HotelChatter

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Have You Ever Used Credit Card Rewards Points For Hotel Stays?

We recently spent a few hours trying to decide how to spend our credit card rewards points on a hotel stay on the east coast of Australia. Something about using rewards points brings out the worst in us – we want to get the best possible value for our "money"; after all, it's taken a lot of spending to get us those points.

But we're also never quite sure if it's worth it to deplete more than half of our points on a hotel stay. Would buying two iPods be better? Or a Best Buy gift card and some airlines miles?

Aside from shopper indecision, our particular credit card rewards program offers a choice. You can buy a gift voucher for a hotel (in various denominations like $50, $150 and $200) or you can buy a night at the hotel. Choices, choices.

What would you do?

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Tags: Hotel Blacklists / Hotel Guests / Australia Hotels / → All Tags

Guests Behaving Badly Teams Up With Booking Site Down Under

You might remember a couple of years back when we let you know about the Australian Guests Behaving Badly database. It's a website where member hotels can report anti-social and destructive hotel guests and share their names with other hotels so they can avoid having the kind of guests that no hotel really wants.

Guests Behaving Badly has now gone one step further and has announced a partnership with the Ubid4rooms website, an Australian hotel bidding site a bit similar to Priceline.

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Tags: Hotel Staff / Australia Hotels / → All Tags

Hotel Workers in Australia Dish On 'Ethical Hotels'

It's old news that some hotel guests want to choose their hotel by looking at how green they are, but in Australia a consumer website has just started up so we can also know how ethical a hotel is – and the people behind the First Star: Ethical Luxury website are not too shy to name and shame.

The website was launched last week by the trade union which represents hotel workers in Australia, and, in their words:

The aim is for the site to be used as a tool for travellers and workers to push for social change.

So far they're light on the "this hotel isn't green" message and heavy on the "this hotel exploits their workers" theme. Luxury hotels in major Australian cities, such as Sydney's Sofitel Wentworth and the Novotel Darling Harbour, get slammed for stuff like cutting out workers' breaks or not paying overtime due (although the latter at least gets some kudos for doing some nice environmentally-friendly stuff).

Whether or not we'll actually bother checking this website before making our accommodation decision in Australia is a good question, but of course we quite like reading tidbits about who's doing what wrong, so we might at least take another visit.

Tags: Hotel Spas / Spa Packages / Island Resorts / Australia Hotels / → All Tags

Qualia Does Spa Treatments for the Typical Aussie Bloke

Where: Hamilton Island, Queensland, Australia

The idyllic Hamilton Island resort off the Queensland coast Down Under, qualia, is ramping up the Aussie factor. Of course, it's been Aussie all along, but they're now cashing in on it with a bunch of Australian-themed spa packages at the Spa qualia.

Since spa treatments are really a pretty new thing to Australia, none of the offerings are truly Australian in any way, but at least some of them sound authentically Aussie. For example, there's the It's A Man's World spa menu which, they say, is "inspired by the Australian man, particularly the type who is likely to spend time sailing or playing golf" – you can get some "individual guy time" and a steam scrub treatment called the Cup Defender, or the Lifesaver facial for dry, too-long-in-the-sun skin.

It's not just for men, of course. There are a collection of Li'tya treatments which have taken their inspiration from Aboriginal dreamtime stories, along with the Heart Reef Ritual which includes body brushing and just the right colors to make you think of the Great Barrier Reef.

Prices aren't exorbitant (you're already paying enough to get to qualia and stay there) – for example, the 105 minutes that your man spends getting the "Cup Defender" treatment will cost A$200 ($160). We're not sure that making spa treatments sound more Australian is really a marketing winner, but there are plenty of other reasons to check out the qualia luxury anyhow.

