All stories about "Hotels"

Strategic Group’s Tao, “the mega revenue restaurant/dayclub/nightclub will open in the new Revel casino/resort project, and will feature about 30,000 square feet of Asian fusion restaurant/club madness.” That’s a whole lot of slashes, but with Noah Tepperberg at the helm of this project, which will also include Tao-branded hotel rooms in the Revel, anything is possible. [DBTH]

2008 is gearing up to be a big year for the Riviera Resort and Spa in Palm Springs. Not only will the resort debut $70 million in renovations this October, it looks as though it will host one of the biggest weddings of the year – that of Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi. “They said they wanted to have the ceremony in the tropical gardens by the pool and the reception in the grand ballroom. They will also close a portion of the hotel so it looks big.” [HC]

We all know there are some strange hotels in this world – those housed in former prisons and those submerged below sea level included. But the “extreme hotel” trend doesn’t stop there. Shack up in a former brothel in Hamburg, atop a 100-meter TV tower in Rotterdam, or in a Vietnam-era cargo plane in New Zealand. And that’s just for starters. [Spiegel]

In order to make things easier on recording artists, a number of luxury hotels around the world come fully equipped with recording studios. In addition to Lenny Kravitz’s recording digs at The Setai, there are professional spots to lay down tracks at Las Vegas’ The Palms, San Francisco’s The Mosser Hotel, LA’s Sunset Marquis and the aptly named Geejam Resort in Jamaica. [HC]

The much-anticipated offspring of Borgata Hotels, the Water Club, opens its doors in Atlantic City today. The swanked-out “43-story, $400 million hotel features five pools, a two-level spa, rooms modeled after urban lofts, six boutique shops (yep, Roberto Cavalli is in the house), and, of course, a casino.” [Refinery29]

Ravello, the “crown jewel of the Amalfi Coast,” is not only unrivalled in its historic attractions (i.e. its recently restored Duomo and cloistered gardens), it houses a large number of modern architectural masterpieces. With a new Oscar Niemeyer auditorium nearing completion and Gore Vidal’s former home soon to debut as the Villa Rondinaia hotel, there are countless new reasons to visit the lesser-known locale. [Globorati]

A slew of five-star Berlin hotels are looking to drop one of their stars in hopes of luring back a very particular kind of guest. It seems the luxury hotels “have noticed a ‘perceptible decline’ in the numbers of [pharmaceutical company] bookings;” one they blame on pressure for those companies to “reduce the amount of pampering given to physicians and others attending events hosted by drug companies.” Unfortunately, a drop in stars won’t translate to a drop in room prices. [Spiegel]

Most New Yorkers are well aware that gorgeous Gramercy Park, where Julia Roberts’ super cute twins recently played, is members-only. But, we know one way you can score keys to the park without owning Gramercy Park-adjacent digs: rent a room at the nearby Gramercy Park Hotel, where guests are given temporary access to the park during their stay. Or, better yet, check out these equally attractive, non-exclusive NYC gardens. [Jaunted]

Gloria Estefan is expanding her empire. The singer already owns the Cardoza Hotel & Restaurant, as well as restaurants Bongos and Larios on the Beach in Miami. But, come this Monday, guests can shack up at the Estefan's latest hotel, Coasta D’este in Vero Beach. [Hotelchatter]

Hotels in utter disrepair are rarely seen as objects of beauty. But, follow the link and you'll find some stunning images of abandoned hotels around the world – from Barbados and Belgium, to Calgary and Jerusalem. [OTBeach]

The Robert De Niro/Greenwich hotel penthouse debate drags on. De Niro appeared before a The Historic Districts Council commission board yesterday, with director Ed Burns on hand to help plead his case. So, will he or won’t he have to tear it down and start from scratch? There’s no word as of yet. But, the AP reporter covering the case did manage to add in a few words about Ago in NYC: “it has been panned by critics.” Definitely not De Niro’s day. [Newsday]

San Francisco reclaims its crown as hippiest North American city with Cavallo Point – the Lodge at the Golden Gate (the Bay Area’s first national park lodge). The eco-friendly getaway is a self-proclaimed “sustainable base camp where the city’s urban edge meets untamed coastal wildlands,” which basically translates to organic bedding, a ‘healing arts spa’ and lots of yoga. [Globorati]

Treehouse retreats are all the rage these days. At Free Spirit Spheres in Qualicum, British Columbia, guests can literally rent lodgings that hang from trees. At the Tree House Lodge in Costa Rica, rooms are a bit more grounded; they’re merely built out of fallen, 100-year-old trees. [NYP]

Dallas is evolving into a must-see destination, and its hotels are following suit. Not only is the Texan metropolis home to recently opened luxury hotel The Joule (and its plexi-glass windowed rooftop pool). Come August both Renaissance Dallas Hotel and The Stoneleigh Hotel & Spa will debut multi-million dollar renovations. [Globorati]

This year is all about the Istanbul hotel. The W Istanbul debuted last month, while this September sees the opening of the Park Hyatt Istanbul Macka Palas. But, perhaps the most anticipated unveiling of the summer is that of the Four Seasons Bosphorus, which boasts a sky-lit spa, a waterfront Wedding Garden and a private jetty and launch. [Globorati]

Cintas is holding a contest for the best public bathroom in the U.S. While a winner won’t be announced until July 31st, the top 10 finalists include NYC’s Grand Central Terminal, as well as quite a few hotels: Nashville’s Hermitage Hotel, The Montville Inn in New Jersey, Louisville’s 21C Museum Hotel and the El Monte Sagrado Living Resort and Spa in Taos, New Mexico. [Hotelchatter]

Guests at The Peninsula Beverly Hills Hotel can now pay $2,500 to have “professionals film you and your sweetie or your family in a scripted or unscripted film.” The whole (faux) fame-for-a-day thing seems oddly reminiscent of the Celeb4aDay phenomenon... [USA Today]

The Emperor Hotel is open in Beijing, and more boutique hotels are slated to follow. Next up: Hotel G, which shares backers with The Roosevelt, and Opposite House, which will be part of “a new retail and entertainment ‘village’” that will include the world’s largest Adidas shop. [Globorati]

Will Virgin Atlantic debut its three new “urban, townhouse-style properties, half way between a hotel and a private club” as early as June 12th? Hotelchatter seems to think so based on a cryptic email the Branson brand sent out to all of VA’s members asking, ‘do you fee it? You will, June 12th.’ New York, London and Los Angeles: get ready to get Virginised. [Hotelchatter]