Travel Weekly Blog

Weloveso.com is a nice public feedback idea from Hotel So, picked up by Guillaime at Hotel Blogs...

Seeing people's thoughts on page does give a sense of authenticity, which is something it has over TripAdvisor.

What it doesn't have over TripAdvisor, obviously, is that the hotel is in charge of what goes up - and maybe it's just an A1 hotel, but you'll struggle to find any negative comments here.

(Want more on hotels? Try Hotel Girl, by Travel Weekly's Chloe Berman.)

A new US site is putting sociable airbed owners in touch with budget-conscious travellers.

This is rather similar to the Couchsurfing trend, but seems to be more heavily monetised. Oh, and you get an airbed.

According to TechCrunch, "prices range from $20 a night for an airbed to $3,000 for an entire house," and "50 to 100 new listings appear every day".

This isn't going to take any business from the travel or hospitality trades - the 'forget hotels' strapline is frankly a bit optimistic - but as TC points out it could be very useful for last-minute, budget-conscious travel to big festivals and conventions.

Could be interesting to scan its pages in the run-up to e.g. South by Southwest or Sundance, where hotel space always ends up severely limited.

It's still very much at-your-own-risk travel, though, as the terms and conditions make clear:

Our Site is merely a venue for users to learn about one another and, if they wish, arrange stays with one another. Compensation for the stays may be involved, but AB&B is a stranger to any such transaction.

We are not involved in the actual contact between users. As a result, we have no control over the conduct of our users or the truth or accuracy of the information that users post on the Site.

Me? I'd do it for SXSW, but then I'm the type that doesn't mind camping on grotty music festival sites. I certainly wouldn't be rushing to AB&B for a proper holiday though.

The New York Times reports that Los Angeles hotelier Doug Manchester is facing calls for a boycott of his properties after he donated $125,000 to an anti-gay marriage campaign.

As far as issues go, it's a non-story - Manchester can support whatever legal cause he wishes, and his opponents can boycott whatever they wish.

But it does highlight the potential buying (and perhaps more importantly, blocking) power of niche groups, in which the consumer's use of tight-knit community and advice sites means word can spread quickly.

I'd be interested to know if readers boycott a brand - travel or otherwise - for any reason?

Oh... you mean the stuff in the minibar? Thanks for the tip.

There's a feature on fam trip etiquette going in Travel Weekly this week, to which I can add my own tip: when a hotel rep at Cliff Bay in Funchal shows you the sea view from a new top-floor room class, don't comment on the great view of iconic rival Reid's Palace. And definitely don't take a photo.

Oops. My bad.

The rep didn't really mind, of course, and Cliff Bay is a fine property in its own right.

It's a spa and sun-deck kind of place, so doesn't have the character you'd get in a quinta, but spa and sun-deck properties are great for the wealthy, often slightly older couples that come back to Madeira year after year.

Cliff Bay's two sun decks are particularly impressive: the upper has an indoor-outdoor pool that runs into the spa area, while the lower (a long way down, and reached by lift) has a saltwater pool, a restaurant-bar and access to the ocean.

There are 40 of the new rooms we were shown - their configuration is much the same as standard rooms, but they include superior decor, in-room interweb access, a pillow menu and breakfast in the a la carte restaurant.

It's a good seller for Inghams, apparently, but I was interested to hear that their most popular property is Quinta Bela Sao Tiago, where the focus is on character - it's in Funchal's old town, so there's no ocean access, and the pool/spa facilities are less extensive than at Cliff Bay.

But in the words of Pierre from Inghams, it's a property that 'presents well'. The terrace and gardens in particular are beautiful - there's actually a small banana plantation guests can wander through. Put next to Cliff Bay, it gives you a good sense of the range of hotel product available here.

While I was out in Madeira I shot a quick walkthrough of my suite at the Classic Savoy in Funchal. Apologies for the not-fantastic quality - all I had was the movie function on my stills camera.

