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The San Juan Marriott's You Tube Concierge Makes Virtual Bragging Easy

Go To The Hotel's Web Site Where: 1309 Ashford Avenue [map], San Juan, Puerto Rico, United States, 00907
October 9, 2009 at 9:43 AM | by globetrotting gourmet | 0 Comments

Every time we go away, we feel pangs of guilt if we don’t bring back souvenirs for our nearest and dearest; especially, our beloved dog-sitter. As a carry-on only kinda gal, it can get burdensome, and many times we cop out with a 25¢ cookie cutter postcard with an impersonal message.

Well, the San Juan Marriott Resort & Stellaris Casino just launched a very cool (and complimentary) service that lets guests send a virtual shout out to the folks at home, and avoid the whole issue of having to schlep a bunch of useless tsotchkes. Plus think of all the money you’ll save on ever-increasing postage prices if you’re a postcard kinda person.

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Learn How To Cook Decent Meals in a Residence Inn Kitchen

July 27, 2009 at 3:29 PM | by Jenna | 0 Comments

You know what? We know it's hard to stay in shape on the road — especially with the availability of massive breakfast spreads in all the budget-ish hotels. You can stuff yourself full of things that come in wrappers inside airports and at gas stations — but it can be hard to resist hot food when placed in front of you on a plate or in a buffet spread. Even worse: you totally usually can't cook for yourself when you're traveling, and what you can prepare on an extended-stay kitchenette is, well, not a vast and varied menu.

Hilton Garden Inn is already workin' on this helping-you-stay-healthy thing — big and tall CJ from Top Chef cooked up a healthy new breakfast menu for the chain — and now Residence Inn is following suit by teaming up with celebrity chef Brian Duffy of Kildare’s Irish Pub to design and promote something that will help keep your waistline in check.

Chef Duffy has put together "delicious recipes specifically designed to be pr0epared easily in a Residence Inn guest suite kitchen" — with some short, "high-energy" cooking videos, complete with, demonstrations and such so you can tap into your inner celeb chef. All the vids were shot on location in Residence Inn kitchens with minimal ingredients, like the one above.

Check out the video library here.

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9 Beaches Wants to Position Itself as a Resort for Bloggers

Go To The Hotel's Web Site Where: 4 Daniels Head Rd, Bermuda, MA BX
May 21, 2009 at 11:05 AM | by Jenna | 5 Comments

9 Beaches, that "ultra-casual resort" in Bermuda, has certainly gotten itself entrenched in the ol' social media scene: they've been getting their bloggin' on for a long time (two-esque years), but now the place seems to have gotten tons of web 2.0 action, from YouTube vids to this sort of thing.

Recall 9 Beaches is the place that promises (no, guarantees) 68-degree days, and also was kinda too smelly for a reviewer once (oh yeah; we never let anything go around here). Per the 9 Beaches peeps:

Most recently YouTube videographer Kevin Nalty (fondly known by his online moniker Nalts) visited 9 Beaches and captured her essence on film. He is spot on with his remark, “I am feeding my mojo,” because at 9 Beaches guests unwind and revive at this unexpectedly casual Bermuda resort set amid a natural xeriscape with water views all around.

And also — this may be our fave ever — the resort people say, "those same easy-goers who run in social media circles are comfortable at 9 Beaches. Here guests can enjoy sophisticated and civilized Bermuda and leave the formal attire at home." What that means to us: the same people who sit around and blog in sweatpants all day long (which could be us sometimes...) will enjoy not having to go shopping for real-world clothes before going on a trip."

Teehee. Rates start at $280 for double occupancy, bloggers.

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Get a Room, Any Marriott Room, for 20 Percent Off This Summer

May 15, 2009 at 10:34 AM | by juliana | 0 Comments

Much like Hyatt's recent brand-wide 30 percent off deal, Marriott Hotels have just announced a Global Rate Break for 20 percent off at participating Marriott hotels brand-wide and worldwide from Thursdays through Sundays. Except Marriott's put together a little video of "man on the street" interviews to hype their deal.

Whatever your reasons for getting out of town, reservations must be made by June 2 for weekend stays from May 21 through September 7. Visit marriott.com/globalratebreak or call 1-877-MARRIOTT and use promo code F5X to book.

