Celebrate Father’s Day at These Man-Centric Hotels

Father’s Day is only two days away. You’ve given him everything from a new necktie to a day at the golf course; and this year, you want to do something different. Well you’re in luck, because HotelChatter has come to the rescue! In their article, 6 Father’s Day Hotels to Make Dad Feel Like a Man, they provide a range of perfect manly hotel experiences that suit all types of dads!

You better read up on these…you only have two more days to book!

The Cloister at Sea Island
There are plenty of activities to do in southern Georgia with its abundance of golf courses, shooting ranges and prime fishing spots. Give Dad the ultimate southern gentleman experience, and take him to The Cloister at Sea Island. Why this resort? It has a Smoking Lounge. According to HotelChatter, this wood-paneled room “…provides the ultimate man-cation hangout spot, with cozy leather armchairs, a fireplace and an on-site Cigar Sommelier to help Dad pick out his smoke of choice.”

Four Seasons in Baltimore
What dad doesn’t like to eat? More importantly, what dad doesn’t like beer? At the Four Seasons Baltimore’s Wit & Wisdom restaurant, their newest promotion (which is only available on Father’s Day) is a three-course beer pairing menu, featuring oyster shooters and Piedmont Ridge Hay smoked Ribeye. And Dad’s kids can partake on the fun! While he drinks his beer, kids will have their own root beer pairing menu featuring items like roasted chicken with a root beer BBQ sauce and a root beer float.

Borgata Hotel & Casino in Atlantic City
Dads have to look good, too. Right? When he’s taking a break from perusing the boardwalk or gambling at the blackjack table, Dad can get himself groomed with the Borgata’s male-only barbershop. He can take care of things like a beard trim, a straight-razor shave with hot towel treatment, face massage, color rinse, manicure, pedicure or just get a plain old hair cut! And instead of listening to ladies’ gossip and reading the glossy magazines, this barbershop is filled with “man cave” amenities like a billboards table and wide-screen sports-broadcasting TV.

Check out the full list of the hotels featured in this article, and make dad feel manly this Father’s Day!

Commune Hotels Will Kick Off New Brand in NYC

Earlier this year, Thompson Hotels merged with Joie de Vivre (JDV) hotels to form Commune Hotels and Resorts, and there was a lot of talk about the creation of a new hotel brand. Well, it’s now official! Commune has announced that they are embarking on a new hotel brand that is “stylishly ergonomic” with “efficient guest rooms and communal dining in a dynamic and unique urban environment.”

This will be one of the first hotels managed by Commune. Thompson Hotels currently has five popular hotels in The Big Apple, while most JDV hotels are in California.

According to Commune Hotels and Resorts:

Complementing Commune’s existing brands, Thompson Hotels and JDV, the new concept will be defined by intelligence and simplicity. This brand will appeal to a distinct type of traveler: educated, involved and socially conscious global citizens who believe in the blending of form and function, beauty and responsibility. Commune’s new concept will be innovative, creating evolving destinations that are sustainable, affordable, efficient and beautiful.

The location for the brand’s first boutique hotel is on 31st Street in Manhattan’s NoMad district, the “hot new hotel neighborhood.” The 33-story hotel’s blueprints have 260 rooms, as well as a 125-seat restaurant, a lounge and a rooftop bar with 360-degree views.

What the brand doesn’t have yet is a name. Commune will announce the name, along with further expansion plans, on a later date.

The hotel will be developed in partnership with Simon Development Group (SDG), Cube Capital and Eagle Point Hotel Partners. And according to SDG, construction will start in early 2013 with an opening in 2014.

For more information, check out the original article on HotelChatter.com!

Mandarin Oriental New York’s Lobby Catches Blogger’s Eye

Melanie Nayer, award-winning travel expert and hotel reporter, is right—what you see when you first walk into a hotel will set the tone for your stay. It’s only appropriate for a hotel to focus on the aesthetic of their lobby to make a great, long-lasting first impression. And according to her blog for Boston.com, the elliptical lobby at the Mandarin Oriental, New York mesmerized her.

Nayer said that as soon as you step off the elevators onto the 35th floor of the Columbus Square building, you don’t instantly notice the check-in desk or stunning views of Central Park. Rather, the elliptical-shaped lobby and the Dale Chihuly sculpture captivate your eyes.

