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.

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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