Hotels

Hotel Urbano, an artsy new boutique hotel in Miami, Fla. is celebrating it’s grand opening by offering first night’s stay at a $20.10 rate during January 2010.

Hotel Urbano, Miami

Urbano, located in Brickell Avenue, offers 65 guest rooms spread over 3 floors with walk-in showers and some snazzy interior design, with views of either the pool or the city, and some rooms even have their own Lanai.

The four cabanas, the fire-pit and the bar alongside the outdoor pool offer a good place to chill out after a hard day of tramping around in  Miami.

For the artistically inclined, Urbano is even more of an exhibitionist, partnering with the Art Fusion Galleries of the Miami Design District to display new exhibits at art receptions which will be held at the hotel.

Urbano’s Dec 5 launch doubled as an Art Basel celebration party at the Art Fusion Galleries. The hotel says even the food and drinks offered by their full-service restaurant & bar are all “inspired by Miami’s eclectic art scene.”

The $20.10 rate is applicable for January stays only, and only for the 1st night. $159 for the remaining nights on a city view room. Upgrade to a pool view for an additional $20 per night or get your own private Lanai for $60 more per night. Minimum 2-night stay required. Use promo code SPECIAL.

Photos courtesy Hotel Urbano

Info: 2500 Brickell Ave., Miami, FL 33129; (305) 854-2070 or (888) 657-3448 for reservations; www.hotelurbano.com/

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Ever dreamed the dream of becoming a famous rockstar or singer? If you have, but never got beyond karaoke and the shower, here’s your big chance. The Mosser Hotel is going where no San Francisco hotels have gone before – free recording sessions for guests at the hotel’s own recording studio.

The Mosser Hotel, San Francisco

Book their Holiday Tunes package and you get luxe accommodations, 1 hour of recording time in the state-of-the-art recording studio (with Engineer), a CD of your recordings, and a box of chocolates upon check-in. Rates from $165.

If you like the sound of your own voice, then you can up the ante and book into the Musicians package, which offers a four hour session at the studio, along with the hotel room.

For other guests worried about the racket caused by amateur musicians and wannabe rock bands, not to worry – Mosser’s rooms are secured with double-double pane windows to ensure a quiet nights sleep.

The Mosser Hotel, located just 4 blocks from Union Square, first opened in 1913 as the Keystone Hotel. In 1981, Charles W. Mosser purchased the hotel and it was renamed as The Mosser after a massive renovation in 2003, and the hotel now offers a modern interior and chic rooms with an eye-catching Victorian exterior.

The Mosser studio is called Studio Paradiso, and is located adjacent to the hotel and Annabelle’s Bar and Bistro. The studio normally charges $60/hour. More details here.

Photo courtesy Mosser Co.

Info: 54 Fourth Street, San Francisco, CA 94103; (415) 986-4400; www.themosser.com/

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Santa is very, very mad at the Holiday Inn Las Vegas – something about the huge number of black sheep in Sin City and the Holiday Inn being responsible. Turns out the whole mess is due to a New Year’s Eve promotion rolled out by the hip new hotel near the Strip.

Vegas

They’re inviting guests to submit five New Year’s ‘Anti-Resolutions,’ and in return, you get 15% off on the room rate and a complimentary bottle of Champagne.

No wonder Santa’s miffed. Cheap gifts stuffed into a stocking are no match for a 15% discount on Las Vegas hotels and a bottle of the bubbly to boot.

Sounds like a good deal, so let’s get to work on the anti-resolutions. The Holiday Inn was kind enough to provide a few examples:-

Holiday Inn

•   I will save less money and buy more things I don’t need
•   I will accept more people I do not know as my “friends” on Facebook
•   I promise to shop online more at work next year
•   I vow to over-caffeinate more next year
•   I promise to pay less attention to what people are saying to me in 2010
•   I will get less sleep and do less exercise
•   I will call in sick more often when I am not

I’m sure you get the picture now… All anti-resolutions must be rated PG in nature, approved by management and once submitted, will be posted on the hotel’s Facebook page. You need to submit your entries in writing upon check-in.

Holiday Inn photo credit – VisMedia, courtesy IHG Plc; Vegas photo by Bala

Info: 4055 Palos Verdes Street Las Vegas, NV 89119; (702) 473-6400; www.hilasvegashotel.com/

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Must be the weather. Or maybe the holiday spirit.  The Blue Bay Inn in Atlantic Highlands, NJ is offering 23 suites to people for free – If you’ve lost your job – as part of a ‘Hotel for the Holidays’ promotion. And they want your resume, so they can help you find a job.

