Tag: Australia hotels
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Australia's Ski Slopes Get Hipper with QT's Newest Resort
We're bringing you a double-dose of QT Hotel news this week, because we couldn't resist the announcement of a new ski resort in Australia. Huh? Australian ski resort? Surely, we meant Austria? Nope! It's true, the sunburned land Down Under actually has some areas that get snow and with the new QT Falls Creek, now's the perfect time to head down to the slopes.
The mastermind hotel designers have taken over the perfect après–ski location situated in the mountainous Great Dividing Range in South Eastern Australia. Just over four hours drive from Melbourne, QT's newest outpost, which was previously Quay West Falls Creek, has 63 alpine one-, two-, three-, and four-bedroom apartments that'll have the quirky touch we've come to expect from the brand. Most of the apartments will have private balcony hot-tubs but all will have uninterrupted views of the snow-capped peaks surrounding the resort.
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Your Freewheelin' Guide To Hotels With Free Bike Rentals
As summer nears, hotels are going to start up with the usual warm-weather offerings: rooftop bars, poolside cabanas, and those awkward tanning concierges. But as far as we're concerned, it all boils down to one question: where can we ride a bike for free?
Unless otherwise noted, all of the below hotels offer free bike rentals on a first-come, first-served basis (that means no reserving the night before!), and all bikes come with a helmet and a lock.
We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves on the public bikes at Public Chicago, and we recommend you do the same! Guests can grab a Trek Bicycle and take out for a spin down to Lake Shore and cruise along the beach's bike path—which are just three blocks from the hotel. Oh, and did we mention it's free?
In time for the first shoots of spring in London, £1-favorite Hoxton Hotel is now offering guests four custom UK-made Mango Bikes in the hotel’s colors to tool around town in. Both Sanderson and St. Martin’s Lane counter with equipment from the home of cycling, with Dutch bikes by Public J7.
Santa Barbara's El Encanto Resort has something special for adventuresome guests: electric bikes! The electric component can be turned on or off, so if you don't feel like cheating, you can pump all the way to the beach and back. But when it comes time to head back to the hotel (which sits in the Santa Barbara hills), that motor is going to come in pretty handy.
Sofitel So Bangkok offers three bikes for rent—a number suitable for the cast of Three's Company, but hey, free is free! Head across the road and pedal your heart out around Lumpini Park, the city's answer to Central Park, where you can ride along the Komodo Dragons basking in the sun on the banks of the lake.
For 12 more hotels (and hotel brands) with free bike rentals, read on!
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Celebrate Marilyn, Mom, Motorcycles and More With These Hotel Deals
Deals: you want 'em, and surprisingly, everyone has 'em. Take a look at some of the latest hotel deals going around the internet today from booking sites, social media sites, flash sale sites and more. Don't forget to scroll down to see the HotelChatter-approved deal either. Who knows? You might just find what you're looking for. (But don't forget to tell us about your stay!)
DEALS, DEALS, DEALS*
Say Goodbye to Marilyn Monroe at the Hyatt Palm Springs: Marilyn Monroe has been living in Palm Springs for the past year--in a 26-ft. tall sculpture reincarnation by American artist Seward Johnson. Yet, on June 1 the sculpture will be dismantled and shipped off to another location. The Hyatt Palm Springs wants you to be able to give Marilyn a proper send-off with their “Farewell, Marilyn” package. It includes a complimentary DVD of the famous Marilyn Monroe movie “Some Like It Hot”, two complimentary Diamond-tini cocktails at the bar, a free collectible bottle of Marilyn Merlot wine from Napa Valley and a collectible 8x10 photo of Marilyn in her famous “7-Year Itch” pose. Rates start at $239 a night per double, excluding taxes and fees. To book, go here or call 760-322-9000 and mention code SLIHPS
Ellen's Down Under Escape: Ellen DeGeneres recently sent two of her staffers to visit the Hayman Island Resort and their adventures were shown on an episode of the Ellen show here. Now the resort is offering anyone the opportunity to experience the resort like the Ellen show did. Their new Ellen TV Escape includes four nights’ accommodation for the price of three, complimentary upgrade to a deluxe room, Air Whitsunday Panorama Tour, return launch transfers from Great Barrier Reef Airport, daily beachfront breakfast, and a whole bunch of activities from paddle skiing to catamaran sailing, croquet, golf, and island walks. Rates start at AUD $1,705 ($1,754) per person for double occupancy and the offer is only good through May 17. Or you could just book the hotel's existing Stay 4, Pay 3 offer which is pretty much the same and starts at AUD $885 ($908) per person twin share for four nights. Email reservations@hayman.com.au to set up your stay.
