A Luxury Travel Blog

There’s a new hotel rewards program that has been designed specifically for luxury travelers. It’s called Stash Hotel Rewards – a first-of-its kind points program for independent hotels. That is, one rewards currency shared by many different upscale, independent properties. 65 hotel properties launched with them late last week, making it already the largest independent loyalty program in the United States.

The properties include amazing hotels across the USA, many of which have been named T+L or Condé Nast “Best Hotels” and collectively, they have an average Trip Advisor “recommend” rating of 83%. They include iconic hotels like The Lenox in Boston, Sunset Marquis in LA and Bardessono in Napa — and other historic inns, top resorts, and boutique gems.

Not quite ready to get back into the daily grind? Rue La La makes planning the perfect retreat at the nation’s most coveted escape possible with affordable stays at Canyon Ranch spa resort, located in Lenox, Massachusetts. For readers who would like to get their fitness fix outdoors, the hotel’s exhilarating ski packages will be on sale only on Rue La La from tomorrow.

This Halloween, guests at Omni Hotels will be sipping on spooky signature cocktails, such as the Red Widow, Trick ‘R’ Treat, Bond’s Eye and Red Eye, while potentially sleeping in an ominously spirited suite from the luxury hotel brand’s “ghost-folio” of properties. Read on if you dare…

The historic, and some say haunted, Omni Parker House in Boston prides itself on customer service. However, some guests may get more than they bargained for when the ghost of Harvey Parker, the hotel’s founder, materializes in certain guest rooms to inquire about their stay. In addition, elevators at the Omni Parker House have been known to travel to the third floor — where novelist Charles Dickens once lived — without a single button being pushed. Spooky!

Guests can sleep at their own risk in the Omni Shoreham Hotel’s “Ghost Suite” in Washington, D.C. Those who have dared to do so have reported televisions and lights turning on by themselves in the middle of the night, while guests in adjacent rooms have heard loud noises coming from the suite — all while it was unoccupied.

Book a night at the Omni Mount Washington Resort in Bretton Woods, NH, and you might awake to find the widow of the hotel’s first owner, a socialite named Princess Carolyn, at the foot of the bed, lost in thought as she brushes her hair. Princess Carolyn’s spirit is believed to watch over the hotel which was built for her, knocking politely on doors, and visiting the ornate maple four-poster bed in room 314, which traveled around the world with her.

To celebrate Halloween, Omni partnered with a master mixologist to create four new signature Halloween cocktails for guests to enjoy across the brand, including:

• Red Widow – a mysterious mixture of Skyy Infusions Citrus, fresh lemon juice, simple syrup and pomegranate juice, garnished with Twizzler ropes, a lemon wheel and candy corn
• Trick ‘R’ Treat – a creepy cocktail made with white rum, lime juice, simple syrup and Midori, topped with a lime dimple and featuring assorted Halloween candy
• Bond’s Eye – made for the martini lover, this drink fuses Plymouth Gin, Ketel One Vodka and Lillet finished with a Lychee “Eyeball” stuffed with a blueberry
• Red Eye – a mixture of Absolut Vanilla Vodka, Grand Marnier, orange juice and strawberry puree; also garnished with a Lychee “Eyeball” with blueberry and strawberry puree

Drink recipes and more ghoulish tales can be found at trickandtweet.com

Young travellers and their parents can now experience the new Freedom Trail Suite at America’s longest continuously operating hotel. Along with the brand’s irresistible Omni Sensational Kids program, the Omni Parker House now provides another great ways for children and their families to travel in a unique kid-friendly style while also learning about Boston’s vital role in American history.

The new Freedom Trail Suite consists of a spacious living area adjoined to a fun children’s sleeping nook with bunk beds, bean bag chairs, an activity table, barrel-style nightstands, brightly coloured furniture and children’s colonial style costumes to enjoy while in the suite. One entire wall also features a chalkboard for drawing while another hosts a large, vibrant mural displaying the route and the landmarks of Boston’s Freedom Trail which passes along the front of the Omni Parker House.

Parents can relax in their own connecting room while children enjoy the suite along with their complimentary Omni Sensational Kids backpack filled with playful treasures and are treated to milk and cookies in the guest room the first night of their stay.

The Inn at St. Botolph is a new hotel opening in Boston’s historic Back Bay next month – a sister hotel to the already established XV Beacon in the same part of the city, a hotel that has been widely regarded as the best in Boston (it was by T+L Magazine, at least). The Inn at St. Botolph will have contemporary interiors and suites with Queen size 4-poster beds, bay windows and original works of art, all oozing traditional styling and comfort thanks to the input of designer Celeste Cooper.  Grand Opening rates at the hotel start from $189 (or $199, depending on which part of your site you look at!).

