Tag: Historic hotels
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Trump DC Will Open Across The Street From The White House
It was announced this morning that, after much consideration, Trump will be the one to revive DC's floundering architectural relic, the Old Post Office, by turning it into a 250-room hotel. According to the Washington Post, quite a few investors and developers (including Hilton) had their eye on the building, which dates back to the 1890s.
Though Trump and his daughter Ivanka have plans to do it up Trump-style (think wall mosaics, temperature-controlled chocolate labs, Louis Vuitton-inspired wine bars), the plan—for now, at least—is actually to preserve the hotel's heritage.
"I think the historic facade of the building will be the greatest signage of all," Ivanka told journalists yesterday. Because, as we all know, it's what's inside that counts.
Hotel History / Vintage NYC Hotels / Historic Hotels / Waldorf-Astoria Hotels / → All Tags
Before the Empire State Building, There Was a Hotel at 5th Avenue and 34th Street
Here's a fun fact for today: Did you know that the original Waldorf-Astoria Hotel was in the spot where the Empire State Building now stands? It's true! The first version of the ritzy hotel was a combination of the Waldorf and the Astoria Hotels at 5th Avenue and 33rd/34th Streets, which stood and welcomed the most well-heeled guests from 1893 to 1929, when it was knocked down to begin the skyscraper ESB we now know and love.
You won't hear much about that first building of some 1,300 rooms (with bidets) unless you pick a nice documentary from your Netflix queue; we recommend "Modern Marvels: The Empire State Building."
Of course, history is history and we all know that the Waldorf-Astoria found a new home further uptown, in its art deco digs at Park Avenue and 50th Street. Craving a little more NYC hotel history? Check out our category for it.
[Photo: NYC-architecture]
POTUS Hotels / Hotel News / Hotel Bathrooms / Bathroom Tuesdays / Hotel Snapshots / Historic Hotels / Manhattan Hotels / Waldorf-Astoria Collection / → All Tags
The Veil Has Been Lifted From Waldorf-Astoria's Presidential Suite. Now What?
Barring the possibility that you're a former President—or that you don't mind spending $10,000/night—then you've likely never caught a glimpse of the Waldorf-Astoria's Presidential Suite. Why? Because until recently, the hotel has never allowed photography inside the suite.
Lucky for us, the NY Daily News has taken on the oppressive task of video touring the entire space—from gleaming top (the crystal chandelier in the master bedroom) to well-polished bottom (the black-and-white tiled bathroom floor).
Now, the goods are out in the open for all to see. So, what do you think?
Hotelchatter Reviews / Taos Hotels / New Mexico Hotels / Bed and Breakfasts / Historic Hotels / → All Tags
Like Staying In A Museum (In A Good Way): Inside the Mabel Dodge Luhan House, Taos
If you’re going to northern New Mexico and you have any kind of artistic or cultural sensibilities, you need to stay at the Mabel Dodge Luhan house. As the name would suggest, it’s the former home of Mabel Dodge Luhan – who was not only a writer, but a facilitator and gatherer of art in Taos. This is where pretty much anyone literary or artistic who’s traveled to New Mexico has stayed. DH Lawrence spent loads of time here, and even painted the windows of one of the bathrooms with bright murals (today, some rooms still have access to that bathroom). Georgia O’Keefe, Ansel Adams, Dennis Hopper, Carl Jung – the list of illustrious guests is long and varied. For more details, see the website.
Because it’s more of a museum rather than a swish hotel, we were expecting the worst when it came to rooms. When we had to be towed out of a snowbank, having skidded on ice on the approach, we were even more timorous. But we soldiered on. Here’s what we found.
Miami Hotel Mambo / Hotel Renovations / Hotel Pools / Hotel Restaurants / Historic Hotels / → All Tags
The National Hotel Miami is Getting a Little Work Done
** UPDATE: We hear from the National's PR reps that the Airstream is no longer part of the renovation plans. Sounds like the Preservation Board nixed those plans after all. But the backyard kitchen is getting a reno--with a new sundeck for daybeds on top--so that's something.
As you can see from our snapshot, Miami's National Hotel is getting a little top-work done. Perhaps in an effort to keep up with the Joneses--or, on this stretch of Collins Ave, with next-door neighbor Delano, the newly glammed-up Shelborne and the soon-to-open SLS South Beach?
As an historic property, the National has to adhere to restoration preservation guidelines and it's from the Miami Beach Preservation Board's minutes that we found out a little more about the spit-and-polish going on here.
Back in November, the National got approval for the partial demolition, renovation and restoration of the existing hotel-- including design modifications to the interiors and exteriors, construction of a new entrance canopy and construction of a new single-story building at the pool deck. That beachfront area out back will also get spruced up in the landscaping department, and it sounds like there will be additional roof deck space for guests to get their sun on.
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Twitpic of the Week: Dorothy Diorama in Culver City
In the ever-expanding universe of Twitter, there is one particular trend @HotelChatter happens to quite enjoy: candid hotel photos. These Twitpics range from stunning views to anti-views to celebrity tomfoolery and everything in between. And we can't get enough of 'em! Every Monday, we will feature one "Twitpic of the Week" to commemorate our favorite hotel-themed snapshot. Got a favorite of your own? Want to show off your sweet suite? Send it in!
We featured this place a few years back in our Hollywood Star Map series, since this is where the Munchkins stayed during the filming of The Wizard of Oz in the 1930s. Well, it seems @Flyleaf Music has discovered this other piece of Oz memorabilia at the 88-year-old Culver Hotel: a Wizard of Oz diorama built into the hotel's front window display.
