HotelChatter

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 hotel—The Ramada Plaza—lingering 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]

Airport Hotels / Hotel Closings / Ramada Hotels / Aloft Hotels / Hotel Indigo / Best Western Hotels / JFK / New York Hotels / → All Tags

Which Hotel Brand Should Take Over the Old Ramada at JFK?

We try to avoid airport hotels if they involve the words “New York,” so we must thank a tipster for bringing this bit of airport-hotel news to our attention. It appears that the punching bag, possibly one of the grossest airport hotels in the world, that was the Ramada Plaza Hotel at JFK has now closed. Indeed, over at the property’s website there is a farewell note from the staff and management—but no news on what’s next for the space.

While we’d like to daydream that airlines might send us into a decent Manhattan hotel if our flights are canceled, we’re not that optimistic. We think our best bet is for one of the hip but affordable hotel brands to take over the old Ramada, and make it not only stay-able but a viable option for a JFK layover or mega-delay.

more ›

Anti-View / Ramada Hotels / Denver Hotels / → All Tags

A Not-Nice Little Nugget of a View in Denver

Where: 150 East Colfax [map], Denver, CO, United States, 80218

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.

Well, this is kind of depressing. On the bright side, while you can't see anything else, we suppose you can make out that springtime is coming because there is either rain or melted snow on the roof here, no?

This is a shot out the window of jabbusch's room at the Ramada Inn Downtown Denver, and it makes us very sad.

We don't usually harp on Ramada views because, well, we're not really expecting anything particularly spectacular when we're paying a fairly low room rate, but we think some of the TA reviews of this place are kind of funny — LollyNYC said:

"The Ramada's idea of "downtown" is like our idea of the outskirts of Queens. The area was questionable, and the characters at the bus stops made us decide not to ride public transit. This coming from two New Yorkers is saying a lot."

Hmm, so perhaps we were better off not seeing the view here, then?

Oh, and that thing we said about spring: nevermind. The next photo in Jabbusch's Flickr set — another anti-view from the same room — proves that's notsomuch the case.

[Photo: jabbusch]

Hotel Blog Watch / Ramada Hotels / Chicago Hotels / Hotel Blogs / → All Tags

Not Keen Yet on Ramada’s Chicago Hotel Blog

Where: 4900 South Lake Shore Drive [map], Chicago, IL, United States, 60615

The latest in Hotel Blog Watch comes from AmandaK. Enjoy.

We’ve been a bit shell-shocked of late in our hotel blog watch that some hotels are actually putting together blogs we like. But we’re cured now because we’ve found another hotel blog that, to put it nicely, we’re really not that keen on.

Gone are the days when a hotel got brownie points just for knowing that such a thing as a blog could exist. Our standards are higher now. And the Ramada Inn Lake Shore in Chicago gets a half a point for trying but not much more yet for its Chicago Hotel Blog. Sorry guys, but it needs some work.

more ›

Bad Rate / New Orleans Jazz Fest Hotels / Ramada Hotels / → All Tags

Bad Rate :: $642 for a Ramada room during Jazzfest

Where: 541 Bourbon Street [map], New Orleans, LA, United States, 70130

[Ed. Note: Welcome to our Good Rate/Bad Rate feature where we look at hotel prices in the same city and decide which one most deserves your hard-earned benjamins. Rates quoted here were captured on April 24, 2007 and are subject to change. Enjoy.]

We understand that prices go up when occupancy is high, but $642 a night for a standard double in post-Katrina New Orleans in a Ramada just because it's Jazzfest? When the Ritz-Carlton a few blocks away is $350 a night and this week's Good Rate (Pelham Hotel New Orleans) is only $189?

"Standing on one of Bourbon Street's busiest corners" is touted as a good thing, though if you want to get some sleep, probably not. This building was once the French Opera House, so it does have some historic gravitas and there's a nice courtyard to escape from the madness. But when you step into your room it's a Ramada. Rates drop from $642 on Saturday night to $189 on Sunday, which shows you what the room is normally worth. We presume the free breakfast will be the same each day, no caviar or truffles during the jacked-up period.

The rates in the screen shot pictured here are from Expedia, for the second weekend of The New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival. We would have compared this to the rates on the hotel's own site, but we wanted to get done before lunch time: you have to pull up each room type individually to check availability for your dates. (Guys, if we spend $642 a night for your hotel, do you think you could use some of that to hire a better web designer?)

Related Stories:
· Good Rate: $189 for Jazzfest at Pelham New Orleans [HotelChatter]
· Ramada Plaza Inn on Bourbon reviews [TripAdvisor]