This year we went very in-depth with our Annual WiFi Report so that we could give you a better understanding of the hotel WiFi landscape in 2008.
But even we have to admit that's a lot of reading to do. And if you're in a hotel today paying by the hour or paying by the day or furiously trying to jump onto the free WiFi network outside the hotel's club level, then you probably don't have time to read every last word.
Hence the 2008 Hotel WiFi Chart was born. Here we take the five major U.S. hotel chains--Starwood, Marriott, Hilton, Intercontinental and Hyatt-- and round-up the internet options across all their brands. We're keeping it simple by only listing for you where the internet is free, where you pay and where it's free in the lobby.
Our suggestion for getting free internet at any of these places? Join the hotel loyalty program. If you're a frequent guest at one of these major chains, joining the loyalty program may earn you complimentary internet during your stays although it varies from program to program and property to property. So does begging the front desk to let you have internet for free.
While you may want to swim at the Marriott in Manhattan, visiting the Marriott in Baghdad probably doesn't sounds so refreshing.
The Washington Post said Bill Marriott and co. were contemplating opening a hotel in the fortified Green Zone of Baghdad. Um yeah, that sounds crazy.
Opening a Ritz-Carlton in Riyadh is one thing. But moving into Baghdad is quite another. The Green Zone has been a frequent target of attacks by insurgents. A recent flare-up, when 114 rocket and mortar rounds fell in the Green Zone during a 30-day period ending in late April, showed the unpredictability of the danger.
Marriott is actually aggressively attempting to expand its presence in the Middle East from 26 to about 75 over the next several years. Yet we say, maybe Marriott should work on streamlining their WiFi policy before they start building in Iraq?
It's true, it was 79 degrees in Manhattan yesterday...a few degrees more and we'll need a beach. Or a pool. How about a hotel pool?
The Gansevoort's rooftop pool sounds fantastic, with its views and situation, but what is one to do when just a swim is in order, not a stylish scene? Plus we just want our water to sound like water, instead of music piped into the pool, which the Times Square's Hotel QT boasts as one of its aquatic perks.
The kicker is these hotel pools are off-limits -- both are restricted to guests, so muster the stamina to try and sneak in, and steel yourself to be booted before you ever hit the water.
A guaranteed option of hotel and water in Manhattan is The Marriott at The Financial Center. They offer an all-day fee of $25 to use their pool, fitness center, and as many towels as you can wrap around your waist. Children get in for $15.
A reservationist at the hotel reveals that they also offer annual pool passes for $650. This actually beats the prices on yearly dues for some of the more affordable health clubs. That's pretty darn smart.
Hint to hoteliers: It would be great if more hotels opened their doors to non-guests to use their season-friendly facilities; pools are an excellent place to begin.
Corporate blogs are all the rage these days, presumably designed to let the corporate moo-vahs and shake-ahs communicate directly with adoring fans who want to know more. And in the hotel world, Bill Marriott, Chairman and CEO of Marriott International, has jumped onto the heap with his blog, Marriott on the Move.
While we are still convinced Bill is dictating his blog posts to a secretary, he does try to keep relevant. For instance, there's his take on immigration reform as it relates to the travel industry, and his post about the company initiative to teach employees Spanish. Of course, there's some questionable posts like his recommendation of "The Bucket List" but our fave is his latest.
Here, Bill talks about his chain's historic properties, including Chicago's Blackstone (with a wonderfully produced video covering the grand re-opening), and Dublin's Shelbourne.
He also has this to say about The Mayflower in Washington, DC:
The Mayflower hotel in Washington, D.C. was the site of Franklin Delano Roosevelt's inaugural ball back in the early 1930s. Also, J. Edgar Hoover used to have lunch at the Mayflower all during his tenure. Eleanor Roosevelt had afternoon tea there, and there have been many other famous people who have stayed there. What a lot of people don't know is that, in addition to being a famous hotel, the Mayflower is one of more than 140 Renaissance hotels around the world.
Mr. M conveniently omits the Mayflower's more recent notoriety -- it's the same hotel where Client 9, aka former New York State Luv Guv Eliot Spitzer, spent the night in room 871 conducting some unofficial gubernatorial hoo-hah.
Sure, it's not great PR for the chain, Bill, but it sure would make for awesome post fodder if you blogged about it.
