Thoughts after one visit to the Hutton Hotel in Nashville

Bed jumping in Lexington while there for a horse show

Model Railroads in the Chattanooga Choo Choo Hotel

A hotel in a quarry in China

This stunning concept designs inspired by the natural water and landscape features of the quarry captured the imagination of judges to quash competition from two other international firms. The quarry will provide protection from the weather, and reduce the energy needs of the hotel. The complex will contain restaurants, cafes, sport facilities, and will even include underwater public areas and guestrooms.



The innovative design of the 400-bed resort hotel stands two levels higher than the rock face of the 100 metre deep quarry and includes underwater public areas and guestrooms. It will incorporate conference facilities for up to 1,000 people, a banqueting centre, restaurants, cafés and sports facilities.

Visit Atkins Design to see this and more amazing creations.

Visit Freshome to see and read the more cool stuff.

Inside a luggage storage room at a hotel in Nashville

The Nashville Westin is Shrinking

The developers of a controversial high-rise Westin hotel planned for Lower Broadway are shortening the tower by three stories, a move they said would make the project more economically viable but probably reopen it for public debate.

Sage Hospitality Resources and The Barber Group have decided to eliminate the proposed hotel's 48 condos, saying the units would be too costly to build and unlikely to sell as well as company executives had once hoped.

"Nationally, the residential market has cooled, and Nashville really is not immune to that national epidemic," Michael Coolidge, Sage's senior vice president of development said Monday.

The firms instead plan to add 75 rooms to the hotel, bringing the count to about 450. Because hotel rooms are smaller than condos, the changes will let the firms eliminate three floors, lowering the hotel to 16 stories.

Read the Tennessean for the complete story.

Front Desk and Lobby of the 21C HotelMuseum

Front Desk of 21C MuseumHotel.


Art gallery/Hotel lobby





Photos courtesy of Andrea and Me.

21C Hotel and Museum in Louisville, Kentucky

The 21C Hotel and Museum in Louisville, Kentucky is a beautiful and funky place that is a lot of fun for all ages and has some great, unique art. The entire place is art.

photos courtesy of Andrea

Do You Know Which Hotel This Is?

A Concierge to the Rescue

In a Time of Need, a Concierge Steps Up
By JOE SHARKEY

It was only four hours later, after checking in at the Taj Mahal Hotel in New Delhi, that I realized my cellphone had not accompanied me on the two-hour journey.

I figured I could kiss that baby goodbye, but a companion suggested a long shot.

“Try the hotel concierge,” he said.

Now, my idea of what a concierge does is book a restaurant or score a couple of hard-to-get box seats. But when I called Albert John, the concierge at the Taj Mahal, he got on the case immediately, working with Piyush Dhawan, the duty manager.

“This may take some time, but I will keep you informed,” he said.

I worked in my room all day, and Mr. John was on the phone regularly. And yes, they had found the phone in Mumbai.

“Can you describe it other than the model?” he asked.

“Well, it has a screen saver of a parrot on the outside and another one on the inside.”
“Two parrots,” he said.

Mr. John and Mr. Dhawan negotiated the bureaucratic hurdles. An affidavit was required along with a photocopy of my passport. Evidently, the parrots helped persuade officials that I was indeed the owner.

Mr. John called my room to inform me the cellphone was being flown to New Delhi, and should be delivered before I checked out. (I had a late checkout for the red-eye back to Newark).

An hour later, Rahul Manchanda, the hotel’s airport officer, was at my door with the wayward cellphone, having picked it up at the airport an hour away.

There are two points to this story. One is that the Taj organization, founded 100 years ago, is among those luxury chains expanding internationally, including in the United States, where it will compete with established brands like Four Seasons and Ritz-Carlton, both based in North America, and the Peninsula Hotels, based in Hong Kong. At the luxury level, personal service is one of the market differentiators.

