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Seville's EME Hotel Gives You A History Lesson With Your Stay
Don’t ya just love learning something new every day? Especially when it takes zero effort? The EME Hotel in Seville hears you. And to save you precious holiday time swotting up in an encyclopedia, it’s selecting random facts for you.
In just one visit the week before last, we came away with the following facts: the date of the philosopher Hegel’s death, the scoop on a Formula 1 rivalry, something Robert Pattinsony (which we forgot, what with gawping at the picture used to illustrate it), and the date the Whigs and Tories split in England in 1680. Not bad, huh?
The fount of all our knowledge? The elevator, which flashed various factoids at us as we cruised to the Santo Terraza bar on the fourth floor. We couldn’t take our eyes off it, and are much the wiser for that.
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How Desires Hotels Are Making Sure Your Desires Are Met
Raul Leal, President of Desires Hotels
With a name like Desires Hotels, this small collection of boutique properties has a lot to live up to. After all, don't all guests want their every desire fulfilled whenever they check into a hotel? And look no further than the recent introductions of specialized services in hotels like pillow menus, bath butlers, shopping concierges and even iPhone applications to understand that today's hotel guest is becoming increasingly needy.
But in speaking with Raul Leal, the president of Desires Hotels, we learned that his hotels have a few subtle ways to make sure that your need are taken care of when staying overnight.
For starters, the concierges at Desires Hotels (which include The Ironhorse Hotel in Milwaukee, The MAve in New York and The Besty Hotel in Miami) are called, Managers of Desires. Their sole purpose is to spoil you whether it be by accommodating special room requests, securing restaurant reservations and planning a day (or night out) on the town. Have a desire and want it fulfilled? This is a good place to start. But remember, these managers are not genies. Keep your requests reasonable (and clean.)
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Champagne in the Hot Tub and Gourmet Meals in Val d'Isere
If there’s one thing you want when you’re skiing – apart from snow, obviously – it’s decent food. Not only because all that physical exertion of swishing around builds up an appetite, but also because it’s a trial to find anything in the Alps that isn’t extortionately priced and comprised of at least 90% cheese.
This is why we’re quite excited by news from Le Chardon Mountain Lodges (a cluster of luxe chalets in Val d’Isere). They’ve just recruited a semi-celeb chef to head up their kitchens for the season: Oliver James, who was trained by Gordon Ramsay and has worked with Gary Rhodes (who was on British TVs, what, about 10 years ago).
On the menu: roast sea bass with celeriac truffle and suckling pig with smoked garlic mash, pea mousse and tarragon jelly. He’ll be running cookery classes as well, taking you through cupcakes and soups to proper full on meals. So you’ll come back with a skill you can actually use at home.
All this expertise comes at a price, of course – a week’s stay in one of the chalets costs from £995 per person. But it does include a personal chef, chalet manager, daily champagne receptions (possibly in the hot tub, by the looks of the picture), five course dinners and an open bar. So you really can get your money’s worth.
Oliver James will be based in Chardon, the biggest lodge, which sleeps 20. But if you don’t have sufficient friends, don’t fret: not only is he creating the menus for all the chalets, but he’s also available to cook in person on request for any of the smaller places. That way, there won’t be a fondu in sight.
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What It's Like Riding Around in The W Hotel's Free Car Service
When you stay at one of the W Hotels, take advantage of its Acura Experience, a complimentary car service. Of course, there are limitations; the car will only bring you within a five-mile radius of the hotel. That may not seem like a lot, but if you are directionally challenged, it's helpful to have someone drive you to a destination. And if you're arranging for a rehearsal dinner, you can save money on renting a trolley and instead transport your wedding party in the free seven-seat vehicles instead.
We tried out the car service for ourselves at the W Chicago - City Center at an opportune time, when it was raining. Our ride was silver with a black interior and it wasn't too flashy with its Acura-W signage, which was nice, since you don't necessarily want to announce to the city that you're a tourist. The car had some techie details like a built-in GPS with on-demand Zagat reviews. As far as amenities, our driver offered us free water and towels. Although the car can hold seven, it would be a tight squeeze. But if you're traveling less than five miles, the ride should be bearable.
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Mister Cartoon Now Accepting Tattoo Reservations at The Marcel Hotel
Perhaps we spoke too soon about Hotel Graffiti being the new hot hotel trend. Perhaps Hotel Tattoo Artists are the new new hot hotel service instead.
The Marcel at Gramercy Hotel has announced today an ongoing art series called, M.O.A.R.--Marcel Original Art on Rotation. The program will bring "progressive, burgeoning artists" into the hotel to show off their work. But the first artist to come onboard will not be displaying his talent on the walls. No, try your skin instead.
Famous for tattooing celebrities such as Beyonce, Christina Aguilera, Eminem, Mena Suvari and Ryan Phillippe – Mister Cartoon will set up his very own Ink Suite at Hotel Marcel, where he will see his regular clientele as well as hotel guests while working on his masterpiece for the outside wall.