The hotel has been there since the early 1900s (though not in exactly its current form) and even if it occasionally it shows its age - the knob on my radio simply fell off when I went to use it - retains a good deal of character.

And if you do start hankering for the comforts of modernity, guests are free to use the facilities at the new Savoy Royal, connected to the classic by a footbridge.

It's been a while since Travelodge announced a wheeze to help guests get a good night's sleep, but the time off has been well spent: the budget chain is back, and it's packing aromatherapy sheets.

The press release lays it on thick: this is an 'a-room-atherapy' service featuring five 'ReminiScents' drawn from a 'Senses Census' of 5,000 Brits.

Three strikes. Back to the dugout.

These are the whiffs on offer:

• The Sea
• Freshly Cut Grass
• Baby powder
• Home-baked Apple Pie
• Chocolate

Sadly for Travolution ed Kevin May, airline fuel - which he recently told TW Blog is among his favourite smells - has been left out.

It's another sure-fire route to press coverage, particularly in the tabloids and city freesheets. But would it help you sleep?

Nathan Midgley, web producer

That's pretty much the substance of this post. I've had soap, shower gel, shampoo, moisturiser, scented spray, cologne, shower caps... but never toothpaste.

After finding the proverbial cupboard bare at InterContinental's Aphrodite Hills resort, which I thought would lay on everything on the bathroom front, I'm more convinced than ever that something's going on.

Have I just been unlucky? If not, what's the deal? Is there some global dentistry lobby vetoing it?

Answers in the comments, please...

Nathan Midgley, web producer

Just some pics and a slightly daft vid from InterContinental Aphrodite Hills, the venue for this year's ITT Conference:

Pool area...

Private pool (ground floor suite)...

Bathroom...

And finally - are you sitting down? - a TV cabinet that pivots 180 degrees so you can watch it on the sofa or in bed. TW Blog is not difficult to entertain...

Ever wondered what it would be like to go to a romantic couples' resort on your own? Travel Weekly chief sub Megan Turner knows...

Sandals likes to brand its Caribbean resorts as 'created for two people in love', so you can imagine the suspicion I aroused on a recent Sandals fam trip to Jamaica when I requested a table for one at breakfast.

I was shown to my table, which was surrounded by several other breakfasting couples - in love.

I sensed that all eyes were on solitary me. From a distance I could hear the cogs whirring as my fellow diners' imaginations went into overdrive: "I bet she's had a ruckus with her hubby and she's left him to stew while she contemplates divorce over a toasted waffle."

"Evil cow," I imagined another onlooker whisper, "she's only been married five minutes and she's killed him already. She probably buried him on the beach."

As I self-consciously slurped my tea, the sound of Chic's song 'Soup for one' played out in my head. This was depressing.

I got up and headed for the toaster, where I was accosted by a British woman who, without seeing fit to greet me first, asked: "Are you getting married?"
"No," I replied, with an amused look.

"Oh. It's just that we were wondering why you were eating breakfast alone. We thought you might have been avoiding the groom on your wedding day."

I explained why I was there and she returned excitedly to her husband with her toast to tell all.

"She's a journalist..." I heard the woman say.

"Ohhhhhhhh..." I imagined the other listening-in couples say, their fun ruined, before returning to their petit dejeuner a deux.

Megan Turner, chief sub-editor

A nice spot from Bill Geist: apparently a new Beijing hotel called The Opposite House has 'eliminated the check-in counter' and will 'greet guests at their cars and escort them to their rooms, producing keycards with a handheld unit'.

Slick and sensible. Pinch me.

Opposite House is due to open in summer 2008 - ehotelier has more details on what to expect from the architecture and interiors.

The good news is that this is just the first property from Swire Hotels, which will open more in 'regional English towns and cities' (are there any other kind?) in 2009. So hopefullly the no-check-in innovation will reach these shores too.

