http://www.hotelchatter.com/ Hotel Reviews, Hotel Ratings, Hotel Openings en-us Copyright 2008 - SFO Media 2009-11-22T15:16:22Z HotelChatter HotelChatter http://www.hotelchatter.com/images/hcwhite.jpg http://www.hotelchatter.com/ http://www.hotelchatter.com/story/2009/3/10/7308/39949 <![CDATA[<img src="http://www.hotelchatter.com/files/3873/Vivanta_Hotel_Bangalore.jpg" class="top"><p> <p>Soft-opening alert: India's <a href="http://www.hotelchatter.com/hotel-reviews/Vivanta+By+Taj+Whitefield/ian/278490"><b>Vivanta Hotel</b></a> in Bangalore has opened its doors for the first tentative time, in the middle of Bangalore's growing International Tech Park (and a quite distant 26 miles from the airport).<p>Vivanta is claiming to be a bit special for several reasons, and one of them is the outside of the building:<blockquote><p>The hotel's unique facade changes colour, texture and tone to express the borderless potential for the guests who will feel at home in any of its 199 rooms and suites.</blockquote><p>Thumbs up for something as exciting as "borderless potential" though we're not sure how this sparkly blue-green combo will bring that about. Anyhow, being in a tech park means we expect decent facilities and amandak 2009-03-10T09:03:35-05:00 http://www.hotelchatter.com/story/2008/1/18/155446/134 <![CDATA[<p><img src="http://www.hotelchatter.com/files/admin/park_bangalore.jpg" class="imgborder"><p>The hot trend of opening a hip bar and lounge inside a hotel doesn't just apply to the lodging establishments stateside.<p>At the <a href="http://www.hotelchatter.com/hotel-reviews/The+Park+Bangalore/ian/109244"><b>Park Hotel</b></a> in Bangalore, the new <b>i-Bar</b> has opened. Designed by the Project Orange design group, the bar has been transformed into a high-end drinking establishment.<blockquote><p> The layout is understood as a box within a box where the inner sanctum is accessed via the sliding timber screens. This area has a lowered ceiling and features a collection of furniture all covered in red leather, silk and cotton. On the floor are a number of individually designed textured rugs by Project Orange.<p>The bar itself is on the end wall standing in front of a huge textured juliana 2008-01-18T16:00:00-05:00 http://www.hotelchatter.com/story/2007/8/28/102358/014 <![CDATA[<p><b>[Ed. Note: Welcome to our Good Rate/Bad Rate feature where we look at hotel prices in the same city and decide which one most deserves your hard-earned benjamins. Rates quotes here were captured August 28, 2007 and are subject to change. Enjoy.]</b><p><img src="http://www.hotelchatter.com/files/3930/taj_residency.jpg" class="imgborder"><p>We've reported before on the <a href="http://www.hotelchatter.com/story/2006/11/27/01524/196/hotels/No_Room_at_the_Inn_in_India">hotel room crunch in India</a>, but $440 for the lowest-priced available room in the <a href="http://www.hotelchatter.com/hotel-reviews/Taj+Residency/ian/212473"><b>Taj Residency Bangalore</b></a>? When we pulled up the dates of September 6 to 9 on their website, 18,000 rupees was the lowest rate listed. At the current exchange rate that's $440 before taxes. <p>Granted, this is a room on the club level, so you do get breakfast, a cocktail hour, and some swanky amenities: Herman Miller Tim L. 2007-08-28T11:04:35-05:00 http://www.hotelchatter.com/story/2007/8/28/102032/719 <![CDATA[<p><b>[Ed. Note: Welcome to our Good Rate/Bad Rate feature where we look at hotel prices in the same city and decide which one most deserves your hard-earned benjamins. Rates quotes here were captured August 28, 2007 and are subject to change. Enjoy.]</b><p><img src="http://www.hotelchatter.com/files/3930/ginger_bangalore.jpg" class="imgborder"><p>Yesterday we linked to a Budget Travel story on <a href="http://www.hotelchatter.com/story/2007/8/26/235756/682/hotels/Get_to_Know_39_Foreign_Hotel_Chains">39 international hotel chains</a> worth checking out, so we thought it would be fun to turn to them for both our Good Rate and Bad Rate. On the good side, we have the value-priced <a href="http://www.hotelchatter.com/hotel-reviews/Ginger+Hotel+Bangalore/local/790"><b>Ginger Hotel Bangalore</b></a>, coming in at only 1,799 rupees for a double, or $44. <p>If you're coming to India's tech center to save some money on staffing up your new venture, this Tim L. 2007-08-28T11:04:16-05:00 http://www.hotelchatter.com/story/2006/3/8/12362/39989 <![CDATA[<p><img src="http://www.hotelchatter.com/files/admin/hotel_leela.jpg"><p><b>[Ed. Note: Fearless <a href="http://www.Jaunted.com">Jaunted</a> reporter, John Rambow, has been staying in India on a long story assignment and has agreed to give us the full scoop on the Indian hotel scene. We asked him what is with all the buzz on India and how come there never seem to be enough hotels there? From the man who taught you <a href="http://www.jaunted.com/story/2006/2/15/83231/0983/celeb/Eating_in_India_the_Thali">how to eat thali</a>, we present Rambow Reports. Enjoy.]</b><p><i>The short answer is that supply hasn't been able to keep up with demand for the high end business-class hotels, places for business people from the West who want (and can get their companies to pay for) all the comforts of Manhattan. Exhibit #1 is the <a href="http://www.theleela.com/"<b>Leela Palace</b></a> in juliana 2006-03-08T14:02:08-05:00 Search HotelChatter string http://www.hotelchatter.com/search/