Guests of the hotel will have the unique privilege of skipping the one-year waiting list to get "inked" by Mister Cartoon.
His residency will run in two parts: his first stay will take place from November 15th – 24th 2009, with a two-week return visit at the beginning of February 2010, culminating with the unveiling of his exterior M.O.A.R installation.
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The Betsy Hotel Wants To Save The World; Starts With A Bus
Forget literary concierges, art curators, and suntan lotion butlers. The hot new hotel position is Philanthropist. You know, an on-premises Bono who can wax lyrical about Doing Good at flashy fundraising events, and entice fellow do-gooders, including celebrities, to rest their heads at a property all for a good cause.
To that end, The Betsy Hotel in Miami has just named Dr. Deborah Briggs as its Vice President for Philanthropy. Which is a big word for South Beach, but is actually in keeping with the hotel's intentions to be a sort of salon for artsy, wealthy types who like to engage in "energized discourse." Preferably with a mojito in hand. (Or is that just us?)
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The May Fair Has Private Nobu Dining, But It Will Cost You
Just in case you were worried that its trendy crown might be slipping since Fashion Week ended, the May Fair London has come up with a rather swanky restaurant partnership: getting Nobu to do in-room catering.
It’s probably out of the budget for most people – it’s Nobu, for a start, and it's being done privately, after all. But if you do have a spare £1500 to swing for the cheapest suite, plus £70pp for the food (that's the lunch menu - it goes up to £120 for dinner), you’ll get a “bespoke private dining experience” as it’s made for you and up to 120 of your friends in one of the May Fair’s signature suites (our favourite is the pink Schiaparelli).
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London's Hotels Are About to Get Arty
We blame Andaz Liverpool Street. Since they started a reader in residence programme with the lush Damian Barr, London hotels have gone literary-tastic. We’ve got book clubs, we’ve got poetry readings, we’ve even got book concierges. And, if we’re being honest, it’s getting a bit enough already. So well done to The Hempel which is bucking the trend by launching an independent art gallery in what was, until this month, the hotel restaurant (the restaurant has moved upstairs).
It’s called Art Work Space and it launches tonight with an exhibition by local artist Haslam Fox called A Tale of Two Towers - a socially worthy exhibition based around a posh tower in the City and a gritty one in Stockwell, south of the river.
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Regent Esplanade Zagreb Gives Guests Private City Tours
We've long admired the view from the Regent Esplanade Zagreb in Croatia, and now we think they're offering a package to fit: the Castle Tour package. It's a combination of private tours and anything involving castles sure makes us feel that bit regal.
The deal includes two nights' accommodation in a Superior double room, with breakfast included as well as internet access. (They say it's high speed, but we have a different experience of Croatian internet access so we're not making any promises).
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Like Kiddy Fairy Tales? You'll Love The Radisson Edwardian Bloomsbury Street This Month
Feeling intellectual today? Us neither, but we’re open to suggestions. Hence we’re glad to hear that the Radisson Edwardian Bloomsbury Street’s book club is in full swing.
As we told you last month, the hotel is capitalising on its literary history (Virginia Woolf et al used to hang around Bloomsbury) by starting a “Book of the Month Club” - guests can either read up in the hotel, or, more realistically, take home a free copy to read on the way home.
What the hotel would really like you to do, of course, is book (haha) up one of their two suites which come with a bath at the foot of the bed. You could have a good read there, or in one of the egg-shapped chairs suspended from the ceiling, like in the photo here.
Nice as they are, we’d probably go for the train option. Though if you really like the Tales of Hans Christian Andersen - this month’s book – maybe you’ll go crazy. Rooms start at £199 ($328).
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GEM Hotels Want Guests To Get To Know Their Neighborhood
The GEM Hotel Chelsea
Though they only opened less than a year ago, the three boutique GEM Hotels in Manhattan have been busy with promotions. So far, the brand has three properties in Manhattan: Chelsea, Soho, and Midtown West, with a fourth property to open off Union Square in 2011.
Back in June, we hit up the hotel's GEM Hotel Chelsea which we liked very much. What the hotel room lacked up in size, it definitely made up for in amenities and free perks. Haven't checked out a GEM Hotel yet? Amuse yourself with the chain’s very…musical…web site.
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Gondolas Rides Don't Usually Come with Couples Massages, Do They?
Excuse me, Mr. Gondolier Man. Keep your eyes on the water!
We swoon at the idea of taking a gondola ride with our honey and we're big fans of massages (who isn't?), but we're not so sure about combining the two. The Loews Coronado's latest romantic rudbown deal may have missed the boat. The hotel offers couples' massages on 33-foot gondolas while cruising down the waterways of the Coronado Cays.
As part of the Voga Voyage package, you'll hop on an authentic Venetian gondola—though, the two massage beds aren't so authentically Venetian—and depart from the resort’s private marina. You lovebirds get a sunscreen application, since the sun can be especially harsh while out on the water, and a 40-minute massage. Afterward, if you aren't seasick, you'll sip Champagne and nibble on strawberries for the final 10 minutes of the cruise/spa treatment.
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