Tag: OpenThread
View All TagsHotelChatter Contest / OpenThread / General Managers / Italy Hotels / Turkey Hotels / Mexico Hotels / Peru Hotels / London Hotels / → All Tags
The Hottest GM, Round Four: International Hotties
UPDATE: Voting has now closed for the individual categories. Head over here to pick your favorite from the four finalists, and help us name the world's hottest GM!
This week, we're taking some time to highlight the world's hottest hotel General Managers. Why, you ask? Because there are some seriously sweet GMs out there, and we feel it's our duty to give them the love and attention they deserve. Well, not in that way...but, er, you get the idea.
Here's how it works: each day, we'll present a selection of handsome GMs for you to ogle. Pick out your favorite by voting in the comments or send us an email. At the end of the week, we'll tally the votes and come up with four finalists from four categories (NYC, Miami, California and International). Then, we'll narrow it down even further and ask you to help us pick the single hottest GM in the world. The competition is fierce, and the polls are officially open.
Are you ready to vote?
So far, we've seen worthy contenders from the Big Apple, Miami and California. And now today, it's onto...Round Four: International.
HotelChatter Contest / OpenThread / General Managers / San Francisco Hotels / Los Angeles Hotels / → All Tags
The Hottest GM, Round Three: The Golden State
UPDATE: Voting has now closed for the individual categories. Head over here to pick your favorite from the four finalists, and help us name the world's hottest GM!
This week, we're taking some time to highlight the world's hottest hotel General Managers. Why, you ask? Because there are some seriously sweet GMs out there, and we feel it's our duty to give them the love and attention they deserve. Well, not in that way...but, er, you get the idea.
Here's how it works: each day, we'll present a selection of handsome GMs for you to ogle. Pick out your favorite by voting in the comments or send us an email. At the end of the week, we'll tally the votes and come up with four finalists from four categories (NYC, Miami, California and International). Then, we'll narrow it down even further and ask you to help us pick the single hottest GM in the world. The competition is fierce, and the polls are officially open.
Are you ready to vote?
So far, we've seen worthy contenders from Miami and the Big Apple. Today, it's onto...Round Three: California.
HotelChatter Contest / OpenThread / General Managers / Miami Hotel Mambo / → All Tags
The Hottest GM, Round Two: Miami
UPDATE: Voting has now closed for the individual categories. Head over here to pick your favorite from the four finalists, and help us name the world's hottest GM!
This week, we're taking some time to highlight the world's hottest hotel General Managers. Why, you ask? Because there are some seriously sweet GMs out there, and we feel it's our duty to give them the love and attention they deserve. Well, not in that way...but, er, you get the idea.
Here's how it works: each day, we'll present a selection of handsome GMs for you to ogle. Pick out your favorite by voting in the comments, or send us an email. At the end of the week, we'll tally the votes and come up with four finalists from four categories (NYC, Miami, California and International). Then, we'll narrow it down even further and ask you to help us pick the single hottest GM in the world. The competition is fierce, and the polls are officially open.
Are you ready to vote?
Yesterday, we saw some worthy contenders from the Big Apple. And now today, it's onto...Round Two: Miami.
HotelChatter Contest / OpenThread / General Managers / → All Tags
The Hottest GM, Round 1: New York City
UPDATE: Voting has now closed for the individual categories. Head over here to pick your favorite from the four finalists, and help us name the world's hottest GM!
OK, hotel geeks! This week, we're taking some time to highlight the world's hottest hotel General Managers. Why, you ask? Because there are some seriously sweet GMs out there, and we feel it's our duty to give them the love and attention they deserve. Well, not in that way...but, er, you get the idea.
Here's how it works: each day, we'll present a selection of handsome GMs for you to ogle. Pick out your favorite by voting in the comments, or send us an email. At the end of the week, we'll tally the votes and come up with four finalists from four categories (NYC, Miami, California and International). Then, we'll narrow it down even further and ask you to help us pick the single hottest GM in the world. The competition is fierce, and the polls are officially open. Are you ready to vote?
Let the games begin!
Round One: New York City...