Nathan Midgley, web producer

Looks like things are opening up for Cubans (at a price). According to Fox News, new president Raul Castro's governemnt is allowing them to use hotels previously reserved for tourists. That adds to other new freedoms including being able to use a mobile phone and buy a DVD.

The downside: according to Fox, Cubans, like fellow guests, will be charged in hard currency worth 24 times the Cuban pesos which state employees are paid in.

Martin Couzins, online editor

Brits believe that breakfast in bed will be extinct within the next ten years, according to the latest Travelodge survey.

The survey of 2,500 Britons cited the following reasons for no longer experiencing the joys of brekker in bed:

Lack of time
Breakfast should be eaten at the table
Crumbs in the bed
It feels lazy
It’s not romantic

Travelodge had not posted the press release at the time of writing, but should appear soon on its site.

Martin Couzins, online editor

Springwise reports that Jumeirah Hotels and Resorts is to add a pre-ordering service to its retail collection.

That means you'll be able to buy various holiday essentials such as toiletries, books, beachwear and baby stuff, and have them placed in your room ready for your arrival. The cost will just be added onto your bill.

Potentially very handy - yes, you can pick all this stuff up at the airport, but if you're anything like me you'll forget one or two items everything.

And hell, you're staying at a Jumeirah! You shouldn't have to carry stuff...

Nathan Midgley, web producer

And there I was thinking I hadn't heard from Travelodge for a while. Well, today's news from the budget hotel chain is that it is offering customers the chance to look like characters in a 1950s sci-fi film, or maybe a Yazoo video.

But seriously, the hotel chain is trialling a new range of hi-tech pyjamas that will enable customers to get a better night's sleep. Research carried out by Travelodge showed that itchy night clothes and getting too hot and cold are the main resasons for disturbed sleep. These new PJs are made from 'dermasilk' - a new thread which promises to feel like a 'second skin', according to Travelodge.

Bid farewell to a bad night's sleep, but do we really need the hoods? . . .
Martin Couzins, online editor

Travel Weekly and its TW Group cohorts (Travolution, Gazetteers and TWacademy) just visited Disneyland Paris, and there was general astonishment at the size of the Newport Bay Club hotel.

Here's one of its corridors stretching into the distance. The white glow at the end is probably the south pole. Or Narnia.

There were tired legs among the TW Group, but pity the hotel staff: according to one, the distance from the end of the west wing to the end of the east is a full kilometre.

(Note to PRs attempting to get buy-in from bloggers: the key is pointless trivia.)

Nathan Midgley, web producer

TripAdvisor has announced the UK’s 10 dirtiest hotels, based on traveller ratings for cleanliness.

In pole position is the Nanford Guest House in Oxford, which was last year's runner-up.

When it made the list last year, the Oxford Mail reported that the hotel had twice been fined for food hygiene offences. City council spokesman Louisa Dean said: "The Nanford Guest House is one of the very few hotels in Oxford that we do not recommend to visitors.”

Guests' comments on TripAdvisor have included “horrendous”, “squalid”, “total and utter dump”, “dirty, smelly and should be shut down”.

This year saw six repeat offenders, including four from the same hotel group, Britannia. The Europa Gatwick appears on the list for the third year running.

The Roll of Shame

1. Nanford Guest House, Oxford
2. Manor Court Hotel, London
3. Britannia Hotel, Stockport
4. Europa Gatwick, Crawley
5. Whiteleaf Hotel, London
6. Park Hotel, London
7. County Hotel, Carlisle
8. Britannia Hotel, Birmingham
9. Eden Plaza Hotel, London
10. Britannia Country House, Didsbury

Budget hotel chain Premier Inn has got together with "experts from the fields of sleep science, Feng Shui and psychology" to assess which side of the bed is best to get out of.

So here it is: left is good, and right bad, due to something about Feng Shui and the two hemispheres of the brain.

It's all to do with focusing on a good night's sleep, something which Premier Inn and its competitors do a great deal. Quite right - it's exactly what their customers want from them.