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Spike Lee and Renaissance Hotels Want Your YouTube Masterpieces

May 6, 2009 at 11:54 AM | by KatieK | 1 Comment

Spike Lee and Renaissance Hotels have teamed up in the search for the "next big filmmaker," YouTube-style. (But, you know, in a marketing-branding sort of way.) The concept is pretty straightforward: Renaissance wants budding filmmakers to create short films to be entered in an international advertising competition sponsored by MOFILM, the self-professed "world's biggest global mobile short film festival."

The catch? Why, films must focus on Renaissance, of course, with the film that "best exemplifies the brand" to take top prize.

Schilling for a corporate brand aside, the prizes are pretty sweet. The winning film will be showcased at the Spike Lee-hosted Cannes Lions film festival to be held June 21-27. That alone is pretty good exposure for a budding film type, but it gets better: The winner will also receive a 7 day/6 night trip to a major film festival of their choice (options aren't too shabby: Paris, New York, London, Hollywood, Toronto, Miami, or Sydney) and be invited to join Spike Lee at the ad festival, where the film will compete for the festival's $12,000 grand prize (plus an apprenticeship with Spike Lee himself). Second and third place winners nab cash prizes ($750 and $500, respectively).

Contestants have until June 8th to submit their videos on the MOFILM website. You can find full details here.

[Photo: Jim Cooper / AP]

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Denizen Continues to Confuse With New Video

March 31, 2009 at 4:51 PM | by juliana | 5 Comments

It's been a while since we checked in with the new boutique hotel brand from Hilton, Denizen Hotels. But fortunately, they have made it easier for us to keep up with them by Twittering, Facebooking and now YouTubing anything new from the DH HQ.

This here is the latest video posted to their profile and it involves some of the cool, new agey, techno-ish lobby music. (Does anyone have an actual name for this kind of music favored amongst boutique hotels?)

The video kicks off with a slogan, "I'm a citizen of the world; I'm a Denizen of the world." Then it moves you over fast-changing cityscapes to the Denizen logo which some HC readers are not in love with. More cityscapes. Butterflies! Another slogan: "I am a denizen that never sleeps." Um, ok? But aren't you a hotel brand? Where people are supposed to go to sleep?

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The Standard Shows Off Its Staff Via YouTube

Go To The Hotel's Web Site Where: 550 S Flower St [map], Los Angeles, CA, United States, 90071
January 15, 2009 at 9:31 AM | by JetSetCD | 0 Comments

To compliment the release of Standard Hotels' 2009 Staff Calendar, a YouTube video introducing its contents has been released. Full of pretty young things pumping iron and playing cheerleader, the video is about displaying their hip, young employees frolicking within the retro Standard environs.

In fact, most of the scenes seem to be shot on the rooftop and in the public area of the Standard Downtown LA. If funky designer furniture isn't enough to fetishize the Standard brand, then a staff full of eye-candy should do the trick. Keeping with the high school yearbook theme of the calendar, you'll be introduced to the Heartthrob, the Stoner, the Prom Queen, and our personal favorite, the Teacher's Lounge.

Keep watching even after the credits for this curious little addition: "Balazs Productions." That's right, there will be more to come! This video is technically entitled "Part 1: The Standard Hotels' Bright Young Things," so are we to expect a Part 2 featuring some of their dull, older things? Oops--we probably just spoiled the theme of next year's calendar.

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Steve Wynn Exposes Inner Daredevil To Promote Encore Las Vegas

Go To The Hotel's Web Site Where: 3131 Las Vegas Blvd S [map], Las Vegas, NV, United States, 89109
December 3, 2008 at 1:11 PM | by juliana | 1 Comment

If you didn't know, we're getting extremely excited for the opening of Encore Las Vegas, Steve Wynn's follow-up to his hugely successful Wynn Las Vegas. The opening date is not until Dec. 22nd but we will probably be writing something about Encore every day until then, starting with the making of the Encore website video.

