AK Travel Guide
Art Hotels / 21C Museum Hotels / Crystal Bridges / Alice Walton / Arkansas Hotels / → All Tags
21c Museum Hotel Breaks Ground in Bentonville
Now that Wal-Mart heiress, Alice Walton, has opened the Crystal Bridges Museum of Modern Art (it was her millions and her incredible art collection that got the museum off the ground), cultured visitors to the museum in Bentonville, Ark. are in need of an equally cultured place to stay.
Fortunately, ground has broken on the new 21c Museum Hotel, which will be modeled after the original 21c Museum Hotel in Louisville. And yes, it's also being bankrolled by the Waltons.
The hotel will be located in the city's downtown arts corridor but Bentonville is a small town so the Crystal Bridges museum will still be walkable. The four-story contemporary style building will have 103 rooms, including suites, a fitness center and a sustainable restaurant. In fact, the whole building will be built and operated using green practices and sustainable materials. And of course, there will be art. Lots of it.
Political Hotels / Alaska Hotels / Hotel Room Trashing / → All Tags
And This is Why Politicians Shouldn't Stay in Hotels on the Taxpayers' Dime
When you vote a politician into office, you hope that he or she lives up to all their campaign promises, looks out for the little people, avoids wasteful spending, makes smart decisions and fingers crossed, doesn't get messed up in a sex scandal.
But thanks to Wasilla, Alaska's city councilmember, Steve Menard we will now hope that our politician doesn't act atrociously in a hotel room that our tax dollars paid for. The Claims Journal reports:
Menard was staying at the Westmark in Sitka earlier this month for a meeting of the Alaska Municipal League. The hotel reported that damage to his room included urine on two mattresses and a chair, vomit on the carpet, ruined bedding and a burned mattress. The hotel sent the city of Wasilla a $350 bill for repairs to Menard’s room, which was out of service for three days.
A burned mattress? WTF? Is that why there was urine on it?
Celebrity Scoop / Kristen Bell / Movie Hotels / Alaska Hotels / Anchorage Hotels / Justin Bieber / Ted Danson / → All Tags
What's Kristen Bell's Hotel Alias? Ask Ted Danson
Kristen Bell all dolled up in '80s Anchorage garb for her new film.
TV show character names must be the go-to aliases for celebs. We told you about Justin Bieber's hotel handle—Chandler Bing—and now we find out about another star's make-believe check-in name. Kristen Bell recently checked into an undisclosed Alaska hotel under the moniker Holly Frobisher.
It sounds like an innocent-sounding name. The Couples Retreat star stole it from the show Damages; it's the name of Ted Danson's character's wife. Again, no big deal. But it turns out that Danson was in the hotel lobby after she checked in.
Art Hotels / 21C Museum Hotels / Hotel Hype / Arkansas Hotels / → All Tags
Wal-Mart Family Is Behind The New 21C Museum Hotel in Arkansas
The 21C Museum Hotel in Louisville.
The good news is there's going to be yet another 21C Museum Hotel opening. That will make four 21C Museum hotels--the original in Louisville, the second in Cincinnati, a third in Austin and now, a hotel near Bentonville, Arkansas.
The odd news is that the people who are making this third hotel possible are some Wal-Mart people. The Waltons, the heirs to the megastore that famously bans music and books for being too provocative, are now supporting an art hotel. The WSJ reports:
A Walton family investment arm and partner 21c Museum Hotel of Louisville, Ky., are scheduled to disclose Tuesday that they will construct a $28 million, 130-room hotel near Bentonville's downtown square that will open by 2012.
Alaska Hotel Guide / Sitka Hotels / Alaska Hotels / Wilderness Hotels / → All Tags
For A Stay in Sitka, Try The Shee Atika Totem Square Inn
Mention Sitka in surrounding Southeast Alaska island towns, and locals invariably perk up: “Oh Sitka? It’s really (drag it out for three syllables) nice there.” All starry eyed, you have a feeling they’re conjuring up mental images of rainbows and unicorns.
Although we rolled into town at an ungodly hour after a 13-hour schlep on the Alaskan Marine Highway Ferry, the chipper (caffeinated?) concierge Shee Atika Totem Square Inn made us feel right at home. After cracking open the windows for some cool night air (Alaska hoteliers tend to overheat rooms), our head hit the pillow for one of the most restful slumbers on the nine-day Alaskan adventure.
Alaska Hotel Guide / → All Tags
Salmon Derby or Bust at Alaska's Scandia House
Timing for our first visit to Petersburg, Alaska was a bit off: Memorial Day weekend during the peak of the 28th Annual Salmon Derby. Hours before our arrival, local angler Duane Olsen had caught a 59.8 lb. king salmon and residents were in a tizzy about the record-breaking catch. With a $7500 prize on the line for the first place winner, competition was fierce and if you weren’t out fishing that weekend in Petersburg, you were pretty much S.O.L.
Luckily, our digs at Scandia House were within walking distance of all the dockside action (and lots of watercraft eye-candy). The hotel exterior evokes a European vibe, no doubt a nod to the town’s strong Norwegian heritage. Scandia House isn’t fancy, but then again, most accommodations we saw in Alaska don’t subscribe to a fancy school of thought. It is, however, practical in every way – a terrific concept to consider when most tourists visit Alaska for the sake of the great outdoors and not for five star pampering.
