Tag: Hotel Lobbies
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Digging for Gold At the New Waldorf-Astoria Panama
We've been waiting on this one for a while, and now, over a year behind schedule, the Waldorf Astoria Panama is finally here. The 130-room hotel is in its soft opening phase right now (meaning, fancy private parties for rich people), but that'll all change by the end of this week when the hotel officially opens on Friday.
The hotel is located on a quiet little side street in the center of the city, just two blocks from Cinta Costera, a popular pedestrian strip that hugs the Pacific coastline. Close to it are other hotel neighbors like the InterContinental and Le Meridien, though in terms of luxury service and design, this place is definitely doing something those other two hotels aren't.
Take a look at more photos after the jump!
Hotel Bars / Manhattan Hotels / Pod Hotels / Hotel Restaurants / Hotel Lobbies / Hotel Design / → All Tags
5 Reasons To Make A Playdate At Pod 39's New 'Play Room'
Here's a first look at the new lobby bar and lounge area inside Pod 39. The venue is called Play Room and it's a huuuge space with a fireplace, two ping pong tables, color-coded bookshelves, a video projector, stained glass windows, and a 25-foot butcher block bar. Pretty much everything we look for in a hotel lobby hangout area.
Though the hotel debuted its rooftop bar back in September, it's taken this long for the street-level space to come together (sounds like they've got their priorities straight over at Pod!). But we think it was worth the wait. Pod Hotels put serious emphasis on socializing, so it makes sense that their public space would be so big and captivating—in many ways, more so than the first Pod hotel.
Here are our five favorite things about the new space:
Celebrity Scoop / Kate Hudson / London Hotels / Fairmont Hotels / Hotel Lobbies / Hotel Parties / Celebrities Behaving Badly / → All Tags
Kate Hudson Unapologetically Dances and Smokes on The Savoy's Furniture
Actress Party animal Kate Hudson literally had all eyes on her during a post-Brit Awards party at The Savoy in London earlier this week. The kind of shindig where regular hotel guests get shooed away to make room for A-listers, who then make a show of their A-lister-ness by doing whatever the heck they want. Which, in this case, involved dancing on the furniture and smoking cigarettes inside a hotel where smoking has been banned for the past five years.
The Daily Mail caught these photos of Kate, who was in town because her rocker husband, Matt Bellamy, and his band were nominated for a few Brit Awards. Now, we get the whole rebel- without-a-cause thing, but was the Savoy's party so packed there wasn't even standing room on the floor? Or maybe Kate was trying to get a better view of the other celebs who were there—Harry Styles, Mark Ronson, Tamara Ecclestone. Or maybe she was still worried about floodwaters from Rihanna's catastrophic visit back in 2011?
Hotel News / Hotel Restaurants / Westin Hotels / Starwood Hotels / Manhattan Hotels / Gerber Group / Hotel Lobbies / → All Tags
Gerber Group Tries Out Something New At The Westin
Though the Westin New York Grand Central officially opened (in what was formerly the New York Helmsley) back in October, it took a little longer for the accompanying restaurant to launch, but it's finally here, and we're happy to report it's every bit as charming as the press release would have you believe.
The LCL Kitchen & Bar, as it's known, is a cafe, restaurant, and wine bar all rolled into one, serving boldface comestibles like Stumptown Coffee, Organic Avenue, Balthazar Bakery—all of which are guaranteed to lure a notoriously picky New York foodie crowd. And considering The LCL is open from 6am-2am during the week (6am-4am on weekends), it casts a wide net. Whether you're staying at the hotel or not, it's the kind of place you can go for a quiet breakfast, a business lunch, dinner with friends, a post-work cocktail, or a mid-afternoon cookie break.
In fact, we happened to try their chocolate chip cookies (served warm out of the oven and slightly gooey) recently, and, uh, yeah...two thumbs all the way up.
Hotel Rebrandings / Luxury Collection Hotels / Warsaw Hotels / Le Meridien Hotels / Poland Hotels / Hotel News / Hotel Lobbies / → All Tags
Warsaw Gets A Taste of Luxury
Up until very recently, one of the top places to stay in Warsaw, Poland was Le Meridien Bristol, a gorgeous landmark building located right in the center of the city. And technically, the Bristol still ranks as one of Warsaw's top hotels, except as of earlier this month, it's going by a new name.
An eight-month, EUR 12 million renovation resulted in several major changes to the property: refreshed guest rooms and public spaces, a new restaurant and wine bar, and, most importantly for SPG members, a re-branding from Le Meridien to Luxury Collection. Ooooh!
As of January 17, the elegant 112-year-old hotel began flying the LC flag, thus joining the ranks of such renowned places as Venice's Hotel Danieli, Manhattan's The Chatwal and Shanghai's brand new Twelve at Hengshan.
Christmas Hotels / Hotel Christmas Trees / Holiday Hotel Decorations / London Hotels / Manhattan Hotels / Colorado Hotels / Bangkok Hotels / Florida Hotels / Paris Hotels / San Francisco Hotels / Hotel Lobbies / Hotel Art / → All Tags
10 Hotel Christmas Displays To Light Up Your Day
It's beginning to feel a lot like...a tropical Christmas?
Hotel delays exasperate us. Booking last-minute hotels sometimes stresses us out. So excuse us while we take a minute and just focus on the one thing that's guaranteed to bring us some joy: big, bright, colorful, and unnecessarily elaborate hotel Christmas displays.
We've found our favorite Christmas trees, life-size advent calendars, and gingerbread houses from around the world. London, Paris, Bangkok, New York—you name it, we went there.
