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.
· What Goes On Inside the Crash Pad: Sorta. An airline crew member gives up some tips to having a nice hotel stay. Our favorite tip:
5. Do not disturb sign. If your room does not have one, call the concierge or make one out of the hotel stationery paper. [Tripso]
· Hotel Renew Opens in Hawaii: Honolulu's first luxury designer boutique hotel is open. Rates start around $189 a night and the fourth night is free from now through August 16. [Official Site]
· Telephone Hotels are the New Jail Hotels?: The Telegraaf Hotel in Estonia was built out of the old telegraph exchange. Now it houses luxury guestrooms and a spa. [Times UK]
[Alex Salkever is founder and editor of Hawaii travel blog, Hawaiirama.]
Those following the travel industry today are well aware of the travails of the Aloha State. It's both blessed and cursed. They are the loveliest islands on Earth in many ways, but also the most remote.
That means you gotta fly there in a big plane or ride a really slow boat. And airfare to Hawaii is pricey as heck, especially with airlines charging all sorts of baggage fees.
Oh and don't forget about the gas crisis. You thought gas was expensive for your little two-door? Think about a cargo plane. Or a cargo boat for that matter. Now, that is an expensive gas bill.
Thus Hawaii really can't afford any drops in tourism so they are going to be offering some sweet deals to get your butt lei'd.
Sigh, Nobu Restaurant: if only we were able to dine with you and indulge in your delicious cuisine without feeling our wallets go empty while our stomachs filled up.
Oh wait! Now we have another option.
Nobu Waikiki (inside the Waikiki Parc Hotel) has just launched a "European-style pre-dinner feature" called Apertivo to be served in the Lounge at Nobu:
Among his 21 globally-based restaurants, Chef Nobu has hand-selected Nobu Milano and Nobu Waikiki to celebrate this sophisticated pre-meal European-dining tradition. Available Monday through Friday from 5:00 p.m. - 6:30 p.m., Aperitivo will feature a tasting trio of the chef's selections of the day, served with a choice of a Nobu cocktail.
The price? $18 per person. Score.
So now you can say you dined at Nobu and nobody ever needs to know you just popped in for a little taste before dinner -- and, by the way, we were there a few weeks ago and the food was damn good.
Rinse, repeat in 2008 but hold the coconut, surfer boy. Things may not be as glossy as they seem: several Hawaii hotels returning to the uber list actually declined in rankings.
The Four Seasons Resort Hualalai, on the Big Island, ranked No. 27, down from No. 9 in 2007 -- perhaps showing its relative age?
Waikiki's Halekulani snagged No. 44, down from No. 38 a year ago. Sniff, sniff (maybe it was the bedbugs report? Although Halekulani gets bonus Obama points).
Maui, Kauai and the Big Island were all named to the list of the World's Top 10 Islands, returning to the list, but Maui and Kauai both declined a place in the rankings, leaving only the Big Island ascendant.
Hilton Hawaiian Village's Paradise Pass should actually be called the "Make Your Friends Jealous That You're in Hawaii and They're Not" Pass, but that's just a minor detail. On this fine Monday morning, we'd also settle for calling it the "Why Aren't We in Hawaii Sipping Mai Tais on the Beach" Pass.
But whatever we think the name should be, it seems like a good deal: for $20 per day, guests can purchase a Paradise Pass (official name) that's good for a whole bunch of beachy amenities:
· Twenty percent off at the Mandara Spa - so you can get your massage on.
· Daily fitness center access for two - so you can get your Stairmaster on.
· Fifty percent off beach toys - like kayaks and surfboards - so you can take pictures of yourself doing a bunch of fun, awesome beachy stuff to show off when you get home.
· Two free mai tais, because being on the beach sipping mai tais is, well, perfection.
· Free unlimited local phone calls, so you can call around and make your fancy dinner reservations.
Remember, the pass is $20 per day, not per stay, so make sure you know you will have to pay the $20 each day to get the benefits throughout your whole Hawaiian vacay. Hey, that rhymed. We should reward ourselves - is it too early for mai tais?
Nobu opened inside the Waikiki Parc Hotel, a poor but not inelegant sister to the Halekulani, in June of 2007. Yet unlike the other Nobus across America, the food at this outpost got tepid reviews from local writers.
When I asked a friend who works there what the deal was, she told to me the chef was still feeling out the local purveyors and had not really localized the menu.
The restaurant had done well with tourists but locals took a lot longer to come around. So I waited and waited. And finally dove in two weeks ago. Verdict? Damn, that food is good.
We love this feisty little Hawaii hotel chain, Aqua Hotels, for taking a modern spin on Waikiki resorts. Alas, they've only been able to grab second-tier (and sometimes extremely second-tier) locations to showcase their chops.
But that will all change as the chain announced yesterday it would take over management of the Park Shore Waikiki , a property that has had some renovations done and has a super-primo location but has always been relegated to the B-List.
If past is prologue, Aqua will do some nice renovation to mod out the place, put in a spa, ideally bring in a nice restaurant, etc.
Having a decent operation managing this place will be awesome -- I personally can't wait to test drive the Aqua take on the pool deck, one of the best in Waikiki and one of the few with 270 degree views taking in both Diamond Head and the western end of Waikiki.
[Ed. Note: Alex Salkever is the founder / editor of Hawaiirama.com, a travel blog covering the islands.]
As part of its eight-figure renovation quest, the legendary Kahala Resort on the South Shore of Oahu has decided to become a pet-friendly property. That means kitties and puppies (and other critters on leashes) can luxuriate in this resort setting tucked away from the bustle of Waikiki and the city of Honolulu.
Alas, I have but one question. One of my favorite parts about the old Kahala Mandarin was that it had lovely parquet floors in the rooms. In the tropics, they tended to buckle. So the resort, as part of renovations, replaced them with carpets. The carpets are nice but were already showing signs of wear and tear (only a few months in) when I stayed in one of these rooms in January.
Now my question is, should a pet-friendly resort have carpets, particularly in a tropical clime? Can a nuclear-powered steam cleaner chase out the odors or will guests sans fido be treated to a doggie downer odor in these otherwise quite lovely renovated rooms?
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by juliana
