Cool Hotels for Bar Hopping

I don’t know about you, but I love going to hotel bars!  They are upscale, classy, and in this case….trendy. Today, there are many Hip Hotels that are stepping up their game when it comes to cool bars. Jet Setters who love traveling around the world make it a point to book hotels that have a trendy little bar scene within the hotel….it’s a requirement.  It’s about the Travel, and of course the Party!

Here are some cool hotel companies that have stepped up, and continue to re-create the hotel bar trend. And being a true Jet Setter, this is a must for hotel bar hopping!

Desire Hotels – This boutique hotel company is headquartered in Miami. They have 10 properties around the country. Known for top-notch terrace lounges, restaurants, and rooftop bars.

Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants – Always a F&B innovator, the San Francisco-based Kimpton operates more than 50 restaurants, and nearly 50 hotels in North America. Check out their newest venture; NIOS. An American restaurant and wine bar located right across from the Muse New York in the Big Apple.

NYLO Hotels – Not as big as the other hotel companies, NYLO owns three properties. NYLO recently opened the NYLO Dallas/Las Colinas that offers a sleek Texan vibe (whatever that means). You know the deal, don’t mess with Texas!

Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide – One of my favorite and newest brands that fill up the 966 hotel portfolio is the Aloft Hotels. Each property features the w xyz bar, where signature cocktails, house-made infused spirits and evening events make the bar a hot spot. Happy Hour…..foget about it!  Aloft Hotels is definitley on my top list for cool hotels with the trendiest bar scene.

Wyndham Worldwide – This massive hotel company offers 7,024 hotels and 11 hotel brands around the world! I’m like DAMN……there is no excuse to not hotel bar hop with them right! I would be done after my third location =).

So next time you are looking to plan a global bar hopping trip, look to these cool hotels. Happy Hotel Bar Hopping =)

Via: Arnel

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Las Vegas City Center Preparing to Open

www.citycenter.com

Scheduled to open this December, the CityCenter has been in the news all year. But what is it, and where will it be located?  Inquiring minds want to know right!  Well here is a little something for you to digest and get excited about.

The CityCenter sits on 67 acres between the Bellagio and Monte Carlo. Who knows where they found this space, but they are definitley using every bit of it. What we know is that the project is a joint venture between MGM Mirage and Infinity World Developement Corp., a subsidiary of Dubai World….go figure right.

There are three hotels: Vdara, Mandarin Oriental, and Aria.

Vdara (www.vdara.com) will be the first hotel to open on December 1. 1500 rooms with a large spa at 18,000 square feet with 11 treatment rooms!  Vdara will be signed as a non-gaming condo-hotel, which means all rooms will have kitchens. Rates will range from $159-$2000, not too shabby.

Mandarin Oriental, Las Vegas (www.mandarinoriental.com/lasvegas) will open on December 4. This will be the brands first move to the Las Vegas market, and will be considered an ultra-luxe property. It will be a non-gaming hotel with 392 guest rooms and 227 residences with the lobby sitting on the 23rd floor (47 stories in all). Opening rates are running $545 per night.

Aria (www.arialasvegas) will be opening on December 16. This mega hotel resort will have more than 4,000 rooms and a huge casino. Aria will be considred the core of CityCenter.  Cirque du Soleil will have a musical production based on Elvis Presley’s life at the resort. Expect the technology at Aria to be nothing but the best. The hotel will also have a two-level spa with 62…..yes 62 treatment rooms!

Shopping at the CityCenter will have high-end brands such as Luis Vuitton, Hermes, Prada, Christian Dior and Bulgari. The retail complex Crystals will have more than 500,000 square feet of shopping and dining venues.

So that’s your little sneak peek into the Las Vegas CityCenter. To find out more, just come out to Vegas in December and experience it yourself, it should be swell!

[Photo: Inhabitat.com]

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Nightlife Aboard the Norwegian Epic

Just when you think your eyes can’t get any wider, you step on board.  Welcome to the Norwegiean Epic!

Looking for a new, cool, hip cruise line that can handle your nightlife cravings? Well look no further!  Let me introduce you to  the Norwegian Epic,  the next level of Freestyle Cruising with unparalleled nightlife and entertainment.

All I can say is that the nightlife aboard the ship will be “epic”. Check out Ice Bar.  At 17 degress fahrenheit, it’s the hottest bar on the ship. A faux fur coat will keep you warm in the only true ice bar at sea……AWESOME!  Oh, the vodka helps, too.  The Norwegian Epic will have 19 bars, nightclubs and lounges, including the Ibiza-style Spice H20 and French Riviera-chic Posh Beach Club.

