Roosevelt Hotel in Hollywood

The Roosevelt Hotel in Hollywood, California is a lovely, historic hotel on Hollywood Blvd where all the sidewalk stars are. It’s a great place to people watch from – I’ve seen two celebrities in this hotel since I’ve been here!

My room is definitely on the smaller side, bu the bed is comfy. However, the bed does have a nasty, sharp wooden corner to it which is very annoying! I’ve managed to walk into that corner about four times since being here, and my shins now look like someone took a baseball bat to them. Other than that, the room is fine. The bathroom is small, and the toilet paper roll is hidden behind the door, so you have to close the door when using the bathroom, which I found amusing. Nice amenities are included in the bathroom.
They do hit you with a lot of charges here. You even have to pay for the coffee in the room. There’s a very funny “Shag Bag” which made me laugh out loud. You can guess what’s in there.

This hotel is a little bit spooky though. It’s older, built in 1927 I believe, and the hallways feel dark and, well – haunted. I’m not kidding. I’m on the twelfth floor, and I get weird chills when I walk from my hotel room to the elevator.

Moving on! If you stay here, you have to check out the historic lobby – it’s absolutely gorgeous. Very high ceilings, dark wood, soft, yellow lighting. Large, very comfortable leather chairs…just lovely.

The pool is open till 11pm, score!

I highly recommend Shelly Cafe, right across the street. Pretty cheap food – basic burgers, sandwiches and salads. But good! And, Million Dollar Baby was filmed there, if you’re into that stuff.

Photo Credit: P Keigan

Sustainable travel is now in the first stages of yet another revolution – moving from eco-friendly green hotels to completely carbon neutral hotels.

The Resort at Paws Up, Greenough, Montana

Airlines already allow passengers to purchase carbon credits equivalent to their share of carbon usage for the flight. Some private air charters include it as part of the service, so that their clients don’t have to do anything. It was only a matter of time before hotels started adopting this system.

The Resort at Paws Up in Greenough, Montana, is being touted as the first carbon neutral property in the United States. The resort implements all the usual green practices – earth-friendly cleaning products, electric vehicles on the grounds, organic food and sustainable produce in the restaurant, energy efficient lights, providing guests the option to re-use linens, and so on.

But in addition to all this, Paws Up also has a partnership with Missoula’s ClearSky Climate Solutions. They did an audit to calculate their energy consumption, and now they’re making sure to leave a ”zero carbon paw-print” by investing in Montana forestry and rangeland projects that are certified carbon offset providers.

But it’s not like this is something completely new. In fact, the US is actually behind on this one. Denmark’s Brochner Hotel chain claims to be the world’s first carbon neutral hotel chain, with 4 carbon neutral hotels in Copenhagen. URBN Hotels in Shanghai boasts of China’s first carbon-neutral hotel. The Mayland Seaside Hotel under construction in Guangzhou is incorporating a fuel cell power generator that would run on clean natural gas, making it the world’s first completely carbon-neutral hotel, which doesn’t have to compensate by buying carbon credits.  

Even Greenland has it’s own carbon neutral hotel under construction, just south of Ilulissat Icefjord, which is to be completely powered by alternative energy. 

Hotels have long been cashing in on eco-friendliness, touting everything from energy-efficient light bulbs to dual-flush toilets. Some of them really do care, and go out of their way to get LEED certification. But that still leaves at least some impact on the environment everytime you stay at a hotel.

Guests should not have to worry about how green a hotel really is – or isn’t. The time has now come for every hotel to start offering a completely carbon neutral experience. And guests shouldn’t have to pay extra for it. Properties like The Resort at Paws Up who are ahead of the curve will benefit from the positive publicity.

The best part of it is that once a hotel goes carbon neutral, it will be forced to become more energy-efficient and implement environmentally friendly practices, in order to reduce the bill for purchasing the required carbon credits. It’s good business, good for the environment and guests enjoy a guilt-free stay.

Kid Friendly Hotels

Picking the right hotel for your vacation is about much more than finding the best price.

