I came across this Hotel by chance, I knew I wanted to be on somewhere different, somewhere not in the city this time….but I wanted it to be a special night as we were going to our first auction that day…..and regardless of whether we won the house or not I thought a night out was deserved.

After looking on lastminute.com.au and wotif.com.au to see what might be around…..I decided to give the Bloomfield a punt. http://www.bloomfieldgroup.com.au/index.php

We ended up there celebrating buying our first house together, in Fawkner, ironic and the hotel overlooks Fawkner Park.

Bloomfield is made up of two hotels, the Albany and the Bloomfield…..Bloomfield being in the old mansion side of the hotel….all refurbished in quite a quirky fashion.

I requested a room overlooking the park and was disappointed to be shown into a room overlooking a car park. I had called the day before to confirm the room request so mentioned this to the staff….and to their credit they swapped our room without much fuss.

We ended up in a lovely room overlooking the park, we settled in and then headed out to find some food and I managed to get foot massage on Toorak Rd as well.

When we got back to the hotel we settled in to chill, and enjoyed a nice sleep.

The next morning we had a misunderstanding on whether breakfast was included, which I had been advised was….anyway, they were happy to take my word and we had a nice meal.

When back at home I decided to email the hotel to let them know of the issues that we had, although they were not major, there were a couple of them…..we were advised the staff were new and as h2b works in the industry we thought it might help with training.

Amazingly the hotel, Nicole, responded and offered us a complimentary night in a Suite. It took us ages to get time to organise it but we finally did about a month ago.

The night went smooth as silk and they even called us to let us know there was a function on but that it would end around 11.

The room was lovely also.

My only negative from two visits is the bathrooms, they have been renovated but the finishes are not great…..there are some areas where there have been some shortcuts taken.

Overall, the quirky nature of this hotel makes up for any shortcomings in the paintjob…..

oh, and when you are there, pop in the Bacash http://www.bacash.com.au/ and try the Flounder it is really great, perfectly cooked and simply presented.

One weekend I had had enough, work was getting on top of me and I did not want to be at home with things to do around the house.

I was looking for a nice hotel,  somewhere quiet and a little special.

It was pretty hard to find a room on this weekend as it happened to be when Brittaney Spears had a concert playing in town and Tiger Woods ( pre-scandal) was appearing.

I had never heard of this hotel, although I have been keeping an eye out on the Blackman hotel due to open soon. During my time online I found The Cullen.

They had a room free and I snapped it up before any Tiger or Spears fans took it……the hotel had only been open for 10 days when i checked in on the Saturday.

My plan was to lay low for the night, watch movies and snack on food bought from the Prahran markets across the road. They offer Valet parking , but this was not evident when I pulled up so I parked myself underneath.

The room was not ready when I checked in, although I was early….i headed across to the markets and collected some nibbles, olives dips and prawns…to see me through the night.

I was curious to see if they had read my request for a room away from the Commercial Rd side as I knew this side would be the noisier one! Luckily I was right at the back, and the room was lovely.

The fitout was well done, with the fittings and furnishing of high quality. I like my sheets, I like good quality furnishings and have had my night ruined before when faced with cheap cabinets…honestly.

I settled in to watch some movies and gathered some nibbles…..unfortunately I found some food left over from recent guests in the cupboard….nothing major but it did highlight that housekeeping may not have been up to speed just yet.

The night went without incident, I even tried out the gym upstairs which had great views across Commercial rd and Chapel St.

I ordered a couple of salads for dinner, the Caesar salad was disappointing, I have never understood why when you pay almost $20 for a salad that they would not use fresh cooked Tuna….ah well.

All round a nice and relaxed night, I checked out feeling more refreshed…..I will stay again.

http://www.artserieshotels.com.au/the-cullen/

Make it a goal to do more in 2010!

Many hotels and boutique properties complain that social media is over-saturated, time consuming and there is no way to measure its true affect on its ability to generate sales.  So why should your boutique property use this new media platform to promote its brand?

Here are the top three reasons why your boutique must utilize social media as part of its marketing mix.

• Create brand loyalty:

All boutique properties know that customer retention is vital to business. Engaging your customer promotes brand loyalty.  With sites such as Facebook and Twitter, your boutique hotel can remind them why they always have such a great time when they stay with you.

• Engage your customers:

Customer’s stay at a boutique one time and may tell a friend or two about their experience.  But, this isn’t good enough!  When your customer’s are engaged and follow you on multiple social sites their   experience will spread like wildfire.  This sense of community drives customer’s comfort level while staying at your boutique property.

• Network! Network! Network!

The more you know about industry trends and keep up with the key players in your industry the better!  While you were learning how to move up the corporate ladder, you must have learned, it’s not what you   know, it’s who you know.  Websites such as LinkedIn allow you to hear about trends and business opportunities that can benefit your boutique and your career.

Written by: Daniel Barsook,  dbarsook@boutiquelodgingassociation.org

Why not head over to the Ynyshir Hall? This luxury country house hotel was awarded a Gold Standard Award 2009 by Visit Wales and was nominated for a Gold Award in Wale’s True Taste Food and Drink Awards 2009.

Gather some friends and go over for their NEW YEAR HOUSE PARTY. You check in December 30th, check out January 2nd. Trust me you won’t want to leave! Why would you,  when you will have great gourmet food, drinks, and good company? There are only 2 rooms left, so hurry before they sell out. Price is £975.00 per person. For more information go to http://www.ynyshirhall.co.uk/special_breaks.asp?SBID=188&Action=ShowBreak

Damn, y’all.  I travel way too much.  I don’t remember exactly when I started collecting the card keys from my business trips, and I’ve never counted them all, but I couldn’t help taking a quick look through a portion of the collection which I found a moment ago.  Each card here represents one week not spent in my own bed, and you can see the stack on the right there which I didn’t even go through.  The crazy part is that I’m pretty sure these are from the past year only.  If I had a dollar, right?

