Yesterday, we got a little heated when discussing the audacity of The Plaza to charge $755 and up for its rooms and to tack on a $14.95 WiFi charge.
We've cooled down a bit today but not much.
Here's a snapshot that Ryan Charles added to the HotelChatter Flickr Pool of a double bed room. It's a lovely shot but we still don't think it's we can cough up the money for it.
Thanks to a tipster in the Northeast we were able to see some construction shots of
Aloft Lexington in Massachusetts, which is scheduled to be the very first Aloft hotel to open later this summer.
And since the sister brand Element Hotel is going up next to Aloft, we were able to get a report on that as well.
Freezing tipster writes:
Went by aloft / element in Lexington MA recently. tons of workers -- the two properties are right next to each other right off 128 South (think Sand Hill Road in Silicon Valley if you are west coast based). nice to see the construction site was very active and crowded -- should be able to open by the July 1 2008 target date. Not much done inside, but the outside is coming together.
One more picture of the Aloft/Element tag team duo after the jump.
We haven't checked in with our favorite Crazy Hotel Workers for a while, but now along with their blog they've got a website and a bunch of merchandise. But it's still the blog we love the best: recent entries feature guests like the Blonde Marlboro-Scented Wannabe Stripper Girl, those who demand the manager special or pretend to be AAA members when they're not, and a guest nicknamed the Dog Whistler who, yep, whistles to get the attention of the hotel staff.
If you know your own crazy hotel worker, then check their merchandise page for some cool stuff. Our favorite is the Crazy Hotel Workers key chain, which comes with your choice of "room number" between 1 and 150. For $5 it's a nice way to remind everyone that it really must drive you crazy to work in a hotel. We're definitely much happier just being guests, and we are striving to not be written up in the Crazy Hotel Workers blog!
This is a snapshot that HotelChatter reader Michael, yes he goes by only one name, grabbed for us from the Morgans Hotel Group website featuring a refurbished room at the Mondrian Hotel Los Angeles which as we all know, had a very bad year last year.
But these new rooms have have a touch of fantastical. Check out that crazy mirror and the orange "holder." And you can't beat new furniture not covered in Britney Spears' vomit.
Yet while we knew the hotel would be getting some botox, when we clicked the visual tour on the website, we didn't see any pics of these new rooms. Nor do they mention the refurbishment anywhere on the website. So we don't know if all the rooms or done or just some of them.
Anyone out there know what's going on? Let us know.
In other news: · Marriott's Ritz Carlton loses lawsuit vs developer over proximity of Bulgari resort [WSJ]
· A hotel stay in Moracco isn't as expensive as you may think and comes with amenities galore [NYTimes]
· $700 million gaming resort to be moved and rebuilt on former Concord Resort property in Catskills [Newsday]
· 1,200 luxury hotel rooms to be built as part of $2 billion development right in the center of dirty jerz - Elizabeth, home of oil refineries and Newark Airport (hey - I live in NJ, I'm allowed to say it) [GlobeSt]
· Marriott now offers "Organic" flowers for meetings and events at some Marriott and Renaissance properties in America [PRNewswire]
Mrs. Limestone dropped this photo of a room at the Waldorf Hilton in London into the HotelChatter Flickr Pool describing it as "small but nicely done." Indeedy that looks pretty cramped but we are liking the interesting light fixture. Still you don't get much room for your money. Rates start at around $465.
In other news: · One blogger videos the ballroom at the Alexandria Hotel in Downtown LA which is in desperate need of a renovation. We concur![MY Downtown Los Angeles] · Sunday School, not the kind you went to when you were a kid, is happening at the Marseilles Hotel in SoBe [Cool Junkie] · Paris Hilton sluts up the Libery Hotel in Boston which ironically was a former jail. [Celeb Ego] · Ed Perkins on the best budget hotels. [Smarter Travel] · W Hungtington Beach to open in 2010 [4Hoteliers]
The Beatles-Themed Hard Days Night Hotel opened last week and thanks to Stefano at Epoque Hotels, we were able to get our hands on some great snapshots by of the hotel's rooms, suites and public areas.
Just check out this killer shot of the John Lennon Suite which comes complete with a white piano. While the Times UK reviewer had some issues with the public spaces, you can't say this hotel won't make a Beatles fan very happy.
The Marrakech hotel first opened in 1922 but in 2001 the rooms got a complete upgrade thus "combining a true Moroccan ambiance with every 21st-century convenience."
However, that wasn't enough. The hotel closed down in July 2006 for a major renovation. Judging from some recent reviews it looks like the facelift was very necessary. The hotel will reopen sometime this year.
While we were showing off our mini-hotel guide to Brussels, the TheNotoriousMEG was dropping off shots of her stay at the Sheraton Brussels in the HotelChatter Flickr Pool. While she has plenty of shots of the suite, we liked this snapshot of the bathroom. You gotta love those antiquated European hair-dryer systems.
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by juliana