Tags: Australia Hotels / Luxury Hotels / Moonlight Head Private Lodges / → All Tags

Live Out Your 'Australia' Fantasy at the Moonlight Head Private Lodges

Where: 35 Parkers Access Road, Yuulong, Victoria, Australia, 3237

Inspiring overworked citizens and spouses of the world to escape the rat race and head down under, the movie "Australia" featured Nicole Kidman as an English aristocrat who arrives in Australia to sell off her husband's poorly performing ranch, just as the rest of the world is preparing for World War II. She ends up falling in love with hunky cattle driver Hugh Jackman amidst the beauty of Australia’s landscape. Not to mention, she falls in love with the Outback and its people too.

As if a hit movie weren't enough (the film earned Golden Globe and Oscar nominations, a $26 million campaign courtesy of Tourism Australia has helped boost Australia’s global image in a major way. Wooed by the hospitality and friendliness made famous by Paul Hogan of “Crocodile Dundee” fame, coupled with the country’s natural beauty, more tourists than ever are heading down under.

Oh yeah, and if you're regular readers of Jaunted then you would know about the Down Under Air Fare War that's currently going on between Virgin Australia, Delta and Qantas. This means airfare to Oz is cheaper than ever. And the hotel scene isn't looking too shabby either.

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Tags: Australia Hotels / Island Resorts / Beach Hotels / → All Tags

Canoodle With the Dolphins at Australia's Tangalooma Resort

Where: Moreton Island, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia

Some say an ex-whaling station is a strange place to build a resort — but we have a feeling that it's a great place for the Tangalooma Island Resort off the coast near Brisbane in Queensland, Australia.

Ironically, Tangalooma used to be the biggest whaling station in the southern hemisphere, but now it's all about being nice to big fish (and mammals). For example, there's a pod of dolphins who seem to call Tangalooma home now, routinely comin' around to be fed and have even brought gifts of eels to their feeders.

But if dolphins aren't your creature of choice, you can also go jet skiing to check out some turtles and dugongs, or snorkel around 15 different shipwrecks where there are plenty of colorful fish. And in the right seasons, there's even whale watching; uh, obviously the whales have erased the memory of what used to happen to them at Tangalooma.

There's a variety of accommodation styles within the resort, including hotel rooms starting at A$290 ($220) for doubles (just a short sprint to the beach), and there are also fancier beachfront apartments if you're traveling with friends; a two-bedroom place (which can actually sleep six if you include the sofa bed in the living room) starts around A$660 ($500) a night. You also have to get out there — remember it's an island — so you usually need to add a A$70 ($50) transfer fee. Unless you can arrange to hitch a ride on a dolphin.

Tags: Adelaide Hotels / Expedia / Hotel Awards / Australia Hotels / → All Tags

Nobody's Heard Of Australia's Best Hotel

Where: 55 Frome Street, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia, 5000

Expedia gave Australian hotel-goers a bit of a surprise this week when they announced that their top 1000 hotels list included an Adelaide hotel as the best Aussie representative.

The South Australian capital city doesn't get too much attention from either vacation or business travelers, but at least according to this survey it's got the best hotel in the whole country: the Majestic Roof Garden Hotel. The 120-room Majestic rated 24th best in the world, even though it's only been open for five years.

As you'd be guessing from the name, this place does have a pretty cool roof garden. It's also in a good location near the main shopping area of Rundle Mall, and since two thirds of its guests are business travelers, it's obviously well-placed for them as well.

And the big bonus is that you get the apparently best hotel in Australia for a pretty cheap rate. For example, they've got an autumn special (that's now in Australia) with a Deluxe King room plus breakfast for A$165 ($125) a night and there are last-minute rates around that are even cheaper.

[Photo: ellieannef]

Tags: Australia Hotels / Hotel Spas / → All Tags

Chahoya Spa Opens at Australia's Tropical Cable Beach

Where: 1 Cable Beach Road, Broome, Western Australia, Australia, 6725

Tourist season is just starting up in the northwest Australian town of Broome, so it's great timing for the Cable Beach Club Resort to be officially opening their new Chahoya Spa.

We've been dreaming about this spa's Buddha Sanctuary for a while, where you can take a yoga or tai chi class, but the whole wellness experience has got a lot bigger with the April 1 spa opening. Along with some regular massage and body wrap services, the Chahoya Spa people have put together a Himalayan Rejuvenation Therapy package. There's nothing mountainous about Broome but the treatment sounds good anyway, with two hours of steam inhalation treatment, massage, steam tent and Shirodhara relaxation to make you into a new person.

