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Tags: Hotel Pets / Hotel Mascots / Hotel Theft / Airport Hotels / Los Angeles Hotels / → All Tags
Saddies! Little Pepper at The Custom Hotel Has Gone Missing!

The Custom Hotel near LAX is one of our favorite airport hotels not just because it's close to the airport but also because it's stylish, comfortable and totally affordable. So why would someone want to steal something so important from a good-hearted hotel like the Custom?
We don't have that answer but we do know that the hotel's little "mascot", a (not real) black sheep by the name of Little Pepper has gone missing and the hotel wants it back. Check out these missing posters they've circulated for Lil' Pep. Now, this might sound a tad excessive on the hotel's part, especially for a stuffed animal but when someone stole our dog statue the other month, um, well, we had "Missing" flyers too. (Don't judge!)
If anyone's seen Lil' Pep the hotel would be grateful for your information. And if you're the person who stole Lil' Pep--shame on you! But the Custom is willing to take it back, No Questions Asked.
Tags: Airport Hotels / Hotel Openings / Chicago Hotels / Hilton Hotels / → All Tags
Hilton Goes Gaga for Airport Hotels and Opens a Second at O'Hare
The Hilton loves itself some airport hotels. And the company's not letting a horrible economy prevent it from opening more by-the-airport hotels: It has plans to introduce the Germany's Hilton Frankfurt Airport in February, and it opened China's Hilton Beijing Capital Airport in July.
The latest addition to the airport hotel collection is the Hilton Rosemont/Chicago O'Hare, which was unveiled July 28.
Tags: Hotel Hype / Element Hotels / Airport Hotels / Miami Hotels / Hotel News / Omaha Midtown Crossing / → All Tags
Miami Airport to Get Exactly the Kind of 'Element' We Like
Element Las Vegas
Now that budget/limited-services hotels aimed at business travelers and roadtrippers have nearly surpassed luxury hotels in terms of amenities (free WiFi, flat-screens, free delicious breakfasts) and services (again, free WiFi, mobile phone check-in/check-out, Wii games in the lobby etc.), we're finding it hard to recommend anything but these brands for our friends.
In fact, a friend recently spent the night near the Chicago airport and was debating between an Aloft Hotel or a Courtyard By Marriott, which had one of those updated new lobby layouts. In the end, our friend went for Courtyard because it was just a tad cheaper. But we found ourselves wishing that there was an Element Hotel (by Westin) nearby.
Indeed Element has long been our favorite hotel brand in this segment, especially after spending four nights at the Las Vegas property. These rooms are built more for the extended-stay travelers (most have kitchenettes and separate seating areas) and while the brand is a sister brand to Aloft, the properties feel more grown-up and less cartoonish than Alofts. They truly do feel like a little oasis away from your business travel hell.
The only problem is, in our opinion, there aren't enough Elements to go around. Currently, there's only seven Element hotels open but in the next year, there are two big markets that will be getting the kind of Element we like.
Tags: Airport Hotels / Anti-View / Hyatt Hotels / Orlando Hotels / → All Tags
When Your Hotel Isn't Just Near the Airport; It Is the Airport
You know the scene. You open the door to your brand new hotel room, run over to the window, open the blinds and bam, you are hit with the anti-view. Maybe you are looking down a dirty alley, witnessing a drug deal, staring at an air shaft in the face, or seeing a brick wall. Whatever you are viewing it is not extremely pleasurable. Help out your fellow hotel mavens by uploading your anti-views to the HotelChatter/Flickr photo pool, or by sending the photo along to us. Remember to tell us the name of the hotel and the room number with the not-so-easy-on-the-eyes view.
What's the last thing you want to do when you've scored a nice balcony room at an airport hotel in Florida? Perhaps watch the lines of airport security and hear the hubbub of door alarms and various other airport noises would rank towards the top, but this is exactly what'll happen when you stay at the Hyatt Regency Orlando International Airport. The hotel is not merely near the airport or next to the airport; it's in and around the airport.
Tags: Airport Hotels / Hotel Openings / Beijing Hotels / Langham Hotels / → All Tags
Langham Place, Beijing: Chinese For 'Airport Hotel That Doesn't Suck'

