voodoo Love Dolls (Omni Royal Cresecent, New Orleans)

This is my favorite one of all. It’s only $10! You get a doll, a bunch of pins and a manual to tell you what to do with them all. Quirky.

There were quite a few others, this is just a taste. The article reminded me that I really need to start looking in the mini bars at hotel rooms these days…provided the hotel doesn’t charge you just to take a peek!

Photo: Rick

The Colony Beach and Tennis Resort on Florida’s Longboat Key announced this week that the resort will close on Sunday, September 27, 2009. Water and power will be shut off to the 237 condo hotel units, the pool will be closed, housekeeping will cease, tennis courts will be inaccessible, and there will be no front desk service or maintenance services. The only exception will be the resort’s restaurant and a few units owned by members of the Klauber family, which took over the resort from original developers in 1972.

Aerial view of the Colony Beach and Tennis Resort

Each of the units were originally sold as fractional ownership, with owners buying a 1/12 share that allowed them to use the units for 30 days each year. Time not used by owners was placed in a pool and rented to the general public by the resort management company, which was paid a management fee by the condominium association. Over the years, the management company spent millions of dollars to maintain and restore the facilities of the resort. In better times, the firm apparently Read More »

On October 3, 2009, avid pianists in Dallas will get an earful, courtesy the Renaissance Dallas Richardson Hotel. The Rhapsody refers to Russian classical pianist Olga Kern playing Rachmaninoff at the Charles W. Eisemann Center for the Performing Arts.

Olga Kern & Renaissance Dallas Richardson Hotel

The love from Russia refers to unique packages and events put together by the hotel, as a tribute to the two great Russian pianists, past and present, being featured as season opener for the Richardson Symphony Orchestra.

The hotel’s Rhapsody Package includes valet parking, 2 tickets to the October 3, 2009 performance of the Richardson Symphony Orchestra,  access to private post event dessert reception, and of course - a deluxe guest room. Use promo code EON.

There’s a 3-course Russia themed dinner at Maestro’s Restaurant, available separately and in combination with an overnight package.

Guests will then be invited to retreat to the Take Five Atrium Lounge where a private dessert reception will be held with the continued theme of ‘A Tribute to Russia’ featuring an array of specially prepared petit fours, served with champagne and coffee service.

Olga Kern photo credit – Fernando Baez (courtesy CAMI); Renaissance Richardson Hotel photo by Schlüsselbein2007

Hotel Info: 900 E. Lookout Drive  Richardson, Texas 75082; (972) 367-2000; website

Holiday Inn Express

Some of you might remember my post about the Twenty Dollar Trick, which can be used to get upgrades at hotels all across the country. Well, after reading through (almost) all of the comments, and after receiving an upgrade at a hotel recently *without* using the Twenty Dollar Trick, I decided that it was time for another entry about this topic.

I’m in the process of planning a wedding, and upon arriving at the Inn at Key West in Key West, Florida, we were initially assigned a standard room (at an outstanding price, I might add, which we found online.) But, we had a friend with us who works in sales, and she was able to get us a nicely upgraded room for the same price. How? She basically told the hotel, “Look. We are deciding between your hotel and one other hotel for a room block for over 50 people for next May. Let us stay in one of your bigger, nicer rooms. It’s summer and slow season, I’m sure you have bigger rooms available?”

And, guess what? We got what we wanted.

So, here’s the deal to getting a hotel room upgrade – with no money exchanging hands at all

1. Just Ask!

Sounds simple, buy many people are afraid to ask for what they want. What’s the worst that can happen? The hotel will say no. Or…they could say yes.

2. Frequent Flier Credits

This isn’t the best way to get a hotel room upgrade, because there are better ways to use your frequent flier miles, but it’s worth looking into if you have a bizillion of them.

3. Join those “Frequent Visitor” programs

They work! I’ve gotten upgrades through these programs a number of times.

4. Stay in the same hotel chain

I love Holiday Inn Expresses because they’re usually a good value and have large rooms. If you always stay with Holiday Inns, it’s more likely that the hotel will give you an upgrade upon check-in – they can check their computers for how many times you’ve stayed with them easily.

5. Don’t be afraid to complain if something is really wrong

Let’s say you get to your room and the bathroom has not been cleaned well, or there’s food on the carpets. Talk to the front desk – politely- and explain that you want another room, and an upgrade is possible. This often works, especially on non-busy weekends or weeks.

Photo: Eddie~S

Most of you already know that TripAdvisor ranks hotels in each destination based on popularity amongst its users. What some of you may not know is that they also put out an annual Travelcast – a list of emerging hotspot destinations.

What happens if you combine these two - The top ranked hotels and emerging hotspots? You get a list of the best hotels in the top emerging destinations in the US, per TripAdvisor.

Holua Resort at the Mauna Loa Village in Keauhou, Hawaii

For example - St. George, Utah is the No.1 hotspot destination for 2009. And if you check out TripAdvisor’s St. George hotel reviews page, you’ll find that the La Quinta Inn is the No.1 ranked hotel in St. George, as ranked by TripAdvisor users.

So here’s a list of the top 10 hotels in the top emerging destinations in the US:-

1.   La Quinta Inn & Suites St. George, St. George, Utah
2.   Seafarer Beach Resort, Englewood, Florida
3.   Holua Resort at The Mauna Loa Village, Keauhou, Hawaii
4.   Caesars Paradise Stream Resort, Mount Pocono, Pennsylvania
5.   Beach Roadhouse, Haines, Alaska
6.   Best Western Bainbridge Island Suites, Bainbridge Island, Washington
7.   Lake Country Inn, New Buffalo, Michigan
8.   Island Paradise Inn, Pahoa, Hawaii
9.   La Quinta Inn & Suites Chicago Gurnee, Gurnee, Illinois
10. Resort & Club at Little Harbor, Ruskin, Florida 

Tip:- You can find many of the world’s best hotels, destinations and other lists of top hotels based on various criteria if you check out TripAdvisor’s Travelers’ Choice listings.

Photos courtesy Shell hospitality.