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Hotel News Briefs :: Boston's Colonnade Hotel Wants You to Name Its New 'Smaht Cah'

| August 28, 2008 at 5:38 PM | 2 Comments

· The Colonnade Hotel in Boston Has Adopted a Child: Er, not a child. A Smart Car. Or a "Smaht Cah". And if you help them name the car, you'll win a free night's stay and a ride in the car. [MW]

· Arrests All Over the Place at the DNC: There have been 141 arrests related to the Democratic National Convention since Saturday, including an ABC producer outside the Brown Palace. [Forbes]

· Miami Spa Month Extended 'til Sunday: Major discounts at a few Miami hotel spas, including the Victor and Ritz-Carlton [MiamiSpaMonth]

· Gulf Coast hotels getting packed: Hurricane Gustav is on the way and hotels are getting packed with residents planning ahead. [AP]

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Wooden Electronic Key Cards at DNC Hotels Still Getting Mixed Reviews

| August 28, 2008 at 1:28 PM | 3 Comments

Wooden Electronic Key Cards--do they work or do they not work? That is the question going on around hotels in Denver during the Democratic National Convention.

As you might know already, the NY Sun said the key cards were a bust and we wrote about that. Then a PR rep for the key cards said that wasn't true and the general manager of the Sheraton (where the cards were reported to be abandoned) backed up that claim, saying the key cards were working just fine after an initial "user error." The Sun then issued an update.

Yesterday, we got word that the key cards were working just fine at the Hotel Gold Crown near the Denver airport.

So it seems like these wooden key cards are working and everything is fine and green dandy. Not quite. Thanks to a tipster who did some research for us, there have been some more incidents of these eco-friendly key cards not working. After the jump, see the problems people are having with the key card.

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Hotel News Briefs :: NYLO Hotel Warwick's Message in a Bottle

| August 27, 2008 at 5:49 PM | 0 Comments

· NYLO Warwick is Sending Out an SOS: To their opening party! This is what arrived for us regarding the hotel's grand opening on September 18th. Cool! Now if only we could get this dang Police song out of our heads.

· Kor Hotels Sells Stake to Abu Dhabi Firm: Owner Brad Korzen says Kor Hotels sold 50 percent of company to Abu Dhabi company Mubadala. The cash influx will allow Kor Hotels to keep expanding. Also: did you know Korzen was married to interior designer Kelly Wearstler who does all Kor Hotel design? [Chic Leak]

· Men's room at the Hermitage is known for #1, not #2: Nashville's Hermitage Hotel's men's room was voted #1 restroom by Cintas. (Go nuts on the jokes in comments.) [USA Today]

· More Drama in The DNC Hotels: Detroit's city councilwoman Monica Conyers got in a tiff with staffers after not getting a suite at the Magnolia Hotel. Police were called. [Detroit Free Press]

· Ambassador Hotel Site to Become LA Park: The site of the Ambassador Hotel where RFK was slain will now be home to a new park, as well as three schools. [AP]

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DNC Wooden Key Cards Update :: Not So Bad at All

| August 27, 2008 at 5:01 PM | 0 Comments

This week, hotels all over Denver served to host the world premiere of the sustainable wooden hotel key cards we'd heard so much about.

First, we heard they sucked. But then the source we'd consulted had issued a correction (rumors happen!) saying all was fine and dandy with the cards -- but we wanted to wait and hear from someone who had actually used the cards before we allowed ourselves to remain hold out hope for eco-friendly keycards to catch on.

So we were delighted when reader Amy, who used the new keys at the Hotel Gold Crown just south of Denver, wrote in to give them the thumbs up:

I used the wooden key cards, and they worked great for me and my group.

Yay! Thanks for the report -- and if anyone else has any insight as to how this whole thing is working out, email us!

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Hotel News Briefs :: There's So Much Drama in the DNC Hotels

| August 26, 2008 at 5:14 PM | 0 Comments

· Pelosi Evacuated from Hotel: A man tried to check into the Grand Hyatt with two hunting rifles and two pistols. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was briefly evacuated. Man says it was a simple mistake. "I didn't even know the DNC was in town. I don't watch the news." Btw, he doesn't have a permit to carry a concealed weapon. [AP News]

· Wooden Electronic Room Keys Update: The NY Sun printed an update on the wooden key card snafu. According to the Sheraton GM, there were some issues using the cards but they have been resolved. [NY Sun]

· Speaking of the Sheraton: Tear gas was let off at the hotel to disperse a small group of demonstrators. Apparently, the New York delegates are staying here. [The Caucus Blog]

· Neo-nazis Plot Against Obama in Hotels: When police caught up with one of them, the one with the last name Adolf, he tried to jump out of his hotel room window. He broke his ankle and was subsequently caught. [LA Times]

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So, About Those Sustainable Wooden Key Cards at the DNC...

| August 25, 2008 at 2:17 PM | 0 Comments

UPDATE: Turns out the wooden electronic key cards are not a big "suckfest" nor do they "totally blow." Apparently, problems with the cards were just "user error", so say the PR reps. And contrary to what the NY Sun reported, the whole plan has not been ditched. Wooden key cards are still in effect. If you are in Denver, and are using a wooden electronic key card, please email us and tell us what you think.

Remember those sustainable wooden key cards that were supposed to make their epic, earth-saving debut in the Democratic National Convention hotels in Denver this week? Yeah. Turns out they totally blow.

According to the New York Sun, the biodegradable keys -- made from sustainably harvested birch wood and emblazoned with the DNC logo -- turned out to be a suckfest extravaganza and the whole plan was ditched within hours. Fail.

