Sometimes it's a mystery about which hotels become most popular in the TripAdvisor rankings, and that's definitely the case when we read that The Outram is the #2 hotel in Perth, the capital of Western Australia.
We're not saying the Outram's a bad hotel. But it's kind of out of the way - probably a half-hour walk from downtown Perth, and although it's a short stroll from the lovely Kings Park, it's still the kind of place you'd only stay if you had access to a car--you almost might as well be in suburbia.
Wyndham Hotels will be adding two new brands to its company portfolio.
The company is set to buy the Microtel and Hawthorn Suites brand from US Franchis e Systems, a division of Global Hyatt.
Microtel includes 292 economy hotels, with 38 more under construction. Wyndham is entering the all-suites, extended-stay market with the addition of the 91-hotel Hawthorn Suites chain.
Let's just hope Wyndham keeps the free internet that we love to get at both of these brands.
If you're a fan of Wyndham Hotels, you can now win a resort hotel vacation when you register at the company's loyalty program's new sweepstakes: Play Together, Stay Together.
Each week through September 4, 2008, they'll be awarding one Grand Prize resort stay in cool spots like Puerto Rico, the Caribbean, Las Vegas, and Daytona Beach. Also up for grabs are a few VIP packages with travel, accommodations and admission to the Wyndham PGA golf tournament. Fore!
Our dog Tank had a devilish time testing out the rooms at the Wyndham Costa Mesa but unbeknownst to him, he was actually doing a good cause by chewing that "chewgar" on the bed.
Ok, well maybe that act specifically wasn't helping out but anyone who books the Paws and Claws package, $5 of the room rate automatically goes to the Greyhound Pets of America non-profit organization. Same with the Paws and Claws Brunch Buffet held every Saturday and Sunday where $1 of every breakfast ($15.50 per person) goes to the organization.
Aside from the usual tasty treats for humans (omelette station, waffle station, lots of fresh fruit), there's a bunch of ways to spoil your dogs.
Guests are also invited to indulge in the "Bubbles and Bones" champagne cocktail bar with a champagne fountain and odoggy treats (an additional $4.00).
You can even submit your dog's picture in hopes of winning a free breakfast for two and to have your dog's mug placed in the hotel's art gallery for a week.
Meet Tank. He's a French Bulldog weighing about 26.3 pounds with a mild shedding problem, a regular oral fixation for rawhide and a tendency to pee during the night. Guess what? He's sleeping in your hotel room!
Last week, we were invited with our canine companion to test out the "Paws and Claws" package at the Wydnham Hotel Costa Mesa in Orange County, just across from the shopping mecca South Coast Plaza. While we have never traveled with our pet before this hotel stay, we always loved it when hotels offered pet-friendly services. Yet actually staying in a hotel room with a pet was not quite how we imagined it to be.
If you've got a well-behaved dog, you probably wouldn't think twice about traveling together. The Wyndham laid out the red carpet for Tank to prance along, offering loads of attention, tons of treats and even a special doggy turndown.
But we were quite horrified by Tank's lack of social graces. He streaked a cocktail hour naked, he chewed a "Chewgar" on the bed (we later placed a towel under him) and he barked at the door several times. That's right. Someone's going to the kennel on the next trip we take.
Mardi Gras is fast approaching. If you think it's too much trouble to fill out an application form to stay at the Inn on Bourbon, then you can try the confusingly-similarly named Bourbon Orleans, which has balconies overlooking both Bourbon Street and Orleans Street. It's decorated a-la France in the 1800s (with a few modern touches, luckily), and until 1964 the hotel building was actually a kind of convent. But things have changed.
These days the Bourbon Orleans has its own Mardi Gras deal and they say they still have some rooms available--although the weekend of February 2 to February 4 is fully booked. For the rest of Mardi Gras you can get rooms starting at $239 and you'll be right in the heart of the parade. But there are definitely not many rooms left, so get a reservation in before you miss out and are left to pitch your tent on the pavement. (We don't think this is actually allowed so don't tell anyone we said this).
We're always on the lookout for the next big thing in hotel room furniture, and although we're not sure if this is it, it did at least catch our attention. We're talking about the Smart Chair from the Wyndham Hotels chain, due to be in place across all Wyndhams by the end of 2008.
Wyndham is no stranger to amenities promotions and they're hoping that their Smart Chair will be a big hit. It's the kind of chair that means you don't need to get up too often. With two pivoting tables to provide options for eating, writing or using a laptop, there is also a built in plug for your appliances and an internet port. There are plenty of pockets for books or newspapers and hotels will install the chairs with a variety of coverings, including both fabric and leather, so you can check how special they think you are as a guest by seeing which fabric they choose for your room's Smart Chair.
We were hoping that a Smart Chair might also help make us smarter, but there doesn't seem to be any evidence of that yet. If you want to try one yourself, they are already in use at Wyndham Hotels in Atlanta and Princeton, with more on the way.
Until recently we thought hotel loyalty programs were for Account Executives rolling their business travel points into a family vacation at a bland resort every year or two. However, funny thing happened when we started investigating these programs -- we found some of them are downright useful if you know how to cut through the red tape. This series is meant as a jumping off point to full fledged discussions on each loyalty program we feature. So comment, contribute, question, and cajole here.
The name of Wyndham Hotels loyalty program bothers us--Wyndham By Request. The name sort of implies that you have to ask for your rewards. But nevertheless, Wyndham has over 6,000 hotels so if you are a fan of Wyndham then you should have plenty of places to use your rewards.
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by amandak
