Blogger All Purpose Dark kindly sent over the link to her party report from Art Basel. And she got some good scoop. Starting off with what she overheard sexy hotelier Andre Balazs saying at the Raleigh Hotel for Kelly Klein's book party.

Highlight: Overhearing Balazs say to someone: "You can do that, you have a real house. I have a shack." Of course he does.

Hmm...what shack could he be talking about? The Maison Tropicale? Or could it be that he really has a shack somewhere? (Note: AB's version of a "shack" is probably still bigger than our apartment.)

More party report after the jump.]]> juliana 2008-12-05T12:00:24-05:00 http://www.hotelchatter.com/story/2008/12/4/101330/852

Rejoice: we have found the perfect holiday gift that you can distribute to that artsy sister of yours, your hotel-geek friends and your "practical gifts only" mother. Though today's HotelChatter holiday shopping recommendations were not half as fun to spend time researching as the collection of items we picked out at the HHonors store (they have raincoats for dogs! Come on!), this is still kinda kickass: towel art.

Yeah, that sounds fairly unexciting and likely conjures up images of monkeys and elephants built from cruise-ship towels, but think of it like this: you can wrap your body in art, people. The artwork is printed on the towel.]]> Jenna 2008-12-04T10:25:24-05:00 http://www.hotelchatter.com/story/2008/11/12/145523/05 <![CDATA[<p><i>Welcome to <a href="http://www.hotelchatter.com/tag/room%20rate%20drop%20watch"><b>Room Rate Drop Watch</b></a> where we chronicle the plummeting prices at hotels that once commanded top dollar rates. These are often found in big cities with seemingly more hotel rooms than visitors like Las Vegas. But sometimes you can get lucky in the city of your choice. Seen a room rate drop so low you wanna tell us about it? <a href="mailto:tips@hotelchatter.com"><b>Do it here.</b></a></i><p><img src="http://www.hotelchatter.com/files/1425/raleigh_room_1.jpg" class="top"><p><a href="http://www.hotelchatter.com/hotel-reviews/The+Raleigh+Hotel/local/18"><b>The Raleigh</b></a> is one of our choice hotels in South Beach. It's got free wireless, cool amenities, a happening pool scene and <a href="http://www.hotelchatter.com/story/2008/6/20/9225/91003/hotels/The_Raleigh_Hotel_Will_Be_the_Scene_of_Yet_Another_Fashion_Show">fashion shows</a>. <p>Room rates are always dropping in South Beach in the off-season (of which we are winding down here) so their latest "Autumn Escape" deal isn't a juliana 2008-11-12T15:02:50-05:00 25.7937310 -80.128483 http://www.hotelchatter.com/story/2008/10/21/215832/19 <![CDATA[<p><img align="right" src="http://www.hotelchatter.com/files/1425/raleighhalloween.jpg" class="imgborder"> Watergate, Monicagate, The Keating Five, Iran-Contra, Kennedy, Palin, oh, that list does go on, doesn't it?<p> <p><a href="http://www.hotelchatter.com/hotel-reviews/The+Raleigh+Hotel/local/18"><b>The Raleigh Hotel</b></a> is hosting a hilarious, inappropriately appropriate "Scandal!!" soiree on Halloween night, only days before the national election. And their invite is salaciously creative and fun.<p> <p>Come to the hotel penthouse dressed as the characters who have plunged our nation to its lowest depths: John McCain, Poppy Bush, Todd Palin, Tricky Dick Cheney, Red Scare-monger Joe McCarthy, or even Nixon's Chief Plumber G. Gordon Liddy (ooh, that <i>crazy</i> moustache!), and you could win a prize -- we know not what -- for Most Creative, Most Scandalous, and Best Couple.<p>Lest you think it's all men who populate the annie0007 2008-10-22T10:00:44-05:00 25.7937310 -80.128483 Search HotelChatter string http://www.hotelchatter.com/search/