Stunning Puget Sound views from the new Thompson Seattle hotel (Photo: Commune Hotels)
In U.S. lodging news, the upscale Thompson Hotels group comes to the Pacific Northwest; Hilton opens a high-rise location in the heart of Cleveland; Holiday Inn cuts the ribbon on a new location in Brooklyn; and Starwood converts a Miami property into a W.
Views of the Puget Sound and the Olympic Mountains are among the highlights of the newly opened Thompson Seattle , a 12-story luxury boutique hotel located next to the city’s popular Pike Place Market. With an all-glass exterior and 158 rooms (including eight corner studios and two suites), the newly-built Thompson has a décor that features exposed steel and concrete, along with “an eclectic blend of modern and vintage furniture and fixtures of reclaimed woods.” Guest rooms have 400-thread-count bed linens, free Wi-Fi, 42-inch smart TVs and marble bathrooms with rain showers. The hotel has 5,000 square feet of meeting space and a signature restaurant specializing in locally sourced ingredients from the Pacific Northwest, as well as a rooftop bar and lounge with expansive city views. Rates start at $419, but the hotel has an opening special of 30 percent off best available rates for 2016 bookings made by June 30.
The new Hilton Cleveland Downtown overlooks Lake Erie. (Image: Hilton)
Hilton Hotels has cut the ribbon on a big new property in downtown Cleveland. The 600-room Hilton Cleveland Downtown, at 100 Lakeside Avenue East, is connected to the city’s Huntington Convention Center and adjacent to the Global Center for Health Innovation; it overlooks Lake Erie and FirstEnergy Stadium. The 32-story convention hotel has more than 50,000 square feet of function space, including a 20,000 square foot grand ballroom. The hotel has an indoor pool and fitness center on the sixth floor, a business center, in-room Wi-Fi, and a signature restaurant on three levels called The Burnham. There’s also a luxury bar on the 32nd floor; a “communal workspace” called Eliot’s Bar; and a grab-and-go eatery called The Noshery. HHonors discount rates start at $280.
The former Viceroy Hotel in downtown Miami is now one of Starwood’s W properties. (Image: Starwood)
Starwood has added its third W property in Florida: The company has taken over the former Viceroy Miami and rebranded it as the W Miami – although it doesn’t yet have all the regular W touches. “W Miami will undergo a renovation to create the W brand’s signature W Living Room on the hotel’s 15th floor overlooking Biscayne Bay,” Starwood said, and a cocktail lounge and WET Deck will be added on the 50th floor. The hotel is on Brickell Avenue in downtown Miami, right across the street from the Brickell City Centre development of upscale restaurant and retail locations. The new W has 148 rooms and suites as well as 38 residential units serviced by the hotel. Other Florida W locations are in South Beach and Ft. Lauderdale. Rates start at $182.
The lobby of the new Holiday Inn-Brooklyn Downtown. (Image: Holiday Inn)
In New York City, the borough of Brooklyn is a hot growth area these days, with new attractions and major gentrification going on. And InterContinental Hotels Group has just opened a newly-built Holiday Inn there. The 245-room Holiday Inn-Brooklyn Downtown is on Schermerhorn Street, not far from the Barclay Center, Brooklyn Academy of Music and the Metro Tech Center. InterContinental plans to open a new EVEN Hotel Brooklyn right next door later this year. The 14-story Holiday Inn has a business center, 24-hour fitness room plus heated indoor pool/hot tub/sauna, and 2,500 square feet of meeting space. Reflecting Brooklyn’s multicultural nature, the hotel’s all-day restaurant is called Brasserie Seoul, with Korean and French-inspired cuisine. Rates start at $201.
NOTE: Be sure to click here to see all recent TravelSkills posts about: United’s newest, longest flight + Tipping Uber drivers + Qantas 747 Trip Report + Confusion over PreCheck policies + No-fee earlier flights
Do you follow us on Twitter? It’s a great way to keep up with the latest news!
Please join the 125,000+ people who read TravelSkills every month! Sign up here for one email-per-day updates!
