HotelChatter

Tags: France Hotels / Alain Ducasse / Provence Hotels / Mr and Mrs Smith / Hotel Restaurants / → All Tags

"Contemporary Innkeeper" Alain Ducasse Loves His Petit Maisons

Where: Chemin de Quinson, Moustiers Sainte-Marie, France, 04360

In case you haven't been motorcycling through the backroads of Provence lately, we thought you'd like to know about superchef Alain Ducasse's pretty little hotel properties that dot the south of France like so many truffle shavings atop an entree. The collection of inns called Maisons d'Alain Ducasse, combine traditional French country living and dining with semi-affordable rates and inspiring views. With three quaint properties in Provence for his beloved concept of terroir, or a fusing of territory and tradition, and one showcasing his Mediterranean cuisine in Tuscany, Alain has risen well above doing hotel restaurants to doing the hotels themselves.

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Tags: Mr and Mrs Smith / Websites / Boutique Hotels / UK Hotels / → All Tags

Mr and Mrs Smith Help Us See the UK, Boutique-Style

Tired of merely recommending nice boutique hotels for us to bed down in for the night, the team of Mr and Mrs Smith have gone hi-tech and put together an interactive Route Planner so we can now drive all across the UK knowing we're not missing any of the best spots to sleep or eat.

We tried planning a road trip from London to Glasgow and we can instantly spot a few detours to make so we can stay in a few more Mr and Mrs Smith-recommended boutique hotels; on the map it's quite handy that you can click on the hotels along the route and go direct to a booking page if you want.

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Tags: Mr and Mrs Smith / Dopplr / Hotel Guidebook Picks / → All Tags

Hotel Guidebook Picks :: Mr. and Mrs. Smith Are Working for Dopplr Now

If you haven't already joined, Dopplr is like a Facebook of sorts for your far-flung or frequent travels. Here you can upload all your trips and write about where you went, what you did, who you saw, what you ate, etc.

Now, Dopplr has partnered up with Mr and Mrs Smith a premiere guide for design and boutique hotels. In each city on Dopplr, the Smithies have given their recommendations which are titled, "Smith for This City."

We checked out their Las Vegas hotel picks since we're headed this way in a few weeks. They recommend THEhotel and as they should since it's the only non-cheesy hotel on the Strip. Too bad we're already booked in at the Wynn.

In New York, Smithies recommend Hotel QT, Gramercy, Chambers, THOR, The Library, The Bowery, 60 Thompson, and the Soho House.

Next we tried a more far-flung exotic destination like Dubai.  Sadly no Smiths tips for this city, but we'll keep our eyes on it. For the full list of Mr. and Mrs. Smith picks on Dopplr, go here.

Tags: Interviews / Mr and Mrs Smith / Juliet Kinsman / → All Tags

Interview: Mr. and Mrs. Smith's Juliet Kinsman

Did you know there was a European version of Mr. and Mrs. Smith? Yes, it is true. A group of U.K. travel sages have been hand picking top notch boutique hotels and publishing photos and reviews of said hotels in their Mr. and Mrs. Smith Hotel Guide for a couple years now. The Euro-centric boutique hotel guides are edited by Juliet Kinsman, who recently chatted with us, via IM.

That's right, two hotel connoisseurs, continents apart, sitting down at their respective laptops to talk shop.

After the jump HotelChatter publishes our ramblings with Juliet Kinsman, condensed, but almost unedited. Enjoy.

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