Hotel Amenities / Singapore Hotels / Raffles Hotels / Historic Hotels / → All Tags
Where Bedtime Stories Come Standard
Captain Whalley emerged like a diver on the other side, and in the desert shade between the walls of closed warehouses removed his hat to cool his brow. A certain disrepute attached to the calling of a landlady of a boarding house. These women were said to be rapacious, unscrupulous, untruthful; and though he condemned no class of his fellow creatures...
And thus begins our bedtime story tonight. You see, as we write this it has just turned midnight. We're in Singapore, in one of the 103 suites (called "residences") of the famed Raffles Hotel. Every moment surrounded by the colonial architecture, lush flora and entire history of the Raffles seems a fantasy. Even turndown service reinforced this, with the placement of a 4-page story excerpt from Joseph Conrad's "End of the Tether."
Bathroom Tuesdays / Hotel Bathrooms / Switzerland Hotels / Historic Hotels / → All Tags
Showering Under the Rafters at Schloss Schauenstein
Tucked away in Fürstenau, Switzerland (about a two hour drive from Zurich), the Schloss Schauenstein Hotel has been passed down since medieval times among bishops, barons, artists and scientists. And in 2003, it fell into the hands of chef Andreas Caminada, who subsequently decided to set up a hotel and restaurant, using the same medieval name—which roughly translates as "lock looking stone," a reference to the original lock and weir system of the adjacent river.
As for the rooms? Simple, spacious, still slightly medieval, and soooo cute.
We were seduced by this photo, taken by a recent guest, of one of the bathrooms in the hotel. The wooden rafter beams reaching just inches above the shower stall somehow combine the hotel's medieval history with a clean, contemporary look. And the simple floorboards, we must say, are a refreshing change from the granite and tile we have become almost sick of in more modern places. No mood lighting here, but no need either. Between the sparse wooden staircase and the see-through shower, the mood is pretty much already set.
London Hotels / Hotel Art / Historic Hotels / Art hotels / Art Series Hotels / Hotel News / → All Tags
How Monet Helped The Savoy Get Its Groove Back
Art aficionados staying at London's historic Savoy hotel have been experiencing a short lived treat this week: Monet's "Waterloo Bridge," sketched from Room 618, was recently returned to the Savoy over 100 years after it was first drawn. The room offers prime panoramic views of the Thames River, and Monet's creative interpretation of the scene has been on display at The Savoy Museum since December 13th.
Killer View / Italy Hotels / Tuscany Hotels / Historic Hotels / Pienza Hotels / → All Tags
When a View is This Good, Who Cares About a Crappy Room?
The Val d'Orcia at 7am yesterday
We are suckers for a room with a killer view. We find that we are even more likely to forgive some minor hotel inconveniences if we can stare out the window at something pretty--yeah we are that shallow. Let's help out our fellow hotel mavens by uploading rooms with killer views to the HotelChatter/Flickr photo pool, or by sending the photo along to us. We will feature our favorites in this space from time to time. Remember to tell us the name of the hotel and the room number of the hot view.
You want a room with a view? We give you room 206, a junior suite at the Hotel Relais Il Chiostro in Pienza, Italy. Look out the window and you’ll see a textbook Tuscan landscape – in fact, you’ll see pretty much all of the Val d’Orcia, which is the part of Tuscany (south of Siena) which features in all those postcards, calendars and boasty Facebook posts.
Design Thursdays / Dorothy Draper / Historic Hotels / Hotel Design / Hotel Designers / Hotel Classes / → All Tags
The Greenbrier to Offer Hotel Dororthy Draper Decorating Classes Next Year
Welcome to our newest new feature, Design Thursdays! Thursdays are now our day to focus on hotel design through photo tours, video walk-throughs and interviews with hotel designers. Got a cool hotel design story we should know about? Let us know.
Hey there aspiring interior designers! Eager to get into the world of interior design or decorating but watching reruns of "Top Design" and "Million Dollar Designers" isn't cutting it? Then consider heading to the Greenbrier Hotel in West Virgina for their new one-week interior decorating courses named after the hotel's legendary decorator, Dorothy Draper.
The Dorothy Draper School of Decorating will offer limited enrollment for the weeks of February 26, March 25, April 29 and June 10. The classes will be specially created by Carleton Varney, the curator of The Greenbrier who was also Dorothy Draper's protege and who is current president of Dorothy Draper and company. Here's a bit on the class syllabus:
Hotel Toys / Holiday Hotels / Hotel Geeks / Hotel Art / Historic Hotels / Hotel Keycards / Hotel Jewelry / → All Tags
Cute, Hotel-Inspired Etsy Finds For The Holidays
Black Friday has officially come and gone, and though we hate buying into all the commercial hype, we've got to admit—we're starting to feel the clock ticking. Tomorrow is December 1, and before we know it, Christmas will be here! Here to help is HotelChatter's mini gift guide, featuring all hotel-inspired Etsy finds. Browse away, and if you come up with other hotel-related trinkets to add to the list, do let us know!
$9 While not exactly the most flattering piece of jewelry ever made, this is certainly a creative take on the hotel keycard. The designer takes recycled credit, gift and hotel keycards, cuts them into shapes, and then sands the edges to smooth them down. The above pair measures 4 inches long. And if these aren't up your alley, how about a pair made from tiny plastic Monopoly hotels?
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