Seattle Photo Op: A Ducky Hotel Bathroom

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Bathroom caddy at Seattle's Paramount Hotel If you’ve stayed in lots of hotel rooms, they can all start looking the same. Sink, tub, hair amenities, and maybe a separate shower. It’s just one bathroom right after another. That’s why, when a hotel room adds a little something extra – or something unexpected – it catches my eye, and stays in my memory. The Paramount Hotel offered a humorous twist on bathroom amenities, with its bathtub caddy. The caddy included some necessities,...

January 3rd, 2010 | Mary Jo Manzanares | Read More | Comments: 0
Filed under: hotel amenities, hotels, Photos

Best of Seattle 2009

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Best is a subjective word, and one person’s best can very easily be another person’s worst, but the end of the year just calls out for a listing of the best of everything. This is my list of the BEST, the people, places, and things in, and around, Seattle. These carry my highest recommendation! Feel free to let me know if you agree or disagree, and share a few of your own bests. Best special occasion restaurant: Canlis (map). A Seattle institution. With it’s great food, service,...

December 28th, 2009 | Mary Jo Manzanares | Read More | Comments: 5
Filed under: best of week, hotels, music, Restaurants, Shopping, top-feature

Hotel Review: Hyatt at Olive 8, Seattle

... which requires you to leave your room key in a slot in order to activate the electrical outlets. I’ve seen this a lot in Europe, but not many US hotels that I’ve stayed in offer this feature. One of my chief complaints about this feature, wanting to re-charge my gadgets while I’m out of the room, has been solved with a special panel on the work desk that is on a separate control. Environmentally friendly innovation also gets a chance to shine in the bathroom, with dual flush toilets,...

December 10th, 2009 | Mary Jo Manzanares | Read More | Comments: 2
Filed under: featuredarticle, green, hotel review, hotels

Rhythm and Blues: A Tradition of The Yale Hotel

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Known as the Home of Vancouver’s Rhythm and Blues, and named one of the top Blues Bars in North America, Vancouver’s Yale Hotel provides live music every night. Carrying on a twenty year tradition, there are weekend Blues Jams on Saturday, hosted by Rob Montgomery & Incognito and Sunday, hosted by Tony Robertson’s Vaqueros from 3 – 7 pm. There is also a Thursday night Jam several times a month hosted by Steve Kozak’s West Coast All-Stars. (There’s no cover...

December 9th, 2009 | thevancouverguide | Read More | Comments: 0
Filed under: Attractions, featuredarticle, hotels, music, nightlife, Restaurants & Bars

Hotel named after Dostoevsky’s prostitute

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Photo credit: www.wikimedia.com A new hotel opened in the centre of St. Petersburg, it is first outlet in Russia of the Norwegian hotel chain Reval hotels. A 173-room, the venue is rated as a four-star hotel according to the Russian hotel classification system. The location is superb, it’s the very heart of the city’s center, just a stone’s throw from the main thoroughfare Nevsky prospect, sightseeings and so on. Address: Liteyny prospect, 5. Detailed info about the hotel is here....

November 28th, 2009 | Ivan Stupachenko | Read More | Comments: 2
Filed under: hotels

San Diego Hotel Week

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If you haven’t made your Thanksgiving reservations yet, you still might be able to get in on some of the bargains in San Diego. The San Diego Hotel Week event will be held through November 26th, 2009 need period. Based on the successful Restaurant Week concept, www.sandiegohotelweek.com will showcase San Diego area lodging properties to potential visitors nationwide by offering hot deals and sparking a reason to visit San Diego. One of the most centrally located hotel, Marriott in the...

November 25th, 2009 | Pam Nagata | Read More | Comments: 1
Filed under: Attractions, discounts, hotels, San Diego

Seattle Artist Dale Chihuly to Stage Exhibit in Las Vegas

... and occasional the master himself at work, at Tacoma’s Museum of Glass (map), as well as in the corporate headquarters in the area, and upscale hotels. We’ve become a little possessive of the man and his art. And, it looks like we’re going to have to share him some more, this time in Las Vegas, as Chihuly at CityCenter (map) debuts December 4th, with an exhibition space located within Crystals at CityCenter. Crystals is a 500,000 square foot retail, dining, and entertainment area, located...

November 17th, 2009 | Mary Jo Manzanares | Read More | Comments: 4
Filed under: Art, featuredarticle, glass blowing, hotels, Las Vegas

Inner City Indulgence at Meriton Apartments on Pitt Street

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My husband and I have been enjoying a few indulgent nights out in the city. But we haven’t bunkered down in digs more luxurious than the Meriton Apartments on Pitt Street. Staying in apartments is always just a little more lavish than staying in a hotel. You’ve got a little more space to spread out, even if you don’t have time to use the laundry facilities or kitchen. I didn’t have time to enjoy many of the apartment’s facilities, including the gym, pool, spa, and sauna. Instead on arriving...

November 17th, 2009 | Lauren Katulka | Read More | Comments: 0
Filed under: hotels, Luxury

Beautiful Budget Meals at The Fox and Lion Hotel

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Despite its inviting outdoor patio and casual atmosphere, The Fox and Lion Hotel at the Entertainment Quarter goes beyond standard pub grub. Of course, all the old favourites are there, including fish and chips and thick juicy steaks. But it was the meals that were just a little bit different that piqued the interests of my mother and me on Saturday. I opted for chicken in a basket, a sadly mundane name for a pretty sensational dish. It’s not the roast chook that we’re used to, but spatchcock....

November 9th, 2009 | Lauren Katulka | Read More | Comments: 0
Filed under: budget, dining, featuredarticle, hotels, pubs, Restaurants

Sydney Parkside Stay at Oaks Hyde Park Plaza

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On Thursday night my husband I treated ourselves again to a night in the city before retiring to the Oaks Hyde Park Plaza. The location was perfect, a short walk from The Metro Theatre where we took in a show, and Museum train station where I arrived. When you plan on leaving the car at home, that close proximity to public transport is a real plus. I’m sure if we’d paid for one of the fancy rooms we’d have enjoyed some gorgeous views of the park too, but it wasn’t too be this time. Not that...

November 7th, 2009 | Lauren Katulka | Read More | Comments: 0
Filed under: hotels, review

AAA Announces 5-Diamond Hotels & Restaurants in Seattle

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In the list of recently announced 2010 AAA 5-Diamond hotels and restaurants, the Seattle area scored a paltry two listings: The Seattle Fairmont Olympic Hotel (map) celebrates its 26th consecutive year on the 5-Diamond list, and Woodinville’s Herbfarm Restaurant (map) celebrates its 8th consecutive year. The 5-Diamond award is awarded to the best of the best in the hospitality industry,and only about a quarter of one per cent of hotels and restaurants receive the award. Congratulations are definitely...

November 6th, 2009 | Mary Jo Manzanares | Read More | Comments: 0
Filed under: hotels, Restaurants

Seattle Restaurant Review: Urbane

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The dictionary defines “urbane” as “notably polished or polite in manner,” and it’s clear that’s just what Urbane, the restaurant, is trying to achieve. With a location on the first floor of LEED certified Hyatt at Olive 8, I had high expectation for what Urbane had to deliver, both it terms of decor, food, and attitude. In some respects, they delivered in spades. In others, however, I think they may be living a little bit too much on their own hype. Bar at Urbane at Hyatt at Olive...

November 2nd, 2009 | Mary Jo Manzanares | Read More | Comments: 1
Filed under: featuredarticle, Food & Beverage, hotels, restaurant reviews