Tag: Reality TV Hotels
View All TagsReality TV Hotels / The Layover / Celebrity Chefs / Anthony Bourdain / Toronto Hotels / Canada Hotels / TV Set Hotels / Sex Hotels / Trendy Hotels / Baseball Hotels / Ritz-Carlton Hotels / → All Tags
It's Classic Over Carefree for Anthony Bourdain in "The Layover" Toronto
Anthony Bourdain is back for another season of “The Layover”, and we like it because he names the hotels in the cities where he'll be spending his precious time. We figure, he won't be laying his salt-and-pepper head just anywhere, after all, he's big time now.
So, for entertainment and a dose of travel value, we’ll give you some details on the properties he picks, just in case you find yourself looking for a place to stay in a city that’s sanctioned by this travel personality/chef.
Layover Hotel Episode 5:The Ritz-Carlton, Toronto: This advice from Bourdain: "If you're traveling for work and want to stick your accounting department with unpaid bills for your swank accommodation, you should probably stay at the excellent Ritz-Carlton." He goes on to big up their comfortable beds and ability to get "a good steak" on the premises. Top praise for this hotel located in the middle of the city's financial district that also commands top rates beginning at 545 CAD ($543) in the dead of winter.
Marriott Hotels / Hotel News / Reality TV Hotels / Hotel TV Shows / → All Tags
Get Ready, CNBC Is Taking Us 'Behind Closed Doors' At Marriott Tonight
We gotta admit, we're both excited and relieved about the hour-long special airing tonight on CNBC, called Behind Closed Doors At Marriott. Excited because, well...hello! We're hotel geeks, so a hotel documentary is like winning the TV jackpot. And relieved, because maybe our obsession with hotels isn't as obscure as we once thought.
Marriott has always fascinated us, just because of how freakin' huge they are. Arguably the largest international hotel chain on earth, the company owns not five, not ten, but eighteen distinct brands, from Ritz-Carlton to Renaissance to Autograph Collection to Courtyard by Marriott...the list goes on.
Running a mega empire like that can't be easy, which is likely what inspired CNBC to produce this doc in the first place. And judging from the two-minute teaser clip, reporter Scott Wapner certainly seems to have done his homework...
Focusing on Marriott's legacy as "an American nameplate" that has "played it safe while also taking huge, calculated risks," Wapner will be showing scenes from various Marriott properties around the world. Like the 1,400-room Marriott New Orleans, and its kitchen that generated over $300,000 in revenue on the day Wapner visited. Or the interview with a Marriott executive explaining "the strange science of hotel pricing."
Apparently, the exec told Wapner, "If there’s money that we missed on the table, it hurts me. I feel physical pain." Well, we think we'll feel physical pain if we miss this totally nerdy but awesome documentary!
Reality TV Hotels / The Layover / Celebrity Chefs / Anthony Bourdain / Brazil Hotels / Sao Paolo Hotels / Theme Hotels / TV Set Hotels / → All Tags
Lonely Anthony Bourdain Tries Out A Love Hotel in São Paolo
Anthony Bourdain is back for another season of “The Layover”, and we like it because he names the hotels in the cities where he'll be spending his precious time. So, for entertainment and a dose of travel value, we'll give you some deets on the properties he picks, just in case you find yourself looking for a place to stay in a city sanctioned by this travel personality/chef.
Layover Hotel Episode 4: Censiv Motel: "Is there anything more lonely and twisted than checking into a love hotel alone?" That's the question Bourdain asks about São Paolo's Censiv Motel, known as one of the city's most popular "love motels". You know the place--a no tell, motel where you stay for a night, or just a few hours.
Perfect for a layover of any sort, really.
Celebrity Scoop / Reality TV Hotels / British West Indies / Anguilla Hotels / TV Set Hotels / Hotel Snapshot / Caribbean Hotels / Resort Hotels / → All Tags
The Real Housewives of Atlanta Have Been Set Loose On Anguilla
Where: Anguilla
Anybody catch last night's Real Housewives of Atlanta on Bravo? If so, you might have noticed the gals were far, far away from their Georgia digs, and kicking back at a luxury resort in the British West Indies.
Ani Villas in picturesque Anguilla was the stunning backdrop to last night's drama-packed episode. The luxury property is all private butlers, private chefs, and private speedboat transfers from the St. Martin airport. Name any amenity required for a luxury getaway, and they've got it.
But this is reality TV, so the minute the Hurricane Housewives touched down in the tropical paradise, the drama began to unfold.
