TravelSkills

News and Tips For Your Trips

Hyatt tightens its cancellation policy

Downtown Denver’s new dual-branded Hyatt Place/House is near the convention center. (Image: Hyatt)

Hyatt has joined other major hotel groups in imposing a stricter cancellation policy.

According to a notice on Hyatt’s website, the company’s new default policy requires a guest to cancel a booking at least 48 hours in advance in order to avoid a cancellation fee. The policy takes effect for reservations made or changed after January 1, 2018.

Like its competitors, Hyatt suggested the policy change would allow it to “manage guestroom availability more effectively.”

The company didn’t say what the penalty for a late cancellation would be, but the industry standard is generally the cost of one night’s stay. Hyatt added that the new policy is not binding on all its properties. “Because each Hyatt hotel may continue to set its own cancellation policy based on local market dynamics and expectations, we always encourage guests to check the cancellation policy at the time of booking. It will continue to be transparently communicated at the time of booking and in guest emails,” the company said.

There’s an exemption for elite World of Hyatt loyalty members: Explorist, Globalist and Lifetime Globalist members will be able to cancel up to 24 hours in advance without a penalty when the hotel’s policy is a 48-hour cancellation.  (It does not apply if an individual hotel’s policy requires cancellation more than 48 hours in advance.)

Earlier this year, Marriott and Hilton both adopted minimum 48-hour advance cancellation policies, and InterContinental Hotels Group set a 24-hour advance cancellation standard.

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U.S. cities top the cost charts for business travelers

Business travelers really rack up the expenses in the Big Apple. (Image: Jim Glab)

What’s the most expensive destination for a U.S. business traveler? You might think it’s some pricey overseas city like Tokyo or Geneva or Paris. Nope – not even close. The most expensive business destinations are right here in the USA.

That’s according to an extensive new ranking of daily business travel costs compiled by the trade publication Business Travel News, using data from actual January-November 2016 bookings provided by the global corporate travel management company BCD Travel.  The study looked at average daily spending for a hotel, rental car and meals at scores of cities in the U.S. and abroad.

And the most expensive of all those destinations was New York City, with average daily spending of $549 – an increase of 5 percent year-over-year. San Francisco ranked second, at $534, followed by Boston at $510.

Source: Business Travel News

By contrast, the foreign city with the highest average spending level was Tokyo at $489 a day, followed by Zurich at $471 and London at $468. (All overseas prices were recorded in local currencies and converted to U.S. dollars. Click on the above link for an explanation of the study’s methodology.)

Three of the five most expensive foreign business destinations were in Switzerland; in addition to Zurich, they included Basel at $442 a day and Geneva at $432. And in the U.S., four of the 10 most expensive cities were in California. Besides San Francisco, they included Los Angeles ($419), San Jose ($418), and Santa Barbara ($395).

Source: Business Travel News

Hotel rates accounted for the biggest difference in costs. The average daily cost of a business hotel stay in New York was $385, followed by $379 for San Francisco, $337 for Boston and $320 for Washington D.C., the fourth-place U.S. destination.

By contrast, no hotel spending at foreign destinations exceeded $300 a day. The average hotel spend was $239 in Tokyo, $265 in Zurich and $279 in London.

Readers: Which U.S. and foreign cities have you found to be the most expensive in your travels? How do you keep costs down on business trips?

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New winter promotion from Marriott & Starwood

Starwood’s Westin San Diego is a participant in the Great Weeks, Grand Weekends promotion. (Image: Jim Glab)

Marriott International has rolled out a pair of point promotions for members of its Marriott Rewards and Starwood Preferred Guest loyalty programs for winter trips.

Marriott Rewards’ bonus plan is called MegaBonus, and SPG’s is Great Weeks, Grand Weekends. They both apply for stays from January 16 through April 15, with a registration deadline of March 31.

Registered members of Marriott Rewards can earn 2,000 bonus points per stay, beginning with their second stay, plus another 1,000 points for staying on weekend nights (i.e., Friday and Saturday nights most places, Thursday and Friday nights in the Middle East and Egypt). There’s an earnings cap of 50,000 bonus points. The promotion includes the entire Marriott family of brands except ExecuStay, Executive Apartments and Vacation Club.

Don’t miss: New credit cards coming from Marriott and Starwood

Breakfast Kauai

Breakfast on the Makana Terrace at the St Regis Princeville: great food and killer views (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

SPG members who register will earn double Starpoints for each stay, starting with the second, along with another 500 bonus Starpoints (the equivalent of 1,500 Rewards points) for stays over a weekend night. The SPG promotion has no limit on the number of bonus Starpoints that can be earned. Here’s a list of participating Starwood hotels.

Here are links to the registration pages for Marriott’s MegaBonus and for SPG’s Great Weeks, Grand Weekends.

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Hotel rewards: Not all chains are created equal

The Wyndham Orlando Resort is part of the Wyndham Rewards program. (Image: Wyndham)

In its latest annual study of hotel loyalty programs, WalletHub found significant differences in the value of rewards and the rules governing the plans. Which one is best for any given individual depends on which aspects of a program the traveler values most, and how much he or she spends on hotels in a year.

The company examined the loyalty programs of the 12 largest U.S. lodging groups, and scored them on 21 different metrics. Overall, it rated Wyndham Rewards as the best loyalty program for the third consecutive year.

Why? For one thing, “Wyndham Rewards offers the most redemption flexibility, allowing members to book award nights at consistent point values and without brand restrictions,” a WalletHub spokesperson said.

But other hotel companies’ programs have their own distinct advantages. For instance, the geographical coverage offered by Marriott Rewards is tops for international travelers, since it has participating properties in 126 nations. Hilton’s Honors plan has the most travel partners – 49 in all – making it the best program for pooling and transferring points, WalletHub said.

Source: WalletHub

In other categories, Best Western is the only chain whose points don’t expire when the loyalty member shows no account activity. And La Quinta members get the best return on their spending, with an average reward value of $13.65 per $100 spent.

On the other end of the scale, the Starwood Preferred Guest ranked 12th out of 12 in the value of its rewards (i.e., return on dollars spent), and in 11th place for the variety of redemption options.

You can see the study’s full results here, including a calculator that lets you see the best program for you based on your annual hotel spending level.

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Hotel ‘resort fees’ are moving into the Big Apple

Many hotels near NYC’s Times Square now tack “destination fees” onto guests’ bills. (Image: Jim Glab)

Business travelers heading to New York may no longer be immune from a daily add-on to their hotel bill that used to be limited to leisure destinations like Hawaii and Las Vegas. And hotels in other big cities might not be far behind.

At the leisure destinations, the hotels call these contentious charges ”resort fees,” supposedly covering the hotels’ costs of providing things like pool towel service, fitness center use, phone calls, daily newspaper and so on – and the fees are mandatory whether the guest actually uses any of the covered services or not.

Probably the most notorious destination for charging exorbitant hotel ”resort fees” is Las Vegas, where big hotels routinely tack more than $30 a day onto guests’ final bills. And they are not included in the quoted room price during web searches.

Now, according to a report in the U.K. newspaper The Independent, resort fees are coming to many hotels in New York City under another name – the Urban Destination Charge.

The newspaper found that a number of hotels in Manhattan – especially those in the Times Square area – have started tacking a mandatory “destination fee” or “facility fee” onto guests’ bills, with the amount ranging from $15 to $25 a day. The fees are being charged by properties belonging to major chains like Marriott/Starwood and Hilton.

A Marriott spokesperson told the newspaper the fees were imposed at some of its properties as a four-month test program, and estimated that about 40 New York hotels are now charging them.

Las Vegas hotels are notorious for the size of their resort fees. (Image: Jim Glab)

Like the resort fees, the new charges are supposedly covering hotel services like Internet, fitness rooms, newspaper and so on, whether or not the guest uses them. They may also include a one-time food and beverage credit (even though the charge is imposed for every day of the guest’s stay), or discount vouchers to use for city tours, etc.

Hotel resort fees have been drawing scrutiny from the Federal Trade Commission for years, but so far the agency hasn’t done anything to rein them in except to warn hotels back in 2012 that they ought to be more transparent in disclosing such fees to customers.

In 2015, the FTC rejected a request from a consumers’ group that hotels should be required to incorporate resort fees into their regular room rates. Earlier this year, the FTC’s Bureau of Economics issued a report on hotel resort fees that concluded they can harm consumers by making their room searches and price comparisons more difficult. That report was issued in the final days of the Obama Administration during early January. With the changeover to Republican rule in Washington, it is considered unlikely that the FTC would come out with any new regulations restricting hotels’ freedom to assess resort and/or destination fees.

So don’t be surprised if more hotels in other urban centers take note of the New York experience and decide to tack on some new fees of their own.

Readers: Have you encountered any unexpected mandatory hotel fees recently? Where, how much, and what were they for?

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New hotels: Hilton, IHG in NYC, Hilton/Marriott in Dallas, Charlotte Kimpton, Las Vegas suites, Cincinnati

A room at the Crowne Plaza HY36 in Manhattan. (Image: Crowne Plaza)

In recent hotel news, InterContinental and Hilton both opened new locations in midtown Manhattan near Hudson Yards; Hilton added a new affiliated property in downtown Dallas, and Marriott opened a dual-branded hotel there; Kimpton Hotels broke into the Charlotte market; Caesars Palace in Las Vegas has added luxurious ‘villas’ as part of a $100 million renovation project; and Marriott brought its AC brand to Cincinnati.

On the west side of Midtown Manhattan, InterContinental Hotels Group has cut the ribbon on its newest Crowne Plaza property, called the Crowne Plaza HY36 Midtown Manhattan. It’s at 320 West 36th Street, a few blocks from Penn Station, Hudson Yards and the Javits Center.  The 251-room hotel has a restaurant called TGA (The Great American) serving American cuisine, a big fitness center, and a 24-hour business lounge. The hotel offers free Wi-Fi throughout. Rates start as low as $193 (after the holidays).

Hilton’s new Garden Inn on the west side of Midtown Manhattan. (Image: Hilton)

Just around the block at 326 West 37th Street is the newly opened Hilton Garden Inn New York Times Square South, a 23-story, 250-room property. Free Wi-Fi is also available throughout this hotel, and amenities include a 24-hour fitness center, sundries store, room service, and a full-service restaurant called Doyler’s, serving up pub-style food and drinks for three meals a day. There’s also a media room with gaming stations and big TVs. Weeknight rates start as low as $165.

The Statler in Dallas is back as part of Hilton’s Curio Collection. (Image: Hiulton)

Back when it opened in downtown Dallas in 1956, The Statler was one of Hilton’s first big convention hotels. Now the hotel at 1914 Commerce Street has been redeveloped into a mixed-use project that includes 159 hotel rooms, 219 residences, restaurants, nightlife, specialty retail stores and an events venue. The hotel segment is still called The Statler, and now it’s a member of Hilton’s Curio Collection, which makes it part of the Honors program. The complex has five food and beverage outlets, 33,000 square feet of meeting space, a rooftop pool and lounge (opening in December), a fitness center and a bowling alley. Rates start at $264.

Miss our New Hotels post from last month? Check this out! 

Public area at the new AC Hotel in Dallas. (Image: Marriott)

Not far from the Statler at 1712 Commerce Street in Dallas, the old Mercantile Commerce Building – which had been empty for a quarter-century – has been redeveloped into a dual-branded Marriott property that includes a Residence Inn and an AC Hotel. Together they have 249 rooms, along with a shared bar, fitness center and indoor pool, but separate lobbies, dining areas and business centers.

Lobby in the new Residence Inn in downtown Dallas. (Image: Marriott)

The AC Hotel Dallas Downtown features the simplicity of design and functionality that comes from its European namesake; the lobby has communal tables and plenty of power ports, while food and beverage outlets include an AC Lounge for drinks, the AC Kitchen for breakfast, and the AC Market for snacks and more. The Residence Inn Dallas Downtown offers studio and one-bedroom accommodations with full kitchens. It has a 24-hour self-service food and beverage outlet called The Market, and offers free grocery delivery and hot breakfasts. Rates begin at $195 for the AC Hotel and $184 at the Residence Inn.

Rooftop restaurant at the Kimpton Tryon Park in Charlotte. (Image: Kimpton)

InterContinental Hotel Group’s Kimpton brand has opened its first hotel in Charlotte – the Kimpton Tryon Park in the city’s Uptown district. Connected to the new 300 South Tryon office complex next door, the 217-room Kimpton has a rooftop lounge/restaurant called Merchant & Trade (featuring a retracting sunroof) and an Italian eatery named Angeline’s on the ground floor. Guests have access to a 24-hour fitness center, outdoor yoga classes and high-speed Wi-Fi. Advance purchase rates start at $194.

Marriott’s new AC Hotel in Cincinnati. (Image: Marriott)

Just across from Cincinnati’s Great American Ballpark, in The Banks mixed-use development, is Marriott’s newly opened AC Hotel Cincinnati at The Banks, at 135 Joe Nuxhall Way. It has 131 European-style rooms, free Wi-Fi and a fitness center, along with three meeting rooms, an AC Kitchen for breakfast service, a bar called the AC Lounge, and a library and lounge area off the lobby. There’s also a rooftop bar/event venue called The AC Upper Deck with sweeping views of the city. Rates start at $175 for Marriott Rewards members.

A posh new villa suite at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. (Image: Caesars Palace)

In Las Vegas, the 1,181-room Palace Tower at the legendary Caesars Palace has just finished up a $100 million renovation. The centerpiece of the project was the addition of 10 new “villas” on the 29th floor – lavish accommodations ranging in size from 2,750 to 4,085 square feet. The villas provide amenities you won’t normally find in a hotel, like giant-screen $20,000 TVs with surround sound; 24-karat gold-plated plumbing fixtures; whirlpool tubs; full pantries with appliances; hardwood floors; and curated art. Villa guests have private elevator access, butler service around the clock, and airport transfers via limousine. But the villas carry a considerable price tag (unless you’re a really high roller), with rates starting at $3,109 a night. The new villa suites have their own website at www.caesarssuites.com.

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New Hotels: Hilton LAX, Nikko SF, Mondrian NYC, Marriott Denver, Ritz Chicago, Hilton DC

Hilton’s dual-branded H Hotel/Homewood Suites near LAX. (Image: Hilton)

In hotel news, Hilton cuts the ribbon on a dual-branded project near Los Angeles International Airport; Manhattan welcomes a pair of new properties; Marriott opens a Meridien/AC Hotel combo in downtown Denver, and Hilton gains a new presence there as well; an iconic hotel in the nation’s capital joins the Hilton family; and a Chicago classic reopens.

Less than a mile from LAX at 6151 West Century Boulevard in Los Angeles is a newly-opened, dual-branded Hilton affiliate. Its two parts are the 122-unit Homewood Suites by Hilton Los Angeles International Airport, and the 168-room H Hotel Los Angeles, Curio Collection by Hilton. The double hotel offers 24-hour shuttles to the terminals and car rentals from MCar Rental.  The Homewood Suites has studio and one-bedroom accommodations with full kitchens and separate living/sleeping areas. The H Hotel provides “high-end accommodations that currently do not exist at LAX,” Hilton said. Its rooms feature Nespresso machines and Google Chromecast on their TVs. Breakfast and dinner service is available to guests of both properties at Waypoint Kitchen in the H Hotel – “an American-style pub with modern California cuisine.” There’s also a coffee shop and a Subway Fresh in the lobby. Each hotel has its own fitness center, but they share a pool. The H Hotel has an open-air rooftop deck called H Overlook with views of the LAX runways, and guest-requested amenities and snacks are delivered to their rooms by a robotic butler. Rates begin at $160 for the Homewood Suites, and at $170 at the H Hotel.

Hotel Nikko San Francisco

All rooms in the Hotel Nikko San Francisco have been remodeled (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Did you know that the Hotel Nikko San Francisco closed down for three months for a top to bottom re-do earlier this year? It reopened this past spring and, based on our recent visit, feels like a brand new hotel. TravelSkills was there last week as the hotel celebrated its 30th anniversary in the spectacular white-marble-sheathed lobby– part of the $60 million renovation that included all public spaces and rooms (seen above.) Even if you are not staying there, it’s worth a walk through or a meal or drink next time you are in SF near Union Square. Rates start at as low as $180 per night but of course vary based on demand. Check out this video walk through. 

In New York City’s NoMad neighborhood, at Park Avenue South and 30th Street, a former 15-story office building constructed in 1915 has added five floors during its conversion into the 20-story Mondrian Park Avenue Hotel. The newly opened Mondrian has guestrooms with “plush bedding and spacious bathrooms, as well as neutral woven leather furnishings and floating desks,” the hotel said. Managed by Journal Hotels, the Mondrian has a signature restaurant called Cleo with Eastern and Southern Mediterranean-inspired cuisine; a rooftop lounge and outdoor terrace called Fifteen Stories; and an underground nightclub called Yours Truly “catering to the who’s who of New York City with a dedicated hidden entrance.” Rates start around $350.

Innovative guest accommodations at the Moxy Times Square. (Image: Marriott)

Across town at Seventh Avenue and 36th Street, meanwhile, the 110-year-old New Mills Hotel building has been overhauled and converted into Marriott’s new Moxy Times Square. (How far does a hotel have to be from Times Square before it’s not allowed to have Times Square in its name?)  It has 612 guestrooms ranging from 150 to 350 square feet, each with fast, free Wi-Fi; Bluetooth soundbars, and big HDTVs that can stream Netflix, Hulu, and YouTube. The hotel has a seafood restaurant, an “egg-centric all-day breakfast spot,” a big rooftop bar/lounge that Marriott says is New York’s largest, a lobby bar, and a grab-and-go market, as well as a newsstand/convenience store called New Stand. Marriott Rewards member rates start as low as $148 (after the holidays).

Marriott’s Le Meridien/AC Hotel is close to Denver’s convention center. (Image: Marriott)

Dual-branded hotels are getting ever more popular. Besides the Hilton project at LAX mentioned above, Marriott has just opened its own double hotel in downtown Denver, a block from the Colorado Convention Center at 15th and California. The 20-story structure includes the upscale 272-room Le Meridien Denver Downtown and the 223-room AC Hotel by Marriott Denver Downtown. Le Meridien has 12,000 square feet of meeting space, lots of original artwork, and coffee and cocktail service in the lobby. The European-inspired AC Hotel “is designed to feel like a modern ski lodge, with peaked roofs, strong lines, geometric language, and bold interior gestures,” Marriott said. Guests of the hotels can get American comfort food at Corinne, open for three meals a day; imbibe at The Lobbyist, Le Meridien’s cocktail lounge; and check out the mountains from 54thirty, Denver’s “highest open-air, seasonal rooftop bar.” Rates start at $162 at the AC Hotel and $229 at Le Meridien.

Given Marriott’s big new double-hotel presence in downtown Denver with Le Meridien and the AC Hotel, it may no longer need the 613-room Denver Marriott City Center, two blocks away at 17th and California – and that’s good, because the owner of that hotel, Chesapeake Lodging Trust, plans to change its affiliation on December 1, when it will become the Hilton Denver City Center, according to the Denver Post.

A corner room at the Madison Hotel in Washington, (Image: Hilton)

Long a landmark in downtown Washington D.C. not far from the White House, the Madison Hotel has ended its affiliation with Loews Hotels and has been rebranded as The Madison Washington DC, a Hilton Hotel, making it part of Hilton’s Honors program. That makes it Hilton’s third major property in the nation’s capital along with the Capital Hilton and the Washington Hilton. The 356-room Madison has 27 suites, eight meeting rooms, a 24-hour business center, restaurant and bar and a fitness center. Rates start at $131.

Part of the renovated lobby at Chicago’s Ritz-Carlton. (Image: Ritz-Carlton)

After a $100 million renovation job that kept the property closed for a year and a half, The Ritz-Carlton, Chicago has finally reopened. The big renovation of the property started just after it became an official member of the Ritz-Carlton group; before that, it was a Four Seasons hotel – even though it carried the Ritz-Carlton name. The work included the creation of a 15th-floor Ritz-Carlton Club lounge, an expansion of the hotel’s spa, and the addition of an Italian steakhouse restaurant. The hotel, located along North Michigan Avenue – the “Magnificent Mile” – is known for its spacious guest accommodations, which start at 300 square feet. Advance purchase rates start at $275.

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Trip Report: 3 exciting days in Los Angeles

Kimpton Everly

Looking north to the Hollywood sign from the 14th floor of the Kimpton Everly Hotel (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Booming Los Angeles has seen a bloom in new hotel construction in recent years. As readers may recall, I was there in June for the opening of the city’s tallest hotel– the InterContinental Los Angeles Downtown. (See our review)

Last week, I checked in to check out the brand new-from-the-ground-up, 216-room Kimpton Everly Hotel, located a few blocks uphill from the famous intersection of Hollywood and Vine. Plus I was there for a handful of meetings and to see other new hotels and hotspots.

Kimpton Everly hotel

The brand new Kimpton Everly is located uphill from the famous Hollywood & Vine intersection (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

What’s best about The Everly (aside from the fact that it’s a Kimpton, and only about six weeks old) is its location.

If like me, you have business meetings all over town, it’s perfectly positioned. Need to head up to the Valley for a healthy business lunch at Hugo’s in Studio City? Just jump on the 101 freeway– the entrance is a block away from the front door. Need to go downtown to the Convention Center or poke around DTLA? Just walk down to Hollywood and Vine and jump on the Metro Red Line.

Meeting with your agent for breakfast in West Hollywood (at Butcher, Baker, Cappuccino Maker) or lunch in Beverly Hills (at Jean-Georges)? Maybe you’ll get invited to have dinner with a member of the showy, private Soho House. Or a little late night fun at Giorgio’s at MMHMMM at the Standard hotel. Lyft or Uber is easy to call (about $12 with tip between Hollywood and WeHo)– just budget enough time to be stuck in the area’s famous traffic jams where a 15-minute ride can easily bloat into a 45-minute slog.

(I did all of the above packed into a busy three-day trip! See photos below.)

Kimpton Everly sits just north of Hollywood and Vine- Smack in the middle of everything (Image: Everly Hotel)

Rates at the Everly are decent for a four-star hotel in a good location– they start at around $259 per night and vary based on demand. (I accepted a media rate of $190 per night for my stay.)

What else did I like about this hotel? It’s full of tall windows, high ceilings and plenty of light. Which brings me to another big plus: the views! Wow! I stayed at the Everly for two nights. On the first night from the 9th floor I looked south over the cranes and construction of Hollywood and the W Hotel tower. On the second night from the 14th floor I looked north over Beachwood Canyon with the clearest view of the Hollywood sign I’ve ever had. Wow! So if you like views, be sure to ask for a room on a high floor.

Hollywood skyline

View from the 9th Floor looking south toward Hollywood Boulevard (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

There’s an outdoor pool on the fifth floor looking out over Hollywood, which gets southern exposure, perfect for picking up some rays- so pack your sunglasses.

Kimpton Everly pool

Cool at the pool before morning fog burns off (Photo: Kimpton Everly)

The lobby is bright and lively, filled with mid century modern vibe, comfy furniture, a pool table and a big busy bar. It’s a nice place to spend a few hours in the late afternoon when the wine is on the house and tasty snacks are lined up on the bar.

Kimpton Everly

Well designed, fun lobby bar space (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

As usual for most Kimpton hotels, the Everly gets all the little things right. Wi-fi is fast, easy to sign on and free for Karma members. Members also get a $10 “Raid the Bar” credit for mini bar purchases. In the bathroom, there are full sized bottles of shampoo, conditioner and shower get that are plainly marked. Lights are bright and beds are covered in Frette linen.

Something new I saw on this trip– a new type of thermostat that has a haptic touch… when you push it to raise or lower the temperature, it vibrates. And thankfully, it felt like it was not motion sensitive, and did not turn off in the middle of the night. The only thing I did not like about the room set up was the sliding barn door to the bathroom— these are fine when traveling alone, but do a poor job blocking sounds and smells when someone else is in there!

Kimpton mini-bar

Plenty of goodies in the mini-bar (Chris McGinnis)

 

Frette bed Kimpton Everly

Big comfy bed covered in Frette linen (Chris McGinnis)

 

Hotel bathroom Kimpton everly

Big bright bathroom with walk in shower- and a sliding barn door (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

 

Kimpton shampoo

Full sized, plainly labeled potions and lotions (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

hepatic thermostat hotel

A new thermostat with haptic controls (Chris McGinnis)

I flew into Burbank and I had a rental car for this trip, which proved expensive (parking is $42 per night + tip) and a bit of a hassle as getting in and out of the entrance is a little counterintuitive.

Breakfast is a quick, easy and casual affair at the hotel’s perky Jane Q restaurant on the street level– great coffee (I just went for the drip variety, which is free for hotel guests) plus there’s plenty of pastries and egg dishes to choose from while taking in the view out onto the street.

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Coffee Kimpton everly

Breakfast at Jane Q at the Kimpton Everly (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

For my morning walk around the ‘hood I headed down Argyle Avenue four blocks to Hollywood Boulevard to see the famous stars embedded into the sidewalk. Down there the neighborhood feels a bit sketchy. I was fine walking around there in the morning, but would probably avoid being on foot at night.

Hollywood Boulevard

Down on Hollywood Boulevard it’s a little gritty (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

While there, I was lucky enough to have time to check out the spectacular new Waldorf-Astoria Beverly Hills (where rates start at about $600/night), located next door to the Beverly Hilton on the triangle where Santa Monica and Wilshire Boulevards intersect. While the lobby of the hotel is gorgeous, the real show is up on The Rooftop— take a ride up for lunch and soak up the spectacular views (of the city and the people watching).

Also new on the hot LA hotel scene is the recent opening of the 286-room Jeremy Hotel on Sunset Boulevard on the western edge of West Hollywood– it was first going to open as The James hotel, but that fell through and the showy property sat vacant for months. Now it’s the Jeremy, but not for long– word on the street is that the hotel will soon be the first West Coast outpost of Barry Sternlicht’s popular new One Hotels.

Plus, Kimpton is not done with LA yet… in a few months it will open the new 105-room La Peer Hotel between Santa Monica and Melrose in West Hollywood. Details here.

Everly Hotel

Entrance to the Everly hotel along Yucca Street (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

 

No photos are allowed inside the members-only Soho House so I had to grab this one from its website. It’s located on the top of an office building on Sunset Boulevard on the western edge of West Hollywood.

 

Jean-Georges

The latest outpost of the Jean-George Vongerichten empire at the Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills (Chris McGinnis)

 

Tuna tartare

Don’t miss the ahi tuna tartare at Jean-Georges– tastes great and looks beautiful! (Chris McGinnis)

 

Jean-Georges

Power lunch at Jean-Georges with Tom Kiely, President & CEO of the West Hollywood Convention and Visitors Bureau (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

 

Waldorf-Astoria Beverly Hills

Up on the rooftop of the new Waldorf-Astoria Beverly Hills– perfect perch for people watching! (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

 

Beverly Hilton

The new Waldorf-Astoria Bev Hills is located on the triangle where Santa Monica and Wilshire Boulevards intersect- next to the Beverly Hilton (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

 

Valet circle at the Waldorf-Astoria is a luxury car circus! (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

 

Butcher, Baker Cappuccino Maker

Don’t miss an outdoor breakfast at Butcher, Baker and Cappuccino Maker on Sunset Boulevard in West Hollywood! (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Burbank Airport

I’ve been flying into Burbank’s Bob Hope Airport instead of LAX lately. You? (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Fred’s restaurant at Barney’s Beverly Hills #travel #shopping #la #california #fashion #design

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Southwest Airlines

I flew Southwest Airlines SFO-Burbank on this trip. It canceled my 11 am flight, and rebooked me on the 3 pm flight (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

What’s your favorite place to stay or play in LA?? Please leave your comments and suggestions below. 

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Hotel news: Ritz in Atlanta, Marriott in Chicago, Hilton in NYC + Los Angeles, Austin

A luxurious suite overlooking Phipps Plaza at the Ritz-Carlton Buckhead in Atlanta. (Image: Ritz-Carlton)

In recent hotel news, a classic Atlanta property gets rebranded; Marriott cuts the ribbon on a big convention hotel in Chicago, and Viceroy Hotels adds a property there; a trendy independent property makes its debut in LA’s West Hollywood district; Hilton adds a major location in Manhattan, near the United Nations; and Marriott/Starwood adds a dual-branded hotel in Austin.

Atlanta’s Ritz-Carlton Buckhead, across the street from Lenox Square in Atlanta, has been a fixture of the city’s upscale Buckhead district for 30 years. It was even the brand flagship when the company had its HQ in Atlanta. But it will be rebranded within a matter of weeks. The hotel’s owner, Host Hotels & Resorts, has reached an agreement with Ritz-Carlton parent Marriott to take the property out of the Ritz-Carlton group and convert it into a property “under independent operation” called The Whitley. But it will still be part of the huge multi-brand Marriott family: The deal calls for The Whitley to be a part of Marriott/Starwood’s Luxury Collection when it changes its name December 1. Existing reservations will be honored, as will Ritz-Carlton Rewards and Marriott Rewards redemption nights, the companies said. Have you stayed at the R-C Buckhead lately? How was it?

The new Marriott Marquis near Chicago’s McCormick Place. (Image: Marriott)

The largest hotel to open in Chicago so far this year is the brand-new Marriott Marquis, located next to (and connected to) the huge McCormick Place convention center. The 1,204-room, 40-story Marriott Marquis Chicago is the city’s sixth-largest hotel; in addition to its modern glass-walled tower, the hotel also includes the historic red-brick American Book Company building next door. True to its convention-oriented location, the hotel boasts 93,000 square feet of meeting space, including a pair of 25,000-square-foot ballrooms. The hotel’s Woven & Bound Restaurant is an American brasserie open for three meals a day. Guest amenities include an M Club Lounge with workspace, snacks and drinks, open to Marriott Rewards members (or non-member guests for a fee); a 24-hour fitness center; a big grab-and-go market; business center and FedEx office; and fiber optic high-speed Internet. Rates start around $299, but can vary considerably based on the level of convention activity.

A room at The Viceroy in Chicago’s Gold Coast neighborhood. (Image: Viceroy Hotels)

Farther north, in Chicago’s Gold Coast neighborhood, Viceroy Hotel Group has opened the 180-room Viceroy Chicago, a luxury property on the site of the former Cedar Hotel. It’s at the corner of Cedar and State streets, just south of Division Street. The 18-story Viceroy has a rooftop pool and year-round rooftop lounge, and an adjacent restaurant called Somerset run by chef Lee Wolen, a James Beard Award finalist. Guest rooms have floor-to-ceiling windows, and the hotel will offer guests weekly classes in meditation and yoga starting in October. Opening rates start at $281 for bookings made by September 30.

The outdoor pool at The Jeremy in West Hollywood. (Image: The Jeremy)

At the corner of Sunset and La Cienega boulevards in Los Angeles is The Jeremy West Hollywood, a newly opened 286-room (including 50 suites) property. Its owners say the hotel has “an iconic cool presence that cultivates the best of WeHo’s notable culture.” The hotel’s all-day Etcho Café offers up “Cali-fresh cuisine” that is locally sourced and its JOAO Bar features “elements of old Hollywood.” The Jeremy also has a pool, fitness center, and a pair of large conference rooms. Rates start at $269.

A corner room at the Millennium Hilton at UN Plaza in New York. (Image: Hilton)

Members of Hilton’s Honors program have a new lodging option in New York City. A hotel at One United Nations Plaza on the east side of Midtown Manhattan (across from the UN Headquarters) has become a member of the Hilton family. The 439-room hotel opened as a Hyatt in 1976, then became the Millennium UN Plaza after it was acquired by Millennium & Copthorne Hotels in 2000. A few years ago, it was renamed the One UN New York, and now it is under Hilton Hotels management, and has been renamed the Millennium Hilton New York One UN Plaza. It’s the seventh Hilton Hotels property in New York. Rates start at $290.

The new Aloft/Element dual-branded hotel in Austin. (Image: Marriott/Starwood)

In downtown Austin, Texas, it’s one building but two new hotels. Marriott’s Starwood Hotels division has cut the ribbon on a dual-branded property that includes both an Aloft and an Element hotel, at Congress Avenue and Seventh Street, a few blocks south of the State Capitol. Both brands offer free Wi-Fi, and they share a 24-hour fitness center, business center, and 1,380 square feet of meeting space. The 32-story building includes a 278-room Aloft Austin Downtown along with a 144-room Element Austin Downtown. There’s also an on-site restaurant/coffeehouse/bakery called Caroline’s, and an “urban background playground” and bar called Upstairs at Caroline’s with live music. The Aloft offers high-ceilinged, loft-like accommodations with platform beds while the Element features studios and one-bedroom suites. Rates start at $349 at both hotels.

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Surprises in new JD Power hotel survey

JW Marriott

The JW Marriott Beijing (Photo: Marriott)

Results are in for the latest J.D. Power and Associates consumer survey of hotel guest satisfaction, and they include some pleasant (and not so pleasant) surprises for specific Marriott and InterContinental brands.

In the luxury hotels category – the highest of the eight segments in the survey – the leaders in guest satisfaction are two Marriott brands – JW Marriott and Ritz-Carlton, which tied for the #1 spot. What do you think about that? Which brand do you prefer? Four Seasons is close behind at #3. Four Seasons beat by JW Marriott? Yep. The trendy W brand ranks at the bottom, tied with InterContinental Hotels. Remember when W hotels was the spunky fun new kid in town that everyone loved? (See JD Power Luxury rankings here)

Rooftop pool deck at Kimpton’s Hotel Wilshire in Los Angeles (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Hyatt was the most highly rated brand for 2017 in the “upper upscale” category, but in second place was a relatively new InterContinental Hotels Group brand – Kimpton. That brand won highest ratings for its food and beverage, the quality of its guest rooms, and its check-in/check-out experience. (I love Kimpton because it’s so good at getting so many “little things” right. See 10 little things few hotels get right.) Ranking dead last in the upper upscale segment, however, was Marriott’s Sheraton brand, which like W was part of its Starwood acquisition – despite the millions of dollars spent in recent years to upgrade and modernize Sheraton properties. Could this lead Marriott to start thinking about eliminating Sheraton from its portfolio of 30 brands? See upper upscale rankings here.

The pool at the Hilton Garden Inn Waikiki in Honolulu. (Image: Hilton)

Taking the guest satisfaction trophy in the upscale segment was Hilton Garden Inns – the only first-place finish for a Hilton brand in the whole guest satisfaction survey. Hilton Garden Inns outscored Marriott/Starwood’s Aloft, Hyatt’s Hyatt Place and Marriott’s Springhill Suites brands. Coming in at the bottom of the 10-brand category were tired old Radisson and Four Points by Sheraton (another brand that could be on Marriott’s chopping block). See the upscale rankings here.

What is it about Drury Hotels? It’s hardly a household name, and unaffiliated with the major chains, but it ranked highest in the survey’s upper midscale category – as it does almost every year. (Have you ever stayed at a Drury property? What’s so great about them?) Winning the midscale category was Wingate by Wyndham, a group of independently-owned hotels that is part of the Wyndham family, with Best Western finishing a close second. At the bottom of the nine-brand midscale group were Ramada and Quality.

The iconic Stratosphere hotel in Las Vegas will soon be a Best Western Premier hotel (Photo: Stratosphere Hotel)

The 2017 survey – which polled 63,000 hotel guests in the U.S. and Canada – also found that use of a hotel company’s app both for booking and for various tasks at the property leads to higher guest satisfaction. But who really uses them? J.D. Survey said: “Among guests who have a hotel’s app on their mobile device, 38% don’t use it during their stay. Only a tiny percentage of check-ins (4%) and check-outs (1%) occurs through mobile apps, but when it is used, it is associated with higher guest satisfaction.”

Are you a regular user of hotel apps? I have become one over the last year and watched those apps improve immensely, but wonder about other frequent travelers. Please leave your comments about the survey and app usage below. 