Travel Weekly staff became increasingly flummoxed as the press release worked its way around the office, however, observing that most people just get out of the side they sleep on.

Indeed, any sleep benefits will likely be counterbalanced by the noise of couples arguing over who gets the "irritable, lethargic and therefore unproductive" side.

Nathan Midgley, web producer

Travelodge is currently building a new hotel in Uxbridge, Middlesex, out of 88 shipping containers. According to Metro, the containers help reduce building costs and the time it takes to build the hotel. Maybe Travelodge will bulid a more upmarket hotel out of its pod it developed for squeamish campers. Whatever happened to that?
Martin Couzins, online editor

Travelodge has published lists of objects found in its rooms last year. Here is the list of the top 10 most bizarre items left behind. Check out number 5.

1 A Lord Mayor chain
2 An urn of ashes
3 A blue glass eye
4 A pet Persian cat called Princess
5 A child
6 A suitcase full of diamond jewellery
7 A lucky charm Buddha necklace
8 Keys to a Bentley
9 Six foot by Six foot remote control helicopter
10 A family heirloom antique gold necklace worth £12,000

Martin Couzins, online editor

'Tis the season to post lists, and Travel + Leisure has released a big'un: the 500 best hotels in the world 2007.

That's rather a lot to get through, especially if you've been out making merry. So here are the winners from each region:

1. Europe
   Hotel Goldener Hirsch, Salzburg, Austria
2. USA
   Boulders Resort & Golden Door Spa, Phoenix/Scottsdale, Arizona
3. Canada
   Fairmont Banff Springs, Banff, Alberta
4. Asia
   Raffles Hotel Le Royal, Phnom Penh, Cambodia
5. Australia, New Zealand, and the South Pacific
   Hayman, Great Barrier Reef, Australia
6. Africa and the Middle East
   Chobe Chilwero Lodge, Chobe National Park, Botswana
7. Mexico and Central and South America
   Llao Llao Hotel & Resort, Bariloche, Argentina
8. The Caribbean, Bermuda, and the Bahamas
   Malliouhana Hotel & Spa, Anguilla, Anguilla

A nice press release from TripAdvisor lists the 'best converted hotels in the world' - I'm waiting for confirmation, but I assume it's based on TA user ratings (UPDATE: it is, with a bit of editorial input from TA editors).

Oddly, they're all in Europe. European communications manager Ian Rumgay says, "it would appear that Europe is leading the world in this sector," which by this list is a bit of an understatement.

Does anyone have a recommendation from outside Europe?

1. Hotel Im Wasserturm
Where: Cologne, Germany
Formerly: the largest water tower in Europe

2. Four Seasons Hotel Gresham Palace
Where: Budapest, Hungary
Formerly: an Art Nouveau palace

3. K+K Hotel Central
Where: Prague, Czech Republic
Formerly: an Art Nouveau building and cabaret theatre

4. Chateau de Trigance
Where: Trigance, France
Formerly: a medieval fortress

5. The Lighthouse
Where: Llandudno, North Wales
Formerly: er... a lighthouse

6. Old Bank Hotel
Where: Oxford, England
Formerly: Oxford’s first bank

7. Hotel Pulitzer
Where: Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Formerly: 25 adjoining 17th and 18th century canal houses

8. Krolewski Hotel
Where: Gdansk, Poland
Formerly: a granary

9. Langholmen Hotel and Hostel
Where: Stockholm, Sweden
Formerly: Sweden’s biggest prison

10. Mandarin Oriental
Where: Prague, Czech Republic
Formerly: a 14th century Dominican monastery

Winning property Hotel Im Wasserturm is endorsed by no less than OMG BRAD PITT, who according to its website says, "Rapunzel would have been proud to let her hair down here."

Thanks to Hotel Blogs for this video review of a premium cabin in the Yotel, south terminal at Gatwick Airport.

This is from TW's Kelly Ranson at the InterContinental Hotels Groups Americas Investors and Leaderships conference in Dallas, Texas...

