Tag: Radisson Blu Hotels

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Best Hotel Scene of 2011: Chicago Is Having a Bit of a Hotel Renaissance

December 30, 2011 at 3:35 PM | by | Comments (0)

It's what you've been waiting all year for--The 2011 HotelChatter Awards! We'll be bringing you the best and worst of the year all day today and part of tomorrow. Agree or disagree with our picks? Air your thoughts in the comments below.

This year marked the introduction of not one but three major hotel brands to the good ol' US of A. And the midwestern city they all chose as a launching pad? Why, Chicago! Where else?

After Radisson Blu Aqua Chicago and Public Chicago opened literally within a month of each other, we then got sideblinded by the news that, when it debuts in 2013, Virgin Hotels' first location will be Chicago (specifically, in the North Loop, next to The Wit and Trump Chicago). We wondered for a minute whether this had been Virgin's plan all along, or if they simply got wind of the burgeoning hotel scene going on in Chicago right now, and decided to forgo the coastal cities like New York and LA.

Either way, we see this as the city to watch in 2012, and we can hardly wait for 2013 to come so we can get inside the world's first Virgin Hotel. Until then, however, there will be plenty going on in this city—we're looking at you, Waldorf-Astoria and JDV!—to keep us distracted.

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Inside and All Around the Four Seasons Resort Costa Rica

Go To The Hotel's Web Site Where: Peninsula Papagayo, Guanacaste, Costa Rica
November 22, 2011 at 5:50 PM | by | Comment (1)

Less than an hour's drive from the little Liberia Airport near Costa Rica's west coast sits the exotic oasis of the Peninsula Papagayo. It is an exclusive area, mostly dedicated to upscale resorts, vacation condos and the pristine beaches they face. Alas, there's also an Arnold Palmer golf course in the middle of the action, owned and operated by the Four Seasons Resort Costa Rica.

What this means is the area is extraordinarily lush; just a drive down the hill to the entrance of the resort yielded us surprise spottings of white-faced monkeys, howler monkeys, a family of Coatis (omg baby Coatis!), and an iguana here and there. Once you've entered the lobby and checked in, however, the Four Seasons is a definite playground for more than just its natural environment.

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Radisson Blu's Little Bathroom Lesson

November 11, 2011 at 4:40 PM | by | Comments (0)


View the image larger here

Perhaps this would be a perfect item for our What Is This? series, but we're going to go ahead and tell you anyways. This is something you will find in the bathroom of the rooms at the freshly opened Radisson Blu Chicago, next to the sink. It is without a purpose other than to remind you of the many international locations of other Radisson Blu hotels and resorts, but you'll have to first lift the toiletries to even see it.

It's a weird little addition to the room, but needed as many Chicagoans (and Americans who don't frequent hotels overseas) are saying "what's a Radisson Blu?"

More than likely you'll have the same reaction to it we did. It went a little something like this: "Baku. Aalborg. Sochi. Paris Disneyland. All these and yet they're just now getting around to the United States?!"

[Photo: HotelChatter]

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A Somewhat Secret $9 Room Upgrade at the Radisson Blu Aqua Chicago

Go To The Hotel's Web Site Where: 221 North Columbus Drive [map], Chicago, IL, United States, 60601
November 7, 2011 at 5:15 PM | by | Comments (2)

If all our stories on the US' very first Radisson Blu has you plotting a stay, you may want to remember this little upgrading trick for the future.

When we booked our City View King for a total of $287 on the hotel website, all was normal. Then we received the confirmation email, with a tempting little red notice that upgrade options were available, from only $9. After your room purchase is complete, Radisson would like to sap a few extra dollars (like $9 for the chance at a one-category upgrade or $39 for an 11am early check-in) from your wallet.

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Radisson Blu Peekaboo: The New Chicago Hotel Has a Running Track, Billiards Room

Go To The Hotel's Web Site Where: 221 North Columbus Drive [map], Chicago, IL, United States, 60601
November 4, 2011 at 3:33 PM | by | Comments (0)


The Aqua wall and weights just inside the gym entrance

Happy Friday! We've spent most of this week filling you in on everything from the beds and balconies to the design details of the just-opened Radisson Blu Aqua Chicago, but there's one huge area we've saved for last: the massive fitness center, outdoor activity deck and two pools.

The reason for these extra amenities and the large gym is the fact that the Aqua Tower is also a condominium. Want to live above the Radisson Blu hotel? You can, and if you do, you'll need more than a typically small hotel-size gym. Thus the fitness center is 8,000 square feet with new machines, stretching areas and floor-to-ceiling windows. Inside it is also what we'd consider one of the coolest "secret" amenities of the hotel: a basketball half-court.

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Paper Lamps and a Secret Art Gallery at the Radisson Blu Chicago

Go To The Hotel's Web Site Where: 221 North Columbus Drive [map], Chicago, IL, United States, 60601
November 3, 2011 at 5:59 PM | by | Comments (3)

Welcome to our newest new feature, Design Thursdays! Thursdays are now our day to focus on hotel design through photo tours, video walkthroughs and interviews with hotel designers. Got a cool hotel design story we should know about? Let us know.