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4 brand new hotels for San Francisco

proper hotel

The trendy new Proper Hotel opens in San Francisco’s Mid-Market area in August with “bunk rooms” (Image: Proper Hotels)

It sounds crazy, but very few new-from-the-ground-up hotels have opened in booming San Francisco since the InterContinental by Moscone Center opened in 2008. The city’s “newest” boutique property, the perennially pricey (and popular) Hotel Vitale is now nearly 12 years old. About the only “new” hotel that’s opened recently is the Hampton Inn on a seedy stretch of Mission Street.

That nearly decade-long drought of new hotels will end in a splash with at least four new hotels opening in the next year (and up to 12 more on the way) according to a real estate story in Sunday’s San Francisco Chronicle.

The newspaper points out that none of these properties fall into the hotel behemoth category that dominated the city’s hotel scene in the 80s and 90s with the opening of giants like the 1,362 room Marriott Marquis (known locally as “the jukebox”.) Instead, these are newer, smaller more “neighborhoody” hotels built near tech hubs, and focused on the younger millennial set. Keep in mind that some of the neighborhoods where these hotels are popping up are where the city’s homeless problem has been most intractable. It remains to be seen if the new projects will change that.

Here’s what’s new:

The 159-room, new-from-the-ground-up Hotel Via opened last month across the street from AT&T Park in the South Beach/Mission Bay area of town, a few blocks southeast of the financial district and Embarcadero area. In keeping with the tech focus, guests’ mobile phones can double as room keys. Rooms have Illy coffee makers and mini-fridges and wi-fi is free. Rates start at around $300 per night. 

The Park Suite, Room 1205, at San Francisco’s new Hotel Via overlooking AT&T Park (Photo: Hotel Via)

On August 14, the new San Francisco Proper will open in the gritty Mid-Market Street area, which as been enjoying a bit of a renaissance as big tech companies like Twitter, Uber, Square, Dolby and several new residential high rises have moved in. The triangular flatiron shaped hotel inhabits the shell of the old, dilapidated Renoir Hotel, and will have four restaurants and bars, including a new venue on the roof. Rates will start in the $400 per night range– but cheaper “bunk rooms” (yes, with bunk beds) will start at around $250. More about rooms here.

Later in 2017 or 2018, a new-from-the-ground-up, 196-room Virgin Hotel will open South of Market on Fourth & Folsom Streets near Moscone Center– and eventually across the street from the new Central Subway Station which opens in two years.  I don’t have a good image of the building exterior yet, but below is a rendering of what the rooftop deck will look like. Currently, there is no firm opening date (only “this winter”), and there’s no hotel website. To get a good idea of the vibe of Virgin hotels where rooms are called “chambers,” check out the Virgin Chicago website. 

Rendering of rooftop lounge at Virgin Hotels;’ new San Francisco property. (Image: Virgin Hotels)

Also opening later this year: the new Yotel San Francisco at Market and 7th Streets in the mid-Market area. The hotel is built in the historic Grant building, which survived the 1906 earthquake. What I have heard about the Yotel brand is that those who’ve stayed at its New York City property don’t mind the capsule-like, but cleverly designed rooms (referred to as “cabins”) since it usually offers such good rates. At the SF property, guests can check in via kiosk and rooms sport monsoon rain showers, adjustable mood lighting and copious power outlets. Plus guests will enjoy great views from, you guessed it, a rooftop lounge. Another brand new Yotel just opened in Boston’s Seaport district last month. (Rates for the SF Yotel not yet available.)

Here’s a look at a Yotel “premium queen” Cabin in its brand new Boston property- intro rates around $120 (Photo: Yotel)

UPDATED INFO: We previously wrote about a new Marriott Hotel that was reportedly opening this winter in the Mission Bay – China Beach area near AT&T Park. Upon conversing with the architectural firm involved in the project, we found that this hotel is hoping to break ground this year, but will not be open for two more years. It is expected to be a full service, four star hotel, but we still don’t know which Marriott brand flag it will fly.

This is just the beginning of the boom– the Chronicle found 12 more hotels (totaling 4,000 rooms) working their way through the city’s labyrinthine approvals process. (Including a new Waldorf-Astoria near the Transbay Center.) Most of these are slated for the once-blighted, now hot SOMA or South of Market area of the city.

Link to the SF Chronicle’s full story here.

What’s your go-to San Francisco hotel? Why? Please leave your comments and tips below! 

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Alexa! I need more towels!

An Amazon Echo digital assistant in a hotel room. (Image: Wynn Resorts)

Have you bought an Amazon Echo voice recognition device for your home yet? If not, you’ve probably talked to Siri on your iPhone. Google is also in the game with its Google Assistant. In any case, you might be talking to one of them in your hotel room soon.

Voice recognition capability for personal devices is key to the deployment of so-called “smart home” technology that lets you control heating, lighting, appliances and other things without getting out of your recliner. And hotels want to bring that same convenience to their guests.

Some higher-end hotels have already deployed tablet computers in their rooms that let the guest control the TV, sound, lighting, temperature and other things via touch-screen icons or keyboards. And according to Bloomberg Technology, hotel rooms are the obvious next frontier for voice recognition assistants.

Bloomberg said Amazon and Apple are the primary competitors in this nascent field, and that the first installations are already happening. Most of the initial devices are Amazon Echoes, which use a digital assistant called Alexa. Hotels with Apple iPads in guest rooms may already have the digital assistant Siri in place, but they still need to be integrated with in-room systems and devices. The Siri app on guests’ iPhones might also be brought into the mix. After mastering the link with “smart” guest room functions, the technology might be extended to other hotel services like the concierge desk, restaurant reservations and so on.

Apple’s Siri app is already in place on millions of iPhones and iPads. {Image: Apple)

Hotels installing Echo in some rooms and suites include the Wynn Las Vegas, the JW Marriott San Antonio Hill Country Resort & Spa in Texas, and the Four Seasons in Washington D.C. Marriott is understood to be evaluating a broader distribution of voice recognition technology for one of its chains later this year, Bloomberg said.

Still to be determined is exactly how far the voice recognition systems will go in meeting guests’ demands.  “A key question is whether the interaction will be personalized, allowing guests familiar with the devices to log into their own accounts, or instead use a standard set of skills relevant to a hotel stay, like getting news reports, checking weather forecasts or calling for an Uber — commands more appropriate for those unfamiliar with the technology,” Bloomberg said.

Readers: Are you comfortable with voice recognition assistants? Do you have an Amazon Echo in your home, or do you often use an assistant on your phone? Please leave your answers in the comments! 

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San Francisco’s overheated hotel scene could cool off

A convention in progress at San Francisco’s huge Moscone Center. (Image: Moscone Center)

The laws of supply and demand that led to a big surge in San Francisco hotel rates could soon shift in favor of supply, as a major expansion project at the city’s Moscone Convention Center will likely hurt lodging demand.

The trade publication Meetings and Conventions reports that major work on the Moscone Center is due to begin in April and will continue for two years. The project has local hoteliers “revising their strategies to attract other business in the interim,” the publication said. The center usually hosts some 70 major gatherings each year such as the huge Dreamforce event put on by Salesforce, Oracle’s OpenWorld and many others.

The Moscone Center said on its website that the Moscone North and South sections of the complex will be closed from April through August of this year.  But the center is not shutting down completely: “Moscone West will remain open and is fully booked,” the Moscone Center said.

The $500 million expansion project was considered necessary to accommodate the increasing demand for large conventions in downtown San Francisco. The Moscone Center estimated that San Francisco is losing $2.1 billion in convention spending from 2010 through 2019 “as  conventions look for larger and more contiguous exhibition space” found in other big convention cities like Las Vegas or Chicago.

Meetings and Conventions reports that the project has thus far led to the cancellation of 11 conventions, and San Francisco Travel, the city’s destination marketing company, predicts the work could cost the city 490,000 lost room nights over the next two years.

The Moscone Center’s central location is a big draw. (Image: Moscone Center)

San Francisco hotels have been going through a major boom in business over the past several years as heavy demand from conventioneers, business travelers and tourists outpaced room supply. The city’s average annual hotel occupancy rate jumped from 65.8 percent in 2011 to more than 84 percent in 2015 and 2016.

But now the pressure is on hotels and the visitor industry to keep filling those rooms as conventions play a smaller role. Hoteliers are planning to extend their marketing to new types of visitors who might have otherwise stayed farther away from the city center, and to attract smaller groups instead of giant convention crowds.

According to data from Trivago, the average online rate for hotel rooms in San Francisco during February was $228 a night, down 5.8 percent from a year earlier. Whatever happens, hotels are expecting a return to the boom years after the convention center work is finished in 2019; the entire facility is said to be fully booked during the post-construction months.

Rendering of rooftop lounge at Virgin Hotels’ new San Francisco property. (Image: Virgin Hotels)

Any blip in convention demand isn’t deterring an ongoing expansion of hotel capacity in San Francisco. For example, Sir Richard Branson’s fledgling Virgin Hotels just announced it plans to open a newly built San Francisco property this summer. Located next to the Moscone Center at 250 Fourth Street, South of Market, it will be the second Virgin property; the first opened in Chicago in January 2015. Others are under construction in Dallas and New York.

What’s your favorite San Francisco hotel? How much did you pay for it? Please leave your comments below. 

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Size matters at hotels

Genting Malaysia

The largest hotel in the world is on a cool, green Asian hilltop where rooms go for just $11 per night (Image: Genting Malaysia)

What the largest hotel in the world? The chain with the most hotels in development or just the most hotels, period? With consolidation in the hotel biz, the hierarchy is changing.

Here’s an interesting infographic from Hotel News Now about the hotel industry, which ranks the major chains by:

Pipeline- the number of hotel rooms currently in development- there are a lot– almost 6,000 globally. Nice if like us, you seek out new hotels.

Companies- the biggest hotel chains by number of properties and rooms- Marriott now has over a million rooms; Hilton running a distant second place.

Brands- the brands with the most individual hotels with good old Holiday Inn leading the way.

Metro Markets- Check out Shanghai and Beijing, both with over 1,300 hotels each. Also interesting is how Las Vegas’s few giant hotels add up to so many rooms.

Expedia

The largest hotel in the world has rooms for just $23 per night in March (Image: Expedia)

Properties- the biggest hotels in the world. Have you ever even heard of the First World Hotel in Malaysia with more than 7,300 rooms? Crazy. It’s located just 45 minutes from Kuala Lumpur at an altitude of 6,000 feet. Here’s more. It gets 3.5 stars on TripAdvisor; on Expedia, rooms at this hotel start at just $23 per night.

Infographic courtesy of Hotel News Now. CLICK for more

Infographic courtesy of Hotel News Now. CLICK for more

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New hotels: New York, San Jose, Portland, Orange County

New York's new 1 Hotel in Brooklyn has views of Manhattan. (Image: 1 Hotels)

New York’s new 1 Hotel in Brooklyn has views of Manhattan. (Image: 1 Hotels)

Recent hotel openings include a luxury property on the Brooklyn waterfront and a DoubleTree in midtown Manhattan; new AC Hotels by Marriott in downtown San Jose and Portland; and a Homewood Suites by Hilton near Orange County’s John Wayne Airport.

Two years ago, a company called 1 Hotels opened a property in Manhattan near Central Park, and now it has cut the ribbon on its second New York hotel, the 1 Hotel Brooklyn Bridge. Created by original Starwood Hotels founder Barry Sternlicht, 1 Hotels brands itself as eco-friendly in design and materials, and focusing on fresh, healthy food in its restaurants.

The 1 Hotel Brooklyn Bridge is just south of that iconic span, along Brooklyn Bridge Park. It has 194 rooms, including 28 suites. Rooms have floor-to-ceiling windows with views of Manhattan, free high-speed Wi-Fi, 55-inch TVs, and digital newspapers via an in-room Nexus tablet. The hotel offers a 10th floor hospitality lounge, a grab-and-go café, a screening room, and access to a 24-hour fitness center. This spring it will open a rooftop bar/lounge with a heated plunge pool and firepits, and next fall it will add a spa. Guests can grab free local rides in the hotel’s Tesla. There’s also 24-hour in-room dining, and shuttle service to local subway stations and to Wall Street. Advance purchase rates start at $271.

Don’t miss: TravelSkills walks thru 1 Hotel Central Park NYC

The rooftop bar at the new DoubleTree on Manhattan's West Side. (Image: Hilton)

The rooftop bar at the new DoubleTree on Manhattan’s West Side. (Image: Hilton)

Hilton has cut the ribbon on the newly-built, 37-story DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel New York Times Square West, at 350 W. 40th Street — halfway between Times Square and the Javits Center. The DoubleTree has 612 rooms with décor inspired by the Theater District. There’s a rooftop lounge offering nightly music until 2 a.m.; American bistro-style dining at Magnolia Restaurant, open for breakfast, lunch and dinner; and a 24-hour market.  The hotel has 1,000 square feet of meeting space. Guests who book direct with Hilton can pick up 1,000 bonus Honors points through April 30. Honors discount rates start at $157.

A room at Marriott's new AC Hotel in San Jose. (Image: Marriott)

A room at Marriott’s new AC Hotel in San Jose. (Image: Marriott)

Downtown San Jose has its first new lodging option in more than a dozen years with the recent opening of a new AC Hotel by Marriott. Located at 350 W. Santa Clara Street, the AC Hotel —  Marriott’s European-inspired “lifestyle” brand — has 210 rooms with free Wi-Fi, large-screen TVs, USB ports, safes and mini-fridges. Breakfast, tapas-style dinner and cocktails are available in the AC Kitchen & Lounge. Advance purchase rates start at $170.

Public space at the new AC Hotel in downtown Portland. (Image: Marriott)

Public space at the new AC Hotel in downtown Portland. (Image: Marriott)

Another new AC Hotel by Marriott has made its debut in downtown Portland, OR at 888 SW Third Avenue, at the corner of SW Taylor Street, about a block from the Multnomah County Courthouse. It has a coffee shop, an AC Kitchen for breakfast, and an AC Lounge for cocktails and tapas-style plates. There’s also a 24-hour fitness center. Rates start at $151.

Orange County's new Homewood Suites is close to John Wayne Airport. (Image: Hilton)

Orange County’s new Homewood Suites is close to John Wayne Airport. (Image: Hilton)

Newly opened in Orange County, California is the 161-unit Homewood Suites by Hilton Irvine John Wayne Airport, at 17370 Red Hill Avenue. It has studio, one- and two-bedroom units, all with full kitchens. Daily hot breakfast is provided, along with Wi-Fi, and an evening social hour on weeknights. The hotel has a grocery shopping service, an outdoor pool and sports court, and a game room with billiards, and it offers free shuttle rides to and from the airport. Rates start at $149.

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Big changes for Hilton’s Honors program

Hilton's new DoubleTree in Hilo, Hawaii. (Image: Hilton)

Hilton’s new DoubleTree in Hilo, Hawaii. (Image: Hilton)

Nope, that’s not a misspelling in the headline. Hilton no longer has an HHonors program; it’s now called Hilton Honors after the company axed the extra H.

Starting today, the hotel giant’s name is now just “Hilton” instead of “Hilton Worldwide.” And with that new name, the company unveiled the following enhancements to its loyalty program:

  • Starting late in February, members will be able to combine program points and money to pay for a room booked through the Honors app or through Hilton.com. The website has added a new slider feature that members can adjust to see how many points/dollars would be required to book a specific room for a particular night. At least 5,000 points must be applied toward a combined points/cash payment.

Screen Shot 2017-01-31 at 2.50.26 PM

  • Members will be able to pool their program points starting this spring with those of up to 10 family members or friends. “For context, a total of 11 Hilton Honors members will now be able to combine Points toward a stay – one pooler can initiate and receive Points from up to 10 other members,” a spokesperson tells T5avgelSkills. “It’s perfect when traveling for group events like family reunions or bachelorette parties.

So far 1,300 readers have taken the TravelSkills trivia quiz. Have you? COME ON! It’s fun!

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  • Hilton will expand the potential uses of Honors points starting this summer through a tie-in with Amazon. Members will be able to spend HHonors points on purchases made through the online retailing giant.
  • Diamond-tier elite members will have a one-time option of extending their status level for one year, no questions asked, if they think they won’t travel enough that year to retain the status. To qualify, the Diamond member must have held that status for at least three years, and accumulated 250 nights or 500,000 points.

Here’s how Hilton is comparing its program to the industry:

Hilton Honors

 

So what do you think of the changes? Please leave your comments below.

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New hotels: Houston, San Diego, New York, Honolulu, New Orleans

The outdoor terrace at the new Houston Marriott Marquis.(Image: Marriott)

The outdoor terrace at the new Marriott Marquis in Houston.(Image: Marriott)

Marriott has cut the ribbon on a 1,000-room convention hotel in downtown Houston. The new Marriott Marquis Houston at 1777 Walker Street is connected by a skybridge to the city’s George R. Brown Convention Center. The big new hotel boasts 100,000 square feet of meeting space along with a multi-level sports bar called Biggio’s, a tapas-and-wine bar, a coffee shop, an American restaurant and a Mexican restaurant. There’s also a full-service spa and fitness center, rooftop infinity pool, and an outdoor terrace with cabanas, views of Discovery Green Park below and a “river” in the shape of Texas that flows around the terrace. Marriott Rewards member rates start at $293.

The Pendry San Diego is in the Gaslamp Quarter. (Image: Robert Green Co.)

The Pendry San Diego is in the Gaslamp Quarter. (Image: Robert Green Co.)

Montage Hotels & Resorts has a new sister brand called Pendry Hotels, and its first property is slated to open this month in San Diego, at 550 J Street (between 5th and 6th) in the city’s Gaslamp Quarter. Three blocks from the city’s convention center, the new Pendry San Diego has 317 rooms (including 36 suites), a rooftop pool, 24-hour fitness center, a spa, six restaurants and bars, and 35,000 square feet of meeting space. Standard guest rooms start at 350 square feet and feature Bluetooth speakers, minibars, luxury bedding and 24-hour room service. Rates start at $360.

The new Four Points in Manhattan is near the Javits Center. (Image: Starwood)

The new Four Points in Manhattan is near the Javits Center. (Image: Starwood)

In New York City, Starwood has set a January 25 opening date for the new Four Points by Sheraton Manhattan Midtown West. Located at 10th Avenue and West 35th Street, the 148-room hotel is just a long block from the Javits Center, near the Hudson Yards development. The Four Points offers free high-speed Wi-Fi, a 24-hour business center, 24-hour fitness center, free Internet-based printing service in public areas, and a casual restaurant/bar called the Hudson Bar Room with American cuisine. Starwood Preferred Guest member prepaid rates start at $137.

(Speaking of New York City, here’s a reminder for readers: The iconic Waldorf-Astoria Hotel on Park Avenue will close its doors on March 1 for a major renovation project that is expected to last two years.  You might recall that the hotel was purchased by China’s giant Anbang Insurance – the same company that tried to buy Starwood – which plans to convert most of the Waldorf’s space to apartments, leaving it with just a few hundred hotel rooms.)

A guest room at the Hyatt Centric Waikiki. (Image: Hyatt)

A guest room at the Hyatt Centric Waikiki. (Image: Hyatt)

What was once the Waikiki Trade Center in Honolulu at 2255 Kuhio Avenue has been converted into the newly opened 230-room Hyatt Centric Waikiki Beach. (In fact, Waikiki Beach is a short walk away from the hotel, across Kalakaua Avenue and past the big beachfront hotels.) The new Hyatt Centric’s guest rooms have floor-to-ceiling windows and free Wi-Fi, and the property offers a pool with private cabanas, a fitness center, business center, lobby restaurant and bar, a tapas eatery, and a Starbuck’s. Gold Passport member rates start at $225.

A queen room at the new Troubador in New Orleans. (Image: Joie de Vivre Hotels)

A queen room at the new Troubador in New Orleans. (Image: Joie de Vivre Hotels)

The boutique hotel group Joie de Vivre has opened its first property in the South – The Troubador, in New Orleans’ central business district. The 184-room hotel is a redevelopment of an office building at 1111 Gravier Street that is on the National Register of Historic Places. Food and beverage outlets include Petit Lion, a casual restaurant open for breakfast, lunch and dinner; and Monkey Board, a rooftop bar that also serves “food truck” small plates. The hotel has a fitness center, free Wi-Fi, room service, and valet parking. Rates start at $139.

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Airbnb finds hotel loyalists aren’t so loyal

This Airbnb apartment in San Francisco goes for a fraction of the cost of an upscale hotel room. (Image: Airbnb)

This Airbnb apartment in San Francisco goes for a fraction of the cost of an upscale hotel room. (Image: Airbnb)

New research suggests that members of hotel frequent guest programs are more likely than other travelers to try Airbnb as an alternative for accommodations.

Traveler surveys conducted for Morgan Stanley Research found that a person’s membership in a hotel loyalty program is a good indicator of how likely he would be to try staying in an Airbnb property instead of a commercial hotel, according to a report in Quartz.

You might suspect that a hotel program loyalist would be less likely than a non-member to try an alternative form of accommodation, but the study found that the opposite is true.

Instead, it found that hotel loyalty program members were more than twice as likely as non-members to use Airbnb. And what’s more, that pattern holds true no matter how frequently the person travels – i.e., loyalty program members who take only a few trips a year are still more than twice as likely to stay at an Airbnb properties as non-members who are infrequent travelers.

Source: Morgan Stanley Research

Source: Morgan Stanley Research

The research suggests that the major hotel companies’ loyalty programs alone, with their promise of rewards and special perks for frequent stays, may not be enough to keep Airbnb from making more inroads into their business.

In recent months, Airbnb has been making a concerted effort to attract business travelers, who are the core members of hotel loyalty programs. It has created a separate area of its website just for business customers, where it offers special listings of its member properties that have the kinds of amenities and services road warriors want. It also has taken steps to integrate its payment system with those of companies and corporate payment networks, so employees who book Airbnb properties can automatically expense their stay.

Another recent Morgan Stanley study found that the number of travelers who use Airbnb as an alternative to a hotel is increasing faster than expected, and could be impacting the growth rate of hotel industry revenues. Its consumer survey in the U.S. and Europe found that traveler awareness of Airbnb has hit 75 percent, and that its market penetration is growing as well: The proportion of leisure and business travelers who have used Airbnb was 19 percent and 18 percent respectively, up from 12 percent for both groups a year earlier.

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Marriott/Starwood’s big new bonus points promotion

The JW Marriott in Chicago's Loop. (Image: Marriott)

The JW Marriott in Chicago’s Loop. (Image: Marriott)

Members of the Marriott, Ritz-Carlton and Starwood loyalty programs can earn double points during an upcoming three-month period.

Following the recent announcement that members of Marriott Rewards, Ritz-Carlton Rewards and Starwood Preferred Guest can link their accounts to transfer points and get elite status matches, the merged hotel giant has come out with a new double points promotion that starts next month.

Holders of the SPG AmEx card can now earn points for spending at Marriott Hotels. (Image: American Express)

(Image: American Express)

The double points offer applies for the member’s first three stays in the Starwood program and in either Marriott Rewards or Ritz-Carlton Rewards at participating hotels from January 16 through April 15 of next year.  So it’s good for a maximum of six nights total across two loyalty programs.

Participants can register from now through March 15; you can find links to the bonus point registration for each of the three programs here.

Two months ago, Marriott announced a link between the co-branded credit cards of its hotel companies, with holders of Starwood Preferred Guest’s American Express cards earning two Starpoints per dollar spent at hotels in the Marriott Rewards program, and holders of the Marriott Rewards Chase and Ritz-Carlton Rewards JP Morgan credit cards earning five points per dollar spent at SPG member properties.

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New hotels: Minneapolis, Chicago, Silicon Valley, Nashville, Atlanta

A guest room at the Radisson Red in Minneapolis. (Image: Radisson)

A guest room at the Radisson Red in Minneapolis. (Image: Radisson)

Recent U.S. business hotel openings include a pair of properties in Minneapolis, and another pair in Nashville; a dual-branded hotel in Chicago; big Bay Area/Silicon Valley hotel re-flags, and a new Marriott brand in Atlanta.

In Minneapolis, Radisson has set a November 16 opening for the first U.S. location of its new Radisson Red brand. The Radisson Red Minneapolis Downtown is a new build at 609 Third Street South, part of the Minneapolis Downtown East mixed-use development; it’s linked to the Wells Fargo Office Tower and the new U.S. Bank Stadium via the city’s skyway system. The hotel has 164 rooms (Radisson Red calls them studios) with free high-speed Wi-Fi. Its OUIBar + KTCHN focuses on locally sourced cuisine and craft beverages. And it offers a fitness center plus a 1,000 square foot “Events & Games Studio” for activities that can liven up meetings. Radisson is offering triple Gold Points for stays through February. Rates start at $139.

A King room at Marriott's new AC Hotel in Minneapolis. (Image: Marriott)

A King room at Marriott’s new AC Hotel in Minneapolis. (Image: Marriott)

Another newly built, newly opened property in Minneapolis is Marriott’s AC Hotel, part of a fast- growing new Marriott group with a style that reflects AC’s European origins. It’s located on Hennepin Avenue at S. Fourth Street, across from the city’s main library. The property is connected to the skyway system and to the Midtown Parking Garage. Its 245 rooms have floor-to-ceiling windows and smart TVs that can stream Netflix, Hulu and other services; and the hotel has several conference rooms and a fitness room. There’s no full-service restaurant; the AC Kitchen serves breakfast only, and the AC Lounge offers drinks and tapas plates in the evening. Marriott Rewards advance purchase rates start at $149.

Accommodations at Hilton's new Hampton Inn in Chicago's West Loop. (Image: Hilton)

Accommodations at Hilton’s new Hampton Inn in Chicago’s West Loop. (Image: Hilton)

In downtown Chicago, Hilton has cut the ribbon on a dual-branded hotel in the West Loop neighborhood. With a combined total of 336 rooms, the Hampton Inn by Hilton Chicago Downtown West Loop and the Homewood Suites by Hilton Chicago Downtown West Loop are at 116-118 N. Jefferson, between Randolph and Washington. That’s about halfway between the river and I-90, two blocks west of the Boeing headquarters. The Hampton Inn offers a daily hot breakfast, free Wi-Fi, 24-hour business center and a fitness center. The Homewood Suites has all-suite guest accommodations; each unit comes with a fully equipped kitchen and separate living and sleeping areas. There’s a hot breakfast buffet, evening social, free Wi-Fi and grocery shopping service. HHonors advance purchase rates start at $90 at both properties.

Lobby of the Pullman San Francisco Bay hotel (Image: Accor Hotels)

Lobby of the Pullman San Francisco Bay hotel (Image: Accor Hotels)

The big Sofitel located along Highway 101 and the shores on San Francisco Bay just south of the SFO near Redwood City is not new, but has a new name. It’s now the Pullman San Francisco Bay Hotel— still part of Accor, but likely a brand many Americans have not heard of. The only other Pullman hotel in the US is located in Miami. Have you stayed at a Pullman? What makes it different than a Sofitel? Its website states: “Today Pullman appeals to the new generation of professional travelers, the Pullman global nomads, and captures the significance of each moment and their pursuit of a work-life blend.” Rooms start at around $300 per night.

A room at the new Thompson Nashville. (Image: Thompson Hotels)

A room at the new Thompson Nashville. (Image: Thompson Hotels)

Thompson Hotels, known for its luxury boutique properties, has opened its newest U.S. location in Nashville. It’s at 401 11th Avenue South, in a trendy area called The Gulch where former industrial buildings have been transformed into commercial ventures. The hotel is on the same block as a popular music venue called The Station Inn. Dining options at The Thompson Nashville include a southern/seafood restaurant called The Marsh House; a bar and small-plate venue called L.A. Jackson; and Killebrew, serving coffee, breakfast sandwiches and grab-and-go lunch fare. The 12-story, 224-room Thompson ties into the local music culture with things like a classic jukebox in the lobby and vinyl records for sale in the minibars. Introductory rates start at $247.

The Westin Nashville is in the heart of downtown. (Image: Westin)

The Westin Nashville is in the heart of downtown. (Image: Westin)

Nashville’s other new hotel is the 27-story, 453-room Westin Nashville, at 807 Clark Place in the heart of the city, close to the Country Music Hall of Fame, the Ryman Auditorium and other attractions. The hotel has a rooftop pool and bar called L27 with daily live entertainment; a spa with nine treatment rooms; a casual lobby eatery called Decker & Dyer and a fancier venue called Oak Steakhouse Nashville. The Westin also has a dozen meeting rooms. Guests can use the WestinWorkout fitness studio or take advantage of the hotel’s suggested three- and five-mile jogging routes. Rates begin at $279.

Marriott's new AC Hotel in Atlanta's Buckhead district. (Image: Marriott)

Marriott’s new AC Hotel in Atlanta’s Buckhead district. (Image: Marriott)

In addition to its new AC Hotel in Minneapolis, Marriott has also cut the ribbon on an AC in Atlanta. The 166-room AC Hotel Atlanta Buckhead at Phipps Plaza, located at 3600 Wieuca Road Northeast, is the first new hotel in the city’s Buckhead district in eight years. Like other ACs, it lacks a full-service restaurant, but offers the AC Kitchen for breakfast and the AC lounge for drinks and evening small plate dining. Plus there is plenty to eat at the nearby Phipps Plaza or Lenox Square malls. There’s also an AC Library and a 24-hour fitness center with a heated indoor whirlpool. Marriott Rewards advance purchase rates start at $211.

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Hyatt’s brand new loyalty program

Downtown Denver's new dual-branded Hyatt Place/House is near the convention center. (Image: Hyatt)

Downtown Denver’s new dual-branded Hyatt Place/House is near the convention center. (Image: Hyatt)

Hyatt’s Gold Passport program will end this winter, replaced by a completely new one called World of Hyatt.

The hotel company said that the new World of Hyatt will begin on March 1

“Between now and then, members can continue to achieve and enjoy tier status in Hyatt Gold Passport and earn and redeem points as they always have,” Hyatt said. “Qualifying activity beginning January 1, 2017 will also count toward earning status in World of Hyatt when the program launches on March 1, 2017.”

Among the new features: All base program points will count toward tier status, including those earned for spending on dining and spa visits at Hyatt properties; members can earn a free night for staying at five different Hyatt brands; and qualifying elite members will be able to get confirmed suite upgrades at the time of booking.

The logo for the new loyalty program. (Image: Hyatt)

The logo for the new loyalty program. (Image: Hyatt)

The new program offers three elite levels: “Discoverist” status requires 10 qualifying nights or 25,000 base points; “Explorist” takes 30 qualifying nights or 50,000 base points; and “Globalist” is achieved after racking up 60 qualifying nights or 100,000 base points.

The Gold Passport program currently has two elite tiers – Platinum, achieved after five eligible stays or 15 total nights; and Diamond, requiring 25 eligible stays or 50 total nights. Platinum status provides room upgrades, a 15 percent point bonus and free premium Internet; Diamond status earns a 30 percent point bonus, Club access and free breakfast.

Hyatt said that under the new program, members will still earn five base points for every eligible dollar spent, and there will be no changes to the hotels included in each redemption category, nor to the number of points needed for free nights.

Blogger The Points Guy has compiled a pair of handy charts comparing the various elite level benefits under the current regime with those that will be offered to status members after the program changeover in March.

Gold Passport members will be getting more information on the transition “in the coming days,” Hyatt said, adding that it will “communicate directly with members about their new membership tier” before March 1.

How do you feel about the changes at Hyatt? How often do you stay at Hyatt hotels? Please leave your comments below. 

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Chinese hotel investors strike again – this time at Hilton

The new Hilton Cleveland Downtown overlooks Lake Erie. (Image: Hilton)

The new Hilton Cleveland Downtown overlooks Lake Erie. (Image: Hilton)

What is the fascination that Chinese companies have with U.S. hotel companies? Early this year, China’s Anbang Insurance made a $6.5 billion deal to acquire Strategic Hotels & Resorts, then followed up with a failed attempt to take over Starwood Hotels in a see-saw $14 billion bidding battle against Marriott.

Meanwhile, a unit of the Chinese conglomerate HNA Group last spring arranged with Minneapolis-based Carlson Companies to buy that privately-held firm’s Carlson Hotels business, including several Radisson brands as well as its 51 percent stake in Europe’s Rezidor Hotels Group. The price was not disclosed.

And now HNA Group has anted up $6.5 billion for a 25 percent stake in Hilton Worldwide; the deal is expected to close early next year.

The seller of the 25 percent Hilton stake — for which HNA paid a premium of almost 15 percent over the going price for Hilton shares – was the same firm that sold Strategic Hotels to Anbang: the giant U.S. investment house Blackstone Group, which took Hilton private in 2007 and then took it public with an IPO in 2013 that raised $2.3 billion. (By the way, Anbang also acquired the legendary Waldorf Astoria in New York in 2015 for almost $2 billion.)

The new deal will give HNA two seats on Hilton’s board. Blackstone will retain a 21 percent stake in Hilton Worldwide. HNA Group owns hotels, airlines (including China’s Hainan Airlines), airports, financial services firms and real estate companies.

San Diego's Hotel del Coronado. (Image: jim Glab)

San Diego’s Hotel del Coronado. (Image: Jim Glab)

Meanwhile, Anbang’s purchase of Strategic Hotels hit one little snag. Strategic has just 16 hotels, but they are prime properties like the InterContinental and Fairmont in Chicago, New York’s JW Marriott Essex House, and some Four Seasons and Ritz-Carlton hotels. The group also includes San Diego’s Hotel del Coronado, and Blackstone had to cut that one out of the sale after objections from a U.S. government inter-agency group called the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States.

The reason? National security concerns, because the del Coronado is right next to a giant U.S. Navy base in San Diego.

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Gorgeous new hotels: New York, Los Angeles, Miami, Maui, Buffalo

The impressive lobby of the new Four Seasons New York Downtown (Image: Four Seasons)

The impressive lobby of the new Four Seasons New York Downtown (Image: Four Seasons)

In domestic hotel developments, Four Seasons adds a second Manhattan location; the hotel closest to Los Angeles International Airport gets a makeover and rebranding; Hilton adds a DoubleTree in South Beach; Marriott Rewards members get a new option in Maui; and Starwood opens a Westin in the heart of New York State’s second-largest city.

At TravelSkills, we love NEW hotels– don’t miss our archive of the best of this beautiful new bunch here

Four Seasons Hotels, which has had a flagship property in midtown Manhattan for many years, has now opened a downtown location in the Big Apple. Located at 27 Barclay Street, at the corner of Church Street, The Four Seasons New York Downtown is close to the new World Trade Center and a block from City Hall Park. The property has 189 rooms and suites ranging from 400 to 2,400 square feet, and is home to the first Wolfgang Puck restaurant in Manhattan, called CUT. The hotel has a spa, an indoor lap pool and a 6,000 square foot fitness center. The building housing the hotel also has 157 Four Seasons private residences from one to five bedrooms, with access to hotel facilities. Rates begin at $629.

A refurbished suite at the Hyatt Regency at LAX (Image: Hyatt)

A refurbished suite at the Hyatt Regency at LAX (Image: Hyatt)

The Concourse Hotel, a block from Los Angeles International Airport at 6225 West Century Blvd., was already a Hyatt affiliate, but now the 580-room property is getting a $75 million overhaul and has been rebranded as the Hyatt Regency Los Angeles International Airport. The work should be finished in a few months, equipping all guest rooms with the Hyatt Grand Bed, wall-mounted 55-inch TVs with HDMI streaming, free high-speed Wi-Fi, and rain shower heads in the bathrooms. The redesigned lobby will feature a pair of new eateries: Open Market, with grab-and-go sandwiches, salads, soup, noodles, pastries and Illy coffee; and an all-day dining option called Unity LA. Free shuttles for guests depart to LAX every 10 minutes. Rates start around $186 for Gold Passport members.

Hilton's new DoubleTree in Miami's South Beach (Image: DoubleTree)

Hilton’s new DoubleTree in Miami’s South Beach (Image: DoubleTree)

What was once the 1954 Ankara Motel in Miami’s popular South Beach has been rebuilt and is now the newly opened Gates Hotel South Beach-A DoubleTree by Hilton. Located at 2360 Collins Avenue, the 235-room property is a walk away from Ocean Drive and the area’s dining and nightlife options. The hotel has a lobby bar that exits to an outdoor pool with solar-powered device charging stations. There’s a restaurant called The Continental; free Wi-Fi throughout the property; 24-hour business center and fitness center; guest bicycles; and free transportation to the beach. Rates start at $122.