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The DNC is Like Christmas for Hotel Monaco Guests

| August 22, 2008 at 11:13 AM | 1 Comment


If you're staying at the Hotel Monaco in Denver for the DNC next week, you're in for a a 5-day holiday in which you receive little Kimpton/Monaco-themed presents every night during turndown! Hooray!

Spoiler alert: we got wind of some details of the amenity extravaganza that's planned for Monaco guests, so if you don't want to spoil some of the surprises -- stop reading now.

For everyone else, we present to you "The Five Nights of the DNC" (to the tune of "The Twelve Days of Christmas," obvi -- in chronological order and without the annoying repeats. Work with us here, people).

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Hotel News Briefs :: We Are Now One Degree Away From Kevin Bacon

| August 21, 2008 at 5:43 PM | 0 Comments

There's tons of hotel news flying around this week and we don't have time to give each and every story the love and attention it may deserve, so you will have to settle for some news briefs.

· Room Rates May Decrease: Occupancy in U.S. hotels fell in the first half of August, leaving some industry analysts to think that room rates might get reduced. Yay! [BizWeek]

· Still Need a Room for the DNC?: This site is advertising business-class hotel rooms for $279 a night. [MarketWatch]

· Westin Napa Valley Is Taking Reservations: The Westin Verasa will open on September 18th at $289 a night. But Starwood never makes it easy on us. The website is taking reservations for after September 26th. [Official Site]

· Kevin Bacon Eats at the Viceroy: We just came back from a quick meeting at the Viceroy and spotted Kevin Bacon dining at Whist on our way out. We wonder: Did he try an Elvis Truffle? [HC Twitter Feed]

[Photo: Wiki Commons]

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Hotel News Briefs :: Would You Spend a Night in a Pipe Hotel?

| August 20, 2008 at 5:27 PM | 1 Comment

There's tons of hotel news flying around this week and we don't have time to give each and every story the love and attention it may deserve, so you will have to settle for some news briefs.

· Teeny Tiny Hotel Rooms: NYC is notorious for having small hotel rooms but these hotels beat 'em all! [Web Urbanist]

· Orbitz Hands Out "Best in Stay" Awards:Taking its name from the dog shows, Orbitz rounds up their top hotel based on reviews by the guests. [Fox Biz]

· Drama in the DNC: In-fighting in the Democratic party forced DC delegates to switch hotels. [WaPo]

· Keeping in Touch with the Koncierges: Peter Greenberg reports that hotel concierges are going mobile. [Peter Greenberg]

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Huffington Post "Oasis" to Be Found at Denver's Brown Palace Hotel

Go To The Hotel's Web Site Where: 321 17th Street [map], Denver, CO, United States, 80202

| August 20, 2008 at 9:15 AM | 0 Comments

The Democratic National Convention is taking place next week and hotels are all atwitter for the incoming business. They are making Obama cocktails, dressing up their dogs and handing out wooden electronic key cards.

Now comes word that the Brown's Palace Hotel will be the site of Huffington Post luncheon. According to WWD:

For Denver, the left wing Huffington Post is doing a lunch at the Brown Palace Hotel on Aug. 26, and it will also have a "Huffington Post Oasis" nearby, with yoga, massage and aromatherapy for the weary delegates.

If that's not enough for the "weary delegates", the hotel's spa already boasts the "healing powers of natural artesian waters that have flowed beneath the hotel since before the Brown was established in 1892."

Meanwhile, the HuffPo just wrote a recent post about all the other parties going on during the political conventions. But you know they really want you to show up to their lunch.

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Democrats Will Be Using Sustainable Key Cards Next Week

| August 19, 2008 at 11:58 AM | 1 Comment

When Democrats begin checking into Denver-area hotels next week for the Democratic National Convention, they will find themselves holding some very unusual room keys---wooden key cards.

That's right. Over 70 hotels will be using Sustainable Cards next week. In total, there will be over 70,000 of these eco-friendly key cards in use.

The cards are made from sustainably harvested birch wood and are emblazoned with the DNC Logo, actually making them a collector's item. Oh yeah, and they are really good for the earth too:

By switching plastic cards to biodegradable wood, hotels and resorts can reduce plastic waste by 1,300 tons annually – the amount of plastic waste that traditional hotel key cards generate in the U.S. alone. The weight and density of this waste is equal to the volume of seven 777 airplanes.

Sustainable Cards are the first wooden electronic key cards to be used in the U.S. and it's estimated that 35,000 hotel guests will use these cards for the first time in the U.S. next week. Now, we just need to get used to saying wooden electronic key cards.

Full list of hotels offering Sustainable Cards is after the jump.

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It's Crunch Time and Cocktail Time for Denver DNC Hotels

Where: Denver, CO

| August 18, 2008 at 11:32 AM | 0 Comments

Denver's getting into the the political spirit for next week's Democratic National Convention -- and, apparently, that spirit has led to some inspired menu choices and some major scrambling at some of the city's hotels.

First up: food. The Rocky Mountain News highlighted the Ritz-Carlton Denver's DNC-themed offerings at their restaurant Elway:

Expect cocktails like Barack on the Rocks, the Changing Tide, the O'Pama Granite martini and Media Madness as well as Obamalettes, Ba'Rack shrimp appetizers, "Yes We Can!" pancakes, Ballot Box Brownies and Campaign '08 trail mix, complete, of course, with blue M&M's.

As for those cocktails, we might suggest that none of them contain tequila -- you know, since Barack is all about hope and we know that all hope (for us, anyway) evaporates when tequila gets involved.

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