Blue Bay Inn, NJ

Here’s the deal – You get to stay free for 2 days on Jan 2 & 3, 2010, if you can prove you lost your job in the last 3 months. The stay also includes a reception cocktail party, and a job-seekers workshop.

The hotel’s manager – Robert hilton, has been contacting companies who are looking to hire workers and the hotel is going to put up applicants’ resumes on the hotel website (without the names), hoping that some of the companies will go through the resumes and short-list candidates for interviews.

Here’s what you do, if you’ve been let go, and you’re interested. Prepare a cover letter explaining why you want to be included in the Blue Bay Inn’s free-stay+job event. Mail it the hotel, alongwith your name, address, telephone number, e-mail address, a current resume and a notarized copy of proof of unemployment benefits. Send it to Hotel for the Holidays, 51 1st Ave, Atlantic Highlands, NJ 07716.

Last date for submissions is Dec 1, 2009. Open to all legal residents of the 50 US states aged 18 and above. The rules are explained here. For more information, contact Robert Hilton (General Manager) at 732-708-9600 or check out the hotel’s website.

The Blue Bay Inn is a boutique hotel on the Jersey shore, just minutes from the beaches of Sandy Hook and 40 minutes by ferry to Manhattan. They have 23 suites and 4 apartments for extended-stays.

Photo courtesy Blue Bay Inn

Info: 51 First Avenue Atlantic Highlands, NJ 07716; (732) 708-9600; www.bluebayinn.com/

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When you think about the movie Back To The Future, you probably don’t think of Ireland.  If you’re a movie buff, you probably think of Hill Valley, California.

But two hotels in Ireland are hoping to change all that with the launch of their Back To The Future promotion.  Despite the location not having any ties to the movie, Ashford Castle and The g Hotel in Galway, Ireland are giving guests a chance to experience two distinct eras of the country’s past.

Ashford Castle is an actual castle.  The castle itself dates back to 1228 and was once the estate of the Guinness family.  It officially became a hotel in 1939 and is set on 350 acres in County Mayo, on the shores of Lough Corrib and the River Cong.  The setting is beyond gorgeous.  Ashford Castle officially represents the past or “Back” portion of the promotion.

The g Hotel Galway

The g Hotel Galway is as modern as Ashford Castle is historical. Located in the heart of Galway in western Ireland, it’s one of Ireland’s top five-star city hotels.  The interiors are splashed with bright colors like fuchsia and royal blue.  Amenities include the contemporary ESPA and MATZ at the g restaurant, three individually-styled lounges and a cocktail bar.  Everything about The g Hotel screams Hip Big City Life.  Welcome to “the Future”.

As part of the Back To The Future vacation package, guests receive two nights at each hotel and a full Irish breakfast each morning.  You can take your nights in any order.

The package is priced at $888, a nod to the 88 miles per hour required for the DeLorean to drive through time.

French hotel brand Sofitel has launched an ‘I Love Chocolate’ special. Yes, it involves a lot of free chocolate – Dark and milk chocolate, succulent confectionaries, precious cookies and hot chocolate drinks.

Sofitel Los Angeles & Chocolate

Since you’re already drooling, let’s bite into the details of this special. Between November 1, 2009 and January 31, 2010, anyone who books the ‘I Love Chocolate’ special gets a third night free at any of Sofitel’s over 85 participating hotels in 26 countries.

Participating Sofitel hotels in the US include the Sofitels in Chicago (Water Tower), New York, Los Angeles, Miami, Minneapolis, Philadelphia, San Francisco (Bay) and Washington DC (Lafayette Square).

Plus, you get a delicious breakfast served in the restaurant every morning, and an ‘all chocolate afternoon tea’ which includes hot chocolate, pastries and other delicacies. And also a late check-out.

If you’re looking for romantic hotels, you won’t get more amour anywhere else. All these Sofitels lean heavily towards a European experience – that means luxury, champagne, privacy, breathtaking views, fancy art on the walls…and chocolate.

For more details, visit www.sofitel-ilovechocolate.com

Chocolate photo by norwichnuts; Sofitel Los Angeles photo courtesy Accor Hotels

The Renaissance Westchester Hotel in White Plains, NY is offering a free hotel room for life – you get 1 night free every year for the rest of your life. So what’s the catch?

Renaissance Westchester, White Plains, NY

Catch is that you need to book an event or a meeting - a group booking - at the hotel, in order to qualify for the free ‘Room for Life.’  This means family vacations with the nanny and the neighbours’ kids don’t count.