The second point has to do with the Registered Traveler program. That program is moving ahead slower than anticipated as the Transportation Security Administration drags its feet on approving technology that would, for example, allow members to keep their shoes on.


Read the complete article in the New York Times-Business section.

A Glimpse at the Peabody Hotel

The lobby of the Peabody Hotel in Memphis, Tennessee.


Horse carriages outside the Peabody Hotel.

Maya Hotel Floating Pyramid Island In Caribbean Sea

If you think an extravagant five-star skyscraper, beach side resort or cliff-side villa is the ultimate hotel experience, then think again. Prepare for a new dimension in luxury lodging ... floating pyramids.

Oceanic-Creations, a Swedish based company, has unveiled plans to build floating commercial and residential buildings around the world with the help of a new composite material.

The company's first major project -- the Maya Hotel -- is estimated to cost around $209 million and will be located south of Cancun, Mexico, on the Caribbean Sea.

"We have a lot of hopes about the future. We have more customers than actual production right now," said Ronny Nordell, an engineer and co-founder of the project, which plans to construct hotels, casinos, island cities and even movable vacation villages.

The floating buildings will be built with an unique plastic composite material, which is normally used in the defense industry and will feature built-in insulation that makes the constructions suitable for all types of climate, from the freezing cold to extreme heat. The material, which the maker says is up to six times lighter and 10 times stronger than steel depending on the reinforcement material, can also cut maintenance costs by 30 to 40 percent.

"They don't break easily and are much easier to maintain," said Ronny Nordell.

There are already plans underway to build student housing with the technology especially in congested places where there is a lack of space to build. The company is set to focus on emerging markets such as the United Arab Emirates where the interest for the technology has been very strong.

"This material will prove very cost-effective for places like Dubai and Abu Dhabi who work a lot with landscaping and usually use sand and mud to build," said Stefan Holmgren, head of international marketing.

"The good thing for us is that there are many cities that don't have a real solution to what do with their water. We will give them those solutions," he said, adding that the company has received interest for the material from as far as China and the Far East.

Nordell, who previously worked for Kockums, a Swedish marine company that invented the technology, said he tried to get permission to use the special composite technology as early as 1986 but got rejected by the Swedish government because it was considered a defense secret and used for military purposes.

"I tried again in 2002, thinking the Cold War is over now and it worked," he said.

Oceanic-Creations struck a deal with Kockums last autumn, which gives the company the exclusive rights to use Kockums' composite technology to build the floating constructions and similar products for 20 years.

To date, $6.5 million has been invested in the venture and the company is currently planning how to finance its future operations. The fact that the recipe for the composite material is secret gives Oceanic-Creations a significant competitive advantage, said Ronny Nordell.

He added, the production will initially kick-off from facilities in Varna, Bulgaria, which is strategically located on the Black Sea to make it easy to transport everything.

In addition to the Maya Hotel in Mexico, the ventures other projects will also include a floating wind tunnel that will be placed outside New York. The wind tunnel will enable people to recreate skydives without actually jumping out of an airplane.

"We have big aspirations," said Nordell. "There are a lot of people interested in us now compared to when we started. There weren't many who believed in it then," he said.

