Hotel price comparison and special offers
Archive for March, 2008
Happy 850th Birthday Munich!
Mar 28th
At 850 years young, Munich is certainly not ancient in comparison to other European cities. None the less, the city wants to celebrate its centuries’ long evolution, from its humble beginning as a monestary to its contemporary atmosphere today.
The theme of the celebration is “building bridges.” It must be noted that “Bridges” wasn’t randomly selected. As olden tradition has it, Munich dates back to Henry the Line (1158) who destroyed the Isar Bridge which lay to the north. He then built a new, modernized bridge near “Munichen.” Hence, the motto aims to connect the aforementioned small time start of Munich to its present day hub of culture, tradition and urbanization.
Three lively events will be the core of the birthday party including the City Foundation Festival in June which has showcases the towns diversity with over 10,000 performers; the Old Town Ring Road Festival in July which tells the journey of Munich through theater and music; and the Isar Bridge Festival in August which is a romantic fest on the bridge filled with music, dancing on the riverbanks and twinkling stars above.
As voted by travelers like you, Munich’s top three favorite hotels are: Hotel Laimer Hof Munich, Hotel Kriemhild Munchen and Sofitel Munich Bayerpost – all perfect places to rest your weary head of one heck of a birthday celebration!
Photo of Munich in 1650 courtesy of Wikimedia.org
The Latest and Greatest: Hotel Keys by Mobile Phone
Mar 28th
If you’re a registered Near Field Communications (NFC) member than the dream of bypassing the long line at the reception desk and heading straight away to your room is now a reality.
In its pioneering months, a handful of European hotels are testing out this innovative technology by passing on rooms keys to hotel guests via mobile phone. Users’ mobile phones engage with the contactless door locks that are NFC compatible.
This attractive technology is said to be coming State side as soon as the pilot round in Europe is complete.
Photo courtesy of Wikimedia.org
A New Set of Safety Issues for Heathrow
Mar 27th
The grand opening of Heathrow Airport’s Terminal 5 by Queen Elizabeth II was tarnished by several panic stricken incidents this past week.
On Thursday a man with a rucksack jetted across the path of an aircraft, climbed the perimeter fence and was gone as quickly as he came. Numerous calls to 999 were received and local police and Scotland Yard rushed to the scene.
According to witnesses’ the man kicked off his shoes before he took plight hand was later arrested. Nothing suspicious was in the bag and his mysterious behavior seemingly has no real substance behind it. Regardless, the airport was shut down for several hours, flights were cancelled and people were in a panic.
The next day the new Terminal 5 was reined in by lovely guest Queen Elizabeth II. But the happiness was cut short the following day when yet another man was arrested – this time for smuggling drugs into Heathrow. Robert Bennett, whose flight came from Buenos Aires, will be jailed for 10 years for trying to smuggle nearly 400,000EUR of cocaine into Europe.
These two incidents, along with a handful of others, are the sad reality for today’s travelers. Only time will tell how Heathrow staff can make traveler’s feel safe again after these scary incidents.
If you plan on traveling near Heathrow, there are several hotels on location including Arora International Heathrow, Ramada Heathrow, Heathrow Lodge and Marriott London Heathrow to name a few.
Photo of an under construction Terminal 5 courtesy of Wikimedia.org
Surf’s Up in Bournemouth, UK
Mar 25th
Bournemouth, UK has proudly announced their planned construction of an artificial reef, Europe’s first. Building beings in spring 2008 and if all goes well the reef should be completed by October 2008.
The area is already highly sought after because of its excellent water sport facilities. The reef will definitely contribute in putting Bournemouth on the map as one of Europe’s premier surfing destinations.
The Marine and Fisheries Agency has also taken all environmental issues into consideration before approving the reef. MFA promises that all potential negative issues have been resolved and are thrilled with the addition. 
The reef will be complimented with super beach huts, a surf themed retail outlet, a surfing academy and an all glass restaurant with lovely views of the water. Some great places to stay close by the water are the Urban Beach Hotel, East Cliff Cottage Hotel, Bournemouth Highcliff Marriot Hotel and Suncliff Hotel.
Photo of Bouremouth’s water courtesy of Wikimedia.org. Photo of Highcliff Marriot courtesy of sletoh.com.
Happy St Patricks Day From Dublin to You!
