A hotel room high in the sky with a price to match too!

As if the weak dollar to euro/dollar to pound exchange rate wasn't enough to deter you from booking that trip to Europe, a recent surge in hotel prices provides yet another reason to plan a staycation this year.

According to a report in the U.K.'s The Independent, European hotel rates are reaching ridiculous highs, jumping "19 percent since last month," with popular destinations seeing the biggest increases of all. Per a survey by Trivago:]]> Heidi Atwal 2011-09-22T16:30:01-05:00 http://www.hotelchatter.com/story/2011/6/28/214323/212 <![CDATA[<p><img src="http://www.hotelchatter.com/files/61268/Meridien2.jpg" class="top"><p>It was a jumble of funny-sounding European accents last week at the unveiling of Le Meridien's new Hub concept&#151;a campaign that is set to transform all of Le Meridien's 130 international hotels into one unified "design-led contemporary brand." MC-ing the event were Austrian-born Eva Ziegler (Global Brand Leader for both W Hotels and Le Meridien) and French-born Jerome Sans, the appointed Cultural Curator. <strong>We think Sans put it best when he described the goal of The Hub as "a way to grow your brain."</strong> <p>The evolution of The Hub's slightly highbrow bent can be traced back to the hotel's interest in <a href="http://www.hotelchatter.com/story/2011/4/21/121234/482/hotels/What_is_Le_Meridien_s_Creative_Class_and_Do_You_Belong_">cultivating a "creative class"</a> as well as the launch of their key-card-souvenir program, <a href="http://www.hotelchatter.com/story/2011/4/8/111735/3052/hotels/Another_Reason_to_Collect_Hotel_Key_Cards_Le_Meridien_s_Unlock_Art_Program">Unlock Art</a>. ASchechter 2011-06-29T09:30:01-05:00 http://www.hotelchatter.com/story/2011/4/21/91422/2724 <![CDATA[<p><img src="http://www.hotelchatter.com/files/53048/BARCELONA.jpg" class="top"><p> <p>One of Barcelona&#146;s most iconic hotels, the five-star <a href="http://www.hotelchatter.com/hotel-reviews/Hotel+Palace/ian/173755"><b>El Palace</b></a> has just completed a pretty intense makeover--two years in the making and a cost of about 22 million Euros. From the photos, it looks like it has been worth every penny. <p>Just check out the bedroom above where the designers have paid homage to the hotel&#146;s 1920&#146;s roots whilst creating a grand, lavish feel throughout. <p>The hotel was originally opened in 1919 by <strong>César Ritz</strong> and over the years various celebs have slept in the beds - The Duke and Duchess of Windsor, <strong>Sophia Loren</strong>, Woody Allen, <strong>Sir Paul McCartney</strong> and <strong>Whitney</strong> have all been spotted there. Kind of like <a href="http://www.hotelchatter.com/hotel-reviews/The+Savoy+London/local/1782">The Savoy London</a>, only in JulesLdn 2011-04-21T14:02:03-05:00 http://www.hotelchatter.com/story/2011/2/24/102556/526 <![CDATA[<p><img src="http://www.hotelchatter.com/files/21888/ohlafrontaage.jpg" class="top"></p> <p><a href="http://www.hotelchatter.com/story/2011/2/14/15854/7858/hotels/Searching_For_the_Newest_Hotel_In_Barcelona_Just_Look_For_the_Security_Cameras">Last week</a> we had the first glimpses of Barcelona's newest five-star digs, the <b><a href="http://www.hotelchatter.com/hotel-reviews/Ohla+Hotel/local/4823">Ohla Hotel</a></b>, and now that it's opened, the first reviews are trickling in&#151;and they look good.</p> <p><a href="http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g187497-d1940950-r97432957-Ohla_Hotel-Barcelona_Catalonia.html#CHECK_RATES_CONT">Writes one TripAdvisor</a> who's already checked in:<blockquote><p>The Ohla Hotel is new to Barcelona and its recently opened rooms are immaculate and staff are super-keen as a result.<br /><br />The exterior may be historic, as is the nature of Barcelona, but the inside is ultra-modern and minimalist. How minimalist? It's tough to find the toilet in your room. It's actually hidden behind a moving wall.<br /><br />The amenities are new, clean and slick, though. My room had a big TV, a queen-size bed with extra large pbb 2011-02-24T14:42:07-05:00 http://www.hotelchatter.com/story/2011/2/14/15854/7858 <![CDATA[<p><img src="http://www.hotelchatter.com/files/21888/ohlafrontage2.jpg" class="top"> <p><i>UPDATE: the hotel tells us that the official opening is 18 February. In the meantime, PulsoBCN has found out that room rates start at 170 euros for basic rooms, 190 for interior rooms and 270 for junior suites. To be continued...</i> <p><a href="http://www.hotelchatter.com/tag/barcelona%20hotels"><b>Barcelona</b></a> may have been off our hotel radar for a little while, but looks like things are hotting up in Spain&#146;s city of cool &#150; because, right in time for V Day, a new hotel opened its doors for a soft launch on Saturday. <p>It&#146;s called the <a href="http://www.hotelchatter.com/hotel-reviews/Ohla+Hotel/local/4823"><b>Ohla Hotel</b></a>, it&#146;s five stars and it&#146;s on Via Laietana, just round the corner from the cathedral and the Gothic Quarter. <p><a href="http://pulsobcn.com/2011/02/11/sneak-peek-ohla-hotel-barcelona/">PulsoBCN</a>, who wasn&#146;t too impressed juliab 2011-02-14T15:08:54-05:00 Search HotelChatter string http://www.hotelchatter.com/search/