All stories about "Hotels"

“Two of Atlantic City’s newest hotels are wagering customers will flock to this seaside resort with gambling all around them and stay for something other than the tumbling dice.” Or in other words, A.C. is looking to channel a bit more Vegas and a bit less Mohegan Sun. The two hotels in question are the not-yet-opened Chelsea and the Borgata’s recently debuted Water Club. Both are banking on celeb chefs and spectacles courtesy of Elton John and The Eagles to jump-start Atlantic City’s non-gambling economy. [AP]

U2’s Bono and The Edge can finally sleep easy. Following a four-year legal battle, the bandmates have won the right to “reshape their old-fashioned Dublin hotel, the Clarence, into a futuristic landmark.” Upgrades include tripling the number of rooms and a floodlit glass roof atrium. U2 also has its own namesake Tower slated for a 2012 opening. The 400-foot building will stand as Ireland’s tallest, and will house the band’s new recording studio at the top. [USAToday]

Are you a full-blown Blackberry/iPhone addict? Don’t worry, there’s no need for Betty Ford. Just head to one of Canada's Fairmont Hotels, which are offering an Electronic Rehab package geared towards helping guests get some r&r sans PDA. Upon check-in you’re expected to hand over your gadget so it can be locked up for the rest of your stay. “To avoid the inevitable twittling of thumbs… the package also includes a credit toward the spa or golf course and, at some hotels, cool stuff like zip-trekking, kayaking and fishing.” See, there’s hope for you yet… [HC]

“The Bavarian town of Amberg claims to have the world’s smallest hotel.” Eh’häusl’s recently renovated digs measure a mere 603-square-feet. The hotel, which has been open for nearly three centuries, uses its size to its advantage: its intimate quarters typically attract “freshly married couples.” [Spiegel]

Navigating Las Vegas’ bevy of sleek pools is a feat in and of itself. Looking to find the most bikini-clad bodies per square inch? Or are you more concerned with securing a poolside poker game? Check Anthony Curtis’ newly launched “Cool Pools,” which does all the work for you. [Thrillist]

Seattle’s Arctic Club, a gentlemen’s club that dates back to the turn of the century, will reopen later this month as a 120-room luxury hotel. The Arctic Club Hotel will house many of the original architectural elements that earned the building a seat on the National Register of Historic Places. Modern amenities like whirlpool tubs, complimentary WiFi and private rooftop terraces will be included too.

San Diego’s new Ivy Hotel wasn’t kidding when it touted itself as a playground for adults. Its Star Suite includes “two king-size bunk beds decorated with chains, a six-person shower, and, yes, an elevated stripper pole.” [HC]

Travel + Leisure announces the winners of its annual “world’s best awards” today. Among the rag’s first-time overall winners are Bangkok (best city of 2008), Galápagos Islands (best island), and Virgin America (best domestic airline). Triple Creek Ranch in Montana took the crown of best regional hotel, while our very own New York City was named best U.S. city for the eighth year in a row. [TL]

Nights spent at airport hotels don’t have to be entirely insufferable. That is, as long as you can shack up at the likes of Starwood’s Aloft at the Montreal Airport, citizen M at Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport, the Fairmont Vancouver Airport or the Grand Hyatt at Dallas Fort Worth, where services range from cooking classes to floor-to-ceiling windows and touch-screen mood pads. [Globorati]

We’ve already shown you the celeb-studded destruction that took place last month at Paris’ Le Royal Monceau. But, now you can see photos of designer and artist Arne Quinze’s installation at the hotel, which preceded the demolition. The orange, root-like configurations are awe-inspiring to say the least. The hotel will reopen next year with a slew of brand new Philippe Starck-designed interiors. [Dezeen]

Yesterday’s weekend in New York took Seth Kugel to a handful of rooftop hotel bars. He drinks his way from the Peninsula’s Salon de Ning and Roosevelt Hotels’ mad46, to “the hotel roof with the best view” at Sixty Thompson. Looking for where to get sauced on NYC rooftops that aren’t exclusively atop hotels? Go here.

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]