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Raffaello Follieri
HotelChatter Question :: How Did Raffaello Follieri Manage Not To Pay His Hotel Bill?
October 15, 2008 at 2:16 PM | 7 Comments
This week's HotelChatter Question comes from yours truly and it has to do with hotel bills, everyone's favorite topic.
Now, every single time we have checked into and out of a hotel, the hotel has always had the credit card that we used to book the room on file. Once we've checked out, either that card or a different one that we put down at check-in is charged.
This has never not happened. That credit card, whichever one it may be, is always charged. And more often than we like, it is charged with some additional fees on it that we did not order or use. Like getting charged twice to use the internet when we only used it once. (This happens a lot.)
But we are not here to ask you about your favorite bill-reviewing method. Or even what hotels frequently mischarge you for. (Although, that could be a good question later.)
No. Today we want to know how the #$&@!% Raffaello Follieri, Anne Hathaway's dashing ex-boyfriend/con man, managed to stiff the Ritz Hotel in Paris out of 4,551.70 Euros.
Sydney Hotels
HotelChatter Questions :: Travelodge or Goldsborough Apartments in Sydney?
August 15, 2008 at 11:45 AM | 0 Comments
HotelChatter Questions: In which, the intrepid HotelChatter editors and our hotel maven readers answer hotel questions that pop into our inbox. Have a question for us? Send it along. Think you have a better answer than we gave, or better yet, want to give a vote of confidence to our answer? Comment away.
We love to be here to help, and HotelChatter reader Jamie has a quandary: where to stay in Sydney? He's trying to choose between the Travelodge Sydney or the Oaks Goldsborough Apartments and says: "We're most concerned about location!"
The Travelodge is on Wentworth Avenue, really close to the true downtown center of Sydney, while the Goldsborough Apartments are on Pyrmont Street on Darling Harbour, a similar distance from the center of Sydney but with a chance of a harbor view.
Both places are relatively cheap for downtown hotels (and the quality tends to match--not that there's anything wrong with either of them, but they're clearly not luxury hotels).
Melbourne Hotels
Melbourne Hotel Scene :: We Help a Reader With The Rendezvous Hotel
July 31, 2008 at 9:15 AM | 0 Comments
AmandaK has left her perch in Perth, Australia and spent some time in Melbourne. This week she'll be giving us the lowdown on the hotels there. If you have a question or suggestion, send it our way and we'll get right on it.
We just heard from HotelChatter reader Jamie that he's heading to Melbourne in November and has already booked into the Rendezvous Hotel there but was wondering if he made the right decision?
Saw your posting on the hotel scene in Melbourne. I'm heading there in November and staying at the Rendezvous Hotel Melbourne. Any thoughts? Tips? Reviews? Thanks so much!
Thanks for asking, Jamie. Of course we have some thoughts! We answer his concerns after the jump.
HotelChatter Questions
HotelChatter Questions :: What's The Best Room at the Tides Zihuatanejo for Honeymooners?
July 8, 2008 at 4:37 PM | 3 Comments
HotelChatter Questions: In which, the intrepid HotelChatter editors and our hotel maven readers answer hotel questions that pop into our inbox. Have a question for us? Send it along. Think you have a better answer than we gave, or better yet, want to give a vote of confidence to our answer? Comment away.
A curious HotelChatter reader is pondering a stay at the Tides Zihuatanejo for his honeymoon and was interested to know which suite would be the best to book: the Lagoon suite or the Beach suite? Here are his questions:
Looking to do a honeymoon at the tides in Zihuatanejo in August of this year and I have a couple of questions: How does the beach suite compare the lagoon suite? Are there typically small children around? Also, is there some nightlife outside of hotel?
Barcelona Hotels
HotelChatter Questions: Where to Stay in Barcelona?
January 10, 2008 at 3:39 PM | 1 Comment
HotelChatter Questions: In which, the intrepid HotelChatter editors and our hotel maven readers answer hotel questions that pop into our inbox. Have a question for us? Send it along. Think you have a better answer than we gave, or better yet, want to give a vote of confidence to our answer? Comment away.
We love dishing out hotel recommendations, and we just got a question from Maria, who's headed to Barcelona for the first time:
I'm going insane with the hotel reviews its so hard to find a quiet area/room. I was wondering if you had any recommendations for peaceful sleeping!
We certainly agree that nothing will put you in a bad mood faster than a rowdy room ('cept maybe bed bugs), so we dug up a couple picks from Monica Guy's helpful Barcelona hotel guide.
The Casanova Hotel would be our pick, but it does have a bit more of a scene than some other places. If you're looking for something serene and romantic, El Jardí is the ticket. And if price is no object, the Casa Fuster is the way to go.
Whatever you do, Maria, avoid the Rambla the land of no sleep from all-night people-traffic.
Related Stories:
· Barcelona Hotel Guide [HotelChatter]
Regent Hotels
What's Happening with Regent Hotels?
September 19, 2007 at 4:00 PM | 0 Comments
As we reported on Monday, Regent Hotels has dropped out as manager of the now-formerly-named Regent South Beach Hotel, despite having just opened the place eight months ago. Instead, Vinnci Hotels is taking over the place although they have yet to update their website to include this hotel.
A HotelChatter reader brought to our attention that the Regent Hotels has been dropping properties as of late--namely the Beverly Wilshire and a Singapore property--both of which were turned over to the Four Seasons.
Turnover, of course, happens in the hotel world but with the Regent opening in Bal Harbour and supposedly Boston in 2008, along with Costa Rica, Dubrovnik and Bangkok in 2009, you gotta wonder--are they going to ditch these hotels within a year too?
