Yeah, so -- did you know there was no W Hotel in London yet? One would think that London would have been one of the first cities to get a W once they started expanding, right? Think about it: it's stylish. It's hip. It's modern. It's London. Hello.

And yet, our good friends at Starwood haven't gotten around to building any W's in England -- well, until now.

The W Hotel and Residences London-Leicester Square was announced today -- along with the W Manchester -- and both are slated to be completed in 2010. Hell, if Hoboken can get a W, England should have a couple too. ]]> Jenna 2008-09-03T11:22:59-05:00 http://www.hotelchatter.com/story/2008/9/2/165438/2103

Perhaps we've been watching too much Gossip Girl lately, but we were all sorts of tickled (no, not like that) to hear about Josh Hartnett's scandalous on-camera performance the other day at his hotel.

Apparently, while in London to prep for his role in the West End stage adaptation of Rainman, Joshie and a ladyfriend popped into the library of the Soho Hotel for a little sexytime. ]]> Jenna 2008-09-02T16:58:16-05:00 http://www.hotelchatter.com/story/2008/8/29/73050/2334 <![CDATA[<img src="http://www.hotelchatter.com/files/3873/Cafe_Royal_London.jpg" class="imgborder"><p> <p>When is a caf&#233; not a caf&#233;? When it suddenly decides it will become a hotel. That's what's about to happen to London landmark the <a href="http://www.caferoyal.co.uk/">Caf&#233; Royal</a> which is going to become a new luxury hotel ... we're not sure what it'll be called yet, so for now we're dubbing it (very logically) the <b>Caf&#233; Royal Hotel</b>.<p>On Regent Street in the heart of a glamorous part of London, the new hotel will have 160 rooms and is planned to be ready in time for the 2012 Olympics, with speculation already building that VIPs like the International Olympic Committee could stay there.<p>The Caf&#233; Royal has an impressive history, dating back to the 1860s, and apparently Oscar Wilde amandak 2008-08-29T09:00:19-05:00 http://www.hotelchatter.com/story/2008/8/22/75251/8341 <![CDATA[<img src="http://www.hotelchatter.com/files/3873/Carbon_Neutral_Sign.jpg" class="imgborder"><p> <p>The <a href="http://www.hotelchatter.com/hotel-reviews/The+Cavendish+London/ian/114512"><b>Cavendish</b></a> in London is apparently not just determined to <a href="http://www.hotelchatter.com/story/2008/8/12/72941/6802/hotels/Hotel_Fitness_Goes_Mad_at_the_Cavendish_in_London">make us fit</a>, but also to make us environmentally responsible. Which of course isn't a bad thing at all. <p>Recently the Cavendish launched "green meetings" for guests using the conference and meeting facilities, and this means that they're providing &#128;1 (US$1.50) as a carbon offset for every delegate guest. And, they're quick to point out, the hotel is donating this money from its own pockets, rather than adding it on to the bills (although really, in the end it all comes from the same place, right?).<p>This is all a warm and fuzzy thing to do, but we're not at all sure why it's only meeting amandak 2008-08-22T10:44:22-05:00 http://www.hotelchatter.com/story/2008/8/21/82950/5029 <![CDATA[<p><img align="right" src="http://www.hotelchatter.com/files/admin/10thousandbcwater.jpg" class="imgborder"> <p>We assume and hope the answer to this question is going to be a resounding "hells no," but we have to ask: would someone <i>really</i> pay $40.00 for a bottle of water? <p>London's <b><a href="http://www.hotelchatter.com/hotel-reviews/Claridge%27S/ian/172844">Claridge's Hotel</a></b> thinks so. <p>The hotel (which has a <a href="http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/article-23416339-details/Claridge%27s+to+offer+water+from+around+world/article.do">Water Menu</a>, believe it or not) sells -- for reals -- bottles of water that range in price from about $9 USD to about $40 USD. 40 dollars. For water. <p>One of the most expensive bottle on the menu (that we can see, anyway) seems to be something called Just Born Spring Drops, which is presumably bottled from the tears of newborn babies. Royal newborn babies, even. <p>Also on the menu is Jenna 2008-08-21T09:31:49-05:00 Search HotelChatter string http://www.hotelchatter.com/search/