Tag: Secret Hotels
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Did We Stumble Upon A Secret Passageway At Millennium Biltmore LA?
We reported last month on the flurry of trendy new hotels coming to Downtown LA, but one place that's not likely ever to go out of style is the Millennium Biltmore Hotel, which opened back in 1923.
Located on Pershing Square, the hotel was designed by the same firm as the Waldorf-Astoria, and its richly-decorated interiors are appropriately over-the-top.
For example, Rendezvous Court (which originally functioned as the main lobby) was inspired by a Spanish cathedral, and features vaulted wood ceilings, Italian travertine stone walls, and a bronze double staircase. The impressive space was even featured on a recent episode of Glee!
Wandering through the hotel's opulent ballrooms (there are four total), we came across a bizarre feature in the Gold Room, a large banquet room that's divided into an upper and lower half by a semi-circular balustrade. And at the far end of the room, we noticed that a small door had been left ajar. Not one to pass up the opportunity to act out an Indiana Jones scene, we peeked inside and realized (to our delight) that we had discovered a secret passageway leading to another part of the hotel!
Secret Hotels / Panama Hotels / Private island Resorts / Luxury Resorts / Central America Hotels / → All Tags
Honeymooners Have Discovered Panama's Islas Secas Private Island Resort
It's no myth that backpackers are generally the ones who discover the most beautiful places in the world. Then the corporations get tipped off and hijack their sacred space. We're not siding with either group, but we can't help but think it's all about spreading the love. That should be the backpacker motto anyway, right?
At Islas Secas, an all-inclusive, private-island resort on the Atlantic Coast of Panama, it wasn't the satchel-on-a-stick variety that kept this resort an undiscovered haven...it was fishermen. It turns out the big draw in this region is big-game fishing, primarily with renown fisherman Carter Andrews.
Hardcore fishermen would take the flight to Panama City, a following regional flight then boat ride to arrive here. The commute is only a reflection of the resort's allure, and it only took time for honeymooners to catch this wave (and the resort to happily cater to them).
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Is There a Secret Elevator To The Men's Room at the London NYC?
When we walked through a door marked "GENTS W.C." last week, we anticipated a few things. Gleaming faucets. Those extra fluffy hotel-branded paper towelettes. A toilet. Instead, what we found was...an elevator? On the mezzanine floor of the London NYC, it seems the gents have to traverse a separate service elevator area in order to reach the public bathrooms, which are located directly above the check-in area.
For building workers who are in the know, this is excellent news. What could be handier than an elevator that opens directly onto the men's room? For those of us exploring the hotel for the first time (on a rainy afternoon, we enjoy nothing more), we found the layout slightly disorienting. Here's a step-by-step guide to actually finding the W.C. behind the W.C. sign.
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Travelocity Joins the 'Secret Hotels' Pack
Selling "secret hotels" and holding "private sales" have been all the rage in the first few months of 2010 as options for finding a hotel room for less. So far we've got Jetsetter, Tablet Hotels, Kayak and Quikbook. Now we can add in Travelocity to the mix.
Michelle Higgins at the NY Times reports that Travelocity has unveiled its own Top Secret Hotels that are up to 45 percent off the rack rate.
It works very much like Hotwire's blind booking operations in that you don't know the hotel but you do know the location, a few amenities, a star rating and the price. After you pay, the hotel's name will be revealed.