TripAdvisor / Hotel News / Hotel Reviews / OpenThread / → All Tags
To Trust TripAdvisor Reviews or Not? That Is the Question
Just when we thought the whole question of TripAdvisor's reliability had mostly dissolved into oblivion, along comes this LA Times article asking, once again, whether we can really, really trust those online hotel reviews.
And while our first reaction is to roll our eyes, there's no denying that this is still a hot button issue in the hospitality world. For starters, it goes beyond just hotels: restaurants, bars, cafes and music venues all fall prey to unnecessarily malicious, or suspiciously enthusiastic reviews from customers with an agenda. But since we deal with hotels around here, we're focusing on that side of things.
The LA Times article refers to a study by a group called Market Metrix, which found a few interesting things. First off, online reviews are almost entirely written by young people (ie, over the age of 50). No surprise there, but still an alarming statistic when you consider that the people staying in hotels (and reading the reviews) span a wide range of ages.
And even if you can get past the fact that people half your age are writing these reviews, the question still stands: are the reviews trustworthy?
OpenThread / Hotel Desks / Hotel Design / Hotel Furniture / → All Tags
Are Desk-less Hotel Rooms The Way of the Future?
Question: when was the last time you sat down and did work at the hotel desk? Like, really used it? Not as a shelf for your suitcase, not as a makeshift dining room table for room service, not as a receptacle for loose change and iPhone apparatus. But a proper desk, where you sit down with your laptop, tablet, or good old-fashioned blotter, and get work done?
We only ask because, after a recent conversation with a high-up executive at a major global hotel company, he informed us the company is considering doing away altogether with traditional wooden desks, saying they're clumsy, archaic, and worst of all, nobody uses them.
Now, we always find ourselves engrossed in some project or other (the life of a freelancer is, at best, a kaleidoscope of busywork), so call us outdated, but we can actually remember quite a few recent instances of being in a hotel room, pulling up a chair at the desk, and spending a few solid hours banging out an assignment or answering emails.
No, it's not the most glamorous way to be a productive 21st century digital nomad (that's part of the idea, too—everyone does work in lobbies and public spaces anyway these days, so why bother with the desk?), but it still provides a quiet, orderly place to sit and think.
What about you? Does the hotel desk still offer any value? Should it continue being a staple of future hotel rooms? Or would you rather have more space in your room to walk around/spread out/dance? Let us know your thoughts below!
Hotel Restaurants / Hotel News / OpenThread / Beijing Hotels / Paris Hotels / Venice Hotels / → All Tags
'The Daily Meal' Reveals Its Favorite World-Wide Hotel Restaurants. What are Yours?
Ever tried the blackened miso pork belly at Opposite House? How about the 280 EURO tasting menu at Le Bristol Paris? Or Joël Robuchon's award-winning French cuisine at MGM Grand in Las Vegas?
If you happen to have dined at any of these—or 98 other—top-tier hotel restaurants around the world, you may want to take a look at The Daily Meal's "101 Best Hotel Restaurants Around The World," which was published late last week. Consulting the Michelin Guide, and using the well-traveled knowledge of TDM editors, the list was compiled using only two criteria: the hotels had to have at least 15 rooms (which immediately eliminated small B&Bs and private dining clubs), and the restaurants had to actually be housed within the hotels themselves.
However, that still left a lot, a lot, a lot of restaurants to choose from. In fact, the final list tallied properties in over 80 cities in 40 countries across six continents. Find out which of your favorites made the cut!
San Francisco Hotels / OpenThread / Favorite Hotels / → All Tags
You Tell Us: Where Do You Like to Stay in San Francisco?
San Francisco has always been a bit of a tough hotel scene to figure out.
On the one hand you have a ton of touristy hotels clustered around the city's Union Square. Most of these are small and independent places but of course, the bigger brands like Marriott, Hyatt, Starwood and even Kimpton are found here too.
