Get your hot dogs, sunscreen and beer guts ready: Independence Day is just over two weeks away! If you're headed to a big city for some fireworks fun, we'll be taking a look at hotels with prime fireworks views. Have a favorite hotel for gawking at bombs bursting in air? Send it our way.
Celebrate your country's independence by spending a night in an old jail! Head to Boston and check out our Fourth of July SPLURGE hotel pick: The Liberty Hotel.
The swanky, newly-converted jailhouse is offering the Independence Day Perfect View Package, a bundle of goodies that may be best for you to indulge in without the kiddies.
Now that the Boston Celtics are squaring off against the LA Lakers in the NBA Finals, we'll be rounding up some hotels in Beantown worth checking out, much like we did for LA last week.
Game 1 is taking place this Thursday in Boston, so Celtics fans need to get their hotel rooms booked. A Boston local immediately recommended the Onyx Hotel which is within walking distance to the Celtic's home, the TD Banknorth Garden.
But if you referred to it as anything other than The Garden, you might as well just get a Lakers tattoo on your forehead.
For Red Sox fans only. Yankee fans need not apply.
Wondering what's up with Manny Ramirez, David Ortiz, and Josh Beckett? Head to Bean-town's Liberty Hotel for their "Swing! Batter, batter!" package.
This historic hotel is actually a former prison, but you'll be too deeply immersed in baseball heaven to ponder such trivia. Your room will come with a view of the lights of venerable Fenway Park, one of the country's oldest baseball fields, as well as the historic Citgo sign.
Just when you thought you were done guzzling the bubbly in the New Year, there's another reason to keep on swilling champagne: Veuve Clicquot is launching its first branded bar in the U.S. at The Liberty Hotel in Boston.
The champagne house plans to open the bar on Friday under the name La Grande Dame, the champagne label's nickname.
The bar is an "elegant alcove" located on the second floor of the hotel, formerly the Charles Street Jail. Flute glasses and bottles of La Grande Dame as well as full selection of current and past La Grande Dame Vintage and Vintage Rose will be available.
Veuve Clicquot has already opened two bars in Hamburg and Macau but this is the first US operation. (In a former jail no less!) We wonder if Karim "The White" Rashid's pink Veuve Clicquot loveseats will be inside.
Last fall it was announced that a former Charles Street jail in Boston would be converted into a luxury boutique hotel. The hotel estimated a Summer 2007 opening date and guess what? The Liberty Hotel has opened today.
However, you can't stay overnight there until Sept. 7 but when you do you can expect room rates to start at $275 for a 400 sq.ft. Fantastic Double Double. A Ultra Fantastic King starts at $305. Looks like someone borrowed from the W Hotels room descriptions.
The hotel also has three restaurants/bars in the works including a "jail" bar in the lobby that pays homage to the building's former life. A casual restaurant and bar will be on the second floor and a fine dining restaurant is also expected.
Sometimes we really don't know how hotel marketing teams come up with their packages. Some of these blow our mind they're so weird and others are just downright pointless. The Onyx Hotel in Boston, most famous for their Britney Spears suite is lacking a little bit in their "Wellness" package though.
The package--set on relaxing guests into bliss, includes the following:
One night stay in deluxe accommodations
In-room therapeutic massage performed by a professional
Complimentary FIJI bottled water provided in room
Complimentary specialty robe, yours to keep
In truth, we're all for all parts of this deal except the bottle of water. We can't quite believe that a complimentary bottle of water made a bragging list, Fiji or not. Couldn't they have included a fruit basket and an Evian mister? Let's hope the water bottle is at least the larger size.
Post Britney, post opening...so how is the Onyx doing?
Seems to be humming along Kimpton style. The rooms are a tad small here, and there isn't a real restaurant, just a bar, however the mood is good and guests and workers both appear happy. Well, it is Friday.
We were just privy to some management discussions, well, truth be told we were just sitting here minding our own business and the talks went on around us, and it appears "boutique" is no longer in the Kimpton vocab. It is all about lifestyle, and personal experiences.
Sounds about right. Hey, as long as they keep producing the best, most reliable free WiFi network at their hotels we will remain happy.
Hotel Onyx had to know the negative press was coming. After blind luck found them in what appeared to be one of the most serendipitous PR situations of all time, the pendulum has swung, and swung fast.
This week a Boston Globe writer penned a scathing review of the "Foundation Room" that is making the rounds on the `ole Internet.
The most surprising news in the article? Britney supposedly made a personal appearance at Hotel Onyx and signed the wall in her "room".
Welcome to the fourth circle of hell, the one where you are condemned to a life of useless labor. Welcome to the $349-a-night Britney Spears room at the Onyx Hotel.
How awful is the Britney Spears mini-suite? My wife made two comments immediately after she walked through the door. (1) "This is tiny!" then (2) "This is disgusting." Is 225 square feet tiny? Well, for $349, it feels a little small. And "disgusting" may be too strong a word, although it happens to be the one she chose. I might have said tacky.
To catch up on the full story arc, here are all the chapters of this sad saga.
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by Jenna
Sometimes we really don't know how hotel marketing teams come up with their packages. Some of these blow our mind they're so weird and others are just downright pointless. The 
