HotelChatter - Tag: Hotel Renovations

Miami Beach: Now That The James Royal Palm Is Arriving Next Door, Loews Miami Beach Needs To Spruce Itself Up

MsRebecca — 2012-02-13T09:35:01-05:00

<![CDATA[<img src="http://www.hotelchatter.com/files/30451/LoewsNewCabanas.JPG" class="top">With all the hawt hotels and re-brandings <a href="http://www.hotelchatter.com/tag/Miami%20Hotel%20Mambo">going on</a> in Miami, we can totally understand why a more established hotel like <a href='http://www.hotelchatter.com/hotel/local/3047'>Loews Miami Beach</a> would feel the pressure to keep with the Joneses. Make that The Jameses. <a href='http://www.hotelchatter.com/hotel/local/948'>The James Royal Palm</a> is moving in right next door to the Loews at the end of the year and it looks like the stalwart is preparing for the hot, young newcomer with some glam new additions of its ownlike new cabanas. Loews has recently undergone a <a href="http://www.hotelchatter.com/story/2009/11/23/111853/77/hotels/The_Loews_Miami_Beach_Gets_a_Facelift_To_Keep_Up_With_Hot_New_Neighbors">big renovation</a> (new lobby, refreshed guest rooms, an ice-cream parlor and boutique), but when we saw this construction in the hotel's backyard the other day, we realized that the hotel

New York: Whatever They're Planning, It Better Not Be Another Westin Times Square Eyesore

ASchechter — 2012-02-06T12:35:02-05:00

<![CDATA[<img src="http://www.hotelchatter.com/files/61268/HelmsleyWestinTImesSquare.jpg" class="top">Two weeks ago, we learned that Host Hotels had purchased the <a href="http://www.hotelchatter.com/hotel-reviews/New+York+Helmsley/local/2189">New York Helmsley</a> and was planning on re-making it into a <a href="http://www.hotelchatter.com/tag/Westin%20Hotels">Westin</a>. Now, we find out that $65 million is being poured into the building for what they're calling an "extensive re-branding initiative." Fine. The part that gets us, though, is when they mention that the entire facade of the building is gonna be transformed as well. Ah, real monsters! We desperately hope Westin isn't sketching out a repeat of their purple-and-blue stripey <a href="http://www.hotelchatter.com/hotel-reviews/Westin+New+York+Times+Square/local/63">Times Square</a> mess (which we once upon a time dubbed one of the <a href="http://www.hotelchatter.com/story/2010/7/27/01728/3995/hotels/HotelChatter_s_10_Ugliest_Hotels_Alive_">ugliest hotels alive</a>). For a 774-room hotel in midtown Manhattan, we're not sure what kind of "statement"

Hilton Head: Hilton Head Oceanfront Resort Is Now An Omni

ASchechter — 2012-02-03T09:32:00-05:00

<![CDATA[<img src="http://www.hotelchatter.com/files/61268/HiltonHeadResort.jpg" class="top"><a href="http://www.hotelchatter.com/tag/Omni%20Hotels">Omni Hotels</a> has been busy down in South Carolina securing the re-branding of its newest property: the <a href="http://www.hotelchatter.com/hotel-reviews/Hilton+Oceanfront+Resort+Hilton+Head+Island/ian/129923">Hilton Head Oceanfront Resort</a>. Changes to the hotel will come gradually: starting first with the name change. Though Omni's sibling company, Allegiance Hospitality, has managed the resort since 2003, now the whole place rests in Omni's hands. The current $18 million renovation, which will last through 2013, is intended to better "showcase the natural beauty of the resort." Which could mean anything really, but we're hoping for more windows that look out onto the ocean for <a href="http://www.hotelchatter.com/tag/Killer%20View">better views</a>. Meanwhile, time will also be devoted to the Courtyard area between the resort and the beach, as well as the

New York: While New York's Oak Room Closes, Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Starts A Music Festival In Vegas

ASchechter — 2012-02-03T09:00:02-05:00

<![CDATA[<img src="http://www.hotelchatter.com/files/61268/BlackLipsBarbaraCarroll.jpg" class="top">Two main players in the hotel music world are really getting the shake-up this month, and all we can do for now is sit back and watch (or, you know, listen) as the changes come to pass. For starters, let's face the awful truth that <a href="http://www.hotelchatter.com/hotel-reviews/Algonquin/local/950">The Algonquin</a> is saying bye-bye forever to the Oak Room, its famed piano lounge that has hosted cabaret legends from Barbara Carroll to Julie Wilson to Steve Ross. According to the <a href="http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/02/02/end-of-a-cabaret-era-the-oak-room-is-closed-for-good/?scp=1&sq=oak%20room&st=cse">NY Times</a>, audiences there have been "declining." But it's not all doom and gloom! Head westabout 2,200 miles westand witness a positively burgeoning indie music scene when Sports Illustrated Swimsuit hosts its first-ever music festival at <a href="http://www.hotelchatter.com/hotel-reviews/The+Cosmopolitan+Las+Vegas/local/1779">The Cosmopolitan</a> (where

Miami: Eating on the Edge at the Four Seasons Miami

MsRebecca — 2012-01-27T10:52:56-05:00

Yesterday, we took you on a spin through the new-look suites at the Four Seasons Miami. Now, it's time to eat.

Edge, Steak & Bar is also new, replacing Acqua, a more generally contemporary cuisine/power-lunch restaurant in the same space. As you can tell from the name, Edge is a steakhouse of sorts--although it's referred to as "steak lite"--and it's accompanied with lighter options like salads, sandwiches and lots of seafood.

The space is light and pretty with low-hanging lamps, a shiny, modern bar, and lots of cozy-looking banquettes surrounding the room.