There are more luxe options nearby at Market Street like the St. Regis, the Four Seasons and the W and then down at Fisherman's Wharf the bigger hotel chains dominate again. There are just a handful of cool boutiquey hotels to stay at like The Clift from Morgans Hotel Group and the Hotel Vitale in the Embarcadero from Joie De Vivre but there are plenty of funky spots like the Personality Hotels and even a few stay-if-you-dare options like the Cova Hotel in the Tenderloin district. There's now even a small inn open in the city's Presidio park.
Yet while San Fran has seemingly many hotel options for all types of travelers, there's not one hotel that we get really excited about.
OpenThread / Hotel Food / Room Service / Manhattan Hotels / Atlanta Hotels / Orlando Hotels / Switzerland Hotels / London Hotels / Taiwan Hotels / Grand Cayman Hotels / → All Tags
What Do You Order From Room Service?
When we posted your hotel check-in rituals, some commented on Twitter and Facebook that ordering room service is the first thing they do when settling in. We're a bit nosy, so we asked a few hoteliers and Food & Beverage folks what y'all are ordering--hoping there would be some extreme weirdness going on like anchovies on PB&J. But, bearing a little skepticism about the guest who asked for live tarantulas, you're just like us! You love a simple club sandwich. You crave a grilled cheese! Our mini-survey shows your faves.
Hyatt Regency Atlanta: Folks love to order the strawberry-stuffed French Toast, a breakfast dessert that is a Southern quiet riot made with brioche, toasted pecans, fruit, and sea salt.
Beau-Rivage Palace, Switzerland: Europe can be such a complex place, and this Lausanne, hotel shows us that their guests demands are no different! The most popular items? The pricey duck foie gras terrine at CHF 39 ($40.10) and on the complete opposite spectrum, chicken nuggets at CHF 18 ($18.50)!
OpenThread / Hotel Bathrooms / Bathroom Tuesday / Hotel Bathtubs / Hotel Showers / → All Tags
Bathtub, Shower, Or Both At The Same Time? What's Your Ideal Hotel Bathroom Setup?
Last week, we asked you about hotel check-in rituals, and received quite an assortment of responses. Today, we're focusing on hotel bathing rituals: what are yours?
Having visited a number of hotels, we've seen our fair share of hotel bathrooms. And we've bathed in them plenty, too. But one thing that always confronts us upon checking into a new hotel is whether we indulge in a full-on bath, or just stick to the regular ol' shower.
Sharing a cramped NYC apartment as we do (save that story for another day), baths aren't a luxury we normally enjoy. But then again, we prefer the quick, in-and-out efficiency of showers anyway, and don't usually feel like straying too far from our routine.
But what about you? Is a hotel room automatically synonymous with hour-long, classical music-serenaded, rose-petaled sessions in the tub? Or does it depend on the hotel?
OpenThread / Hotel Rituals / Hotel Amenities / → All Tags
What Are Your Hotel Check-In Rituals?
For some reason, all these back-to-school commercials and sales seem to scream, "it's time to get back into the routine". No more footloose and fancy free days. But there's one thing we've always been a little OCD about, no matter the season, and that's our hotel check-in rituals. In no certain order (well, there IS an order, but we won't subject you to that bit of madness) here are the things we absolutely must do before we can relax in our room.
OpenThread / Best Western Hotels / Best Western Premier Hotels / Napa Hotels / → All Tags
Have You Stayed in a Best Western Premier Hotel?
This morning we got an announcement that Best Western Hotels recently opened two new Best Western Premier hotels (one in Melbourne, Australia and one just outside of Moscow) and it got us wondering--have you ever stayed in a Best Western Premier hotel before?
In case you aren't familiar, BW's Premier brand offers guests upscale amenities, personalized guest services and an overall luxury hotel experience but at a value price point that folks come to expect from the Best Western name.
The Best Western folks are so gung-ho about this Premier brand they are plotting quite a busy and exotic expansion path with openings for Dominican Republic, Haiti, Kuwait, Malaysia, Nairobi and Oman expected for this year. In the next 12 months, the number of BWPs (can we call them that?) in North America will increase by 50 percent thanks to the opening of nine hotels throughout US, Canada and the Caribbean.
So if you haven't stayed in one yet, you very well may in the next year.
