HotelChatter - Reykjavik

Frank Bruni Namechecks The Hotel Borg in Iceland

KatieK — 2009-01-12T09:44:48-05:00

The New York Time’s resto critic Frank Bruni recently took some time away from critiquing NYC restaurants to spend 36 hours in Reykjavik, Iceland. Though he spent much of his time partaking in the local tradition of runtur (pub crawl) — and making more than a couple swipes at some drunken locals — his choice of bedpost, the Hotel Borg, was smart, if not particularly surprising.

Bruni says the 1930 Art Deco Hotel Borg sits on the Reykjavik’s “prettiest square” and is the “grande dame of accommodations.” We’d have to agree: This past fall, HotelChatter’s Tim Leffel described the hotel as “in most respects the best in the city.”

Iceland's Pain Is Your Gain at the Hilton Reykjavik

Tim L. — 2008-10-13T16:24:28-05:00

<![CDATA[<img src="http://www.hotelchatter.com/files/3930/hilton_reykjavic.jpg" class="imgborder"> Last week we ran an <a href="http://www.hotelchatter.com/tag/Iceland%20Hotel%20Guide">Iceland Hotel Guide</a> series and the prices we quoted have already dropped from there. Iceland is having a financial system meltdown that makes the U.S. one look like a minor annoyance. As a result, their currency has tumbled and what was once one of the most expensive destinations for Americans has become a great bargain. Icelandair just dropped fares to Iceland's capital, Reykjavik, to $400 round trip from New York City or Boston, good for travel November through March. Here's the real kicker though: if you travel there in November, Icelandair is offering a 3-night-stay at the <a href="http://www.hotelchatter.com/hotel-reviews/Hilton+Nordica+Hotel/local/1364">Hilton Reykjavik Nordica</a>, with daily breakfast, for only $149 more per person double

Iceland Hotel Guide: Sweet Suites at The Hotel Borg

Tim L. — 2008-10-10T10:45:42-05:00

<![CDATA[HotelChatter contributing editor Tim Leffel is braving the erratic weather of Iceland and reporting on the local hotel scene this week. Most hotels are listed in euros or kroners, but prices have been converted into dollars, which are actually worth something there right now. <img src="http://www.hotelchatter.com/files/3930/borg_iceland.jpg" class="imgborder"> There are no frightening alien cyborgs at Reykjavik's <a href="http://www.hotelchatter.com/hotel-reviews/Hotel+Borg/ian/124906">Hotel Borg</a>, which is in most respects the best in the city. When most hotels say they "combine old-time elegance with modern style" it means they couldn't afford a full renovation. In this case, they really did marry the old with the new seamlessly. The 2006 renovations turned the entire 1930s building into a stylized Art Deco palace, but using updated leather furniture, new

Iceland Hotel Guide: Given the Cold Shoulder at Hotel 101

Tim L. — 2008-10-08T09:14:31-05:00

HotelChatter contributing editor Tim Leffel is braving the erratic weather of Iceland and reporting on the local hotel scene this week. Most hotels are listed in euros or kroners, but prices here have been converted into dollars, which are actually worth something there right now.

Hotel 101 in Reykjavik, Iceland has a reputation of being reminiscent of a velvet rope Studio 54 in the early 1980s. Staffers are condescending, fashion obsessed, aloof, and just plain rude. Even though nightly rates are the highest in the country, the service at this hotel is still quite frosty.

Iceland Hotel Guide: Hotel Reykjavik Centrum

Tim L. — 2008-10-06T10:20:39-05:00

<![CDATA[HotelChatter contributing editor <a href="http://www.hotelchatter.com/user/Tim%20L.">Tim Leffel</a> is braving the erratic weather of Iceland and reporting on the local hotel scene this week. Most hotels are listed in euros or kroners, but prices here have been converted into dollars, which are actually worth something there right now. <img src="http://www.hotelchatter.com/files/3930/reykjavik_centrum.jpg" class="imgborder"> The "centrum" in this hotel's name is the main selling point. Located a few steps from hot restaurant The Fish Market, <a href="http://www.hotelchatter.com/hotel-reviews/Hotel+Reykjavik+Centrum/ian/227800">Hotel Centrum</a> is also just a few blocks away from other fine dining shrines like Orange, The Lobsterhouse, and The Seafood Cellar. It is two blocks from Tjörnin Lake and the National Gallery. Otherwise it's your basic business hotel, with intermittent WiFi you have to pay for, predictable furnishings,