New Sheraton Hotel to Open in Dubai
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide has partnered with Abdulsalam Alrafi Group LLC to open a new Sheraton hotel in Dubai, top business and leisure travel destination in the United Arab Emirates. The new Sheraton hotel will be opened in early 2014 and it will be included in a three-tower mixed-use building complex in the heart of Dubai’s commercial district, just across from the Dubai World Trade Center and the Dubai International Financial Center. The Dubai Mall, Jumeirah Beach and the Dubai Marina are only a few of the top Dubai attractions the new Sheraton will be close to. Read more…
Starwood to Open 50th Aloft Hotel in Brooklyn
On June 1st, Starwood will open its 50th hotel of the trendy Aloft brand in Brooklyn. This particular Starwood hotel chain was launched back in 2008, just before the economic recession and its impact on travel. Seeing how in a little over two years Starwood has reached 50 such venues spread across the world (including locations such as Abu-Dhabi, Baltimore or Dallas), it seems their combination of hip, limited services and free Wi-Fi turned out to be a grand success:
“Last summer, the Aloft chain bested established hotel brands such as Embassy Suites, Hyatt and Marriott in J.D. Power and Associates’ annual customer satisfaction survey. Aloft ranked No. 1 for the first year it ever had enough hotels to be considered for the list, thanks in party to its free-Wi-Fi policy and a modern design that stands out among rival chains,” reads a USA Today article by Barbara de Lollis.
Courtesy of Aloft and USA Today
Santa Monica Says No to Hotel Doormen Asking for Bribes
Travelers visiting Santa Monica will rejoice at hearing they will no longer have to put up with higher cab fares and poor services anymore, as hotel doormen are banned from asking for bribes or “cookies” from taxi drivers in order to direct hotel guests to them. Although and old scheme (or contractual agreement in some cases) that has kept hotel doormen happy and taxis willing to pay busy, the cookies have been officially banned by Santa Monica authorities.
While the practice has been forbidden on March 1st, authorities are currently investigating allegations that doormen of luxury hotels in Santa Monica are still favoring big-fare taxi drivers in exchange for the customary bribe. The practice has been replaced with a new taxi franchise system, but the 10% percent doormen have been used to seems to still hold a powerful attraction. Read more…
Security, Top Factor in Indian Hotel Star Rating
Security is becoming a strong factor in determining star rating for India hotels. The Times of India quoted by USA Today announced hotels in India might lose their star rating unless they implemented strict security measures demanded by the government. A debate on the hotel security topic started a few days after India marked the second anniversary of the deadly Nov. 26, 2008, terror attacks in Mumbai.
The terrible event targeted several hotels such as the Oberoi and Taj Mahal Palace, the terrorists killing nearly 200 people. To ensure security during the anniversary events, the authorities placed luxury hotels on high alert.
The new demands were issued by India’s tourism ministry and require hotels with three or more stars to install specific equipment for securing their premises. Read more…
Hotel Concorde – Best place to stay in Veliko Tarnovo
As getting to Bulgaria is extremely easy for those of use fortunate enough to be living in Bucharest, a lot of the short gettaways I have been on included a place in Bulgaria. Their lovely beaches when I was in mood for a few relaxing days spent sunbathing and diving into the Black Sea, and Veliko Turnovo when I was in the mood for a mountain top sceneray.
Every time I go to Veliko Tarnovo, I stay at Hotel Concorde. I felt so great the first time I stayed there, I just did not feel the need to try another one! Only a few minutes away from the colorful center with the town hall, purring bikes, great looking cars and delicious ice-cream that I never seem to have enough of, Hotel Concorde is a chic and small venue, with only 18 rooms, all extremely big and all looking chic, a restaurant, a bar on the top floor where you can enjoy an amazing view, conference rooms and a small and intimate breakfast room.
If you’re like me and just can’t breathe without an Internet connection, don’t worry, they have both wireless and wired Internet, all free, but the wireless might play a few tricks from you if you stray from the lobby. Read more…
Hotel Review: DoubleTree – Chicago/O’Hare
Rosemont was my next stop in the US ever. I had come to the States for an industry event held near Chicago, in the Donald E. Stephens Convention and Conference Center, which is practically across the street from the hotel I stayed in: DoubleTree.
It was a heart warming welcome, as the young woman at the reception desk was born, yes, you guessed it, in Romania! Although she only spent a few years there, she still remembered a few words and we had a nice conversation. And they also gave us some nice, chocolate filled warm cookies that simply made us forget about the 16 or so hours that had passed since we left our homes in Bucharest.
DoubleTree is extremely close to the O’Hare airport and that’s both an advantage and disadvantage. We all know there’s nothing better than a cookie and a nice shower after a flight, especially a long one. But hearing airplanes taking off and landing all the time might have some impact on your sleep, especially if it’s helped by the jet lag.
Having breakfast there was a bliss. Although I am used to more types of cheese and vegetables for breakfast, it was my first time experiencing American bacon and waffles! And the restaurant staff was hilarious! Everything you needed for a good morning start.
As the whole Rosemont seems to be dedicated to business travelers, displaying convention centers and lots of hotels, most of them above 3 stars by European standards, DoubleTree is a wonderful choice for business events, conferences or business meetings. The only problem is if you come with European electronics, you won’t be able to plug them in and have them charged and the hotel won’t be able to help you. Your solution is going to the nearby mall and buy what you need. You’ll get a full package, allowing you to travel around the world and have no problem charging your laptop.
If you’re there as a tourist, beware: it takes quite a while to get to downtown Chicago and back. So if you’re hoping to mix some fun with the work assignments, don’t waste any free time on resting! Otherwise you won’t get to see anything!
Photos from the DoubleTree site.
Hotel Review – Quality Hotel Times Square
There are several Quality Hotels in the New York area and I stayed at the one placed in the very heart of Manhattan, 3 minutes away from Times Square. Its clever location is the best thing this hotel has to offer. Other than that, especially in this period, when they are renovating, a lot of things might really suck when you stay there.
There are two elevators, which basically have a will and life of their own. When leaving the hotel, it took us half an hour to get from the third floor to the reception desk downstairs. Why? Simply because it went up and down several times before actually reaching the ground floor. It was nice! The doors were opening and we were seeing now familiar faces and hearing the same old tune: “Look, it’s those two girls again! Didn’t you manage to get off?”.