When looking for a hotel, it’s a good idea to consider the kind of vacation you’re taking, who is staying with you, and what kind of hotel amenities are best suited for your unique vacation.

In other words, the best hotel for a romantic getaway may not be the best hotel for a family vacation with two small children.

Kid Friendly Hotels – What Amenities to Look For

1.  Continental Breakfast available on-site.

Small children don’t need an elaborate meal three times a day.  They do, however, need something for breakfast.  The more easily accessible, the better.

While a nicer hotel may have a restaurant that offers a full buffet and omelet bar, I much prefer an inexpensive hotel with a simply stocked continental breakfast when I’m traveling with my kids.  It’s generally a lot easier to set little kids up with a bowl of cereal in a small dining area that accepts footie pajamas as part of their dress code.  Traveling with kids means a lot of time spent in restaurants, and any chance to avoid that stress while still getting a decent meal is worth watching out for.

2. A pool is a plus.  A jacuzzi is completely unnecessary.

Little kids love to swim.  Or, at the very least, they love the idea of swimming – even if the reality is sitting on the pool steps for hours in their swimsuits.  But their expectations are low when it comes to a good hotel pool.

Water?  Great.  Shallow end?  Fantastic.  Clean?  If mom says so.  A jacuzzi and sauna room are less than an afterthought and should, in fact, be avoided by small children if possible.

3.  Extra sleeping area available – pullout couches, cots, massive floor space.

I always underestimate how much sleeping room my children are going to need when we travel.

“Oh, the little one can sleep with us.”

“Hey, the two little ones can bunk together.”

And then the little one is jammed between two big people in a double sized bed and the two big people end up with very little sleep.  Or the two little ones decide that this is the night that they cannot stand anymore of her touching me!

I’m all about giving up a little convenience to save a few bucks, but a good night of sleep when you’re on vacation is much more than a convenience.  Check with the hotel before you book to verify the size of the beds and the availability of cots.

4.  A bathtub.  Not just a shower – an actual bathtub.

If your kids are used to showering at home, than this is a non issue.  But if you’re traveling with a toddler, you may not want to introduce showering and water in the eyes on your oh so perfect family vacation.

Some hotels offer stand up showers only in some rooms, but have regular sized bathtubs in other rooms.  If you book your reservation by phone, ask about a room with a tub.  If you book your room online to save money, call the property you’re staying at after you’ve booked and request a room with a tub.

Ironically, you’ll usually find these amenities in a less expensive hotel.  Luxury is, apaprently, reserved for adults.  But when you’re on a family vacation, the best luxury is being able to stay some place where everyone in the family can feel relaxed and at home.

The Claremont Resort & Spa, Berkeley, CA

Some dear friends recently celebrated their 10 year wedding anniversary with a stay at the Claremont Resort and Spa, an old school “Grand Hotel” in Berkeley, California. In addition to being a beautiful and historic property, it’s also where they spent their honeymoon.

Pools, Bars and Chicken Fingers

The Claremont was nice enough to offer me a room at their media rate, so my husband and I decided to join our friends with a one-night staycation of our own!

The scene of chicken fingers and greyhounds!

We spent a delightful afternoon by pools (yes, plural — one for everybody, a second for kids and a third for laps) sipping cocktails while nibbling on chicken fingers and fries, which were delicious and a bargain at $7, don’t miss ‘em!

That was followed by an hors d’oeuvres and wine-filled evening in the Paragon Cafe and Bar, home of amazing San Francisco skyline views and breathtaking sunsets over the Golden Gate Bridge. Oh, and tasty food and drink. After so much decadence, we were more than happy to stumble upstairs to our room with a partial Bay View and extremely comfortable king sized bed.

Secret Agent Hotel Reviewer Financial Services Offsite Meeting Attender

My behind remembers sitting thru 3 day meetings in those chairs

But let me back up: before I could start drinking by the pool, the Claremont’s extremely friendly and funny Senior Sales Manager, Quincy Smith, gave us a tour of the property so I could do a (relatively) informed review of the hotel. Little did he know, I’m sort of a ringer.

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