This is from CNN

~~~~~~~

The Maya Hotel, a vast floating pyramidal resort, is on the drawing board at Oceanic Creations, a Swedish-based company.

Oceanic Creations intends to construct hotels, casinos, island cities and even movable vacation villages. The secret ingredient for all of these projects is a unique plastic composite material which offers built-in insulation that makes the constructions suitable for all types of climate, from the freezing cold to extreme heat. This remarkable material is reportedly up to six times lighter and 10 times stronger than steel (depending on the reinforcement material used). It is also claimed that it can cut maintenance costs by 30 to 40 percent.

"This material will prove very cost-effective for places like Dubai and Abu Dhabi who work a lot with landscaping and usually use sand and mud to build," said Stefan Holmgren, head of international marketing for Oceanic Creations.

"The good thing for us is that there are many cities that don't have a real solution to what do with their water. We will give them those solutions."

Burj Al Arab- World's Largest Cross?

This comes from Mirage Studio7. Visit them for more architectural news.



This is probably an outdated news and it is all over the internet, anyway, Burj al Arab was designed by Tom Wright of WS Atkins PLC, during the designing stage, the world was told that it was built to resemble a sail, but critics are claiming that Wright designed the cross after he had a dream to have a Christian influence in a Muslim country.

Some locals claim that this was an intentional move on the part of the British architects. This issue is more ironic when one considers that the Tower of the Arabs is widely considered to be Dubai’s most important landmark. A Conspiracy indeed, but no words yet from the architect himself. The real question is, does it matter if it looks like a cross?

In the year 2001, Dubai introduced the 4th series number plate. It has the Burj al Arab symbol, due to conspiracy theories and controversies surrounding Burj Al Arab’s resemblance to the Christian cross, the Burj Al Arab symbol was removed without any explanation in the year 2004.

An interesting story is told back to back which says that apparently any cars registered in Dubai, that have one of the older license plates which have an image of the Burj Al Arab on them, aren’t allowed to drive into Saudi Arabia.

Coming from a country that the official religion is Islam, I find it hard to digest the fact that Malaysian of other faith such as Buddhist, Christian, Hindus and others are not allowed (unofficially) to built any religious structure or building that exceed the height of any mosque in their respective towns, except for a few temples and churches like the Batu Caves temple and Kek Loh Si temple. It is not a written law, don’t believe me? Ask any senior draftsperson or architects.

Bias it may be but when the British disapproved the Mega-Mosque in London, the British Muslim was pissed, the mega mosque is believed to be so huge that it will dwarf many of Britain’s Christian cathedrals.

Councilor Craig, who lives in a city with 300 mosques and 500 madrassahs, suggests that Britain not allow any more mosques until Muslims allow churches in Saudi Arabia. Craig said, “Why should the Saudis pay for a mosque in the UK when there is not one single church, temple, goodwara, synagogue in Saudi at all?” - CBN

What goes around comes around, and if you need to look for a guilty then you only need to look into a mirror. After all, Burj al Arab is on Muslim soil, some minor renovation can be done to rectify this whole Christian cross issue, now, the real question is why don’t they do it? What say you?

Cool Way to Say "Do Not Disturb"

Here’s a different way of displaying the ‘Do not disturb sign’! Just like the basic traffic rules….Red says Stop and Green says Go, this Brighthandle also controls the traffic to your room with the same principle. This illuminated door handle, Alfa online, lets you know if the room is occupied with it’s red light. If the room is unoccupied it shows green. The inside of the handle is just a nice stainless steel. Ideal for bedrooms, toilets or even offices, these illuminated handles dramatically enhance the esthetics of the door environment.

Visit the GizmoDiva for more cool things.

Another 7 star hotel in Dubai?

Hotel designed by Sybarite Architects would feature a two-storey jungle at the top of the 28-storey building.

Developers are said to be hovering over this unique 7-star hotel in Dubai designed by Sybarite Architects after a major hotel group showed interest in putting up the funds.

The US$350m (£173m) 28-floor Aperiron building would be 300m from the Dubai coast and accessible only by boat or helicopter.

As well as 438 luxury suites, it would contain a spa, an art gallery, and an underwater restaurant with views into a surrounding lagoon.

To top it off, the top two floors would house a temperature-controlled butterfly jungle with tropical species.

Its unique structural design has not yet garnered a nickname, but Building staff have variously named it ‘The Rollmop’, ‘The Pringle’ and ‘The Funnel’. Any better suggestions should be posted below.

Read more at the Building

~~~~~~~

Imagine a funnel-shaped, 7-star hotel 300m off Dubai’s coast, accessible only by boat or helicopter, complete with temperature-controlled butterfly jungle on the top two floors…

Sounds more like fantasy than reality, huh? Apparently, such a hotel could be on the cards, though. The 28-floor Aperiron building has been designed by Sybarite Architects and is said to have a major hotel group interested in putting up the funds to make it all happen.

