Our dog Tank had a devilish time testing out the rooms at the Wyndham Costa Mesa but unbeknownst to him, he was actually doing a good cause by chewing that "chewgar" on the bed.
Ok, well maybe that act specifically wasn't helping out but anyone who books the Paws and Claws package, $5 of the room rate automatically goes to the Greyhound Pets of America non-profit organization. Same with the Paws and Claws Brunch Buffet held every Saturday and Sunday where $1 of every breakfast ($15.50 per person) goes to the organization.
Aside from the usual tasty treats for humans (omelette station, waffle station, lots of fresh fruit), there's a bunch of ways to spoil your dogs.
Guests are also invited to indulge in the "Bubbles and Bones" champagne cocktail bar with a champagne fountain and odoggy treats (an additional $4.00).
You can even submit your dog's picture in hopes of winning a free breakfast for two and to have your dog's mug placed in the hotel's art gallery for a week.
[Update: The offer is valid at Circus, Circus in Reno, not Vegas.]
Last week was a very bad week for some airlines. Jaunted has all the coverage of what went wrong with Skybus, ATA and Aloha Airlines, all of which went bankrupt leaving passengers in a bind.
But one hotel in Reno, Nevada is trying to help out. Circus, Circus is offering any passengers affected by these three shut-downs a complimentary two-night, three-day stay at their hotel.
Here are the official rules/requirements:
The free room offer is for up to 4 people in a room and is valid for any person holding an airline ticket for a cancelled Aloha, ATA, or Skybus airline flight, regardless of destination. To book a free room, call 800-648-5010 and ask for code VFREE08.
Airline tickets must have been purchased before April 1, 2008 and be for travel after March 31, 2008 for Aloha Airlines, April 3, 2008 for ATA Airlines, and April 4, 2008 for Skybus Airlines. Rooms must be booked before August 30, 2008. Subject to room availability. Please provide proof of ticket purchase at check-in.
Of course, Circus, Circus, would not be our first choice but hey, a free room is a free room right?
Hamptons Hotels'Save a Landmark program isn't just about restoring ginormous cuckoo clocks or 20-foot-tall duck-shaped gift shops. No, there's a serious side to it too.
The program has recently enlisted more than 100 of its workers - along with serious star power in the form of actor Samuel L. Jackson - to overhaul the National Civil Rights Museum, in Memphis, Tennessee.
The Museum celebrates the work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and sits on the former site of the Lorraine Motel, where the civil rights leader was assassinated on April 4, 1968.
From new wallpaper and walkways, to displays, landscaping and electrical work, the Museum aims to complete most of the project by the 40th anniversary of Dr. King's untimely passing.
Jackson, who was an usher at King's funeral, is contributing to the more than 1000 man-hours that will go into rolling out the new look for this important landmark. And Hamptons plans more legendary makeovers this year -- including the birthplaces of Helen Keller and Jessie Owens.
We were on hand the other night for the "Mix, Match and Splash" cocktail challenge hosted by the Muse Hotel in Times Square to benefit the Dress for Success charity.
The winning team of the cocktail challenge would have their drink served at the silverleaf tavern at 70 Park Avenue for the month of April as well as be treated to a private cocktail party for up to 10.
Despite the best efforts of an SFO*Media team (Juliana, Sedona and JetSetCD) who were helped along by a few others, the winning team was The Dream Girls with their "Dream" cocktail.
The cocktail is two parts light rum, with one parts orange juice, cranberry juice and pineapple juice mixed in with a splash of pink grapefruit and club soda served in a martini glass and garnished with a lemon peel.
Although the competition was fierce, the party was not all about the cocktails. The event also held a raffle and an auction where party-goers could bid on trips like a roundtrip on American Airlines for 2 people, and 5 nights at any Kimpton hotel, redeemable until April 2009. We think we heard the winning bid was at $1,200.
One-hundred percent of the event proceeds and auction items were donated to Dress for Success and all proceeds of the Dream cocktail will go to the non-profit as well. It's the drink that keeps on giving.
Photo of the winning team and their drink after the jump.
The Muse Hotel is always up for a good time. Previously, the hotel hosted a drag queen party/fundraiser as a benefit for an AIDS charity.
Now it's hosting the "Mix, Match and Splash" Cocktail Challenge. The showdown will be held on March 27th at 6pm. Teams of cocktail-enthusiasts will have 30 minutes and a mystery box of mystery box of Diageo spirits and mixers to come up with a new cocktail. The winning team will have a drink named after them and served at the silverleaf tavern for the month of April.
But this is not just some hedonistic event. One-hundred percent of the entry fees will be donated to Dress for Success, a non-profit near and dear to Muse Hotel's parent company, Kimpton Hotels. And the proceeds from those who order the drink will go to Dress for Success.
The entry fee per team (up to five members) is $100 and includes a complimentary drink. Additionally, there will be an auction and gourmet bites served by District restaurant’s chef Patricia Williams. The winning team will also be treated to a private cocktail party for 10 at the silverleaf tavern. So get your cocktail mixing skills in shape.
For a team entry form, please contact Ilana Alperstein at 212-982-8300 ext. 103, ialperstein@baltzco.com
What: A Guitar Hero III tournament where the winner gets two airline tickets on Southwest Airlines and a stay at the Kimpton FireSky Resort & Spa in Scottsdale.
To ensure your spot in the NCAA-bracket-style tournament, register online by emailing monacoguitarhero@yahoo.com. There are 64 slots open (if you register you get one of those slots), for any level (easy, medium or hard) and it costs $15 to enter. $20 if you are in pairs.
Everyone will get a custom tournament T-shirt, plus entry into a raffle with prizes like a tandem sky dive.
The whole thing is for a good cause as proceeds will benefit the Seattle Red Cross and a Monaco employee who lost his home in a fire.
This is probably our most ideal way to pass time in a hotel these days. That is, unless someone has RockBand!
When you mention Manolo Blahnik, Four Seasons and elephants all in the same sentence, our ears will totally prick up.
Recently, the luxe shoe designer pledged his support to the Golden Triangle Asian Elephant Foundation by doing what he does best, designing a (limited-edition) shoe.
Available as of March in the US the Blahnik designed D'orsay pump with patent brown trimming and patent brown 90mm heel will feature Congo leopard print pony (fake) leather. The shoes will exclusively be sold through Footcandy Shoe Stores in California but can be shipped anywhere in the world. It will retail at approximately $600 with proceeds going to the GTAEF conservation project.
Luckily for us, unluckily for our wallet, there is a FootCandy store just a few miles from our house. As for the shoe, we don't have a picture of it yet but it will look something like this.
Now you must be wondering, how does the Four Seasons play into all this?
"Nature hates calculators," Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, likely around tax time. If slaving away at 2007's taxes have shown you that you need to create more opportunities for deductions this year, might we suggest planning a weekend getaway to the Waldo Emerson Inn, a bed and breakfast believed to be one of the oldest houses in Kennebunk, Maine?
Book a stay in May, when the inn--and other members of the Maine Innkeepers Association--cut room rates in half to support "Hospitality for Habitat," a program that raises funds for Habitat for Humanity projects in Maine. In exchange for the discount, guests who stay between May 1-23 will be asked to write a $35 check to Habitat for Humanity, which you can write off come tax time next year. Everybody wins!
But there's more charm to staying here than a vacation that yields a tax deduction. The B&B maintains much of its original construction from 1753; plus Waldo Emerson, Ralph's great uncle, used to build clipper ships on the river behind the house. The colonial-style inn offers just four guest rooms, each anointed with handmade quilts, antiques, working fireplaces and private baths. May rates start at $95 per night.