The focal point of the lobby is the specially made Dale Chihuly clear blown glass crane sculpture, which rises from an oriental moss garden.  According to Nayer, “The sculpture is set into a custom-carved wood and silver vessel that flows in line with the lobby’s elliptical-shaped marble and granite floor.”

The lobby’s ellipse shape was inspired by the feng shui principles, which represent harmony, unity and a constant flow of energy.

Have you seen the eye-catching lobby for yourself? Check out The Mandarin Oriental, New York and original article from Boston.com today!

InterContinental Times Square Rooftops are Buzzing…Literally!

New York City is known as the city that never sleeps, and the people and places are always bustling. But things are literally buzzing at the InterContinental New York Times Square with the installation of its first rooftop beehive.

The hive, located on one of the two green rooftops, is expected to produce 20-30 pounds of honey within the next year. The first harvest is set for July 2012—making a very sweet addition to the hotel’s dishes, cocktails, bottled gifts and amenities!

This is the third apiary for the InterContinental hotel chain, with one at the InterContinental New York Barclay and the other at the InterContinental Boston. Traveling apiculturist Zainal Khan will commute between New York and Boston to oversee the beehives while training Chef Andrew Rubin in its day-to-day maintenance. InterContinental New York Times Square plans to introduce an additional four hives to the roof by Summer 2013.

The green rooftops, located on the 2nd and 7th floors, also have a fully functioning herb garden that serves as a local source to the hotel’s restaurant, Ca Va Brasserie.

Locally sourced materials are just a few of the many green initiatives by the hotel chain, which is currently pending LEED-certification. Other features that keep InterContinental New York Times Square committed to the environment include: energy efficient lighting, motion detectors and an energy management system; using green cleaning products and changing sheets/linens less frequently; building on an urban, rather than greenfield site; and various recycling programs throughout the property.

For more images of InterContinental New York Times Square’s first rooftop beehive, check out the slideshow on Condé Nast Traveler.

TripAdvisor’s Annual Summer Travel Survey Results Revealed

Summertime is here! School’s out and all the activities that make your schedule hectic year-round are lightening up. This is the perfect time of year to take the family on a summer vacation—and according to this year’s TripAdvisor Summer Travel Survey, others agree! With over 1,800 U.S. respondents, survey results show that 86% of travelers are planning leisure trips this summer—an increase from 81% that traveled last summer.

Check out the other results of TripAdvisor’s annual survey!

Popular Destinations

According to U.S. travelers, these are the top five most popular summer destination types:

  1. City – 58%
  2. Ocean – 41%
  3. National Park – 20%
  4. Lake – 18%
  5. Resort – 16%
  • 40% said the main reason for visiting their destination is because of tradition or it being their favorite place, while 27% are going for a new experience.
  • Survey results said that New York City, Las Vegas and Chicago are the three most popular U.S. destinations for summer travel this year.

Vacation Activities

  • While some travelers consider doing nothing as the perfect vacation, others do enjoy active recreation during their summer vacations. At 31%, hiking is the most popular activity, with water sports coming in as a close second with 25%.
  • While on vacation, 41% of travelers will visit a historical landmark, 15% will attend a concert and 12% will ditch their diets for a food festival!

Summer Vacation Spending

  • More than a quarter of the surveyed travelers (27%) said they will spend more on summer vacations than they did in 2011, while 47% said they plan on spending the same amount and 26% hope to spend less.
  • 70% will stay at a hotel this summer, 31% will stay at the home of family or friends and 20% will enjoy their trip in a vacation rental home.
  • With the recent declining gas prices, 70% of travelers will voyage by car, while 64% will fly.
  • No need to make plans in advance—if they found a great deal, 79% of travelers would make a spontaneous trip!

“The majority of U.S. travelers are committed to their leisure summer travel plans, whether gas prices are up or down,” said Karen Drake, senior director of communications for TripAdvisor. “Even if it takes cutting back on mileage and staying closer to home, the vast majority of Americans will take summer trips.”

For an extended list of the survey results, check out TripAdvisor’s Summer Travel Survey for 2012 today!

So…where do you plan to travel to this summer?