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Tags: Hotel Safety / Historic Spanish Hotels / Spain Hotels / Paradores / → All Tags
Where is The Cleanest Hotel in The World?
Health and safety not top of the list when you’re deciding on a hotel? Us neither, though spending the past four days laid low with a stomach bug in Egypt has made us think twice.
Luckily for hygiene freaks and the walking wounded, H&S hotel experts Check Safety First have produced a list of the most hygienic hotels in the 10 countries they work in – from the Czech Republic and Germany to Mexico and the Dominican Republic.
Topping the list is the Hostal de los Reyes Católicos Parador in Santiago de Compostela. Apparently it has “clearly shown its commitment to the well-being of its guests”. Perhaps that’s because it’s had over 500 years to practice customer service.
Hygiene and history will cost you, mind – rooms start at €231 ($345), although if you’re under 35 you can bag a room for a relatively teeny €110 ($164) with the Young Persons Getaway offer.
Tags: Hotel Openings / W Hotels / Starwood Hotels / Hotel Hype / Barcelona Hotels / Spain Hotels / Hotel Opening Rates / → All Tags
The W Barcelona is Open Tonight But The Weekend is Booked
Temperature: 77 degrees. Weather: partly cloudy. Time: to check in to the W Barcelona.
Western Europe’s first W, and the snazzily-numbered 33rd in the world, has opened its doors today. The Bliss therapists are unwinding tense muscles right now, the Eclipse staff are girding cocktail glasses with sugar, and the head honchos must be breathing a big sigh of relief that its third predicted opening date has finally come through. And right now, that pool must be looking a little less peaceful.
Tags: Snapshot / Hotel Amenities / Spain Hotels / → All Tags
Hotel Amara Plaza Tells You To Keep Your Stuff In Check
Um, we're not quite sure what the purpose of this special little card from the Hotel Amara Plaza San Sebastian in Spain is, really — but the photographer, gruntzooki, didn't seem too sure either — he titled this pic (appropriately) "inexplicable card advising of correct luggage storage."
Um, why is this here? Is this like, a thing in Spain? Or does the hotel just want you to keep your room neat and tidy? You know, so the housekeeping staffers don't trip and fall and hurt themselves while they're trying to clean up?
We dunno about this. Some of us here at HC like to open our suitcase upon arrival, rifle through it to get what we need, decide we aren't in the hotel long enough to make unpacking "worth it" — and so we allow our bag to look like it exploded all over the room and we sort of leave it that way.
But we guess we'd have to change our ways and keep it confined to the closet. The horror.
[Photo: gruntzooki]
Tags: Hotel Bars / Barcelona Hotels / Spain Hotels / → All Tags
Sexy New Bar For Barcelona's Hotel Arts (But It's a Wait)
Feel like a drink right now? We feel your pain. And looking at these pictures of the new bar at the Hotel Arts in Barcelona, we know where we’d like to be sinking ours. Specifically, our glass of bubbly.
Sexy sofas? Check. Sexy slats so we can sneak looks at our fellow drinkers? Check. Serious drinks list? Double check: there are 40 types of champers to choose from here.
Unfortunately, it doesn’t open till October. Pretty canny to release the pictures now — we’ll be gagging for it when it finally opens. Until then, we’ll be saving our pennies: rooms at the Arts are pretty steep (October prices start at 295 Euros, or $419, so we ain’t got high hopes for the affordability of this place).
Tags: Killer View / Beach Hotels / Spain Hotels / → All Tags
A Room Con Vista al Océano in Spain
We are suckers for a room with a killer view. We find that we are even more likely to forgive some minor hotel inconveniences if we can stare out the window at something pretty--yeah we are that shallow. Let's help out our fellow hotel mavens by uploading rooms with killer views to the HotelChatter/Flickr photo pool, or by sending the photo along to us. We will feature our favorites in this space from time to time. Remember to tell us the name of the hotel and the room number of the hot view.
This reminds us of the sort of photo that makes us un-friend certain people on Facebook when they post photos from their wonderful, amazing honeymoons while we're stuck at our desks in a cold, windy city somewhere else. Still, suffice it to say that we're happy this place actually exists and we may get to go here someday.
This is a shot from the terrace of a room at the Hotel Cala Fornells on the coast of the Spanish island of Mallorca. The capital of Mallorca, Palma, lies 20 kilometres away from the hotel (which is the location of the airport you'd fly into to get to this hotel) — so it's definitely a peaceful, beachy retreat ideal for romantic vacays or beach getaways.
If you're interested in spending any time indoors, the 94 rooms here were renovated in 2005 and rates start around only $140 USD per night.
[Photo: MistyAndDavid]
Tags: Hotel News Briefs / Hotel Woes / Edition Hotels / Brooklyn Hotels / Spain Hotels / → All Tags
Are Brad and Angelina the Only People Who Can Afford To Travel These Days?
There's tons of hotel news flying around this week and we don't have time to give each and every story the love and attention it may deserve, so you will have to settle for some news briefs.
· Travel CEOs Talk Back to the Economy: Big honchos at hotels and booking sites are mad as hell about how the economy is affecting travel and warn against "travel boycotts." This we totally get. As a travel blog we want folks to keep on exploring! But if you've been laid-off, is it really prudent to take a vacation? Similarly, if you've just been bailed out by the American people is it really prudent to send your employees on an all-expense paid trip to a five-star resort? And out of curiosity, is Brangelina hiring for a new nanny? [Reuters]
· What Happens When Britons Stop Visiting Spain: Some of you have complained about vacationing in Spain only to find the beaches and bars were packed with Brits but those lovable wankers are a very important lifeline to the country's economy. [Reuters]
· Hotels Don't Grow in Brooklyn: We had high hopes for Brooklyn's burgeoning hotel scene but the economy has effectively smacked down that hotel dream. [Curbed]
· Wishin' on Edition: We're hearing rumblings that the DC Edition is not looking very likely at all. Thanks economy! Thanks for making us wait even longer for the Marriott-Schrager lovechild. Is nothing reliable in this world?