Looking for a hotel that is close to the O2, the RDS and many other Dublin music venues? Look no further, Dylan Dublin hotel is minutes away and it also has a Concert Package offer:  Overnight accommodation in one of our uniquely designed rooms – Full Irish breakfast. Prices start from €99.50 per person sharing per night, for more information go to http://www.avvio.com/hotels/Dylan_Hotel_Dublin/bookings/client.php?formname=offercheckin&oID=24850. Dylan Dublin hotel was named the best boutique hotel in 2008 by Hospitality Ireland. Dylan Hotel has 44 bespoke bedrooms offering Luxury & Style. Charm & Comfort. Impeccable Service. Fine Dining. The Best Technology. The Dylan Experience is worth repeating.

Finding a good hotel in Paris can be difficult; the city has traditionally been littered with old-fashioned two- and three-star properties with a smattering of luxury palaces such as the George V, providing few options for those searching for budget accommodation without compromising on style. Recently, though, the city has begun to spawn a new generation of smaller boutique hotels offering beautiful design at low prices.

The Hotel Aviatic – my base during my recent Paris trip – is one such option. Located in the heart of the sixth arrondissement between St Germain-des-Prés and Montparnasse, it combines a sense of history with warm, inviting design, while a wide range of nearby metro stations provide easy access to all parts of the city and the main transport hubs. 

Hotel Aviatic, Paris

The former townhouse became a hotel in 1912, when aviators from the nearby Issy-les-Moulineaux airfield stayed in the building and gave it its name. It later provided accommodation for the many artists and writers who passed through St Germain and Montparnasse during the twentieth century.

Recently renovated, the hotel is now clad in warm reds, pinks and muted greys, with striped walls and Chinese fabrics. Its elegant interior blends Art Deco style and a touch of glamour with comforts such as squashy armchairs and piles of cushions, while the rooms – though tiny – offer blissfully comfortable beds, plasma TVs, stylish bathrooms and luxury toiletries. 

Free drinks and nibbles are set out every evening in the lounge and breakfast is served in the miniscule bistro, whose walls are plastered with posters from Parisian shows and exhibitions. The hotel will also supply a picnic on request – perfect for lazy days in the nearby Jardin de Luxembourg.

www.aviatic.fr

behind the greens; image: theweblicist.com

Should I be in New York City tonight, I might venture to the Mercer Kitchen upstairs (no Russell Crowe/Jack Bauer sub-t) for a glass of vines or champs, some most excellent crisp french fries (with mayo please) and perhaps a flatbread.  The staff still blows you off (literally, you must wave them down or trip them; this includes the bus boys when your water is tapped)…but the place hasn’t changed, decor or attitude wise, and it’s fun to see the neon sign of Fanelli’s across the way and the people outside passing without a glance.  I met an old friend there for many a frites. My grandmother snubbed Demi Moore at the Mercer.  I sat with my Pop after dinner at Balthazar for a night cap (Johnny Walker Blue) and Donna and I had a $20 glass of champs (Kimmie D too). The lighting is dim, the leather seats show wear and tear and a fashion crowd still keeps the place a glow.  it’s good company for one or two…because, you will always listen to the conversations around you.

The current definition of a limited service hotel is simply a hotel that ‘Omit[s] conventional full service facilities and services such as meeting rooms, swimming pools, business centres and gyms. Customers self-serve and book rooms online at their convenience.’ Tune. For the most part, Nuvo Hotel Suites falls under this standard. The hotel is located in a block of renovated studio apartments, and as such does not have some of the facilities that a larger, full service hotel would have. Our guests do get special rates at a nearby gym and several nearby restaurants but, for better or for worse, we don’t have those facilities attached. This is a pretty popular idea lately; The Days Inn Worldwide, Comfort Inn, and Hampton have all been developing these types of properties for some time now. And, while there have been some bumps in the road, this setup has worked out pretty well so far. In fact it’s worked out so well that we’re now moving to the next step. Automation.

I WISH this was the new Check-In machine

Because we don’t have a 24 hour front desk, if someone were to try and book a last-minute room after the office is closed they wouldn’t get very far before running into some major hurdles. Having management handle these bookings, as well as any check-ins that arrive after the office is closed, can be both stressful and costly. So, in the next few months Nuvo Hotel Suites will be implementing two new services to try and provide better around-the-clock service to our guests. The first is the installation of an automated Check-In booth at our main entrance. This little gizmo will allow last-minute travellers to book, pay for, and get access to a room at any time of the day. The benefits are obvious; the risks are a bit more ethereal. It’s a little impersonal, and no machine will be able to handle all of the routine problems that tend to crop up. So, to handle the latter we will be employing an excellent call center, based out of Maine, to handle the late night issues. The idea is to improve the quality of service during our ‘off’ hours while at the same time keeping the personal touches and sense of style that’s helped to make us as popular as we’ve become. In the next weeks and months we’ll be diligently monitoring the guest feedback to make sure everything is working the way we’d like it to, but if anyone out there has some comments or experiences to share I’d love to hear from you.

I just stumbled upon Oleg March’s Photography website which had some professional pictures of the W Boston on display.  There’s a bunch of great photo sets on this site, along with numerous hotel interior shots from NY and Greece from what I saw.

The W Boston, with its 235 guestrooms and suites (plus residences), opened up earlier this month in the city’s historic theater district.  It’s a good lookin building isn’t it?

