Tuscana Resort and other Orlando hotels offering May discounts

May is  a great time to visit Orlando, Florida.  There’s plenty of sunshine and warm weather, but we haven’t quite reached oppressive heat and humidity just yet.  You’ll also miss the holiday and spring break crowds.  Are you headed to the Orlando, Florida area in May and still waiting to find a great deal on a hotel?  Wait no more!  Check out these last minute deals at area hotels.

Knights Inn Maingate

7475 W. Irlo Bronson Memorial Hwy.
Kissimmee, FL 34747
407-396-4200

$27.95 per night, expires May 16

Pay less than $30 per night, or $175  (plus tax) for the entire week.  Units sleep one to four people and include free breakfast, wireless internet and shuttle service.  This property is just 1 mile from Disney World.

Heritage Park Inn

2050 E. Irlo Bronson Memorial Hwy.
Kissimmee, FL 34744
407-846-4545

$49.95 per night, expires May 27

Bring the whole family, including the pets!  This pet friendly deal includes free breakfast every day and wireless internet.  To take advantage of this discount, use code LMD when calling.

Tuscana Resort

1395 Tuscana Lane
ChampionsGate, FL 33896
407-787-4800

$89 per night for 2 bedrooms, expires May 21st

Many families like the relaxed atmosphere of spending their vacation in a condo instead of a hotel.  The well equipped kitchen, along with a washer and dryer in the room, really is like a home away from home for families.  Plus, you might not have to arrive home with a suitcase full of dirty laundry!  If you need more than 2 bedrooms, a 3 bedroom condo is $89 per night with this offer.

I’ve been backpacking through Mexico for about two months now, intent on discovering budget accommodations that I could share with Uptake readers. I’ve found some great hostels and economy hotels, but today I want to warn you about the worst hostel I’ve ever stayed in, Casa Margarita in Creel, Mexico. Creel is a major hub for visiting Mexico’s Copper Canyon and Casa Margarita is all the talk because of its cheap price of $100 pesos (~$8.50 USD) per night in the dorms, which includes breakfast and dinner. But trust me, you want to find alternative accommodations, regardless of the price, and here’s why, if my experience is at all indicative of the norm.

Casa Margarita Hostel, Creel, Mexico

First, there was the unlit stairway between the second and third floor. I nearly tumbled down the stairs when I turned my ankle on the uneven surface of a step that had lost a tile, but I dismissed it as the price of staying in a cheap hostel. Warning bells started to go off when my dorm mates demonstrated how to get into the room with a dinner knife that had been placed on top of the exterior door frame. Read More »

Jessica Alba and smoking hot are often used in the same sentence, but this time its for real. Guests at the Smyth Tribeca found themselves smoked out of their hotel rooms by the Dark Angel star on Tuesday evening.

Smyth Tribeca & Jessica Alba

In New York for the Tribeca Film Festival premiere of her new movie The Killer Inside Me, Jessica Alba was trying to heat up fish sticks  around 5.30 pm, and couldn’t figure out how the oven worked.

The incident almost burned down her room with fire alarms clanging all over the hotel, and ended with fire trucks coming to the rescue. Page Six says the guests were all ”pretty pissed.”

Smyth Tribeca, a Thompson Hotel, exudes a sense of casual elegance and sophistication with an award-winning lobby designed by Yabu Pushelberg.

With just 100 rooms offering floor-to-ceiling windows, private terraces and Manhattan views, not to mention the art by John Sparagana on the walls, the hotel exudes exclusivity.

An exclusivity which is further enhanced by the 400 thread-count linens, Frette robes, marble bathrooms with walk-in floor-to-ceiling translucent glass showers, soaking tubs and Hans Grohe rain showerheads.

Smyth Tribeca was conceptualized to represent the anonymity of Mr. & Mrs. Smith, and as such also offers a sense of refuge. This discretion, along with the location, the limited number of rooms and the artsy upscale look and feel of the hotel attracts plenty of celebrities.

But if you happen to be a culinary arsonist like Jessica Alba, the hotel would prefer you make use of the other options, which includes a well-stocked mini-bar in your room. There’s the Smyth Lobby Bar which serves breakfast, lunch and dinner, and an espresso bar for sandwiches and pastries during the day and lighter fare at night.

If that’s not enough, opening next month at the hotel is Frederick Lesort’s Plein Sud Restaurant and Lounge, with cuisine from the South of France.

Smyth photo courtesy Smyth Tribeca; Jessica Alba photo by Bobbyprom 

Info: 85 West Broadway New York NY 10007; (212) 587-7000; www.thompsonhotels.com/

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Crowne Plaza is testing out a new service – they’re calling it an alternative wake up call. But it’s more like a switch off call. They’ll call you at 7 pm with a reminder to turn off all the technology, so you can have sufficient time to wind down before you go to sleep.

Crowne Plaza Sleep Advantage

It’s all part of the push by Crowne Plaza and other IHG hotels to offer a better sleep experience. Admirable intent, but maybe they’re taking this Sleep Advantage thing a wee bit too far.

First they tore up all the bedding and put in new ones designed to relax and help you sleep, and threw in guaranteed wake-up calls and designated quiet zone floors.

Also night lights, drape clips and things like eye masks, ear plugs and lavender spray. So far so good and some people might even use all that stuff.

Then they come up with this switch off call. It’s still not as wacky as the Human Bed Warmers introduced by Crowne Plaza’s sister brand Holiday Inn.

Scientifically speaking, Crowne Plaza seems to have all their bases covered. They did their research, and have a Sleep expert and psychologist – Dr Chris Idzikowski, to explain why you need to power down at 7 pm.

Dr. Idzikowski explains that “Checking emails just before bed halts the production of sleep enhancing melatonin and has the same effect as drinking a double espresso. So it’s important to allow a good couple of hours to switch off from anything that can over-stimulate the mind before going to sleep.”

Makes sense, and research commissioned by Crowne Plaza across Europe and the Middle East seems to show that 60% of people agree that 7 pm is the best time to stop working. It’s your (alternative wake up) call.

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