Reality TV Hotels / The Layover / Celebrity Chefs / Anthony Bourdain / Four Seasons Hotels / Philadelphia Hotels / → All Tags
Anthony Bourdain Chooses Luxe vs. Cheaper Hotels For "The Layover" Philly
Anthony Bourdain is back for another season of “The Layover”, and we like it because he names the hotels in the cities where he'll be spending his precious time. We figure, he won't be laying his salt-and-pepper head just anywhere, after all, he's big time now.
So, for entertainment and a dose of travel value, we’ll give you some details on the properties he picks, just in case you find yourself looking for a place to stay in a city that’s sanctioned by this travel personality/chef.
Layover Hotel Episode 3: Four Seasons Philadelphia
Once again Bourdain hits the same brand that he stayed in Chicago, this time saying "I'm staying at the Four Seasons on Logan Square, because that's the way I roll, and the service is impeccable." And at $449 a night, it should be. Indeed, we've mentioned this hotel's lovely courtyard (a city rarity) in the past, and attention to detail from tiny tots to pet perks, so we can't blame him for bedding downn there. It's a no-brainer, really. Perhaps he wasn't in town when the new Kimpton opened--a shame since this episode was all about discovering the "new" Philadelphia. After all, Bourdain immediately announced in the beginning of the episode "there will be no cheesesteak in this show."
Reality TV Hotels / Celebrity Chefs / Anthony Bourdain / Four Seasons Hotels / Chicago Hotels / Paris Hotels / → All Tags
The Good and Bad on Bourdain's "Layover" Hotels
So, for entertainment and a dose of travel value, we’ll give you some details on the properties he picks, just in case you find yourself looking for a place to stay in a city that’s sanctioned by this travel personality/chef.
Layover Hotel Episode 1: Four Seasons Chicago:
If this isn’t an endorsement, we don’t what is. Bourdain says, "this hotel is swank as all get out. The industry gold standard in big ass, comfortable beds. I'm staying at the Four Seasons [bleep]!"
Haunted Hotels / Reality TV Hotels / Reality TV Shows / California Hotels / → All Tags
Long Island "Medium" Sees Kiddie Ghosts in Cali Hotel
For some strange reason we are kind of hooked on the new TLC show, Long Island Medium. And with this latest episode, we can now pass off our viewing as "work related".
This is a series about a woman named Theresa Caputo from Long Island (duh!) who is a psychic "medium", meaning she communicates with people from the afterlife. People call her in to get closure from family and friends who have passed away. Or they just want her to remove bad "juju" from their businesses. This is why we were so interested when an episode lead her to the The Padre Hotel in Bakersfield, California. She was only there to crash for the night, wasn't summoned by the hotel at all, and yet somehow, "Spirit" got to her. And our psychic Caputo doesn't keep quiet when these things happen (or is she quiet about anything, really), so that's when things got bananas.
Turns out, this "spirit" is a child--one of a few--that died in a tragic fire at the Padre Hotel, which was built in 1928. it's also been the site of several suicides. This girl had a lot to say to Caputo, who apparently took notes on a writing pad while half sleep--notes she maintains are in a handwriting not her own. This is creepy, and it's not even Halloween yet! Here's a bit of Long Island Medium in action.
Reality TV Hotels / Travel Channel / Samantha Brown / Adam Richman / Bert Kreischer / Anthony Melchiorri / Croatia Hotels / → All Tags
Samantha Brown and Anthony Melchiorri Pack Their Bags for Adriatic Hotels
Melchiorri filming 'Hotel Impossible'
Well, it's time for Croatia hotels to have their moment in the sun. Oh—they're already having that moment now, you say? Doesn't the Travel Channel know it, as they've just announced a huge one-hour special on the region to air in January, 2013. Called "Trip of a Lifetime," the show will take its big budget and big Travel Channel stars (including Bert Kreischer, Anthony Melchiorri and Adam Richman) to both Italy and Croatia to "...reveal the most incredible and undiscovered food, fun and hotels throughout this over-the-top vacation."
The show will be hosted by Samantha Brown, so we can definitely expect a healthy focus on those hotels most dripping with amenities. And now we know what these Travel Channel faces have planned for their late autumn: a romp around the Adriatic. Why the Adriatic? As the press release puts it, it's "up and coming":
Reality TV Hotels / Breaking Amish The Show / Hotel News / Hyatt Hotels / Manhattan Hotels / → All Tags
"Breaking Amish" Cast Bewildered by Hyatt 48 Lex
This room at the Hyatt 48 Lex is a standard set-up to some, a perplexing puzzle to others.