Airport hotels are all about function. When you need one, they're a god send. But who says they have to be boring? Apparently not the folks at Langham Hotels, who are opening what they're calling the world's first 'lifestyle airport hotel' at Beijing's Capital Airport on September 1.
In this rendering alone, we can see that they've gone with a peekaboo bathroom, which screams 'boutique' in any language.
But how else does the Langham Place Beijing Capital Airport Hotel differ from its more staid, corporate cousins at airports around the world?
Tags: Hotel Hype / Hotel Openings / Hotel News / London Hotels / Von Essen Hotels / Heliport Hotels / Airport Hotels / → All Tags
Hotel Verta Preparing For a September Landing in London
To mark the 50th anniversary of the London Heliport, Von Esson Luxury Hotels will launch their first London hotel. Hotel Verta, set to open on September 12 will be the first integrated hotel heliport in Europe.
Von Esson are calling it “London’s vertical gateway” and for those rich enough to afford it, the hotel will provide helicopter travel with a private heliport entrance.
Arrivals at the hotel can check-in to one of the 70 boutique style rooms spread over four floors. The rooms designed by Andrew Onraet, will be ultra modern with a timeless twist. In house entertainment includes the Patrisey Restaurant, serving modern British cuisine, Vertilon bar with stunning views of the River Thames and the Falconbrook Spa complete with vitality pool and thermal cabins.
Tags: Hotel Rants / Hotel WiFi Hell / Hotel WiFi / Frankfurt Hotels / Airport Hotels / Business Hotels / Germany Hotels / Sheraton Hotels / → All Tags
Beware: A Stay at the Sheraton Frankfurt Equals Hotel WiFi Hell
Even though many budget-friendly hotels have adopted free internet as part of the room rate, the fight for complimentary WiFi is far from over. Our latest battlefront is the Sheraton Hotel & Tower at Frankfurt Airport in Germany, which had the most appallingly bad internet policy and connection we've ever used.
Thankfully we got around paying $250 a night for this airport hotel by being a guest of Lufthansa, but we still had the pesky internet charge. And here's the policy: Guests get a free 30 minutes of internet per day in the lobby only. In the rooms, connectivity costs 8 Euro per hour, or a flat 19 Euro for 24 hours. You must create a user ID for your account.
After successfully hooking up to the free half-hour in the lobby on our iPhone at check-in, the situation looked manageable. That is, until we sat down in our room to begin the real work.
Tags: Video / Hotel Video Tours / Chicago Hotels / Aloft Hotels / HotelChatter Reviews / Airport Hotels / → All Tags
Inside the Aloft Hotel at Chicago's O'Hare Airport
Aloft Hotel at Chicago O'Hare Airport
They've got free wifi, hip interior design, a relaxed attitude for airport hotels, and even a smart check-in. Who are we talking about? Well, it's got to be Aloft Hotels, of course.
Aloft is like the light version of a W Hotel, which is proper considering that their owned by Starwood, W's parent company too. Alofts aren't in hot, downtown city centers but further out, nearby airports where amenity-rich, style-conscious and affordable hotels are direly needed.
Since Chicago has more O'Hare Airport business-y hotels than it can handle, Aloft's opening here just over a year and a half ago was welcome, and last week we finally went out of our way to check the place out fully. We only spent $99 on the room, and that could have been $69 if we hadn't hesitated several days before we actually booked it.
So was the $99 worth it? Find out, after the jump!
Tags: Snapshot / Airport Hotels / Aloft Hotels / Chicago Hotels / → All Tags
Aloft O'Hare Has the Free Hotel WiFi Thing Down Pat
If you require further proof that our Annual Hotel WiFi Report is based upon our own testing and internet surfing at hotels around the world, then look no further. We love our free WiFi, and on a recent trip to Chicago, we went out of our way to try out the 1.5-year-old Aloft at Chicago O'Hare Airport.
Of course, the fact that it has a sweet pool, garden lounge area and chill lobby helped out our decision too; it's not just free hotel WiFi we look for in a property. We'll be back with the full review, room tour video and photo gallery of the Aloft O'Hare tomorrow, but for now let's all just have hump day coffee, okay?
[Photo: HotelChatter]
Tags: Airport Hotels / Ramada Hotels / Hotel Closings / → All Tags
The Ramada Plaza at JFK Airport Is a Shadow of Its Former Jetsetting Self
...Speaking of how much would you pay for an airport layover hotel, we just happen to be flying out of New York's JFK International Airport today, and spotted this shell of an airport hotelThe Ramada Plazalingering nearby airport property.
This monster of an airport hotel is 478 rooms-strong, but it's been vacant since November 30, 2009 with no inkling as to its future. We asked what brand you think would be best to take over the building, and the favor leans toward budget hotels chains that have had success abroad already, namely Tune Hotels or EasyHotels. Alas, there's still no word on if this Ramada will fly again. If so though, it needs some serious cosmetic work. Yuck.
[Photo: HotelChatter]
Tags: OpenThread / Airport Hotels / Layover Hotels / → All Tags
How Much Would You Spend On a Layover Hotel?

We often talk about Airport Hotels around the holidays or when storms are messing with everyone's travel plans. But for many peeps, an airport hotel is useful year-round, especially for layovers on long-haul flights.
This Twitpic is from a friend who was recently traveling back from Perth to JFK via Dubai. The entire trip took 38 hours, and 13 of those were spent at Terminal 3 at the Dubai International Airport. What else was there to do but check into the airport hotel with this lovely view of the airport food court?
It beats sitting slumped over one of those tables until boarding at 2 a.m. Or, as our friend put it, "Such comfy bed AND a comp fruit platter! That + being able to sleep during layover = worth the $250 rate."
Tags: Hotel Nightclubs / Hotel Bars / Hilton Hotels / Airport Hotels / Chicago Hotels / → All Tags
Stranded Passengers Can Find Solace at the Gaslight Club at The Hilton O'Hare
If you get stuck at O'Hare Airport, there's one reason worth visiting Hilton Chicago O'Hare Airport in Terminal 2. The airport hotel is home to the only remaining Gaslight Club, the inspiration behind Hugh Hefner's Playboy Club.
The old-school club was exclusively members-only up through September 11, 2001. Those granted access, like Hef, received gold-plated keys instead of membership cards. But now anyone can come on by to drink a Scotch and ogle the Gaslight Girls, who shimmy around in leotards and corsets with black fishnets. Keys are no longer needed.

