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Tags: Hotel Pool Scenes / Hotel Pools / Seville Hotels / Starwood Hotels / → All Tags
The Hotel Pool Scene in Seville is Taking Off
Yesterday we lamented about the lack of decent WiFi at the Hotel Alfonso XIII in Seville. Today we’re going to tell you about its pool. Why? Because we noticed this weekend that the pool scene in Seville is really taking off. But as with most hotel trends, the newer and hipper places do it best.
When the Alfonso XIII was built, back in the 19th century, they preferred to stick turrets and stuff on hotel roofs, rather than pools so because of the gorgeous façade of the place, there’s not exactly room to stick a tub up there.
Thus the pool is in the traditional, round-the-back-of-the-hotel position. It's a nice size with a bar nearby and lots of birdies tweeting among the orange groves that surround it. (Tweeting as in the sounds that birds make, not people on Twitter.) As far as a city pool goes, it's a relaxing little haven.
But let’s be honest, pool scenes aren’t about swimming. They’re about swanning around, looking good, and drinking more. And it always looks better on the roof.
Tags: Hotel Hype / Westin Hotels / Starwood Hotels / Disney World Hotels / Orlando Hotels / → All Tags
Starwood To Cram in More Westin Hotels Before 2010
More Westin Heavenly Beds for Everyone!
If you're into Westin Hotels and white tea scents then you'll be happy to know that Starwood Hotels plans on opening six Westin Hotels before the year is out. The WSJ reports:
The company, based in White Plains, N.Y., will cut the ribbon on two new Westins--one near the Washington Dulles Airport and the other in Orlando--on Thursday. The rest, built from the ground up, will open in China and India by the end of the year.
Mickey Mouse and Westin? That sounds so dirty. And so good.
But there's already a Westin in Orlando near Disney World called The Westin Imagine Orlando. The newest Orlando hotel is actually the Westin Lake Mary, Orlando North. Yeah, it's a mouthful. The hotel, which opened on November 12, is located in the center of Florida's High Tech Corridor and while corporate offices for companies like Allstate, Mitsubishi, Blue Cross/Blue Shield and Scholastic are within a few miles away, Disney World and more fun attractions are about 40 minutes away. (Room rates start at $159 a night.)
So Starwood might be cramming in the rest of their Westins for 2009 but they are kind of ho-hum hotels.
Next year, Westin will plan on opening 12 more hotels in more exotic locations like Mexico, Canada, Greece and Japan. And we fully expect the signature white tea scent to be wafting throughout every one of them.
Tags: Hotel WiFi / WiFi Hell / Starwood Hotels / Seville Hotels / → All Tags
The Alfonso XIII May Be Seville’s Grandest Hotel, But Its Wifi is Less Than Grand
Relaxing weekends never pan out the way you planned them do they? And our trip to Seville this weekend was no exception. Leaving aside the whiplash from the crashy landing on Sunday night (thanks Ryanair) and the fact that we didn’t partake in enough cerveza sessions, we spent much of the two days seething about the dire internet situation at the Hotel Alfonso XII, where we were shacked up.
Switching on the laptop as is our wont on arrival at a hotel, we were sad to see no WiFi networks showing. Yes there was an ethernet cable, but our 'pooter lacks the requisite hole.
We called reception, who told us not to worry, that there was a computer downstairs for us to check our email. So we worried. Is there no wireless, we asked. The answer came back: "Yes, but it’s better to use our computer. " Ugh, we worried even more.
Tags: Hotel Strikes / San Franciso Hotels / Hotel Employees / Starwood Hotels / Hyatt Hotels / → All Tags
More Hotel Workers in San Francisco Go On Strike, This Time at The Palace
Do not expect this scene today at The Palace Hotel.
Over the weekend, hotel workers from the union, Unite Here, staged a three day strike in front of The Grand Hyatt San Francisco to protest the contract negotiations that have been ongoing. The workers have been working without a new contract since August and the main sticky point, as ever, is the issue of health care.
Hotel workers have repeatedly gone on strike over contract negotiations in the last few years but rarely does it ever happen back to back at different hotels. Last night, hotel workers at the famed Palace Hotel which is part of Starwood's Luxury Collection, began a three-day strike as well, at a time when the hotel was at 100 percent occupancy, thanks to a few conventions that are going on.
