HotelChatter - ie http://www.hotelchatter.com/ Hotel Reviews, Hotel Ratings, Hotel Openings en-us Copyright 2008 - SFO Media 2009-11-25T21:09:28Z HotelChatter HotelChatter HotelChatter http://www.hotelchatter.com/images/hcwhite.jpg http://www.hotelchatter.com/ Dublin Strikes Again with a Hotel Anti-View http://www.hotelchatter.com/story/2009/11/5/121727/669 <![CDATA[<p><i>You know the scene. You open the door to your brand new hotel room, run over to the window, open the blinds and bam, you are hit with the anti-view. Maybe you are looking down a dirty alley, witnessing a drug deal, staring an air shaft in the face, or seeing a brick wall. Whatever you are viewing, it is not extremely pleasurable. Help out your fellow hotel mavens by uploading your anti-views to the <a href="http://flickr.com/groups/hotelchatter/">HotelChatter/Flickr photo pool</a>, or by <a href="mailto:tips@hotelchatter.com">sending the photo along to us</a>. Remember to tell us the name of the hotel and the room number with the not-so-easy-on-the-eyes view.</i><p><p> <img src="http://www.hotelchatter.com/files/30451/crowneplza_dublin_antiview.jpg" class="imgborder"><p> <p>This rather grim view was what greeted hotel fan <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/uggboy/">uggboy</a> during MsRebecca 2009-11-05T12:59:22-05:00 Get Your Harry Potter Fix for Halloween at These Hotels http://www.hotelchatter.com/story/2009/10/7/121536/048

While dressing up in costume and checking into the Hilton San Francisco might win you a free hotel stay, it doesn't include treasure hunts, Harry Potter screenings and an afternoon of witchcraft. Nope, for that you will have to head to the rather luscious-looking Ashford Castle in County Mayo, Ireland.

The castle is having a Harry Potter-inspired Halloween. This might surprise you, given that the place has nothing to do with Harry Potter whatsoever – in fact, the tenuous link they make is that the castle was built in 1228: “a time when magic in Europe was the norm.” Hmm.]]> juliab 2009-10-07T13:00:08-05:00 Celebrate 250 Years of Guinness In Style At Ashford Castle http://www.hotelchatter.com/story/2009/9/21/114343/087

Ashford Castle – an actual, 13th-century castle in County Mayo, Ireland, that doubles as as five star hotel – is celebrating its 70th birthday next month. So far, so worthy. Forgive us being slightly more excited about the fact that Guinness is turning 250. Now that’s worth celebrating.

Luckily, the folks at the castle agree with us (it was once the country retreat of the Guinness family, which probably has something to do with it). So they’ve designated October as Guinness Month and 15 October as the date for a five course "Black and White dinner", where the head Brewer will talk about the black stuff.]]> juliab 2009-09-21T15:38:57-05:00 A Titanic-Themed Hotel Might Be Coming to Belfast http://www.hotelchatter.com/story/2009/9/17/17163/6140 <![CDATA[<p><img src="http://www.hotelchatter.com/files/1425/titanicmodel.jpg" class="top"><p> Hmm...you definitely can't say it's "too soon" for a <b>Titanic-themed hotel</b> to open in Belfast but we're not so sure if we're loving the idea of a hotel that's built around a tragedy. But thanatourists will love this place.<p> According to the <a href="http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/local-national/belfast-plans-titanic-hotel-14482199.html">Belfast Telegraph</a>, a five-star 90-room hotel with a swimming pool, a gymnasium and a Titanic theme has been announced for the old Harland and Wolff Headquarters building at Queen's Island in Belfast, near where the doomed ship was constructed. <p>The hotel, if plans are approved, will be part of a larger revitalization project called the Titanic Signature Project, which seeks to restore the Thompson Dock and the slipways where the Titanic and her sister juliana 2009-09-17T17:49:20-05:00 Five Mellow Days in Dublin at the Maldron Cardiff Lane http://www.hotelchatter.com/story/2009/8/23/22519/4723 <![CDATA[<p><embed src="http://c.brightcove.com/services/viewer/federated_f8/1321361467" bgcolor="#FFFFFF" flashVars="videoId=35059019001&playerId=1321361467&viewerSecureGatewayURL=https://console.brightcove.com/services/amfgateway&servicesURL=http://services.brightcove.com/services&cdnURL=http://admin.brightcove.com&domain=embed&autoStart=false&" base="http://admin.brightcove.com" name="flashObj" width="486" height="412" seamlesstabbing="false" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" swLiveConnect="true" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/shockwave/download/index.cgi?P1_Prod_Version=ShockwaveFlash"></embed><p><i>Once again, Jaunted's weekend editor <a href=""><b>Victor Ozols</b></a> is back. This time with an in-depth video tour of the Maldron Cardiff Lane Hotel in Dublin. Remember his last killer video from <a href="http://www.hotelchatter.com/story/2009/4/27/03217/8578/hotels/Chilling_Out_at_the_Crowne_Plaza_Key_West_La_Concha">Key West</a>? It's like that but with British robot voices in the elevator and Guinness in the vending machines. </i><p>During our <a href="http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/8/22/141353/081/travel/Losing+Time+in+Dublin%2C+Part+1%3A+Beginning+at+the+Pub">recent vacation in Dublin</a>, we stayed in the <a href="http://www.hotelchatter.com/hotel-reviews/Maldron+Cardiff+Lane/local/1544"><b>Maldron Cardiff Lane</b></a>, a large, seven-story hotel located on the south bank of the River Liffey, near the city center. We stayed there for five nights and came away feeling that we got our money's worth with a hotel that delivered what it promised. It didn't Victor Ozols 2009-08-24T16:04:08-05:00 Search HotelChatter Search HotelChatter string http://www.hotelchatter.com/search/