Sounds exciting right!  Well, the Norwegian Epic does not set sail until Summer 2010, and will be offering cruises out of Miami to the Eastern and Western Caribbean, but guess what? You can still book your cruise today =)

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In-Room iPods – The Upper House Ditches Paper Directories

Dog-eared hotel guides and room service menus covered with coffee stains and ripped out pages are a thing of the past at The Upper House, Hong Kong’s newest boutique luxury hotel. Guests open the drawer of their spacious, six-foot wooden desks to find nothing but an iPod Touch instead.

The wireless device has been completely customized by The Upper House. A quick finger-tap and you’re neck deep in all the hotel’s secrets; from the hours of the stylish Sky Lounge to the availability of complimentary mountain bikes.

It gets better—The Upper House application is interactive, encouraging guests to finger-flip through a menu and then order room service. A quick phone call from the kitchen confirms your order, just in case.

Finally, the addition of typical iPod apps like weather and stock information make this innovative gadget a must-have for any traveler in a foreign city. In-room iPods are the way of the future: efficient, eco-friendly and stylish.

This post was created on a Samsung Netbook as a part of a sponsored campaign with Samsung.  Via: Jacob Courtade – HotHotelReviews

References: upperhouse, trendhunter

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Hong Kong’s Upper House Hotel Does Technology Right

Where: 88 Queensway, Hong Kong, Hong Kong

Technology is meant to be all about making our lives easier, right? The newly-opened Upper House Hotel in Hong Kong seems to have got this figured out just right.

The hi-tech experience starts from the airport transfer in a (good-for-the-environment) hybrid Lexus car, because this car has got WiFi on board, and it’s free for you to use for the whole ride to the hotel, and back. This would sure give us a great first impression, and it sounds like it continues, because the Upper House provides free internet connection (WiFi and wired) throughout all the guest rooms and public areas of the hotel.

Things get even more convenient – for example, check-in can be done by any staff member anywhere in the hotel using their laptop computers, so you don’t have to hang around at a desk. On the day you leave, your final bill along with your credit card settlement is emailed to you, so you’re then free to leave without queuing at a desk either.

And the touch we really like is that the Upper House has thrown at the paper-based hotel directories and replaced them – not with the now-traditional TV menus – but by putting an iPod Touch in every room so we can use it to find all the info we want. If you want to experience some of this technology for yourself, they have an opening two-nights-for-one special going for HK$3,388 ($440), so get in fast.  by amandak – HotelChatter

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It’s The Most Fetishy Time of the Year: Hard Rock’s Massive Halloween Ball

Where: 4455 Paradise Rd [map], 89109

Not in the mood to get married over Halloween in Vegas? Then the place to meet the scariest and sexiest singles of the night will be at the Hard Rock’s Fetish and Fantasy Halloween Ball which is now in its 14th year.

The party kicks off at 10pm inside The Joint and will take over the Hard Rock’s convention meeting space as well. Here’s what to expect:

Daring fire performers, incredible lasers and lights, world class DJ’s, vendors, two huge dance floors, stilt walkers, freaks, monsters, surprises around every corner, and you in your naughtiest, scariest, sexiest, and most creative costumes.

The costumes will put your sexy little fraulein outfits to shame. Think lots of leather, lots of skin and lots of freaky stuff happening. And don’t assume this is just for PYTs. No, no, this party actually draws quite a healthy bunch of middle-aged folk too. (Do what you will with this info.)

A bunch of DJs and sexy-named acts like the Pussy Posse, the Girls in Rubber, and the Chain Goddess will also perform. (Remember, this is also a fetish party too.) Tickets start at a hefty $75 a person and rooms at the Hard Rock are still open but for a whopping $419 on Saturday, October 31st. That Friday is a little more doable at $179 a night.

And we don’t need to remind you to wear a costume. If you think you’ll look goofy in a costume, you’re wrong. You’ll look goofy in your jeans and t-shirt at this party.  by juliana – VegasChatter

[Photo: HalloweenBall.com.]

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W Hotel opens in Washington

If only this one had been open in January when millions rushing to D.C. to witness President Obama’s Inauguration were faced with sold-out hotels left and right. In what marks another milestone in the global expansion of the W Hotel brand, the W Hotel in Washington, D.C opened this past Thursday with a giant bash. It was a jam-packed party full of the town’s political elite, including Presidential Aide Reggie Love and the President’s personal secretary Katie Johnson, as well as celebs like Emmy Rossum who flocked to hear an intimate performance by John Legend. In an event that brought Versailles to Washington, the party was full of Marie Antoinette models sporting powdered wigs and opera glasses while guests sipped on pink cocktails and munched on cotton candy.

