http://www.hotelchatter.com/ Hotel Reviews, Hotel Ratings, Hotel Openings en-us Copyright 2008 - SFO Media 2012-02-14T23:01:25Z HotelChatter HotelChatter http://www.hotelchatter.com/images/hcwhite.jpg http://www.hotelchatter.com/tag/Olympics%202008%20Hotels http://www.hotelchatter.com/story/2008/8/22/14220/6111 <![CDATA[<p><img src="http://www.jaunted.com/files/4912/beijing_bird_s_nest.jpg" class="imgborder"><p>Is it just us or did the <a href="http://www.hotelchatter.com/tag/Olympics%202008%20Hotels"><b>2008 Olympics</b></a> go by too fast? We're sad that the closing ceremonies are on the very near horizon. In fact, the only thing that's keeping our chins up is the chance to see David Beckham carrying the torch for London 2012.<p>And this little bit of news is helping our post-Olympic depression : The kick-ass Bird's Nest Stadium will be adding hotel rooms soon, reports <a href="http://www.usatoday.com/sports/olympics/beijing/2008-08-21-chinavenues_N.htm">USA Today</a>. The stadium will also host at least 60 soccer matches a year and add VIP Skyboxes, meaning that it will be possible to watch an event here and sleep here too.<p>Names will be floated around soon for the stadium but we think <b>Bird's juliana 2008-08-22T14:05:52-05:00 http://www.hotelchatter.com/story/2008/8/21/115542/579 <![CDATA[<p><img src="http://www.hotelchatter.com/files/1425/phelps_hilton2.jpeg" class="imgborder"><p><b>Michael Phelps</b> keeps on swimming in Beijing but his latest race wasn't for gold. It was for something even better. <p>Phelps jumped into the pool at the <a href="http://www.hotelchatter.com/hotel-reviews/Hilton+Beijing/ian/134893"><b>Hilton Beijing</b></a> on Tuesday to swim 6,250th and final lap of the "Hilton Swim to Beijing Relay." The relay is a multi-city charitable event contributing $100,000 to the USA Swimming Foundation to fund swim education programs across the United States.<p>The race actually began back in November 2007 when Phelps kicked off the swim at the Hilton Universal City. It then went on to five other cities. So why 6,250 laps? Well that's the distance from LA to Beijing.<p>Hilton will be donating the money to swim education programs in the participating juliana 2008-08-21T12:00:44-05:00 http://www.hotelchatter.com/story/2008/8/20/105944/517 <![CDATA[<p><img src="http://www.hotelchatter.com/files/1425/panguplaza.jpg" class="imgborder"><p>While it seems most of the ordinary and extraordinary visitors to Beijing are holing up at the <a href="http://www.hotelchatter.com/hotel-reviews/Intercontinental+Beijing+Financial+Street/local/1314">Intercontinental</a>, anyone with a ton of money will surely bypass all other hotels for the <a href="http://www.panguplaza.com/EN/ShowArticle.asp?ArticleID=133"><b>Pangu Plaza</b></a>. That is, when it finally opens.<p> <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/21/sports/olympics/21apartment.html">NY Times</a> reports: <blockquote><p>Shaped like a dragon -- and stretching the length of seven football fields -- is a colossal row of stone buildings that boast a high-rise office tower, shopping mall, seven-star hotel and what the developer insists is the world's first traditional Chinese "courtyard in the sky."</blockquote></p><p>According to the <a href="http://www.panguplaza.com/EN/ShowArticle.asp?ArticleID=133">website</a>, the hotel has 270 suites that are "especially designed for top-ranking officials in the world, leaders from all fields and top riches juliana 2008-08-20T12:06:07-05:00 http://www.hotelchatter.com/story/2008/8/19/15553/9559 <![CDATA[<p><img src="http://www.hotelchatter.com/images/icon_small_hell.gif" align="right"><i>There's tons of hotel news flying around this week and we don't have time to give each and every story the love and attention it may deserve, so you will have to settle for some news briefs.</i><p>&#183; <a href="http://www.jacksonville.com/apnews/stories/081908/D92L8NC80.shtml"><b>Ultimate Meth Hotel Hell</b></a>: A woman in Pensacola, Florida had a black backpack fall from the ceiling of her hotel room. Inside it? A portable meth lab. Oy. [AP News]<p><a href="http://www.businessweek.com/globalbiz/content/aug2008/gb20080819_224722.htm?chan=top+news_top+news+index_global+business"><b>Beijing Hotels Still Empty</b></a>: While swimming and NBC Olympics ratings probably had their best Olympics ever, Beijing hotels still are suffering. [BusinessWeek]<p>&#183; <a href="http://www.foxbusiness.com/story/markets/industries/media/pokertek-installs-pokerpro-excalibur-hotel-casino-las-vegas/"><b>Excalibur Goes Electronic</b></a>: While the outside of the Excalibur Hotel &amp; Casino still looks like bad interpretation of medieval fantasy, inside the poker rooms are going electronic! juliana 2008-08-19T17:00:13-05:00 http://www.hotelchatter.com/story/2008/8/18/131054/336 <![CDATA[<p><img src="http://www.hotelchatter.com/files/admin/grandhyatttodayshow.jpg" class="imgborder"> <p>It seems that watching stacked Olympians win medals all over the place in Beijing makes us kinda hungry. We're pretty <a href="http://www.hotelchatter.com/story/2008/8/4/113150/8971/hotels/Speaking_of_Beijing_25_Degrees_Burger_Bar_Opens_in_Hotel_G">fixated</a> on the hotel <a href="http://www.hotelchatter.com/story/2008/8/15/13407/0461/hotels/Where_to_Try_the_Michael_Phelps_12_000_Calorie_Diet_in_Beijing">dining scene</a> over in Beijing (hey, man, we don't have any world records to break), so we were thrilled when Matt and Meredith were feelin' what we were feelin' when they headed to China. <p>Last week, the <b><a href="http://www.hotelchatter.com/tag/Today%20Show">Today Show</a> </b>featured a segment on the best Peking Duck in the world -- which just so happens to (arguably) be served at <b><a href="http://www.hotelchatter.com/hotel-reviews/Grand+Hyatt+Beijing/ian/194287">Grand Hyatt Beijing</a></b>'s restaurant, Made in China (teehee!) <p>The restaurant's manager took the Today Show through the whole Peking Duck dining, uh, "process," and they seemed to love it. Jenna 2008-08-18T13:44:22-05:00 Search HotelChatter string http://www.hotelchatter.com/search/