So far there don't seem to be any hotel and spa combo packages, but even the separate prices are not too bad. The entire two hours of Himalayan treatment costs A$270 ($190), and you can get a basic studio suite for A$319 ($230) a night. Getting to Broome might be the most expensive part, although Virgin Blue has cheapish flights from Perth these days.

Tags: Australia Hotels / Hotel Openings / → All Tags

Kinglake, Australia Gets New Resort, Post-Fires

In scenic rural Victoria, not too far out of Melbourne, they're still cleaning up after February's horrific fires. One of the worst hit towns, Kinglake, has just found out it will be home to a new 4.5 star resort which will pretty much "rise from the ashes" of a town that lost not only most of its houses but many of its citizens too.

The as-yet-unnamed resort is the brainchild of local developer Bruce Thomas who has planned a luxury resort with a pool and conference facilities to be built at Pheasant Creek on land that was partly damaged by the fires. They hope the resort will bring back the tourists and provide a financial injection into the local community.

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Tags: Australia Hotels / Perth Hotels / Luxury Hotels / New Hotels / Amanresorts / → All Tags

Perth To Get A New, Old Six-Star Hotel

The Western Australian capital of Perth has its share of high-end hotels, but nothing that's claimed to be six-star luxury--until now. Well, until soon, because it's just been announced that Aman Resorts and friends are in talks to redevelop a key city site into a luxury hotel.

The Old Treasury Buildings are an historic part of downtown Perth and they've been empty for more than ten years now while everyone agreed on what should be done--being a heritage-listed site always makes it tricky. Now it looks like a slim tower will be added on to the back of the building and that will become the six-star hotel with up to 90 rooms.

The older part of the building will include shops, restaurants and apartments, and the most historic parts will be open to the public. No date set yet for when we'll be able to get a six-star night in Perth; in any case, we're six-star skeptics so we'll believe the luxury when we see it.

[Photo: redarbuts]

Tags: Hotel Deals / Accor Hotels / Novotel Hotels / Mercure Hotels / Ibis Hotels / All Seasons Hotels / Asia Hotels / Australia Hotels / → All Tags

Accor Tempting Us With Three-Day Sale in Oz, Kiwiland and Asia

Accor Hotels in the Asia Pacific are getting ready for a three-day sale--they say there'll be a million rooms in 250 hotels up for grabs at rates discounted by more than 75%. The sale runs from February 24 to 26 and is for stays between April and July.

This region includes Australia, New Zealand and Asia, and includes a bunch of hotel chains that are all branded to Accor: Novotel, Mercure, Ibis and All Seasons are among them.

Right now at the super sale website all you can see is a tantalizing "Coming soon", but we'll be there early on February 24. We're after an Adelaide hotel room in May and we'll let you know what kind of bargain we snag.

[Photo: Wikimedia]

Tags: Hotel Spas / Adults Only Hotels / Australia Hotels / → All Tags

Chimes Retreat Is Adults Only, But That's A Secret

Where: 457 Mt Shadforth Rd, Denmark, Western Australia, Australia, 6333

When you head to a luxury spa retreat, reading that it's going to be adults only is usually a positive thing: but at the Chimes Spa Retreat in Denmark, Western Australia, they got themselves in a bit of hot water over it (and that's not the hot water you'll find in the spa).

Owner Kane Randle has been trying to get the local Equal Opportunity Commission to allow him to advertise as "adults only" but they've called it discrimination and he can't. Despite that, most guests to this wine-region property have been adults, and have been impressed. With the owners being involved in a really hands-on way, service is attentive and the peaceful location certainly helps for the relaxation side of things.

There are 11 different suites, some with ocean views, and prices range from A$255 to A$390 a night ($165 - $255). If you're especially rich, you can buy the whole property at the moment--if you have a spare A$3.95 million ($2.5m) lying around.

[Photo: Getzaround]