Going Surfing for Mother's Day: Thinking about taking your mom on a getaway for Mother's Day? (You should be!) The Hotel La Jolla in San Diego has put together a Girls Gonna Have Fun package that includes deluxe accommodations, two complimentary cosmos at Cusp or Hiatus and a four-hour adult surf lesson from Surf Diva (two hours on Saturday, two on Sunday) for two. The hotel underwent a $4 million renovation last year and is within walking distance to La Jolla Shores Beach, but there's also a complimentary shuttle bus within a five-mile radius. And being a Kimpton Hotel, there's nightly free wine hour from 5 to 6pm, too. Rates start at $349 a night over Mother's Day Weekend. Go here to book and use promo code PGRL
Harley Davidson Anniversary Celebration: Motorcycle brand, Harley-Davidson, is turning 110 this August and the downtown Milwaukee hotel, The Iron Horse, is going all out for the milestone. The motorcycle-themed hotel has rolled out new HD110 packages which range from $4,500 for a single room to $9,900 for a double and include Chrome level access passes to all official Harley-Davidson Anniversary events and private hotel events, deluxe accommodations, nightly entertainment, organized rides and biker-themed gifts like a cask of the hotel's own Barrel 1907 American Rye Whiskey and his and her custom robes. Go here to book.
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Sofitel Sydney Suite Is Addams Family Kooky
Designing a suite that's fit for Gomez and Morticia Addams is no easy task, but Sofitel Wentworth Sydney has the made the glamorous into the mysterious and spooky to welcome the namesake Broadway musical hitting the city's theater district.
From the morbid lobby decorations, elevators that delight you with the retro sitcom's theme song to when you step foot into the suite, you might think you have checked-in to a graveyard instead of a luxury hotel in the middle of the city. The themed room features a mock electric chair, creepy crimson walls and curtains, cobwebs, spiders, a haunted mirror, black towels and bed linen and the obligatory Addams Family portrait on the nightstand to remember your favorite relatives - Pugsley, Wednesday, Lurch, Uncle Fester and Grandmama.
If you want to escape all of the drama from your room, you can even partake in a Addams Family high tea service that's all together ooky. Continuing on the after-life theme, you can feast on a confectionery Cousin Itt from fruit paste and Persian cotton candy or a gloriously gruesome edible chopping block out of sweet apple pie.
Hotel Reviews / Sydney Hotels / Australia Hotels / 8 Hotels Group / Loft Hotels / → All Tags
Have a Lofty Experience at Sydney's Park8 Hotel
We've all walked into a hotel room and our excitement for a creative and unique experience is shot down when we find a boring old room. On a recent trip to Sydney we laid our head at Park8 Hotel and even after the swipe of our keycard, the smile was never wiped off our face. We felt like we had our own little loft apartment in the middle of the city, just steps away from Hyde Park and the shopping district.
This little gem of a boutique hotel from 8 Hotels is quirky and fun, but still maintained what we expect when we stay at a hotel. We were fortunate enough to score a one-bedroom loft that was more like we were couch surfing in New York than staying in a hotel chain. The suite has two-stories of windows flooding the rooms with natural light and showcasing brag-worthy views of the inner city and the park's giant figs trees.
With the bedroom on the second floor, the rooms have ample living space allowing for a late night television session on the couch without messing up the bed. A kitchenette stocked with full-size bottles of Aussie wine, a few craft ciders and cold-pressed juices kind of mimicked our own refrigerator at home.
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Which Hotels Hosted Ellen on Her Aussie Adventure?
If you haven't heard Ellen DeGeneres and wife, Portia de Rossi, headed Down Under, to Portia's motherland. It was a trip hugely publicized on Ellen's show and by Qantas Airways, one of the sponsors.
We got the scoop on which Aussie hotels got the chance to show one of TV's funniest females their hottest digs on their visit to both Sydney and Melbourne. It seems like the couple likes to stay in the lap of luxury and we can't blame them.
First stop was Sydney, and after getting their respective passports stamped, the pair headed to the historic InterContinental Sydney perched over Circular Quay with views of the iconic Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Opera House. Let's hope they had time to check out that awesome pool on the 31st floor overlooking the harbor; it couldn't get more 'Sydneysider' than that!
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Confessions of a Hotel Bartender, Vol 2: QT Gold Coast
Keeping with our series of bending the ear of our favorite barkeeps, we recently had the opportunity to find out what bartender, Nicholas James, from Stingray Lounge at QT Gold Coast in Surfers Paradise thinks about the industry's preferred poisons.
HotelChatter: How many years have you been in the industry and time at Stingray?
Nicholas James: 5 years in the industry, and coming up to nearly one year at Stingray.
HC: What type of formal training do you have?
NJ: I have studied and worked alongside some of Australia’s most recognized and award winning industry professionals in and around Sydney’s small bars, pubs and restaurants.
HC: With such an extensive list of creative cocktails, what is your least favorite to make; the one you go 'really? I have to make that?' but still do it with a smile?