The pool at Marriott's new Residence inn in Maui (Image: Marriott)

The pool at Marriott’s new Residence Inn in Maui (Image: Marriott)

Marriott Rewards members looking to redeem points for a Hawaii vacation have a new option: the newly-built, newly-opened Residence Inn by Marriott Maui Wailea. The all-suite property has studio, one-, and two-bedroom units with fully equipped kitchens and balconies. Recreational facilities include an outdoor pool and hot tub, putting green and basketball court. Guests get free hot breakfasts, grocery delivery service, and access to a fitness center, Wi-Fi, 24-hour grab-and-go market, and a business center. The hotel is located close to a shopping center, beaches, golf courses and a tennis club. Rates begin at $269.

Buffalo's new Westin is in the heart of downtown. (Image: Westin)

Buffalo’s new Westin is in the heart of downtown. (Image: Westin)

Got business in Buffalo? As part of an ongoing revival of the city’s downtown, Starwood Hotels has opened the newly-built Westin Buffalo at 250 Delaware Avenue, in the midst of the business and entertainment districts. All 116 rooms and suites have the signature Westin Heavenly Bed and Shower. The Westin offers 7,300 square feet of meeting space and a pair of dining venues: a signature restaurant called Patina 250 and the casual bistro-style Jake’s Café. Guests can take advantage of the WestinWORKOUT fitness center, and can borrow workout gear from New Balance or bicycles from the local Reddy Bikeshare program. Rates start at $166.

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Surprise winner for best value hotel program

The Wyndham Orlando Resort is part of the Wyndham Rewards program. (Image: Wyndham)

The Wyndham Orlando Resort is part of the Wyndham Rewards program. (Image: Wyndham)

Want to get the best possible return on your hotel spending when you claim award stays in a loyalty program? According to a new study, you won’t get the best reward stay value from Hilton, InterContinental, Marriott or Starwood.

The second annual investigation from IdeaWorks Company and Switchfly found that loyalty program members get the best return from Wyndham’s Wyndham Rewards, which provided members an average reward stay return of 13.6 percent on their spending. “That’s a 143 percent higher return than the reward value provided by Starwood SPG, which was ranked last among the six hotel loyalty programs at 5.6 percent for reward payback,” the company said.

In a similar study it conducted a year ago, IdeaWorks only included Marriott, Starwood, Hilton and InterContinental Hotels Group. This year, it added Wyndham and Choice Hotels International.

And this year’s study was conducted in August – just before the Marriott/Starwood merger was finalized, and before Marriott announced that members of Marriott Rewards and Starwood Preferred Guest could link their loyalty accounts.

ideaworks

How did the company calculate a traveler’s award stay “return” on hotel spending? It conducted more than 1,300 reward stay requests across the six brands, recording the lowest point price for rewards and the corresponding dollar price of the room, adjusting for the different rates of point accrual in the various programs. Thus it came up with a percentage return on spending. (What this survey leaves out are the elite level perks that can greatly increase the perceived value of each program, especially in the eyes of business travelers.)

“For example, the 9% rate for Marriott Rewards represents average reward value payback of $9.00 for every $100 spent on hotel room rates,” the company said. “By comparison, IdeaWorks Company calculated that reward payback for major US airlines ranges from 3.1% to 7.9%.”

The report noted that these returns are only averages, and that the actual “payback” on award rooms can vary considerably depending on the property selected and the dates of stay, since room rates vary by demand while award prices generally remain the same. The best return the study found was a 39.1 percent rate for a December 10 stay at Wyndham’s NYC-The New Yorker hotel, where 15,000 points secured a room priced at $587 that night. The worst was a 2.0 percent return for a February 18 stay at Starwood’s Westin New York Grand Central, with 25,000 points required for a $253 room.

ideaworks2

The company said it added Wyndham and Choice to the study this year to include brands that are heavy in “the economy end of the market,” vs. the higher-end products of Hilton, IHG, Marriott and Starwood.

“Consumers should be careful when choosing a program,” the company noted.  “Choice has a very unusual and highly restrictive approach for availability and booking. General members can only book rewards 30 days in advance, or 60 days for hotels outside the US and Canada. Elite status provides a larger booking window up to 100 days in advance. And while Wyndham Grand (i.e., Wyndham’s high-end brand) was found to offer exceptional reward payback, the brand’s global footprint is limited to 30+ hotels in eight countries.”

A room at the Howard Johnson Manhattan Soho hotel in NYC (Photo: Wyndham Hotels)

A room at the Howard Johnson Manhattan Soho hotel in NYC (Photo: Wyndham Hotels)

Wyndham has 15 brands, including Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, Wyndham Garden Hotels, Wyndham Grand, Wingate by Wyndham, TRYP by Wyndham, Travelodge, Super 8, Ramada, Microtel, Knights Inn, Howard Johnson’s, Hawthorn Suites, Dolce, Days inn and Baymont Inn & Suites.

What do you think of Wyndham’s brands? Does it’s higher value rating make you more inclined to stay at one of them? Please leave your comments below. 

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It’s go time for huge Marriott-Starwood merger

The new Westin at Denver's airport is a short walk from the terminal. (Image: Jim Glab)

The new Westin at Denver’s airport is a short walk from the terminal. (Image: Jim Glab)

By the end of this week, Marriott International and Starwood Hotels & Resorts should be a single company – the world’s largest lodging group – after the Chinese Government gave regulatory approval to the merger of the two hotel giants.

China’s OK was the last hurdle that the merger had faced; Marriott and Starwood said in a joint announcement that they now expect the merger to be finalized before the market opens on Friday (September 23).

Of course, the legal closing of the merger is only the beginning of a long and complicated path toward combining the operations of the two companies. For customers, the two biggest questions will be: 1) How will the merger affect the branding of the groups’ hotels; and 2) How will their respective loyalty programs be combined, and when?

Marriott International currently includes 4,500 properties in 88 countries, while Starwood’s roster lists 1,300 locations in 100 nations. Membership in their guest loyalty programs – Marriott Rewards (and the affiliated Ritz-Carlton Rewards) and Starwood Preferred Guest – numbers in the scores of millions.

DONT MISS! The 100,000 points question!

Renaissance New York Times Square

Quirky perks like new terrace suites (with grass and sheep) at Marriott’s Renaissance New York Times Square hotel- a sign of Starwood’s influence? (Photo: Marriott)

In a TV interview last spring, Marriott CEO Arne Sorenson suggested that integrating the two companies’ brands could take a long time.

“We’ve got separate owners of each of these hotels. And our contracts are long term…We don’t tend to have the right if you’re a hotel owner to say we’ve just decided to change the brand name on your hotel to something else…I think instead we’ll try and do what we can to drive distinctions between the brands,” Sorenson said.

As for the loyalty programs “I think we can make sure the benefits stay the same if not get better, but offer them (i.e. members) a broader selection,” he said, although he did not estimate how long it might take to combine the programs. Since then, Marriott Rewards has tinkered with its Rewards program, adding some Starwood-esque bells and whistles such as guaranteed late check out and a concierge service. But there have been few big moves indicating a coming merger of the programs, and we could easily end up seeing two separate programs (with reciprocal benefits) in existence for quite some time. In the meantime, SPG elite members will remain fearful of losing their cherished benefits.

Marriott’s 19 brands include Ritz-Carlton, Bulgari, EDITION, JW Marriott, Autograph Collection Hotels, Renaissance Hotels, Marriott Hotels, Delta Hotels and Resorts, Marriott Executive Apartments, Marriott Vacation Club, Gaylord Hotels, AC Hotels by Marriott, Courtyard, Residence Inn, SpringHill Suites, Fairfield Inn & Suites, TownePlace Suites, Protea Hotels by Marriott and Moxy Hotels.

Starwood has 10 brands — St. Regis, The Luxury Collection, W, Westin, Le Méridien, Sheraton, Tribute Portfolio, Four Points by Sheraton, Aloft and Element, plus a partnership with Design Hotels.

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Don’t miss out on these popular TravelSkills posts! Shocked passenger refuses to pay $3 for water | More Delta SkyMiles for Asian trips | Tips from a Hawaiian Vacation | JetBlue-Delta slugfest means lower fares | Test your planespotting skills! )

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Hotel wi-fi satisfaction surprise

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Hotel wi-fi usage is up, way up, and we like it more than you’d think! (Image: Pixabay)

It’s pretty well known that business travelers are adamant about having good Wi-Fi in their hotel rooms. And now a new survey shows that despite the complaints, they spend a LOT of time using it.

The poll found that 55 percent of business travelers spend at least an hour a day using their hotel room Wi-Fi for business purposes; and 48 percent also use it at least an hour a day for personal/leisure purposes.

The survey of 831 U.S. and Canadian business travelers, conducted for the Global Business Travel Association, contradicts the notion that most road warriors are fed up with slow or inconsistent in-room Wi-Fi. “Satisfaction with in-room internet access is generally high with 75 percent or higher satisfaction rates for speed and connectivity, but slightly lower levels (62 percent) for security,” GBTA said.

As if spending a couple of hours a day on their in-room Wi-Fi wasn’t enough, the survey found that 73 percent of its respondents have also used Wi-Fi in hotel public areas in the past year.

Three-fifths of those polled said they normally use the regular free in-room Wi-Fi offered to all guests, while 16 percent said they got free or higher-speed Internet service by booking direct and/or by being a member of the hotel’s loyalty program.

Source: Global Business Travel Association

Source: Global Business Travel Association

“In the future, a majority of respondents say they are ‘more likely’ or ‘much more likely’ to book directly in exchange for free Wi-Fi or high speed internet; however, the reality is most can obtain free basic Wi-Fi by simply being part of a loyalty program regardless of booking channel,” GBTA noted.

The poll also found that in spite of hotels’ rush to add more guest-oriented technology to their rooms in recent years, business travelers still want more. Asked what they’d like to see more of in terms of hotel technology, the three items most cited by survey respondents were more power and USB outlets in their rooms (35 percent); streaming services like Netflix and HBO Go on guestroom TVs (34 percent); and in-room chargers for laptops and phones (32 percent).

The survey found that more than 60 percent of those polled have downloaded at least one major hotel chain’s smartphone apps within the past year, while one-quarter of them have downloaded three or more. The most frequent uses of the apps are to check reservation status, manage rewards accounts, and book rooms.

Readers: How much time do you spend on Wi-Fi in your hotel? Be honest! What do you mostly use it for?

Don’t miss out on these popular TravelSkills posts! Shocked passenger refuses to pay $3 for water | More Delta SkyMiles for Asian trips | Tips from a Hawaiian Vacation | JetBlue-Delta slugfest means lower fares | Test your planespotting skills! )

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Exciting new hotels: New York, Chicago, Washington, Minneapolis, Denver

A central atrium is a highlight of the new Beekman Hotel in New York City.(Image: Thompson Hotels)

A central atrium is a highlight of the new Beekman Hotel in New York City. (Image: Thompson Hotels)

Recent hotel openings in key business destinations include a pair of properties in lower Manhattan; an addition to the Kimpton family in downtown Chicago; a dual-branded Hilton in Washington D.C.; an all-suite Hilton affiliate in Minneapolis; and an independent property in Denver’s Cherry Creek North neighborhood.

The upscale Thompson Hotels group has cut the ribbon on a new Manhattan property called The Beekman, located near the intersection of Beekman and Nassau streets in lower Manhattan, a block from City Hall Park and near the western approach to the Brooklyn Bridge. The project required a three-year overhaul and restoration of a landmark building dating back to 1883, characterized by a vast skylight-topped central atrium that has been preserved right down to its cast-iron railings. As a hotel, it has 287 guest rooms, including 45 suites – two of them with access to the rooftop. Rooms start at 285 square feet. The hotel’s signature restaurant, Fowler & Wells, is from celebrity chef Tom Colicchio, and renowned New York restaurateur Keith McNally is behind the hotel’s brasserie restaurant called Augustine. Rates start at $439.

Compact guest rooms are characteristic of the new Arlo in lower Manhattan. (Image: Arlo Hotels)

Compact guest rooms are characteristic of the new Arlo Hudson Square Hotel in lower Manhattan. (Image: Arlo Hotels)

Also new in Manhattan is the 325-room Arlo Hudson Square Hotel at 231 Hudson Street, just west of SoHo and just north of Canal Street. Arlo Hotels calls the property a four-star “micro-hotel,” which means it has guest rooms that average a mere 160 square feet, featuring “warm, high-touch materials and clever elements like fold-down desks and closets with adjustable hanging pegs,” the company said. It has a mod décor, lobby bar and restaurant, and a rooftop bar with views of the Hudson River. There’s also a public space called The Library that “evolves from a co-working space during the day into an area of fun in the evening, complete with a vast selection of vintage board games, throwback movies, and cocktail service from the Lobby Bar.” Opening rates start at $199. Another new Arlo is due to open on East 31st Street later this fall.

The Vol39 lobby bar at the new Kimpton Gray Hotel in Chicago. (Image: Kimpton Hotels)

The Vol. 39 lobby bar at the new Kimpton Gray Hotel in Chicago. (Image: Kimpton Hotels)

In downtown Chicago, InterContinental’s Kimpton Hotels unit has cut the ribbon on The Kimpton Gray Hotel, a makeover of the historic New York Life Insurance Building in the financial district at 122 West Monroe Street, built in 1894. Grand opening rates start as low as $168 on weekends. The 293-room Gray retains Art Deco details in its interior as well as its gray granite exterior, but with all the modern amenities. Kimpton’s fifth Chicago location, the Gray has a 15th-floor rooftop bar with cocktails and small plates of South American cuisine; a lobby bar called Vol. 39; and a New American restaurant called Steadfast.

Hilton's new dual-branded Washington D.C. hotel is near Union Station. (Image: Hilton)

Hilton’s new dual-branded Washington D.C. hotel is near Union Station. (Image: Hilton)

Hilton has expanded its presence in Washington D.C. with the opening of a 239-room dual-branded Hampton Inn and Homewood Suites property at 501 New York Avenue NE. Called the Hampton Inn by Hilton Washington D.C. NoMa Union Station and the Homewood Suites by Hilton Washington D.C. NoMa Union Station, the hotels are near the Metro’s Red Line at NoMa-Gallaudet U Station, not far from the U.S. Capitol. The hotels have separate lobbies and check-in desks but share a fitness center and pool as well as free Wi-Fi. The extended-stay Homewood Suites offers studio and one-bedroom units with full kitchens and separate living and sleeping areas, and both offer free hot breakfasts. HHonors advance purchase rates start at $161 at the Hampton Inn and $149 at the Homewood Suites.

Downtown Minneapolis is home to a new Embassy Suites from Hilton. (Image: Hilton)

Downtown Minneapolis is home to a new Embassy Suites from Hilton. (Image: Hilton)

What was once the Plymouth Building, an historic Beaux Arts structure in downtown Minneapolis at 12 Sixth Street South, is now the Embassy Suites by Hilton Minneapolis Downtown. The 290-unit all-suite property is linked to the city’s Skyway system and close to the Minneapolis Convention Center. Guests get free Wi-Fi, hot breakfasts and evening reception with snacks and drinks, and two-room suites have 49-inch TVs, walk-in showers, microwaves, mini-fridges and desks with ergonomic chairs. The hotel also has 12,600 square feet of meeting space in 10 rooms; a lobby bar with morning coffee service; and Lyon’s Pub, with beer on tap and bar food, as well as a fitness center and heated indoor pool. HHonors advance purchase discount rates start at $199.

The independent Halcyon Hotel is in Denver's Cherry Creek North district. (Image: Halcyon)

The independent Halcyon Hotel is in Denver’s Cherry Creek North district. (Image: Halcyon)

Newly opened in Denver is a 154-room independent hotel called Halcyon, located in the Cherry Creek North retail/commercial  district southeast of downtown. It’s the first newly built hotel in the neighborhood in 13 years. The luxury property offers guests e-bikes and Vespas to get around the neighborhood and the city, and has a program called Gear Garage that “allows guests to dive into the destination of Denver through hands-on learning of various skills and immersive adventures on a complimentary basis.” Like so many new urban hotels, Halcyon has a rooftop bar and pool. The Halcyon has a fitness center, and it offers Asian cuisine at a restaurant called Departure; it will soon open an Italian restaurant as well. Rates begin at $299.

(We’re back from summer vacation! In case you missed our other recent round-up posts, here they are: Domestic Routes Roundup | Tips from a Hawaiian Vacation | August’s most important travel news)

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A new way to monetize your flexibility

Upside offers gift cards to business travelers who can be flexible in their trip arrangements. (Image: jim Glab)

Upside offers gift cards to business travelers who can be flexible in their trip arrangements. (Image: jim Glab)

Do you have the freedom to select your own travel suppliers on business trips – and are you flexible when it comes to your airline and hotel arrangements? Would like like an Amazon or Best Buy gift card with your next travel booking? If so, you’re the target for a new travel booking and rewards company.

It’s called Upside , and it was put together by a small group of former Priceline executives, including Priceline founder Jay Walker. It is planning to launch a Beta version sometime in September. Walker told TravelSkills: “Most business travelers have a valuable, hidden asset that’s worth a small fortune on every trip they take. The asset? Flexibility. Specifically, small amounts of flexibility on the flights and hotels that a business traveler is willing to use on any given trip.”

Sign up for Upside here

Here’s how it works: Instead of booking your usual first-choice airline, flight time and hotel, you let the Upside app or website put together an air-hotel package using suppliers that you have pre-approved. If the alternatives it shows are suitable to your schedule and if the discounts and gift cards offers are enticing enough, you’ll then pay a $35 fee to book the trip. (Upside says that users will typically see gift card amounts of $100 to $200, and savings of 5 to 15 percent in travel costs, and enough to make the $35 fee a wash.)

A early look at the Upside app

A early look at the Upside app

The electronic gift cards are good at major stores or online retailers (such as Best Buy or Amazon), and they will be delivered to your mobile phone shortly after you buy the trip arrangements. Upside says that those who take just five or six trips a year through Upside can rack up easily $1,000 in gift cards – or more, if they travel internationally in business class.

Users will be able to book their arrangements through the Upside app or its website; round-the-clock phone support is also available. There’s no requirement to buy the package Upside suggests, and once you do, it can be cancelled or changed quickly if circumstances warrant. Also, Upside says that users will still earn airline frequent flyer points or miles for the flights it selects (but not hotel program points).

Sign up for Upside here

Travelers simply specify the time windows for their flights, and pre-approve the airlines and hotel companies they prefer. “Upside supports all of the leading brands,” the company said. Then Upside’s “Flexibility Engine” software builds the package.

So how will Upside  make money? “We buy travel from suppliers at very advantageous rates– rates so low that we can pass along a substantial discount, take our cut and provide gift cards to travelers,” said a company spokesperson. In addition, Upside makes money on the $35 fee it charges per booking.

Would you pay a $35 fee for a chance to earn potentially hundreds in gift cards and score travel discounts not found elsewhere?  

That’s the question Upside is waiting for you to answer.

Earn $150: Upside has partnered TravelSkills to help it find business travelers who want to sign up early and are willing to test pre-release versions of the service. All you have to do is supply your email address, phone and answer a few general questions about your travel habits. Upside guarantees that these VIPs will will get $150 minimum in free gift cards for every package they purchase this year. Want to give it a try? Then request a VIP invitation via our referral link by July 30.

Sign up for Upside here

NOTE: Be sure to click here to see all recent TravelSkills posts about: How to get the BEST summer fare deals | One airline fee fading fast | Trip Report: Aer Lingus Economy Class | 5 top jobs for frequent travelers  | First class phase out coming soon

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The secret reason for new hotel loyalty discounts

Empire State Building New York

View from the street near The Best Western Herald Square in NYC where Rewards members get 10% off (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Earlier this year, we saw a trend among the biggest hotel chains – including Hilton, Marriott, InterContinental and Best Western, among others –  offering exclusive discounts to members of their loyalty programs.

Was this just the hotel companies’ latest attempt to sweeten program membership for their loyalists by adding another perk? While customers certainly benefit from getting a price break, the companies had another motive, according to the Wall Street Journal (paywall).

The exclusive discounts for frequent stay program members came with a restriction: To get them, customers have to book directly with the hotel company through its website or app. Reservations placed through third parties didn’t qualify.

The Journal says that the real reason for the hotel giants offering those discounts was to fight back against online travel agencies and booking services that were handling an increasingly large portion of hotel bookings – and collecting a substantial commission for each one.

The hotel companies used to collect more revenue from direct bookings than they did from reservations made through online travel agencies, the Journal noted.  That changed in 2015, when the amount of bookings that came in through sites like Expedia and Priceline surpassed that of the chains’ own sites, having an adverse impact on their bottom lines.

Renovated guest room at the Hilton Union Square in San Francisco. (Image: Hilton)

Renovated guest room at the Hilton Union Square in San Francisco. (Image: Hilton)

The article noted that some online booking services are starting to fight back with tactics like giving lower priority in search results to hotels of the chains that are promoting loyalty discounts on direct bookings. Still, you have to consider your own bottom line: If you are not already a member of all major hotel frequent stay programs, you should at least sign up for basic membership if it means a discount.

Readers: Has the offer of exclusive loyalty program discounts enticed you to start booking hotel rooms directly with your preferred supplier? Do you ever book through third-party online services? Leave comments below.

NOTE: Be sure to click here to see all recent TravelSkills posts about: How to get the BEST summer fare deals | One airline fee fading fast | Trip Report: Aer Lingus Economy Class | 5 top jobs for frequent travelers  | First class phase out coming soon

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New hotels: Washington D.C., Atlanta, Honolulu, Boston, Cleveland

Watergate Hotel

Rendering of “Top of the Gate” a new rooftop bar at the recently revamped Watergate Hotel (Image: Watergate Hotel)

In U.S. hotel news, a legendary property reopens in the nation’s capital; Marriott finishes up a big Atlanta overhaul; Hilton adds a new affiliate in downtown Boston and a big Garden Inn in Hawaii; and downtown Cleveland gets another 189 rooms.

Who’s not familiar with the name Watergate? The notorious Washington D.C. complex where Richard Nixon’s big scandal got its start also includes a famous hotel that’s been closed for nine years. But now the Watergate Hotel, on the banks of the Potomac, has reopened following a $125 million overhaul. The renovation and upgrade covered all of the hotel’s 336 rooms, half of which come with balconies. The rooms now offer luxury bedding, marble bathrooms, luxury amenities, 24-hour room service and modern guest technology. The Watergate has added a rooftop lounge called Top of the Gate; an indoor-outdoor restaurant called Kingbird, and a lobby lounge called The Next Whiskey Bar. There’s also a 12,000 square foot spa. Rates start at $425.

Atlanta's Marriott Marquis downtown just had a big makeover. (Image: Marriott)

Atlanta’s Marriott Marquis downtown just had a big makeover. (Image: Marriott)

Marriott’s flagship hotel in downtown Atlanta, the Atlanta Marriott Marquis, has finished a $78 million upgrade that included renovations of all 1,663 rooms and suites. All rooms got new multi-purpose work surfaces as well as smart TVs with streaming services like Hulu and Netflix. King rooms received new baths with walk-in showers, and the 94 suites got new hardwood designs with area rugs. The lounge for guests in concierge level accommodations received new Wi-Fi, plugs for personal electronic devices and laptops, and upgraded food and beverage selections. The hotel also added two floors of Marriott’s new “Stay Well” rooms with innovations like air purification, circadian lighting, allergen-free sanitation processes, vitamin C shower infusers and aromatherapy. There’s also a redesigned Great Room for working and/or socializing. Marriott Rewards advance purchase rates start as low as $124.

The pool at the Hilton Garden Inn Waikiki in Honolulu. (Image: Hilton)

The pool at the Hilton Garden Inn Waikiki Beach in Honolulu. (Image: Hilton)

Hilton HHonors members who want to go to Hawaii have a lot more rooms available. Hilton just cut the ribbon on a new Hilton Garden Inn in Honolulu, and it’s the largest hotel in the Garden Inn brand, with 623 rooms. The new Hilton Garden Inn Waikiki Beach is actually two blocks from that iconic strand, and across the street from the International Market Place. Formerly the Ohana Waikiki West, the property went through a $115 million overhaul; all 623 rooms and suites now have the brand’s signature bedding, 48-inch HDTVs with premium channels, microwaves, mini-fridges and Keurig coffee makers, and most have walk-out lanais. There’s a roof top pool and bar, fitness center, and a grab-and-go market. It’s in HHonors Reward Category 7, and rates start at $189.

The Ames Boston Hotel in now a Hilton affiliate. (Image: Hilton)

The Ames Boston Hotel in now a Hilton affiliate. (Image: Hilton)

In Boston, meanwhile, Hilton has added a new affiliate to its Curio Collection, which means it’s part of HHonors and the Hilton reservations system. That property is the Ames Boston Hotel, which joins the group this month. Originally built in 1893, the Ames Building at 1 Court Street is on the National Register of Historic Places. It was converted into a 114-room luxury boutique hotel in 2007. Rates start at around $350.

An historic building in downtown Cleveland is now the Drury Plaza Hotel. (Image: Drury Hotels)

An historic building in downtown Cleveland is now the Drury Plaza Hotel. (Image: Drury Hotels)

Drury Hotels has added its first location in Cleveland with the opening of the Drury Plaza Cleveland Downtown. Located on East 6th Street near FirstEnergy Stadium and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the hotel was developed in the city’s old Board of Education Building, built in 1931, preserving many of its original architectural features. Its 189 guest rooms offer 49 different layouts, and it has almost 4,000 square feet of meeting space. Guest amenities include free hot breakfast, afternoon and evening sodas and popcorn, evening beer and wine receptions, 24-hour fitness and business centers, and an indoor pool and whirlpool. Rates start at $109.

NOTE: Be sure to click here to see all recent TravelSkills posts about: How to get the BEST summer fare deals | One airline fee fading fast | Trip Report: Aer Lingus Economy Class | 5 top jobs for frequent travelers  | First class phase out coming soon

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Airport news: Houston, Chicago, San Jose, Orange County

The new American Express Centurion Lounge at Houston Bush Intercontinental. (Image: American Express)

The new American Express Centurion Lounge at Houston Bush Intercontinental. (Image: American Express)

In airport news, Houston Bush Intercontinental gets a new Centurion Lounge; Chicago plans a big addition of on-site hotel rooms at O’Hare Airport; San Jose will expand its international arrivals area; and a clever new retail concept comes to Orange County’s John Wayne Airport.

In Texas, American Express has cut the ribbon on the seventh location for its Centurion airport lounge network. The new 8,500 square foot lounge is in Terminal D of Houston Bush Intercontinental Airport, near Gate D6. It’s open daily from 5:30 a.m. to 9 p.m., and it’s free for consumer, Business and Corporate Platinum and Centurion Card members, along with their immediate family members or up to two guests. Other AmEx Card holders can buy a day pass for $50. The lounge has plentiful power outlets, high-speed Wi-Fi, a family room, a computer bar and “tranquility areas,” and provides users with a complementary full bar and a selection of light dishes created by Houston chef Justin Yu, a James Beard Award winner.

The O'Hare Hilton is at left, and the proposed sites of O'Hare's two new hotels are on the right. (Image: City of Chicago)

The O’Hare Hilton is at left, and the proposed sites of O’Hare’s two new hotels are on the right. (Image: City of Chicago)

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel has announced plans to build two new hotels at O’Hare Airport, continuing a trend toward new on-site airport hotels that we’re also seeing at Denver, Atlanta, San Francisco, New York JFK, and Minneapolis-St. Paul. Emanuel said the new hotels will be financed and developed by the city’s Department of Aviation, and will be linked to O’Hare’s terminals by the airport’s free transit system. One will be adjacent to Terminal 5, providing 300 to 400 rooms and 25,000 to 65,000 square feet of meeting and conference space. The second, a smaller property of 150 to 200 rooms, will be built on the northeast side of the airport along Mannheim Road as part of a new mixed-use development. The city will issue a request for proposals later this year, and the hotels are expected to be finished by 2020. In addition, Emanuel said the city plans to overhaul and modernize the airport’s existing on-site hotel, the O’Hare Hilton, after the current lease expires in two years. That project will give the hotel the capability of hosting “large-scale trade shows and events,” the city said, and will add “spas, extended room service, concierge services, and quality restaurants and boutiques.”

Mineta San Jose International Airport said it plans to expand and upgrade its 14-year-old International Arrivals Building – a good idea considering the number of new international flights coming in there these days. Work has just started on the project, which will add 5,600 square feet of space to the facility by the time it’s finished in spring of next year. The building will get 2,700 square feet of additional baggage claim space and a second baggage carousel, and the front of the building will be extended by 2,900 square feet and enclosed. The airport will also add new seating, restrooms and a snack space in the new waiting area.

Hudson Group's mobile mini-store at Orange County Airport. (Image: Hudson Group)

Hudson Group’s mobile mini-store at Orange County Airport. (Image: Hudson Group)

Ever been waiting at the gate when you realized that you needed some sundries for your flight, but you didn’t have time to run back through the concourse to pick them up? Hudson Group, the company that has ubiquitous newsstands/amenities stores at airports, has launched a new concept at Orange County, California’s John Wayne Airport to meet those needs. It’s a mini-store built into a mobile cart that can easily move around from gate to gate. It has a cash register and wireless capability to handle credit card transactions, and a mini-fridge for cooling beverages. Besides cold drinks, the roving “store” sells electronics, health and beauty items, and snacks and candy.

NOTE: Be sure to click here to see all recent TravelSkills posts about: How to get the BEST summer fare deals | One airline fee fading fast | Trip Report: Aer Lingus Economy Class | 5 top jobs for frequent travelers  | First class phase out coming soon

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New hotels: Seattle, Cleveland, New York, Miami

Thompson Seattle hotel

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)

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 Miami is now one of Starwood's W properties. (Image: Starwood)

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)

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

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What “Do Not Disturb” really means at hotels

W hotel paris

Just want to be left alone at the hotel? W Hotel Paris pictured (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Housekeeper caught you with your pants down? It happens! But who is to blame when embarrassment ensues?

There seems to be a lot of confusion about what a Do Not Disturb sign really means at a hotel. So we hit up a friend of TravelSkills who is a hotel general manager for the skinny. Here’s what he said:

First and foremost, it is one of the cardinal rules of hospitality that employees are not supposed to knock on a door with a Do Not Disturb (DND) sign on it.  However, there is no legal issue.  The hotel has a legal right to ignore the DND sign any time and for any reason.  After all it’s their property.  The way it’s supposed to work is that a hotel will only violate the DND sign if they have reason to believe that health, safety or property may be an issue.  Examples:

  1. The phone system shows that 911 was dialed from the room.
  2. The hotel staff heard loud noises coming from the room (potential property damage).
  3. The hotel staff heard loud voices, arguing or screaming form the room (potential domestic abuse).
  4. The DND sign has been on the door for 24-48+ hours straight (every hotel has their own standard, but health and well-being of the guest could be an issue here).
  5. A large number of suspicious people have been seen entering or exiting the room (potential illegal activity).
  6. Water is leaking into the room below (someone left the tub running in the room above?  Potential health issue as well as potential property damage).
The new Marriott Residence Inn in Portland, OR (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

The new Marriott Residence Inn in Portland, OR (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

In practice, there are two main reasons why hotel staff sometimes violate the DND sign:

  1. The housekeeping staff simply wants to clean their assigned rooms, especially rooms due to check-out that day.  They don’t get paid for rooms they are assigned but do not clean, and they’re eager to see if the guest left them a tip.
  1. Guests will frequently leave the DND sign on their door when they go out for the day.  Then when they return they think that somehow, magically, their room was supposed to have been cleaned without someone violating the DND sign.  Then they’ll call down to the front desk and complain that their room was not cleaned and flat out lie about having left their DND sign on the door.  This happens so often it’s crazy.

So the above two reasons are certainly not valid excuses for hotel staff violating the DND sign, but they go a long way towards explaining why it sometimes happens in hotels without excellent housekeeping management.

hotel door

Quiet, please! (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

What we’ll do at my hotel is that if a staff member encounters a room they need to enter that has a DND sign on it, the staff will ask the front desk to call the room to ask if it’s okay to knock and/or enter.  This happens very often with room service.  If there’s no answer to the call and there’s no emergency, we will simply not enter, and we’ll hang a sign on the door saying that we respected their request for privacy.  And yes, this means that sometimes we’ll leave a room service tray at the door (a fair number of drunk guests order room service, pass out, then wake up to discover their cold meal outside their door in the morning!)

There does seem to be a school of thought out there that thinks a DND sign means that hotel staff should not call the room either, but I don’t subscribe to that.  Of course if you request no calls to your room we will abide.  In that case, if we still need to communicate with you and if there is no emergency, we’ll slip a note under the door.

Likely more than you want to know about hotel DND signs but I had fun writing this all down for the first time 🙂

What are your thoughts on this issue? Is it okay to ignore the Do Not Disturb sign? Do you have any funny stories to share along these lines? Please do so in the comments!

(This a “blast from the past”– a previously popular post on TravelSkills. Take a look at the original post here as well as the reader comments!)

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

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4 brand new hotels in New York City

New York's new Shocard brings a Broadway-style buzz. (Image: Shocard Hotel)

New York’s new Shocard brings a Broadway-style buzz. (Image: Hotel Shocard)

So many new hotels have been opening in New York City that we haven’t been able to keep up with them all in our periodic new hotel updates. So in an effort to catch up, here’s an all-New York update on some of the latest developments on the Big Apple lodging scene.

Spacious accommodations at the Q&A Residential Hotel. (Image:

Spacious accommodations at the Q&A Residential Hotel. (Image: Furnished Quarters)

In lower Manhattan, longer-stay travelers have a couple of new lodging options. One is the Q&A Residential Hotel, the first commercial hotel from the business apartment company Furnished Quarters. Guest units of 500 to 1,400 square feet are designed to serve as apartment-style accommodations for business travelers (although there is no minimum stay requirement), most of them no doubt in the financial services industry. Located at 70 Pine Street – the old art-deco landmark AIG Building – the hotel is just a couple of blocks from the New York Stock Exchange. Guest units have full-sized kitchens, smart TVs and walk-in closets; some have washers and dryers. Advance purchase rates start at $371.

A big rental suite at the AKA Wall Street. (Image: AKA)

A big rental suite at the AKA Wall Street. (Image: AKA)

Not far away at 84 William Street is the newest Manhattan location for AKA, which operates buildings with serviced residential-style suites for longer-stay business travelers. The new 132-unit AKA Wall Street has studio, one- and two-bedroom suites with hardwood floors, kitchens, free premium cable TV services including HBO, free local phone calls with voicemail, and free Wi-Fi, among other amenities. It has a 24-hour staffed front desk, free laundry facilities, housekeeping, and same-day dry cleaning, as well as a fitness center and business center. The property is taking reservations starting in the first week of June, with rates start at $295 a night.

A colorful room at The Redbury on East 30th Street. (Image: The Redbury)

A colorful room at The Redbury on East 30th Street. (Image: The Redbury)

Manhattan used to have commercial hotels that catered only to female guests, like the Barbizon on East 63rd Street and the Martha Washington on E. 30th. Now the former Martha Washington has been made over and just opened as The Redbury New York (the entrance has been moved from 30th Street to 29 E. 29th Street, between Madison and Park). It’s a member of the Preferred Hotels group. The boutique property has 256 rooms that offer Wi-Fi, designer bath amenities and in-room dining from the hotel’s on-site restaurant called Marta – part of celebrity restaurateur Danny Meyer’s Union Square Hospitality Group. Advance purchase rates start at $269.