Eva Ziegler, Global Brand Leader for W and Le Meridien puts it best when she says . . .

“As our 35th W Hotel and ninth hotel to open in 2009 alone, W Boston marks a true milestone in W’s global expansion into the world’s most exciting and vibrant destinations.  Renowned designers Bentel & Bentel have designed a landmark building that takes a modern twist on Boston’s historic green spaces, creating a true urban oasis for guests and locals alike.”

And read this tease of a description of the property from the official press release . . .

Envisioning a “virtual garden” concept, Bentel & Bentel’s design expresses this in myriad ways throughout the rooms and public areas of the hotel.  Steel tendrils that define spaces and create visual interest are at the same time both organic and industrial.  Falling water in the lobby is juxtaposed against interior and exterior glass and the dynamic interplay with what’s happening outside on Stuart Street and in the Theatre District.  A modern fireplace is positioned at the most acute angle of the building providing a “beacon” of light to those passing by, enticing them to come inside to join in the fun.  Throughout the day, light is subtly transitioned as it filters through the building’s impressive glass exterior into the thoughtfully created spaces within the hotel.

Photo: Boston City Walk

With the nights creeping in earlier and earlier, and the wind picking up an arctic chill, here at Miller’s Residence we’ve designed a package that is just perfect for a luxury Winter hotel escape.

Whether you want to spend a bit of quality time with a loved one before facing the hectic Christmas rush, avoid distant family descending upon you for the festive season, or celebrate a special anniversary or birthday, have the pefect Romantic Winter Warmer stay.

Our beautiful bedrooms and inspiring decor will not fail to impress a loved one. Head out to one of the many famed restaurants of Westbourne Grove, a stones throw from the hotel, before coming back and sinking in to our huge sofas, helping yourself to a complimentary Millers Gin and relaxing to sounds of tinkling Jazz and the crackling of the roaring log fire.

Our beautiful Coleridge room

Why not take advantage of our new Romantic Winter Warmer package? Book a two night stay and, as well as adhering to our room available upgrade policy, there will also be a chilled bottle of champagne and delicious chocolates waiting for you on arrival.
This package is available from £358 + vat for the two nights in a four poster,King or Salon room. Call us now to book to avoid disappointment on 0207 243 1024 or email enquiries@millershotel.com

Christmas decorations at the Galleries Lafayette

This time of year provides the perfect opportunity for a relaxing pre-Christmas getaway before the stress of hectic family get-togethers. Many people flock to the glittering lights of New York or the traditional atmosphere of Germany’s Christmas markets, but there are many other options for those in search of some festive spirit.

Paris

Everyone talks about Paris in the springtime, but Iprefer Paris in the winter – particularly around Christmas, when the Champs Elysees are lined with sparkling lights and the windows of famous department store the Galleries Lafayette come alive with animated displays. The city’s shops are perfect for picking up unusual gifts, while the  ice-rink outside the Hôtel de Ville provides wintry fun in a romantic setting overlooking the Seine.

Edinburgh

Fascinating at any time of year, Edinburgh is especially worth a visit in December. As well as the starkly beautiful castle – illuminated at Christmas by a striking lighting scheme – it boasts a huge German market, a fair, an outdoor ice-rink, lively bars and fantastic shopping opportunities.

Edinburgh also offers a wide array of fantastic boutique hotels, of which my favourite for festive breaks is The Bonham in the city’s West End. Set in a converted Victorian town house, it blends contemporary style with luxurious interiors, rich colours and period touches such as huge bay windows, black and white tiled bathrooms and an imposing spiral staircase. The hotel’s restaurant is similarly warm and sophisticated, serving an innovative menu of modern French food with a Scottish twist in a wood-panelled dining room.

The Cotswolds

If you’re looking for a more rural festive escape, the Cotswolds’ picture-perfect stone and thatch villages offer stylish hotels, unusual boutiques and cosy pubs. The area also boasts a growing art, restaurant and spa scene, attracting increasing numbers of celebs to its rolling hills and village greens.

Those searching for all-out luxury should try Lower Slaughter Manor, Cowley Manor or Cotswold House, while the Burford House Hotel – set within a 17th century building on Burford’s High Street – is perfect for those seeking comfort and style on a lower budget. Its eight individually decorated bedrooms are crammed with antiques and luxurious fabrics, while the hotel’s two lounges come complete with roaring fires, an honesty bar and resident cats.

Hotel L’Aviatic – www.aviatic.fr

The Bonham – www.townhousecompany.com/thebonham

Lower Slaughter Manor – www.lowerslaughter.co.uk

Cowley Manor – www.cowleymanor.com

Cotswold House – www.cotswoldhouse.com

Burford House Hotel – www.burford-house.co.uk

Gin Martinis were the centre of the event that we held here at Miller’s Residence on Wednesday 5th Novemer.
Held in our atmospheric drawing room and introduced by Martin Miller himself, the Gin Masterclass for the Gintelligentsia was an evening of mixing martinis and learning about the historic of gin from Martin Miller’s Gin expert Mixologist, Craig Harper.

Expert Mixologist Craig Harper at a Martin Miller's Gin Masterclass

Inbetween telling the crowd the history of Gin Martinis, Craig pulled members of the audience to the front of the proceedings to help him mix a selection of Martinis in the chronological order in which they were first noted; from the circa 1884 Martinez to the Super Dry Martini Double of the glamorous 1950s. Even our PR Hotel Brand Manager, Frances Marden, got into the swing of things and shook up a cocktail!

Frances at the Martin Miller's Gin Masterclass in shaking cocktails

Craig’s expert knowledge and his enthusiam really had the 20 strong gathering in high spirits and the continuous flow of Martinis certainly helped!