The Mandarin Oriental, Boston was formally opened in a celebratory ribbon-cutting and feng shui ceremony that took place last week. Perfectly positioned in the prestigious Back Bay, the new hotel combines New England elegance with Oriental touches to create an unique hospitality experience. It has 136 guestrooms and 12 suites, offering some of the most spacious accommodation in Boston. There’s also a 16,000 sq. ft. Spa and Fitness Centre, and 10,000 sq. ft. of function space, a signature restaurant called Asana, and a chic bar and lounge.

This year’s Tanglewood Wine & Food Classic takes place next weekend. Festivities include a winemaker reception, a wine auction and dinner, and – of course – a Grand Tasting. Taste premium wines from over 100 wineries including wines from the leading producing regions of the world. Don’t forget also, at the end of the month, there’s the Tanglewood Jazz Festival (29th-31st August 2008).

Fair Wind Air Charter, Florida’s premier platinum rated jet charter management company announced today the addition of a Learjet 35A to be based in the Boston area (KLWM Lawrence Airport) and is scheduled to begin service July 8th, 2008.  Currently the Fair Wind charter fleet consists of twelve privately owned jet aircraft based in West Palm Beach, Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Boca Raton, Stuart, Maryland, Boston and San Diego. In addition to the Boston based Learjet Fair Wind also offers West Coast Learjet service in San Diego based in Carlsbad California (KCRQ McClellan-Palomar Airport). Also noteworthy is the addition of our King Air B200 aircraft now operating and servicing our clients in Boca Raton Florida.

If you’re on Nantucket Island and not sure what to do with the rest of the week, then check out the Nantucket Wine Festival, one of the island’s most celebrated events of the year. The focal point of the festival is the Grand Tasting (this year moved to the famous Nantucket Yacht Club) where wine from over 150 wineries can be sampled. The event runs from today until Sunday, and the “host hotel” is the White Elephant which re-opened for the season last month.

Adam Healey is CEO at VibeAgent, a site which combines user reviews, meta-search, and social networking to help you find the perfect hotel at the best available rate.  He  co-founded VibeAgent with Charles Seilheimer in 2006 on the back of over ten years of international experience in entrepreneurship, software development, management consulting and finance..

What is it that you do exactly?

We help travelers figure out where to stay, and then where to book.  We’re focused exclusively on hotels, and today we compare rates and availability from over 30 leading travel web sites for over 120,000 hotels.  We also make hotel recommendations based on a wide variety of hotel and social content.  So our customers can be sure they are staying on the right place, for the best possible price.

What do you enjoy most about what you do?

I enjoy helping to create the future.  We’re constantly interacting with our users and trying to improve their hotel booking experience.

I enjoy traveling as well – that’s why I co-founded a travel business!  In the last two weeks I’ve been to Bogota, London, Philadelphia, Charlottesville, and New Orleans!  It helps me better understand what our customers want.

What would you say are the 3 best places you’ve ever stayed?

The Colonnade – London

This hotel, from what I understand, used to be a hospital, back in the day, and it still has its original elevator, you know the one that you close shut yourself.  Each room is uniquely appointed with beautiful antique furniture and gorgeous linens, there are plush bathrobes, great bathrooms, a cozy interior staircase, this is just a comfy, charming place.  The hotel also has the best brunch I have ever had, anywhere! And that is saying something!  I mean, the eggs taste as if they just plopped out of the hen.  The cheeses, meats, the made to order food, everything is simply exquisite, and the sun-filled ground floor breakfast room is just such a wonderful place to start the day.

The Boar’s Head Inn – Charlottesville, VA

The hotel is beautifully landscaped, with gorgeous rolling hills and gardens and a lake, with the Blue Ridge mountains in the distance.  The rooms are wonderfully appointed, with lush bedspreads, large balconies, and antique furnishings.  The place has a real classic genteel character, it’s a very charming place.

Hotel Marlowe – Cambridge, MA

This is a plush, stylish boutique hotel in Cambridge.  Soft, colorful, stylish fabrics cover the hotel lobby, which is like walking into PM lounge in Manhattan.  Staff are very attentive and helpful.  Nice coffee in the morning.  Rooms stylishly appointed, very comforable.  Nice size. This is one hip hotel that’s great for business or pleasure.

What’s been your most memorable dining experience to date?

I enjoyed dining at the town hall in Stockholm for the Nobel Prize ceremonies in 1992.  It was a black tie event with 800 guests and 400 waiters!  Caribbean music in honor of Derek Walcott, Nobel Prize winner for Literature.  A classy affair.  I also had an audience with the queen of Sweden.  Very nice lady.

Have you rubbed shoulders with the rich and famous, either through your work or your travels?

I hang out with the occasional movie star and professional athlete, but I don’t like to brag about it.

What currently ranks highest on your travel wishlist?

Papua New Guinea.  For the diving.  Supposedly some of the best diving in the world.

