http://www.hotelchatter.com/ Hotel Reviews, Hotel Ratings, Hotel Openings en-us Copyright 2008 - SFO Media 2012-02-14T08:02:21Z HotelChatter HotelChatter http://www.hotelchatter.com/images/hcwhite.jpg http://www.hotelchatter.com/tag/OpenThread http://www.hotelchatter.com/story/2011/12/29/9509/0149 <![CDATA[<p><img src="http://www.hotelchatter.com/files/454/IMG_1853.JPG" class="top"><p><i>It's what you've been waiting all year for--<a href="http://www.hotelchatter.com/tag/hotelchatter 2011 awards"><b>The 2011 HotelChatter Awards</b></a>! We'll be bringing you the best and worst of the year all day today and part of tomorrow. Agree or disagree with our picks? <a href="http://www.hotelchatter.com/story/2011/12/29/94852/501/hotels/Most_Provocative_OpenThread_Toiletry_Dispensers_Eco_Friendly_Or_Unsanitary_#postform">Air your thoughts in the comments below</a>.</i><p>In August, we decided to resurrect an ever-popular topic of discussion&#151;<a href="http://www.hotelchatter.com/story/2011/7/27/12231/1723/hotels/Toiletry_Dispensers_Eco_Friendly_Or_Unsanitary_"><b>Toiletry Dispensers</b></a>&#151;and boy, were you guys full of ideas. This thread easily proved to be the most fruitful of the entire year, and why wouldn't it? What's a hotel bathroom without all its free soaps, gels, shampoos and creams? <p>But what we (and the hotels themselves) still haven't quite figured out is <b>how to strike a balance between the eco-friendliness of dispensers HotelChatter 2011-12-30T10:31:17-05:00 http://www.hotelchatter.com/story/2011/12/2/14445/7080 <![CDATA[<p><img src="http://www.hotelchatter.com/files/1425/jenniferaniston_repeatguest.jpg" class="top"><p> There is no getting through that thick but enviably coiffed head of <a href="http://www.hotelchatter.com/tag/jennifer aniston"><b>Jennifer Aniston's</b></a>. Even though we <a href="http://www.hotelchatter.com/story/2008/11/19/14512/415/hotels/An_Open_Letter_to_Jennifer_Aniston_Regarding_Her_Hotel_Habits">pleaded with her</a> as far back as 2008 to find a new hotel in Los Angeles to hang out, the girl insists on doing all her business at the <a href="http://www.hotelchatter.com/hotel-reviews/Sunset+Tower+Hotel/local/76"><b>Sunset Tower Hotel</b></a>. Just recently, <a href="http://www.nypost.com/p/pagesix/moment_of_jen_XB66YKXlgKeDwVDmAqLYwO">gossip reports</a> have her dining with her beau Justin Theroux at the hotel's Tower Bar. <blockquote><p>The pair, both casually dressed, looked cozy as they dined at the Sunset Tower Hotel&#146;s Tower Bar. A witness in the restaurant said, &#147;They sat in a corner table overlooking the city, deep in conversation and holding hands under the table. It was very sweet: They juliana 2011-12-02T16:00:02-05:00 http://www.hotelchatter.com/story/2011/11/8/83817/8014 <![CDATA[<p><img src="http://www.hotelchatter.com/files/30451/HotelAnimalSightings.jpg" class="top"><p>Cute Hotel Animals! And not the official pet kind like <a href="http://www.hotelchatter.com/tag/Kimpton%20Hotels"><strong>Kimpton</strong></a>'s Goldfish or Directors of Pet Relations or the Canine Ambassadors at <a href="http://www.hotelchatter.com/tag/Fairmont%20Hotels"><strong>Fairmont Hotels</strong></a>. We're talking animals in the wild. If by 'wild' you mean the grounds of a luxury hotel...<p> It dawned us recently that we've spotted a few furry and feathered creatures on recent hotel stays -- pictured above are the baby deer outside our casita at <a href="http://www.hotelchatter.com/hotel-reviews/ENCHANTMENT+RESORT+MII+AMO+SPA/local/3387"<b>Enchantment Resort</b></a> in Sedona, the <a href="http://www.jaunted.com/story/2011/9/8/105848/9675/travel/Meet+the+Cute+Coati+Looking+For+His+All+Inclusive+Action+in+Mexico">coati</a> we saw rooting around for snacks at <a href="http://www.hotelchatter.com/hotel-reviews/Grand+Velas+Riviera+Maya/local/4636"><strong>Grand Velas Riviera Maya</strong></a>, and one of the many birds who call the lagoon of <a href="http://www.hotelchatter.com/hotel-reviews/Rosewood+Mayakoba/local/902"><strong>Rosewood Mayakoba</strong></a> home. (A Cormorant, if we remember correctly...)<p> Not pictured: the crocodile our next-door MsRebecca 2011-11-08T10:29:34-05:00 http://www.hotelchatter.com/story/2011/10/27/111827/23 <![CDATA[<p><p><img src="http://www.hotelchatter.com/files/1425/ipadsandWiFi.jpg" class="top"><p> <i>Welcome to our <a href="http://www.hotelchatter.com/tag/openthread"><b>OpenThreads</b></a>, a free-for-all forum on a hotel-related topic. This is where you can tell us how you, the hotel guest, operates inside a hotel, not the other way around. So <a href="http://www.hotelchatter.com/story/2011/10/20/13107/728/hotels/How_Do_You_Use_Twitter_or_Facebook_During_Your_Hotel_Stay_#comment-block"><b>jump right in and comment away!</b></a></i><p>Perhaps the next time we spy iPads in the guestrooms, we shouldn't geek out so much as these tablet devices might be the reason why a hotel's WiFi network is so slow. <p>NYT biz travel reporter <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/25/business/ipads-change-economics-and-speed-of-hotel-wi-fi-on-the-road.html?_r=1">Joe Sharkey</a> says that hotels blame the rapid rise of the iPad and other tablet devices for putting a strain on their network's bandwidth capability. That's because people are checking in and logging on not just with their iPad but juliana 2011-10-27T11:56:31-05:00 http://www.hotelchatter.com/story/2011/10/20/13107/728 <![CDATA[<p><img src="http://www.hotelchatter.com/files/1425/girltexting.jpg" class="top"><p> <i>Welcome to our <a href="http://www.hotelchatter.com/tag/openthread"><b>OpenThreads</b></a>, a free-for-all forum on a hotel-related topic. This is where you can tell us how you the hotel guest operates inside a hotel, not the other way around. So <a href="http://www.hotelchatter.com/story/2011/10/20/13107/728/hotels/How_Do_You_Use_Twitter_or_Facebook_During_Your_Hotel_Stay_#comment-block"><b>jump right in and comment away!</b></a></i><p>We already know what motivates people to write a hotel review (whether it be on TripAdvisor or now, directly on <a href="http://www.hotelchatter.com/story/2011/10/21/11851/612/hotels/Starwood_Hotels_to_Put_Reviews_Right_on_Their_Websites">Starwood Hotels' sites</a>) and that's usually either a really good experience like unexpected upgrades at check-in and truly outstanding service or a really baaaaad experience like a dirty room, broken unmentionable stains and terrible service. Or worse, the hotel cancelled your reservation without telling you. Yikes!<p>Now obviously, these same conditions apply when it comes to using juliana 2011-10-21T12:43:44-05:00 Search HotelChatter string http://www.hotelchatter.com/search/