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History is Hott at the Palmer House Hilton's New Tour

Where: 17 E. Monroe St. [map], Chicago, IL, United States, 60603

Chicago's Palmer House Hilton has a rich 140-year history—the place claims to have created the brownie, among other highlights. You can find out more tidbits about the hotel on a new behind-the-scenes history tour and luncheon that launches today. The program sounds like it was named by Paris Hilton: "History Is Hott."

Before getting the grand tour, you'll sit down to a three-course prix-fixe lunch in the Palmer House's American restaurant Lockwood. The best part is that you will get a glass of wine and the hotel's famed brownie to-go so you can booze it up on the tour.

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Sweet Suites / Hotel Suites / Hotel Tours / Manhattan Hotel / Omni Hotels / → All Tags

Inside The Madison Suite at The Omni Berkshire Place NYC

Perhaps now known as the hotel where Sarah Palin checked in as "Tina" before making her campaign-time appearance on SNL, Manhattan's Omni Berkshire Place is a solid Midtown offering in an otherwise oversaturated market. It also happens to be one of our favorite places to sit away from the holiday shopping crowds, grab a bite and access their free WiFi, but last week we were treated to a tour of the hotel's Madison Suite—room 1612.

It's not the major Rodgers & Hammerstein Suite because someone was staying there and we wouldn't want to bother them, but it is 781-square feet overlooking 52nd Street and Madison Avenue. And in a town where it's far too easy to find a hotel that calls itself trendy, it's getting more difficult to find a classic and comfortable, not astronomically priced hotel like the Omni Berkshire. Book 21 days in advance or more, and this suite can be yours from $433, half the price of the tiniest closest at places like The Pierre and The Mark.

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Chicago Hotels / Hotel Openings / Hotel Tours / Hotel Restaurants / Doubletree Hotels / Hotel Rooftop Bars / → All Tags

We Spent The Week Scoping Out The Scene At The Wit Chicago

Where: 201 North State Street [map], Chicago, IL, United States, 60601

For this week that we spent in Chicago, we had a few must-sees on our list: the improvements in Millennium Park, the lakefront beaches, and The Wit Hotel in the north Loop. A new concept from Doubletree—who'd have thought—The Wit opened its doors at the end of May and quickly rose to the top of the Chicago nightlife scene.

Intent on snooping about the hotel, which is obviously very inspired by the more scene-y Manhattan Hotels (60 Thompson, The Hotel On Rivington), we headed to the loop for dinner at one of their restaurants and a drink on the rooftop, and we can say that The Wit definitely packs a few impressive punches.

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Structure And Style On Display For West Hollywood Hotel Tour

Want to see where all the celebrities stay and party in Los Angeles, but don’t have the cash to actually get in? Spring for the $75 tickets, and take the "West Hollywood Structures & Style: Hotels on the Cutting Edge of Design" tour instead on Saturday, May 30 from 11:00 am – 3:00 pm.

You’ll get to see six of our favorite Hollywood hotels…or at least ones we talk about a lot. The visit includes time at the Andaz West Hollywood, The London West Hollywood, the Palihouse Holloway (pictured), Mondrian, Sunset Marquis Hotels and Villas, and The Sunset Tower Hotel.

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The Plaza Hotel / Hotel News / Manhattan Hotels / Hotel Events / Hotel Tours / → All Tags

Get Into The Plaza For Free With a New Architectural Tour

Where: 768 Fifth Avenue [map], New York, ny, United States, 10019

Still not keen to spring for a night at The Plaza Hotel despite our secret discount? There may still be a way into the grand dame without having to endure the painful silence of its Retail Collection: free architecture tours!

Beginning this week, the revered old property will launch twice-weekly public tours of its spaces, such as The Oak Room, The Palm Court and the Grand Ballroom, as well as peeks behind some closed doors. Led by architectural historian, author and teacher Francis Morrone, the 45-minute tours will happen Tuesdays and Saturdays at 3pm, and will be limited to 20 people who must reserve a spot by calling The Plaza Boutique at 212-588-8012.

As you can be sure we're all over this and itching to get our toes in those private spaces, expect a full tour report in the future. For now, however, we recommend giving them a ring to schedule your own Plaza spelunking.

[Photo: richdrogpa]

Armistead Maupin / Hotel Tours / Hotel Porn / Kimpton Hotels / → All Tags

Armistead Maupin's Thoughts on Mandarin Oriental, Kimpton's Goldfish and Hotel Porn

Armistead Maupin if you don't know him, is the author of the Tales of the City series about life for a group of eclectic individuals in San Francisco. Basically, he was Candace Bushnell (the author of Sex and the City) of the late 1970s except he's a gay man who doesn't seem to have a Manolo Blahnik obsession--that we know of. He even had a character named Connie Bradshaw. Hmmm...draw your own conclusions.

Maupin is also a pioneer for the LGBT community because during a time when these topics were still considered taboo, he wrote about the random sex, gay men, lesbian socialites, transsexuals, and AIDS. Yet he always made love--searching for it, having it, losing it-- the constant theme running throughout his books and in his characters.  

Anyways, Maupin recently put out another book  in the Tales series called, Michael Tolliver Lives. We were thrilled to get the latest installment but we were even more thrilled to learn that Maupin has been blogging about his world-wide book tour and dishing on all the hotels he's been staying in.

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