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Hilton Head Oceanfront Resort Is Now An Omni

Where: 23 Ocean Lane [map], Hilton Head, SC, United States, 29928

Omni Hotels has been busy down in South Carolina securing the re-branding of its newest property: the Hilton Head Oceanfront Resort. Changes to the hotel will come gradually: starting first with the name change.

Though Omni's sibling company, Allegiance Hospitality, has managed the resort since 2003, now the whole place rests in Omni's hands. The current $18 million renovation, which will last through 2013, is intended to better "showcase the natural beauty of the resort." Which could mean anything really, but we're hoping for more windows that look out onto the ocean for better views. Meanwhile, time will also be devoted to the Courtyard area between the resort and the beach, as well as the pool area.

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While New York's Oak Room Closes, Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Starts A Music Festival In Vegas

Where: 59 W 44th St [map], New York, NY, United States, 10036

Two main players in the hotel music world are really getting the shake-up this month, and all we can do for now is sit back and watch (or, you know, listen) as the changes come to pass.

For starters, let's face the awful truth that The Algonquin is saying bye-bye forever to the Oak Room, its famed piano lounge that has hosted cabaret legends from Barbara Carroll to Julie Wilson to Steve Ross. According to the NY Times, audiences there have been "declining."

But it's not all doom and gloom! Head west—about 2,200 miles west—and witness a positively burgeoning indie music scene when Sports Illustrated Swimsuit hosts its first-ever music festival at The Cosmopolitan (where else?). The two-day lineup will feature indie acts like The Black Lips (above), Delta Spirit, and Elan Atias among others, and will hopefully do for the Strip what SI's Swimsuit issue has traditionally done for non-sports fans—make everyone sit up and pay attention.

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Hotel Openings / HotelChatter Reviews / London Hotels / Thompson Hotels / Luxury Hotels / Hotel News / → All Tags

Inside The Belgraves: Thompson Hotels Cross The Pond

Where: 20 Chesham Place [map], London, United States, SW1X 8HQ

The holy day finally came! Yesterday, Thompson Hotels opened their first property outside the US: the Belgraves, in the heart of London's poshest nabe, Belgravia.

We were first (OK, technically seventh) through the doors last night, and emerged this morning. Details of our sleepover to come (let's just say it was both eventful and emotional), but today, we're letting you make up your own minds about the decor.

First, the public spaces. Belgraves is relatively small, with a lobby and Hix restaurant to seat 80 on the ground floor, and Mark's Bar on the mezzanine overhead. In a weird positioning, through a side door off the bar is the gym.

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Hotel Openings / Santa Barbara Hotels / Hotel Indigo / Hotel News / → All Tags

Hotel Indigo Will Open on State Street in Santa Barbara on March 1

Where: 121 State Street [map], Santa Barbara, CA, United States, 93101

Well, this is surprising. When we were compiling our Master List of 2012 Openings, we totally did not see that Hotel Indigo would be opening in Santa Barbara. But lo and behold, an is announcement out today says that our favorite boutique brand is opening in March in the former Hotel State Street.

Opening after a multi-million dollar renovation, Hotel Indigo Santa Barbara combines the historic Santa Barbara splendor with the architectural sophistication of modern design.The forty-one room boutique hotel has thirteen guest rooms featuring private outdoor gardens and fourteen guest rooms with views of the Riviera and mountains or urban scenes dotted by palm trees.

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Miami Hotel Mambo / SLS Hotels / Hotel Openings / SBE / Sam Nazarian / Philippe Starck / Hotel Bathrooms / → All Tags

Showering at SLS South Beach Will Make You Pretty in Pink

Where: 1701 Collins Avenue [map], Miami Beach, FL, United States, 33139

With the opening of The SLS Hotel at South Beach coming up in April, we're officially in stalking mode.

Don't worry, we're not creeping around the construction site, a bunch of roses and unrequited love notes in hand. But we are checking out the hotel's website and Facebook page religiously, anxiously awaiting any new crumb of a detail or sneak peek of what's to come in one of the most anticipated hotels of the year.

This week, our devotion was rewarded: look at the pretty-in-pink renderings of the guest bathrooms that were just posted!

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Miami Hotel Mambo / Gansevoort Hotels / Starwood Capital / Hotel Rebrandings / Hotel News / → All Tags

Gansevoort Miami Beach Finally Drops The Gansevoort and is Now Known as The Perry

Where: 2377 Collins Ave [map], Miami Beach, FL, United States, 33139

It's lights out for The Gansevoort in Miami Beach

Nearly two years after the Gansevoort South/Miami Beach actually ceased to be a Gansevoort Hotel, we've now got word that the hotel has changed its name and will also get started on some much-needed renovations.

Miami-based tipster @DeeTCL tells us the hotel is no longer bank-owned, that Starwood Capital (not Starwood of the W Hotels) has moved in and that the hotel is going by the name, The Perry. Renovations will start soon and will be done in two years. However, despite Starwood's involvement, Coral Hospitality will remain on board as the management company. Already, the Gansevoort's website seems to be defunct while the perrysouthbeachhotel.com is up and running.

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Miami Hotel Mambo / Hotel Restaurants / Kimpton Hotels / → All Tags

Sampling The Street Food-Inspired Fare at The Surfcomber's Lantao Kitchen

Where: 1717 Collins Ave [map], Miami Beach, FL, United States, 33139

The reason we were scoping out the lobby designs at The Surfcomber the other day? We were heading to the hotel's new Lantao Kitchen for lunch.

We were intrigued by the sound of street-food-inspired South East Asian cuisine and a casual setting where sharing plates was welcome. Miami Beach is a bit of a wasteland when it comes to good Asian food (aside from sushi), and we were hankering for some spice.