Tags: Hotel Cars / Hotel Amenities / Hotel Services / W Hotels / Starwood Hotels / → All Tags
What It's Like Riding Around in The W Hotel's Free Car Service
When you stay at one of the W Hotels, take advantage of its Acura Experience, a complimentary car service. Of course, there are limitations; the car will only bring you within a five-mile radius of the hotel. That may not seem like a lot, but if you are directionally challenged, it's helpful to have someone drive you to a destination. And if you're arranging for a rehearsal dinner, you can save money on renting a trolley and instead transport your wedding party in the free seven-seat vehicles instead.
We tried out the car service for ourselves at the W Chicago - City Center at an opportune time, when it was raining. Our ride was silver with a black interior and it wasn't too flashy with its Acura-W signage, which was nice, since you don't necessarily want to announce to the city that you're a tourist. The car had some techie details like a built-in GPS with on-demand Zagat reviews. As far as amenities, our driver offered us free water and towels. Although the car can hold seven, it would be a tight squeeze. But if you're traveling less than five miles, the ride should be bearable.
Tags: Hotel Deals / Starwood Hotels / Holiday Hotels / → All Tags
Starwood Offers Up to 50% Off Regular Rates—But You Have to Book Soon
Put this on your weekend “to do” list: think about where you might like to spend the holidays or a winter getaway. If your answer is a Starwood property, and you’re ready to charge what will be a non-refundable rate now, you could save yourself some serious holiday cocktail cash. Until November 10—next Tuesday—you can score up to 50% off the regular rates at a slew of Starwood properties. And while there are blackout dates, there are still some hotels with availability for the holidays. Even better, when you use one of the Starwood property’s online booking pages for this promotion, it will tell you which holidays are still available under the deal at most hotels, as well as which dates are already sold out.
At the new W Boston, for example, the sale rate of $189 a night is still available for Thanksgiving (Nov 22-29), and between December 18–30. (New Year’s Eve is sold out). At Aloft Lexington, the rate is as cheap as $79 a night, and again, there’s availability for the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays.
Tags: Hotel Woes / Sam Nazarian / SLS Hotels / SBE Entertainment / Starwood Hotels / → All Tags
So Long Sahara? SLS Hotels Encounter Some Turbulence
It seems like only yesterday that a nightclub operator and hotelier practically meant the same thing but thanks to the rough economy, it's become very clear to Sam Nazarian that a hotelier has far bigger troubles than a nightclub owner.
The Wall Street Journal took a look behind the scenes at Nazarian's SBE Entertainment company which counts several nightclubs frequented by the brainless cast members of "The Hills," restaurants prominently featured in the background of paparazzi shots, and of course, the SLS Hotels which include The SLS Los Angeles, The Sahara in Las Vegas and the old Ritz Plaza in Miami Beach.
While the SLS Hotel in LA has been generally well-received, especially thanks to its Bazaar restaurant manned by superstar chef Jose Andres, the other two properties are languishing in debt and construction nightmare. And SBE is suffering for it:
In the past 18 months, Mr. Nazarian has cut much of his development team, including architects and designers, and outsourced legal counsel and other services—downsizing his corporate staff nearly in half to around 55 people.
Tags: Hotel Packages / W Hotels / Starwood Hotels / Hotel Parties / → All Tags
Party with Beyonce Courtesy of the W Times Square
If you want to party like a rock star, the W New York-Times Square offers a VIP package that'll get you into Esquire's seventh annual Signature Space Cocktail Party to get your hands up with the single-ladies queen Beyonce herself and other stars. But this last-minute deal is for one night only, November 5.
You'll party with celebs like Jamie Foxx, Chris Webber, Gavin DeGraw, Ne-Yo, Johnny Rzeznik, Natasha Bedingfield, The Fray, Tamia, 3 Doors Down, Venus Williams, who are all hosting the bash. OneRepublic will perform some acoustic tunes. The Rock Star Package includes two tickets to the partay, two cocktails in The Living Room bar to kick off the night and a "Fantastic Suite" for the after-party. The one-bedroom suite will offer views of hopping Times Square or Broadway, a voyeuristic shower and a floating bed.
