It’s that time again. We spent the week rounding up the world’s best places to go over the top for your love, but now Valentine’s Day is over and we’re back to tracking the best news in the hotel world, price not a factor.
Here’s this week’s “Hotel News We Noted“:
Get the Travel Bug: Tweet To Win
Relais & Châteaux’s “Winter Scene Around the World” Twitter contest runs through today. One lucky winner will enjoy a one-night stay in each of the Relais & Châteaux Northeast properties: The Surrey, Blantyre, Windham Hill Inn and The White Barn Inn, as well as a private cooking class with Grand Chef Jonathan Cartwright at The White Barn Inn. To win, tweet your favorite winter photo and using hashtag #RCWinter. Particularly for those of you that got the brunt of the Nemo storm, this should be a pretty easy way to win!
Hotels We’d Love to Visit: Where the Swimsuit Models Stayed
We heard lots about the 2013 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue this week, but most of the news was focused on cover girl Kate Upton’s shoot, which took place in Antarctica (Classic Antarctica with Abercrombie & Kent aboard ‘Le Boreal’). We’re a bit more interested in the exotic – many of the models spent close to two weeks at Rapa Nui on the remote Easter Island. It wasn’t cheap, either. Rates at Posada de Mike Rapu, explora Rapa Nui start at $2,385 per person for a three-night, all-inclusive stay.
Crazy Hotel Mascot: Falcons on the Team at Fairmont Jaipur
The falcon may be classified as a highly-endangered species, but the animal has found a new home at this luxury hotel. In the ancient times, falconry was a sport practiced by the Royal families, who hunted wild quarry using trained birds of prey. Shahid Khan, the only living Indian UNESCO certified falconer in India, is the proud owner of four falcons, and even boasts his own captive breeding program. Originally from Jaipur, Shahid comes from a long line of falconers and works with Fairmont Jaipur to keep pigeons away from the hotel.
Cool Hotel Deal: The Colder It Is, The Cheaper Your Upgrade
The Grand Hotel Minneapolis is embracing the winter weather and offering complimentary upgrades based on the temperature at check-in, and here, you pray for cold. If, for example, it’s 25 degrees on average, an upgrade is just $25. Added perks? Free hosted wine hour (red, whites and even hot toddies) from 5-6 p.m. every night and free Wi-Fi Internet and $10 worth of Mini Bar items for InTouch Members (it’s free to join). We wonder what happens if the average dips below zero …
[Image Credit: Grand Hotel Minneapolis]