There are two more masterclasses at Miller’s Residence in December and January, with plans for a second phase throughout England and Scotland.

For more information, or to book a tickets email masterclass@martinmillersgin.com. Tickets are £10 per person, and everyone who attends goes home with a bottle Martin Miller’s super premium gin and a Story of Martin Miller’s Gin hardback book.

In the mean time, why not mix up a cocktail yourself?

MARTINEZ, 1884-88

35ml Martin Miller’s Gin
35ml Noilly Pratt Rouge
5ml Curacoa
2 dashes of butters

SUPER DRY MARTINI DOUBLE, 1951

50ml Martin Miller’s Gin
25ml Noilly Pratt Dry
2 dashes of absinthe
2 dashes or orgage bitters and a lemon twist

Martin Miller at Miller's Residence with his eponymous gin

1. How old are you, where are you from, where are you living now and what took you there?

I am 42 years old. I was born in Chicago and lived there most of my life except for the last 10 years, and a couple of years in Mexico when I was a small child. For the past 10 years I have been living in Buenos Aires, and what brought me there was love.

I met my wife on the dance floor of a dance club called Stardust in Chicago (don’t bother to google, I don’t think it’s around anymore. The ones I saw are not it). She was doing her MBA at the University of Chicago. We did not get a chance to talk much, but I guess it was enough to get her attention. I gave her my business card as her friends whisked her away for the evening. Her Argentine friends told her to not waste her time with me since who am I expecting her to chase me by having given her my business card. Luckily she also asked her American friends who told her that I was being gracious by giving her the choice of moving ahead or not. In retrospect, I think she liked the idea of being in the driver’s seat, and seeing how guys are around here, that must have been pretty refreshing.

2. How long have you lived there and how long will you stay?  What keeps you there?

Love brought me here and is keeping me here. I do love it here. Yes, it has its ups and downs but it is an adventure. It is something that is still alien and foreign to me. I am the kind of person that gets bored pretty quickly with just about anything. Argentina is far from being boring. The minute you think you have this place figured out and you fall into complacency the rug gets pulled from under your feet. It is unsettling, but it is not boring and it is challenging.

But it is also a warm place. I can’t imagine another country being so kid friendly. I can take my kids to just about any restaurant without fear of getting attitude by waiters or cold hateful stares from other patrons. Kids are allowed and expected to be kids. Funny enough, most of the time the kids do rise to the situation and behave themselves.

Having said all this, my car just got broken into for the second time and right in front of my shop. Every single car I have owned has been broken into. I shouldn’t be so glowing about Argentina, but you have to take it into the greater context of what it is like to live here.

We have a close knit family that helps each other out, we all live near one another, having access to a maid is fantastic and don’t get me started on the bidet!

3. What do you do to make a living?

My wife and I created Argentina’s first gourmet cookie factory Sugar & Spice. Honestly, the country did not have anyone filling this niche. Any gourmet cookies you found were of the imported variety and they weren’t actually gourmet cookies. Our brand of cookies and baked goodies can be found in the best supermarkets of the country as well as in your local wine stores, gourmet shops, cheese stores, department stores, boutique hotels, and they even serve them in some medical centers. We also provide cookies to Aroma Cafe, Starbucks, McCafé, Munchi’s, Freddo, Jumbo Supermarkets, The Barbie Store, and currently talking to some others to expand that list.

Our factory also has a store front where you can come by and purchase our regular line as well as some things that are exclusively available at our shop. Sometimes we experiment and currently we have mocha biscotti and we have a very deluxe version of our panettone with chocolate for example.

I also have a blog that I write, but I don’t make a living out of it. I did it mostly to help my website get some presence. Before I started it, I could not find my website on any search engine.

4. Describe your average weekday and weekend day.

In the morning we chase the kids around to get them dressed, and ready for school. We then take them ourselves. My days are actually different from one day to another. We have a couple of new products, which leads to a bunch of new clients so I have to carry around a binder with separations for each client with the current open situations that I need to move on, otherwise I would get lost with what has to be done with whom and when. I am feeling pretty overwhelmed these days.

Since June this country’s economy has slowed down. Every retailer is complaining and their sales have decreased substantially. It is a crisis and I don’t even know if the papers are writing about it as such. We are definitely feeling it and the only thing that could or would be saving us are the new products that we are launching as well as the beginning of the holiday season.

Having said that I have to send e-mails, try to get meetings, go to meetings that are either sales meetings or price negotiation meetings or new product meetings, etc. It is basically hectic and confusing.

5. What skills have you learned while living abroad?

I think that I have learnd how to stand up for myself much more effectively. You have to be much more proactive here and not be afraid to be confrontational when the situation arises. I don’t mean you have to go yelling at people, but they do borrow from the Italian tendency to get all hot and bothered one minute and then completely cool down the next. If you stand your ground, you earn respect. You have to remember the cooling down part.

6. What are you missing (professionally) by not being in your home country?

This one is difficult. I was never in this industry back home so I don’t know. I do get the sense that it is not as formal here so things are bit more laid back. But I am going to have to say that I don’t know on this one. Is that allowed? Can I not know something?

However, last week I was waiting around for a potential new client in their office. They had me (and several others) waiting around for 5 hours. I had to walk into his office and not show my irritation. That was some nice acting.

Right after that I had another meeting with a current client and this time, after 1 hour I asked the receptionist if the guy was really in (because he normally does not leave me waiting so long) and she said that he was. I waited for an hour more and then told her that I couldn’t wait anymore. The next day he calls me and apologizes for the receptionist. He was at home sick and she basically flat out lied to me or did not know what the hell she was talking about. I have to hold that one in. When I saw her after that, she recognized me and her attitude was much better about calling him for me, but I couldn’t say anything to her. I have to keep being nice and friendly.

