HotelChatter

If you look near the bottom of each HotelChatter story you will see a byline. This line tells you who wrote the story. Many times it is a contributing HotelChatter editor, other times the story is from a HotelChatter member who has written an outstanding story that we have accepted and edited for publication. Either way if you click on the byline, avatar or name, you will be linked to the authors profile page.

On the profile page you can tell what group the author represents, what other stories they have written, and what comments they have made on other hotel pages or hotel stories. Furthermore, if the person has filled out their profile page you can read their self bio as well as check out what kind of avatar they have selected. Also, if you really dig a certain HotelChatter contributor you can subscribe to their story feed by clicking the little orange button to the right of "Recent Stories".

Now let's go back and talk about comments and groups for a minute. Our inbox is constantly flooded with messages from hoteliers asking us how they can get involved with HotelChatter, or how they can have their message heard. As long time readers know, we aim to tell all sides of the hotel story. We all know hotel stays can be arbitrary, however, call us naive, but we still believe the hotel truth is out there.

We highly encourage hotel workers, hoteliers, and general managers to create a HotelChatter membership and comment away. The only thing we ask is you email us and let us know you represent the hotel, that way we can change your group to "Hotel Representative". Believe us, both HotelChatter hotel-guests-to-be and pissed off former guests would like to hear directly from you as well as from HotelChatter readers.

Bottom line? If you are a Hotel Representative we want you involved in the conversation here on HotelChatter--become a member, email us saying "I represent Hotel X" and you will be off and running. Quickly you will discover the beauty of transparency.

Oh, and if you are a hotel representative who signs up as a regular HotelChatter member and you don't email us? Don't try to trick us with obviously planted reviews written by a "fake guest". We will kill your commenting privileges immediately.

Don't worry, we have the same low tolerance for guests who whine, cry, or are completely unrealistic.

Ok, so with that out of the way, let's remind everyone that there are at least seven different kinds of smoke--um, actually four known ways to participate:

1. Send us a tip via email.
   Email, so easy even Baby Boomers can do it.
   
   
2. Upload a hotel photo to the HotelChatter/Flickr photo pool.
   Eat your heart out Herbert Ypma. Alternatively, you can send us your short hotel videos. This video thing is still experimental here people, we haven't figured out how to split the atom quite yet--title your emails "Hotel Video" so we don't delete it sight unseen.
   
   
3. Submit a Comment Hotel Review on an existing hotel.
   This will require you become a member, so you don't choke us with spam. After that you can comment on any story, or leave your own hotel review on any hotel page. Need inspiration? Here is what one hotel maven recently said about the Wynn (scroll down to comments). When you can, try to put these reviews on the hotel pages--here, which you can find on most stories under the heading "Hotel Reviews". Got it?
   
   
4. Think you have what it takes to get a HotelChatter story published on the front door? Well, we have reopened submissions, but we aren't holding our breath. If your story gets published you will have your very own digital byline to hang on your fridge.