Related: 5 must see new hotels in NYC (January 2015)

Guest accommodations at the new Shocard near Times Square. (Image: The Shocard)

Guest accommodations at the new Shocard near Times Square. (Image: Hotel Shocard)

In the Times Square area (on 41st Street between Seventh and Eighth avenues) is the newly opened Hotel Shocard, a boutique property with just 45 rooms and two suites. It sports a Broadway theater theme, with “inspiration from the grit and the glamour of NYC in the 1960s and 1970s,” the opening announcement says. (Well, grit anyway; it cites the movies Midnight Cowboy and Taxi Driver as representative of the “old Times Square” of that era.) Anyway, rooms are equipped with furniture custom-made in Italy and the hotel offers free Wi-Fi and daily newspaper. It has a bar/restaurant called Gleason’s Tavern that serves breakfast, lunch and dinner and has a big selection of craft beers. Introductory rates start at $149.

Note: None of these new hotels are part of major chains and their popular frequent stay programs. How does that impact your desire to stay at them? Please leave your comments below. 

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

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Hilton’s big summer sale

Hilton West Palm Beach

The new Hilton at the convention center in West Palm Beach. (Image: Hilton)

Hilton has come out with a new summer sale that has a two-tier discount structure, with better sale prices for HHonors members than for non-members.

Called the Hilton World Sale, the promotion’s specifics vary slightly by destination region, and discount levels may vary by hotel brand. All regions require that bookings be made directly with Hilton. And according to the terms and conditions, sale rates require full prepayment at the time of booking, with no changes, cancellations or refunds.

For hotels in North and South America, the discounts are 20 percent off best available rates for non-HHonors members and 25 percent off for members. It applies for Thursday through Sunday stays May 17-September 6, with a September 2 booking deadline.

Hilton HHonors get double Delta miles at hotels like the recently renovated Hilton Los Angeles Universal City (Image: Hilton)

The recently renovated Hilton Los Angeles Universal City (Image: Hilton)

For hotels in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, the discount levels are 25 and 30 percent respectively for stays now through October 9, with a September 4 booking deadline. For the Asia Pacific region (except China), discounts are 20 and 25 percent for stays through December 31, with a booking deadline of September 5. And for China, discounts are up to 30 percent for bookings made by May 31, or 25 percent for bookings made by August 23; sale rates apply for stays through the end of the year.

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

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Hotels: Silicon Valley, San Francisco, Washington, Miami, New Orleans

The Clement Palo Alto brings a new level of luxury to Silicon Valley. (Image: The Clement)

The Clement Palo Alto brings a new level of luxury to Silicon Valley. (Image: The Clement)

In hotel news, there’s a new luxury property in Silicon Valley; San Francisco’s largest hotel gets a makeover; Kimpton adds a location in the nation’s capital; one of East Asia’s leading hotel companies is making its U.S. debut in Miami; and Marriott opens a Moxy in New Orleans.

How can a city of 66,000 support a hotel with room rates starting at $700 a night? It helps when that city is in the heart of Silicon Valley’s tech giants and venture capital companies. Thus Palo Alto, California is the home of a new hotel called The Clement Palo Alto, which describes itself as “one of the most innovative, personalized and unique luxury hotels in the country.” It has 23 luxury one-bedroom suites, each 650 square feet, and its rates are seriously all-inclusive: They include three meals a day plus snacks; alcoholic beverages; in-room dining; valet service; Internet; gratuities; a personal concierge; a 24-hour guest pantry, and more. (Sounds like staying at the Clement is sorta like working for a unicorn!) The Clement is close to Stanford University and downtown Palo Alto.

The new lobby bar at the Hilton San Francisco Union Square. (Image: Hilton)

The new lobby bar at the Hilton San Francisco Union Square. (Image: Hilton)

Visitors to the Hilton San Francisco Union Square – the largest hotel in the Bay Area – will see some changes this spring. The property just finished a $25 million renovation that upgraded guest accommodations and meeting rooms, provided an overhaul of its huge lobby area including a new lobby bar, and gave it a new grab-and-go food area called Herb N’ Kitchen with a variety of fresh edibles and set meals as well as a full-service coffee bar. Rates start around $230 a night. Plus, all rooms can now be opened with guest mobile phones utilizing the Hilton Honors app.

A guest room at the Kimpton Mason & Rook in Washington D.C. (Image: Kimpton)

A guest room at the Kimpton Mason & Rook in Washington D.C. (Image: Kimpton)

Kimpton Hotels has opened a new property in Washington D.C. The 178-room (including 18 suites) Kimpton Mason & Rook Hotel is at 1430 Rhode Island Ave. NW near the city’s trendy 14th Street Corridor. The hotel features what it calls “a culinary-focused cocktail bar” (actually a bar/restaurant) called Radiator (because the area used to have a lot of auto repair shops), and it offers a raft of Kimpton-style guest services like free morning coffee, a nightly wine hour, yoga mats and bicycles. Rates start at $159.

A corner room with a view at Swire's new EAST, Miami. (Image: Swire Properties)

A corner room with a view at Swire’s new EAST, Miami. (Image: Swire Properties)

Swire Properties, which operates renowned hotels in Asia including The Upper House in Hong Kong and The Opposite House in Beijing, has set a May 31 opening for its first U.S. hotel, called EAST, Miami. The 352-room property will serve as the anchor hotel for Swire’s $1 billion mixed-use development in the city’s Brickell district. Rooms and suites range from 300 to 1,800 square feet, offering floor-to-ceiling windows with skyline or bay views and free Wi-Fi. It has two signature restaurants including the Quinto La Huella, with Latin American cuisine; and a rooftop (40th floor) space called Sugar, serving tapas and cocktails. There’s also a lobby café and bar, a poolside bar, and 20,000 square feet of meeting space. Rates start at $195.

The lobby area at Marriott's new Moxy in New Orleans. (Image: Marriott)

The lobby area at Marriott’s new Moxy in New Orleans. (Image: Marriott)

The new Marriott brand called Moxy – aimed at “today’s next-generation traveler” – has opened a location in New Orleans, on O’Keefe Avenue near the French Quarter. The 108-room Moxy New Orleans provides mobile check-in and –out, keyless room entry, motion sensor lighting, in-room Internet TVs with Netflix, YouTube, Hulu, and Pandora; fast free Wi-Fi, and lots of power and USB plugs. There’s a 24/7 self-serve food and beverage outlet as well as communal areas with work and game spaces. Rates start at $124. More Moxys are coming to New York, San Francisco, Seattle, Chicago and Nashville.

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

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Another giant hotel chain sold to Chinese investors

A Chinese company is buying the Carlson Rezidor hotel group, which includes the Radisson Blu in Chicago. (Image: Radisson Hotels)

A Chinese company is buying the Carlson Rezidor hotel group, which includes the Radisson Blu in Chicago. (Image: Radisson Hotels)

Although China’s Anbang Insurance and its partners ultimately lost to Marriott in a see-saw bidding battle for control of Starwood Hotels & Resorts, a different Chinese company has succeeded in buying another U.S. lodging giant.

Carlson Worldwide, the Minneapolis-based, privately-held firm that owns both the Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group and Carlson Wagonlit Travel – a leading corporate travel agency group – said it has agreed to sell its hotel operations to China’s HNA Tourism Group, a division of HNA Group Co. – a giant conglomerate with holdings in hospitality, aviation, tourism, finance and online businesses.

The seller’s Carlson Hotels, Inc. unit has a number of brands including Radisson Hotels, Radisson Blu, the new Radisson RED, Park Plaza, Park Inn by Radisson, Country Inns & Suites by Carlson, and the Quorvus Collection, along with the Club Carlson rewards program.

The gorgeous view from my bathroom at the fab mid century modern Radisson Blu Royal hotel (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

The gorgeous view from a bathroom at the mid century modern Radisson Blu Royal hotel in Copenhagen (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

The acquisition also includes Carlson Hotels’ 51.3 percent controlling stake in Brussels-based Rezidor Hotels Group, which licenses properties for Carlson Hotels in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

In all, the Carlson group has 1,400 hotels in operation or under development in 115 countries. Since Carlson is privately held, the purchase price was not disclosed.

Carlson said that because the deal will mean a change in control of Rezidor, Swedish takeover rules require that HNA Tourism Group must decide within four weeks of closing either to initiate a public tender offer for the remaining 48.7 percent of Rezidor, or reduce its stake in that company to no more than 30 percent.

A Chinese firm that bought the Waldorf-Astoria is leading a new bid to acquire Starwood. (Image: Waldorf-Astoria)

A Chinese firm  bought the Waldorf-Astoria in New York (Image: Waldorf-Astoria)

The company also said that after the closing, Carlson Hospitality Group CEO David Berg will stay on as CEO of the new combined organization, and that HNA Tourism Group has promised to keep the headquarters of the new organization in Minnetonka, Minnesota.

Berg said the combination of Carlson Hospitality with HNA Tourism “provides tremendous opportunities for growth…As part of HNA Tourism Group, Carlson Hotels will have an opportunity to advance our commitment to providing guests with hospitality worldwide.”

When a Chinese investment group purchased the Waldorf Astoria in New York last year, the U.S. President decided to take his business elsewhere. How do you feel about Chinese ownership of Radisson brand? Please leave your comments below.

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

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Hotels: New York, San Diego, Denver, Orange County, Washington D.C.

Lobby of InterContinental's reopened Barclay in New York. (Image: InterContinental)

Lobby of InterContinental’s reopened Barclay in New York. (Image: InterContinental)

In U.S. hotel developments, Manhattan reclaims a classic midtown property and gains a new Design Hotels property in its Soho district; Marriott cuts the ribbon on a dual-branded location in San Diego; a big Hyatt Regency with lots of conference facilities makes its debut just outside of Denver; Starwood adds a new affiliate in Orange County, California; and Rosewood Hotels gains a foothold in the nation’s capital.

Remember the Barclay InterContinental? It was a mainstay of Manhattan’s Midtown lodging scene for decades, but it’s been closed for the past year and a half. Now, the Barclay’s reopening is set for April 29 following what it calls “the most ambitious restoration in its history.” The 700-room hotel at 111 East 48th Street, originally built by the Vanderbilt family and dating back to 1926, got a $180 million overhaul that gave it renovated guest accommodations, suites, and meeting rooms; a new Club Lounge; new restaurant and bar; and a slightly revised name – it’s now called the InterContinental New York Barclay. Rates start at $366.

Guest room at the new 11 Howard in Manhattan's SoHo district. (Image: 11 Howard)

Guest room at the new 11 Howard in Manhattan’s SoHo district. (Image: 11 Howard)

Also newly opened in New York is 11 Howard, a 221-room luxury boutique property in Soho at the corner of Howard and Lafayette streets, just above Canal Street. A member of the trendy Design Hotels group, 11 Howard occupies a former Post Office building and boasts Scandinavian design from its interiors to its furniture, along with innovative art (a Calder mobile suspended from the ceiling, an exterior wall covered with a mural, etc.)  and a French restaurant called Le CouCou from chef Daniel Rose. Rates range from $289 to $442.

Marriott offers two all-suite brands in San Diego's Bayfront. (Image: Marriott)

Marriott offers two all-suite brands in San Diego’s Bayfront. (Image: Marriott)

The newest accommodations in downtown San Diego are in a dual-branded Marriott property that includes two all-suite brands — SpringHill Suites and Residence Inn — in the city’s Bayfront district. Specifically, they’re at Broadway and Pacific Highway, a short walk from the USS Midway museum. The SpringHill Suites side has 253 units while the Residence Inn has 147. Guests are entitled to free breakfasts, and the properties share a fifth-floor outdoor pool and a fitness center. Rates start around $150 at both properties.

The new Hyatt Regency in Aurora, CO targets medical meetings. (Image: Hyatt)

The new Hyatt Regency in Aurora, CO targets medical meetings. (Image: Hyatt)

On the east side of Denver in suburban Aurora is the newly opened Hyatt Regency Aurora-Denver Conference Center, a 249-room property (including 49 suites) that will serve the big University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus next door with its 36,000 square feet of conference space in 15 meeting rooms. All accommodations offer Wi-Fi and 55-inch TVs. The hotel’s signature restaurant is called Borealis, with an eclectic mix of cuisines, and there’s a big fitness center, a hot tub, and an outdoor pool and deck. Rates start at $180 for Gold Passport members.

Silver Trumpet bar at Avenue of the Arts Hotel in Costa Mesa. (Image: Starwood)

Silver Trumpet bar at Avenue of the Arts Hotel in Costa Mesa. (Image: Starwood)

Starwood Hotels & Resorts has added a key southern California location to its Tribute Portfolio, a collection of independent properties that participate in Starwood’s reservations system and its Preferred Guest loyalty program. It’s the 238-room Avenue of the Arts Hotel Costa Mesa in Orange County, with a lakeside location in the city’s corporate center next to the South Coast Plaza mall. The hotel recently finished a significant renovation. Rates start at $199.

Cozy lobby fireplace at Rosewood's new Washington D.C., location. (Image: Rosewood)

Cozy lobby fireplace at Rosewood’s new Washington D.C., location. (Image: Rosewood)

In Washington D.C., the upscale Georgetown hotel that was formerly known as the Capella Washington has brought in new management by Rosewood Hotels, which has rebranded the property as the Rosewood Washington D.C. Located along the C&O Canal, the hotel is small – just 49 rooms and suites – and located in one of the capital’s most prestigious neighborhoods. It offers dining in the Grill Room restaurant, a selection of rare rye whiskeys in the Rye Bar, and a rooftop lounge and pool. Rates start at $545.

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

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Starwood surprise in latest JD Power survey

Hilton's new West Palm Beach hotel. Hilton tied for first place in rankings of guest loyalty programs. (Image: Hilton)

Hilton’s new West Palm Beach hotel. Hilton tied for first place in rankings of guest loyalty programs. (Image: Hilton)

J.D. Power and Associates has come out with the results of a new survey on hotel loyalty programs, and the results raise a new question about the upcoming acquisition of Starwood Hotels by Marriott.

That acquisition was approved by shareholders of both companies on Friday. In the run-up to the deal – which is on track to be finalized by midyear – Marriott executives cited the devotion of Starwood Preferred Guest (SPG) loyalty members as one of the reasons they found Starwood such an attractive merger target.

But here’s the thing: In the new J.D. Power 2016 Hotel Loyalty/Rewards Program Satisfaction Report – based on a poll of more than 3,000 U.S. hotel program members – the SPG program’s score was way, way below Marriott’s, and well below the industry average of the 14 programs in the survey. In fact, it was almost at the bottom. (As it has been in previous years.)

Marriott Rewards tied with Hilton HHonors as the top-ranked programs, each with a score of 741 on J.D. Power’s 1,000-point scale. Also scoring above the industry average of 711 was InterContinental Hotel Group’s IHG Rewards at 722. And Starwood’s SPG? It ranked 13th out of 14 with a 674 score, just above last-place Red Roof Inns. Starwood didn’t fare much better in last year’s results either.

Here’s the full list for 2016:

jdpower2016hotelplan

In the case of Starwood, our best guess as to its low ranking is that SPG puts a lot of focus on keeping its elite level members happy, likely to the detriment of the much larger pool of non-elites. The JD Power survey polls all members– not just elites. Had it done a poll of hotel program elite members, I’m sure SPG would have placed much higher. And it seems to be SPG’s elite level members that are the most vocal when it comes to the Marriott/Starwood merger.

Loyalty programs are rated on a number of factors, including account management, ease of redeeming points/miles, ease of earning points/miles, variety of benefits, reward program terms and customer service.

Some 77 percent of survey respondents said they believe their preferred program is just as valuable as it was a year ago. The main reason that consumers select one program over another when they join, cited by 40 percent, is the convenience of that company’s hotel locations at the destinations where they travel.

Readers: What’s your take on loyalty programs? Do you agree with the J.D. Power survey findings?

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

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San Francisco’s dubious distinction

San Francisco Skyline

San Francisco ranks number one in the nation in business travel costs. (Image: SF Travel)

Every year, the trade publication Business Travel News (BTN) conducts a comprehensive study of the total daily costs that road warriors pay in various U.S. and foreign cities. And for the third year in a row, San Francisco took the top honors in the U.S.

Whether it’s an honor is questionable, however: BTN said that in 2015, the City by the Bay remained the most expensive destination in the nation for business travel, with an average daily cost of $547.34 for a hotel room, a rental car and meals. That’s an increase of 7.4 percent from 2014, and it beat out New York ($523.05) and Boston ($502.69), which ranked second and third. Here’s a link to the full results of the study.

BTN said the average amount paid for a San Francisco hotel stay in 2015 was $370.78 per night, including $52.36 in sales tax, occupancy tax and surcharges – an increase of 9.6 percent over 2014. In some cities, the year-over-year increases in average hotel costs paid by business travelers were quite substantial; e.g., BTN said the rate of increase was 22.4 percent in Detroit, 18.2 percent in San Jose, 15.7 percent in Los Angeles, 16 percent in Las Vegas, 14.3 percent in Boston and 14 percent in Seattle.

One of the interesting things about the detailed breakdowns of costs for hotels and rental cars is the fact that the BTN study separates out the level of taxes and fees, which can be incredibly high. For instance, it said that car rentals in San Francisco and Santa Barbara carried taxes and fees that averaged more than 50 percent of the actual rental rate; in some cities (Boston and Little Rock), that figure topped 60 percent.

The study did not examine the posted rates of hotels or rental car companies; instead, it looked at the actual average daily rate paid by business travelers from January through November, collected from a leading global corporate travel agency. Dining prices were gathered through a survey of restaurants in each city.

BTN said that the overall average daily cost for business travel in the top 100 U.S. cities during 2015 rose 3.9 percent over the previous year, to $318.80. It found a different trend overseas, noting that in 13 of the 19 non-U.S. Western Hemisphere cities covered in the study, the average per diem dropped by double digit percentages. And in the 59 cities covered in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, the average per diem dropped from $362 in 2014 to $323 last year.

The most expensive city in Europe, the Middle East and Africa was London, with an average per diem for hotel, rental car and meals of $554.

NOTE: Be sure to click here to see all recent TravelSkills posts about:  Should I tip my Uber driver? + Boeing 747 nearing its end? + Bargain hunters travel guide for 2016 + World’s best airline lounge? + Fares to Europe tumble 

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New hotels: Beverly Hills, LAX, New York, Miami, New Orleans

A guest suite at the Viceroy L'Ermitage in Beverly Hills. (Image: Viceroy Hotels)

A guest suite at the Viceroy L’Ermitage in Beverly Hills. (Image: Viceroy Hotels)

In U.S. hotel news, a Beverly Hills classic gets a makeover and new management; Starwood adds an Aloft near LAX; a Spanish chain opens its first New York property; Hyatt is getting a new presence in Miami Beach; and Ace Hotels opens a New Orleans location.

The former L’Ermitage Beverly Hills has been renovated and rebranded as the Viceroy L’Ermitage Beverly Hills following a 10-month renovation. Viceroy also operates upscale properties in Miami, New York, San Francisco, Santa Monica and Abu Dhabi, along with some resorts. Guest accommodations at the luxury all-suite L’Ermitage start at 650 square feet. Besides redesigning the hotel’s 116 suites, Viceroy made over its meeting rooms and added a French bistro called Avec Nous. Rates in April start at $479.

Guest accommodations at the new Aloft Hotel near Los Angeles International Airport. (Image: Starwood)

Guest accommodations at the new Aloft Hotel near Los Angeles International Airport. (Image: Starwood)

Elsewhere in the Los Angeles area, Starwood Hotels has scheduled an April 12 opening date for a new Aloft hotel in El Segundo, just two miles from Los Angeles International Airport (although the website says it is taking reservations for stays starting May 1). Located at 475 North Sepulveda Boulevard, the Aloft has 246 rooms along with a pool, fitness center, and the brand’s signature W Xyz Bar and Re: fuel by Aloft market. Self-parking will be available for $14 a day. Rates start at $153.

The new RIU near Times Square adds 600 rooms to New York City's inventory. (Image: RIU Hotels)

The new RIU Plaza near Times Square adds 600 rooms to New York City’s inventory. (Image: RIU Hotels)

RIU Hotels & Resorts, a group based in Spain, is known mostly for its Caribbean resorts, but the company has started an urban hotel division, and it just opened a new property in New York City. The Hotel RIU Plaza New York Times Square is at 305 West 46th Street, between Eighth and Ninth Avenues. It has 600 rooms on 29 floors, all equipped with mini-fridge, desk, and TV with multimedia connections. The new hotel’s restaurant and bar are still awaiting city licensing approval, but the property is offering “soft opening” rates as low as $109 a night!

The Thompson Miami Beach is joining Hyatt's Unbound Collection. (Image: Thompson Hotels)

The Thompson Miami Beach is joining Hyatt’s Unbound Collection. (Image: Thompson Hotels)

A subsidiary of Hyatt Hotels is buying the 380-room Thompson Miami Beach Hotel. Hyatt said that when the transaction closes later this month, the property will be rebranded as The Confidante, and will become a member of Hyatt’s recently-announced Unbound Collection.  As a member of that group, The Confidante “will maintain its distinct character while providing guests and owners Hyatt’s award-winning customer loyalty program, robust operational and marketing resources and trusted, quality brand,” Hyatt said. (Other members of the new Unbound group include The Driskill in Austin and Hotel du Louvre in Paris.) Rates at the Thompson currently start around $239.

The lobby bar at the new Ace Hotel in New Orleans. (Image: Ace Hotels)

The lobby bar at the new Ace Hotel in New Orleans. (Image: Ace Hotels)

Ace Hotels, which has locations in Portland, Seattle, New York, Los Angeles and Pittsburgh, has opened its newest hotel in New Orleans. The 234-room Ace Hotel is at 600 Carondelet Street, in a 90-year-old repurposed art deco building; it’s part of the South Market development in the city’s Warehouse District. It has a music venue called Three Keys with events happening most nights of the week; a rooftop garden called Alto with dining, cocktails and a pool; an Italian osteria called Josephine Estelle; and a lobby bar. Rooms have free Wi-Fi. Rates start at $169.

NOTE: Be sure to click here to see all recent TravelSkills posts about:  Should I tip my Uber driver? + Boeing 747 nearing its end? + Bargain hunters travel guide for 2016 + World’s best airline lounge? + Fares to Europe tumble 

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Star(wood) Wars, Part IV: Anbang strikes back

Will Anbang Insurance thwart Marriott's latest bid to buy Starwood? (Image: Marriott)

Will Anbang Insurance thwart Marriott’s latest bid to buy Starwood? Will China’s government block Anbang? Stay tuned. (Image: Marriott)

Just when it looked like Marriott International had once again secured a deal to acquire Starwood Hotels & Resorts by sweetening Its original offer, a revised proposal has been submitted by Marriott’s counter-bidding nemesis, China’s Anbang Insurance and its co-investors.

Feeling a bit weary of all the back-and-forth? We are! Anyway, here’s the latest….

Starwood’s board said today that the latest offer from Anbang & company – an all-cash bid of $82.75 per share for all Starwood stock, and the fourth bid to be made in this see-saw battle – is “reasonably likely” to be superior to Marriott’s latest bid, which was estimated to be worth $79.53 per share. That last Marriott bid included $21 per share in cash and the rest on Marriott stock. (Starwood said Anbang’s newest bid, made on March 26, was $81 per share, but in discussions over the past two days, the bidders raised their price to $82.75.)

Once again, Starwood’s board said it would closely examine and discuss the new Anbang bid, and would continue to discuss “non-price terms related to the (Anbang) consortium’s revised proposal.” The board added: “there can be no assurance that discussions will result in a binding proposal from the consortium,” or that it will result in an agreement to sell Starwood to Anbang and friends.

Breakfast overlooking Hanalei Bay at Starwood's St Regis Princeville (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Breakfast overlooking Hanalei Bay at Starwood’s St Regis Princeville (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

The Starwood board also reaffirmed that it “has not changed its recommendation in support of Starwood’s merger with Marriott.”

Meanwhile, there were reports that China’s government might also toss a monkey wrench into Anbang’s overseas buying spree. Caixin Online, a Chinese business news website, reported that the government’s China Insurance Regulatory Commission could be on the verge of blocking Anbang’s bid for Starwood and a separate Anbang offer for Strategic Hotels – a U.S.-based group that own several high-end hotels and resorts.

The problem, Caixin Online said, is that Chinese regulations bar the nation’s insurance companies from investing more than 15 percent of their assets abroad, a limit that would apparently be exceeded by either of the two proposed acquisitions.

NOTE: Be sure to click here to see all recent TravelSkills posts about:  Should I tip my Uber driver? + Boeing 747 nearing its end? + Bargain hunters travel guide for 2016 + World’s best airline lounge? + Fares to Europe tumble 

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California hotel rates are soaring

Rooftop pool deck at Kimpton's Hotel Wilshire in Los Angeles (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Rooftop pool deck at Kimpton’s Hotel Wilshire in Los Angeles CLICK (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Demand for hotel rooms in key California business markets is pushing up room rates far above the national average, according to a new report.

STR, a firm that tracks hotel industry performance and metrics, this week released data for room rates in major cities during the week of March 13-19 and compared them with the same period a year earlier.

It found that among the nation’s top 25 markets, the biggest increase in average daily rates was in Los Angeles/Long Beach, where the average room rate soared by 14 percent, to $174 per night. The higher room rates corresponded with a big increase in demand: STR said the average occupancy rate for Los Angeles/Long Beach hotels hit 88 percent, a gain of 6.4 percent.

That compares with the national average of daily rates that increased just 4.2 percent (to $127) and occupancy of 70.5 percent, a gain of 1.9 percent.

Impressive lobby in the brand new Axiom Hotel near San Francisco's Union Square (Photo: Axiom)

Impressive lobby in the brand new Axiom Hotel near San Francisco’s Union Square CLICK (Photo: Axiom)

The company also found substantial rate increases in two other California markets: San Francisco/San Mateo and Anaheim/Santa Ana. It said the average room rate in the San Francisco area jumped 11.3 percent year-over-year to $240 a night, while the average rate for Anaheim/Santa Ana hotels rose 10.7 percent to $154. (Note that the rate period studied – March 13-19 – does not include the Super Bowl period, when San Francisco room rates ballooned even more.)

Looking at a different metric – revenue per available room, which includes more than just the room rate and thus reflects overall guest spending – STR found even larger year-over-year gains for those three markets – 21.3 percent for L.A./Long Beach, 16.6 percent for Anaheim/Santa Ana and 16.0 percent for San Francisco/San Mateo, ranking them number one, two and three in the nation. It also found a 12 percent increase in revenue per available room for San Diego hotels.

Some observers have suggested that the rapid growth of Airbnb would draw enough business away from hotels to put downward pressure on rates – but that’s apparently not the case in Los Angeles. The LA Times reported last week that from May 2015 to January 2016, the number of Airbnb listings for Los Angeles County skyrocketed by 42 percent.

Just goes to show that California is once again hot-hot-hot, repeating its historic rythym of boom and bust.

What’s your favorite California hotel? Why? Have you noticed higher rates? Please leave your comments below. 

NOTE: Be sure to click here to see all recent TravelSkills posts about:  Should I tip my Uber driver? + Boeing 747 nearing its end? + Bargain hunters travel guide for 2016 + World’s best airline lounge? + Fares to Europe tumble 

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Trip Report: 5 newest business class hotels in Sydney (Photos)

Sydney Harbour Bridge

Sydney’s hotel scene is hot with plenty of new spots to bed down (Photo of Harbour Bridge: Chris McGinnis)

Sydney went through a big hotel boom in preparation for the Olympics way back in 2000 and since then has not added many big new hotels. But there have been plenty of refurbishments and re-brandings of larger properties. Plus, a handful of smaller properties have recently opened in and around Central Business District or “the CBD” as Sydneysiders refer to their downtown area.

I recently flew down to Australia from San Francisco to check out QANTAS’ new business class on its 747 SFO-SYD nonstops (here’s my Trip Report about that!). While I was there, I tried to see as many new business class hotels as I could for this report. I saw six and stayed at two of them. You know what’s nice? I discovered that due to the strength of the US dollar, you currently can snag a really nice, new 4-5 star hotel in Sydney for less than US$300 per night– that would have been unheard of a couple years ago before the US dollar’s ascent.

Keep reading to find out about an art deco gem in an old water works building, another in the executive offices of a brewery, a Starwood property poised to become Australia’s largest hotel, plus a great value in a converted mid-century mod office tower. 

At TravelSkills, we love new hotels. They smell better, work better, feel better, and are usually bigger, brighter and hipper than others. But new can also have its downside: Construction noise, service issues, and/or locations in sketchy or “upcoming” neighborhoods unfamiliar to cab or car drivers. Some are so new that TripAdvisor reviews are scant compared to more established hotels. In an ongoing feature, TravelSkills reports on the newest hotels in the world’s most important cities. When we say “newest” we have certain criteria around that: The hotels have to be brand new or deeply renovated within the last few years, 3+ stars and appropriate venues for business travel. See all our new hotels features here.

The Tank Stream Hotel

Tank Stream Hotel Sydney

My room on the 15th floor of the Tank Stream Hotel with a Sydney Harbour Bridge view! (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Tank Stream Hotel Sydney

Step into The Tank Stream’s Le Petit Flot for a nice hot breakfast for US$18.00 (Chris McGinnis)

The 280-room Tank Stream Hotel opened in November 2015 in a converted a 1960’s style, 15-story office building in the heart of the city’s financial district and just two blocks from Circular Quay on Sydney Harbour.  It’s just a block from the Wynyard train station for easy airport access. The unusual name for this 4-star hotel comes from the natural springs running underneath the building, the source of fresh water when Sydney was first settled. Today, guided tours of The Tank Stream are conducted by Sydney Water as it is now part of the storm water system.

During my stint in Sydney, I stayed here three nights and found the hotel super-convenient, clean, quiet and a very good value- depending on demand, rates start at less than US$200 per night.  Rooms are small (about 200 square feet) but efficiently designed with desks, closets and bathrooms all within close proximity– perfectly fine for a single traveler but might be tight for two.

The best rooms are on floors 13, 14, and 15—they are bigger and brighter with king size beds, floor-to-ceiling windows and some even have views of Sydney Harbour bridge (ask for one!). Rooms to avoid are the handful of interior shaft-facing rooms versus a street view rooms– double paned windows throughout mean that street noise is not an issue.

I really like the hotel’s all-inclusive pitch to business travelers– there are no hidden charges or extras—the reasonable rate includes: wi-fi (superfast with a router in every room), minibar (no booze), Nespresso machine including coffee and milk, 42” TV with 20 Cable TV channels and a range of free “on demand” movies. A hot, hearty breakfast buffet is available in the hotel restaurant, Le Petit Flot (pictured above), for US$18.00.

Don’t miss: Ryan’s Bar inAustralia Square across the street from the hotel entrance—an open-air, wildly popular and social hotspot for professional men and women descending from office towers nearby on Friday afternoons.

The Old Clare Hotel

Old Clare Sydney

Hardwoods, bespoke “superking” beds and mid-century modern decor at The Old Clare hotel in Sydney (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Old Clare hotel sydney

A sexy rooftop pool & bar area rises above the Old Clare’s somewhat gritty surroundings (Chris McGinnis)

Sprouting up in Chippendale, a rough-and-tumble yet up-and-coming neighborhood near Sydney’s Central Station is the 62-room Old Clare Hotel. Even though I did not have a chance to stay there, this hotel made the biggest impression on me because it’s so unusual, yet possesses key features business travelers love such as a central location near transportation, big, bright, clean rooms, free wi-fi, three distinct in-house dining options and a fun corner pub/lobby bar. All rooms feature oversized king mattresses, bespoke linens and pillows and mid-century modern decor.

Plus, with a university across the street, it has a young, quirky hipster vibe that feels sort of like Brooklyn, NY.

One downside (for me, at least) is that there’s little separation between bedroom and bathroom in many of the rooms. Not a problem for a single business traveler, but could be awkward for two.

The hotel is housed in what was once two separate buildings: The Clare Pub and the Carlton United Breweries administration building, and there is plenty of evidence of its past preserved in common areas and rooms– for example, one suite sports massive porcelain mens’ urinals used when the space was a boardroom. And to top it all off, there’s a sexy rooftop pool and bar area with big views of the Sydney skyline and the massive vertical garden on the skyscraper next door.

The Primus Hotel Sydney

Primus hotel sydney

High ceilings, natural light and dramatic pinky-red scagliola columns set the tone in the lobby of the Primus Hotel Sydney (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Primus hotel sydney

Modern, comfortable, quiet rooms, free wi-fi & thoughtful bedside plugs in a heritage-listed art deco building in Sydney’s CBD (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

The 172-room Primus Hotel Sydney opened in December 2015 in the former Sydney Water Board building on Pitt Street in the heart of the Central Business District. Taking Sydney’s easy-to-use airport train downtown, I found the hotel an quick, two-block walk from the Town Hall train station. It’s about a 10-minute walk to Circular Quay.

Originally built in 1939, developers gutted and transformed this heritage-listed, art-deco showpiece into a posh 5-star hotel with a dramatic, airy lobby, chic restaurant (The Wilmot– where I had a nice power breakfast with David Flynn, editor of the excellent Australian Business Traveler) and bar, and comfortable, quiet, well-appointed rooms. There’s even a resort-like open-air pool, deck and bar on the 7th floor roof of the building. In keeping with the building’s original purpose, you’ll find water fountains (known in Australia as “bubblers”) and other office-building-like elements preserved throughout the lobby and public areas.

Rates start in the US$220 per night range. But with the exchange rate so favorable, upgrade to one of the big bright corner rooms (numbers ending in 18 on floors 1-4) for about $80 more. While rooms facing an interior light shaft are nice and quiet (that’s what I had), you’ll likely feel more a part of the busy neighborhood with a street view. Wi-fi is fast and free, bathrooms include big tubs and walk in showers, there are thoughtful bedside plugs, plus there’s a Nespresso machine in each room. Even though it’s only three months old, the Primus currently ranks #7 among Sydney hotels on TripAdvisor.

Each morning I walked a block down Pitt Street to the popular Macchiato for my morning flat white (coffee) and pastry. It’s also a nice place for lunch or people-watching with a glass of wine.

Four Points by Sheraton Sydney, Darling Harbour

Four Points hotel sydney

Well-appointed, recently renovated rooms with outstanding views of Darling Harbour at the Four Points- soon there will be 222 brand new ones (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Four points sydney

The Four Points Sydney will soon be Australia’s largest hotel with 892 rooms. Until it’s complete in June, ask for a room away from construction noise (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

When I rushed over through a muggy morning to my morning meeting with the fine folks at the Four Points hotel on Darling Harbour, I could not believe my eyes. The hotel had set up a special room, catered with fresh fruit, smoothies and savory snacks (plus a spectacular water view) just for me– and you, dear TravelSkills readers. How about that?

I was eager to see this hotel because it’s a favorite among Starwood SPG members eager to earn or redeem points. It’s an SPG Category 4 property with award nights going for as few as 10,000 points.

Plus, it’s probably the nicest Four Points hotel I’ve ever seen. I was also eager to see it because later in June it will add 222 new rooms in a new tower, for a total of 892, making it Australia’s largest hotel. While the hotel opened in 1991, it went through a full renovation two years ago, so rooms feel bright and brand new. The best rooms in the house are those that face Darling Harbour, a beehive of activity scattered with cranes erecting new office buildings, hotels and a massive new convention center. Even better are those with balconies overlooking the water.

Another nice feature of this hotel is its location on the CBD side of busy, buzzy Darling Harbour— so it has access to all the activity around the harbour, and it’s a quick walk to the central city and the Town Hall train station for the 20 minute ride to the airport.

Wi-fi is free for SPG members. Depending on the season, rates start as low as US$175 per night. Until construction is finished in June 2016, be sure to request a room away from construction views or noise.

Look beyond the QT Bondi and you'll see the Pacific is only steps away (Chris McGinnis)

Look beyond the brand new QT Bondi and you’ll see the Pacific is only steps away (Chris McGinnis)

A big colorful king room at the QT Bondi on the beach- 20 minutes east of downtown (QT Hotels)

A big colorful king room at the QT Bondi on the beach- 20 minutes east of downtown (QT Hotels)

While one of the most talked about hotels in Sydney is the the showy, burlesque QT Sydney on Market Street in the CBD, it’s not one of the newest. But business travelers who’d rather spend their down time out by the beach should consider the brand new 69-room QT Bondi. That way you can work all day in town, then take a 20-minute Uber or cab ride through the city’s upscale eastern suburbs, to Australia’s most popular and iconic beach.