Thank you, Adam. Here’s to your continued success at VibeAgent.

The Renaissance Boston Waterfront Hotel, the first Renaissance property in downtown Boston, opens this week.  The $165 million hotel project is the next chapter in the fast-paced development story of the South Boston Waterfront’s Seaport District.  It has 471 guestrooms, including 21 suites, and features over 21,000 sq. ft. of flexible meeting space, with a 10,700-square-foot ballroom and a 4,400-square-foot junior ballroom that are conveniently located on the same floor.

After a five-year, $150 million renovation, the old Charles Street jail is now a luxury hotel for guests who can afford to pay anywhere from $319 a night for the lowest-priced room to $5,500 for the Presidential Suite. The Liberty Hotel, at the foot of Boston’s stately Beacon Hill neighborhood, opened in September of this year. The old sally port, where guards once brought prisoners from paddy wagons to their cells, is being converted into the entrance to a new restaurant, Scampo, which is Italian for “escape”. In another restaurant, named Clink, diners can look through original bars from cell doors and windows as they order smoked lobster bisque or citrus poached prawns from waiters and waitresses wearing shirts with prison numbers. And the hotel bar, Alibi, is built in the jail’s former drunk tank.

Terry Knealing has dropped me a note to draw my attention to his top 10 choices for small luxury hotels worldwide over at LifeOnTop.com.  For the purposes of his list, small hotels are defined as ones that have less than 125 guest rooms and suites (so not necessarily all that small!) Here goes:

1. Oberoi Udaivilas - Rajasthan, India
2. Le Sirenuse - Positano, Italy
3. Las Ventanas Al Paraiso - Los Cabos, Mexico
4. Amanjena Resort Marrakech - Marrakech, Morocco
5. The Setai - Miami, Florida
6. Chateau de Bagnols - Bagnols, France
7. The Milestone Hotel - London, Great Britain
8. The Wheatleigh - Lenox, Massachusetts
9. Ladera - St. Lucia, West Indies
10. Il Falconiere, Relais et Chateaux - Cortona, Tuscany, Italy

Suite name: Bedroom Suite
Resort: The Eliot Hotel, Boston, MA
Size of accommodation: 450 sq ft
Cost per night: $295-$485 depending on time of year
Who’s stayed there? Stephen King, John C. Reilly, Kevin Kline, Meryl Streep, Kris Kristofferson, Geena Davis, Michael Winterbottom, Andrew Shue, Elisabeth Shue, Carly Schroeder, Charlie Kaufman, Chris Cooper, Martin Scorcese, Lisa Loeb, Bill Murray, John Grisham, Uta Pippig (German marathoner), Todd Field, Stewart O’ Nan and guest conductors of the Boston Symphony Orchestra
What makes it special? The ability to cater to each guests’ needs and requests, and allowing celebrities to reside in a luxurious, dignified setting without the intrusions of crowds and commerce.

In fashionable Back Bay, steps away from the boutiques and restaurants of Newbury Street and within easy reach of Boston’s medical and biotechnology centers and universities, guests of the four-diamond Eliot Hotel bask in the luxury and service experienced in the finest European hotels.   From the moment you enter The Eliot Hotel, you will be impressed with the refined details cultivated throughout the hotel.

These bedroom suites are exquisitely decorated and outfitted with the finest amenities.   Signature robes, complimentary overnight shoeshine, marble bathrooms, high-speed and wireless Internet access, and nightly turndown service are a few of the features that you will enjoy.

Guests may also visit the James Beard award-winning Clio Restaurant and the sleek Uni Sashimi Bar for a contemporary fusion of French and Asian cuisine, all prepared by Chef Ken Oringer.

The concierge can make arrangements for any of Boston’s many cultural treasures, from tickets to the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Boston Ballet, or the Museum of Fine Arts to dinner reservations, Red Sox tickets or tours of Boston’s Freedom Trail.

Silver Shadow will depart New York on the 22nd May 2007 and head across the Atlantic to Southampton on a 16-day long voyage, calling at Boston, Halifax, the Azores, Cork, Waterford, and Plymouth. Aboard the vessel as guest of honour will be John Cleese, actor and comedian; he’ll be hosting the Silversea Film Festival featuring a selection of his films including A Fish Called Wanda, The Life of Brian, Die Another Day, Fierce Creatures, and even the documentary In the Wild: Lemurs with John Cleese.

Cliff Perry, Silversea Director of Entertainment said, “We’re thrilled to be able to offer our guests this exceptional opportunity to laugh and learn with a true mastermind of comedy. 

The Boston Harbor Hotel is in the midst of a $12-million renovation project which will include a dramatic remodelling of all 230 guest rooms and a complete overhaul of the largest function space, the Wharf Room. The most important components of the project are expected to be complete in early May 2007.