Mar 18th
There is no better place in the world to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day than Dublin, Ireland. The city is chock full of fantastic events including the St. Patrick’s Day festival which includes music, theatre, carnivals, comedy, street parties, dance and all night long festivities the week through. Even if you’ve missed the actual day, events full of Irish pride continue through March.
Right now many hotels are also offering special discounts of up to 75%. The Carlton Dublin Airport Hotel, Beacon Hotel Sandyford, Gresham Hotel Dublin and Portmarnock are just a few of the four star gems offering great bargains with locations close to the heart of Dublin where all the St. Patrick’s Day action is going down.
Dublin Tourism’s monthly competitions packages are offering a 2 night stay at the Morgan Hotel for free in March. Talk about luck o’ the Irish!
Photo of Portmarnock Hotel courtesy of sletoh.com. Photo of Cork, Ireland’s St. Pat’s parade courtesy of Wikimedia.org
London Town Hotel Price Promise
Mar 11th
Lots of hotel websites now offer price promises. At sletoh we are cynical about price promises as we know that hotel prices vary widely and no one website is cheaper than the rest. Some are cheaper one day, others the next day, some have geographical strengths and some try to trick travellers by lowering prices one day and hiking them back up the next.
If an accommodation website wants to offer a price promise, sletoh wants to help consumers beat the promise and claim the refunds offered. We will be taking a look at the price promises made by various websites and giving you the lowdown. First up is LondonTown.com who offer a hotel price match and £100 refund.
When reading our price promise write-ups and when claiming a price promise from any website, please remember that price promises have tight Terms and Conditions attached to them so that the companies don’t have to pay out too often! Common restrictions include that claims must be made within 48 hours, offer must be from a certain type of hotel vendor (e.g. prepay bookings only; website operating from a certain country; no group, Corporate or membership rates). We offer a summary of the promise correct at time of writing – make sure you check the small print before booking rooms and claiming refunds.
LondonTown
LondonTown is offering a price promise with a hotel price match and £100 refund. On March 11th 2008, the terms and conditions of the price match state:
“Our guarantee is simple. Book any hotel on LondonTown.com and if you find the same package cheaper anywhere else online (within 48 hours) we will pay you £100 and match the rate yes £100. For independent/request hotels the 48 hours is from when the offer is made to you.
To claim your £100 bonus payment just click here and complete the easy to use web form. We will contact you within five business days confirming your bonus payment.
With LondonTown.com you pay with the hotel directly. You pay for your stay, often, at the time of checkout. LondonTown.com will make the £100 bonus payment as soon as the hotel confirms that you did complete your stay.
Payments will be made to your credit card within 14 days of the hotel confirming that you completed your stay.
The LondonTown.com £100 Pound refund is subject to the following standard terms and conditions.”
Reading the terms and conditions, reveals a few items to be wary of. Its relatively easy to find the same room for the same nights with the same board type but make sure that:
- Both websites have the same tax applied to the booking (one may include it and the other not).
- Cancellation terms are same on both sites.
- Payment terms are the same on both sites. LondonTown bookings are always paid for on hotel check-out so make sure that you only search sites that also allow post-payment (ActiveHotels, Laterooms, Venere allow this) but most sites take pre-payment (diytravel.co.uk, OctopusTravel, Superbreak, Reserveahotelonline).
So when searching for a London hotel, do this:
- Use sletoh to compare ActiveHotels and Laterooms in one search.
- Find a hotel that has same offer that is cheaper than LondonTown price.
- Check that tax and cancellation terms are same from LondonTown and the cheaper site.
- Book your room on LondonTown and fill in their claim form after hotel check-out and within 14 days.
- Collect £100 + the difference between LondonTown and cheaper site
Barvikha Hotel Moscow
Mar 10th
The Barvikha Hotel & Spa is set to be a tranquil oasis amidst the hectic hustle of Moscow. As the first luxury spa in the city, it has a prime location among other opulent amenities like high-status shopping with Gucci and Prada, upper crust dwellings and the noble salons of Lamborghini and Bentley.
The mastermind behind the Barvikha is Antonio Citterio, who is most known for his other worldly Bvlgari Hotels in Milan and Bali. His genius mind perfectly blends the elegance of high society with earth friendly items seamlessly. And his newest project is no different.