Tags: Hotel News Briefs / Starwood Hotels / Hotel Toiletries / Bliss Spas / → All Tags
Don't Worry Your Bliss Toiletries Are Still Safe
Yes, we know that most of you who shack up at W Hotels do it for the Bliss Toiletries that are placed in the bathrooms. Just admit it! But although Starwood announced today its plans to sell its Bliss unit, you can rest assured that the toiletries will remain in the W Hotel bathrooms. Also, Bliss spas and Remede spas in the St. Regis Hotels will still be open and functioning. It's just a business transaction, it won't harm your complexion.
We haven't done this for a while but here are some other news worth checking out today:
· Why Martha Stewart Got Married to Sandals Resorts [Hotel Check-In]
· Luxe Hotels Expands to Downtown LA [Press Release]
· Space Hotel Totally Opening in 2012. Far out! [Reuters]
· What To Look For In a Good Hotel Room [Philly Inquirer]
Tags: iPhone Hotel Apps / iPhone Hotels / Hotel Technology / Hotel News / Four Seasons Hotels / Starwood Hotels / Omni Hotels / Choice Hotels / Travelodge Hotels / → All Tags
For Better or Worse, These Hotels Have Realized 'There's An App For That'
We've been variously hot and cold about hotel chain iPhone apps. As a rule we embrace anything that can help us travel easier while already on the road, and we certainly embrace it if it lives in the App Store. But hotel apps fall into that dicey category where we're not sure that the bother that goes into them is worth whatever comes out.
Hotel iPhone applications generally help you find a nearby chain hotel and check in through your rewards account. Sometimes they may automatically dial customer service. All of which is great except people rarely book within just one chain. Price is usually the most important factor, which means using a search engine, and rarely is someone in so much of a pinch that exact GPS-pinpointed location matters.
As for checking in, well, we're not talking about flights. The hotel will still be there waiting when you arrive, and you'll still have to wait in line to get it. Checking in doesn't have to happen from the road.
Nonetheless, hotels aren't going to stop producing apps. It's just what companies do these days. So here's our roundup of the industry's current offerings. Feel free to sound off in the comments: would you make space on your beloved iPhone for something like this?
Tags: Hotel Lawsuits / Industry News / Starwood Hotels / Hilton Hotels / Denizen Hotels / Ross Klein / → All Tags
Hilton's Denizen Employees Could Face Criminal Charges
The Wall Street Journal reported this morning that Hilton Hotels and its executives accused of stealing proprietary W Hotel information to create their now dead-in-the-water hotel brand Denizen Hotels, could face criminal charges.
The grand jury is part of a six-month-old Justice Department probe into allegations that Hilton, which is owned by private-equity firm Blackstone Group, used trade secrets taken by former Starwood executives, who defected to Hilton last year, to develop its own luxury brand to compete with Starwood's successful W chain.
About 30 Hilton employees and executives have either been fired or placed on leave. Ross Klein, the former president of Starwood Hotels who defected to Hilton and was in charge of the Denizen development, was initially place on paid leave with Hilton. However, he was recently replaced by John Vanderslice as Hotels magazine reported last month.
But there is a chance that even if Hilton as a corporation is not criminally charged, the individual employees could be prosecuted themselves.
Tags: Pitch Your Hotel / Sheraton Hotels / Hotel Rebranding / Hoyt Harper / Starwood Hotels / → All Tags
Sheraton's Hoyt Harper Wants You to Check Out The New Sheraton
In a rare second helping of Pitch Your Hotel this week, we introduce Hoyt Harper, Senior VP of brand management for Sheraton Hotels, who met with us at the Sheraton New York to fill us in on the new changes happening with his hotels.
The brand has poured $4 billion into their North American hotels in an attempt to transform Sheraton's image from that of a dowdy, outdated hotel collection (with so-so guest satisfaction reviews) into a vibrant, modern, "social traveler hotel"--a place where folks on business or leisure can get comfortable in the Sheraton Sweet Sleeper beds and stay connected using the Link@Sheraton, a sort of internet cafe in the lobby.
But while some brands have been changing up their logos (i.e. Holiday Inn, Renaissance by Marriott), Harper told us that the Sheraton logo will remain the same. The logo is iconic and recognized worldwide thus "We're keeping it," he said.
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