7. If you could live anywhere, where would that be and why?

I like it here, I really do; so Argentina would be my first choice. I think I would need to travel a bit more to come up with a good response. I also loved Italy’s country side; I also loved France; London would have been great in my younger years I think, but I did not feel the love for it. I also did not get to vacation that much. I have been there twice, once for work.

I also love Mexico, but I don’t know if I would like to live there and work there. Maybe if my work was in the States while living there. However, I do have that love for the place when I visit there and I miss it terribly.

8. What is your favorite gadget that makes your work life abroad better?

I have several. My MacBook Pro is awesome and paired with my iPod touch I am in techie heaven. I would love to equip my home with more Apple products. Some day when I have more money maybe.

I have also just bought a magicjack so that helps me to keep in touch with my friends and family in the States. Yeah, the website looks awful, but the thing works.

9. Do you have a favorite book that inspired you to travel or consider a different way of living?

Nope, never researched it or planned on it. However, I am going to read The New Global Student.

10. Other than yours, do you have a favorite expat blog?

Actually there are so many. I have them all side-linked on my blog and I have them on my Googlereader. I might have some on one and not on the other. I have to get that better organized.

Next time this week, we’ll be sleeping in our comfy platform bed at The Standard Hotel in West Hollywood, enjoying the first leg of our honeymoon, and I cannot wait! We booked our trip ages ago, and now that’s it fast approaching I’ve got a one-track mind for relaxation and sunshine.

Our first stop?

The Standard Hotel

It’s a hip place to stay, while not breaking the bank, The Standard is an Andre Balazs property and boasts 24/7 room service, a heated pool, Andy Warhol-designed textiles, a daily social calendar, and even a bathing suit vending machine!

And then onto a luxurious 8-day cruise (a la The Love Boat) through the Mexican Riviera . . .

Finally, back to LA for a few days, where we’ll stay at . . .

Farmers Daughter Hotel

Located in Fairfax Avenue, Farmers Daughter Hotel is within walking distance of CBS studios (The Price is Right!), The Grove, and right across the street from the Farmer’s Market. Plus, it has an onsite restaurant — Tart — whose menu sounds simply divine!!

Miller’s has expanded just that little bit further and we have opened a charming hotel by the coast!

Nestled on the small harbour of Porlock Weir, the hotel is over 200 years old  and was the hub of the community when the weir was a bustling port. Now, the port is a working harbour, with small fishing boats and yachts tied up to the shore. The location is just perfect, with the rolling sea in front and the plush forest of the Exmoor National Park behind, the hotel is nestled in the stunning natural surroundings of the South West.

The hotel is still being refurbished; there are 14 bedrooms in all, but the publics rooms are already stocked with antiques and oddities, and who can resist the glow of a real fire and a library stocked with books? Just the place to curl up on one of the plush sofas and lose yourself.

The hotel’s restaurant, The Harbourview , is already open for business too. The menu is full of seasonal dishes and also pays homage to its location, with a selection of seafood dishes and everything made with local produce. For an intimate celebration the restaurant also offers private dining and our wine menu will certainly wet your appetite!

Go to  Miller’s at The Anchor to have a look at how everything is going, or drop by for a visit if you’re in the area. A word of warning though, you may not want to leave if you do!

Whether you are a work-a-holic, an overwhelmed parent, or you just simply need to get away, these resorts provide an escape of a lifetime.  Designed just for adults – this could be exactly the break you need! Read on…

From Lodging Hospitality eReport:

It’s been hard spotting the silver lining in this difficult period for the hospitality industry. But I may have found it last week at the inaugural Lifestyle/Boutique Hotel Development Conference at the Fontainebleau Hotel in Miami Beach. As you’ll see when you read this edition of our eReport newsletter, speakers and attendees at the conference were nearly universal in their belief that boutique and lifestyle hotels may point the way out of the downturn.  Link over to the article.

Boutique hotels, as several speakers remarked, are good investment vehicles when properly designed, positioned, marketed and perhaps most importantly, operated. They’re often more expensive to build and operate than a plain-vanilla hotel, but as Cambean Hospitality founder Brian Scheinblum contended, the rewards can clearly outweigh the risks when done right.

It was also heartening to see the large turnout for the event (about 275 people), including many developers and entrepreneurs seeking to get into the business for the first time. Sure, times are tough, but smart, creative and well-capitalized business people will respond when given the right opportunity.

Budget Travel put together this collection of interesting boutique hotels at a great rates.

Palm Springs, Calif.
The third branch in the white-hot Ace chain makes the most of its expansive desert resources: Occupying a 1965 Howard Johnson, the 9-month-old Ace Hotel & Swim Club has a dedicated stargazing deck near the pool and is in the process of going fully solar-powered. But design is really the brightest light here. The 180 rooms, with cork floors and tree-trunk tables, have whimsical accents like denim-covered headboards and vintage National Geographic magazines scattered about. Throughout the property, designers make playful use of space: An ice-cream truck serves as the poolside bar, and spa treatments take place in Mongolian yurts. The on-site King’s Highway restaurant, once a Denny’s, is a foodie’s riff on a retro diner—think ricotta hotcakes served with maple-crunch butter. acehotel.com, from $109.

Berkeley, Calif.
Two blocks from the UC Berkeley campus, Hotel Shattuck Plaza is just the kind of place grad students at the college’s architecture school aspire to live in. The 1910 building reopened in June after a cosmetic overhaul of the 199 rooms: They now have bright new fabrics and vibrant red walls. The restaurant, Five—with its crystal chandelier and arched windows—puts a refined farm-to-table spin on comfort foods with dishes like orzo mac ‘n’ cheese. hotelshattuckplaza.com, from $119.

