What’s in a name? A lot, if you’re Paris Hilton and you want to open a hotel. That’s exactly what Paris Hilton says she wants to do. She says she now wants to go back to her roots as a hotelier.

Paris Hilton

She says quote ”And right now that I’ve done everything I’ve wanted to do, that would definitely be the next step, to open my own hotels.”

Paris Hilton is the heiress of the Hilton Hotels chain, founded by her great grandfather Conrad Hilton. Unfortunately for our wannabe hotelier, the Hilton family has already sold off the hotel business, and the Hilton chain is now owned by the Blackstone Group.

The point being that Paris Hilton no longer has the right to open a hotel named Hilton, or Paris Hilton or anything of the sort. Unless Hilton Worldwide wants Paris Hilton to open a new brand under the Hilton umbrella, the word ‘Hilton’ is pretty much out of the running.

So what does that leave? Here’s a few name suggestions for Paris Hilton’s flagship hotel:-

The Whitney – Betcha didn’t know Paris Hilton’s middle name is Whitney.

The Paris – There wouldn’t be any legal problems with that, and there’s a bonus. What happens if they have to open in Paris, France? It would be The Paris Paris, which is a flaky name and something Paris Hilton can identify with.

The Nic – Her sister is Nicky Hilton, one of her brothers is Barron Nicholas Hilton II, and her childhood friend and The Simple Life co-star is Nicole Richie. She has had a relationship with singer Nick Carter and also with Greek shipping heir Stavros Niarchos III.

The Heiress - Paris founded her own record label, which is called Heiress Records. She has a perfume line, one of which is named Heiress. She’s also a published author with a bestseller called Confessions of an Heiress, and another one called Your Heiress Diary.

Photo – Peter Schäfermeier

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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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Les Saisons, Ketchum, Idaho

680 Sun Valley Road
Ketchum, Idaho 83340
866.847.4200

CELEBS SPOTTED: Bill Gates, Tom Hanks, Bruce Willis, Demi Moore, Oprah Winfrey, Clint Eastwood and Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger

Queen Oprah Winfrey

This week, it’s more of a luxury residence resort. But you ask for celebrity hangouts, and that’s what I’m giving you. Les Saisons in Idaho’s Sun Valley is a beautiful property, dripping with le exclusive vibe. There are 12 residences, each coming in at 1,900 square feet, and folks like Tom Hanks and Oprah Winfrey eat it up.

Beautiful Sun Valley, Idaho

It’s one of America’s premiere ski resorts and the scenery is to die for. Everything from the astounding views to the amenities will have you feeling like a star. The staff claims to know everyone by name, which is a wonderful touch, particularly if they recognize me like so: “Hi Karl, here’s your Guinness.”

The lobby says, "Cozy"

Bruce Willis loves Les Saisons

The Idaho mountains make this a great spot for not just skiing, but fly fishing, hiking, golf, and there are tons of arts in the area, too. There are photo galleries, paintings, even a Sun Valley symphony. Culture out the wazoo, people!

Living room with a view

This is the place where Bing Crosby and Rosemary Clooney hung out from “White Christmas.” And Les Saisons, while more of a time-share sort of thing, is fairly reasonable if you’re looking to get away from it all. Rates start at $300 a night for a 2-bedroom, $400 a night for 3 bedrooms. And in the peak Christmas season, you’re looking at $900 and $1,200 a night, respectively. And those are the rental rates, so if you’re not looking to buy, there’s still hope.

The kitchens at Les Saisons give you all you need

And while there aren’t a ton of recognizable chains in Ketchum, Idaho, there is a Starbucks. The restaurants you’ll find are all unique dining experiences. Ernest Hemingway used to spend time here, and you can, too. French cuisine and European flairs combine, and there are plenty of regional Northwest flavors, as well.

Luxury includes a rooftop pool

Les Saisons is the perfect spot to enjoy the Bunny slopes. Well, that’s where you’d find me, anyway. I like all my bones right where they are.

Nearby Restaurants: Ketchum Grill, Lefty’s Bar & Grill, The Cellar Pub

Photo attributions:

Sun Valley snow scene – http://www.flickr.com/photos/jurvetson/ / CC BY 2.0

Celebrity photos: Celebutopia

All other photos: Les Saisons web site

Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin will be hosting the 82nd Academy Awards on March 7, 2010 at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood.

Giant Oscar

It’s customary at this stage to write about the best hotels for the Oscars – the ones which are strategically located for the red carpet, the Los Angeles hotels with the most glitz and glamor for the after-parties, etc.

Also, since not everyone will be in LA, you’ll find below famed hotels around the world with strong connections to tinseltown.

LA Inc. – The official tourism marketing organization for Los Angeles has come up with an LA Guide to the Oscars, with a neat roundup of hotels that have links and/or proximity to the Oscars and the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood and Highland.

The Renaissance Hollywood Hotel & Spa offers a vantage point for celebrity spotting and for watching the preparations; the Roosevelt Hotel for soaking in the Oscar history;  the new W Hotel with it’s own red carpet; and the Hotel Bel-Air and Beverly Wilshire as celebrity hotspots.

Movie Hotels - List of America’s top 10 movie hotels, where countless classic celluloid scenes have been shot. The list is topped by the Fairmont San Francisco, followed by the Bellagio in Las Vegas and the Plaza Hotel (also a Fairmont) in New York.

The Plaza Hotel, New York

Two LA -based stars on TA’s list of movie hotels include the Millenium Biltmore and the aforementioned Beverly Wilshire.

The remainder is rounded up by the Renaissance St. Louis, The Roosevelt Hotel in New York, Fontainebleau Miami Beach, Timberline Lodge in Oregon, and the Mountain Lake Hotel in Pembroke, VA.

Hotel-themed Movies - List of the top 8 academy award winning hotel movies. As in movies centred around a hotel, which went on to be nominated for an Oscar or worse… 

The top three on the list are Grand Hotel (Berlin), Hotel Rwanda and Hotel Paraiso (Portugal).

The remaining five are made up of Four Rooms and Hotel, Holiday Inn, The Inn of the Sixth Happiness, Hôtel Terminus – The Life and Times of Klaus Barbie, and International Hotel (aka The V.I.P.s).

Celebrity Hotels – List of the world’s top 10 hotels owned by celebrities. Properties on this list owned by Hollywood stars include Robert Redford’s cool Sundance Resort in Utah, Robert De Niro’s hot Greenwich Hotel in New York and Francis Ford Coppola’s soothing Blancaneaux Lodge in San Ignacio, Belize.

Lastly, here’s a few takes from UpTake on celebrity hotels where you’ll get a red carpet welcome, mingle with Hollywood celebs and enjoy the Oscar party atmosphere.

Chateau Marmont

Take 1   – Chateau Marmont, Hollywood
Take 2   – The Standard Downtown, Los Angeles
Take 3   – The Mondrian, West Hollywood
Take 4   – Soho Grand, NYC
Take 5   – Cheeca Spa and Lodge, Florida Keys
Take 6   – Hotel Vancouver, Vancouver, Canada
Take 7   – Huka Lodge, Taupo, NZ
Take 8   – Guanahani Hotel and Spa, St. Barthelemy, West indies
Take 9   – Byblos Hotel in St. Tropez, France
Take 10 – One & Only Palmilla, Cabo San Lucas

Photo credits – Giant Oscar – Alan Light; Plaza Hotel – TripAdvisor; Chateau Marmont – Gary Minnaert