This luxurious, modern boutique hotel is part of a new mixed use development, which at the time I visited, did not have any bars or restaurants, but there are plenty of choices along the busy esplanade that runs parallel to the beach. Plus there’s a nearby grocery store and kitchenette in each room. Regrettably few rooms offer beach views, but no worries– the sand starts across the street from the hotel. Rates run as low as US$175 per night depending on the season. Surf’s up! (but remember that seasons are reversed down under).

I learned about the QT Bondi when I had lunch with executives from the rapidly expanding QT chain at Gowings Bar and Grill in the QT Sydney. It was by far the best meal I had during my quick visit (order the seafood pie or oysters Kilpatrick), and clearly THE place to power lunch in the CBD. Don’t miss it– and make a reservation because it regularly sells out.

A few more suggestions while I have your attention: The Ovolo Wooloomooloo, which started out as the W Hotel Sydney, then rebranded as the Blue Hotel Sydney, is putting the final touches on a major re-do after getting its new name. This unusual hotel is built over the water on an enormous industrial pier on the far eastern edge of the CBD- near the posh Potts Point neighborhood. It offers attractive rates starting at around US$220 that include breakfast, wi-fi, laundry, happy hour drinks, and in-room mini bar. Tip: Take a walk up the steps across the street from the hotel to Potts Point and have dinner at The Apollo, an upscale Greek restaurant that’s a huge hit with locals. If you are traveling alone, get there early and sit at the marble bar.

Two more hotels that deserve mention, but that I regrettably missed on this trip: The recently renovated, deeply luxurious Langham Sydney (previously the Observatory hotel in the historic Rocks area near Circular Quay) and the Hotel 57 in the trendy, leafy and residential Surry Hills district.

Have you been to Sydney lately? What’s your favorite hotel in town? Why? Please leave your comments below!

See our complete New Hotels series here!

NOTE: Be sure to click here to see all recent TravelSkills posts about:  Should I tip my Uber driver? + Boeing 747 nearing its end? + Bargain hunters travel guide for 2016 + World’s best airline lounge? + Fares to Europe tumble 

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Newest hotels: NYC, San Francisco, DFW, Houston, Scottsdale

The new Renaissance Midtown in NYC has an interactive digital guest information board. (Image: Renaissance Hotels)

The new Renaissance Midtown in NYC has an interactive digital guest information board. (Image: Renaissance Hotels)

U.S. hotel openings this month include a high-tech Renaissance in Manhattan, a stylish boutique property near San Francisco’s Union Square, another Hyatt at Dallas/Ft. Worth Airport, a Westin in a center for the energy industry outside of Houston, and a new Aloft in Arizona.

The newest Marriott property in the Big Apple is the Renaissance New York Midtown Hotel at 218 W. 35th Street, near Seventh Avenue. That’s a short walk from Penn Station/Madison Square Garden, Macy’s, Herald Square, Javits Center and the Garment District (now called the Fashion District). Marriott calls it New York’s first “digitally enhanced hotel,” since its public areas feature interactive digital art installations; there’s also a four-story-high digital clock on top of the building. It has an all-day casual restaurant called Rock & Reilly’s, as well as a Planet Fitness health club. Non-prepaid rates start at $309.

Related: 5 newest business class hotels in New York City

Lobby bar with fireplace at San Francisco's new Hotel Zeppelin. (Image: Viceroy Hotels)

Lobby bar with fireplace at San Francisco’s new Hotel Zeppelin. (Image: Viceroy Hotels)

The former Prescott Hotel in San Francisco – at 545 Post Street near union Square – has reopened following a renovation as the Hotel Zeppelin, a member of Viceroy Hotels. The 196-room property’s decor now sports a psychedelic/summer-of-love vibe. There’s a lobby-level café/bar/lounge, and guests can contact the concierge at any time, from anywhere via a downloadable app or SMS text. A 1,300-square-foot game room features a basketball wall, skeeball, shuffle board, and a giant electronic Bingo board. Rates start as low as $135.

The new Hyatt Place at the southern entrance to DFW Airport. (Image: Hyatt)

The new Hyatt Place at the southern entrance to DFW Airport. (Image: Hyatt)

Hyatt already has a Grand Hyatt and a Hyatt Regency at Dallas/Ft. Worth Airport, and now it has opened a Hyatt Place there as well. The new 137-room Hyatt Place DFW is at 2350 Global Drive, near the airport’s south entrance in the Southgate Plaza development.  It has a full-service restaurant and bar, a fitness center, indoor pool, meeting rooms, 24-hour market with freshly prepared and prepackaged food, free Wi-Fi, parking, and shuttle service to the terminals. Guests are entitled to free breakfast as well. Advance purchase rates start at $180, standard rates at $199.

Rendering of the lobby area at The Westin The Woodlands. (Image: Westin Hotels)

Rendering of the lobby area at The Westin The Woodlands. (Image: Westin Hotels)

The Woodlands, Texas – located just north of metro Houston – is a hub for some giants of the oil and gas business, including ExxonMobil, Chevron Phillips, and Anadarko Petroleum. And now it’s the site of a new Starwood property called The Westin The Woodlands. The new 302-room Westin is located on Waterway Square, close to all kinds of shopping and dining options. Amenities include a fitness facility with infinity pool and spa, a bar and a restaurant with seasonal cuisine, meeting rooms, and guest rooms equipped with the usual Westin features like the Heavenly Bed, large work desk and so on. There’s also a Westin Executive Club with free food and drinks for Club-level guests. Rates start at $274.

The new Aloft Hotel in Scottsdale has the brand's signature W Xyz Bar. (Image: Aloft Hotels)

The new Aloft Hotel in Scottsdale has the brand’s signature W Xyz Bar and Re:Mix Lounge. (Image: Aloft Hotels)

Starwood has set a March 29 opening date for a new Aloft hotel in Scottsdale, Arizona (although the website notes that no rooms are available until April 19). The new hotel at 4415 North Civic Center Plaza is Starwood’s third Aloft in the Phoenix area (others are in Tempe and at the airport). The new Aloft is in Scottsdale’s entertainment district, close to the old town and Fashion Square Mall. It has the usual Aloft amenities and services – W Xyz Bar, Re:fuel market, 24/7 pantry and Re:Mix lounge, along with free high-speed Wi-Fi throughout. Rates start at $148.

NOTE: Be sure to click here to see all recent TravelSkills posts about:  Should I tip my Uber driver? + Boeing 747 nearing its end? + Bargain hunters travel guide for 2016 + World’s best airline lounge? + Fares to Europe tumble 

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New hotels: Minneapolis, New York, Pittsburgh, San Diego, Seattle

A standard king guest room at the new Hyatt Regency near Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport. (Image: Hyatt)

A standard king guest room at the new Hyatt Regency near Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport. (Image: Hyatt)

The latest U.S. hotel openings include a Hyatt Regency near Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, a New York City debut for a leading European chain, an all-suite property in downtown Pittsburgh, a Marriott affiliate in the heart of San Diego, and a Starwood location at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.

A few months ago, we reported on the opening of a new JW Marriott Hotel in Bloomington, Minn., near Mall of America and Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport. And now there’s a new Hyatt there as well. The Hyatt Regency Bloomington-Minneapolis is in the Bloomington Central Station mixed-use development just east of the mega-mall and just south of the airport. It’s along the Blue Line light rail, two stops from MSP. It has 289 guest rooms and 14 suites, all equipped with Hyatt Grand Beds, 55-inch HDTVs with plug-and-play capabilities for personal devices, and free Wi-Fi. The hotel offers a Regency Club Lounge with free breakfast; an indoor pool; and a fitness center. The restaurant has locally-sourced ingredients, and there’s also a market with grab-and-go food items. Rates start at $239.

Melia International's INNSIDE New York NoMad on West 27th Street. (Image: Melia)

Melia International’s INNSIDE New York NoMad on West 27th Street. (Image: Melia)

European hotel giant Melia International is slated to cut the ribbon on its first New York City property in March – the 313-room INNSIDE New York NoMad, at 132 W, 27th Street between Sixth and Seventh Avenue. Rooms come with floor-to-ceiling windows and are equipped with Nespresso machines, 42-inch TVs with USB and Bluetooth connectivity, and complimentary minibars. Its Impero Caffe restaurant will serve bistro-style Italian cuisine both inside and on an outdoor garden terrace. Conference rooms can handle meetings of up to 95 persons. Rates start at $249.

The Embassy Suites in downtown Pittsburgh has plenty of living space. (Image: Embassy Suites)

The Embassy Suites in downtown Pittsburgh has plenty of living space. (Image: Embassy Suites)

Pittsburgh’s 106-year-old Henry W. Oliver Building, in the heart of downtown at 535 Smithfield Street, now has a new Embassy Suites by Hilton occupying its top 11 floors. Claiming to be the only full-service all-suite hotel in downtown Pittsburgh, the Embassy Suites  by Hilton Pittsburgh Downtown has 225 two-room units equipped with a wet bar, microwave, mini-fridge and two TVs. The hotel offers free made-to-order breakfast and a free two-hour evening reception with drinks and snacks, as well as a 24/7 fitness facility and indoor pool. Check-in is in the hotel’s 25th-floor Sky Lobby, and the property has a full-service restaurant called Elevation with American comfort food. Rates start at $169.

Marriott's new Residence Inn in downtown San Diego's Bayfront district. (Image: Marriott)

Marriott’s new Residence Inn in downtown San Diego’s Bayfront district. (Image: Marriott)

Another new all-suite property – this one in San Diego – is Marriott’s Residence Inn San Diego Downtown/Bayfront, at 900 Bayfront Court. It’s close to the water just west of the city’s famous Gaslamp District, around the corner from both the Amtrak station and the Coronado Ferry, and just minutes from the airport. The hotel has 147 studio, one-, and two-bedroom suites, all equipped with spacious work areas, free high-speed Wi-Fi and full kitchens, and guests can get free hot breakfasts. Rates start at $249.

This new Four Points by Sheraton is five miles south of Sea-Tac. (Image: Starwood)

This new Four Points by Sheraton is five miles south of Sea-Tac. (Image: Starwood)

Just off Interstate 5 five miles south of Seattle-Tacoma International Airport in suburban Des Moines, Wash., is the newly opened Four Points by Sheraton Seattle Airport South; it’s also convenient to Boeing’s Renton plant, Amazon’s HQ, and the Link light rail station into downtown Seattle. Its 225 rooms include some two-story loft suites with views of Puget Sound. Northwestern cuisine is served up at the hotel’s Olympus Grille, and the lounge offers local beers and BBQ-style appetizers. There’s an outdoor pool, 24/7 fitness center, business center, and free Wi-Fi throughout. Rates start at $131.

NOTE: Be sure to click here to see all recent TravelSkills posts about:  Should I tip my Uber driver? + Boeing 747 nearing its end? + Bargain hunters travel guide for 2016 + World’s best airline lounge? + Fares to Europe tumble 

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Why airline & hotel rates remain stubbornly high

Strong demand is putting upward pressure on air fares and hotels. (Image: Jim Glab)

Strong demand is putting upward pressure on air fares and hotel rates. (Image: Jim Glab)

Air fares worldwide are going down – but just a little. With fuel prices crashing, you’d think air fares would follow suit. And hotel prices just keep going up. What’s behind the relatively high and increasing levels of business travel costs? One word: demand.

Travel demand is booming, according to a pair of new reports – and that means airlines and hoteliers have little incentive to use price reductions as a way to stimulate business.

The International Air Transport Association – a trade group for the world’s airlines – said that global demand for air travel in 2015 jumped 6.5 percent over the previous year, a result that it said was the strongest since the world started pulling out of the Global Financial Crisis in 2010; that number was also well above the industry’s 10-year average growth rate of 5.5 percent.

IATA noted that after adjustments for the stronger U.S. dollar, worldwide air fares dropped by about 5 percent last year from 2014.

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Business people know that when demand outpaces supply, it puts upward pressure on prices. And that’s just what happened in the airline industry: While demand was up 6.5 percent, the number of available seat-miles operated by the world’s airlines last year rose only 5.6 percent over 2014. As a result, the industry’s load factor (i.e., percentage of seats filled) rose to a record level of 80 percent globally and to 85 percent in the US.  

Meanwhile, road warriors who aren’t planning to trim their travel schedule this year should probably budget a bit more for hotel stays: In its latest forecast on the U.S. lodging industry, PwC US – which tracks industry metrics — said the country’s strong economic fundamentals are pointing to continued heavy demand for hotel rooms.

The aerie atop the new Hyatt Herald Square in NYC (Photo: Hyatt)

The aerie atop the new Hyatt Herald Square in NYC (Photo: Hyatt)

According to PwC’s analysis, the percentage of occupied rooms at U.S. hotels is expected to hit 65.7 percent this year. That’s up only two-tenths of a point from 2015, but it represents the highest occupancy rate the industry has seen since 1981.

If demand is surging, what about supply? The number of hotel rooms in the country is expected to increase in 2016, but only by a meager 1.9 percent, PwC said.  As a result, it is forecasting a 5.2 percent increase this year in average daily room rates. And that’s coming on top of a 4.4 percent increase in 2015 over the previous year.

“We expect peak occupancy levels in select markets should give hotel operators the confidence to meaningfully increase average rates, although the strength of the US Dollar may have an impact, particularly on gateway markets,” PwC said.

NOTE: Be sure to click here to see all recent TravelSkills posts about:  Boeing 747 nearing its end? + “Targeted” for an upgrade? + 5 newest biz class hotels in New York + TSA PreCheck is exploding + Bargain hunters travel guide for 2016 

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8 mistakes to avoid in San Francisco

Now that's an unusual approach to SFO, right? (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Now that’s an unusual approach to SFO, right? (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

As the fall convention season opens, I thought now would be a good time for a reprise of one of our most popular posts about the mistakes many travelers make when visiting the Bay Area.

Nearly every frequent traveler visits San Francisco at least one time each year. And it’s most likely that visit will take place between September and December, the city’s peak convention season.

That’s especially true if you are in the tech or related fields. For example, San Francisco-based cloud computing giant Salesforce.com puts on its annual Dreamforce conference in the fall at the city’s sprawling Moscone Convention Center, attracting 60,000+ people. Oracle’s OpenWorld conference is usually just before or just after Dreamforce.

When a big “citywide” like that comes to town, nearly every hotel in the Bay Area is sold out, or its rates are hyper-inflated. During these peak weeks,  you’ll pay a minimum of about $500 for an decent room and feel lucky that you even found one. When citywides come into town, Airbnb hosts lick their chops and fluff their pillows. Restaurant reservations become scant. And Uber drivers kiss their families goodbye and work double shifts for several days in a row.

So now’s probably a great time to offer some advice to the arriving throngs—and this advice is good whether you are coming San Francisco next week or next year. (If you are in SF, please forward this to your future guests!)

1>Don’t schedule business meetings on Friday afternoons after 2 p.m. On Fridays, when New York closes for the weekend at 5 pm eastern, so does much of San Francisco (at 2 pm Pacific) especially when it’s warm and sunny outside. Cocktail and beer carts start making the rounds in offices at about 3 p.m. While there are exceptions to this rule, your Bay Area colleagues are likely to groan if you send out a calendar invite for a 4 p.m. meeting on Friday. Make it at 11 a.m. instead.

SF is hot these days- in more ways than one (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

You are most likely to find sunny weather in San Francisco in the spring and fall (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

2>Don’t be surprised about an early start. In a similar vein, know that the workday starts relatively early here, so an 8:30 a.m. meeting is not considered out of order. If that feels too early for you, just bring along some caffeine from Blue Bottle, Ritual or Philz and you’ll be fine. Lunch hour begins promptly at noon, but you find that locals may ask you to show up at 11:45 a.m. “to beat the crowds.” Expect the same early schedule for dinner meetings, which can and do start as early at 6 p.m. Most restaurants are empty by 9:30 on weekdays and by 10:30 p.m. on weekends.

3>Hailing cabs is so 1999. Use an app instead. This is the hometown of both Uber and Lyft, so download the apps and use them if you haven’t already done so. You can enjoy nearly all the different “flavors” of Uber available in the Bay Area, which include the standard town car UberBLACK, private car “citizen driver” UberX (cheaper than taxis), UberSUV, UberXL, and UberPOOL of LyftLine where you share a ride with someone else headed in the same direction. Cabs are fine when available, but the industry has been decimated by the likes of Uber and Lyft– for example, Yellow Cab Coop of San Francisco recently declared bankruptcy (but is still operating). One way to get around irritating “surge pricing” from car sharing companies is to use new taxi hailing apps such as Flywheel. Also, don’t rent a car at the airport unless it’s absolutely essential. SFO rental rates are notoriously high, the car rental center at is distant and unloved, and downtown hotel parking rates are in the $60 per night range.

Related: The “unofficial” airport of the big game giveaway

4>Don’t put off making dinner reservations. This town is HOT and wealthy right now, full of cool kids and visitors with sophisticated palates who love to dine out. If you are here to try the city’s best restaurants, make reservations at least two or three weeks in advance…or more for top spots like Boulevard, Frances, State Bird Provisions, Gary Danko, and others.  One common mistake among visitors is thinking that the city’s best Chinese food is in Chinatown. Not necessarily. Grab an Uber or jump on Muni and head out to the western neighborhoods like the Sunset or Inner Richmond which stake claim to the real thing.

San Franciscans use both Muni streetcars pictured here as well as BART (Photo: SFMTA)

5>Don’t confuse subways. You should know that San Francisco has TWO main subway systems—BART is the rapid rail regional system with several stations along Market Street connecting out to the suburbs and airport. MUNI is the slower central city subway & streetcar system used frequently (and frequently derided) by inner city residents. Of course, there are San Francisco’s fabled cable cars, but those are mostly a tourist attraction and rarely a primary means of transport for locals.

6>Don’t think BART to airport is going to save much time. BART is a great option for those who travel light, but you should know that it can take more than 30 minutes to get to the Embarcadero from SFO (for $8.65 each way). Plus, you’ll have to walk to your hotel from the nearest BART station (see below). If there’s no traffic, a taxi or Uber can get you between the airport and city in about 20 minutes. UberBLACK rates are around $68. UberX and Lyft can be about half that. And cabs run about $50 including tip.

7>Consider hills when walking. First timers with hotels on Nob Hill may look at a map and think, “Oh, I’ll just walk to my hotel from Market Street. It’s close.” Well, yes, it’s close as the bird flies, but try lugging your rollaboard up the side of the hill to the Ritz-Carlton, Fairmont, Scarlet Huntington or Mark Hopkins and you’ll learn quickly that this may not be the smartest option. Especially if you are wearing heels!

8>Don’t forget your layers. Winter is cool and wet, but never freezing. Spring and fall are typically the sunniest, driest months. Summer days can be gorgeous and bright, but the fog rolls in and cools everything off by about 4 pm on most days, so don’t venture out in evenings without a sweater.  (By the way, wear black here. It always works.)

Finally, never call San Francisco “Frisco” or “San Fran.” Laid back locals won’t say anything, but inside, you can bet they are groaning. To be safe, just call it “The City” or San Francisco.

Last year CNN dropped by for some advice about traveling to the Bay Area– see this video to find out what I had to say.

I’m sure our many Bay Area readers can add to this list, so please fire away in the comments section below and help your fellow frequent traveler headed west!

–Chris McGinnis

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Hilton unveils a new brand

Not your grandpa's Hilton: Part of the public area in a Tru by Hilton hotel. (Image: Hilton)

Not your grandpa’s Hilton: Part of the public area in a Tru by Hilton hotel. (Image: Hilton)

Several major hotel companies have come out with new brands in recent years that target the growing market of millennials and their high-tech, social media lifestyles, like Starwood’s Aloft, Marriott’s AC Hotels, InterContinental Hotels Group’s EVEN Hotels and Best Western’s Vib. And now Hilton is doing the same with a new brand called Tru by Hilton.

Hilton said the brand will fill what it calls “a massive void” in the midscale lodging category in the U.S. and Canada. (In the amorphous world of hotel branding, “midscale” falls in between “economy” and “upper midscale;” in any case, Hilton’s announcement of Tru emphasizes terms like “value” and “affordability”.)

The brand’s new website (www.trubyhilton.com) says Tru properties will appeal to leisure and business guests of all generations as long as they have “a Millennial mindset,” which Hilton defines as “a youthful energy and a zest for life.”

(Image: Hilton)

(Image: Hilton)

All the Tru by Hilton properties will be newly-built (no conversions of existing hotels), and all will be franchised. The company says it already has signed contracts for 102 new Tru hotels, with 30 more in the approval pipeline. Locations mentioned include Atlanta, Dallas, Chicago, Houston, Denver, Nashville and Portland.

The Tru properties will all include guest rooms with all-white platform beds, 55-inch TVs, eight-foot-wide windows, lots of power outlets and spacious bathrooms, Hilton said. The lobby area (designated “The Hive”) will have four zones, for “lounging, working, eating or playing.” (The Play Zone will offer table games and a big TV with DIRECTV service and tiered seating.)

Just sayin’: Tru looks a LOT like the EVEN hotel we just reviewed in NYC

The Command Center (read: front desk area) serves up a “social media wall with real-time content to foster engagement among guests” and a 24/7 market with snacks, single-serving wine and beer, and “healthy light meal options.”

Of course there will be a fitness center, along with free Wi-Fi as well as mobile check-in, room selection and Digital Key (available via the HHonors app). The first one is expected to open by year’s end.

Readers: Have you stayed in any of the new hotel brands designed for Millennials? (Would you?) If so, what did you think? 

 

NOTE: Be sure to click here to see all recent TravelSkills posts about:  Boeing 747 nearing its end? + “Targeted” for an upgrade? + 5 newest biz class hotels in New York + TSA PreCheck is exploding + Bargain hunters travel guide for 2016 

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5 newest hotels in New York City: EVEN Hotel

EVEN hotel New York

Mood lighting, hardwood floors and healthy perks at the brand new EVEN hotel NYC (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Earlier this month I was in New York City to speak at the New York Times Travel Show. I extended my stay to spend a full day checking out five of the newest business class hotels in town, packing along my camera and notepad. It was an exhausting day, but I loved every minute of it. 

There are many more than five new hotels in this burgeoning market, so I chose only among those that opened in 2015… and those that I thought would appeal most to TravelSkills readers.

Here’s a look at the fourth of the big five…I’ll post all of these in a series over the next few days. Enjoy!

(In case you missed it, here’s a look at the first three, the 1 Hotel Central Park, The Baccarat and New York EDITION)

Here’s the fourth:

The EVEN Hotel Times Square South (The name is a stretch– it’s located at 321 West 35th St between Penn Station & Javits Center)

Since the EVEN Hotel was the brand-newest hotel in New York (opened Nov 2015), I decided to stay there during my four days in the big city. But that was not the only reason… there are several more factors that swayed me.

First, this 150-room, 25-story hotel is just a ten-minute walk to Javits Convention Center where I was speaking. Second, it’s a block away from Penn Station, which is where the train from Newark Airport arrives, making the airport-to-hotel portion of the trip a breeze. (See our trip report: SFO-EWR on United) Since opening, the EVEN hotel has remained in the top 10 best hotels in NYC on TripAdvisor.

Then there’s an even bigger factor: My rate at the hotel was only $115 per night! Plus, I earned IHG Rewards points for the stay. That $115 is a pretty amazing rate for a brand new, brand-name hotel in Manhattan, but I was there over a weekend during the “dead weeks” of early January, which is the slowest time of year in New York. (Currently the lowest rate at the EVEN hotel for mid-February is about $169.)

Related: Bargain hunters’ guide to 2016 travel deals

The EVEN is one of several smaller name-brand hotels that have bloomed in the Penn Station area in recent years. There’s a similar phenomenon going on in the Herald Square area where the big brands have jumped into nondescript neighborhoods near Midtown with tall, skinny hotels on small footprints. My room was on the small side, but thoughtfully appointed with super clean cork floors, big bright bathroom, a big comfy bed, free and very fast wi-fi. Downsides included a very small closet and a noisy hallway. Be sure to ask for rooms above the 20th floor to get the most natural light, views and avoid construction noise.

EVEN is IHG’s newest brand and it’s focused on health and wellness– and helping guests stick to exercise routines when they are traveling. They do this with some inventive ideas such as standup desks, yoga mats, exercise balls, rollers, resistance training straps and even mood lighting in all rooms. There are three different flavors of ice water at the front desk for arriving guests. Hotel staff wear uniforms from the outdoor store REI. The hotel general manager periodically leads an easy jog along a three-mile loop through the city’s “midtown west” neighborhood. There is fresh squeezed orange juice, smoothies and kale salad in the hotel’s limited service restaurant.

Hotel website: EVEN Hotel Times Square South, 321 West 35th St between 8th and 9th Avenue

In case you missed our previous posts in this series, here’s a look at all of them:

 1 Hotel Central Park (Midtown)

The Baccarat (Midtown)

New York EDITION (Flatiron/Madison Sq Park)

The EVEN Hotel (Near Penn Station/Garment district)

The Knickerbocker (Times Square)

NOTE: Be sure to click here to see all recent TravelSkills posts about:  Boeing 747 nearing its end? + “Targeted” for an upgrade? + 5 newest biz class hotels in New York + TSA PreCheck is exploding + Bargain hunters travel guide for 2016 

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Don’t miss these 4 key hotel bonuses

JW Marriott & Ritz-Carlton tower over the LA Live complex in downtown Los Angeles (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Hotel programs like Marriott Rewards rolling out new winter promos (Photo of LA Live, where Marriott has 4 big hotels by Chris McGinnis)

The dip in travel demand for the winter season compounded by jitters in the stock market means more lucrative winter promotions from hotel chains. So be sure to take advantage of the following: 

This week Marriott kicked off its popular mega-bonus program which individually tailors your winter bonus based on your Marriott Rewards activity. First off, you have to register for the program, and stay at participating properties between Feb 1 and May 15. You’ll get one free night after two stays at hotel categories 1-5. Then you get to “unlock your new bonus points offer” which will be emailed to you. DETAILS.

Starwood got an early start by kicking off its SPG Take Two promo back in December. But I guess it did not stir up enough interest because it recently sweetened the pot of this promotion. Those who register earn double Starpoints on stays of two or more nights at any of its 1,200+ properties worldwide– good for stays January 11 through April 30. Plus, there’s an opportunity to get 250 more points in certain “popular destinations.” This week Starwood added a bigger bonus geared toward heavy users: Earn an additional 2,500 points for 15-24 nights, or a tidy 7,500 for 25 nights or more by April 30. DETAILS

The InterContinental Hotel Group IHG Rewards Club bonus is called Accelerate 2016 and it’s for stays between January 1 and April 30. Like Marriott, this promo is targeted and your bonus is based on your IHG activity.  The program is tiered- for example, stay just once during January and you’ll earn 5,000 points. Stay again after January and some will get a 1,000 point bump…and some who stay five times, will get another 5,000 points. There the potential to earn as many as 40,000-60,000 extra points- depending on your IHG activity. DETAILS

Hilton HHonors Double Your Points promo is more basic: It is offering double program points or airline miles (60 airlines) for stays between January 1 and April 30. When registering, you are required to choose either double points or double miles for the duration of the promotion. DETAILS.

NOTE: Be sure to click here to see all recent TravelSkills posts about:  United packages Economy Plus with amenities + Ride-sharing firm goes out of business + Bucket list for air travelers + Useless travel gadgets + ‘Uber of the Skies’ dies 

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Is this the world’s most quiet hotel?

This Paris property won an award for the blissful silence in its guest rooms. (Image: Les Hotels Baverez)

This Paris property won an award for the blissful silence in its guest rooms. (Image: Les Hotels Baverez)

How many times have you been unable to sleep in your hotel room because of sirens on the streets outside, or planes taking off from the nearby airport, or even a loud TV in the room next door?

Frequent travelers know better than most people that noise is the enemy of sleep, and a sleepless night can leave you poorly equipped to conduct business in the morning. But now there’s a new European based organization designed to promote quiet hotel rooms, and it just gave out its first annual awards.

It’s called the Quietroom Foundation, and it encourages hotel developers and renovators to stifle noise for the hotel guest by offering them a Quiet Room designation (QR) for accommodations that meet their standards. And it has started compiling an online list of quiet hotels that travelers can consult before they book their trip.

It also just gave out its first annual awards, and it designated the Hotel Regina in Paris — a five-star property near the Louvre — as the overall winner of its 2015 Quiet Hotel Award. “The hotel is situated in a busy area, all its rooms have qualified for the QR-label and the hotel scores high on all the other criteria,” the group said.

Other winners include the Swissotel Amsterdam for the Quiet City Hotel award, the Hilton Paris Orly Airport for the Quiet Airport Hotel award, and the Hotel Dux in Roermund, Netherlands, for the Quiet Design and Build Award.

Noisy hotel rooms are one of the most common complaints at hotels. In the US, chains like Crowne Plaza provide earplugs, sound machines or are rolling out new padded headboards to help reduce noise while also continuing to offer separate “quiet zones” in their hotels for travelers who want similarly muted neighbors.

Readers: How do you deal with a noisy hotel room? I have a pack of Mack’s silicone earplugs in my bag, and always ask for a “quiet room” at check in. What about you? Post comments below.

 

NOTE: Be sure to click here to see all recent TravelSkills posts about:  United packages Economy Plus with amenities + Ride-sharing firm goes out of business + Bucket list for air travelers + Useless travel gadgets + ‘Uber of the Skies’ dies 

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Twisting seats + loyalty programs review + in-flight beers + Hertz sale + more

Here are some newsy nuggets from other sources that we missed on TravelSkills this week:

Newly designed airline seat twists as you move. (Image: Factorydesign)

Newly designed airline seat twists as you move. (Image: Factorydesign)

New design concept: An airline seatback that twists along with your body.

The New York Times reviews changes in airline, hotel loyalty programs.

Who’s got the best in-flight brews? Airline beers are rated.

Air Canada offers a World Travel Pass through January 18 only.

Portland International Airport will open a movie theater in the spring.

New York City plans to convert old public pay phones into 1G Wi-Fi stations.

Hilton’s DoubleTree brand introduces optional amenity packages.

United sees opportunity for more growth in China routes.

Odd tactics passengers have tried to get around paying a checked bag fee.

Hertz winter sale offers discounts of up to 30 percent for Gold Rewards members.

The rate of new hotel openings in the U.S. is expected to accelerate in the next two years.

NOTE: Be sure to click here to see all recent TravelSkills posts about:  United packages Economy Plus with amenities + Ride-sharing firm goes out of business + Bucket list for air travelers + Useless travel gadgets + ‘Uber of the Skies’ dies 

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Hotel consolidation takes another big step forward

London's prestigious Savoy Hotel will become part of AccorHotels. (Image: The Savoy)

London’s prestigious Savoy Hotel will become part of AccorHotels. (Image: The Savoy)

Less than a month after Marriott said it will buy Starwood Hotels for $12.2 billion, another big transaction has been announced that will shrink the number of major players in the global lodging industry even more. 

This time, the buyer is the French lodging giant AccorHotels, and the target is a trio of luxury hotel brands: Fairmont, Raffles and Swissotel. The sellers include the Qatar Investment Authority, Kingdom Holding Company of Saudi Arabia, and Oxford Properties, an Ontario Municipal Employees Retirement System company.

The acquisition is nowhere near the size of Marriott’s Starwood purchase — the three brands include just 155 hotels and resorts, 40 of them still under development, with a total of 56,000 rooms. But the individual properties include some of the world’s most prestigious luxury hotels, like The Plaza in New York, The Savoy in London, Le Royal Moncaeu-Raffles Paris, the Fairmont in San Francisco, Swissotel-The Stamford in Singapore and many more. The 155 hotels are spread across 34 countries, mostly in North America and Europe.

AccorHotels said it will pay $840 million in cash, and will issue 46.7 million new Accor shares, with the Qatar Investment Authority getting a 10.5 percent stake in Accor and the Saudi company picking up 5.8 percent.

One jilted suitor in the Marriott deal was InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG), which was widely rumored earlier this year to be moving in on an acquisition of Starwood. And the same thing happened in this transaction: Just three months ago, financial media reported that IHG was on the verge of snapping up Fairmont, Raffles and Swissotel for $2.9 billion. But the owners apparently preferred Acccor’s offer.

Accor said the acquisition will bolster its own operations thanks to the integration of a customer base that includes 3 million loyalty members, three-fourths of them North Americans. It said the deal will give it a total of 500 luxury and upscale locations worldwide, making it “one of the key global players in this segment.”

Accor has some 3,800 properties worldwide, with a number of brands covering all major market segments, including Sofitel, Pullman MGallery, Grand Mercure, Novotel, Mercure, Adagio, and Ibis.  It just passed the 500,000-room mark with the opening of a pair of new properties at Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport — a Pullman and an Ibis Styles hotel.

NOTE: Be sure to click here to see all recent TravelSkills posts about: 5 ways to save using Uber/Lyft  + New overseas plan from Verizon + Trans-Pac fare war?

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Another week, another new hotel fee

The Hilton Dallas Lincoln Centre Hotel. (Image: Hilton)

Hilton is testing a new, tougher cancellation fee. (Image: Hilton)

Major players in the hotel industry have been following the lead of the airlines in creating new kinds of fees that their customers must pay, above and beyond the nightly room rate. And now Hilton is experimenting with a significant expansion of its existing cancellation fee policy.

It used to be that hotel guests with changing travel plans could cancel their hotel reservation almost up until the time of arrival with no penalty. Earlier this year, Hilton and Marriott created a stir when they started to impose a new fee equal to the cost of one night’s stay if a cancellation was made less than 24 hours before arrival.

And now Hilton has started to market-test a new $50 fee for those who cancel at any time after they make a reservation (unless they wait until less than 24 hours before arrival — then the existing one night’s room rate fee still applies).

Members of Hilton’s HHonors program are exempt from the new test fees. (For now at least.)

Hilton officials told Skift.com that the test is being conducted only at 20 U.S. properties in the Hilton, DoubleTree and Embassy Suites brands. The properties were not identified.

The Hilton officials said that in spite of the one-night fee imposed earlier this year, they are still seeing what they consider to be unacceptable levels of cancellations during a period of record hotel occupancy levels. The test will help them determine if a tougher penalty will make a significant dent in those cancellation numbers.

NOTE: Be sure to click here to see all recent TravelSkills posts about: 5 ways to save using Uber/Lyft  + New overseas plan from Verizon + Trans-Pac fare war?

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FCC strikes again over Wi-Fi blocking

Have you had trouble using a personal Wi-Fi hot spot at conventions in Baltimore? (Image: Baltimore Convention Center)

Have you had trouble using a personal Wi-Fi hot spot at conventions in Baltimore? (Image: Baltimore Convention Center)

You’d think that hotels and convention centers would be well aware by now that the Federal Communications Commission does not tolerate any interference with business travelers’ right to use a personal Wi-Fi hot spot. But apparently the message hasn’t yet hit home with some companies.

Three months ago, the agency slapped a big $750,000 fine on Smart City Holdings for blocking personal Wi-Fi hot spots at five big U.S. convention centers where it provides Internet services.

And in the fall of 2014, it levied a $650,000 penalty on Marriott for a similar infraction at the Opryland Hotel in Nashville.

In its latest enforcement actions, the FCC said it intends to impose a $718,000 fine on a firm called M.C. Dean for blocking personal Wi-Fi signals at the Baltimore Convention Center. Business travelers attending conventions there who couldn’t use their personal hot spots and needed to link up to the Internet would have to pay M.C. Dean as much as $1,095 per event to get online, the FCC said.

The agency said it received a complaint about the practice at the facility, and sent its own field agents to Baltimore to see what was going on. It found that M.C. Dean blocked personal Wi-Fi “on dozens of occasions in the past year,” the FCC said. The company’s technology was so good at blocking signals that it “appears to have blocked Wi-Fi hotspots outside the venue, including passing vehicles,” the FCC noted.