TLC’s new series Breaking Amish follows Rebecca a 20-year old Amish girl from Punxsutawney, PA and four other young Amish and Mennonites who have left their homes to live together in a Manhattan hotel—the Hyatt 48 Lex to be exact. This show can only be described as Real World:Amish Style, but instead of an enormous mansion, the five people are put into two rooms.
While the two guys are pretty comfy in their double bed set up, it gets a little tight for the three girls sharing one room. Look at that, seems like gender inequality is already rearing its ugly head!
But the hotel highlights are amusing although research has unveiled this is probably one of the most disingenuous shows out there. We've learned this gang of five--Rebecca, Sabrina, Kate, Abe, and Jeremiah--aren't as innocent as they're portrayed. Which makes it us now doubt these suprises they encounter from the beginning of their arrival. However, for entertainment purposes, we'll list 'em anyway.
*Poor Kate, a 20-year old bishop’s daughter from Lebanon, PA, doesn’t how to use her hotel key in the elevator to get upstairs. After a bit of nervous laughter (and some help from the front desk) she does eventually manage to reach the third floor.
Hotel Hell The Show / Sweet Suites / San Diego Hotels / Gordon Ramsay / Hotel Design / Reality TV Hotels / → All Tags
Would You Pay $1,099 To Sleep In The Keating's Gordon Ramsay Suite?
So, by now we all know the deal with the Keating Hotel, right? San Diego's "all flash no cash" hotel whose owner was genuinely more interested in things like Bang & Olufsen flat screens and espresso makers than actual comfortable rooms.
Well, that all changed with Gordon Ramsay's highly-publicized visit back in December to shoot a recently-aired episode of Hotel Hell. Since then, the menu has been simplified, the GM is no longer doing laundry (hooray, Sandra!), and, most importantly, the room service has been tightened up.
But there's one other thing. Remember back when we heard about Gordon designing one of the suites at the Keating? Well, the 2-room Victory Suite is now available for booking—at a staggering $1,099/night. So is it worth the cash?
HotelTonight / Dream Hotels / Manhattan Hotels / Vikram Chatwal Hotels / Reality TV Hotels / → All Tags
We Got a "Dream" of a Deal With Hotel Tonight
We know, we’ve kind of been obsessed with HotelTonight lately, but we promise it’s for the greater good of all! Call us the Rebels of Hotel Rates, but there’s just something about getting kick-ass deals on normally outside-your-budget hotels.
Case in point: Last Thursday we needed to stay in New York City for a night but weren’t sure what hotel rates would be. Rock bottom because of the impending Labor Day weekend, or sky high because of just that? That morning we checked the usual suspects, Quikbook, SniqueAway, and Jetsetter and everything seemed to be around $250 a night and more. ‘Not bad, for NYC!’ you might think. Well, we just didn’t/couldn’t/wouldn’t PAY those rates. Something in our gut told us things would get better if we just waited until noon.
When the clock struck 12, we opened our Hotel Tonight app and the gold was there. Dream New York for $155 a night! . With a rate that's been more than $269, we knew we had a winner.
Hotel Hell The Show / Gordon Ramsay / Hotel Woes / Reality TV Hotels / → All Tags
Gordon Ramsay Takes On Two Hotels, A Failing Marriage, And Bed Stains
Hotel Hell's two-hour season finale aired last night (don't worry! FOX has already picked up the series for a second season), and just as we've seen before, Gordon is faced with a few fumbling idiot hotel owners who don't know the first thing about running a hotel. It's enough to make us, nitpicking hotel geeks that we are, want to crawl into a hole and not come out until the train wreck is out of sight.
But in the interest of quality TV, we get to sit and watch as Ramsay and his team dissect with excruciating persistence each and every flaw that owners have either overlooked, let slide, or, in certain cases, been too busy dressing up like Sherlock Holmes to notice anything was wrong in the first place.
During last night's double episode, Gordon shows up at two separate places: first, the River Rock Inn in Milford, PA, where the first thing Gordon notices upon entering is a cockroach welcoming committee in the bathroom. Yuck. The second stop is The Roosevelt Inn in Coeur D'Alene, ID, an old schoolhouse that's been taken over by a Sherlock Holmes impersonator and his miserable wife. But it turns out what they need isn't just a fresh coat of paint and some new furniture—by the end of the episode, we get to see Gordon playing the part of marriage counselor. And, from the looks of it, succeeding! We're left wondering, Is there anything he can't do?