Of course, if there happens to be some far-flung hotel Christmas tree you think we missed, all you have to do is jot it down in the comments, or shoot us an email with a photo and we'll pop it in.
Go on, click through our photo gallery and let the holiday magic unfold!
Hotel Openings / London Hotels / InterContinental Hotels / Hotel Art / Hotel Lobbies / Photo Gallery / → All Tags
Superheroes! Villains! Political Satire! IC Westminster Is Larger Than Life
Having wandered around in high-visibility gear and a hard hat last month, we decided to stop by the new InterContinental Westminster for another look now that the hotel's been open for a few weeks.
The 256-room property is the first InterContinental to open in London in 36 years, joining its sibling, InterContinental Park Lane, a ten-minute walk across St James’s and Green Park. Though only half of the rooms are in operation at the moment, the hotel’s public spaces are already in full swing, with Blue Boar Smokehouse & Bar packed with locals on a recent Thursday evening.
Read on to find out more, and see photos!
Chicago Hotels / Christmas Hotels / Peninsula Hotels / Hotel Ice Skating Rinks / Hotel News / Hotel Amenities / Hotel Lobbies / → All Tags
The Peninsula Chicago Has A Surprise In Store For Guests This Month
’Tis the season to believe in magically appearing hotel amenities that pop up where you least expect them. For example, a new 2,100-square-foot ice skating rink that's going up this month on top of The Peninsula Chicago. The rink, which will be built on the rooftop (pictured above), is scheduled to debut within the next week.
Believe it, friends, believe.
A source at The Peninsula shared that the new rink will offer hot cocoa and German-inspired snacks and treats, like mulled wine, cider, warm nuts and pretzels. The only downside? The ice rink will only be available exclusively to hotel guests. Which may cause a few temper tantrums, but we think it's a smart move to allow guests a joyous skating experience, minus the crowds (if you’ve been to Chicago’s Millennium Park skate rink, then you know what we mean).
Hotel Art / Hotel News / Chicago Hotels / JDV Hotels / Hotel Lobbies / For the Sake of Hotel Art / → All Tags
Many Wrongs Make a Right at the Hotel Lincoln
Looks like the old saying still stands true: One man's trash is indeed another's treasure.
At least that appears to be the case at Hotel Lincoln in Chicago. The boutique hotel in Lincoln Park, which recently underwent some renovations, has installed what they're openly referring to as the "Wall of Bad Art,"--essentially a bunch of reject artworks placed closely together on a lobby wall.
Apparently it's so bad, it's good. (Sort of like the movie Bio-Dome).
What Is This? / Miami Hotel Mambo / InterContinental Hotels / Hotel Technology / Hotel Lobbies / Hotel Snapshots / → All Tags
What Is This At the InterCon Miami?
You know those instances when you're in a hotel and you have some simple questions about the area you're staying in, but don't feel like dealing with some peppy concierge who's just going to draw a bunch of lines and circles on a paper map and regurgitate the same tired, old recommendations?
Well, here's one nifty thing about staying at the InterCon Miami. The newly-refreshed hotel has installed an arsenal of giant touch screen coffee tables in the lobby that provide guests with a fun, user-friendly way to plan local outings, make restaurant reservations, or even book an appointment at the spa.
If you want, you can even use the screens to order a cocktail without having to walk over to the bar!
Yes, technically, that's what waiters are for. But this is 2012, and giant touch screens are just so much more fun.
Hotel Design / Hotel Openings / Manhattan Hotels / Hotel Lobbies / → All Tags
The Quin's Beauty Makes Us Quiver Like A Lovesick Puppy
From the various tidbits we've seen and heard so far, we were already expecting fun things over at Manhattan's new boutique hotel, The Quin. But now we're learning even more about the 200-room midtown hotel that has us dying to get inside and take a look.
In an usual twist, the hotel's architects (or, at least, the guys who helped transform the former Buckingham Hotel into the new Quin), Perkins Eastman, will also be the interior designers. Meaning all the pretty things we like about the building's exterior will play out in the rooms and public spaces themselves.
Like?
Here's one quote we were particularly fond of:
"Leather-wrapped columns soar to ceilings covered in 22k gold leaf and hammered metal plates that reflect the teeming activity below. Rich finishes play off one another, with faux bois paneling, couture curtains, chandeliers of hand-blown glass, and custom-painted walls (finished with as many as fourteen layers).
The effect is sophisticated, dramatic, even mysterious"
Mmmm...mysterious, indeed.
Tech Hotels / Hotel Events / Marriott Hotels / Hotel Partnerships / Hotel News / Wired / Hotel Tech / Digital Nomads / Boston Hotels / Hotel Lobbies / → All Tags
Marriott And Wired: A Match Made In Digital Nomad Heaven?
Marriott must be feeling old. In an effort to reach those "younger travelers connected to their digital worlds," the hotel chain has launched a new partnership with Wired magazine.
As part of the initiative, the two brands will be curating various events at Marriott hotels around the country—titled the Wired + Marriott "Culturazzi" Series—including comedy nights, meet-ups, and other "provocative and stimulating" experiences basically designed to get people tweeting and Facebooking about Marriott.
The kick-off event, "Marriott Meetup: Five Startups To Watch," will take place in the lobby of the Boston Marriott Long Wharf tomorrow evening, allowing guests to drink wine, indulge in all the tech-speak they want, and simultaneously admire the results of the hotel's recent $30 million renovation, which it unveiled at the beginning of the year.