Since Lantao is located towards the back of the hotel, out by the pool, we got to stroll through the lobby and enjoy the gorgeous Miami weather en route. There is outdoor seating available but we opted for the air-conditioned comfort inside.

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Hotel Art / Standard Hotels / LA Hotels / Hotel Parking Lots / Andre Balazs / → All Tags

Does Anything Look Weird To You About This Room At the Standard Hollywood?

Where: 8300 W Sunset Blvd [map], Los Angeles, CA, United States, 90069

Because a lot should seem weird about this room at the Standard Hollywood, which isn't even a real room, but a re-construction of a room, assembled in the Standard's parking lot by a group of artists.

Yup. Apparently there's a citywide project, titled Art in the Parking Space, which inserts performances and installations into (you guessed it!) parking lots all over LA. And last week, it was the Standard's own parking lot that, according to one of the participating artists, "became a total hang-out spot."

Tova Carlin, Ania Diakoff and Katerina Llanes, dubbed their installation Sub-Standard (we could slip in a few jabs about the rooms here, but we'll try not to), and specifically intended for people to come, hang out, and "think about itinerancy and occupying space with their bodies."

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Hotel News / Hotel Openings / Manhattan Hotels / Marriott Hotels / Edition Hotels / Public Hotels / Hotel Construction / King and Grove Hotels / → All Tags

From A Hotel Standpoint, New York Is Pretty Much Done With the Recession

 New York, New York—so great they named it twice. But, hey, don't just take our word for it (we live here, so we're a little biased). Talk to all the hotel developers who are buying up hotels left and right. Because of them, New York City alone accounted for 20% of hotel transactions across the entire country in 2011, announced The Real Deal.

In some ways, we already knew this. Well. We didn't know the exact numbers ($3.5 billion in sales, to be exact), but we did know that there were some major hoteliers sniffing out the next NYC locations for their brands. At a glance: Public New York is on its way, Edition New York has already found a location, and two other Marriotts (a Courtyard and a Springhill Suites) will be popping up in Herald Square.

Further downtown, Andre Balazs' Standard empire is steadily expanding eastward. And let's not forget about King & Grove, who recently burst onto the scene with two well-established NYC properties firmly under their belt.

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Celebrity Scoop / Florence Welch / Bad Celebrity Behavior / Manhattan Hotels / Kanye West / → All Tags

Florence Welch Set Fire to Her Room at The Bowery Hotel After Drinking with Kanye West

That might be one of the oddest headlines we've ever written but it's all true. Flame-haired (heh) singer Florence Welch, the frontleader of Florence and the Machine known for her powerhouse voice and questionably retro bathing suits, nearly burned down the Bowery Hotel in Manhattan.

The rocker recently told Britain' Q Magazine that she accidentally left a cinnamon tea light burning:

“I came back to the hotel, passed out in my ripped dress – no phone, chipped tooth – came round and there was black stuff all over the wall, my book had melted on the bedside table and there was a bucket of water on the floor. Actually the last scene you want to wake up to with a hangover. Half the room was singed.”

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Sneak Peek / Photo Gallery / Los Angeles Hotels / Avi Brosh / → All Tags

Sneak Peek at The Palihotel Melrose, Opening Tomorrow

Where: 7950 Melrose Avenue [map], Los Angeles, CA, United States, 90046

The sneak peeks continue as HotelChatter contributing editor Eric Rosen got a look inside Palihotel Melrose in Los Angeles, which officially opens tomorrow.

The hotel is a sort of spin-off to hotelier Avi Brosh's Palihouse Holloway in West Hollywood except it's gone a bit of a different direction. There's only 32 rooms but the hotel makes the most of each space with Dean & DeLuca treats in the minibar, ladders with hangers on them double as the "closet", footstools work as nightstands and in the bath are fun prints on the shower curtains and Palihotel-branded toiletries.

The hotel also features a six-bedroom Thai massage place (massages start at $35 fr 30 minutes), a two-seat blow-dry salon and the Palikitchen restaurant which serves coffee, toasted sandwiches, and sundry food and beauty products (The restaurant will actually be opening next month.)

Interested in booking a room? Rates for tomorrow night are at a limited time special of $149 a night. After that, they bump up to $250 a night. We also hear that the balcony rooms on the second floor have great views of Melrose or the hills or of Hayworth. Additionally, the plants on each balcony are in individual, customized arrangements from Rolling Greens Nursery.

For more on what to expect inside the Palihotel, peruse the photo gallery below!

[Photos: Eric Rosen for HotelChatter]

Hotelchatter Reviews / Taos Hotels / New Mexico Hotels / Bed and Breakfasts / Historic Hotels / → All Tags

Like Staying In A Museum (In A Good Way): Inside the Mabel Dodge Luhan House, Taos

Where: 240 Morada Lane [map], Taos, NM, United States, 87571

If you’re going to northern New Mexico and you have any kind of artistic or cultural sensibilities, you need to stay at the Mabel Dodge Luhan house. As the name would suggest, it’s the former home of Mabel Dodge Luhan – who was not only a writer, but a facilitator and gatherer of art in Taos. This is where pretty much anyone literary or artistic who’s traveled to New Mexico has stayed. DH Lawrence spent loads of time here, and even painted the windows of one of the bathrooms with bright murals (today, some rooms still have access to that bathroom). Georgia O’Keefe, Ansel Adams, Dennis Hopper, Carl Jung – the list of illustrious guests is long and varied. For more details, see the website.

Because it’s more of a museum rather than a swish hotel, we were expecting the worst when it came to rooms. When we had to be towed out of a snowbank, having skidded on ice on the approach, we were even more timorous. But we soldiered on. Here’s what we found.

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