· Finally, Some Good News!: Drug charges against Lil Wayne stemming from an arrest at the Twelve Hotel in Atlanta have been dismissed! [Hollyscoop]
Tags: Hotel Spas / Hotel Deals / Spain hotels / Marbella hotels / Ritz-Carlton hotels / → All Tags
Head to Marbella for Hotel Spa Happy Hour
There’s nothing like knocking prices down for the extras at hotels to make us feel better about spending money about going there in the first place. The Landmark Hotel spa in London is doing a roaring trade at the moment, what with it offering 20% off all treatments. Now the Hotel Villa Padierna, just outside Marbella (paradise for footballers and their wannabe wives) is running a “happy hour” at their spa.
It’s a bit more expensive than your usual happy hour – two 25 minute treatments for €75 ($96). But then you’re getting more than a watered down cocktail – treatments include reflexology, facials and full body salt scrubs.
The downside? Happy hours are only Monday through Friday, 12-5pm, which cuts out the weekend breakers. Still, that shouldn’t be a problem if you’re a proper WAG...
Tags: Budget Hotels / Spain Hotels / Chic-Basic Hotels / Gat Hotels / Room Mate Hotels / → All Tags
Small, Cheap and Hip in Spain
Think Spain, think hip and think ultra-modern, but without a too-distressing price tag, and you’ve got what some are saying is a revolution of hotel mini-chains across cities like Barcelona and Madrid.
A cross somewhere between boutique hotels and budget hostels, we’re talking places like the two Gat hotels in Barcelona; Matt Gross gave the the Gat Raval kudos a couple of years back but the Gat Xino goes one step up by skipping the shared bathrooms, and gets more love than the Raval. Although you should be warned that even the Gat manager says herself that “Gat is not for people who like to spend a lot of time in their rooms." Gulp.
Tags: Gwyneth Paltrow / Mario Batali / TV Set Hotels / Paradores / Spain Hotels / → All Tags
Staying in Spain :: Batali-Paltrow Style
This fall, PBS will debut the series "Spain... On the Road Again," based on an enviable Spanish road trip taken by Mario Batali, Gwyneth Paltrow, New York Times food writer Mark Bittman and Spanish actress Claudia Bassois.
We're jealous of this trip for many reasons (as well as Gwynnie's command of Spanish), but mostly because, according to Food and Wine, the famous foursome stayed at a handful of paradores--churches, palaces and monasteries converted into hotels by the government--including the nearly-impossible-to-get-into Parador de Granada.
Tags: Intercontinental Hotels / Spain Hotels / Luxury Hotels / Murcia Hotels / → All Tags
Spanish Hotels Need Your Help!
Word on the street is that hotel stays in Spain are on the decline and since tourism happens to be the country's second-largest economy driver, according to Reuters, why not help a hermano out by booking a room? Here, we've even selected one for you...
We've never heard of or been to Murcia, a city on the eastern coast of Spain, far, far, away from the tourist attractions of Madrid and Barcelona, but what the small city lacks in sightseeing, the InterContinental Mar Menor Golf Resort & Spa makes up for.
The hotel has a nine-hole golf course, an ESPA spa, two pools, a kids club and six restaurants. All rooms have balconies with views of the golf course or pool area, not to mention hydro-massage baths cased in Moorish-style latticed wooden doors.
And, people just love this hotel. One past guest said, "It's great--and at 200-300 euro per night--it's probably the cheapest Intercontinental anywhere."
Have we convinced you yet? Because Spain's economy is waiting for your dollar, no matter how weak it is.
[Photo: CNam]
Tags: Marbella Hotels / Budget Hotels / Spain Hotels / → All Tags
Where to Stay in Marbella Without Breaking the Bank
In an expensive town like Marbella, a good deal can be hard to find--and we mean that quite literally. While our stay at The Town House was easy on the pockets and the eyes, with its under-$200 room rate and roof top terrace, finding the place was a bit harder.
The nine-room pensión is located off a square inaccessible by car, so it may not be ideal for disabled travelers or travelers with lots of and/or heavy bags. Otherwise, The Town House provides a practically flawless stay.
Tags: Heather Mills / Spain Hotels / Tenerife Hotels / Celebrity Scoop / → All Tags
Cougar on the Loose :: Heather Mills is Now Into Hotel Geeks
Sir Paul Mcartney's ex-wife and perpetual-golddigger Heather Mills, 41, has taken a liking to a 36-year-old hunky hotel worker.
When Millsie went on vacation to the Abama Hotel in Gula de Isora, she spotted Jamie Walker (a "kid's rep" for the hotel) playing with her daughter -- and the rest is history.
News of the World reports:
A source there told us: "She went over to talk to him with her nanny and there was an instant spark."The next day, Heather got her nanny to call Jamie to say, `You know that woman you were talking to, would you like to go out to dinner with her?'..."It was a secret operation because hotel staff aren't allowed to mix with the guests. Heather and Jamie managed two secret dinner dates before she returned to England.
Note to Heather: yeah, so, about your upcoming appearance on Trump's Celebrity Apprentice? Stay on your side of the pond. Send your boytoy to take your place.
Note to selves: the staff at the Abama Hotel may be worth the trip. Start saving your money.
[Photo: News of the World]
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