May 11th, 2011 at 12:00PM: Starwood Preferred Guest, the rewards program for such brands as Sheraton and Westin, just took "checking in" from the front desk to the iPhone, BlackBerry and Android. The hotel company is launching a new program with social media company foursquare to increase member benefits.
According to foursquare's blog, this partnership is "the first truly global loyalty integration of its kind," an ...Click on a label to read posts from that part of the world.
hotel posts
Starwood makes checking in a social affair
May 11th, 2011 at 12:00PM: Starwood Preferred Guest, the rewards program for such brands as Sheraton and Westin, just took "checking in" from the front desk to the iPhone, BlackBerry and Android. The hotel company is launching a new program with social media company foursquare to increase member benefits.
According to foursquare's blog, this partnership is "the first truly global loyalty integration of its kind," an ...Best Western produces indie film series
Apr 24th, 2011 at 3:00PM:
Best Western just commissioned a series of indie films telling the story of some of their properties and the people who run them. While not the most altruistic of stories (of course they're going to paint a good portrait of the brand), it's an interesting experiment in indie film making for a large scale hotel chain, and the stories seem well thought out and composed. Now all they need is the ...
Lesbian couple sues hotel after being denied double room
Apr 22nd, 2011 at 8:30AM: A lesbian couple is suing a hotel in England after being refused a double room.
Rebecca Nash and Hope Stubbings say they tried to check into the Brunswick Square Hotel in Brighton but were refused a room because the hotel only gives rooms to couples.
This is surprising for a number of reasons. First, it's illegal in the UK for hotels to refuse rooms to gay and lesbian couples. Second, ...CheckYourRoom.com launches hotel personality quiz
Apr 20th, 2011 at 1:00PM:
You're probably used to booking a hotel room based on price, distance from the city center or local landmarks. You likely look at room size, what amenities are offered and whether or not there are any upgrades or promotions available. But, what if you could take that booking process one step further and add a bit of "you" into your hotel search? That's the latest premise behind ...Luxury hotel offers rooms to victims of Japan disaster
Apr 12th, 2011 at 2:00PM: As the world watches in disbelief while Japan is continuously rocked by earthquakes and aftershocks, business and organizations have popped up everywhere hosting benefits, donation opportunities and volunteer services to help the victims of the Japan disaster. In Tokyo, one luxury hotel is offering relief for displaced Japan residents.
The Grand Prince Hotel Akasaka was scheduled to close its ...How much have you paid for hotel internet access?
Apr 6th, 2011 at 3:30PM: If our Hotel Madness tournament taught us anything, it's that people really hate paying for internet access when traveling. No free Wi-Fi handily won our tournament by proving itself as the most hated hotel nuisance. While it bothers so many of us, we've all taken the plunge and paid a hefty fee for in-room internet. Whether it's because we have work to do, pictures to upload or loved ones to ...Hotel Madness: No Free Wi-Fi wins!
Apr 5th, 2011 at 11:30AM:
After weeks of competition, thousands of votes and tons of ranting and raving on Twitter, all of you have made it abundantly clear that you hate paying for internet access at hotels. No free Wi-Fi dominated every round of the Hotel Madness tournament on its way to winning the championship. No hotel pet peeve so thoroughly and completely annoyed our readers like having to pay for Wi-Fi. Bad ...Hotel Madness Championship: No free Wi-Fi vs. Bad water pressure
Mar 31st, 2011 at 11:00AM:
What a wild ride it's been on our way to this exciting - and somewhat unexpected - Hotel Madness championship round. We've seen upsets, blowouts, tons of feedback on Twitter and an outpouring of responses from all of you letting us know what bothers you the most at hotels. That's all led us to this: the finals. No free Wi-Fi has proven why it's the #1 seed by dominating it's third straight ...Hotel Madness: The Final Four
Mar 28th, 2011 at 10:30AM:
With two rounds in the books, only the biggest, most annoying and burdensome hotel pet peeves remain in our Hotel Madness tournament. The second round featured some of the tournament's closest contests and featured one impressive upset. Resort fees squeaked by One-ply toilet paper by a mere 23 votes while the #7 seed Bad water pressure dumped cold water on Bad front desk service's title ...Chicago's JW Marriott opens its doors
Mar 22nd, 2011 at 2:00PM: The JW Marriott in downtown Chicago made it's official debut this month, the 50th JW to open among of a flurry of expansion in the luxury brand. With Gadling Labs just up the road in Chicago, the team stopped by for the opening gala to see what all of the buzz was about.
