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 http://www.hotelchatter.com/story/2009/8/5/4242/47412 <![CDATA[<p><img src="http://www.hotelchatter.com/files/21888/andaz_pool.jpg" class="top"> <p>Last week, after we&#146;d checked out the <a href="http://www.hotelchatter.com/story/2009/7/28/135450/422/hotels/Quiet_In_a_Good_Way_Inside_the_Chamberlain_West_Hollywood">Chamberlain</a> and the <a href="http://www.hotelchatter.com/story/2009/8/3/32254/66713/hotels/The_Avalon_Beverly_Hills_Great_If_You_Bring_Earplugs">Avalon</a>, we spent a night at <a href="http://www.hotelchatter.com/hotel-reviews/Andaz+West+Hollywood/local/1415"><b>Andaz West Hollywood</b></a>. As <a href="http://www.hotelchatter.com/story/2009/5/1/113320/6036/hotels/Why_Andaz_London_Is_the_World_s_Best_Hotel_For_Party_People_">devoted fans</a> of the <a href="http://www.hotelchatter.com/hotel-reviews/Hyatt+Andaz+London/local/931"><b>London</b></a> branch, we were a little nervous. Would they have got rid of the things we love (like the stationery kits in every room and the free minibars?) Would they have developed a vibe-killing attitude? <p>We&#146;re happy to report a no on both counts. The stationery kit is there, although it&#146;s a bit more basic than in London &#150; mainly a pencil and an eraser &#150; and the vibe was smiley. Even the <b>free minibar</b> had more stash in it than those in the Smoke (although sadly, still juliab 2009-08-05T09:29:19-05:00 34.0953960 -118.37318 http://www.hotelchatter.com/story/2007/2/27/19356/8526 <![CDATA[<p><img src="http://www.hotelchatter.com/files/admin/bowery_lobby2.jpg" class="imgborder"/><p>Last night we went to <b><a href="http://www.hotelchatter.com/hotel-reviews/Bowery+Hotel/local/220">The Bowery Hotel</a></b> for the second time this week. We forgot the ol' digital camera the first time, so we went back for some snaps. But front office manager Steve Rachmat politely told us that there are no photos allowed during these early stages. So we're using an exclusive shot that one of our tipsters sent in <a href="http://www.hotelchatter.com/story/2007/2/21/91213/1679/hotels/Photos_From_Inside_The_Bowery_Hotel">last week</a>. (Geez, that's the last time we ask before taking the picture!)<br> <p>But enough about all that. What's the bar like? We got our drinks at the bar itself, a cozy enough nook with lots to choose from. Still, we opted for something simple: a Woodford Reserve Manhattan. It was damn good--as it pbb 2007-02-28T09:19:33-05:00 40.725975 -73.991851 http://www.hotelchatter.com/story/2007/2/25/1218/43235 <![CDATA[<p><img src="http://www.hotelchatter.com/files/admin/lapaix_siemreap.jpg" class="imgborder"/><p>It's rough out there for travel junkies and road warriors. All that time away from home, checking into hotel after hotel, staying in new cities: it's enough to make you want a stiff drink. Or, apparently, not:<blockquote><p>"Do you have nonalcoholic beer?" a guest asked a passing waiter. "Yes sir, we have beer," he was told. "But do you have nonalcoholic beer?" "Yes sir, we have beer," the waiter said again, politely gesturing toward the menu. "But do you have ... Oh, forget it. Bring me a beer."</blockquote></p><p>That's the latest word from Stuart Emmrich who checked into the <b><a href="http://www.hotelchatter.com/hotel-reviews/H%F4tel+de+la+Paix%2C+Siem+Reap/local/305">H&#244;tel de la Paix</a></b> in Siem Reap, Cambodia. Wait, so a high level of service is now frowned on by pbb 2007-02-26T09:45:55-05:00 Search HotelChatter string http://www.hotelchatter.com/search/