A natural color palette that is filled with wooden beams and gray stone is complementary of the spa’s relaxing aura. This light feeling radiates throughout all 65 airy suites which are all furnished by Citterio as well. A court yard is nestled in the center of it all, which is occupied by an open air restaurant serving nothing but healthy cuisine by celebrity chef Anatoly Komm, so that guests can really detox and unwind. The spa is set apart from the rest of the hotel on 2,000 square meters. Fourteen bungalows are used for treatment of both the mind and body.
Set to open in mid 2008, it is hard to believe such a sumptuous sanctuary lies at the heart of a demanding city like Moscow.
Photo of Moscow courtesy of Wikimedia.org
Excelsior Dubrovnik Hotel Re-Opens
Mar 10th
Along the sparkling Adriatic Sea sits the Croatian city of Dubrovnik. The city has been war torn and a target of massive bombings during the Croatian War (1991-1995). The worn cobblestone streets that were once teaming with life have remained stark, haunted and desolate – that is until now.
The city is in the midst of a face lift and Dubrovnik’s beloved five star Excelsior is re-opening its doors after a $20 million dollar, seven month makeover. While aiming to “convince the world that this is a safe place” Jasna Durkovic, the GM of Hotel Excelsior and long time Dubrovnik resident, thinks that with time the olden streets will “be compared with Nice or Monte Carlo or the Cote d’Azur.”
The Excelsior is following closely in the footsteps of those before it. The chic Hotel Bellevue was recently named one of Europe’s coolest new hotels by Britain’s The Sunday Times. The Dubrovnik Palaca was reopened in 2004 after a $65 million dollar, 13 year renovation and has quickly become a hit with local celebrities, royalty and rich folk. The Arsenal is filled with intimate seating and sweeping views of the ancient harbor yet keeps the old wooden bones in the open to remind those who visit just how far the city has come.
Located close by the UNESCO World Heritage city center, Excelsior and many other proud residents of the city hope that others follow in its lead to bring Dubrovnik back to its full glory, which is in a phrase – the utmost of ancient beauty by the sea.
Photo courtesy of Wikimedia.org
Venice Historic Grand Hotel Des Bains Burns
Mar 5th
Late on February 22, a fire struck Venice’s treasured Grand Hotel Des Bains, a favorite of journalists, celebrities and jet setters. The fire damaged nearly a dozen rooms and possibly burned out part of the electrical network.
The hotel shuts down each October through March so no guests were involved in the incident thankfully. Although the damage is not too extensive, it is probable that the April re-opening will be delayed. Officials do state that the hotel, one of the only two five stars in Venice Lido, will be redone and ready for action for this year’s Venice Film Festival that runs from August 27 – September 6.
The hotel is most notably the site of Thomas Mann’s classic novel “Death in Venice” and was also the site of Italian director Luchino Visconti’s interpretation of the novel through film. The film won the esteemed Palme d’Or in Cannes in 1971.
InterContinental Moves Into Vietnam
Mar 5th
Vietnam is one of, if not the fastest growing country in the world. The United Kingdom’s Intercontinental chain took hold of the fact and didn’t let go until the hotel group opened its first non-UK hotel in the rapidly rising country. As GM Jon Nielsen says, “We couldn’t get our doors open fast enough!”
The hotel is nestled in along the sanctuary known as West Lake, or Ho Tay to locals, in Hanoi. It is a place that is known as a stomping grounds Vietnam’s most royal families and the country’s mandarins, who build summer homes here. Nielsen claims that the group does, “… feel a responsibility to uphold that heritage with a hotel that caters to the very highest expectations.”
And uphold it they did. The facilities have the largest rooms in the country and they are completely luxurious; filled with the likes of Bose sound systems, 24 hour butler service and balconies overlooking Ho Tay and the properties tropical gardens. The ambience captures a lightness that is such a rarity in a bustling vicinity like Vietnam. The décor is a mixture of Venetian promenades lit softly by the light of torches along the perimeters and traditional Vietnamese design mixes like reading lamps shaped akin to olden Ho Tay fishing traps.
As Nielsen says, “We’ve married the best of both worlds here. Proximity to the cultural heart of Vietnam and a sanctuary on the edge of a spectacular lake. There’s nothing else like this in Vietnam.”
The brand also has hotels in locations throughout Europe including Vienna, Paris, Berlin, Amsterdam, Madrid and London.
Photo of a One Pillar Pagoda in Hanoi courtesy of Wikipedia.org
