luxury hotels

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Luxury Hotels Emerge as Terrorist Targets

Luxury establishments are becoming terrorist targets

(Newser) - The Mumbai attacks have provided world travelers with a new cause for concern, writes the New York Times: Increasingly, luxury hotels in developing countries are becoming terrorist targets. The raids on the Taj and Oberoi hotels come only 2 months after a car bomb blew apart the Islamabad Marriott, and...

Restored Jailhouses Rock as Trendy Hotel Destinations

Old schools, factories get facelifts too as hoteliers aim to attract upscale crowd

(Newser) - Taking aim at travelers who want more than just Wi-Fi or a pool, hoteliers are converting former prisons, schools, factories, and other odd sites into luxury hotels, Portfolio reports. Younger guests who travel for leisure are demanding distinctive experiences, and the unusual locations help hotels market their rooms in a...

Hotel Bristols Abound World Over, but Nobody's Sure Why

Scores of hotels worldwide have adopted name of British port city

(Newser) - From Panama to Paris to Poland, there are more than 200 hotels in the world called Bristol, and nobody's quite sure why, the Wall Street Journal reports. Some trace the name back to the traveling 17th-century Earl of Bristol, but a native of Bristol, England—itself bereft of a Hotel...

Hotels Suited to Campaign Trail
 Hotels Suited to Campaign Trail 
GLOSSIES

Hotels Suited to Campaign Trail

Whether in a swing state or a fave with young Hollywood, Obama and McCain can rest easy

(Newser) - Following the flurry of political press linked to hotel heiress and partier-in-chief Paris Hilton, campaign accommodation now requires serious vetting. Travel + Leisure plays candidate concierge, offering lodging suggestions for the presidential hopefuls:
  • Red Rock Resort, Las Vegas: For John McCain, red-friendly name and removed from the sinful Strip. For
...

World's 10 Sexiest Hotels
 World's 10 Sexiest Hotels

World's 10 Sexiest Hotels

From spaceage to Japanese traditional, these rooms ooze appeal

(Newser) - Hotels can inspire us to do more than order room service and watch TV—or so Bill Tikos reports, in his London Times list of the planet’s 10 sexiest hotels:
  • Hotel Puerta America, Madrid: A private terrace with flowers and lemon trees creates a uniquely intimate ambience.
  • Bay of
...

Beijing Faces Glut of Hotel Rooms
Beijing Faces Glut of Hotel Rooms

Beijing Faces Glut of Hotel Rooms

Building frenzy before Olympics may have overestimated demand

(Newser) - Beijing’s newest construction binge may lead to a glut of rooms as hoteliers race to finish new properties before the Olympic Games begin in August, the Wall Street Journal reports. When the Games open, Beijing will have 50 five-star hotels, more than double the total of five years ago....

For Hotels, Upgrades at Top Boost Bottom Line

Making suites even sweeter has trickle-down effect to lower income brackets

(Newser) - Luxury hotels are spending money to make money, but the dollars aren’t flowing into the average traveler’s quarters, the Wall Street Journal reports. With competition growing and demand for rooms lacking, hotels are burnishing their top suites—some costing $30,000 a night—hoping the added glitz will...

Best Hotels for Star Sightings
 Best Hotels for Star Sightings 

Best Hotels for Star Sightings

Tips on staying where the celebs stay, the world over

(Newser) - Ensure your vacation pics won't bore your friends by holing up in a lavish resort populated with A-list celebs. Travel+Leisure lists 10 hotels fit for the pages of US Weekly:
  1. George Clooney was spotted at the Bellagio in Las Vegas, where each 6,500-square-foot villa has a private courtyard with
...

Women-Only Saudi Hotel Raises Debate on Progress

Critics worry about segregation

(Newser) - Saudi businesswomen are embracing a hotel for women-only that frees them of the pressures from a society in which they can't drive and, until January, couldn't check into a hotel without permission from a male guardian. But others are concerned the Luthan Hotel & Spa simply reinforces the kingdom's gender...

Peru Swaps Backpackers for Well-Heeled Tourists

Luxury tours aim for big bucks from the wealthy

(Newser) - Peru’s government hopes to carve a thick slice out of the world’s luxury travel market,  aided by sumptuous trains with fancy oxygen enrichment systems and high-altitude 5-star hotels, reports Reuters. "It's not that we don't like backpackers," says the country's tourism minister, but with big...

