The Affinia Chicago has a $10k ‘outdoor suite’ for a night under the stars that would make even the most profligate glamper look like a cheapskate.

C-View at Affinia Chicago

In addition to indoor digs, the Inside Out Suite on the hotel’s 29th floor provides a King-size bed set outside in the C-View lounge. Guests who book this suite get the entire lounge all to themselves for the night.

That’s not all, either, because $10,000 buys you a whole lot of personalized care and attention.

You get your own butler, and a private dinner from the C-House restaurant on the street level, planned according to your wishes by executive chef Nicole Pederson. You also get your own private outdoor movie screening.

And a bottle of champagne, late night snacks and breakfast the next morning in whichever bed you chose for sleeping in (or out).

It makes for a great way to beat the midwest heat wave, and if you end up regretting splurging $10k on a hotel stay, you can always blame it on the heat.

The Inside Out suite is for Friday and Saturday night stays only, for upto five people and subject to availability and favorable weather.

The 215-room Affinia Chicago is a Magnificent Mile hotel which offers everything from wireless high speed internet to mini-bars in guest rooms. You get an in-room safe and a 6-choice pillow menu. The hotel has 24-hour fitness and business centers, and additional meeting rooms for private events.

Apart from celebrity chef Chef Marcus Samuelsson’s award winning C-House restaurant and the outdoor C-View rooftop lounge and terrace, the hotel also offers a complimentary Coffee Bar in the lobby, Mon-Fri from 6:30 to 10 am.

Photo – C-House

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A hotel roof – or for that matter any roof – is no longer just a roof but a valuable asset. Almost every new hotel built now has either a green roof with a garden, or a rooftop bar and lounge, and even swimming pools.

Some of these pools are breathtaking – worth checking in to the hotel just so you can enjoy the rooftop experience and wallow in the water with nothing but the sky above and the earth far below. Take a look.

1. The Joule, Dallas - An incredible vertigo inducing heated infinity pool which sticks out of the building’s roof and into thin air. 

Rooftop Pool at The Joule, Dallas

Closeup - Rooftop Pool at The Joule, Dallas

The Joule Pool sticks 8 feet beyond the structure with a glass window at the end. You’ll find yourself swimming off the building’s edge, which is either terrifying or exhilarating, depending on how adventurous you are. There’s also a rooftop café and pool attendants offering rooftop service.

2. Hotel Gansevoort, New York (Meatpacking) - While the new Gansevoort hotels in New York (Park Avenue) and Miami offer equally splendid rooftop pools, there’s something about the rooftop pool of the Hotel Gansevoort in the Meatpacking District in New York that puts it a cut above the rest. Read More »

Walking distance from the fashion district is The Standard Hotel

Leonardo is part-owner of The Standard

The Standard Hotel, Downtown Los Angeles
550 South Flower at Sixth Street
Los Angeles, CA 90071
Phone (213) 892-8080

CELEBS SPOTTED: Leonardo DiCaprio, Cameron Diaz, Benicio del Toro

Smack dab in the middle of downtown Los Angeles – a stone’s throw from the fashion and jewelry districts – is The Standard Hotel. The Walt Disney Concert Hall is close by, as is the Museum of Contemporary Art and Dodgers Stadium.

Celebs galore hang at The Standard. Leonardo Dicaprio loves the Rooftop Bar, complete with incredible views of L.A., heated pool, outdoor fireplaces, the bar and restaurant.

You think this is cool? Wait till you see it at night.

Cameron Diaz enjoys the 24/7 Restaurant, literally open 24/7, with it’s cheery yellow decor and outside patio area. The Standard sets a…well, standard for casual chic.

The 24/7 is all bright and cheery-like

There's Something About Cameron

Yes, Leonardo and Cameron are part of the investors in the hotel, but they have reason to love the place, anyway. It’s cool, baby, cool. The indoor lobby area has pool tables, the outdoor lobby has a flaming fountain (yes! Flames and fountains together!) – there’s even a photo booth. And my favorite thing in any hotel, of course: free wifi throughout. That’s class.

Platform beds and great lighting

The Medium room, at 300 square feet, comes with queen-sized platform bed and glass-enclosed shower. A great desk, along with iPod stereos, too. It starts at $245/night. A few notches up, you have the Gigantic room, which measures in at 480 square feet. Sports  a king-sized bed, five great windows (corner rooms), double closets, and a bathtub, along with the other amenities. The Gigantic runs $350/night and up.

Some rooms have separate living rooms

But let’s look at how Benicio del Toro likes his room. The Bigger Penthouse (yes, that’s what it’s called) is the cream of the crop. Starting at $1,300/night, it’s 1,000 square feet, and has a separate living room (with dining table). Huge shower, bathtub, TWO toilets, and a big vanity area. Plus, amazing views of the arts and financial districts.

The outside dining area is divine

Add in a gym, 24-hour room service, and live music every Tuesday in the lobby…the stars love The Standard, and you will, too. You know, if you’ve got the scratch.

Nearby Restaurants: Restaurant at Standard, Chaya Downtown, Water Grill, Cafe Pinot

Photo Attribution:

Exterior Hotel Shot: http://www.flickr.com/photos/experiencela/ / CC BY 2.0

Rooftop Shot: http://www.flickr.com/photos/akhir/ / CC BY 2.0

Celebrity photos: Celebutopia

All other hotel shots from The Standard web site.

Put your plans for the Acropolis and the Temple of Zeus on ice. The new hot-spot for winter games in Athens is the Marriott Ledra Hotel. To be specific, the rooftop ice skating rink next to and operated by the Athens Marriott Ledra.

Marriott Ledra, Athens

From now through the end of February, you can skate for free and warm up with the seasonal drinks and food catered by the hotel while enjoying the sweeping view of Athens below.

Located atop the Star City Cinema complex beside the hotel, the 200 square meter rink allows skaters to take a spin on the ice from 11 a.m., through 11 p.m. daily.

If you still pine for the ancient Acropolis and Parthenon, the hotel offers a two-night “Explore the New Acropolis Museum” package, with two complimentary tickets to the new Acropolis Museum, and a free hotel shuttle. Use promo code M11.

The hotel’s 308 guest rooms and 6 suites are spread over 8 floors overlooking the Acropolis, just minutes from the Plaka, Piraeus Port and the New Acropolis museum. There’s also a rooftop pool and a 24-hour fitness center.

After a hard day tramping around Athens paying your respects to the Greek Gods and Goddesses, you can come back to your hotel to enjoy a Mediterranean or Greek dinner at Zephyros Restaurant or indulge in Polynesian cuisine and fresh sushi at Kona Kai.

Photo courtesy Marriott International

Info: 115 Syngrou Avenue  Athens, 11745 Greece; Tel: 30-210-9300000; www.athensmarriott.com/

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