The new W Hotel, the 25th to open in North America, takes over the historic Hotel Washington, which opened in 1917. The new design incorporates the 1920s Beaux Arts architecture of the original building with the edgy designs of Diana Wong whose, L.A.-based firm transformed all of the interiors. Wong gathered artwork symbolizing “old Washington,” which she sprinkled among her more modern designs including a digital fireplace, crackled paint, deconstructed fixtures, and new chandeliers complimenting the original 1920s light fixtures. Her theme throughout the hotel is “pinstripes and lace,” to appeal to both the masculine and feminine powers of Washington.

As the city’s closest hotel to the White House, the location features unparalleled views of our nation’s monuments, and can expect to attract an abundance of stately guests from around the world, and perhaps a national scandal or two.

W turned the famed rooftop, where for decades politicos have converged to drink and deliberate, into a modern cocktail lounge, with a menu provided by cocktail king Sasha Petraske of Milk & Honey and Little Branch. The cocktails can also be ordered in the Living Room, W’s design of the traditional hotel lobby. Dining options include the J&G Steakhouse and Wine Bar from Chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten.The W Washington D.C. has 317 guestrooms in total, including 23 Marvelous suites. The W’s interpretation of the traditional Presidential Suite, the “pinstripes and lace” Extreme WOW suite, is an exact symbol of the new design influence quickly arriving in our nation’s capital.  by Ariston Anderson – Luxist

Photo Gallery

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Lavish Hi-Tech Hotels – Touch Screen Phones and TV Mirrors at the Chicago Elysian Hotel

For the luxury traveller who requires extravagance and a hefty dose of technology in their hotel suite, the Chicago Elysian Hotel is it.

Averaging 890 square feet apiece, the elaborate suites at the Chicago Elysian feature SÉURA vanishing LCD television mirrors and touch screen VoIP telephones, as well as marble bathrooms, fireplaces, 460-thread count linens, urban kitchens, and outdoor terraces. Guests at the Chicago Elysian also receive complimentary national calling, wireless Internet, and international channeling.

I don’t know what the room rates are, but I imagine that anyone who dares to ask probably can’t afford it anyway!  Via: Katherine Vong – HotHotelReviews

References: elysianhotels, chipchick

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Pete Wentz and Ashlee Simpson Shack Up at the Se San Diego

Where: 1047 5th Ave. [map], San Diego, CA, United States, 92101

Fall Out Boy rocker Pete Wentz, his wifey, Melrose Place startlet Ashlee Simpson, and their son Bronx Mowgli checked into the Se San Diego last week.

According to People magazine, the couple rented two condos in the hotel. The condos come with perks like retractable glass walls—to give your room that alfresco feeling—and since the condos are on the upper floors of the 23-story-tall building, they have sweet views of the city. Plus, the condos have chic touches like Nepali carpets, Italian built-in kitchens and islands complete with appliances, and bathrooms with televisions built into the mirrors and steam showers.

The famous fam made the trip to San Diego for Wentz’s gig as a keynote speaker at Billboard’s Mobile Entertainment Live! Fall 2009 Conference. They also managed to find time to hit up the San Diego Zoo, outside of which they checked out the table of tie-dyed shirts. Too bad they didn’t ask their hotel’s complimentary 24-hour concierge—or frankly, anyone—for some better shopping suggestions.  by Jennifer Kester – HotelChatter

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Viceroy Anguilla Set to Open in November

Anguilla, the island is part of the British West Indies in the Eastern Caribbean, just five minutes from St. Martin. It is of course best known for its white sand beaches (33 in all) and clear turquoise waters.

The Island hasn’t had a new resort open in nine years! Now with the much anticipated Viceroy Anguilla expected to fully open in November, it is definitley going to be some exciting times for the Jet Set and locals alike. The Viceroy Anguilla will include 166 accommodations which will be comprised of villas, townhomes, penthouses, and single-story residences.

You can access Anguilla by private jet, and many direct flights from St. Martin or through the island hub of Antigua. There is also ferry service from St. Martin to Anguilla.

For VIP Service: These are for clients staying in villas, townhomes, or penthouses….the resort will have what they call lifestyle assistants or butlers to assist your every need. Guests arriving in St. Martin will be greeted by a resort rep and escorted to a luxury yacht for a 30 minute ride to Anguilla. If you are arriving via Anguilla, no worries….you will be escorted via a luxury vehicle VIP style straight to the Viceroy.

Ohhhh, what a life!

Via: Arnel   [Photo: rochousenyc]

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