Hotels are slowly moving beyond the bar, nightclub and restaurant trend to add some hip retail spaces in their properties. Of course, this is nothing new as some hotels have been doing this already for a long time. But what is news is the report of a Louis Vuitton store opening inside the JW Marriott Bucharest Hotel.
The store will open in June and offer customers the standard LV leather goods as well as the opportunity to design their own travel trunk based on their "requirements and taste." Hmmm...Marriott we smell a package!
As for why LV would open in a Marriott, international senior VP for LV said :
"We looked on Calea Victoriei and on other boulevards in Bucharest but chose the Marriott because it is a visually safe and controlled environment, where you know who your neighbours are and do not risk having a sex shop open next door.
Word. Who else is selling what and where? Here's a short list:
· The Beverly Wilshire Hotel: The Pretty Woman hotel has added the fine jewelry brand Avakian to its retail presence. Oh if only Julia and Richard were there now. [WWD]
· The Plaza: The Plaza will get mobile phone store Vertu. [WWD]
· Waldorf-Astoria Collection Sarasota: The upcoming hotel just announced it will have a Guerlain spa and along with that a chance to purchase all the Guerlain goodies you are suckered into believing your skin will need. · The Standard Hotel NYC: Ok, so the tentatively planned Barneys New York in the Meat Packing District isn't exactly located inside the new Standard, but it will be one block away. [Racked]
Move over shopping and nightlife concierges. The newest kid on the block is the Cocktail Concierge and you can find him or her at the Harbor Beach Marriott Resort & Spa.
Newly-appointed cocktail concierges mix up martinis (shaken or stirred), muddle mojitos and craft any number of guests' favorite libations and tropical beverages in the comfort of one's seaside guest room.
The service is available in your room from 11:30am to 1am. You can even use these cocktail concierges (who come equipped with their own Cocktail Cart) to help you pair a wine or beer with your room service meal. Try one of the signature cocktails, the Living Room Martini.
Room rates start at $299 a night and there's a standard 20 percent service charge to the drinks but hey, you'll have no problem getting the bartender's attention.
Have you stayed at the Harbor Beach Marriott? Let us know what it was like in comments below.
When drunken nights happen in Mexico, instead of blaming it on the Cuervo you might be saying "blame it on the CasaMagna Marriott." That's because the CasaMagna Marriott Puerto Vallarta Resort and Spa produces their own propriety brand of tequila.
Yes, you read right. There's a CasaMagna brand of tequila made from the agave azul harvested on property. And the hotel has created a whole experience around it.
Tequila lovers (not the Tila kind), enthusiasts, connossieurs or just heavy margarita drinkers might want to consider skipping on down here for the "Secretos de la Familia" program.
The resort has a Tequila Experto (expert) on staff, certified by the Tequila Regulatory Council of Mexico (TRC). The Tequila Expert conducts tasting classes to increase guest awareness of the new found popularity of tequila. More than 117 different "by the glass" tequila options are maintained in the CasaMagna Marriott Puerto Vallarta Resort Tequila Vault for use in all the resort's food and beverage outlets.
Guests can also sit in on weekly tasting classes and get a brief history of the tequila from the Tequila Expert.
Naturally, the hotel has a packaged centered around their tequila called the Tequila Reposado package. For $263 a night, you get deluxe accommodations in an ocean view room for two, complimentary breakfast buffet for two at the resort's La Estancia restaurant, tasting of three of the resort's tequilas with a Tequila Expert and a 750 ml complimentary bottle of tequila to take home. Use the code VSR to book either online or by calling 1-888-Paradise.
We here at HotelChatter aren't the biggest fans of kids but some of the people near and dear to our hearts actually have these little things so we think they might actually dig this service at the Horseshoe Bay Resort in Texas.
The resort has installed special kid-sized tennis courts so to make it easier on your kids to hit the ball back and forth.
Scaling down tennis to fit the needs and ability of younger children, The Andy Roddick USTA Kids' Courts were specifically designed for children up to age 10 to perfect their skills with equipment and rules for children, including tennis racquets up to 25 inches and orange low-compression tennis balls. A 36-foot court is used by children ages eight and under and the 60-foot courts are for children ages 10 and under.
Now, this doesn't mean your kids will start playing like Andy Roddick but you can dream.
