Tipster Kal B sent another Starwood hotels tip our way: plans for a W Hotel in Reykjavik, Iceland.

The W will be part of the Icelandic National Concert-Conference Center and Hotel which will house the Iceland Symphony Orchestra, according to this presentation report. (Note: The link opens a PDF).

There's not much here about the hotel except that it will have 400 rooms. The concert hall center is expected to open sometime in 2009. Somehow we are more excited for W Reykjavik then W Hoboken.]]> juliana 2008-02-25T12:49:09-05:00 http://www.hotelchatter.com/story/2007/3/29/5041/05214 <![CDATA[<p><img src="http://www.hotelchatter.com/files/admin/kakslauttanen.jpg" class="imgborder"/><p>You might not be able to pronounce it, but you probably would enjoy a holiday at the <a href="http://www.hotelchatter.com/hotel-reviews/Kakslauttanen+Hotel+and+Igloo+Village/local/433"><b>Kakslauttanen Hotel and Igloo Village</b></a> in far northern Finland. If you go in winter, you can sleep in an igloo made from snow (yeah, you might think they're all made from snow, but just wait a second). The snow igloos have a constant temperature of between 21 and 27 degrees F, so combined with the thick sleeping back they give you, you should survive the night.</p><p>But if you're more into comforts, you can try their special <i>glass</i> igloos. Kakslauttanen says these glass igloos are "based on our wild idea and vision" and they're made from a "very special" thermo glass. amandak 2007-03-29T09:00:28-05:00 http://www.hotelchatter.com/story/2007/2/7/3400/08967 <![CDATA[<p><img src="http://www.hotelchatter.com/files/admin/ice_hotel_bedsleigh.jpg" class="imgborder"/><p>Quebec's <a href="http://www.icehotel-canada.com/en/index.en.php"><b> Ice Hotel</b></a> hosted a Boots'n'All <a href="http://www.bootsnall.com/articles/07-01/surviving-a-night-at-quebecs-ice-hotel-quebec-canada.html">reviewer</a> recently who smugly explained that she'd survived the cold better than most of the other guests. While we're sometimes not sure why people pay good money (up to $500) to sleep on a bed made of ice in the middle of winter, the idea is certainly novel enough to attract a decent amount of curious holidaymakers. How's this sound for a way to spend a night:</p><blockquote><p> I opted for the dry sauna, wore my long johns under the fleece robe we'd been issued. I also took my outer clothes to warm them by the stove. I ran pell mell back to the room and stuffed the hot clothes amandak 2007-02-07T10:35:01-05:00 http://www.hotelchatter.com/story/2006/6/1/123820/5942

If you can't stand the sweltering heat, maybe this video of the Ice Kube bar at the Kube Hotel will cool you down. It involves a creepy ice Teddy Bear statue and lots of shots of Grey Goose which always makes us smile...just before we throw up.

Related Stories:
· Ice Kube Bar [YouTube]
· Kube Hotel reviews [TripAdvisor]

]]> juliana 2006-06-01T12:39:59-05:00 http://www.hotelchatter.com/story/2006/2/2/235917/2558 <![CDATA[<img align="right" src="http://www.hotelchatter.com/files/2474/romaniapic.jpg"><p><p> We knew the <a href="http://www.hotelchatter.com/story/2006/1/10/1836/21138/hotels/Igloo_Tels_Are_SO_Winter_2006">Romanian ice hotel existed</a>, but weren't sure anyone else did (other than the <a href="http://www.daily-news.ro/article_detail.php?idarticle=22247">Bucharest Daily News</a>, of course). <p> On Wednesday the <a href="http://www.balea.lac.en.meridian-travel.ro"><b>Lake Balea (Balea Lac) Hotel</b></a> officially opened to the public. Like the other <a href="http://icehotel.com">ice hotels</a>, this one is also entirely made of snow and ice. <p> No worries about avalanches, the 37-year-old owner, Aurelian Nica, is a trained mountain rescuer. And he's psyched, "a dream come true," he says. Last year's attempt melted before anyone ever knew about it. Higher altitude and a great Siberian-cold front leave little room for premature melting for the 2006 season.<p> <blockquote><p>The hotel can be reached only from a highway linking the cities GEM0330 2006-02-03T09:40:02-05:00 Search HotelChatter string http://www.hotelchatter.com/search/