Has to be more like a wedding party or a big event. If you do qualify, then you get to come back every year, for the rest of your life – for free.

If you’re the meeting planner for your company, then this is a golden opportunity for you to get yourself a hotel room for life.

The offer is valid for bookings made before December 31, 2010, with stay prior to March 31, 2011. That gives you over a year to cook up an event. If you’re planning on getting married, hold your wedding at the Renaissance Westchester and come back every year for your wedding anniversary.

Like Alan and Rita Holmes, who have been staying in room number 433 at the Hotel Catalonia Ses Estaques in Santa Eulalia, Ibiza for every vacation over the past 20 years, since 1989. The town’s mayor gave them an award for being so loyal.

You’d be getting an award (hopefully) from the Mayor of Harrison – the Renaissance Westchester Hotel being located in West Harrison, just 35 minutes out of New York City.

On top of the near-perfect location and luxurious guest rooms and suites, the hotel also offers 28 meeting rooms, 18,500 sq ft of total meeting space, with the Grand Ballroom maxing out at 5,460 sq ft and a seating capacity of 650.

Plus, the hotel’s acclaimed  Westchester restaurant, 80 West, boasts floor to ceiling windows overlooking the wooded estate, and is home to Marriott’s “Chef of the Year” - Jean-Claude Lanchais.

So promotion or not, the hotel’s resort like setting is a pretty good place to hold weddings and events. But it’s always nice if the hotel is kind enough to offer you a free room for life.

Photo courtesy Renaissance Hotels & Resorts

Info: 80 West Red Oak Lane West Harrison NY 10604; (914) 694-5400; website

Starting Oct 9, 2009, the U.S. Virgin Islands is offering a cent-sational promotion – hotel rooms for 25 cents. The promotion is a part of the celebration for the launch of the U.S. Virgin Islands’ first-ever United States quarter.

U.S. Virgin Islands

In addition to the $.25 cent room nights (max 3 nights), you also get $25 per person dining credit and $25 per person activities credit. And a Virgin Islands commemorative quarter Scotiabank coin set.

This is a limited time offer and you have to book before Nov 2 for stays between now and Nov 15 only. Reservations must be made through BookIt.com.

Participating hotels include Bolongo Bay Beach Resort, Carambola Beach Resort & Spa, Hibiscus Beach Resort, Hotel Caravelle, Marriott Frenchman’s Reef & Morning Star Beach Resort, Secret Harbour Beach Resort, The Palms at Pelican Cove, Windward Passage , and Wyndham Sugar Bay Resort & Spa.

It’s short notice, so in case you miss this promotion, then USVI has more super deals and specials on offer.

The U.S. Virgin Islands, including St. Thomas, St. John and St. Croix, were discovered in 1493 by Christopher Columbus. Since then, many European nations with delusions of empire have taken turns at being masters of these islands and leaving behind their footprints and culture on the white sandy beaches. This role is currently being played by the United States.

Photos courtesy M. Booth & Associates Inc.

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

On Sept 29, 2009, Harrah’s will be on hand at South Street Seaport in New York, handing out free room keys to 6000 lucky passers-by – that’s free rooms in Harrah’s Atlantic City. 

Harrah's Atlantic City

So maybe you got yourself one of the free rooms. Want a free upgrade to a Suite? They’re also urging New Yorkers to go for a free upgrade to their free room by trading in their officewear for a stylish bathing suit, as part of the ‘Suits For Suites’ promotion. If you’re willing, you could get yourself an overnight stay in one of the suites at the Waterfront Tower in the Atlantic City Resort.

All you have to do is strut your stuff in a bikini at the resort on Sept 29. Everyone brave enough to model in a bathing suit to the public will automatically be upgraded to a Suite at the Harrah’s Resort Waterfront Tower.

On Wednesday September 30, the event continues online on their website where visitors can vote for the “best swimsuit photo” from among the participants. The contestant with the most votes will win their choice of either a Red Door Spa Suite Package or the Ultimate Party Suite Package.

So here’s the deal – Step 1 – Be at South Street Seaport in between 11 am – 7 pm on Sept 29, and get hold of one of the free room keys from the Harrah’s Bikini Team. Step two – if you want a free suite – agree to walk the ramp in a bathing suit at the resort. Step three – if you win the swimsuit contest – you get yourself a spa suite package.

If you think you’re model material, then help yourself to an exciting free stay at Harrah’s International in Atlantic City.

Photo by banspy

Info: 777 Harrah’s Blvd Atlantic City, NJ 08401; (609) 441-5000; www.harrahsresort.com/