You know that you are in America when there is Starbucks on every corner and when you finish your meal it looks like you haven’t even touched it.

But I definitely realised I was in across the pond when I entered the ‘Holiday Inn Experience’ at the Dallas Convention Centre this week.

Only in America can they put together a massive mock up of its re-branded hotels (complete with beds, baths and exteriors and even the new smell of the hotels) to show to delegates.

Throughout the 40 minute ‘journey’ you are guided through what can only be described as a museum of Holiday Inn.

TW Blog is in the process of failing to buy a house, and £150,000 would be no end of help.

So good on Travelodge for offering big cash rewards to anyone who finds the company a new hotel site.

If the company builds on the land you suggest, you'll get £500 for every room in the finished property.

As well as being generous, this ticks some very modern boxes: inviting consumers into the decision-making process, using local knowledge and so forth.

Travelodge is very vocal about being the fastest-growing UK hotel company of its kind, and aims to build 500 new properties by 2020. So there's plenty of scope to cash in.

Perhaps if we knocked down part of TW Towers...

Shorter-term goals include 200 new hotels and a refit of existing properties in preparation for the 2012 Olympics.

If you have stayed in a hotel, you probably would have noticed the neat folds in the loo roll.
One man, Stephen Gill, has photographed these pieces of origami from around the world. He tells the Guardian why . . .

Martin Couzins, online editor

TW Blog invited readers to tell us about their best and worst hotel room views earlier this week. What about restaurant views? Top this...

That's the world's only all-glass undersea restaurant, which you'll find at Hilton Maldives Resort and Spa. It is 16 feet under sea level and surrounded by a coral reef.

I've pilfered this from our Maldives resort feature, which you can read online tomorrow (or in print on Friday).

Here's one for football fans - many of the guests at last week's Northern Travel Trade Ball / Agent Excellence Awards were staying at the De Vere Whites hotel, where the function was held.

Locals will know that the De Vere is part of Bolton Wanderers' Reebok Stadium complex, and that some rooms have a great view of the pitch.

Travel Weekly's own Juliet Dennis (who did a sterling job of interviewing the award winners on video) had one such room...

What's the most interesting view you've had from a hotel room, whether good or bad?

A Luxury Travel Blog has posted about a design for an extravagant new seven-star hotel in Dubai (where else?).

The Apeiron, should the plans by architect Sybarite get backing, will be a huge funnel-shaped structure rising from the sea. Access would be by helicopter or sea only, with boats mooring in the centre of the structure.

My word. Sybarite describes it as a 'James Bond retreat,' which is of course right on the money. What's up with the name, then?

The aptly named ‘Apeiron’ hotel is derived from Anaximander’s 6th century BC cosmological theory. He believed the beginning of time to be an endless, unlimited mass, subject to neither old age nor decay, perpetually yielding fresh materials from which everything we can perceive are derived.

Aaaah. Of course.

Nathan Midgley, web producer

Many of the nationals are carrying the touching/weird story of two pensioners who have been living at a Lincolnshire Travelodge for over two decades.

This will have made UK readers think of either the Major from Fawlty Towers or Steve Coogan's Alan Partridge (right).

Apparently David and Jean Davidson just don't like housework, and have racked up a bill of around £100,000 avoiding making beds, cleaning and cooking.

They should stick around. Travelodge is doing up all its UK properties, so in a few years the couple will have got out of doing the decorating too. Result.

Nathan Midgley, web producer

I refer to John Aldridge's I-can-barely-watch massacre of the Banyan Tree in Bahrain in today's Times.

The lavish property is, he says, 'comically awful' ... 'the silliest hotel in the Middle East'.

On the bar:

Gazing up at the red and blue spotlights and gawdy twinkling-star lasers in the roof, I felt like I had arrived at the Cinderella-Rockefeller's disco

On the spa:

With long, echoing, sterile corridors between the changing rooms, the hydrothermal pools and the treatment rooms, it felt more like a Victorian sanatorium

The spa treatments get a bit of praise, and Aldridge describes Banyan Tree chain as 'usually top class', but otherwise it's carnage all the way. Ouch.