On the surface, Chicago's JW Marriott conforms well to the brand's standard -- that is to say, it is really nice. Despite a ...Hotel Madness: Second round of pet peeves
Mar 21st, 2011 at 11:30AM:
After an exciting first round, Hotel Madness moves ahead with some intriguing second round contests. We're thrilled with the feedback and voter response to our tournament of hotel pet peeves and can't thank you enough for participating. Apparently, you all really hate some of the things that hotels throw at us! Hopefully, you've been comforted by the fact that you're not alone. If you need a ...Skip the hotels on your next business trip and stay at a local inn
Mar 18th, 2011 at 2:00PM: Once upon a time, I was addicted to travel reward programs. I see it now and laugh, but until seven years ago, I was hooked. I couldn't let go of my HHonors card, and I lamented that, at the end of 2001, I was one night away from Diamond on Hilton and two away from Platinum on Starwood. Looking back, I see how ludicrous the whole thing is. And it has taken until this week to see how much more ...Hotel Madness: Vote for your biggest hotel pet peeves
Mar 17th, 2011 at 10:30AM:
We launched our Hotel Madness tournament on Monday and the entire first round is now live. If you don't know what Hotel Madness is or you just need a refresher, check out our introductory post. First round voting is open until 11:59pm EDT this Sunday, March 20. Be sure to vote in each and every match-up listed below. Simply choose the hotel pet peeves that bother you the most. The winners ...Harar home stay: living in a traditional African home
Mar 17th, 2011 at 8:30AM:
If you're staying for any length of time in a place, the best way to experience the local culture is through a home stay. Luckily Harar has a number of traditional homes offering spare rooms.
A local guide showed me a few and I chose one hidden away in a small alley not far from the Catholic mission. This is the neighborhood that got Harar a UNESCO religious tolerance award because there's an ...Hotel Madness: Room not ready on time vs. Early checkout times
Mar 15th, 2011 at 2:30PM:
Our final Hotel Madness first round match-up is about coming and going. It's a battle of two evenly-matched peeves as #8 seed Room not ready on time takes on #9 seed Early checkout times. Hotels make a point of telling you that check-in is at 3pm, yet we often find ourselves killing time in the later afternoon after a day of travel waiting for housekeeping to have our room ready for us. Why ...Hotel Madness: Bad water pressure vs. Small towels
Mar 15th, 2011 at 2:00PM:
This intriguing Hotel Madness contest is a battle of bathroom bothers. The #7 seed Bad water pressure tries to drown #10 seed Small towels. Whether you've spent your day at the beach or need to clean up before a full day of business meetings, bad water pressure can make your shower useless and leave you a smelly mess. On the flip side, getting out of the shower only to discover that your ...Hotel Madness: No free breakfast vs. Expensive minibars
Mar 15th, 2011 at 11:30AM:
This first round Hotel Madness match-up is all about food. Our #6 seed is No free breakfast, a killer when you just need some fuel to power you through a day of conferences, meetings or sightseeing. It's battling #11 seed Expensive minibars. All too often, we find ourselves with late-night cravings for snacks. We'd satisfy it by raiding the minibar but it always seem to cost more than our ...Hotel Madness: No airport shuttle vs. One ply toilet paper
Mar 15th, 2011 at 11:00AM:
The first round of Hotel Madness rolls along with a battle between #5 seed No airport shuttle and #12 seed One-ply toilet paper. In the NCAA basketball tournament, the 5-12 match-ups are always ripe for upsets and Hotel Madness may be no different. It's such a hassle when there's no airport shuttle. Having to pay for an expensive cab ride or navigating a foreign public transportation system ...Hotel Madness: Resort fees vs. Early housekeeping visits
Mar 14th, 2011 at 5:00PM:
Continuing the first round of the Hotel Madness tournament, #4 seed Resort fees takes on #13 seed Early housekeeping visits. Resort fees are a strong contender because they take money out of our wallets and - unlike parking fees - we have no idea what we're paying for. Popular in Las Vegas, resort fees are a mystery and wreak havoc on our travel budgets. Meanwhile, sleeping in should be one ...Hotel Madness: Expensive parking vs. Tightly tucked-in sheets
Mar 14th, 2011 at 4:30PM:
The first round of Hotel Madness continues with #3 seed Expensive parking battling #14 seed Tightly tucked in sheets. Paying for gas and dealing with rental car companies can make trips a real pain in the butt. Add in having to pay an arm and a leg to park at the hotel and you'll be ready to curse Henry Ford for ever inventing cars. Once you do get to your room, though, going to sleep will be ...