Read more in A Luxury Travel Blog

Gran Hotel Domine Bilbao

When the Frank Gehry–designed Guggenheim Museum opened in Bilbao in 1997, this industrial hub in northern Spain suddenly became an international tourist destination. The Basque city’s undulated, titanium-and-steel landmark also helped lure other renowned architects from around the world: Japan’s Arata Isozaki designed the gate to Bilbao; Spaniard Santiago Calatrava built the airport and a bridge over the Nervión River; England’s Sir Norman Foster designed the subway system; and Argentine architect César Pelli created a waterfront park.



Spain’s Javier Mariscal, however, faced what was perhaps the city’s most daunting architectural task when he was commissioned to build a hotel directly across from the Guggenheim.

The site for Mariscal’s Gran Hotel Domine Bilbao is both a blessing and a curse. No location in the city offers a better view, and yet no neighbor casts a more intimidating shadow. With its asymmetrical forms and nontraditional materials, Gehry’s silvery structure is so bold that it is sometimes criticized for overpowering the artworks displayed on its walls. Mariscal, therefore, did not attempt to compete with the museum, but instead utilized it to his advantage.



On the facade of the hotel facing the Guggenheim, Mariscal stacked and angled window panels to act as mirrors that reflect images of the museum. A more modest entrance on the opposite side blends with the adjacent neoclassic buildings, but regardless of which way you enter the Domine Bilbao, you pass through its six-story atrium. At the center of the atrium rests Cypress Fossil, an 85-foot-tall, 90-ton, cylindrical sculpture of stones wrapped in mesh.




Mariscal exercised more restraint in the Domine Bilbao’s guest rooms, where glass, limestone, and steel appear to be a continuation of the Guggenheim’s exterior. The architect designed several of the rooms’ furnishings, including the lamps, the beds, and even the wool and cashmere bedspreads. The bathrooms, which are partitioned from the bedrooms with large glass walls, include faucets designed by Arne Jacobson, stools by Alvar Aalto, and, in rooms facing the Guggenheim, Philippe Starck bathtubs positioned so that you can soak while staring at the museum.

LOCATION Across the street from the Guggenheim Museum on Alameda de Mazarredo.

ACCOMMODATIONS The six-story structure houses 131 guest rooms and 14 suites, which afford views of either the museum, the city, or the hotel’s atrium.

FACILITIES The library, business center, and lounges contain furnishings by mid-20th-century designers Alvar Aalto, Charles Eames, and Isamu Noguchi.

DINING Beltz the Black features contemporary Basque cuisine from chef Ramón Berriozabal. The decor in the casual Splash & Crash cocktail lounge draws from the swinging ’60s, and the hotel’s street-level cafeteria sits directly across from the Guggenheim’s entrance.

CONCIERGE RECOMMENDS After a day at the Guggenheim, browse the works of Eduardo Chillida, El Greco, and Francisco de Goya at the Bilbao Fine Arts Museum, or peruse cultural artifacts at the Basque Museum of Bilbao, which occupies a 16th-century church.

RATES From $165 to $1,395.

This article comes from the Robb Report

Stay in a Tree House or a Schoolhouse

The online travel community TripAdvisor has compiled a list of the 10 "quirkiest" accommodations in the world, including teepees in Arizona, a floating barge in British Columbia and a dog-shaped building in Idaho. There's also McMenamin's Kennedy School, an old schoolhouse in Portland, Ore., with blackboards in the rooms and a pool where the teacher's lounge used to be (average nightly rate: $96), and Fur 'n' Feathers Rainforest Tree Houses in Queensland, Australia, where wildlife is known to join travelers in their huts (average nightly rate: $236).