Nathan Midgley, web producer

Like to go to festivals but put off by sleeping under canvas?

Well, thanks to budget hotel chain Travelodge the tent will no longer be the issue. They are trialing a travelpod...

This natty number is, by the looks of it, a portable Travelodge hotel room complete with air con and DVD player. At 6m long, 2.4m wide and 2.6m high it is big enough for a double bed and loo as well.

I’ve asked Travelodge if they will let us use one for the night...

Martin Couzins, online editor

Poor Alastair Campbell. Travelodge has released figures on the books most commonly left in its hotel rooms, and his memoir is in at number one.

The Blair Years beat Piers Morgan's Don't You Know Who I Am (second place) and Jordan's A Whole New World (in third). Chris Moyles's life story is at nine.

Evidence that the 'memoirs of intolerable people' genre is finally in decline? Cross everything.

Here's the rest of the list:

1. The Blair Years - Alastair Campbell
2. Don't You Know Who I Am? - Piers Morgan
3. A Whole New World - Jordan
4. Wicked - Jilly Cooper
5. Dr Who Creatures & Demons - Justin Richard
6. The Diana Chronicles - Tina Brown
I Can Make You Thin - Paul McKenna
Humble Pie - Gordon Ramsey
The Story Of A Man And His Mouth - Chris Moyles
Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows - J.K Rowling

So: which deserve to be here, and which deserve better?

Nathan Midgley, web producer

This weekend sees the last bank holiday of summer - so why not ignore the weather and make the most of it? There could be a swanky Mr and Mrs Smith hotel guide in it for you.

To win, just submit a photo of you getting out and about in Britain on Monday - whether you're at a local festival, taking a walk in the country or on a shopping trip.

The three best pictures will win a guide.

Mr and Mrs Smith guides feature some of the most luxurious and original properties in the world.

Beautifully illustrated and penned by some of the best writers in the business, they're just the thing to pick up when you have a bank holiday to spare.

All books come with a Smith membership card entitling you to various goodies at featured hotels.

There are three ways to enter:

• Send your picture to twblog@rbi.co.uk as an attachment
• Upload your picture to a photo-sharing website such us flickr and send a link to twblog@rbi.co.uk
• Join the Travel Weekly group on Facebook and upload your photo there

Get your pics in by September 10. If you're entering by email, please put 'bank holiday competition' in the subject line.

Nathan Midgley, web producer

Travelodge has released a survey of nightmares commonly suffered by Brits.

Why? Well, the budget hotel has a director of sleep - and if mining the nation's subconscious will help current incumbent Leigh McCarron deliver the perfect night's kip, that's presumably what he will do.

Rather him than me. These are the most common nightmare themes:

• Being chased (32%)
• Drowning (7%)
• Being trapped (7%)
• Partner leaving them (6%)
• Being injured (6%)

But the more unusual nightmares included:

• Falling through a chess board
• Being eaten by a giant cockroach
• Being nanny to Jordan's children
• Being squashed in a sausage machine
• Being naked in a public place

On a more serious note, McCarron advises:

"It's important to relax before bed to resolve any potential issues that could lead to a nightmare. There are some simple steps any of us can take."

And these are:

• Write down anything that's worrying you before you go to bed
• Make sure your bedroom is the right temperature - experts recommend 18 degrees
• Have a warm bath before bed
• Avoid caffeine after 7pm
• Avoid eating after 7pm
• Make sure the lighting in your bedroom is subtle

And what about having a pint or three before you hit the sacK?

Martin Couzins, online editor

Former Nazi prisoner camp Colditz is attempting to shed its frosty image and tempt tourists.

According to a BBC report the castle is being spruced up, with the old grey walls painted white and cells being turned into offices. The old camp commandant’s quarters have apparently been turned into a family-friendly youth hostel. <