Warning: This picture of the Grand Hyatt Shanghai might give you vertigo. Whoa....
Shanghai is so hot right now. In every shop from the Bund to People's Park you are assaulted with pieces of new cultural brands: stuffed animals for the Beijing Olympics, World Expo 2010 cell phone straps, and etched crystal replicas of their tallest skyscraper, the World Financial Center.
Like Budapest, Shanghai is divided by its river into two sides with very different agendas: Pudong for international business and ambitious development, and Puxi for old school flavor and street life in and amongst vestiges of the city's opium-fueled past.
On a recent visit to Shanghai we made sure to scope out the top two hotels set to house the upcoming waves of deep-pocketed tourists, and of course it's all about luxury.
On a day when every hotel you're looking at booking starts to sound the same, a bit of out-there technology can help you make your mind up. Travel + Leisure Australia recently put together a list of their favorite hotel gadgets and gizmos, and there are a few hotels on their list that we would book just to check out their new technology.
They've got the Peninsula Tokyo on their list, not just for the nail dryer and ultra-portable phone but also for the three mood lighting settings; speaking of lighting, the Tarraleah Lodge in Tasmania has "chromatherapy" lighting in the bathtub so the water will glow the color of your mood.
There's more than just cool lighting to be had, though: the T+L story mentions Tokyo's Four Seasons at Marunouchi because of its hi-tech warm toilet seats with multiple spraying functions to take the place of toilet paper, for example. There's also the Park Hyatt Seoul in South Korea which has gadgety non-fog mirrors inside their rain showers. Yes, we admit it: we're hotel geeks who would choose a hotel just for the non-fog mirror. Sorry.
The Peninsula Hotel has now formally re-opened, after repairs said to cost more than $100,000. It estimates it lost $1.2m through the alleged coup attempt.
That is almost as bad as Britney Spears spending a night at the Peninsula Beverly Hills.
Some more hotel news: · The Hotel@MIT, one of our favorite Geek Hotels, is going to become a Le Meridien Hotel. The luxury brand will replace the geeky but cool @ name. [Boston Globe] · Visit Bill Clinton's hometown by staying at the newly opened Capitol Hotel in Little Rock [Mercury News] · U2's latest hotel still causing drama with local environmental agency. [UK Guardian] · Ace Hotel which has locations in Seattle and Portland, is looking at Palm Springs for its next location. [The Desert Sun]
We have spies all over the hotel industry who like to send various miscellaneous tips our way. Some of these are post-worthy, others are not much more than one sentence tid-bits. So here's the latest batch of whispers through the hotel grapevine.
We had a little surprise bit of Heard Around the Mexican Hotel World earlier this week and now we bring you our regularly scheduled programming.
· Britney Spears has reportedly been blacklisted from the Peninsula Hotel in Beverly Hills after a paparazzi there got into a scuffle with a hotel security guard. Apparently, the Peninsula is not willing to sacrifice the peace and quiet of their swank hotel and their other high-profile guests for trainwreck that is Britney Spears.
· This has been a big week for Thompson Hotels. First we introduced a Thompson Hotels map, then we saw some sketches for the Beverly Hills property uniforms, and then Stephen Brandman defended his hotels' service reputation. In between all that, we heard that Thompson Hotels will announce a few more projects in early 2008. No word on where they will be but discussions are happening about a Vegas property which would include a Teddy's outpost.
· Ok this is not technically a piece of gossip, but we think you should hear it. Whist at the Viceroy Santa Monica is offering a Sunday New Year's brunch every Sunday in the month of January for just $20.08 a person. Get it? 2008...The brunch is usually $55 person and includes unlimited champagne, mimosas or bloody marys. So much for that "Drink Less" New Years Resolution.
· Care to spend your holiday in Minneapolis? That is where the hotel rates are the cheapest at around $83 a night, according to the CheapTickets.com Holiday Shopping Cheapometer.
· In some more holiday booking news, Booking.com was named the #1 hotel site in terms of room availability over Christmas.
· Lastly, the bitterness between residents and new management at the Hotel Chelsea still continues. Manager Glennon Travis has been called a "baby dictator" and a master of the annoying memo. While we certainly agree he is young at just 26 years of age, a dictator is stretching it. Afterall, isn't he just doing what BD Hotels tells him to? But since he is so proficient with the memos, we shall call him Baby Bill Lumbergh--"Did you get the memo?"
Britney Spears sure must be happy that she doesn't have to care for her kids no more because just after a judge ordered K-Fed full custody of Sean Preston and Jayden James, the spastic celeb headed to the Peninsula Hotel in Beverly Hills.
TMZ is reporting that Brit has checked in and plans to stay a while. Despite Britney being clothed in wacky attire, the hotel staff at the Peninsula gave the train wreck their full attention, with one guy running in after her to ensure she gets in ok.
Speaking of wacky attire, we stopped in the Peninsula the other week to check-out the spa and we arrived in what we thought were stylish sweats, at least for the spa. But we didn't realize that we had to walk through the main part of the hotel including a tea room to get to the elevators. And believe us, sweats were probably the worst thing we could wear. We wonder how the other stuffy guests will handle Britney's barely-there skirt?
Like most Peninsula Hotels stateside, the just opened Peninsula Tokyo is going to cost you about $500 a night. We found a twin bed room for next week for 57,000 JPY which converts to about $490 USD. We also found a room with a king-sized bed for September 14 that costs about $520. Yikes. So much for special introductory hotel opening rates.
So if you do splurge what can you expect in the rooms?
· Radio, weather panel and nail dryer (which Kitty Beyonce loves) · Bedside panel with remote control capabilities to adjust your environment with a touch of a button · Free WiFi (which we like) · Portable city-wide phones · Minimum 42" Pioneer plasma television · Nutrition Center with fully stocked mini-bar, coffee and tea making facilities · Mood lighting and a telephone with hands-free function in the bathroom.
The hotel also has an ESPA on site along with a swimming pool, three restaurants and a lobby bar.
As for the location, according to the hotel website the Peninsula is in the business district of Marunouchi, opposite the Imperial Palace and Hibiya Park and "within minutes' walk" of the shopping capital of Ginza. Although if you are paying those prices, we say have someone drive you around. Especially since the hotel is set to get some Rolls Royce Phantoms pretty soon.
Today's Page Six has a blind item about a naughty concierge at the Peninsula New York who was getting busy with a regular hotel guest. Unfortunately, sleeping with the guests, no matter how rich they are, is not allowed.
WHICH wealthy bachelor who was living at the Peninsula got a pretty concierge at the hotel fired when her bosses found out they were having an affair? He took his business across the street to the St. Regis, where they continued their trysts . . .
Um...we're pretty sure that concierge got the better end of the deal. Now she gets the wealthy bachelor AND she doesn't have to work.
We have no idea who this bachelor could be and we sorta don't care, but Bruce Willis has been known to indulge in a groping session here.
If you have your guesses--about either the bach or the concierge--send 'em our way.
We have spies all over the hotel industry who like to send various miscellaneous tips our way. Some of these are post-worthy, others are not much more than one sentence tid-bits. So here's the latest batch of whispers through the hotel grapevine.