Visit Trip Advisor for more information.


This article comes from the Wall Street Journal.

Top 2 Gadgets to Keep you Safe in Your Hotel Room

From Kathleen Crislip,Your Guide to Student Travel.


I'm an adventurous traveler, and I've certainly stayed in some hotels/motels/hostels where my safety in my room was questionable whether because of the neighborhood or the iffy door lock. Check out these products that will bring you some peace of mind - a portable door lock which works anywhere and a doorjam with alarm that shrieks like a banshee if someone tries to get into your room uninvited.

1. Portable Door Lock

Awesome device - this portable door lock works like this:
Open door
Squeeze and slide lock back (illustration exists on the packaging)
Insert hook into door strike plate (again, package illustration shows you how to proceed)
Close door
Slide lock forward and you're safe!


2. Wedge Guard Door Stop Alarm

From the manufacturer: "The Door Stop Alarm is a unique burglar alarm. The Door Stop is designed in the shape of a 6" long door wedge. Simply place it behind any door. When the door is opened it will jam the door and at the same time give off a loud, shrill pulsating alarm...this is a completely self-contained, easy to carry and easy to test unit. 118 dB alarm, anti-slide sole plate, uses one 9 volt battery (sold separately). 7" x 2" x 2-1/4"." Needs two AA alkaline batteries.



This comes from About.com -student travel

Hotel Online

Hotel Online- "Where the hospitality industry meets online."

Former Las Vegas Bellmen Build a Better Doorstop

By Howard Stutz, Las Vegas Review-JournalMcClatchy-Tribune Regional News
Jul. 24, 2007 -



Brian Agster and William Hengler, two Mandalay Bay bellmen, spent two years designing and developing a doorstop that was easy to use, decreased property damage and was safer than the old-fashioned models.

Getting Strip hotel purchasing departments interested in their product was another challenge.
Today, bellmen, maids and guest room service personnel in thousands of Strip hotel rooms, including resorts operated by MGM Mirage and Harrah's Entertainment, utilize the Door Pro, produced by Vegas Doorstops, a business founded by the two bellman.

Agster and Hengler have taken the doorstop outside of Nevada. It is being used at more than 600 hotels operated by Walt Disney World, Hyatt Hotels and the Marriott Corp. The next step is getting the doorstop in the hands of a distributor, which could place the product into 26,000 hotels and motels worldwide.

In 2005, the International Hotel, Motel and Restaurant Show in New York honored the Vegas Doorstops' device with the "Best New Product Award."

By the way, Agster and Hengler no longer work as bellmen.

"We're really too busy and that's a good thing," said Agster, the CEO of Vegas Doorstops.

Hengler serves as the company's president. The Door Pro is manufactured in Las Vegas and distributed out of Las Vegas.

When the pair came up with the idea, they made the pitch to hotel purchasing departments. The company's success, Agster said, was in understanding the needs of hotel operators.

"If you don't have a product that is different and solves their problems, you won't get into these big properties," Agster said. "It was not only an amazing amount of persistence, but most importantly a great product that got us through the door of these big properties. You are not going to get any time with these buyers and purchasing agents without a fantastic product."

Mark Stolarczyk, vice president of corporate purchasing for MGM Mirage, was the first buyer to give the two bellmen a sale. He said their energy and creativity impressed him. He said the product made sense for use at MGM Mirage properties.

"It's not often that I meet a new supplier for the first time and become as impressed as I was," Stolarczyk said. "They had a professional presentation and a tremendous amount of enthusiasm and pride about their product."

Because of Nevada law, Agster and Hengler had to get the written approval of Mandalay Bay officials in order to patent the doorstop because it was developed while they worked at the casino.

"They signed off and told us to go make a million bucks," Agster said.

The story comes from the Las Vegas newspaper, Las Vegas Review-Journal

Visit the official Vegas Doorstops website for more information