Luck o' the Irish to you, hotel fans. Welcome to this week's edition of "Hotel News We Noted," where we round up the best, most interesting and just downright odd news of note in the hospitality world.

As always, we welcome your tips, so feel free to leave comments below or send us an email.

Hotel Opening: The Ritz-Carlton, Abu Dhabi, Grand Canal
The 532-room luxury resort is the first Ritz-Carlton in Abu Dhabi and the ninth property in the Middle East for the brand. This ultra-luxury destination has seen a slew of new properties in recent years, and the Ritz-Carlton will likely become a favorite. Inspired by the architecture of Venice, the waterfront hotel is actually comprised of ten buildings set in a crescent overlooking a large pool with the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque as the backdrop. A highlight for luxury seekers? The hotel features 85 private one- and two-bedroom villas, as well as five F&B offerings, ensuring that travelers never get bored of eating on property.

Blame it on the Booze: Man Arrested After Flashing Guests at South Carolina Hotel
Here's an item for news of the weird. A 20-year-old man was arrested last weekend after flashing guests of a Charleston, South Carolina DoubleTree hotel. The guests were gathered for a wedding and spotted a young man waving at them from his hotel window. Minutes later, the man returned and showed the guests his "goods," shall we say politely. We'll spare the sordid details: the full story is here, at the Daily Mail.

Spring Break Savings at Stylish Hotels
We've got quite a number of discounts to show you this week. Check out our favorites:

• More than 50 members of Preferred Hotel Group worldwide – including some of the newest hotels on the market – are offering some pretty great discounts for their suites, a discount of 20-50% on the regular rate. Discounts include 20% off rooms at The Mark Hotel in NYC, Hotel de Paris Saint-Tropez in Saint-Tropez, France, and the new ME London as well as Miami's hot, hot, hot SLS South Beach. For families heading to Disney World ... the newly renovated Villas of Grand Cypress is offering 30-50% off its one-bedroom villas (discount dependent on date).
• The oceanfront 13-villa Trident Hotel opens next month, and the first guests are enjoying a suite deal – 50% off rates (which means rooms start at $375 per night, normally $750) for travel until April 17. We spilled details a few weeks ago about the hotel – but this sounds like a great deal for value-conscious jetsetters looking for a last-minute getaway.
• Viceroy Hotel Group is offering a flash sale starting Monday, where you'll save a minimum of 15% at their stylish selection of worldwide hotels (50% in the Maldives and Riviera Maya) and resorts, plus enjoy upgrades, resort credits and more.

Adorable Amenity: Bedtime Snack Cart at Vanderbilt Grace
Newport, Rhode Island's Vanderbilt Grace hotel (part of the Grace collection) has a kid-friendly amenity we can't help but think is pretty creative. The hotel rolls in a "bedtime snack" cart for kids (with parents' permission, of course) with items ranging from fruit and cereal to cookies and popcorn.



[Image Credit: Ritz-Carlton Abu Dhabi]

Filed under: Hotels and Accommodations, Luxury Travel