HotelChatter

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Katie Couric in a Charles Hotel Bathroom

Where: One Bennett Street [map], Cambridge, MA, United States, 02138

Salacious sounding isn't it?  Yesterday HotelChatter took a bit of a field trip to the Charles Hotel in Harvard Square to check out the newest in hotel bathroom excess--in-mirror televisions.  Yup, the Charles installed Séura televisions in all of the bathrooms. Séura has developed a system that combines an LCD television with a specially-designed mirror in which the screen appears in the mirror when turned on and vanishes when turned off.

So as we chatted with Charles staffers about the benefits and shock value of this technology we were able to watch Katie Couric say her final Today show good-bye.

These in-mirror flat screen televisions are now in all 294 guest rooms. This technology is part of a bigger room redux at the Charles, which when it is completed in August, will include remodeled bathrooms, flat screen televisions (both in mirror and outside mirror), local artwork, and cool wall clocks from the Institute for Contemporary Art.

We have first look preview photos of the renovated rooms in the HotelChatter photo pool.

Our big question:  Does the in-mirror television fog up when you take a long hot shower?

Related Stories:
· HotelChatter Photo Pool [Flickr]
· The Charles Hotel reviews [TripAdvisor]

Tags: Hotels / → All Tags

Charlest Hotel: Hunting For Hotel Whales

Where: One Bennett Street [map], Cambridge, MA, United States, 02138

Two years ago, Harvard's unofficial official hotel, the Charles, spent $1 million to renovated its 293 guest rooms and public spaces. This week, the Charles unveiled their latest $1 million renovation, the 1800-square-foot presidential suite.

The Charles Hotel's presidential suite is definitely one of the best in Boston. Includes an 85' long living room, dining room, two sitting areas, King size bed, wet bar, baby grand piano, two fireplaces, and Jacuzzi.

Oh, and there is more, including five flat-screen TVs, a security camera to monitor people at the door, and an iPod docking station. There is a custom $10,000 king-size bed, and the bathroom has a giant eight-jet shower.

However, at $3,500 a night the question is still $1 million on one room...how do you make those nubmers work?. The answer, according to the Boston Globe, is you don't.

As much as 80 percent of the time, presidential suites are marketed as a freebie or at heavily discounted rates.

So what is the goal with these loss leading rooms? To capture those rare super rich whales, of course. Bill Clinton, Donald Trump, world leaders, corporate CEOs, these are the folks the Charles Hotel, and other hotels, are hoping to nab with rooms like the presidential suite.

But those whales can only be counted on for 20% occupancy in any given year. What we need to figure out how these hotels dole out that tricked out suite the other 80% of the time...and how do we get on that list.

Related Stories:
·   Hotels Spend Millions on Rooms Few Will See [Boston Globe]