Alaska Hotel Guide / Ketchikan Hotels / B and Bs / → All Tags
It Ain't the Big Apple, But The New York Hotel is a Cozy Bet
Hey, Alaska travelers – especially those not yet eligible for AARP! Guess what? You don’t have to subject yourself to big cruise ships packed with thousands of passengers to experience the islands of Southeast Alaska and the Inside Passage. (Although if en masse modes of transport are your thing, that’s a-okay by us.)
Independent travelers with wanderlust and time to spare hop on the Alaska Marine Highway Ferry in Bellingham, Washington for a scenic 38-hour ride to Ketchikan. Don’t panic – there’s a bar onboard, as well as cabins for your sleeping pleasure. Or you can start your nautical itinerary from a handful of other islands within Southeast Alaska. Alaska Airlines also operates flights between the major destinations.
Alaska Hotel Guide / Juneau Hotels / B and Bs / → All Tags
Best Digs in Downtown Juneau: Silverbow Inn and Bakery
Silverbow Inn and Bakery co-owner and former New Yorker, Jill Ramiel, had us at hand-boiled bagels. There has been a bakery on this historic site since the 1890’s, and Ramiel’s bakery is a bit of a social fixture in the small community, being the first to offer free Wi-Fi.
Jill and her hubby also offer regular indie flicks on a big projector screen, rotating art exhibits, and the most divine cookies, brownies, and yes, bagels. Don’t miss the snickerdoodles, toasted toasted almond bagels with apple butter and Alaskan Beer bread.
The bakery also stays open late serving beer, wine and light fare, offering a civilized alternative to the countless beer-and-a-shot dive bars that dot downtown Juneau.
Alaska Hotels / Fishing Hotels / Luxury Hotels / Adventure Hotels / → All Tags
Alaska's Newhalen Lodge :: Fishing for Big Tunas
For some people fishing requires a cooler of canned beer, a couple bros, and a local lake or river. Then there are those "Big Tunas"-- heads of mega-corporations, sultans, magnates, and independently wealthy gadabouts-- that won't settle for mediocrity in any corner of their lives.
For those special souls there is a private fishing lodge 185 miles southeast of Anchorage Alaska only accessible by private plane called The Newhalen Lodge.
Ironically, the accommodations themselves are not particularly special. Bedrooms are shared, with wood-paneled walls, shaggy tan carpet and dorm-room linens on the beds. In their defense however, the people that are going there are not ones to sweat decor.
Alaska Hotels / Ski Hotels / Exotic Hotels / → All Tags
Stuffed Polar Bears Still Guaranteed at The Hotel Alyeksa
Ever considered Alaska for a far-flung vacation? Then we say hit up the town of Girdwood, Alaska located about 45 minutes outside downtown Anchorage and home to the state's biggest ski resort, Alyeska Resort.
The resort has seen numerous changes in ownership over the last few years and the newest owners have recently made a dedicated effort to improve the rooms inside the The Hotel Alyeska, the resort's "base camp" hotel.
Not to fear though, you'll still find stuffed polar bears in the lobby and massive views of Alyeska Ski Resort out of the huge panoramic windows, provided there is sun.
Anchorage Hotels / Odd Hotels / → All Tags
The Teddy Bear House: A Plushophile's Dream Lodging
If you September plans include a trip to Alaska to catch the Northern Lights, you may want to call ahead and book a room at The Teddy Bear House in Anchorage. This cozy cottage in the center of the "city" is conveniently located to the Seward Highway and downtown. Plus, it's unlike any other bed and breakfast we've seen. We'll give you one guess as to why. (Need a hint? It's all in the name.)
The Teddy Bear House has more than 500 of these plush animals displayed around the warm country inn's single and double occupancy rooms. Consider this a plushophile's ultimate paradise.
Their wandering eyes are weird at first, but owner Marge Quick makes her guests feel right at home. From car rides to the local grocery, to an at-home Alaska library, to homemade (and, if you're up early--made to order) breakfast, this place is southern hospitality in the heart of America's northwest.
And chances are good, when the group of hunters and fishers gather around the morning table, they'll share some bear stories of their own, from the woods of Alaska, rather than Marge's country kitchen. And trust us, even the most manly of mountain men enjoy the Teddy Bear House's girlish accommodations.
Related Stories:
· Alaska Hotel Reviews [HotelChatter]
· Alaska Travel Stories [Jaunted]
Bed Bugs / Hotel Hell / → All Tags
Hot Springs Are Just Right for Bed Bugs
UPDATE: Click here for management response
A tipster lets us know that during her stay at the Park Hotel of Hot Springs in Hot Springs, Ark., during June 16 to 18, she was allegedly bitten multiple times but didn't think the bites were from bed bugs until a doctor told her so.
I left the hotel Sunday with red swollen bumps all over my legs and back. I assumed these were mosquito bites but they worsened by the end of the week. I researched pictures of bites online; mine looked to be caused by bed bugs. On Friday June 23rd, I called the hotel and was told they could be flea bites since they do allow pets.
I retrieved their e-mail address and sent photos. The manager promised to look into it and get back to me. The following Friday, June 30th, the sores had not improved, so I went to my doctor. She confirmed the bites as bed bugs and prescribed antibiotics 4x a day for 10 days. I faxed all this information to the 'JBurlon' at the front desk on July 3rd. On Friday, July 7th, I was told she would gather all info and turn it into the owner.
It is now July 13th and I was told this morning I would receive an 'extermination report' in the mail. I still have scars on my legs and it has been almost a month since my hotel stay. I have included photos.
At your own risk, there are photos after the jump.
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