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Diamant Brisbane Shines Bright Like A Diamond
Step inside the iron gates of Diamant Hotel in Brisbane as they unveil newly renovated rooms of their 84 room boutique property in the CBD. Where the city is lacking in edgy and on-style accommodation, this 8 Hotels property fills the void for trendy digs.
Housed in a modern building in the city's Springhill inner-suburb, the building kept some elements we thought were reminiscent of times gone-by. Reception is behind iron gates that you'd normally think Addams Family-esque, all to then walk in to a modern, yet sleek lobby. To brighten up the dark colors, fresh Gerbera daisies and pops of metallic hues helped lift us up. Each floor has a similar, yet different design theme with the fresh flowers and a few magazines in case the elevator takes too long.
The rooms are heavily, but not negatively, monochromatic with a textured wallpaper to accent smaller details. The Diamant Suite had a muted lavender that was very calming and nice touch with an awesome bathroom featuring a double sinks, a full tub and a glass enclosed shower. The attention to detail from the metallic elements in the rest of the hotel were brought in with a wall tile that we would love to walk into our own bathroom and experience.
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Australia 108 Project On Track to be World's Tallest Hotel
An Australian project to build the tallest building in the Southern Hemisphere was approved last week in Melbourne, officially cutting the tape on a 1,273-foot tower called Australia 108, that will house a 288-room hotel which will become the tallest hotel in the world. The whole shebang will cost around $600 million.
The yet-to-be-named hotel will be a “six-star luxury property”, according to its designers, and will have a "hovering" lobby that spans two floors. As you can see in the photo above, it will stick out and appear to dangle midair. We're keeping our fingers crossed for a glass floor!
According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the JW Marriott Marquis in Dubai currently carries the "World's Tallest Hotel" crown, which opened in February at 1,164 feet.
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Our Exclusive Peek Inside The New Rooms at Sofitel Brisbane
We had the opportunity to have a first-hand look at the fresh new rooms that Sofitel Brisbane offers guests starting this week. The sexy spaces have just been completed and we were the first to have a glimpse of the new fabrics, unique details and comfy living areas each room sports.
Working heavily on the theme of a Parisian apartment, these rooms mimic a pied-à-terre that would suit any jetsetter on their routine visit to Europe, except all in the perfect weather of Australia. A wanderlust play on location with images of both Paris and Brisbane showcase Sofitel roots and local flair; use of luxurious velvets and woven Damasks, we could spend an extended stay here and feel right at home.
Color is the name of the game here with a subdued, yet eye-catching use of accent pops that are used throughout the room and even into the hallways. A rich peacock blue for the Superior rooms, plum for the Club level rooms and robin's egg blue accents for the Junior suites (at around $548 a night) all create a chic European feel.
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Pop Into the Secret Garden At Hilton Sydney
The folks at Hilton Sydney unveiled their latest incarnation--a themed cocktail lounge. The hotel's Zeta Bar has been transformed into 'The Secret Garden' with a modern twist, and of course inventive drinks.
The bar itself is quite known locally as one of the best cocktail lounges and with a group of masterminds and mixologists, the hot bar comes alive with it's latest them that is based on the beloved children's novel. From happy hour on a Friday night to the wee hours of the morning, the lounge gets an overhaul with garden furniture, trees, beautifully manicured lawns and models covered in bodyart to host the city's hip crowd ready to mingle.
You better believe the drinks are part of them if each master bartender is tasked with creating a special cocktail for the concept bar. Alcoholic Jell-O and Bellini popsicles all create a wonderland that is a feast for the senses as much for the eyes. If you're looking to sample as a pair, the Tweedle Dum would suit; the gin-based cocktail is topped with Limoncello and sparkling wine and is served up in a smoking tea-pot.
Hotel Rebrandings / Australia Hotels / Queensland Hotels / Accor Hotels / M Gallery Hotels / → All Tags
Slip Into a Hidden Haven at M Gallery's Reef House
After Accor Hotels acquired quite a large portfolio in Australia, we began to see the brand domination in the country. Since then, they've become the largest international hotel chain in Oz and now they're adding M Gallery's Reef House Palm Cove to their list of hotel havens.
Originally built as a family residence in 1958, the 69-room beach resort overlooks the Coral Sea. It will be brands sixth Australian property located in the tranquil, yet glamorous town of Palm Cove, about 30 minutes north of Cairns. A palm lined esplanade not only gives the town its namesake, but denotes your arrival to, what many consider, Eden.
Settle in and get ready to be pampered. The beach over the road provides a good view and the tropical setting is completed while sipping the complimentary, house-made 'Brigadier's Punch' under candlelight on the Plantation-style front porch. Along with the happy hour, guest rooms include a tropical breakfast to start your day right.
