Where Web Travel Titans in Norwalk Put Up Their Out of Town Visitors

July 19, 2007 at 4:55 PM | by barbarab | Comments (0)

A HotelChatter Exclusive

If this hotel maven had not grown up in Norwalk, in Fairfield County, Connecticut, she may have never noticed that three pioneering travel companies call her one-time hometown home.

Virgin Atlantic's U.S. headquarters are based in this coastal town of nearly 90,000. Priceline and Kayak have their main offices in Norwalk, too.

Despite an influx of corporate offices over the years, Fairfield County remains more a bedroom community than commerce or, for that matter, leisure-travel central, with hotel selections far and few between.

Just where do these travel concerns, which collectively book hundreds if not thousands of people in hotels around the world every single day, put up their guests when they come to town?

Their answers after the jump.

PRICELINE

Priceline spokeman Brian Ek answered without a beat. "At the DoubleTree. It's literally, literally across the street." That street is Connecticut Avenue, a.k.a. the Boston Post Road, which goes from Maine to Florida. The DoubleTree Norwalk was recently renovated, and has a three-diamond AAA rating. Accommodations seem serviceable for all-business business travelers. From the website:

Standard guestrooms include Sweet Dreams Beds for your sleep experience. Our new Cable Package which includes 3 ESPN channels, 2 CNN channels, USA, HBO, as well as, Pay per view movies and games.
Each of our newly renovated rooms include the standard amenities you would come to expect plus Deluxe Bath Products, alarm clocks with MP3 connectivity, Spacious work desk, Complimentary high speed wireless internet and printer on capability.

Plus, there's an indoor pool! Now, we wonder does William Shatner stay here too?

KAYAK

Kayak's spokeswoman Kellie Pelletier said they refer out-of-town visitors to one of two places, one town over in Westport: The Inn at Long Shore and The Westport Inn. With 12 rooms, The Inn at Long Shore is small, but its setting, on a 52-acre property in what was first a private estate, then, according to The Inn at Long Shore's website, "an exclusive country club for the likes of Rockefeller, Roosevelt and F. Scott Fitzgerald," more than makes up for it.

The Inn has a short 18-hole golf course and an outdoor pool. Plus, there are views of Long Island Sound. The Westport Inn looks, well, that word serviceable comes to mind again.

Warning: the photos on the website's home page are not of The Westport Inn! However, the photos in the photo gallery are.

VIRGIN ATLANTIC

Alas, Virgin Atlantic would not share. "It really depends, it really totally depends," said spokeswoman Brooke Lawer. "It depends on what they're in town for, for how long. We don't have any arrangements with any hotels." She added that the main reason she did not want to provide names was so as not to give the appearance of an endorsement.

We really, totally understand! That doesn't stop us from wondering whether Sir Richard Charles Nicholas Branson would even spend a night in the area, unless he was staying in the private home of a friend.

Otherwise, we imagine he heads back to Manhattan, in his private car, oblivious to the traffic on I-95. Or in his private jet.

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