HotelChatter - Tag: New York Times

Tablet Hotels CEO Guest Blogging for New York Times

Jenna — 2008-07-22T12:27:18-05:00

<![CDATA[<img align="right" src="http://www.hotelchatter.com/files/admin/tablethotelsdude.jpg" class="imgborder"> Over at The New York Times "T" Magazine's <a href="http://themoment.blogs.nytimes.com/">The Moment</a> blog (whew), <a href="http://www.tablethotels.com">Tablet Hotels' </a>CEO and co-founder Laurent Vernhes has been <a href="http://themoment.blogs.nytimes.com/author/laurentvernhesnyt/">guest blogging</a> for a couple of days now. Yesterday, he wrote a wonderful <a href="http://themoment.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/07/21/for-the-moment-laurent-vernhes/">piece</a> about guidebooks - specifically, about a particularly unfortunate series of events in Rio that caused him to let go of his Lonely Planets and travel without lugging around all those heavy, inconvenient tourist bibles. <a href="http://themoment.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/07/22/for-the-moment-life-after-guidebooks/">Today's post</a> was an excellent followup about life after guidebooks, opening up a discussion about the Internet's potential to replace the whole guidebook industry. Pop on <a href="http://themoment.blogs.nytimes.com/author/laurentvernhesnyt/">over there</a> to check 'em out - his posts are definitely worth the read. His

Brooklyn: Brooklyn Hotels Safe from Weekend Power Outages

Jenna — 2008-07-21T11:50:14-05:00

Things got unpleasantly steamy in four parts of Brooklyn yesterday - Sunset Park, Bay Ridge, Borough Park and Park Slope - when 4 "big feeders" malfunctioned and knocked out power to 2,000 Brooklyn residents and businesses. And it was hot. Like, really hot.

Con Ed reduced voltage in the area by 8 percent to keep the power failure from spreading, so for those who still had power, "television sets flickered, washing machines halted midcycle and fan blades turned at lower-than-usual speeds all day."

So what about the hotels in the area?

Hollywood: NYT Declares London WeHo 'Nearly Flawless'

Jenna — 2008-06-09T12:48:35-05:00

<![CDATA[<img src="http://www.hotelchatter.com/files/admin/london_bed.jpg" class="imgborder"> While the official grand opening blowout isn't scheduled to go down until later this month, the NYT had a chance to pop into the <a href="http://www.hotelchatter.com/hotel-reviews/The+London+West+Hollywood/local/1151">London West Hollywood</a> and, surprisingly, christened the hotel with a <a href="http://travel.nytimes.com/2008/06/08/travel/08check.html?ref=travel">sparkling review</a> -- a good bit of positive press after the <a href="http://www.hotelchatter.com/story/2008/6/2/121147/3655/hotels/Gordon_Ramsay_s_Restaurant_at_London_WeHo_Reviewed_A_Kitchen_Nightmare_">"meh" reviews</a> its much-hyped Gordon Ramsay restaurant has been receiving. Though the hotel is still partially under construction (the reviewer mentioned the rooftop pool was a no-go zone), yesterday's Times "Check In, Check Out" feature gave props to the hotel's location, acknowledged the "disarmingly helpful" staff and gushed over the rooms: <blockquote>All rooms have a balcony or terrace, and I woke up to a sweeping view over Beverly Hills.

Palm Springs: Colony Palms Fit for Mobsters (or Wannabes)

pbb — 2008-02-25T14:47:03-05:00

<![CDATA[<img src="http://www.hotelchatter.com/files/admin/colony_palm_nyt.jpg" class="imgborder">We're big fans of any hotel review that starts with this:<blockquote>The <a href="http://www.hotelchatter.com/hotel-reviews/The+Colony+Palms/local/513">Colony Palms Hotel</a> was built in 1936 by the Detroit mobster Al Wertheimer as a front for a brothel and gambling house.</blockquote>Sadly crime-fueled antics are no longer the norm, after a $16 million renovation completed <a href="http://www.hotelchatter.com/story/2007/4/20/12127/8579/hotels/Hotel_Opening_The_Colony_Palm_Hotel">about 10 months ago</a>. But there are still enough edgy touches to impress your gangsta' id. In-room, photos of "nearly naked models frolicking on the hotel beds" adorn the walls, and along with a stocked minibar, you'll also find a martini shaker. Coffee is delivered to your room in the morning, eliminating the need to face the world after a long night. And with rates at a relatively cheap $209

Chicago: Chicago's Hotel Sax Likeable But Cheesy

pbb — 2008-01-28T15:59:47-05:00

<![CDATA[<img src="http://www.hotelchatter.com/files/admin/hotelsax1.jpg" class="imgborder">Chicago's <a href="http://www.hotelchatter.com/hotel-reviews/Hotel+Sax+Chicago/ian/150418">Hotel Sax</a> is finally up and running after a $25 million reno of the old House of Blues Hotel. The New York Times checked it out recently and has a punny review that's all-in-all complimentary. (Sample pun: the HOB hotel "changed its tune." Barf.) We were almost more interested in a review of the hotel's Crimson Lounge than the rooms themselves, which sound decent and start at $300 a night. See, <a href="http://www.hotelchatter.com/story/2007/5/29/232721/414/hotels/House_of_Blues_Chicago_Ready_to_Reflag">last year</a> the Sax was hyping its attached lounge with its:<blockquote>intentive [sic] cocktails...high profile bottle service... sophisticated upscale clientele...</blockquote>So is it as cheesy as we feared? Absolutely:<blockquote>It is a dark space lighted by chandeliers and candles in red-tinted holders...The room is heavy on crushed