The agency also slapped a $25,000 fine on Hilton for stonewalling the FCC’s attempts to gather information on complaints alleging Wi-Fi hot spot blocking at some of the lodging giant’s hotels. The FCC said it has been trying for a year without success to get answers from Hilton about the company’s “Wi-Fi management practices at Hilton-brand properties in the United States.”

The agency said it got a complaint in August 2014 about the Hilton Anaheim blocking Wi-Fi hot spots and demanding guests pay a $500 fee to access Hilton’s network. “The commission has also received Wi-Fi blocking complaints involving other Hilton properties,” the agency said.

NOTE: Be sure to click here to see all recent TravelSkills posts about: Global Entry gets more global + New York’s lowest ranked hotels +Best/worst hotel programs for awards + More flat seats

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New York City’s rankest hotels

Publicity photo from one of New York's rankest hotels (Photo: New York Inn)

Publicity photo from one of New York’s lowest ranked hotels on TripAdvisor (Photo: New York Inn)

There plenty of hotels to choose from in New York City. But everyone is usually in search of the top ranked ones– the best ones.  

But we wondered…what about the worst?

TravelSkills took to TripAdvisor to see what people had to say about some of the site’s lowest ranked hotels in New York City.

Here’s a sampling from the bottom and the top of the rankings. (See TripAdvisor’s NYC hotel page here)

New York Inn – Rank #445/469 hotels

Location on 8th Ave., west of Times Square

Average nightly rate: $149/night http://www.newyorkinn.com/

(Image: New York Inn)

(Image from the New York Inn website)

Excerpts from a TripAdvisor comment:

“There are numerous violation notices on the front door warning the building should not be occupied.”

“Should there be a fire (which by the looks of the photos here should be sooner than later) you’ll be trapped.”

“The doors have gaps and don’t lock properly – and there are bugs, pests galore.”

“This place is what a flophouse on the Bowery would look like in 1980. If that’s your scene, this is your place. Seriously.” 

To see photos of what guests experienced at New York Inn, take a look at TripAdvisor’s traveler photos here.

 

La Semana – Rank #446/469 hotels

Location: West 24th St near Madison Square Park

Average nightly rate: $120/night http://www.lasemanahotelnyc.com/

(Image: La Semana)

(Image from La Semana website)

Excerpts from TripAdvisor comment:

“The ceiling fell on our heads while we were sleeping.”

“The room smelled so much like mold that buying air freshener spray + a wall plug in did nothing.”

“The room they moved us to had no bathroom door.”

To see what guests experienced at La Semana, see TripAdvisor’s traveler photos here.

 

World Hotel – Rank #448/469 hotels

Location: Bowery Street near Chinatown

Average nightly rate: $121/ night http://new-world-hotel.hotelsofnewyorkcity.net/en/

(Image: New World Hotel)

(Image from New World Hotel website)

Excerpts from a TripAdvisor comment:

“Very unfriendly reception. Extreme dirty hotel. How the City of NY can tolerate and name such a house as a hotel?

“The rooms do not have windows, the very dirty bed is 5 feet long, the room about 4×5 feet, the shared bathroom was extreme dirty and moldy, it’s a fight to get a towel and once I got it I did not use it because of the big brown spots, I finally left this ugly place, was too afraid for my health.”

“It’s really not good for the tourism branch of the city….hope the authorities act”

Click here to see what TripAdvisor users experienced at the World Hotel.

 

These frightening finds might scare off a lot of travelers, but there are still many great hotels in New York City. TripAdvisor’s top-ranked NYC hotels have hundreds of reviews telling users why we should stay there.

Chelsea Pines Inn – Rank #1/469 hotels

Located on W 14th St in Chelsea/Meatpacking District

Average nightly rate: $302/night http://www.chelseapinesinn.com/

(Image: Chelsea Pines Inn)

(Image from the Chelsea Pines Inn website)

Excerpts from a TripAdvisor comment:

“It was a sanctuary from the din of 14th street and many others in NYC! My children live in Manhattan and Brooklyn and so I am a “regular” visitor.

“A gem! The movie poster motif with rooms named for celebrities was a hoot. And our room was spacious and quiet (we were garden-side).”

We loved the chocolates at the front desk, the front desk service, especially Troy. There were other very considerate members of the staff whose names I unfortunately did not obtain.”

Click here to see traveler photos from guests at the Chelsea Pines Inn.

Casablanca Hotel – Rank #2/469 hotels

Location: W 42nd St, Times Square area

Average nightly rate: $396/night http://www.casablancahotel.com/

(Image: Casablanca Hotel)

(Image from the Casablanca Hotel website)

Excerpts from a TripAdvisor comment:

“I spend hours researching the perfect hotel for our vacations and we have been extremely fortunate in our hotel experiences.

“The Wine and Cheese reception in the evening allows you to meet other hotel guests and exchange sightseeing and dining tips.”

“It is the perfect location as it is in the heart of the theater and restaurant district. And the subway is just around the corner. It doesn’t get any better than that!” 

Click here to see traveler photos from guests at the Casablanca Hotel.

The Sherry-Netherland Hotel – Rank #3/469 hotels

5th Ave, Midtown across from Central Park

Average nightly rate: $579/night http://www.sherrynetherland.com/

(Image: The Sherry-Netherland)

(Image from the The Sherry-Netherland website)

Excerpts from a TripAdvisor comment:

“I took my 9 year old for her annual birthday trip and it was magical.  They acknowledged her birthday every step of the way, including cupcakes in our room and handwritten notes wishing her a great day.”

“The bed was one of the most comfortable I’ve ever slept on in a hotel. The view was spectacular. The little touches made the difference- the minibar was complimentary, the toiletries included everything you could need.”

“I will remember this trip forever. Tammy C. is a phenomenal concierge who goes above and beyond to surprise and delight the guest. We are still smiling!”

Click here to see photos of The Sherry-Netherland from Susan M. and other hotel guests.

Now that you’ve seen the best and the worst, what do you think? What’s your favorite NYC hotel? Least favorite? Please leave your comments below.

(All average nightly rates listed in this post are for November 6-9, 2015.)

–Kim Grimes

NOTE: Be sure to click here to see all recent TravelSkills posts about: Uber gaining on taxis + Spectacular Hong Kong hotels + World’s longest flight + On-time stats useless? + #1 Dreamliner hub in US

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Best/worst hotel programs for rewards

This Chicago hotel offers the worst rate of return for reward redemptions (Photo: Sheraton)

This Chicago hotel offers the worst rate of return for reward redemptions (Photo: Sheraton)

Not all frequent guest programs are equal when it comes to rates of return for reward points, according to a new analysis.

The new Switchfly Hotel Reward Payback Survey from IdeaWorksCompany is based on more than 1,400 queries for reward stays from the four major loyalty programs — Starwood Preferred Guest, IHG Rewards, Hilton HHonors and Marriott Rewards. The company looked at the lowest available price in reward points and the corresponding dollar cost for the room, and adjusted the point value “to consider the different rates of point accrual for the programs.”

The result was a set of percentages that represented the average “payback” level for the four programs — i.e., a rate of 8.0 percent would mean the member was getting back $8 in value for every $100 spent on room rates.

The study found that Marriott Rewards topped the list with an average payback rate of 9.4 percent, followed by Hilton HHonors at 8.9 percent and IHG Rewards at 8.6 percent; Starwood’s SPG was the laggard with a 6.1 percent payback rate.

hotelrewards

The report noted that while average payback rates are one thing, individual reward requests are another. The best value for program points comes when room rates available on a specific date are high and the point price is low. For individual reward requests, IdeaWorksCompany found that the payback rate ranged from a whopping 24 percent to a measly 2.5 percent.

The 24 percent rate was in Hilton HHonors, for a $479 room at the Hilton Beijing Chaoyang that cost 30,000 Honors points.  The 2.5 percent return was for booking a Starwood Preferred Guest reward stay at the Chicago Sheraton & Towers at a point cost of 12,000 for a $150 room.

The company predicts that hotel giants will eventually make reward pricing for individual rooms more closely linked to rates, as some airlines like Southwest have started to do with award travel and air fares.

Which hotel program are you most involved with? Do you think you get good value when it comes to redemptions? Please leave your comments below. 

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Every day in every way hotels getting better & better

Fabulous bathrooms like this one at the Upper House in Hong Kong are a big item in hotels' growing list of improvements. (Image: Starwood)

Fabulous bathrooms like this one at the Upper House in Hong Kong are a big item in hotels’ growing list of improvements. (Image: Chris McGinnis)

Major U.S. hotels may have delayed a number of necessary capital improvement projects during and after the Great Recession, but they’re making up for it now with record spending on renovations, upgrades and other guest-related improvements.

That’s according to the latest report from hotel expert Bjorn Hanson at New York University’s Tisch Center for Hospitality and Tourism, who tracks trends in the lodging industry.

Hanson said the U.S. hotel industry’s capital expenditures in 2015 are expected to reach $6.4 billion, a new record and an increase of 7 percent over 2014. Budgets for revamps are growing these days as U.S. hotels are seeing record or near-record room occupancies and steadily improving revenues. Hanson noted that capital expenditures have been rising every year since 2010.

Some of the more significant new trends in hotel improvements, his report said, include lots of work on guest bathrooms, “especially replacing tub/shower units with walk-in showers;” new or improved fitness rooms; and redesigned lobby areas, “primarily to appeal to Millennials, but also to compete with the many new competitor lobby models.”

Hanson said hotels are also spending more money on boosting Internet capacity and bandwidth not just in guest rooms but also in public areas like lobbies, meeting rooms and restaurants; coming up with new restaurant and food concepts, again with Millennials in mind; putting new, larger and smarter flat-screen TVs into guest rooms; and adding in-room amenities like new coffee makers, iPads, radio/alarm clocks and so on.

Part of the reason for the increased spending is that many properties belong to big national chains that set specific standards their managed and franchised members must adhere to. But a new factor is also at work, Hanson said: “In addition to brand standards influencing capital expenditures, social media postings are resulting in additional capital expenditures as owners become more aware of and respond to criticisms and unfavorable comments. This effect became significant starting around 2012 and continues to increase.”

Have you seen any big changes in your favorite hotels? Tell us about it… 

NOTE: Be sure to click here to see all recent TravelSkills posts about: New hotel openings + Cathay Pacific’s new lounge + Joining PreCheck gets easier + Air India’s San Francisco plans + New perks from United, Virgin America

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InterContinental (IHG) close to big hotel merger

A room at The Savoy in London. (Image: Savoy Hotel)

Use you IHG Rewards for this room at The Savoy in London? Maybe! (Image: Savoy Hotel)

Last year, and again earlier this year, rumors were flying that U.K.-based InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) might be interested in a merger with global lodging giant Starwood Hotels. Nothing came of those rumors, but now there are new reports that IHG is on the verge of buying a luxury competitor for 1.9 billion pounds (about $2.9 billion).

The target this time is said to be Fairmont Raffles Holdings International, which controls the Fairmont and the Raffles brands, as well as Swissotel and some independent properties. Owned by a Qatar-based investment group, Fairmont Raffles Holdings International includes some of the world’s leading properties like the Savoy in London, the Plaza in New York, Raffles Hotel in Singapore and the Peace Hotel in Shanghai.

Related: IHG + Kimpton = Interesting! 

A hookup between the two would be especially interesting in San Francisco, where the Fairmont and IHG’s Mark Hopkins rule the roost atop Nob Hill.

IHG has been accumulating a cash horde in recent months from the sale of some of its key hotels like those in Hong Kong and Paris, although it maintains management contracts for them.

Altogether, Fairmont Raffles Holdings International has about 100 properties worldwide.

Will the rumors prove true this time? Stay tuned. If so, it will likely mean a lot more luxury hotels where members of IHG’s Rewards Club can earn and burn loyalty points. 

Here’s how to sign up for an IHG® Rewards Club Select Credit Card and earn 60,000 bonus points! 

100,000

bonusBEST for Big Sign-up Bonus. British Airways Visa Signature® Card 0ffers a nice 50,000 Avios sign up bonus after you spend $2,000 in the first three months. But get this: You’ll earn an additional 25,000 bonus Avios when you spend $10,000 on purchases for a total of 75,000 bonus Avios. Even better: You earn another 25,000 bonus Avios when you spend a total of $20,000 on purchases within your first year for a total of 100,000 bonus Avios. In addition to the sign up bonus, you earn three Avios for every dollar spent on BA, and a free companion ticket (any class) when you spend at least $30,000 in a year. Plus there are no foreign transaction fees, and the card has a chip making it easier to use in Europe and beyond. Annual fee is $95.  More.

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Now THAT is in-room entertainment

Marriott guests can ask for virtual reality sets to be delivered to their rooms. (Image: Marriott)

Marriott guests can ask for virtual reality sets to be delivered to their rooms. (Image: Marriott)

Virtual reality (VR) technology, still in its infancy, is slowly creeping into the travel industry. In the latest development, Marriott said it will make VR equipment and content available in guestrooms of two properties as a market test.

The participating hotels are the New York Marriott Marquis and the London Marriott Park Lane.

Guests who want to try out VR will be able to ask for a Samsung Gear headset and headphones to be delivered to their rooms, along with instructions. They can use the equipment for up to 24 hours to sample new exclusive content developed for the program called VR Postcards.

The first three content offerings are travel experiences, which users will be able to see in 360-degree 3D as they listen to a traveler’s narration. They include a visit to the Andes Mountains in Chile, an ice cream shop in Rwanda and a walk through the streets of Beijing.

It’s the second venture into VR for Marriott, which last fall conducted a multi-city tour of VR Teleporters — phone-booth-like units that individuals could step inside. There, they were fitted out with an Oculus Rift VR headset and wireless headphones. The programming included not only 360-degree 3D video, but also realistic computer-generated imagery, and the booth added “4-D” elements to the experience, like heat, mist and wind.

Flying in virtual reality on Qantas. (Image: Qantas)

Flying in virtual reality on Qantas. (Image: Qantas)

Earlier this year, Qantas conducted a three-month trial offering Samsung VR headsets to first class passengers on its A380 flights between Los Angeles and Australia, and in its first class lounges at Sydney and Melbourne.

And Emirates last fall used VR to show off its A380 aircraft at a trade show. Visitors put on Oculus Rift headsets and used Google Street View technology to go on virtual tours of the aircraft’s interior.

The big question for travel companies: If customers can use virtual reality to immerse themselves in a 3-D, sound-enhanced travel experience, where’s the incentive for them to actually travel?

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More irritating & expensive hotel fees coming

Breaking: Huge shakeup in United’s executive suite

Watch your hotel bill for unexpected charges. (Image: Hilton)

Watch your hotel bill for some new, unexpected & unwanted charges. (Image: Hilton)

We all know about those irritating “resort fees” that hotels list separately from the room rate, but are mandatory whether you use the included services or not. But apparently resort fees are just the tip of the iceberg these days, as more and more hotels come up with new hotel fees for amenities and services that used to be free.

That’s according to a new report from Bjorn Hanson, a professor at NYU’s Tisch Center for Hospitality and Tourism who tracks hotel industry trends.

Hanson reports that some of the newer hotel surcharges are: an early check-in fee; a charge to guarantee a specific type of room or room location; fees for holding onto your bag after you check out of your room but before you leave; and charges for unattended parking on lots surrounding suburban hotels.

These are in addition to fees we’ve seen creeping onto hotel bills lately such early departure fees, reservation cancellation fees, fees for sending or receiving packages or faxes, room service delivery charges (in addition to the tip), and automatic staff gratuities.

Related: Irritating resort fees are here to stay

The travel industry website Skift.com recently noted that guests at the Bellagio in Las Vegas who want to make sure they get a nonsmoking room, a high floor, a pool view and so on can pay up to $30 a night extra for the privilege. (For some reason, Las Vegas hotels seem to be at the vanguard of the fee movement.)

As the airline industry has learned in recent years, most of the revenue from added fees goes straight to the bottom line: “Fees and surcharges are highly profitable,” Hanson says. “Many have incremental profitability of 80 to 90 percent or more of the amounts collected.”

His research indicates that hotel fees collected have doubled in the past decade, from $1.2 billion in 2004 to almost $2.4 billion in 2014.

The Federal Trade Commission has warned hoteliers that all mandatory fees must be disclosed up-front, but it has never taken any action to prohibit or regulate them. Hanson notes that by separating out various mandatory fees from the room rate, the hotel industry also avoids paying local hotel taxes on the amount collected.

Readers: What hotel fee irritates you the most? How do you handle it when charged a fee you don’t like? Please leave your comments below. 

NOTE: Be sure to click here to see all recent TravelSkills posts about: Delta’s new Sky Club at San Francisco International + LAX will allow Uber, Lyft pick-ups + British Airways coming to San Jose + Airbnb draws corporate customers 

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New hotels: London, Amsterdam, Budapest, Seoul, Riyadh

London's Great Northern Hotel is now part of Starwood's Tribute Portfolio. (Image: Starwood)

London’s Great Northern Hotel is now part of Starwood’s Tribute Portfolio. (Image: Starwood)

Starwood takes on the first European property in its newest brand; Amsterdam gets a new W Hotel this month; Marriott adds a Ritz-Carlton in Budapest; Four Seasons sets the opening date for a new hotel in South Korea; and Riyadh, Saudi Arabia gets a new luxury property.

Starwood Hotels’ new Tribute Portfolio is a collection of independently owned and operated hotels that will use the Tribute affiliation to participate in Starwood Preferred Guest program and reservations system — much like Hilton’s Curio and Marriott’s Autograph Collection. The company describes Tribute members as “four star, upper upscale hotels with an indie spirit.” And the first European property to join is London’s Great Northern Hotel, located at King’s Cross railway station and a short walk from the terminus for Eurostar trains at St. Pancras International. The original hotel dates back to 1854, but it was relaunched in 2013 as one of the city’s top boutique properties. Rates start around $396.

A signatrure WOW Suite at the new W Hotel Amsterdam. (Image: Starwood)

A signatrure WOW Suite at the new W Hotel Amsterdam. (Image: Starwood)

September 21 is the planned opening date for Starwood’s new W Amsterdam, located in the heart of the city between the Royal Palace and the Singel Canal. The 238-room hotel’s signature W Lounge overlooks Dam Square. It offers free high-speed Wi-Fi in all guest rooms; a business center; a restaurant called Duchess with Mediterranean cuisine; and a FIT gym that will debut in December. Rates start at $417.

Ritz-Carlton's new Budapest property has views of St. Stephen's Basilica. (Image: Ritz-Carlton)

Ritz-Carlton’s new Budapest property has views of St. Stephen’s Basilica. (Image: Ritz-Carlton)

Marriott’s Ritz-Carlton brand has taken over management of the Elizabeth Park Hotel in Budapest, and will undertake a “comprehensive renovation” of the property before re-launching it next spring as The Ritz-Carlton, Budapest. (Until then, it’s the Elizabeth Park Hotel, Budapest, a Ritz-Carlton Partner Hotel.) Located on St. Erzsebet Square with views of St. Stephen’s Basilica, the 198-room hotel will be enhanced with the addition of a Ritz-Carlton Club, new suites and an overhaul of its restaurants. Rates currently start at $250.

The Maru Lounge at the new Four Seasons Seoul. (Image: Four Seasons)

The Maru Lounge at the new Four Seasons Seoul. (Image: Four Seasons)

Four Seasons Hotels is now taking bookings for stays starting October 15 at its newest property, The Four Seasons Hotel Seoul. The 317-room hotel is located in the central business district; it offers round-the-clock business services, an Executive Club lounge and a team of multilingual concierges. Restaurant options include Italian (Boccalino), Chinese (Yu Yuan) and Japanese (Kioku), as well as The Market Kitchen, with a series of live cooking stations and gourmet spreads. Guests can also use the Four Seasons Club Seoul, a huge fitness, health and socializing facility. Introductory rates start at $377.

The lobby at the new Movenpick Hotel Riyadh. (Image: Movenpick)

The lobby at the new Movenpick Hotel Riyadh. (Image: Movenpick)

In Saudi Arabia, Swiss lodging group Movenpick has cut the ribbon on the 438-room Movenpick Hotel Riyadh. The five-star property is located along the capital city’s King Fahad Road, just opposite the Ministry of the Interior. The French Michelin-starred chef Pierre Gagnaire directs the cuisine at its Acacia restaurant; other dining options include Indian and Lebanese restaurants. The hotel also has a spa, fitness center and a dozen meeting rooms. Introductory rates start at $426.

NOTE: Be sure to click here to see all recent TravelSkills posts about: Delta’s new Sky Club at San Francisco International + LAX will allow Uber, Lyft pick-ups + British Airways coming to San Jose + Airbnb draws corporate customers 


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Hotels: New Hampton Inn SF, 2 more for Manhattan, plus Boston, LA

Hilton's new Hampton Inn in downtown San Francisco. (Image: Hampton Inns)

Hilton’s new Hampton Inn in downtown San Francisco. (Image: Hampton Inns)

The latest U.S. hotel openings include a moderately-priced (by local standards, anyway) property in the heart of San Francisco; a pair of new hotels in midtown Manhattan; an airport location in Boston; and a Marriott affiliate in Burbank.

In San Francisco, Hilton has cut the ribbon on the 174-room Hampton Inn by Hilton San Francisco Downtown/Convention Center. The newly-built property is at 942 Mission Street in the South of Market area, near the Westfield Mall and the Moscone Convention Center. Hilton’s first Hampton Inn in downtown San Francisco has free Wi-Fi, a pool/fitness center, 24-hour business center and a 24-hour food and beverage shop. Rates start at around $269.

Guest accommodations at the new 1 Hotel Central Park in New York. (Image: 1 Hotels)

Guest accommodations at the new 1 Hotel Central Park in New York. (Image: 1 Hotels)

In New York City, renowned hotelier Barry Sternlicht (he founded Starwood Hotels) has opened the first member of his new chain, called 1 Hotels. His new 1 Hotel Central Park sounds like it might be at 1 Central Park South, but it’s not; it’s at 1414 Avenue of the Americas, about a block from the park. The 229-room hotel is about as “green” as a building can be in Manhattan, with lots of wood and plants in the decor, and it meets LEED standards. Guests can ride Teslas within a 15-block radius, and rooms are equipped with tablets loaded with newspapers and magazines (to save trees from going to the paper mill). Rates begin around $350.

An outdoor terrace at the new TRYP by Wyndham Times Square. (Image: Wyndham)

An outdoor terrace at the new TRYP by Wyndham Times Square. (Image: Wyndham)

Also in Manhattan, the former Best Western Plus President Hotel on West 48th Street between Broadway and Eighth Avenue has had a multi-million dollar overhaul and been reborn as the 336-room TRYP by Wyndham New York Times Square (not to be confused with the TRYP by Wyndham Times Square South on West 35th Street). All rooms have free high-speed Wi-Fi, and penthouse suites have balconies overlooking the midtown skyline. Rates start around $269.

The new Hilton Garden Inn at Boston's Logan Airport. (Image: Hilton)

The new Hilton Garden Inn at Boston’s Logan Airport. (Image: Hilton)

The newest lodging near Boston Logan Airport is a Hilton Garden Inn that just opened about a mile from the terminals. The 178-room hotel provides free Wi-Fi throughout, a 24-hour business center with remote printing capability, room service, breakfast/dinner restaurant and free on-site parking. Rates begin about $254.

Marriott's new SpringHill Suites in Burbank. (Image: Marriott)

Marriott’s new SpringHill Suites in Burbank. (Image: Marriott)

In the greater Los Angeles area, Marriott has added the new SpringHill Suites Los Angeles Burbank/Downtown, at 549 South San Fernando Blvd., about seven blocks from the Burbank Town Center and close to the Interstate 5 Freeway. It has an outdoor pool, a fitness center, free Wi-Fi and free breakfast and a full-service bar. Rates start at about $169.

NOTE: Be sure to click here to see all recent TravelSkills posts about: Upgraded Hilton HHonors app + New perks for Starwood/AmEx cardholders + Alaska/AA airport lounge benefits + New international routes


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Hilton triple points + Booming hotel demand, rates + Starwood’s new brand

Sheraton's Taipei property is part of Starwood's new Sheraton Grand brand. (Image: Sheraton)

Sheraton’s Taipei property is part of Starwood’s new Sheraton Grand brand. (Image: Sheraton)

In hotel news this week, demand for rooms hits a new record, forcing rates up; Starwood unveils a new premium tier for one of its global brands; and Hilton revives a bonus HHonors points promotion for the fall.

  • If you think you’re paying more for your hotel rooms this year, you’re right.  The latest monthly report from STR Inc., which tracks hotel performance, found that U.S. hotel occupancy hit 75.3 percent during July, the highest level ever recorded by the company. The jump in demand for accommodations resulted in average room rates posting a solid 5.9 percent increase over the same month last year. STR said the biggest increases in room rates were in Los Angeles/Long Beach, up 12.6 percent to $173.87; and in Boston, up 11.7 percent year-over-year to an average room rate of $200.

Check out what you’ve been missing on TravelSkills.com! 

  • Starwood Hotels has announced a new brand: Sheraton Grand, which it describes as a “premier tier” for the properties in its global Sheraton brand. Compared with regular Sheratons, the Grand tier will provide higher standards of service; more sophisticated design; premier locations; and better restaurants, gyms and Sheraton Club lounges, the company said. Starwood expects the Sheraton Grand brand to include 50 locations by year’s end and 100 properties by early 2017. The initial Sheraton Grands are in Bangalore, Beijing, Dubai, Edinburgh, Rio de Janeiro and Taipei, among other locations.
  • Hilton’s HHonors loyalty program has revived its popular “Triple Your Trip” promotion, offering members the chance to rake in double program points for Monday through Thursday stays or triple points for Friday, Saturday and Sunday stays from September 1 through December 31. The offer is good at 4,400 properties across Hilton’s family of brands, but members must book directly through a Hilton reservations channel, and must register for the promotion at www.HHonors.com/Triple.

NOTE: Be sure to click here to see all recent TravelSkills posts about: Upgraded Hilton HHonors app + New perks for Starwood/AmEx cardholders + Alaska/AA airport lounge benefits + New international routes

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How to avoid worn out hotel rooms

Last time I arrived at the Marriott Anaheim, the lobby looked like this (Chris McGinnis)

Last time I arrived at the Marriott Anaheim, the lobby looked like this (Chris McGinnis)

Dear Chris:

Is it just me or are Marriotts getting really old and worn out?  I’ve stayed in three in the last five weeks and they were very dated and worn out.  Carpet threadbare…tiny bathrooms.   Old furniture.  Musty smelling.

Marriott used to be a good mid range value but frankly they are reminding me of old Holiday Inns.

Do other people feel this way?   Is Marriott planning on any refreshment of these old places?

B.N. 
Tampa, FL

Hey B.N…. It’s not just you! And not just Marriott.

When we are at the top of an economic cycle as we are now, hotels are full and owners are not willing to close rooms for refurbishment if they can get top dollar by renting them.

When the cycle declines you’ll see hotels start to spend on upgrades.

Along the same lines, I bet we’ll see airlines add back some of the bennies recently stripped away from frequent flyer programs when the economy cycles down again, as it always does…

One way to avoid the thread bare rooms is to remember that hotels typically remodel floor by floor, so always remember to ask for a recently refurbished or new room when you check in.

Here are 6 more smart questions to ask at hotel check in. And here’s an archive of new hotels we’ve covered lately on TravelSkills!

 


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Business travel hot spots – or not?

India is one of six countries seen as business travel "hot spots" next year. (Image: Jim Glab)

India is one of six countries seen as business travel “hot spots” next year. (Image: Jim Glab)

While business travel worldwide continues to show a steady recovery from the dark days of the great Recession, some countries are emerging as “hot spots” where prices will increase more than in others.

That’s the conclusion from the new 2016 Global Business Travel Price Outlook issued by the Global Business Travel Association Foundation and Carlson Wagonlit Travel.

It said that air travel costs will remain mostly flat next year — increases of one percent or less — except in six nations where it sees “increased business travel demand…driving significant air price increases.” Those countries are India, China, Colombia, Mexico, Singapore and Australia, where air fares are expected to grow by 2.6 to 3 percent, the study said.

The researchers said the same is not true of hotel rates, which are likely to show significant increases worldwide “because demand is overtaking supply in every major global region.” The study predicts hotel price increases of 4.3 percent in North America next year, driven by heightened business activity in the Bay Area, Los Angeles and other major cities.

Hotel rates are likely to grow by 3.7 percent in Latin America and 3 percent in Asia Pacific nations, but only 1.8 percent in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, GBTA said.

The full report is available free through the GBTA website.

GBTA also suggested on its blog that in looking at the U.S. data, the highest projected hotel price increases for 2016 appear to be in cities where the “tech and entertainment industries” are dominant — e.g. 12 percent in San Jose, 8.8 percent in San Francisco, 7.8 percent in Los Angeles — while cities with a wider or more traditional business base will see hotel rates “barely keeping pace with inflation” — such as a projected 1.0 percent increase in New York and 2.0 percent in Washington.

That may be, but in considering only the demand side of the equation, GBTA is neglecting the other big driver of price changes: Room supply. The number of available hotel rooms is notoriously tight in San Francisco, which has seen prices spike in the past couple of years; and it has expanded considerably in New York in recent years with a large number of hotel openings.

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Super Bowl shock: San Francisco hotel prices soar

A room at San Francisco's new Hotel Zephyr runs $999 per night during Super Bowl (Photo: Hotel Zephyr)

A room at San Francisco’s new Hotel Zephyr runs $999 per night during Super Bowl (Photo: Hotel Zephyr)

Hotel rates can vary wildly based on demand. But have you ever heard of 400% increases? 

Last week TravelSkills took a look at 4-5 star hotel rates in the Bay Area over Super Bowl weekend (February 7, 2016) and compared them to rates in late August of this year.

Wow. What a difference!

Here’s what we found out:

During Super Bowl weekend, most big brand hotels are already sold out and are not even quoting rates. For example, all Marriott, Hilton and IHG hotels in San Francisco are sold and not accepting reservations.

Related: San Francisco hotels NOT most expensive after all

You can still stay at these hotels if you want, but you’ll have to be well-connected or buy a shockingly pricey package to do so.

Typically, big hotels are bought out by large corporate sponsors, or sold off in blocks to travel travel agents that package air, hotel, transfers, parties and of course, game tickets.

Here’s an example of what a fan would pay for four nights at the Marriott Marquis in San Francisco, plus Super Bowl tickets, transfers, and parties, but not airfare (from the PrimeSport website):

Super Bowl

Tickets (alone) to the game typically run at about $3,000 each, and those aren’t even the good seats.

Anyway, back to hotels…

Those few hotels that are offering rates on or around Super Bowl weekend require that guests book and pay for a minimum of three nights or four nights. And their rates are up nearly 500% compared to what travelers are paying this summer.

Some examples: (Please note that these rates are based on spot checks made in mid-July and are subject to change)

The Best Western Tuscan will set you back $999 on Super Bowl weekend (Photo: Best Western)

The Best Western Tuscan Inn in Fisherman’s Wharf will set you back $999 on Super Bowl weekend (Photo: Best Western)

Best Western Plus, The Tuscan UP 146%

Superbowl weekend rate: $999/night

Aug 27-31: $406.50/night

Minimum 4 nights stay required

 

Hotel Zephyr (see photo above) UP 285%

Superbowl Weekend rate: $999/night

Aug 27-31: adv. Purchase $259/night Standard rate $509/night

Possible minimum stay requirement of 3 nights – Booking representative was unsure.

 

The Orchard Garden Hotel (one of the few available in downtown SF) UP 540%

Superbowl weekend: $1,800/night

Aug 27-31: $281/night

Minimum stay requirement of 4 nights

 

Near the Airport:

Four Points guestroom

A room like this at the Four Points by Sheraton at SFO is going for $1,190 per night (Image: Sheraton)

Four Points by Sheraton SFO UP 474%

Superbowl Weekend Rate: $1,190/night

Aug 27-31: $207/night

Starwood's new (and very popular) Aloft brand now at SFO (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

A room at the conveniently located Aloft SFO is going for $1,139 per night during Super Bowl weekend (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Aloft SFO UP 432%

Superbowl Weekend Rate: $1,139/night

Aug 27-31: $214/night

No minimum stay requirement

The Westin SFO

The Westin SFO UP 467%

Superbowl weekend: $1242/night

Aug 27-31: $219/night

No minimum stay requirements

Doubletree by Hilton SFO UP 170%

Superbowl Weekend: $699/night

Aug 27-31: $259/night

No minimum stay requirement but full prepayment required for Superbowl weekend with no refund for cancellation at any time.

East Bay:

Pleasanton Marriott

A room at the Pleasanton Marriott is about $500 per night (Photo: Marriott)

Pleasanton Marriott UP 248%

Superbowl weekend: $449/night

Aug 27-31: $129/night

No minimum stay requirement

A search on Kayak.com turned up a few smaller, lesser-known hotels with nightly rates over Super Bowl weekend in the $500 per night range, and I bet those will be snapped up pretty quickly.

San Francisco expects that nearly a million visitors from near and far will visit the city around the Super Bowl, but only 70,000 will actually see the game. A special Super Bowl City attraction will be set up on the Embarcadero in the large plaza in front of the Ferry Building.

A rendering of Super Bowl City in San Francisco

A rendering of Super Bowl City in San Francisco (Image: SF SB Committee)

Would you pay the big bucks to attend the Super Bowl? Please leave your comments below. 

 

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Brand new hotels in San Francisco, San Jose, New York, Chicago, Baltimore, Raleigh

Marriott's new Courtyard in downtown San Francisco. (Image: Marriott)

Marriott’s new Courtyard in downtown San Francisco. (Image: Marriott)

In the next wave of new business hotels, San Francisco is getting a new mid-priced property downtown; Westin adds a new San Jose location; there’s a new boutique hotel in Manhattan and a new Hampton Inn in downtown Chicago; Red Lion debuts its upscale RL brand in Baltimore; and Marriott adds a dual-branded hotel in Raleigh.

An August opening is expected for the Marriott’s new Courtyard San Francisco Union Square, at 761 Post Street, near Leavenworth Street (a mildly sketchy neighborhood near the city’s Tenderloin district west of Union Square).  It has free Wi-Fi, a restaurant called The Bistro, and Marriott’s new lobby with working and socializing spaces. Rates begin around $329.

Guest room at the new Westin San Jose, formerly the Sainte Claire. (Image: Westin)

Guest room at the new Westin San Jose, formerly the Sainte Claire. (Image: Westin)

What was formerly the Sainte Claire Hotel in downtown San Jose — a 171-room property on the National register of Historic Places — is now Starwood’s Westin San Jose. Original touches have been preserved in the 90-year-old building, and guest rooms offer all the standard Westin amenities, including free high-speed Internet. It’s close to the McEnery Convention Center. Rates start around $269.

Accommodations at NYC's The Gregory, near Herald Square. (Image: The Gregory)

Accommodations at NYC’s The Gregory, near Herald Square. (Image: The Gregory)

In New York City, the newest boutique hotel to open its doors is The Gregory, at 42 West 35th Street near Herald Square. It originally opened in 1903 as The Gregorian; after a $10 million rehab it’s been modernized and refitted, but with some original touches preserved. Rates start at $379.

Historic entrance to Hilton;s newest Hampton Inn in downtown Chicago. (Image: Hampton Inns)

Historic entrance to Hilton;s newest Hampton Inn in downtown Chicago. (Image: Hampton Inns)

The old Chicago Motor Club Building (1928) a block south of the Chicago River at 68 E. Wacker Place has been reborn as the 143-room Hampton Inn Chicago Downtown/Michigan Avenue. Designers preserved the old Art Deco lobby, where a 1928 Ford Model A is now on display. It’s one of the few Hampton Inns that has a lobby bar. Rooms have free Wi-Fi, 42-inch HDTVs and more. Rates begin around $239.

A room at the new RL Baltimore Inner Harbor. (Image: Red Lion)

A room at the new RL Baltimore Inner Harbor. (Image: Red Lion)

Red Lion Hotels are known mostly for their affordability, but the company is launching a somewhat more upscale brand called RL Hotels, and the first one is due to open August 1 in Baltimore. The RL Baltimore Inner Harbor at 207 E. Redwood Street is a remake of the historic Keyser Building in the heart of downtown, close to the waterfront and Camden Yards. Introductory rates start at $111.