Castro Lifts Hotel Ban for Cubans
Castro Lifts Hotel Ban for Cubans

Castro Lifts Hotel Ban for Cubans

Keeping tourist digs off-limits blasted as 'economic apartheid'

(Newser) - Raul Castro has lifted a ban on Cubans staying at hotels designated for foreign tourists, Reuters reports. The prohibition, which had been criticized as "economic apartheid," had frustrated many Cubans since the country was opened up to tourism in 1990. "Cubans can now stay at our hotels,...

Extra Room at the Inn as Hotel Biz Slows Down

Demand may be checking out as new rooms keep opening

(Newser) - The hotel business is heading for a downturn just as thousands of new rooms are about to open, the Wall Street Journal reports. One expert sees a .9% fall in demand for hotel rooms this year as the slowing economy keeps travelers at home—the first significant slump since 9/11....

Guests Want It All at Lux Hotels
Guests Want It All at Lux Hotels

Guests Want It All at Lux Hotels

Rising prices, competition, encourage heroic feats of service

(Newser) - Luxury hotels don't bat an eye at charging $500 a night, and guests are responding with increasingly zany requests, W reports. Concierges, once downright neglected by the average customer, are now routinely tasked with the impossible: Deliver an unspecified amount of breast milk, or procure a rub-down for a dog....

10 Best Valentine Getaways
10 Best Valentine Getaways

10 Best Valentine Getaways

Luxury travel website picks its favorite romantic spots

(Newser) - With Valentine's Day on the horizon, the luxury travel experts at globorati.com have come up with a list of 10 swank hotels for memorable romantic getaways. Fools for love are crazy about:
  1. Las Ventanas al Paraiso: Los Cabos, Mexico
  2. L'Hotel: Paris, France
  3. Nam Hai: Hoi An, Vietnam
  4. Maxim Bungalows:
...

9 Hotels With Incredible Perks
9 Hotels With Incredible Perks
TRAVEL

9 Hotels With Incredible Perks

At these lodgings, you can expect more than a mint on your pillow

(Newser) - Some hotels will go out of their way to guarantee guests a memorable experience. Forbes Traveler picks nine that break into "outrageous" territory:
  1. Helicopter transfers, Hilton Sao Paulo Morumbi, Brazil
  2. Sleep concierge, The Benjamin, New York City
  3. Custom scents, Palazzo Magnani Feroni, Florence

Swanky Hotels Kiss Gideons Goodbye
Swanky Hotels Kiss Gideons Goodbye

Swanky Hotels Kiss Gideons Goodbye

Upscale facilities doing away with nightstand Bibles

(Newser) - While you'll still find that copy of the New Testament waiting in lower-tier hotel and motel rooms, the Bible is slowly checking out of luxury hotels and resorts, ABC News reports.  The number of upscale hotels putting the Gospels by the bedside has dropped 18 percent since 2001. "...

Sofitel to Go (Even More) Upscale
Sofitel to Go (Even More) Upscale

Sofitel to Go (Even More) Upscale

Owner Accor will take top properties into luxury market

(Newser) - Add Sofitel to Louis Vuitton, Cartier, and Hermès—France's most luxurious brands.  At least that is what its owner, Accor, wants to do.  Accor plans to take the best of its 182 Sofitels up market, dumping 35 of the less felicitious Sofitels into a new brand called...

Luxury Hotels for the Fiscally Challenged

Even a pauper can feel pampered at these posh getaways

(Newser) - Even upscale chains like Ritz-Carlton will rent you a room for a reasonable price—if you seek out a favorable exchange rate, an independent hotel, or an off-the-beaten-track domestic destination. Forbes finds 10 luxury lodgings that are affordable even in peak season:
  1. Ritz-Carlton Kuala Lumpur, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
  2. Domaine Des
...

Plaza Hotel Celebrates 100 Years
Plaza Hotel Celebrates 100 Years

Plaza Hotel Celebrates 100 Years

Fireworks and giant cake honor renovated icon

(Newser) - New York's iconic Plaza Hotel overlooking Central Park threw itself 100th birthday party last night, complete with fireworks and a one-ton, scale-replica cake. The celebration comes as a $400-million renovation to the dowager hotel, home to the fictional Eloise and star of  dozens of movies, is nearing completion.

The Hottest Travel Trends
The Hottest Travel Trends

The Hottest Travel Trends

These innovations are changing the way travelers get around the globe

(Newser) - A hotel room in Paris for two? Trés passé! Travelers these days, says Forbes, are changing it up. The latest trends include:
  1. More hybrid vehicle rentals
  2. High-end hotels renting villas
  3. More travel by private jet

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