<!—Tags include: ” –>   NEW BOUTIQUE HOTELS We scoured the globe and found the best. • Launch the slide show

San Francisco
Union Square’s 102-room Hotel Vertigo takes its theme to great heights. Named after Alfred Hitchcock’s 1958 thriller Vertigo, which was filmed on location and plays on a loop in the lobby, the property preserves the dizzying spiral staircase featured in the movie, while also sprucing up most rooms with white tufted-leather headboards and orange-vinyl chairs. hotelvertigosf.com, from $129.

Los Angeles
When opening the El Tres Inn in May, former music execs Melanie Tusquellas and Dave Neupert literally built on the success of their El Chavo Restaurant and Chavito Lounge—they added a trio of soundproof suites above. Befitting its artsy Silver Lake neighborhood, El Tres makes a statement with red-velvet sofas and florid wallpaper. All rooms have private kitchens and come with two free drink tokens for house margaritas. Ask for the Uno suite, which has a turntable and classic vinyl (Pink Floyd, Miles Davis, Dolly Parton). eltresinn.com, from $125.

San Francisco
The year-old Good Hotel promises a novel service: absolution. An orange phone in the lobby connects guests with volunteer activities like sorting cans at a local food bank. The 117 ecofriendly rooms are each done up with reclaimed-pine headboards, chandeliers constructed out of empty Voss water bottles, and cheeky reminders to BE GOOD painted on the walls. jdvhotels.com/hotels/good, from $109.

San Diego
A block from the harbor, the 23-room Pearl Hotel is a Palm Springs–style motel that forms a horseshoe around a saltwater pool. In the 2-year-old hotel, cypress-tree stumps serve as coffee tables and pet betta fish as roommates. By the pool, the butterfly lounge chairs and cabanas are the best seats for weekly movies like Breakfast at Tiffany’s. thepearlsd.com, from $79.

Teton Village, Wyo.
Pro skier turned hotelier Rob DesLauriers didn’t compromise on comfort when going green. His 132-room Hotel Terra Jackson Hole—built using old barn lumber—has bathrooms with radiant-heat slate floors and amenities like a full-service spa and an outdoor infinity pool. The hotel is less than a five-minute walk from the Jackson Hole Aerial Tram, and after a punishing day on the slopes, nothing beats soaking in the rooftop hot tub while sipping a fair-trade latte. hotelterrajacksonhole.com, from $119.New Bu

Astoria, Ore.
A lodge for ferry passengers crossing the Columbia River in the 1920s, the Commodore Hotel Astoria was revived by new owners this year. The lobby and 18 rooms combine authentic artifacts (antique books and suitcases), splashy furniture (bright-orange metal chairs), and creative recycling that pairs the old with the new (a coffee table made from the original fir floorboards). Book one of the eight suites that has a view of the river and a private bath. commodoreastoria.com, cabins from $69, suites from $129.

Portland, Ore.
Avid shoppers will feel right at home at The Nines, which occupies the upper nine floors of the restored Meier & Frank department store building downtown. The lobby shows off a 419-piece collection of paintings and sculptures by Portland artists, and the lounge lets you browse another local treasure: books from the legendary Powell’s shop. Many of the 331 rooms, dressed in silver wallpaper and furniture upholstered in turquoise velvet, face a large atrium; the old Meier & Frank space downstairs—behind its original white terra-cotta façade—is now a Macy’s. spg.com, from $149.

Chicago
Chocolate-brown carpets spun from recycled soda bottles are just one of the many earth-friendly details at the Hotel Felix. The 225 rooms have motion sensors to control the heat and lighting, and the spa has sustainably produced bamboo floors. Drivers of hybrids park free, but the hotel is a 10-minute walk from the Hancock tower, so you could also skip the car entirely. hotelfelixchicago.com, from $129.

New York City
Staying at the 133-room Jane hotel in the West Village feels a bit like stepping back in time: For starters, the clanky elevator still uses a manual operator. Celeb hoteliers Sean MacPherson and Eric Goode restored the century-old building, which housed Titanic survivors in 1912, and dressed it up with bohemian details like zebra-print chairs and mismatched velvet sofas in the lobby. Suited to solo travelers, the 90 wood-paneled single rooms have been fashioned after train and yacht cabins, with built-in drawers underneath twin beds. thejanenyc.com, singles from $99.

Milwaukee
The Iron Horse Hotel was dreamed up a year ago to cater to people visiting the Harley-Davidson Museum down the street. Owner Tim Dixon’s goal was to welcome guests wearing everything from business suits to buckle boots. The look in the 100 rooms is all oak floors, exposed-brick walls, and black-leather headboards. And metal hooks for hanging motorcycle gear are just the kind of thoughtful touches to warm a biker’s heart. theironhorsehotel.com, from $149.

Alexandria, Va.
Built on the site of the first Civil War skirmish in 1861, the 2-year-old Hotel Monaco Alexandria pays respect to the area’s rich history. Free bike rentals are the best way to see the Old Town neighborhood, once home to George Washington and Robert E. Lee and now a shopping district. In the 241 rooms, deep jewel tones echo soldiers’ uniforms, including Union-blue and Confederate-yellow throw pillows. With star-shaped mirrors and ink-print portraits on the walls, the Tall Rooms also have eight-foot beds, long enough for Lincoln himself. monaco-alexandria.com, from $149.