Marriott's new Courtyard/Residence Inn in Raleigh. (Image: Marriott)

Marriott’s new Courtyard/Residence Inn in Raleigh. (Image: Marriott)

Marriott has cut the ribbon on a dual-branded Courtyard and Residence Inn in Raleigh, N.C. Each of the two has 128 rooms, at 10600 Little Brier Creek Lane; that’s five miles from the airport, close to Research Triangle Park and in between NC State and Duke universities. They share an indoor pool, fitness center and other amenities. Rates start at $135.

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Irritating hotel “resort fees” are here to stay

Hotel resort fees are big in destinations like Las Vegas. (Image: Jim Glab)

Hotel resort fees exceed $30/day in destinations like Las Vegas. (Image: Jim Glab)

A few years ago, the Transportation Department ordered a big change in airline pricing: It said that fare quotes must include all the mandatory taxes and fees that airlines had previously shown separately, usually in tiny type at the bottom of an ad.

Shouldn’t the same principle apply to hotel rates? The Federal Trade Commission apparently doesn’t think so.

One of the most contentious areas of hotel pricing in recent years has been the spread of “resort fees” — a mandatory charge for the availability of various hotel amenities and services (like fitness rooms, swimming pools, daily newspapers, etc.) that all guests have to pay, whether they use those things or not. The fees can amount to a significant percentage of the room rate. For example, in Las Vegas, resort fees now regularly exceed $30 per day. 

A consumer group called Travelers United recently asked the FTC to require that hotels roll those charges into their room rates, since not paying them is not an option (as it is with airline checked bag fees, for example). But the FTC turned down the request.

Apparently the agency thought it took sufficient action back in 2012, when it warned the hotel industry that customers had to be notified up front — before booking — about any mandatory resort fees. but it stopped short of requiring hotels to roll those charges into their rates.

Meanwhile, apparently concerned that the resort fee is getting a bad name, some hotels are starting to call it something else. Variations include the “amenity fee” and the “service fee.” Why don’t hotels just include it in their room rate? Because showing a lower room rate is key to winning bookings through Internet search engines.

Readers: What’s the largest resort fee you’ve ever paid? Did you know about it before you booked the room?

NOTE: Be sure to click here to see all recent TravelSkills posts about: San Francisco hotels NOT most expensive + Are you a passenger with priority? Read this + Planespotting 101: Airbus + Delta adds more widebodies + More!

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Most expensive city for hotels in the world? UPDATED

*WE HAVE UPDATED THIS STORY! Please see thisA king bed with a water view at SF's popular Hotel Vitale will set you back $725 in mid July (Photo: JDV Hotels)

A king bed with a water view at SF’s popular Hotel Vitale will set you back $725 in mid July (Photo: JDV Hotels)

Bloomberg reports today that San Francisco’s hotel rates jumped a whopping 88 percent over the last year, and now average a painful $397 per night. (SEE 6PM PDT UPDATE BELOW)

WE HAVE UPDATED THIS STORY! Please see this: https://travelskills.com/2015/07/01/san-francisco-hotels-not-most-expensive-after-all/

That increase kicked Geneva, Switzerland off the top of the list where average rates are nearly $100 cheaper.

Chicago, Miami and Los Angeles now rank in the top 10 most expensive cities for hotel stays, too.

Surprisingly, New York ranks 16th, likely due to its wide range of price points, and its recent surge in new hotel openings adding plenty of supply.

The Bloomberg gauge measured 100 cities based on the average daily cost of hotels, regardless of star ratings, for two adults in a double-occupancy room.

San Francisco’s soaring rates are due to a combination of high demand due to the tech boom, and very limited supply due to high real estate and development costs.

When new hotels open, they do so on a small footprint. Some examples: The new-from-the-ground-up Hampton Inn near Moscone Center (opens July 1), and the future Courtyard by Marriott San Francisco Union Square (opening in August), will be housed in a re-vamped building near the seedy Tenderloin area of the city. It’s no wonder that Loews pounced on (and paid top dollar for) the Mandarin Oriental and Hilton nabbed the Parc 55 this year.

The situation has become so dire that San Francisco based Salesforce has chartered a Celebrity cruise ship to moor at the Embarcadero to house attendees at its huge Dreamforce event in September. The ship accommodates 2,170 passengers.

If you think San Francisco’s rates are high now, just wait until Super Bowl week in 2016. Right now, the Best Western Tuscan Inn in Fisherman’s Wharf is going for nearly $1,000 per night. And there’s no availability at any four or five star hotel downtown or Union Square. Out by SFO airport, the Aloft hotel is going for $1,019 per night on Super Bowl weekend.

Search on Trivago.com

Search on Trivago.com

How much did you pay to stay in San Francisco last time you were there?

UPDATE: The San Francisco Travel Association responded to our request for a comment on this Bloomberg report. Here’s what they had to say: 

San Francisco enjoys being a top global destination for tourists and conventions, but it is NOT home to the “world’s priciest hotel rates” as indicated in a Bloomberg News story. The story used an unscientific “snapshot” survey that is inaccurate, including calculations from next year’s San Francisco-hosted Super Bowl week, a once-in-a lifetime event.

The hotel industry’s accepted standard for comparisons is the Average Daily Rate. The 2015 forecasted ADR for San Francisco is $257, which ranks third in the United States behind New York and Honolulu.

San Francisco offers a wide range of hotel accommodations for its 18 million visitors, supporting 87,000 travel industry employees and generating more than $665 million in city tax revenue annually.

Chris, if the dates the reporter selected were 30 days later, it would have been an entirely different story.

WE HAVE UPDATED THIS STORY! Please see this: https://travelskills.com/2015/07/01/san-francisco-hotels-not-most-expensive-after-all/

Related: Don’t make these 8 mistakes in San Francisco!

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Just speak into your watch…

Don’t miss: Don’t make these mistakes in San Francisco!

InterContinental Hotels Group's new guest technology is smartphone-based. (Image: InterContinental Hotels Group)

InterContinental Hotels Group’s new guest technology is smartphone-based. (Image: InterContinental Hotels Group)

InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) is the latest lodging giant to start rolling out the next generation of technology-based guest services, much of it designed to work with customers’ smartphones, and one intriguing innovation — a language translator — that works with the Apple Watch.

The company said its IHG Translator App will translate a spoken English phrase into any of 13 other languages, or users can select from a menu of common phrases that are pre-loaded into the software.

A translation app works with the Apple Watch. (Image: InterContinental Hotels Group)

A translation app works with the Apple Watch. (Image: InterContinental Hotels Group)

Other innovations coming from IHG include:

  • Mobile Check In and Check Out, including confirmation of arrival time and notification by SMS when a guest’s room is ready. It is currently being deployed in the Americas region, and U.S.-based IHG Rewards Club elite members “will have exclusive access to the service in the first instance,” the company said.
  • An extension of the check-in, check-out service is the new Mobile Folio, which lets guests see their hotel bill in real time on their phone or tablet; they get the final bill during Mobile Check Out.
  • Mobile Room Keys — currently being tested in the U.S. — will let guests bypass the front desk upon arrival and go directly to their assigned room, using a smartphone to open the door.
  • With IHG Guest Request, customers can use the IHG App to ask hotel staff for a variety of special services or items for their rooms; the app logs and tracks all requests to make sure they get a response.
  • IHG hotels in China are the testing ground for iBeacon technology. This involves planting little devices in lobbies and hotel restaurants that recognize IHG Rewards Club members by detecting the IHG App in their phones. “They then send information to the guest’s smartphone, including personalized notifications and offers relevant to their stay,” the company said.
  • The company is teaming up with Stay.com so that guests who book IHG properties in any of 50 worldwide destinations will be able to research and download personalized travel guides, for use online or offline. The linkup with Stay.com begins June  25.

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Android users choose cheaper hotels

Apple device users tend to book pricier hotels than Android folks. (Image: trivago.com)

Apple device users tend to book pricier hotels than Android folks. (Image: trivago.com)

Techies will spend hours arguing the benefits and shortcomings of Apple products compared with Android devices, but what about the people who use them? A study by the hotel search site trivago.com found that there are distinct differences between the two user groups when it comes to their travel spending patterns.

Apple users in the U.S. tend to spend more and book higher-end hotels than the Android crowd, the study found. Specifically, “The average price selected by trivago.com users with iPhones and iPads is $166/night. For Android users, the average price for a searched hotel is $134/night, a difference of 24%,” the site said.

On the lower end of the accommodations spectrum, 52 percent of Android users on trivago.com picked hotels that cost less than $100 a night, vs. only 39 percent of Apple users.

Rooms that went for $200 to $250 a night were selected by 20 percent of Apple users, but only 12 percent of their Android counterparts, Trivago said.

“While 40% of both Apple and Android users first select three-star properties when searching for hotels, their second most popular choice for accommodation is quite different: 29% of Android users opt for two-star properties after first searching for a three-star hotel, while 36% of Apple users favor hotels with four and five stars,” the study found.

Spending comparison, Apple vs. Android users. (Image: trivago.com)

Spending comparison, Apple vs. Android users. (Image: trivago.com).

NOTE: Be sure to click here to see all recent TravelSkills posts about: Gogo prices rise 50 percent  + Virgin America adds seatback Pac-Man + Big Delta aircraft purchase


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Which nationality steals most from hotels?

Don’t miss: New first class fare sale for summer!

Towels are one of the most frequently pilfered items from hotels (Photo: RussellStreet / Flickr)

Towels are one of the most frequently pilfered items from hotels (Photo: RussellStreet / Flickr)

Be honest: Have you ever taken something from your hotel room that belonged to the hotel, not to you?

(Those little toiletries in the bathroom don’t count; everybody takes those.)

According to a new Hotels.com survey, it’s fairly common for guests to steal things — usually things of seemingly nominal value, like stationery and slippers — when they check out.  And some nationalities are more likely to do so than others.

The survey found travelers from Argentina were the most likely to do so, with 73 percent admitting to it. Singapore was second at 71 percent and Spain third at 70 percent. The U.S. made it into the top 10 nationalities, but just barely, with 53 percent of Americans admitting to the practice.  Also in the top 10 were Germans, Irish, Russians, Mexicans, Italians and Japanese.

What are the most frequently pilfered items from hotels? Books (yes, even Bibles), framed art, cutlery, hot water kettles, batteries, light bulbs and linens.

Nationalities most likely to steal from hotel rooms:

  • Argentina – 73%
  • Singapore – 71%
  • Spain – 70%
  • Germany – 68%
  • Ireland – 67%
  • Russia – 59%
  • Mexico – 59%
  • Italy – 57%
  • Japan – 56%
  • USA – 53%

Americans are most likely to walk away with stationery, room keys and magazines or books from the hotel room.

Web

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Most expensive hotels: Can you afford them?

The pool at Amangiri in southern Utah. (Image: Aman Resorts)

The pool at Amangiri in southern Utah. (Image: Aman Resorts)

The most striking thing about a new list of the world’s most expensive hotels — based on a global survey by Luxury-Hotels.com — is that none of the properties in the Top 10 could be considered a business hotel.

And only three of the Top 20 are in the United States. But that includes the most expensive hotel in the world, Amangiri, a desert retreat at Canyon Point in southern Utah. The survey lists the nightly rate at $1,889. And that’s not for a suite, but just a standard double room during summer.

Cala di Volpe on the Italian island of Sardinia. (Image: Cala di Volpe)

Cala di Volpe on the Italian island of Sardinia. (Image: Cala di Volpe)

The Mediterranean island of Sardinia must be the chief playground for Europe’s idle rich, because three of the top 10 are there: Hotel Cala di Volpe, Hotel Pitrizza and Villa del Parco.

The Cala di Volpe ranked second most expensive, with a typical nightly rate of $1,789. In third place — far off the beaten path — is Explora Rapa Nui on Easter Island at $1.,733. (Starwood loyalty members note: The Cala di Volpe is a member of The Luxury Collection.)

Two easy ways to snag 50,000 miles this month!

The first property on the list that could be considered a business hotel — in 12th place — is the Four Seasons Hotel George V in Paris, where the average nightly rate for a double room is $1,247, according to the survey.

A guest room at the Four Seasons Hotel George V in Paris. (Image: Four Seasons)

A guest room at the Four Seasons Hotel George V in Paris. (Image: Four Seasons)

Here’s the full list:

Rank  Name of Hotel  LocationAvg. rate/ night
1.  Amangiri  Canyon Point, USA$1889
2.  Hotel Cala di Volpe  Sardinia, Italy$1789
3.   Explora Rapa Nui  Easter Island, Chile$1733
4.  Cap Estel  Cote d’Azur, France$1679
5.   Montage Kapalua Bay  Maui, United States$1554
6.  Hotel Pitrizza  Sardinia, Italy$1543
7.  Explora Atacama  Atacama, Chile$1533
8.  Aman Canal Grande  Venice, Italy$1489
9.  Villa del Parco  Sardinia, Italy$1439
10.  La Réserve, Ramatuelle  Cote d’Azur, France$1369
11.  Amankora  Paro, Bhutan$1287
12.  Four Seasons Hotel George V  Paris, france$1247
13.  Burj Al Arab  Dubai, United Arab Emirates$1345
14.  Auberge du Soleil   Rutherford, United States$1267
15.  Huka Lodge  North Island, New Zealand$1323
16.  The Farm at CapeKidnappers  North Island, New Zealand$1289
17.  Tierra Atacama Hotel & Spa  Atacama, Chile$1267
18.  Belmond Le Manoir  Oxfordshire, England$1143
19.  Hôtel Plaza Athénée  Paris, France$1187
20.  Résidence de la Pinède  Saint-Tropez, France$1106

NOTE: Be sure to click here to see all recent TravelSkills posts about: New airline routes + Thousands of airline miles for hotel stays + Hotel chains’ Wi-Fi service ranked + How to get 50,000 miles + Toronto Airport’s new rail link

Three easy ways to snag 50,000 miles this month!


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Earn thousands of airline miles for hotel stays

Outdoor terrace at the Peninsula New York. (Image: Peninsula Hotels)

Outdoor terrace at the Peninsula New York. (Image: Peninsula Hotels)

If you don’t mind booking through third-party websites, you can rack up thousands of airline miles on select carriers when you stay at major hotels. We first reported on two of these sites — Rocketmiles and PointsHound — two years ago, and now The New York Times has provided an update.

The Times report notes that although both sites were purchased by other firms recently (Priceline and Points International respectively), they continue to offer the same business model. Travelers who book their hotel stay through the sites can earn up to a tidy 5,000-6,000 air miles per night — or sometimes even more — in exchange for their business.

Here’s an example in NYC– Use Rocketmiles to book the Hilton Doubletree Manhattan for $379 in June and earn a fat 5,000 United or American miles:

Rocketmiles

Related: Mega-mileage bonus sites proliferate

Or use Pointshound to book the W Hollywood in LA for $597 and earn 2,800 Virgin America Elevate points

Pointshound

Regrettably, Delta does not play with either of these sites, so no SkyMiles bonuses.

Both work with a varied roster of airlines, including many foreign carriers. Persons who book through the sites must make some tradeoffs for the generous mileage allotments –– e.g., they can’t get hotel points from the property; they must make reservations changes through PointsHound or Rocketmiles instead of with the hotel; and they might not always get the lowest room rate.

Check out the sites and see the big bonuses here: Rocketmiles | PointsHound

Note: These sites have “refer a friend” offers which TravelSkills signed up for (and you can, too).  So if you make a booking from links posted here, we get 250-1000 miles. Come on and help us out! 

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Hotel chains with fastest wi-fi ranked

Nordic Choice's Comfort Hotel in Malmo, Sweden. (Image: Nordic Choice)

Nordic Choice’s Comfort Hotel in Malmo, Sweden. (Image: Nordic Choice)

A new study from the website hotelwifitest.com finds that the lodging chain with the overall best Wi-Fi quality in guest rooms is not a U.S. company but a Scandinavian group.

The site examined Wi-Fi quality at 50 hotel chains worldwide and rated Nordic Choice in the number one spot. Nordic Choice has scores of hotels in the Scandinavian countries, most of them affiliated with Choice International brands like Comfort, Quality and Clarion. What’s more, it offers free Wi-Fi at all of its locations, the report noted. (The study also estimated what percentage of a chain’s properties offer free in-room Wi-Fi.)

How do they judge Wi-Fi quality? “A hotel judged as having adequate WiFi must provide an expected download speed of at least 3 Mbps (the Netflix recommendation for SD-quality streaming) and an upload speed of 500 kbps (the Skype recommendation for high-quality non-HD video calling),” the company said.

”WiFi Quality is expressed by the percentage of hotels that offer adequate WiFi quality in a given geographical area. This type of ranking is easy to understand, and it makes perfect sense from a practical standpoint. For most travelers, having super-fast and consistently stable WiFi is a great bonus, but their first priority is ensuring that basic quality expectations for Internet access are met.”

The Radisson Blu chain ranked second in Wi-Fi quality, followed by Marriott’s Renaissance brand, France‘s Mercure and Ibis groups, Scandic Hotels, InterContinental, Econo Lodge, Four Points, and Marriott Hotels.

Chains not on the list were excluded because they didn’t have enough tested hotels.

Following is the full list of chains.

 Chain nameWiFi QualityFree WiFi
1Nordic Choice84.7%100%
2Radisson Blu68.8%95.2%
3Renaissance61.0%30%
4Mercure60.7%83.6%
5Ibis and ibis styles60.3%84.2%
6Scandic Hotels57.6%100%
7Inter-Continental56.3%42.1%
8Econo Lodge55.3%86.2%
9Four Points54.2%79.5%
10Marriott Hotels & Resorts52.5%18.1%
11Hyatt Hotels49.0%100%
12Sheraton Hotels & Resorts47.1%37.0%
13Radisson47.1%93.8%
14Sleep Inn46.8%88.8%
15Novotel46.5%82.2%
16Best Western45.6%91.8%
17Quality45.6%87.9%
18Hilton Hotels & Resorts45.6%26.0%
19Crowne Plaza45.1%68.2%
20Sofitel43.9%73.6%
21Ramada43.6%86.6%
22Comfort Suites43.3%89.1%
23Westin43.0%25%
24Super 842%90.6%
25Comfort Inn40.2%88.8%
26Holiday Inn Express37.3%90.0%
27Days Inn35.8%91.4%
28Holiday Inn35.5%73.5%
29Country Inn & Suites35.3%93.1%
30Four Seasons34.9%43.5%
31Courtyard33.8%93.1%
32Residence Inn33.5%95.2%
33La Quinta Inn & Suites33.1%95.1%
34Wyndham Hotels32.8%85.3%
35Travelodge30%91.3%
36Staybridge Suites29.6%91.8%
37TownePlace Suites29.4%95.0%
38Doubletree29.3%61.7%
39SpringHill Suites27.7%96.9%
40Red Roof Inn26.5%98.2%
41Hyatt Place23.3%100%
42Fairfield Inn19.4%96.0%
43Hilton Garden Inn17.1%97.1%
44Candlewood Hotel17.0%85.7%
45Motel 615.9%43.8%
46NH Hotels12.0%97.2%
47Embassy Suites10.3%24.0%
48Extended Stay America8.8%100%
49Homewood Suites8.8%93.9%
50Hampton Inn8.6%92.3%

NOTE: Be sure to click here to see all recent TravelSkills posts about: Airport smoking ban? + Trip Report: Aer Lingus + Terminal shuffle at Heathrow + More Uber at airports


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Starwood’s cool new tech touches

Starwood's keyless room entry app is just the beginning for hotel technology. (Image: Starwood)

Starwood’s keyless room entry app is just the beginning for hotel technology. (Image: Starwood)

Hotels have made major strides in bringing new technology to their booking and check-in activities, and are now rolling out smartphone apps that serve as room keys. But there’s a lot more guest tech on the horizon, and Starwood Hotels shared some of the possibilities with TravelSkills today.

Much of the innovation is being tested in or designed for Starwood’s Specialty Select Brands — Four Points, Aloft and Element. Here’s a look at some things hotel guests can expect to see in the months and years ahead:

  • Four Points is testing “dual stream TVs,” — i.e., side-by-side large-screen TVs in the guest room. “Watch two big games on any given Sunday or (with the included wireless headphones) couples can watch two different programs at once without disturbing each other,” a spokesperson explained.
  • Also in the Four Points test lab is the “virtual business center” — individual booths installed in the lobby that are fitted with noise-canceling materials so guests can make calls or work in a silent, secure environment- yet still be in the lobby.
  • You’ve probably seen high-end hotel bathrooms with a little TV screen in the mirror. But Starwood’s “smart mirrors” go a step further: They’re floor-length mirrors with embedded displays that let you check up on the weather, news headlines and sports scores. Other touch-screen apps could be coming in the future.
  • Starwood’s Element Hotels brand is looking into smart floor tiles. “RFID technology will communicate with lighting and beaconing technologies to map out a gentle lighting path from your bed to the bathroom. Or help light the way from the elevator to your room,” the spokesperson notes..
  • The Element at DFW Airport is currently testing a “solar canopy charging station.” Guests can sit underneath the canopy and charge up their devices with electricity generated by new “Solarskin” technology on top of the canopy.
  • A new amenity for Element’s fitness rooms is virtual reality for stationary bicycles. “A completely immersive bike ride experience utilizing virtual reality available at Element Motion fitness centers around the world. Choose your destination, choose your music and pedal,” the spokesperson said.
  • The Aloft Hotels brand is exploring all kinds of new guest room functionality for smart phones, so that users can adjust room temperature; change the intensity and even the color of lighting; stream entertainment content to the room’s TV and/or bluetooth music player; and even program the coffeemaker to brew a potful at a specific hour.

The tech website Mashable recently took a look at some of Starwood’s tech concepts and issued this report.

NOTE: Be sure to click here to see all recent TravelSkills posts about: A new type of travel package + Southwest adds Oakland-Atlanta nonstop + More power in your pocket at Marriott + Airline CEO dismissed + Delta’s first class summer sale


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Chicago’s glut of hot new hotels

Lobby at the new Hyatt Centric Chicago Loop

Lobby at the new Hyatt Centric Chicago Loop (Photo: Hyatt)

Chicago openings: Hyatt, Marriott. The new Hyatt brand that was announced a few months ago — Hyatt Centric — has opened its first property in the heart of Chicago.

The Hyatt Centric The Loop Chicago occupies a former office building at 100 W. Monroe St. and offers a “minimalist decor” in its 257 guest rooms. Another Centric is due to debut in Miami next month.

Elsewhere in the Windy City, Marriott’s Renaissance Chicago Downtown Hotel at 1 West Wacker Drive has finished a massive $27 million renovation of its lobby area and all its guestrooms with “Chicago-centric design elements” …

The former Rush and Four Points hotel is now a shiny new AC Hotel by Marriott (Image: Marriott)

The former Rush and Four Points hotel is now a shiny new AC Hotel by Marriott (Image: Marriott)

Another new brand aimed at the Millennial market  — Marriott’s AC Hotels — is due to cut the ribbon on a Chicago property next month: The former Hotel Rush (and Four Points) at 630 N. Rush St. will be reborn as the 226-room AC Hotel Chicago.

Meanwhile, the new Virgin Hotel in Chicago, which started taking guests a couple of months ago, just celebrated its grand opening, and TravelSkills was there with a full report!

Need more brand new Chicago hotels? We’ve got a newsy post for you here about the new: Hotel Chicago, Hyatt Regency, Langham, a big renovation completed at the W Lakeshore, plus the new Thompson hotel. Check it out here!

New hotels are always exciting, but unfortunately all this new supply has not dampened rates in the Windy City– a decent hotel is still quite expensive, especially when there’s a big convention in town.

What’s your favorite hotel in Chicago? Why? 

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Six cheeky features at the first Virgin Hotel

The Virgin Hotel brand debuts in Chicago (Photo: Virgin America)

The Virgin Hotel brand debuts in Chicago (Photo: Virgin America)

Imagine disembarking from a Virgin America flight and checking in at Hotel Meh. Now imagine extending the vibe at a Virgin Hotel. It’s like business travel surround-sound. Or at least that’s what Virgin Hotels is betting on.

The Virgin Hotel Chicago celebrated its grand opening April 16 (after the industry practice of a soft opening January 15). Richard Branson added an extra dose of fun to the event, which I attended with great curiosity, courtesy of Virgin America.

The four-star property is not necessarily posh, but if you’re looking for a spicy place to stay, Virgin will certainly fit the bill while still being business-friendly and well-located at the corner of Wabash and Lake. The hotel offers 250 guest rooms, including 38 one-bedroom suites and two penthouse suites; rooms run about $210 and up. Rates vary based on demand, but in May, we found them in the $250-$350 per night range.

Here are six cheeky features to check out at the Virgin Hotel Chicago:

Efficient but fun Virgin Hotel "chamber" (Photo: Virgin America)

Efficient but fun Virgin Hotel “chamber” (Photo: Virgin America)

Your room flirts with you. This is a hotel that does not take itself too seriously. From red ear plugs offered on your pillow (with a note: If you didn’t have one “L” of a sleep, put a plug in it) to a little rubber lamb that looks over your shampoo in the shower, there’s plenty to smile at. The bed’s “playpen” design is patent-pending: white leather upholstery wraps the headboard and just one corner of the foot, inviting hangouts (or whatever).

The minibar will make you smile. When in the history of travel has that ever happened? A bright-red, retro SMEG fridge is adorable, but the real thrill is that the fare is reasonably priced. Just $1 for M&Ms? Shocking! The same can be said of in-room dining.

See grand opening slideshow!

The original bank vault grill tops the lobby grand staircase. (Photo: Nancy Branka)

The original bank vault grill tops the lobby grand staircase. (Photo: Nancy Branka)

Old and new play together. The 1930s Art Deco building was formerly the Old Dearborn Bank and operated as an office building until Virgin swept it off its feet. Original gilded features of the building sit with confidence next to irreverent pop décor. Case in point, the front desk is a 1920s cigar bar, topped with cheeky checkin screens. Red, red, red dominates.

The Tesla house car created quite a stir among guests. (Photo: Nancy Branka)

The Tesla house car created quite a stir during the Ferris Bueller parade. (Photo: Nancy Branka)

Even tech is sassy here. Lucy, the hotel’s app (iOS and Android), will assist you, from controlling the thermostat to ordering room service. All done humorously. Wi-Fi is blazingly fast, free and no login required, and no paying extra for a faster connection (bless ’em!). Need to run an errand? The house car is a stunning black Tesla.

The very glam Commons Club on the hotel's second floor (Photo: Virgin America)

The very glam Commons Club on the hotel’s second floor (Photo: Virgin America)

You’re granted instant access to a swanky club. The entire second floor of the hotel is dominated by a series of spaces that add up to what Virgin calls the Commons Club, where happy hour is hosted nightly. My favorite space within was the round Shag Room, right out of Austin Powers.

Virgin knows how to thumb its nose at The Man. The hotel ran into a roadblock with development of Miss Ricky’s, its street-level diner. The restaurant was intended to be 24/7, until the City of Chicago reminded Virgin that 24-hour establishments are a no-no. We’ll show you, said Virgin: The restaurant is open 23 hours a day.

Richard Branson's day off as Ferris Bueller at the grand opening (Photo: Nancy Branka)

Richard Branson’s day off as Ferris Bueller at the grand opening (Photo: Nancy Branka)

The grand opening was a colorful splash, true to Virgin form. At noon, Wabash Ave. was closed off as a crowd of passersby, guests and celebrities curiously awaited what they only were told to expect as #BransonsDayOff.

Sure enough, the parade scene of Ferris Bueller fame was recreated, complete with Richard Branson emerging from a circle of buxom German fräuleins to sing Twist and Shout. That evening, the entire hotel was overtaken by a rockin’ multi-floor party, and the next morning guests could receive an IV drip treatment from The IV Doc, fluids laced with vitamins to heal a hangover or jet lag. I settled for a B12 injection. (Yes, I let a total stranger—a pretty nurse dressed in black, no less—give me an injection in the Shag Room.)

Before the trip I wondered if I might be a tad too old for the hotel’s brand of humor aimed at millennials. But I felt quite comfortable even at, er, 39. If your loyalty program isn’t the biggest factor in your hotel selection, you’ll find Virgin an appealing choice for a trip to Chicago. Next up is a property on Nashville’s Music Row (2016), then New York in hot NoMad (2017), both new builds.

Rumors swirl of a possible Virgin Hotel in San Francisco, but for now they remain just rumors.

See full slideshow of grand opening event

Have you experienced the Virgin Hotel in Chicago? What did you think? Let us know in the comments.

–-Nancy Branka

Disclosure: Nancy Branka was a guest of Virgin America at this event.

Did you miss our TravelSkills’ Weekend Editions? Not to worry! Here they are:

Runway closure at LAX + New Starwood brand + More passport kiosks + New tier for IHG elites + Fast cars

Delta cutting back + Virgin shines + Southwest seats + Cool coach seat design + Star Wars jet

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End of the hotel room phone?

MobileSuites

Prognosticators have long predicted the end of the hotel room phone. A new app will likely hasten its demise.

Starting March 1 you can use your smartphone to request nearly every hotel service, at over 1,200  big brand name hotels, with a new app called MobileSuites. By big brands, we are talking Marriott, Starwood, Hyatt and Hilton. (See below for examples.)sponsored-slider

Yep, you can use it to order a pot of coffee and toast from room service, schedule a taxi pick up, make a dinner reservation, request housekeeping, book a spa appointment or check out. You can even make these requests before you arrive at the hotel. 6. MobileSuites App - Housekeeping

So, instead of requesting hotel services the old fashioned way via the clunky, dirty room phone (and likely waiting on hold) you can now get what you need with just a few taps on your smart phone, according to Dennis Meng, MobileSuites CEO, who collaborated with TravelSkills on this sponsored post.

What’s most unique about the MobileSuites app is that it can be used across several brands. Meng said that his company waited to launch the app until they had a critical mass of key hotels in major cities around the country.

How does it work? The app is customized for each hotel. Once you are at the hotel and launch the app, geolocation engages, recognizes the property you are in and launches that hotel’s app, displaying the various functions available. You simply make your requests and the hotel responds in minutes with a confirmation email, so you know that that pot of coffee is on its way!

The MobileSuites team is now working to provide mobile check in across all hotels on the app. The next step in development will be a move toward keyless entry— using your app enabled phone to open your hotel room door.

You may have downloaded the recent batch of new apps offered by various hotel brands, which are great when it comes to making reservations or tracking loyalty points, but few of them do much for guests once they are inside the hotel. And none of them work across multiple brands.

“Travelers are a lot less brand-loyal today than they were just 5-10 years ago. We wanted to provide a solution that delivers a fantastic experience but gives travelers the flexibility to stay wherever they want and find value in having every brand in one app. We didn’t want to create a world where they’d have to use a new app for every different hotel,” says MobileSuites‘ Meng.  He added that the company expects to double or even triple its coverage of hotels in the next six months, and could have as many as 5,000 by the end of this year.

To promote the app’s launch, MobileSuites is offering users the chance to win a free three night stay at any hotel on its network. Destinations include Hawaii, Miami, New York, San Diego, and many more. To be entered in the lottery, users just need to sign up and refer a friend at http://mobilesuitesapp.com/refer.

They’ve built a database of over 1200 hotels across North America, including many hotels from the major hotel chains, and they’re adding new hotels every day. Through their app, they help facilitate the interaction between guests and hotels, even though they are not yet partnered with the major hotel chains.

Here’s a short list of some of the biggest or best known hotels on the MobileSuites app:

  • W New York – Times Square | New York, NY
  • Hyatt Regency Chicago | Chicago, IL
  • Hilton San Francisco Union Square | San Francisco, CA
  • Sheraton Dallas Hotel | Dallas, TX
  • Westin Bonaventure Hotel | Los Angeles, CA
  • Philadelphia Marriott Downtown | Philadelphia, PA
  • Waldorf Astoria New York | New York, NY
  • JW Marriott / Ritz-Carlton Orlando Grande Lakes | Orlando, FL
  • Four Seasons Washington D.C. | Washington, DC
  • Hyatt at Olive 8 | Seattle, WA

Disclosure: Thank you for reading TravelSkills! We will periodically send out messages like this one from commercial partners about topics relevant to frequent travel.  Our sponsors’ support, and yours, help us keep TravelSkills a free publication. 

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AirTran is over + SkyTeam priority perks + Hotel wi-fi standards + AMEX lounge for SYD

It's all Southwest, all the time at ATL these days. AirTran is no longer visible (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

It’s all Southwest, all the time at ATL’s North Terminal these days. AirTran is no longer visible (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

AIRLINES

AirTran’s legacy for Southwest. With Southwest subsidiary AirTran Airways due to fly off into the pages of aviation history this week as its last remnants are fully absorbed into its parent airline, Forbes takes a look at just what AirTran has brought to the larger carrier. Besides making Southwest the largest U.S. airline (in passengers flown), AirTran has given it international routes, a bastion in Delta’s fortress hub at ATL, and set the stage for new domestic growth. The magazine also notes that Southwest’s integration of AirTran was one of the smoothest mergers of the past several years. Here’s a good WABE/NPR report on AirTran’s final flight. What do you remember most about AirTran? What will you miss most? Please leave your comments below.

More summer Europe routes: UA, DL. United and Delta have both announced additional seasonal summer service to Europe. United plans to fly from Chicago O’Hare to Rome from June 3 to September 23, using a three-class 777. Delta will begin 767-300 flights from Atlanta to Dublin five days a week on March 29, increasing to daily June 1; 757-200 service from New York JFK to Stockholm four times a week as of June 5, increasing to five a week June 15; and 757-200 flights from JFK to Malaga, Spain beginning with five weekly frequencies June 4 and increasing to daily on June 29. Good news: More summer flights to Europe usually means better award seat availability.

WeekendEdition

BUS_P002

Guest using Wi-fi at Hyatt Regency Chicago (Photo: Hyatt)

HOTELS

Hyatt’s free Wi-Fi: Everyone, everywhere. Just days after Starwood Hotels matched Marriott by saying it would offer free standard Wi-Fi systemwide to members of its Preferred Guest program who book directly through a Starwood channel, Hyatt has upped the ante on those two lodging giants. Starting in February, Hyatt said, it will offer free Internet in all guest rooms and public spaces of all its brands worldwide — and you don’t have to book through a Hyatt channel or even be a member of Gold Plus Rewards to get it. “Internet connectivity is no longer an amenity. It has become an integral part of travelers’ daily lives and a basic expectation,” said Kristine Rose, Hyatt’s VP for brands. “Travelers shouldn’t have to remember which brands or locations offer it for free or the strings attached to get it.” Currently, free Wi-Fi at Hyatt is limited to certain brands and to elite Gold Passport members. The company noted that where it is available, Gold Passport Diamonds and Platinums will get a free upgrade to premium Wi-Fi service.

tmarriottachotelneworleansbourbon

Lounge at Marriott’s AC Hotel New Orleans Bourbon (Photo:: Marriott)

Free hotel Wi-Fi: Great perk or gimmick? Now that Marriott, Starwood and Hyatt have all announced plans to offer free Wi-Fi systemwide in the weeks ahead — launching a bandwagon that other chains are likely to jump on — travelers will have to judge whether the free version is fast and reliable enough. In each case, the three hotel companies will also provide “premium” Internet access for free to the top elite members of their loyalty programs. As Starwood defines it, “Standard Internet access is sufficient for web browsing and emailing. Premium Internet access allows for streaming content and downloading large files.” But those are fairly vague definitions. With increasing numbers of travelers carrying more and more devices, all siphoning data through that same “standard” Wi-Fi pipe, will current hotel systems be sufficient for the demand? Gary Shapiro, president of the Consumer Electronics Association, suggested in a USA Today column last week that it’s time for the lodging industry to develop common standards for the levels of Wi-Fi connectivity hotels offer their guests, with clear guidelines as to who gets what, and for what cost (if any). In our own reader poll, conducted after Marriott started the free standard Wi-Fi ball rolling in October, only 28 percent were happy with a basic Wi-Fi connection, while 54 percent said they would use it, but it was “frustrating,” and 18 percent preferred to pay for a faster link. What’s your opinion on this issue? Share your comments below.