Now that the United States finally has its first Radisson Blu hotel—the Radisson Blu Aqua Chicago—what kind of awesome modern design details can you expect to find when checking in?

To check out all the nooks and crannies of the room, see our previous story, photo gallery and video here, but if you're more interested in the lobby, bar, restaurant and art gallery, you're in the right place. Yes—we said art gallery!

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Inside the Radisson Blu Aqua Chicago, the First Radisson Blu in the United States

Go To The Hotel's Web Site Where: 221 North Columbus Drive [map], Chicago, IL, United States, 60601
November 2, 2011 at 4:58 PM | by | Comments (0)

Guess what? The United States finally has a Radisson Blu hotel, and it's in Chicago in an architecturally striking building named the Aqua Tower. This very first Radisson Blu on US soil only opened to paying guests last night—November 1—and since we just happened to be in Chicago enjoying the fall foliage, we also spent the night to enjoy some of that "new hotel smell."

Booking directly on the hotel website we paid $287 total for the lowest category room, a "City View" with a king bed. So what did we think of room 720?

For photos and video of the Radisson Blu Aqua Chicago, keep reading!

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We've Been So Busy in Public, We Nearly Forgot About The Radisson Blu Aqua

Go To The Hotel's Web Site Where: 221 N. Columbus Drive [map], Chicago, IL, United States, 60601
September 19, 2011 at 9:00 AM | by | Comments (0)

While we've been dying over the just opened Public Chicago, we can't forget that another amazing new hotel brand will grace the Windy City very soon--The Radisson Blu Aqua, the very first Radisson Blu hotel for the U.S.

A rep for the hotel sent us some renderings of the hotel's public spaces as well as guestroom shot. Rooms are available on opening night--October 31, Halloween for $211 and that includes free WiFi. We'll have more on the Radisson razzmazztazz later this week but for now, sit back and enjoy the pics!

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We've Got Goosebumps: Radisson Blu Chicago Will Open on Halloween at $169 a Night

Go To The Hotel's Web Site Where: 221 N. Columbus Drive [map], Chicago, IL, United States, 60601
July 8, 2011 at 9:30 AM | by | Comments (0)

Just last week we told you what was gonna be going inside the very first Radisson Blu Hotel in the U.S.--The Radisson Blu Aqua Chicago but we weren't able to tell you an opening date. That is, until now.

The Radisson Blu Aqua is now taking reservations for October 31st. Yes, Halloween. Spooky and exciting!

For opening day, rates start at $169 for a city-view king and go through $2,199 for the Aqua Suite, which offers 1,723 square feet of living space and lots of VIP amenities. No matter which room you choose, you'll get one of the best perks: free WiFi. Oh and for the hotel toiletry-obsessed, there will be Anne Semonin products in the bath.

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We've Got the Skinny on the Not-Yet-Opened Radisson Blu Chicago

Go To The Hotel's Web Site Where: 221 N. Columbus Drive [map], Chicago, IL, United States, 60601
June 29, 2011 at 9:15 AM | by | Comments (2)

Ian Schrager's soon-to-open Public Hotel has been dominating the hotel news in Chicago, but we wanted to follow up on another highly anticipated Chi-Town debut, the Radisson Blu. Blu's U.S. premiere is a pretty big deal for the only-in-Europe brand.

Now formally called the Radisson Blu Aqua Hotel Chicago, the hotel is still scheduled for a late 2011 opening. Don't be fooled by the booking function on the Radisson Blu website; the hotel isn't yet available for reservations.

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Fancy Seeing You Here, Mr. Scuba Diver

Go To The Hotel's Web Site Where: Berlin, Germany
May 19, 2011 at 5:41 PM | by | Comments (0)

We've written about the outstanding AquaDom at the Radisson Blu Berlin before but this snapshot of a scuba diver inside the cylindrical aquarium (the largest in the world) kinda cracks us up.

He looks like one of those fake diver dolls you drop in your home aquarium! Except this diver is doing some hard work--scrubbing clean the aquarium which houses tropical fish. Meanwhile, guests who want to go inside the aquarium will have to settle for riding up the elevator through the middle of the cylinder.

The aquarium is run by SeaLife Berlin next door which operates the elevator ride as well but hotel guests can get a special discount on admission--adult tickets are 11,50€ compared with 16,95€. Room rates at the Radisson, which come with free WiFi, start at 225€ a night.

[Photo: CorinnaWitt/HotelChatter Flickr Pool]

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Inside the Radisson Blu Le Metropolitan Paris

Go To The Hotel's Web Site Where: 10 Place De Mexico, Paris , Ile de France , France, 75016
March 7, 2011 at 10:31 AM | by | Comments (2)

Most of our recent stories on Radisson Blu have had us all a-twitter at the thought of a new location at the Mall of America, but on a recent trip to Paris, we got the chance to stay at one of the chain’s first properties we told you about, the Radisson Blu Le Metropolitan, and here’s our inside look at the rooms, including one of our signature photo galleries and video walk-throughs:

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