For now you may want to refrain from buying any condos at a Regent property. You don't want to get stuck with a Vincci Hotel or some other big-box hotel name, do you?
Got a comment on Regent Hotels? Put in your two cents here.
Related Stories:
· Miami Hotel Mambo: The Regent South Beach is No More [HotelChatter]
W Hotels
Wherever Are the Best and Worst W Hotels?
April 18, 2007 at 12:23 PM | 21 Comments
Wherever, Whenever, the Wheatgrass grows...
This whole W San Francisco use to be a Radisson take got us thinking, there is a vast difference between a killer W Hotel and a shoddy one. While you might think that all W hotels are created equal, that is hardly the case, as the hotel mavens have proven over the years.
Remember the outright vitriol some of you had for the now defunct and re-flagged W Honolulu?
Conversely, there are W hotels out there that will dazzle you with their imagery, scene, rooms, and even their service.
Well, we know how W hotels love the alliteration, so Whatever W hotel you can't stand, Wherever it is, Whenever you stayed there, let us know What W is Worst. Oh, and let's answer the inverse as well--where are the best W hotels.
There are 15 or so locations to choose from. Our only rule is this--you can't choose your picks and pans based on the lobby and the bar--this has to be based on the overall experience, which should include rooms, service.
HotelChatter Questions
HotelChatter Questions: Bowery Hotel or Lafayette NYC?
April 12, 2007 at 3:20 PM | 0 Comments
HotelChatter Questions: In which, the intrepid HotelChatter editors and our hotel maven readers answer hotel questions that pop into our inbox.
Have a question for us? Send it along. Think you have a better answer than we gave, or better yet, want to give a vote of confidence to our answer? Comment here.
Once again, we are answering your hotel questions. This one is a good one as it pertains to the new Sean MacPherson/Eric Goode hotels on NYC's LES. MQ Smith writes in:
I live farther out than you can imagine but son is graduating from NYU, so...which of these is the better choice?? Bowery or Lafayette?
PLEASE, you are in NY and I am in a weed field! A word to the desperate would be appreciated.
Have no fear desperate weedie. We break down the Pros and Cons of each hotel here.
HotelChatter Questions
HotelChatter Question Answered: Hotel Monaco New Orleans to Become a Hilton
March 12, 2007 at 9:15 AM | 0 Comments
At the end of last week, we got a question about the Hotel Monaco in New Orleans. For the recap, our reader asked:
I noticed that the Monaco New Orleans, which used to be part of Kimpton, is no longer a Monaco/Kimpton Hotel. Any idea what became of it?
Back then, we didn't have the exact answer except that the hotel was under construction. Yet Hotel Maven Dzot managed to find the answer:
Apparently Hilton acquired it. It's to be called the Hilton/St. Charles Avenue. They are accepting reservations starting 5/1.
There's no other info on the Hilton site except that standard Hilton amenities apply. Which is a shame because people seemed to like the Kimpton goldfish.
Thanks, Dzot! Remember, if any of you have burning hotel questions to ask, send 'em our way.
Related Stories:
· HotelChatter Question: What Happened to Hotel Monaco New Orleans? [HotelChatter]
HotelChatter Questions
HotelChatter Question: What Happened to Hotel Monaco New Orleans?
March 9, 2007 at 2:18 PM | 2 Comments
HotelChatter Questions: In which, the intrepid HotelChatter editors and our hotel maven readers answer hotel questions that pop into our inbox.
Have a question for us? Send it along. Have better answer than we gave, or better yet, want to give a vote of confidence to our answer? Comment here.
I noticed that the Monaco New Orleans, which used to be part of Kimpton, is no longer a Monaco/Kimpton Hotel. Any idea what became of it? Pre-Katrina, it was a great place, a former Masonic Temple just outside the French Quarter, beautiful lobby and public spaces, including a cozy lounge, spacious rooms.
If you happen to know, would be great to hear.
Indeed we just checked the Kimpton Hotels web site and found no mention of the Hotel Monaco NoLa anywhere. Although, there were several press releases about the new properties Kimpton has acquired. We are just speculating here, but often a hotel brand like Kimpton does not outright own the property that the hotel is on. Instead they sign a management contract with the property's owner for a certain amount of years. For whatever reason, (money, creative differences, Katrina) this contract was probably not renewed.
As for what's become of the property, we are still trying to track that down. Judging from this Flickr photo, the hotel has been closed since at least September 2006. And one of our spies in New Orleans says the hotel was under renovations a few weeks ago. It's also near the Harrah's casino so maybe the new building will tie into that.
Still, since we have no definitive answers, we put in a call to the New Orleans tourism board and reached out to some Kimpton folks. We'll update you when we have the answer.
Related Stories:
· Hotel Brands Striving for Consistency and Flat-Screen TVs [HotelChatter]
Wedding Hotels
HotelChatter Question: "I Need A Hotel For My July Destination Wedding in Miami?"
February 15, 2007 at 12:27 PM | 1 Comment
Hi HotelChatter:
I am looking for a hotel for about 40 rooms in July for my destination wedding...The reception is at a restaurant on Lincoln Road.
What would he recommend within the 150-200 price range - best accommodations for the buck? No large chain hotels please. Also walking friendly.
Age group from 2 years to 65 years old...
Please share any insight - its like looking for a needle in a haystack.
Los Angeles Hotel Reviews
HotelChatter Answers: The Orlando Hotel is the Chosen One
February 14, 2007 at 12:50 PM | 0 Comments
Remember the female traveler that needed to book one of three hotels in LA for an Industry wrap event a couple weeks back?
She booked the Olrando Hotel.
We will let her tell you about it. Enjoy.