Las Vegas
A marriage of Miami Beach art deco flair and old-Vegas glitz, the 64-room El Cortez Cabana Suites is bringing the groove back to the Fremont East area near the Strip. The renovated motel opened in May and has a swanky club-like lobby with Tiffany-blue walls and checkered floors of black granite and white marble. The apple-green rooms have equally mod flourishes: funky trellis-patterned wallpaper and armchairs covered in white leather or black chenille. Even amid Sin City’s quest for ever more flashiness, this kind of decadence calls for a double take. elcortezcabanasuites.com, from $42

Ilhabela Island, Brazil
In 1997, German native Wolfgang Napirei and his Brazilian wife, Adriana, vacationed off the coast of São Paulo and vowed to return. Eight years later, the couple came back and opened the beachfront DPNY Beach Hotel, where the 70 suites have tropical-island decor like king-size canopy beds with headboards embedded with seashells. If you ask nicely, the concierge will tell you about a secret spot where you can swim under a waterfall. dpnybeach.com.br, from $148.

Managua, Nicaragua
Adventure seekers typically sweep through Nicaragua’s capital en route to the southern beaches or the northern mountain reserves. Hotel Contempo, in the leafy Las Praderas district, gives you an excuse to linger. The 18-room property brings together the brick shells of three 1950s houses, where creamy leather covers the teak and mahogany furniture. If you tire of lounging by the pool, the staff can arrange day trips to colonial Granada or a nearby eco reserve. contempohb.com, from $130.

Monterrey, Mexico
Since opening last September, Hotel Habita Monterrey has given boutique-hotel aficionados a reason to detour to northeast Mexico. In the 39 rooms, floor-to-ceiling windows and a stark black-and-white palette make it feel almost as if you’re floating. The sleek minimalism continues in the lobby with mirrored mosaics and exposed-concrete floors. Twin rooftop infinity pools attract crowds for cocktails and views of the Sierra Madre mountains. hotelhabitamty.com, from $150.

Paris
There’s no mistaking Oops! for a regular backpacker’s dorm. This 2-year-old boutique hostel exudes energy as soon as you walk in the door: Red and white lighted boxes spell out oops! in the lobby (the architect just liked the sound of the word), a mural dresses up the breakfast area, and the 46 rooms have flourishes like electric pink or green walls. The place closes from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. for housekeeping, so be ready to spend the day exploring the neighboring Latin Quarter, a five-minute walk away. Request one of the 12 double rooms, which have private bathrooms. oops-paris.com, from $85 with breakfast.

Paris
Only Philippe Starck could turn a parking garage in the 20th arrondissement into Mama Shelter, a 172-room hotel that draws locals to its weekly live music shows. Quirky phrases are threaded into carpets and chalked on the walls—in the elevator, for example, you’ll learn that porcupines can float in water. For bedside lamps in the rooms, which all have kitchenettes, Starck hung illuminated Halloween masks of famous characters such as Batman, Superman, and Han Solo. Best touch: A communal kitchen pantry is stocked with bread and Nutella for late-night noshing. mamashelter.com, from $126.

Bordeaux, France
Among the region’s 18th-century châteaux, the lakeside cluster of mini houses at Camping de Bordeaux Lac is an unexpected sight. Ranging from 183 to 377 square feet, the 92 cottages are divided into nine categories, each with its own whimsical motif. Toy sailboats sit on the tables inside the Cabanes de Pêcheurs (Fishermen’s Cabins), and the Chalet Prestige looks like it’s made of Lincoln Logs. The bungalows, which opened in June, all come with a full kitchen and a patio or porch. camping-bordeauxlac.com, one-bedroom cottages from $50, two-bedrooms from $57.

Liverpool, U.K.
You’d think a Beatles-themed hotel would have popped up in the Fab Four’s hometown long ago, but the Hard Days Night Hotel opened just last year. Beatles memorabilia and artwork is everywhere in the 110-room property: A Yellow Submarine jukebox sits in the lobby, and six-foot-tall photos of John, Paul, George, and Ringo line the spiral staircase. harddaysnighthotel.com, from $141.

Llandeilo, U.K.
A four-hour train ride from London, Fronlas (Welsh for “Blue Hill”) is a worthy weekend escape. The three rooms in the luxurious Edwardian town house face Brecon Beacons National Park, and they’re all about comfort (solar-panel-heated floors, rain showerheads, log fires). If you arrive by train, the husband-and-wife owners will greet you at the door with a free bottle of organic wine. fronlas.com, from $133 with breakfast, closed mid-October through mid-January.

Edinburgh
A night at the two-room Millers64 is like visiting your cool cousins. Sisters Shona and Louise Clelland bought and renovated an 1890s row house last summer, taking care to retain details like the turquoise tiles framing the fireplace. Inspired by their 11 years of living and traveling in Malaysia and Thailand, the Clellands added accents such as pewter washbasins from Phuket. Louise uses local ingredients for her Scottish breakfasts, which feature homemade apricot jam. The sisters live on the third floor with their mom, Sally, and are happy to point you to their favorite sites, like Holyrood Palace. millers64.com, from $133 with breakfast.

Budapest
The glass-paneled Lánchíd 19 hotel embraces its location right on the Danube River. At night, the façade comes alive with a colorful light installation, and the rooms on floors four to seven offer unobstructed views of the river. Named after the Chain Bridge, the 2-year-old hotel also has a transparent lobby floor, which allows you to see the excavated remains of a medieval water tower below. Fun design elements are sprinkled throughout the 48 rooms: a magnetic chessboard mounted on a wall, or a platform bed separated from an orange-tiled bathroom by a sliding glass door. designhotels.com/lanchid, from $101.