If you head over to EncoreLasVegas.com (or if you don't want to wait for that to load, go here) you will see a video of Steve Wynn sitting atop the corner of the top of Encore which is 675 feet above ground. Naturally, you assume that this is a green-screen trick. Wynn is kinda old and that is really high up. But Encore wants to let you know that Steve Wynn was actually sitting atop the resort's precipice.

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BLT Steak Brings Its Yummy Goodness To JW Marriott's Camelback Inn

Go To The Hotel's Web Site Where: 5402 E Lincoln Dr [map], Scottsdale, AZ, United States, 85253
October 20, 2008 at 10:09 AM | by Jenna | 0 Comments

Have you ever experienced the popovers at any of Chef Laurent Tourondel's restaurants? If not, please do yourself a favor and try them. The chef behind BLT Steak, BLT Fish, BLT Prime, BLT Burger and BLT Market makes the most life-changingly-delicious, warm, fluffy Gruyere cheese popovers.

We cannot say enough about them and have spent the last several years trying to replicate them at our holiday meals and have failed. Oh, and his steak is pretty magnificent too.

Fortunately, we can give our popover pans a rest now that we have another outpost to feed our BLT pastry and red-meat cravings: BLT Steak has just opened at the JW Marriott Camelback Inn in Scottsdale, AZ. We got word of the opening of chef Tourondel's largest restaurant (and a pretty cool video showing off the new space) via the Marriott News YouTube Channel. From the vid, it looks like we'll be able to nom-nom on our popovers while taking in an Arizona sunset.

Next up, BLT Steak will be popping over to Florida and bringing its magic to the Betsy Hotel in Miami.

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The May Fair's Youtube Channel is Actually Watchable

Go To The Hotel's Web Site Where: Stratton Street, London, United Kingdom, W1J 8LT
October 16, 2008 at 12:58 PM | by Jenna | 1 Comment

In their everlasting, always admirable and at times embarrassing quests to reach out to the "Facebook Generation," hotels often venture onto the interwebs to create blogs and Twitters and what have you. On occasion, we rip on them when they're done poorly -- who wants to read a blog full of lame plugs for a hotel or watch a YouTube channel full of commercials? -- but sometimes they do it up right and warm our hearts.

The latter is the case with the May Fair Hotel's YouTube Channel (hooray! We're saying nice things!) You'll find all kinds of vids that a potential guest of the hotel might want to watch: an awesome foray into the penthouse suite, a one-on-one sesh with the hotel's personal trainer, and even an exclusive interview with the mindnumbingly boring Paris Hilton (fun to watch if you want to get a taste of the friendliness of the staff; exceptionally lovely even when faced with a Hilton sister).

We especially dug the video footage of the rooms -- like the Bamboo Suite, above.

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Westin Times Square Wants A Birthday Serenade From Your Child

Go To The Hotel's Web Site Where: 270 WEST 43RD STREET [map], New York, NY, United States, 10036
September 22, 2008 at 9:05 AM | by Jenna | 0 Comments

Grab your son, daughter, little cousin or even that neighbor kid who owes you a favor or two: The Westin Times Square is holding a YouTube contest and you're going to need assistance from the under-15 set in order to win the big prize.

To celebrate its sixth anniversary, the hotel is inviting children to make up an original birthday song and have someone videotaping the wee crooner belting it out. The winner gets a baller New Year's Eve party for the whole fam, including an overnight stay (on December 31st, obviously) in a newly-renovated one-bedroom suite. Plus:

A December 31, 2008 at Shula's Steak House, and all the makings for an in-room, ball-dropping party to ring in 2009 including cider and champagne (for kids and adults respectively), noise makers, hats and more.

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WestinTV Might Not Change Your Life

September 19, 2008 at 12:35 PM | by Jenna | 0 Comments

We checked out WestinTV, Starwood's very own YouTube channel exclusively for Westin (hooray, tech-savvy hotel people!) and came across this video profiling some of Westin's "guest experience" staffers -- the folks behind things like the tea Westin uses and even the woman who selects the flowers in each hotel.

Don't get us wrong: we really dig the whole video thing (and, actually, this particular video was rather calming and soothing after a long week). It's interesting for us to watch media like this because -- duh -- we're hotel geeks and we're all about learning as much as we can about what makes each brand different.

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