Openings, rebrandings: Marriott, Starwood, Four Seasons, etc. The first U.S. property in the AC Hotels by Marriott brand — which has 75 locations in Europe — opened this month in New Orleans. The AC Hotel New Orleans Bourbon is in the old cotton exchange building on Carondelet Street at the edge of the French Quarter … Also newly opened in The Big Easy is Starwood’s 410-room Le Meridien New Orleans, a remaking of the former W Hotel … There’s a second new Le Meridien in the South: Le Meridien Charlotte, close to that city’s Uptown Business District, is a transformation of the hotel previously known as the Sheraton Charlotte and the Charlotte City Center Hotel … Philadelphia will lose its Four Seasons Hotel in June, when the property is due to close for renovations before reopening under an as-yet-unnamed brand … Newly opened in the heart of downtown Miami is the YVE Hotel Miami, an upscale concept property that will, for instance, offer its guests bikes, scooters and Car2Go vehicles to get around town … Outside the U.S., the former Four Seasons Hotel in Dublin, Ireland, will become the InterContinental Dublin on January 1 … In Colombia, Starwood has cut the ribbon on the 168-room W Bogota in the center of town, its third W property in Latin America.

Resolve to get more out of your good credit score in 2015 with a new credit card! Here are our picks for the two best all-around cards— Both currently offer 40,000 mile sign up bonuses!

AIRPORTS

SkyPriorityatTokyoNarita

SkyTeam aligns priority perks. Delta’s SkyTeam global alliance — which includes Air France, KLM and 17 other carriers — said last week it has become the first alliance “to deliver aligned priority services worldwide” for Elite Plus, first and business class customers at some 1,000 airports. And at the world’s top 60 airports, SkyTeam said, it is currently rolling out SkyPriority Fast Track lanes at security checkpoints (already at 39 locations) and immigration (now available at 21 airports) for its premium flyers. The global program offers premium customers priority check-in areas and baggage drop-off, priority service at ticketing and transfer desks, and priority boarding and baggage handling. Readers: What’s your experience with finding common procedures and policies in place when you connect across global alliance partners? Any problems?

Sydney gets two new lounges. The International Terminal at Sydney, Australia’s airport has added two new lounges for weary travelers. American Express has cut the ribbon on a new Lounge that seats 60 and offers Wi-Fi, power outlets, food and beverages and more. It’s open to AmEx Platinum and Centurion cardholders for free, and to other AmEx cardholders for $55. Meanwhile, Delta’s SkyTeam alliance also has a new lounge at SYD, with seating for 150 travelers as well as showers, massage chairs, food and beverage service and Wi-Fi. It’s available for business class passengers on SkyTeam carriers, and for elite members of their loyalty programs.

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New breed of hotel discount sites

The Trivago Guy is finding the best hotel rates in our test (Photo: Trivago)

The Trivago Guy is finding the best hotel rates in our test (Photo: Trivago)

It’s hard to miss the Trivago commercials on TV these days – they seem to be everywhere, and were propelled to infamy by a blogosphere riveted by the slightly disheveled look of the spokesperson, the aptly named “Trivago guy.”

So pushing past the hype, how does current crop of newly popular hotel-only search sites pan out for business travelers? Let’s take a look at Trivago, TripBAM, Hotel Tonight, Hotel Power and All The Rooms.

Trivago

Trivago found a rate of $299 at the Westin San Francisco on our sample search for Weds Dec 17

Trivago found a rate of $299 at the Westin San Francisco on our sample search for Weds Dec 17

As part of a recent investment by Expedia,  Trivago’s hotel inventory is now mammoth, and it continues to grow in popularity. For business travelers, the key feature being able to search for rates for the same room across multiple websites – it’s almost a meta-of-metas, showing how much a specific room costs across 260 websites.

Trivago is a quick and clean way to surface competitive pricing, and allows self-booking business travelers the ability to quickly understand the rate landscape for a particular trip. The Trivago rating is also useful, as it scrapes reviews from across the web and combines them into an overview score – super handy information to have while researching.

It’s great for business travelers on a budget or those responsible for managing their own travel, in addition to those seeking the best deals at specific hotel brands. The size and scope of the service has made for quick converts of many business travelers – and the newly updated mobile app makes these searches fun and painless.

TripBAM

TripBam monitors the web for the best rate within a geographic cluster

TripBam monitors the web for the best rate within a geographic cluster

TripBAM is a managed traveler’s dream, as it allows travelers to search for the lowest rates for a particular hotel or several hotels over time. The service allows the user to set a geographic bound, or “hotel cluster,” and then it monitors for rate changes within it, allowing you to cancel and re-book a hotel at that better rate. Plus, the site is easy to navigate and a lot of fun with a Batman-like cartoon quality.

This means that travelers can stick within their company’s travel policy while still having the independence of an unmanaged traveler. The “set it and forget it” nature of the monitoring service is its true genius, and will quickly rack up savings in both travel spend and trip planning time – no more having to check hotel rates every day to see if they’ve dropped. Definitely worth a look!

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HotelTonight

Hotel Tonight's advance rate at the Westin SF was slightly higher at $299

Hotel Tonight’s advance rate for Dec 17 at the Westin SF at $299, too

HotelTonight is definitely the hippest of the bunch – whereas the Trivago guy has made Trivago approachable to the masses, HotelTonight maintains its cult status as a hipster favorite with crossover appeal to the tech and design-minded crowd.

The brand has broadened appeal to business travelers with the recent addition of 7-day advance booking. This means that close-in trips can now be booked at the rates negotiated by HotelTonight. However, it’s rare to see HotelTonight advance rates differ much from what you might find elsewhere- it’s best deals are still found last-minute on the day that you want to stay.

This option is best for the non-brand-loyal, smartphone-focused traveler looking for a quick and visually rich experience– and a good last-minute deal. To sweeten the deal even more, right now it’s offering a nice $25 discount for bookings charged to MasterCard- details here. 

All the Rooms

AllTheRooms offered the same $299 rate, but also showed this VRBO apartment nearby for $175

AllTheRooms offered the same $299 rate for the Westin SF on Dec 17, but also showed this VRBO apartment nearby for $175

What’s new about AllTheRooms is that its search results show not only hotels, but private room offerings from increasingly popular sites such as Airbnb and VRBO. It’s a super helpful comparison tool to use when hotels seem overpriced… or sold out. For example, the site showed a rate at the Westin San Francisco for $299 (same as most other sites) but also provided a link to this 1 bedroom Financial District apartment on VRBO for $175.

HotelPower

HotelPower

HotelPower’s search found a rate of $329 for the Westin SF on Dec 17

HotelPower claims 400,000 properties in its inventory base, reaching further than the more curated options such as HotelTonight.

While the interface won’t win any awards, HotelPower is more about the savings. The brand that it offers 50-70% off posted hotel rates for members paying a subscription fee ($4.95 trial, then $49.95/yr), and also has a cash back program for specific hotels. It also says that it offers member extras such as complimentary upgrades, free breakfasts and late checkout– perks usually reserved only for elite level members of hotel loyalty programs.  However, you won’t see those extra bennies until you get behind the paywall.

Trivago is the winner here for overall ease-of-use and growing global scope – especially via the newly refreshed mobile app. TripBAM is the winner for locking in any savings when hotel rates drop – a combination of the two could be a quite potent combination for brand-flexible and savings-minded business travelers.

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5 ways to sleep better at hotels

Getting to sleep and staying that way can be the supreme challenge when on the road. (Photo: 900hp/Flickr)

Travel can be the enemy of sleep. I’ve spent too many nights in hotel rooms—as you probably have, too—unable to fall asleep (after all, it’s only whatever-o’clock at home) or tossing and turning (who could be stomping down the hall at 3 a.m.?). It’s all-the-more frustrating because you know getting a good night’s sleep will be essential to performing well at your business meeting in the morning.

Sure, you can use medication or melatonin to help regulate your sleep when traveling. But there are also some simple, non-medical ways to ensure a peaceful sleep while at hotels.

>Bring your own alarm. Use an alarm on your phone or go old-school and bring along a travel alarm. Do not rely on a wake-up call from the hotel or trust your ability to properly set an unfamiliar alarm clock. Important: if you aren’t using the hotel alarm clock, be sure the alarm is set to “off”, so it does not go off in the middle of the night. If you can’t figure out how to do that, just unplug it.

>Keep neighbors at bay. Always ask for a non-adjoining, non-connecting room when you check in. (Not sure about the difference? Read this.) Sounds from noisy neighbors can seep under the door and disturb you. If you get stuck in such a room, take a preemptive strike against interruption by rolling up a towel and placing it along the crack at the base of the door.

>Do not disturb. Always hang the “Do Not Disturb” notice on your door. Hotel staff will respect that, and rowdy guests in the hallway might quiet down if they know someone is trying to sleep. Call the hotel operator and ask for all calls to be blocked. If you are not using your mobile phone as your alarm clock, turn it off; if you’re using its alarm, set notifications to silent. Slide the door bolt across so you won’t worry that someone may inadvertently enter your room.

Screen Shot 2014-10-03 at 12.00.50 PM

A good Bucky eye mask and earplugs can help ensure slumber (Photo: Bucky.com)

>Travel equipped. Keep a set of comfortable eyeshades and earplugs permanently packed. Airline amenity kits usually come equipped with these, so they’re a great source for maintaining stock. There are two types of earplugs: the more common type is made with expandable foam. A less common, but much more effective type is made of soft wax or silicone that completely seals off the ear canal. Beware—moldable earplugs work so well that you could sleep through an alarm or wake up call. Both types can be found at your local drugstore. If you’re caught without earplugs, just ask—most hotels can provide them. And if your room’s curtains won’t close tight and you forgot eyeshades, use a slacks hanger in the closet to clamp the curtains together.

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>White noise. Try using the hotel room heater or air conditioning fan to provide enough “white noise” to drown out disturbances. When doing so, be sure the switch is set to “on” instead of “auto” which can make the fan go on and off throughout the night. There are also several helpful white noise apps to use with your smartphone.

>Location, location, location. At the hotel, choose a room on a higher floor, away from elevators, ice machines, hotel bars, stairways or entryways. Or simply ask for a very quiet room—front desk staff usually know which areas of the hotel are the most peaceful. Also, north or west facing rooms are less affected by early morning light.

Do you sleep better in the hotel or at home? What’s your best tip for getting some shut eye on the road? Share your tips in the comments.

>>Take a peek at what you may have missed on TravelSkills.com this week! <<

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Don’t make these 8 mistakes in San Francisco

Now that's an unusual approach to SFO, right? (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Now that’s an unusual approach to SFO, right? (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Nearly every frequent traveler visits San Francisco at least one time each year. And it’s most likely that visit will take place between September and December, the city’s peak convention season.

That’s especially true if you are in the tech or related fields. For example, San Francisco-based cloud computing giant Salesforce.com puts on its annual Dreamforce conference in the fall at the city’s sprawling Moscone Convention Center, attracting 60,000+ people.Oracle’s OpenWorld conference is usually just before or just after Dreamforce.

When a big “citywide” like that comes to town, nearly every hotel in the Bay Area is sold out, or its rates are hyper-inflated. During these peak weeks,  you’ll pay a minimum of about $500 for an decent room and feel lucky that you even found one. When citywides come into town, Airbnb hosts lick their chops and fluff their pillows. Restaurant reservations become scant. And Uber drivers kiss their families goodbye and work double shifts for several days in a row.

UPDATE! CNN liked this post so much they came to SF with cameras and Chris gave em a tour! See the video here. 

So now’s probably a great time to offer some advice to the arriving throngs—and this advice is good whether you are coming San Francisco next week or next year. (If you are in SF, please forward this to your future guests!)

1>Don’t schedule business meetings on Friday afternoons after 2 p.m. On Fridays, when New York closes for the weekend at 5 pm eastern, so does much of San Francisco (at 2 pm Pacific) especially when it’s warm and sunny outside. Cocktail and beer carts start making the rounds in offices at about 3 p.m. While there are exceptions to this rule, your Bay Area colleagues are likely to groan if you send out a calendar invite for a 4 p.m. meeting on Friday. Make it at 11 a.m. instead.

Sunset at the Golden Gate Bridge (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

2>Don’t be surprised about an early start. In a similar vein, know that the workday starts relatively early here, so an 8:30 a.m. meeting is not considered out of order. If that feels too early for you, just bring along some caffeine from Blue Bottle, Ritual or Philz and you’ll be fine. Lunch hour begins promptly at noon, but you find that locals may ask you to show up at 11:45 a.m. “to beat the crowds.” Expect the same early schedule for dinner meetings, which can and do start as early at 6 p.m. Most restaurants are empty by 9:30 on weekdays and by 10:30 p.m. on weekends.

3>Don’t always rely on taxicabs. This is Uber’s hometown, so download the app and use it if you haven’t already done so and enjoy all the different “flavors” of Uber available in the Bay Area, which include the standard town car UberBLACK, private car “citizen driver” UberX (cheaper than taxis), UberSUV, UberXL, and the new UberPOOL where you share a ride with someone else headed in the same direction. Cabs are fine when available, but the industry has been decimated by the likes of Uber and Lyft and their business is down by 65%. Don’t rent a car at the airport unless it’s absolutely essential. SFO rental rates are notoriously high, the car rental center at is distant and unloved, and downtown hotel parking rates are in the $60 per night range.

4>Don’t put off making dinner reservations. This town is HOT and wealthy right now, full of cool kids and visitors with sophisticated palates who love to dine out. If you are here to try the city’s best restaurants, make reservations at least two or three weeks in advance…or more for top spots like Boulevard, Frances, State Bird Provisions, Gary Danko, and others.  One common mistake among visitors is thinking that the city’s best Chinese food is in Chinatown. Not necessarily. Grab an Uber or jump on Muni and head out to the western neighborhoods like the Sunset or Inner Richmond which stake claim to the real thing.

San Franciscan use both Muni streetcars pictured here as well as BART (Photo: SFMTA)

5>Don’t confuse subways. You should know that San Francisco has TWO main subway systems—BART is the rapid rail regional system with several stations along Market Street connecting out to the suburbs and airport. MUNI is the slower central city subway & streetcar system used frequently (and frequently derided) by inner city residents. Of course, there are San Francisco’s fabled cable cars, but those are mostly a tourist attraction and rarely a primary means of transport for locals.

6>Don’t think BART to airport is going to save much time. BART is a great option for those who travel light, but you should know that takes 30-40 minutes to get to the Embarcadero from SFO (for $8.65 each way). Plus, you’ll have to walk to your hotel from the nearest BART station (see below). If there’s no traffic, a taxi or Uber can get you to or from the airport in about 20 minutes. UberBLACK flat rates are $68. UberX can be about half that. And cabs run about $50 including tip.

Chris McGinnis San Francisco

Chris McGinnis in the fog with his dog at Twin Peaks in SF- a great excursion for visitors!

7>Consider hills when walking. First timers with hotels on Nob Hill may look at a map and think, “Oh, I’ll just walk to my hotel from Market Street. It’s close.” Well, yes, it’s close as the bird flies, but try lugging your rollaboard up the side of the hill to the Ritz-Carlton, Fairmont, Scarlet Huntington or Mark Hopkins and you’ll learn quickly that this may not be the smartest option. Especially if you are wearing heels!

8>Don’t forget your layers. While the rest of the country is experiencing an autumnal cool-off right now, SF is experiencing its typical October heat wave, so that new black sweater or suit won’t work when it’s 85 in the city during the day. But of course, it could be perfect in a matter of hours when the fog, a storm or cold front blow in off the Pacific. (By the way, wear black here. It always works.)

Finally, never call San Francisco “Frisco” or “San Fran.” Laid back locals won’t say anything, but inside, you can bet they are groaning. To be safe, just call it “The City” or San Francisco.

I’m sure our many Bay Area readers can add to this list, so please fire away in the comments section below and help your fellow frequent traveler headed west!

–Chris McGinnis

.

>Take a peek at what you may have missed on TravelSkills.com this week! <<

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10 little things some hotels get right

When it comes to the best hotel stays, it’s not plush spas, marble lobbies and striking architecture that really matter.

It’s the little things some hotels get right that really make a difference…and make us want to come back. Am I right?

Here are 10 little things I’ve noticed that always make me feel good about the hotel I’m staying in:

(Photo: Chris McGinnis)

(Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Real cream (such as these “mini-moos”) provided with in-room coffee maker…and not those nasty packets “non-dairy creamer.”

(Photo: Chris McGinnis)

(Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Real exhaust fans in the bathroom- not just some spooky looking “vent.” 

Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Photo: Chris McGinnis)

A clean TV remote… plus a TV that does not make me flip through menus and pay per view ads to get to CNN

(Photo: Chris McGinnis)

(Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Light switches that do not require an engineering degree to operate. (Who needs “twilight” in a hotel room?)

In Copenhagen! I usually prefer a walk in shower, but this tub shower with a view was pretty nice! (Chris McGinnis)

In Copenhagen! (Chris McGinnis)

A shower with plenty of light a glass door and no filthy shower curtain. 

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(Photo: Chris McGinnis)

(Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Real hangers, please! 

This hotel in Bangkok only had a heavy curtain separating the bathroom from the guest room. (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

This hotel in Bangkok only had a heavy curtain separating the bathroom from the guest room. (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

A real door that closes to the bathroom (not some sliding wall that does not block bathroom sound, light or odors)

(Photo: Chris McGinnis)

(Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Windows that open to the outside– no hermetically sealed rooms, please. 

(Photo: Chris McGinnis)

(Photo: Chris McGinnis)

An easy to understand thermostat with AC that is not “motion controlled” and turns off in the middle of the night.

(Chris McGinnis)

(Chris McGinnis)

Plenty of knobs on which to hang towels, clothes or toilet kits in the bathroom.

(Photo: Chris McGinnis)

(Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Glasses, cups or mugs that are wrapped in plastic so I know they are clean

One thing I have not yet seen, but would love to: A hotel that provides a mouse pad for use on glass-topped desks! Has anyone ever seen that? I usually have to use a menu or magazine to make my portable mouse work.

What are the “little things” that you notice when you stay at a great hotel? Please leave your comments below.

–Chris McGinnis

 

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10 things about new Aloft hotels

IMG_2704

Over the last year, I’ve been hearing a lot about the new Aloft hotel brand from Starwood. Since I have not had the chance to sleep over in one yet, I asked for a tour of the Aloft San Francisco Airport, one of the three Aloft hotels in the Bay Area—all of which have opened in the last year.

With my camera and notepad I met up with hotel sales & marketing manager Janfred Agarao who showed me around the hotel located on Millbrae Ave just south of SFO.

(click here for my Google+ slideshow of the Aloft at SFO)

Here’s what I saw and learned.

>The Aloft brand is billed as “A Vision of W Hotels” and it’s clear that the W is from where the new chain’s quirky and colorful spirit comes. The SFO property was the 62nd Aloft hotel to open—Starwood expects to have 80 by the end of this year. The other Bay Area locations the Aloft Silicon Valley, located in Newark, which used to be the old W Silicon Valley, and the Aloft Cupertino, near the Apple campus.)

>Most Aloft hotels are built new-from-the-ground-up, but this building started out in the 60’s as the Thunderbird Hotel (which starred in the film, Bullitt), and most recently was a Clarion hotel. Starwood came in and took the building down to the studs and added brand new space, so the look and feel is brand spanking new.

IMG_2751

>The six story Aloft at SFO opened last September with 252 rooms. Its average rate is about $239 per night. Occupancy is healthy—the hotel regularly sells out on midweek on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, but struggles to fill up on weekends (which is when rates take a tumble to the $150 range).

(click here for my Google+ slideshow of the Aloft at SFO)

>Most Aloft hotels are located in suburbs, near airports or on the fringes of major downtown areas. For example, New York City locations are in Harlem and in Brooklyn.

IMG_2723

>The lobby of the Aloft at SFO is big, bright and lively—the hotel calls it the “remix area” and there’s room for small groups to gather, communal tables, an unusual blue pool table, free wi-fi, and electrical outlets all over the place. Stationary iPads are available for browsing or making reservations via OpenTable. There are also two desktop computers and a printer.

>Food service is “grab and go” with a wide variety of snacks, such as prepared salads and sandwiches Butterfingers, trail mix or Doritos, Ben & Jerry’s ice cream or It’s It bars are available for sale. Guests who want a full service meal can walk across the parking lot to the Westin hotel.

IMG_2722

>Agarao said that the busiest time in the lobby is morning and during happy hour, from 5-8 pm when there’s live acoustical music and discounts on snacks, beer and designer cocktails at the WXYZ bar– muddled watermelon martinis anyone?

(click here for my Google+ slideshow of the Aloft at SFO)

>While Starwood is clearly trying to cater to a younger crowd with the Aloft brand, Agarao said guests generally range from 20 to 50 years old.

IMG_2735

>Beds in nearly every room at the Aloft are placed opposite the window instead of lining up along side it as they do in most hotel rooms. Good feng shui? Who knows? But rooms appear modern, comfortable and well appointed with Bliss bath products, coffee makers and quirky touches like retro-clocks.

>Rooms located on the hotel’s 6th floor offer excellent views of planes taking off and landing on SFO runways…a hypnotizing sight…and only minimal rumbles from jet blasts.

(click here for my Google+ slideshow of the Aloft at SFO)

Have you stayed at an Aloft hotel yet? Let us know what you think! Please leave your comments below! 

—Chris McGinnis

***

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Do you trust hotel review sites? [Infographic]

Copenhagen's elegant Hotel D'Angleterre opens May 1 after a 2 year re-do (Chris McGinnis)

Copenhagen’s elegant Hotel D’Angleterre opens May 1 after a 2 year re-do (Chris McGinnis)

Nearly every traveler I know (including me) checks out hotels on TripAdvisor before making a booking. I’m sure you do, too. Right? The infographic below provides an interesting look at how travelers use the review sites and what makes them trustworthy. It also provides some tips on spotting “fake” reviews.

How do YOU feel about hotel review sites? Do you use them? Trust them? Other than TripAdvisor, which sites do you find most helpful?

Please leave your comments below!

HotelReviews-olery-infograph-FULL

–Chris McGinnis

*****

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4 fabulous 5-star hotels in London worth checking into

The view across the Thames from London’s new Corinthia Hotel– that pointy building surrounded by cranes in the background is The Shard, Europe’s newest, tallest building. (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

I love London for many reasons, most of which revolve around my career in the travel biz. To me, the city just feels like the center of the universe, so every time London calls, I answer!

The dynamic London hotel scene is endlessly fascinating. There is always plenty of experimentation, unusual quirks and something new or unusual to check out.

In preparation for the visitor onslaught brought on by they upcoming Summer Olympics, I recently took off across the pond for a peek at the London hotel scene, and found four fabulous new (or newly renovated) five-star properties worth checking into.

Even if you can’t spend the night, it’s worth stopping by their lively lobbies to have a drink and a gawk at the cool design, have a meal or just to sit and enjoy the outstanding people watching.

A two-ton, LED illuminated Baccarat crystal chandelier sparkles in the lobby of London’s brand new Corinthia Hotel (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Corinthia Hotel London:

Wow! London’s not seen a stunner like this since the much anticipated re-opening of Fairmont’s Savoy Hotel in 2010. Just walking into the big, bright and airy lobby takes your breath away.

This magnificent 294-room newcomer is housed in a gorgeous, historic Victorian-era building that’s been so deeply renovated that it feels brand new. There’s none of the creaky floors, noisy plumbing or mustiness found in some of the capital’s finest grand dames. Rooms are modern, clean, and very big by London standards.

But it’s the big, bright, and buzzy lobby that really wowed me. In the center of the space is a soaring dome adorned with a giant, two-ton, globe-shaped Baccarat crystal chandelier composed of 1,001 grapefruit-sized crystal baubles—each illuminated from within with a tiny white LED light. Even if you don’t stay at the hotel, it’s worth walking through the lobby just to see this gorgeous work. While you are at it, pop in for a meal at one of the hotel’s two popular restaurants, The Northall (traditional British fare with a fresh twist) or Massimo’s (Italian seafood).

The Corinthia also earns high marks from business travelers because it’s one of the few five-star London hotels that include high-speed wi-fi in the nightly rate. Another big selling point for Americans is its liberal no-restrictions check-in and check-out policy—if you are arriving on an early morning flight, just let the hotel know beforehand, and your room will be ready when you arrive—no interminable wait in the lobby while your room is made up

The imposing, yellow sandstone building in Whitehall previously housed Britain’s Ministry of Defense. Malta-based Corinthia Hotels reportedly bought the building and restored it to the tune of about $550 million. Construction began in 2008, and the hotel opened in April 2011. See www.corinthia.com/London

Hipster doormen in rolled jeans and flannels set the scene at London’s new bohemian chic Belgraves hotel

Belgraves

If your business is showbiz, fashion, tech, PR or advertising, the brand new Belgraves hotel is custom-made just for you. It’s the first British outpost of the popular NYC-based Thompson Hotels Group (which recently merged with SF-base Joie de Vivre hotels), and inserts a bit bohemian Americana to its buttoned-up Belgravia neighborhood near Sloane Square. The 85-room hotel, which opened on February 1, is located in the shell of the old Sheraton Belgravia hotel—but there’s nothing Sheraton about this place anymore.

American touches abound– Check out the jeans-and-flannel-clad hipster doormen, or the US flag art behind the front desk. The mid-century modern furnishings in the cozy lobby conversation nooks are straight out of Mad Men.

Comfy-mod rooms have smallish bay windows with plush jewel-toned velvet love seats, and big bright marble bathrooms with tubs that overlook a leafy square across the street. Nice touch: Bedside docking stations can accommodate either an iPad or iPhone. See http://www.thompsonhotels.com/hotels/london/belgraves

Spectacular city views from the glass-walled 10th floor spa atop London’s recently renovated Four Seasons Park Lane Hotel. (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Four Seasons Park Lane

The Four Seasons on Park Lane oozes opulence as soon as you step out of your black London taxi in the porte cochere. Handsome doormen in knee length brown jackets and snappy English Trilby hats greet you by name (by sneaking a look at the tag on your bag). Well-heeled guests in finely tailored suits, Italian shoes and horn rimmed specs float through the lobby on their way to their rooms or to the hotel’s popular Amaranto restaurant.

Originally built in 1970, the hotel closed in 2008 for a complete makeover, and re-opened in January 2011. The sumptuous lobby is now bathed in sexy white streaked Italian black marble and mahogany paneling, trimmed in red leather and spritzed with hundreds of white orchids.

Room design is mostly masculine—reds, browns and wood paneling. Black leather covered desks. Light brown and orange wool tartan curtains, big walk in closets. There are even 32 rooms with working fireplaces.

During the recent re-do, the nine story, 217-room hotel got a tenth floor—housing a gorgeous light and airy spa, gym with views across Mayfair to the London Eye, the new Shard and the City. This aerie also serves as a day lounge where early arriving guests can set up shop while waiting for their rooms.

Nice: The hotel also has two big black Rolls-Royces on hand to shuttle guests to points within central London. See www.fourseasons.com/london/ Note: There are two Four Seasons in London—the other is located in Canary Wharf on the city’s eastern edge.

Gothic architecture looms over London’s fab new Renaissance St Pancras hotel (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Renaissance St Pancras

When my cab pulled up to the front of this north-central London hotel, I felt like I was arriving at Hogwarts with its ominous clock tower, gothic arches, spires, red brick and wrought iron. The hotel is actually part of the London St Pancras International train station, built over 150 years ago, but redeveloped in the last decade.

The old hotel part of the station had fallen into disrepair, and was nearly demolished when developers swooped in and returned the space to its former glory as a very unique luxury hotel—unlike any Marriott-branded hotel I’ve ever stayed in.

For instance, developers transformed the station’s old iron and glass porte cochere into a lively, bright lobby area. The adjacent ticketing office is now a warm and clubby lobby restaurant and bar—packed with locals as well as passengers waiting to board the Eurostar trains that depart St Pancras for Paris or Brussels.

In addition to historic (and more expensive) “chambers” rooms in the old building, a modern Marriott-style 200-room wing was added out back— not as unique, but probably better suited for business travelers who prefer to spend most of their free time in public spaces and work in their rooms. See http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/lonpr-st-pancras-renaissance-london-hotel

Disclosure: McGinnis was a guest of the house at some of the hotels mentioned in this post.


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4 fabulous new 5-star hotels in London worth checking into

The view across the Thames from London's new Corinthia Hotel-- that pointy building surrounded by cranes in the background is The Shard, Europe's newest, tallest building. (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

I love London for many reasons, most of which revolve around my career in the travel biz. To me, the city just feels like the center of the universe, so every time London calls, I answer!

The dynamic London hotel scene is endlessly fascinating. There is always plenty of experimentation, unusual quirks and something new or unusual to check out.

In preparation for the visitor onslaught brought on by they upcoming Summer Olympics, I recently took off across the pond for a peek at the London hotel scene, and found four fabulous new (or newly renovated) five-star properties worth checking into.

Even if you can’t spend the night, it’s worth stopping by their lively lobbies to have a drink and a gawk at the cool design, have a meal or just to sit and enjoy the outstanding people watching.

A two-ton, LED illuminated Baccarat crystal chandelier sparkles in the lobby of London's brand new Corinthia Hotel (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Corinthia Hotel London:

Wow! London’s not seen a stunner like this since the much anticipated re-opening of Fairmont’s Savoy Hotel in 2010. Just walking into the big, bright and airy lobby takes your breath away.

This magnificent 294-room newcomer is housed in a gorgeous, historic Victorian-era building that’s been so deeply renovated that it feels brand new. There’s none of the creaky floors, noisy plumbing or mustiness found in some of the capital’s finest grand dames. Rooms are modern, clean, and very big by London standards.

But it’s the big, bright, and buzzy lobby that really wowed me. In the center of the space is a soaring dome adorned with a giant, two-ton, globe-shaped Baccarat crystal chandelier composed of 1,001 grapefruit-sized crystal baubles—each illuminated from within with a tiny white LED light. Even if you don’t stay at the hotel, it’s worth walking through the lobby just to see this gorgeous work. While you are at it, pop in for a meal at one of the hotel’s two popular restaurants, The Northall (traditional British fare with a fresh twist) or Massimo’s (Italian seafood).

The Corinthia also earns high marks from business travelers because it’s one of the few five-star London hotels that include high-speed wi-fi in the nightly rate. Another big selling point for Americans is its liberal no-restrictions check-in and check-out policy—if you are arriving on an early morning flight, just let the hotel know beforehand, and your room will be ready when you arrive—no interminable wait in the lobby while your room is made up

The imposing, yellow sandstone building in Whitehall previously housed Britain’s Ministry of Defense. Malta-based Corinthia Hotels reportedly bought the building and restored it to the tune of about $550 million. Construction began in 2008, and the hotel opened in April 2011. See www.corinthia.com/London

 

Hipster doormen in rolled jeans and flannels set the scene at London's new bohemian chic Belgraves hotel

Belgraves

If your business is showbiz, fashion, tech, PR or advertising, the brand new Belgraves hotel is custom-made just for you. It’s the first British outpost of the popular NYC-based Thompson Hotels Group (which recently merged with SF-base Joie de Vivre hotels), and inserts a bit bohemian Americana to its buttoned-up Belgravia neighborhood near Sloane Square. The 85-room hotel, which opened on February 1, is located in the shell of the old Sheraton Belgravia hotel—but there’s nothing Sheraton about this place anymore.

American touches abound– Check out the jeans-and-flannel-clad hipster doormen, or the US flag art behind the front desk. The mid-century modern furnishings in the cozy lobby conversation nooks are straight out of Mad Men.

Comfy-mod rooms have smallish bay windows with plush jewel-toned velvet love seats, and big bright marble bathrooms with tubs that overlook a leafy square across the street. Nice touch: Bedside docking stations can accommodate either an iPad or iPhone. See http://www.thompsonhotels.com/hotels/london/belgraves

Spectacular city views from the glass-walled 10th floor spa atop London's recently renovated Four Seasons Park Lane Hotel. (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Four Seasons Park Lane

The Four Seasons on Park Lane oozes opulence as soon as you step out of your black London taxi in the porte cochere. Handsome doormen in knee length brown jackets and snappy English Trilby hats greet you by name (by sneaking a look at the tag on your bag). Well-heeled guests in finely tailored suits, Italian shoes and horn rimmed specs float through the lobby on their way to their rooms or to the hotel’s popular Amaranto restaurant.

Originally built in 1970, the hotel closed in 2008 for a complete makeover, and re-opened in January 2011. The sumptuous lobby is now bathed in sexy white streaked Italian black marble and mahogany paneling, trimmed in red leather and spritzed with hundreds of white orchids.

Room design is mostly masculine—reds, browns and wood paneling. Black leather covered desks. Light brown and orange wool tartan curtains, big walk in closets. There are even 32 rooms with working fireplaces.

During the recent re-do, the nine story, 217-room hotel got a tenth floor—housing a gorgeous light and airy spa, gym with views across Mayfair to the London Eye, the new Shard and the City. This aerie also serves as a day lounge where early arriving guests can set up shop while waiting for their rooms.

Nice: The hotel also has two big black Rolls-Royces on hand to shuttle guests to points within central London. See www.fourseasons.com/london/ Note: There are two Four Seasons in London—the other is located in Canary Wharf on the city’s eastern edge.

Gothic architecture looms over London's fab new Renaissance St Pancras hotel (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Renaissance St Pancras

When my cab pulled up to the front of this north-central London hotel, I felt like I was arriving at Hogwarts with its ominous clock tower, gothic arches, spires, red brick and wrought iron. The hotel is actually part of the London St Pancras International train station, built over 150 years ago, but redeveloped in the last decade.

The old hotel part of the station had fallen into disrepair, and was nearly demolished when developers swooped in and returned the space to its former glory as a very unique luxury hotel—unlike any Marriott-branded hotel I’ve ever stayed in.

For instance, developers transformed the station’s old iron and glass porte cochere into a lively, bright lobby area. The adjacent ticketing office is now a warm and clubby lobby restaurant and bar—packed with locals as well as passengers waiting to board the Eurostar trains that depart St Pancras for Paris or Brussels.

In addition to historic (and more expensive) “chambers” rooms in the old building, a modern Marriott-style 200-room wing was added out back— not as unique, but probably better suited for business travelers who prefer to spend most of their free time in public spaces and work in their rooms. See http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/lonpr-st-pancras-renaissance-london-hotel

Disclosure: McGinnis was a guest of the house at some of the hotels mentioned in this post.


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Cities that tax travelers most/least

Do you feel ripped off when you book a great hotel or car rental rate, but end up paying a final bill loaded up with taxes and fees? (That are used to fund things you’ll likely never use such as local stadiums or convention centers…)

The Global Business Travel Association has released the 2011 findings from its annual study of car rental, hotel and meal taxes in the top 50 U.S. travel destination cities– and the results might surprise you. For example, cities in Florida and California are cited as having the lowest taxes.

All taxes are not the same…some specifically target travelers, like Phoenix’s $2.50 rental car fee that goes to the “Maricopa County Stadium for debt retirement.” Or the 5% rental car tax imposed by San Antonio to fund “youth and amateur sports facilities.”

Cities with the lowest total tax burden ($20-$25 per day) in central city locations:

1.     Fort Lauderdale, FL

2.     Fort Myers, FL

3.     West Palm Beach, FL

4.     Detroit, MI

5.     Portland, OR

NOTE: The full list now includes many cities in California where the state sales tax recently declined a full percentage point.

Cities with the highest total taxes (around $35 per day) on travelers are:

1.     Chicago, IL

2.     New York, NY

3.     Seattle, WA

4.     Boston, MA

5.     Kansas City, MO

Discriminatory travel taxes are those imposed specifically on travel services above and beyond general sales taxes (like the ones imposed on airport car rentals to fund local projects).

The U.S. cities with the lowest discriminatory travel tax rates are:

1.     Orange County, CA

2.     San Diego, CA

3.     San Jose, CA

4.     Burbank, CA

5.     Ontario, CA

Cities with the highest discriminatory  travel taxes (those that