http://www.hotelchatter.com/ Hotel Reviews, Hotel Ratings, Hotel Openings en-us Copyright 2008 - SFO Media 2009-11-24T18:30:17Z HotelChatter HotelChatter http://www.hotelchatter.com/images/hcwhite.jpg http://www.hotelhotelchatter.com/hotel-reviews/local/1114 http://www.hotelchatter.com/story/2008/7/18/115039/669 <![CDATA[<p><img src="http://www.hotelchatter.com/files/admin/clarence_ext.jpg" class="imgborder"><p>The rock band U2 has been struggling to get the addition/renovation plans for their Dublin Hotel, <a href="http://www.hotelchatter.com/hotel-reviews/The+Clarence/local/1114"><b>The Clarence</b></a>, approved for quite some time now. <p>Initially, the city's preservationists called the plans a "bastardisation" but it looks like Bono and Co. will get their way after all. <a href="http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/local-national/u2-hotel-revamp-gets-green-light-but-only-if-rooftop-is-open-to-all-13912003.html">The Belfast Telegraph</a> reports:<blockquote><p>The Republic's planning board, An Bord Pleanala, has granted planning permission for a controversial redevelopment of the Clarence Hotel on the Dublin quays, but included an unusual condition that the public must have access to the fabled 'sky bar' which is an intrinsic part of the plans.</blockquote></p><p>True, that might mean the rock stars, celebrities and dignitaries Bono wants to host at his hotel may have to rub juliana 2008-07-18T12:00:18-05:00 http://www.hotelchatter.com/story/2008/4/16/16133/6708 <![CDATA[<p><img src="http://www.hotelchatter.com/files/admin/clarence_ext.jpg" class="imgborder"><p>Last fall, the renovations plans for the U2 Hotel, aka <a href="http://www.hotelchatter.com/hotel-reviews/The+Clarence/local/1114"><b>The Clarence</b></a>, in Dublin were slammed by preservationists who called the proposed hotel design a <a href="http://www.hotelchatter.com/story/2007/10/3/132633/370/hotels/Bono_s_Hotel_Plans_Strike_Pride_In_the_Name_of_Angry_Dubliners">bastardisation</a>. &nbsp;<p>And the fight is getting nastier as a planning board hearing was underway today. Guitarist The Edge stood up for the renovation which would give the hotel a "new building topped with a massive glass dome." He said:<p> <blockquote><p>"We feel that while it's very important to preserve the fabric of the period parts of the city, you've got to weigh up the benefits of what would be an incredible coup for Dublin City, a Norman Foster building," he said. "I feel that that outweighs the sacrifice of parts of what juliana 2008-04-16T16:17:00-05:00 http://www.hotelchatter.com/story/2008/2/21/163541/957 <![CDATA[<p> <img align="right" src="http://www.hotelchatter.com/images/hotel-deals/hotel-deals-logo.jpg"> <p><i> In which, HotelChatter readers are treated to exclusive hotel deals dug up by us. All deals have a limited amount of rooms attached to them and may sell out quickly.<p>It's never too early to plan your drunken Guiness-filled weekend! This time around we checked five cities for hotel rooms from <b>March 16-18, 2008.</b> </i> <p> <table cellspacing="10"> <tr> <td><b>Today's Hotel Deals</b><br> </td> </tr> <tr> <td><img src="http://www.hotelchatter.com/files/admin/sixcolumb_dealslogo.jpg"> </td> <td><b>The Chinese Democracy Hotel</b><br><b>$<a href="http://www.quikbook.com/getprofile.asp?Code=2872">315 for two nights!</a></b><br>Again another Six Columbus deal. Saturday is $135 and Sunday is $180 thanks to Quikbook's "Stay Two Nights, Get 10% Off". </td> </tr> <tr> <td><img src="http://www.hotelchatter.com/files/admin/clarencelogo.jpg"> </td> <td><b>The U2 Hotel</b><br><b>$<a href="http://www.expedia.com/pub/agent.dll/qscr=dspv/htid=28513">Expedia's Cheaper Rate</a></b> <br>Need to be in Dublin to Celebrate St. HotelChatter 2008-02-21T16:37:29-05:00 http://www.hotelchatter.com/story/2008/2/18/2453/46805 <![CDATA[<p><img src="http://www.hotelchatter.com/files/admin/clarence_ext.jpg" class="imgborder"><p>Who's the best person to open a luxury hotel? A trained hotelier fresh from hotel-school? An old dog who's been working his way up the management tree of the Four Seasons? Nope - we say the people who know most about what makes a good luxury hotel are the people that actually stay in them. Celebrities.<p> <p>It seems like Abba star Benny Andersson's making a success of his <a href="http://www.hotelchatter.com/story/2008/2/14/145928/559/hotels/Stockholm_Hotel_Scene_Thank_You_For_The_Rival_Hotel">Hotel Rival</a> in Stockholm. And <a href="http://www.hotelchatter.com/tag/Richard%20Branson">Richard Branson</a>'s just-opened super-luxury ski-chalet looks set to join his Necker Island fantasy playground and other hotel ventures.<p> So what about the cheeky chappy Bono and his mates from the band U2, who run the boutique <a href=" http://www.hotelchatter.com/hotel-reviews/The+Clarence/ian/122239"><b>Clarence Hotel</b></a> in Dublin, Ireland?<br> femmefatale 2008-02-20T12:26:34-05:00 http://www.hotelchatter.com/story/2008/2/14/125636/787 <![CDATA[<p><object width="368" height="325"><param value="http://www.youtube.com/v/zXlPfpDykFo&amp;rel=1" name="movie"></param><param value="transparent" name="wmode"></param><embed width="368" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/zXlPfpDykFo&amp;rel=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" height="325" wmode="transparent"></embed></object><p>We <a href="http://www.hotelchatter.com/story/2007/12/13/174455/03/hotels/Drurys_and_Comfort_Inns_Hating_on_HotelChatter_">linked back</a> to a local newscast story in Atlanta back in December who did an expose on those drinking glasses you see in hotel rooms. Check-out the video above. <p>Now an ABC channel in Arizona has done their <a href="http://www.abcnews.go.com/GMA/BusinessTravel/story?id=4277067&amp;page=1">own investigation</a> which was featured on "Good Morning America." Most hotels caught using lax "cleaning" practices (for example: drying the glasses using a dirty hand towel) were budget chains and extended-stay chains. <p>BUT one of the hotels caught with questionable practices was the <a href="http://www.hotelchatter.com/hotel-reviews/Arizona+Biltmore+Resort+-+The+Waldorf-Astoria+Collection/ian/105306"><b>Arizona Biltmore Hotel</b></a>, a Waldorf-Astoria collection (which we just wrote about this AM!) Here's the statement from the hotel:<blockquote><p>We are extremely concerned to learn juliana 2008-02-14T16:45:01-05:00 Search HotelChatter string http://www.hotelchatter.com/search/