As we told you about before, the Project Kitty Runway went down at the Algonquin Hotel yesterday as a way to celebrate the house cat Matilda's 13th birthday and to help build awareness for the North Shore Animal League.
The Feline Fashion Show (their official name but we like PKR better) featured several cats in drag ranging from "an Elvis costume to a sequined satin dress." So...how exactly do you get a cat into an Elvis costume? Sedatives? It probably has to be one of those de-clawed house cats because we know our cat would not stand for that.
Humans meanwhile had a better time at the show sipping on $20 specialty drinks like the Purr-tini and the Pink Pussycat. Let's hope the fashion models were treated to an entire bag of catnip after their hard day on the runway.
Our Guess the Hotel from yesterday was easy, and hotel maven CourtneyMay was the first to call it. It was the Pacific Palisades in Vancouver, a Kimpton property with a sort of funky retro beach-y vibe. [Note: when we think Canada, "retro beach-y" does not come to mind. We know.]
We hinted about the wine hour -- a tradition at all Kimpton properties -- and noted that they talk funny here. Since the Pacific Palisades is the only Canadian Kimpton (and Canada is clearly the only place in the world where they talk funny), it should have been a dead giveaway...but we thought a shot of the home of Kimpton's famed pet concierge "desk" might give it away too.
We've got an 08.08.08 wedding to hit up today, but we'll be back with a full review next week.
The Democratic National Convention is headed to Denver next month and everyone in town is going to be overworked to accommodate the influx of visitors, including Hercules the resident pet of the Hotel Monaco.
The poor thing has to put on a silly red, white and blue tux with a tophat and pose in the lobby for guests and gawkers alike.
From Aug. 25 to 27 from 10 a.m. - 1 p.m., Hercules will be in the hotel lobby for photos with both two- and four-legged fans, as well as a petting or two, sporting his new "Super Delegate" tuxedo. He will also be in the lobby at various hours on Aug 26 to 28. Of course, breaks will be allowed for walks and treats.
Poor Hercules! Let's hope he gets a lot of treats. And good luck trying to keep that top hat on the dog. As a pet owner ourselves with a penchant for ridiculous costumes, hats are never easy. May we suggest keeping a spoon of peanut butter nearby?
As for actually staying at the hotel, rooms are booked out so you will just have to settle for seeing Hercules at the appointed time.
This is a date not to be missed. On August 7, 2008, the Algonquin Hotel is holding the Feline Fashion Show.
The Algonquin's famous hotel cat, Matilda, is turning 13 and to celebrate the milestone, the hotel is throwing this birthday party and fashion show which will benefit the North Shore Animal League America. Some events scheduled for the fashion show:
· North Shore's Purrrrfect Company therapeutic cats taking the day off from hospital and nursing home visits to strut their stuff on the Algonquin Hotel's "cat-walk."
· Meow-Wear outfitting Matilda's friends in the latest teen-kitty couture for the cat fashion show.
· The North Shore Animal League giving Matilda a special birthday gift of helping find homes for some of her feline and canine friends at their mobile adoption units outside of the hotel from 2:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.
· The Algonquin Hotel's signature Matilda cocktail and a variety of special purrrr-tinis being sold to benefit North Shore Animal League.
In our interview with Le Meridien Bora Bora's Sales and Marketing Director, Nicolas Orget, he was very enthusiastic about the hotel's Turtle Sanctuary which helps baby turtles mature away from harm.
And some good news: this past weekend 59 baby green sea turtles were born at the resort.
The turtles weigh less than 1 oz and are about 2 inches in length. These eggs were actually brought to the Turtle Sanctuary by poachers and the Sanctuary's caretaker made a nest for them at the resort. The baby turtles will stay in the nursery for one year and in the resort's interior lagoon until they are 2 or 3 years old.
In the continuing saga of who-would-ever-buy-this hotel branded products, we were a little surprised when we checked the online store of the Sheraton Hotels chain and discovered that they're catering for more than people. They actually have a Pets department for us to go shopping in.
The bad (?) news is that at the moment, there's just one product in the range. Got a dog? Does your dog love Sheraton Hotels? Are you willing to pay $225 for a dog bed embroidered with the Sheraton logo?
We love our dogs and we've stayed the odd night at a Sheraton, but we don't really see how the two pastimes can combine. This dog bed also makes the Marriott $96 bear seem like a bargain.
An innovative company in New York City called Advanced K9 Detectives LLC now has a certified group of canines for hotel hire.
According to the company's website, their four-legged detectives can search the average guest room for bedbugs in seconds, er, minutes flat. Two minutes, to be exact. That means the shaggy sleuths can help a mid-size 500-room property entirely eradicate any or all bedbug infestation in about a week. So what are America's hotels waiting for?
We now present you with our VIP Hotel Reviewer Series in which we hand-pick experts in the travel and media worlds and beyond to tell us what are their favorite hotels and why. Once a week, we'll feature a hotel review from said VIPs about their favorite leisure or business hotels. Pay attention: These VIPs are experts at what they do and they don't mess around when it comes to their hotels.
The next VIP in the series is George Hobica, who created one of our favorite websites ever, Airfare Watchdog, which gives readers the lowdown on the cheapest airfares around the world. Enjoy.
I've been pretty much all around the world and stayed in a lot of hotels, from the swank Cipriani in Venice to the idyllic Four Seasons in Bali. It's pretty depressing, at least to me, to end up in a dumpy hotel with polyester sheets and strange odors, and windows that won't open. So I like to spoil myself when I travel, or at least have the same level of comfort on the road as I do at home (we do have operable windows chez moi).
And I feel both spoiled and at home at Boston's Copley Plaza, now a part of the Fairmont group. Built the same year that the Titanic went down (1912), all of its 383-rooms have been newly renovated in a style befitting its vintage, without being too fussy or fusty.
Here's why I else like it: It's dog friendly, very friendly. As you'd expect from someone who owns a Web site called Airfarewatchdog.com, this is a must. They even have a "canine ambassador," a gorgeous black lab named Catie stationed in the lobby at the concierge desk. If I'm going out for the night, I leave my wheaten terrier with the concierge so she won't be lonely.
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by juliana
This is a date not to be missed. On August 7, 2008, the 
In the continuing saga of who-would-ever-buy-this hotel branded products, we were a little surprised when we checked the 