Berlin
The Circus Hotel in the Mitte district is the grown-up alternative to a popular hostel that shares its name, just across the square. The 60 individually designed rooms have blue, tangerine, lime, or hot-pink accents, and all have dark-oak floors and flea-market finds like vintage glass vases. The organic restaurant, Fabisch, is named after the family that once owned the 19th-century building. Netbooks and iPods preloaded with local artists like German indie rockers Sportfreunde Stiller are on loan at the front desk. circus-berlin.de, from $111.

Kui Buri, Thailand
Impersonal tropical resorts are a dime a dozen in Thailand, which is why X2 Kui Buri is so refreshing: The staff greets you by name, and chefs are happy to go off-menu and customize meals. The first of four resorts in a growing regional chain, X2 Kui Buri has 23 villas spread across four acres of virgin beachfront on the Gulf of Thailand. Each villa has a terrace and garden, and most have a private pool. The exposed rock in the walls was mined from local quarries, and a peaceful walkway connects the rooms to the pool, the open-air restaurant, and the beach, where candlelit dinners complement the fiery sunsets. x2resorts.com, from $148 with breakfast.

Siem Reap, Cambodia
Most guests come to see the Angkor Wat ruins about four miles away, but the experience of staying at Viroth’s Hotel is itself a historic treat: The property is in one of the few remaining examples of New Khmer Architecture, a modernist style that thrived here in the 1960s. Two years ago, owners Kol Viroth and Fabien Martial converted the boxy, two-story villa into a seven-room boutique hotel with a saltwater pool, a rooftop hot tub, and an open-air spa. Each of the rooms has a beige duvet covering a white queen-size platform bed, a woven mat on the gray Khmer tile floor, and dark-brown drapes that open onto a private balcony. viroth-hotel.com, from $90 with breakfast.

Bangkok
Owner Pylin Jane Sanguanpiyapand grew up in a family that has sold Sherwin-Williams paint in Thailand for decades, so it makes sense that the 31-year-old went color crazy in 2007 when creating the Seven hotel. The six guest rooms each use distinctive shades of yellow, pink, green, orange, blue, and purple in the bedding and murals. A red-themed communal space serves as the seventh room, an all-purpose reception area, bar, art gallery, and breakfast nook. sleepatseven.com, from $88 with breakfast.

Hanoi, Vietnam
The fact that the year-old Maison d’Hanoi Hanova Hotel lies in the Old Quarter is both a design challenge and opportunity. The newly built 55-room structure occupies a “tube house”—a traditional type of architecture with a narrow 19-foot-wide façade—requiring a resourceful use of space. Skylights, circular mirrors, and silk lamps maximize airiness, while the redwood floors, scarlet walls, and gray-silk headboards lend an authentic old-world feel. Double-glazed windows help block out the motorbike traffic below, and the city’s best tailors are steps away on Hang Gai, or Silk Street. hanovahotel.com, from $140 with breakfast.

Phnom Penh, Cambodia
It’s easy to confuse the Blue Lime with an apartment building—only a small gold plaque next to a sliding wooden door confirms you’ve found the 14-room hotel, opened last year by French expat Alexis de Suremain. Inside, all of the furniture (including the built-in shelves, tables, and window seats) is shaped from concrete. Green-silk curtains and fuchsia and tangerine pillows soften the urban vibe and brighten the rooms, most of which have balconies. Out back, banana and mango trees shade the saltwater pool. bluelime.asia, from $40 with breakfast.

Cape Town
You have to be a bit of a dreamer to fully understand (and appreciate) the Airstream Penthouse Trailer Park, seven aluminum trailers perched on the rooftop of the Grand Daddy hotel. Local artists created fanciful themes for each of the rentals: The all-white Ballad of John & Yoko suite comes with a harmonica, a guitar, and board games for replicating the rock icons’ 1969 bed-in; the blue Dorothy trailer is covered in white polka dots to echo Judy Garland’s Wizard of Oz dress. www.granddaddy.co.za, from $120.

Mount Lofty House was built by Arthur Hardy in the 1850’s as a summer retreat for the Hardy family. At that time Mount Lofty House occupied one of the most commanding positions in the colony. In many ways this is still true as Grand Mercure Mount Lofty House still holds its position as one of South Australia’s most outstanding boutique hotels.

The House remained a splendid private residence for many years seeing many distinguished owners including Arthur Waterhouse and John Richardson before it was all but destroyed in the devastating Ash Wednesday fires in 1983. Only the massive stone walls survived. Mount Lofty House was restored by a local architect to it’s original condition opening in 1986 as a premier guest house with a total of eight rooms and by 1988, a further 21 rooms had opened in the newly built Summit Wing overlooking the magnificent Piccadilly Valley. The property now enjoys a reputation for consistent quality, and is highly regarded for it’s personalised service whether it be for your special weekend away, to help celebrate your wedding or hold a professional conference. It delivers the best in local food and wine produce that provides the special experience that is Grand Mercure Mount Lofty House.

Hotel Features

* Five acres of manicured English gardens to wander through
* 18 acres of bushland
* Fresh organic kitchen gardens and vineyard
* Outdoor swimming pool
* Billards / snooker room
* Volley ball court
* Floodlit tennis court
* Five star Piccadilly and Hardy’s restaurant’s
* Tiers Private Bar
* Library
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Hotel Pont Royal Paris: este hotel vale muito a pena para quem gosta de Hotel Boutique e ótima gastronomia! Com localização central no bairro de Saint Germain em Paris, a apenas 10 minutos de caminhada do Museu D’Orsay, este hotel possui ótimos apartamentos com vista para a Torre Eiffel e Catedral de Notre Dame. Além disso, o hotel possui um renomado restaurante: L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon. Pode-se degustar excelente gastronomia e apreciar os chefs preparando os pratos em frente aos clientes em um ambiente refinado. Reservas são necessárias! http://www.hotel-pont-royal.com/en/