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Sleep, Eat, Party and...Volunteer at a Five-Star Hotel?

January 25, 2012 at 2:30 PM | by | Comments (0)

The Ritz-Carlton hotel chain is once again offering guests the chance to do good in 2012 with their Give Back Getaways project.

The philanthropic initiative gives guests the chance to spend a half-day volunteering with Ritz-Carlton employees in the communities surrounding their properties across the world.

The Give Back Getaway projects often also include an experience volunteers wouldn't be able to have otherwise. The Dallas Soup Savior Project, for example, lets hotel guests work with the culinary team behind the scenes in The Ritz-Carlton kitchen. The end result is a soup that will be delivered to the SoupMobile, which serves approximately 600 meals to the homeless in Dallas on a daily basis.

For more information about what projects are available this year, visit RitzCarlton.com.

[Photo: Ritz-Carlton Dallas]

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Beginning the Year of the Dragon with a Healthy Dose of Fireworks

January 23, 2012 at 9:48 AM | by | Comments (0)

恭禧發財!

Just a quickie video to start the week off right—or rather, year off. Today marks the first day of the Year of the Dragon; it's Chinese New Year and yep, we're still chilling in Singapore, where we managed to take in the holiday fireworks with a view from the top of the RItz-Carlton, Millennia.

Whether or not you're passing out red envelopes or dining on Yusheng "prosperity salad," we bet you appreciate a good fireworks display now and then. And it was good! The pyrotechnics in Singapore burst above the Marina, surrounded on all sides by tall buildings from which to view the spectacle. There's the Central Business District (CBD) to the north and west, a gaggle of high-rise hotels to the east (where we are) and—we briefly pan over to it—the triple towers of the Marina Bay Sands to the south.

Pardon the fact that there's no sound; it was all people talking and our camera clicking, so you aren't missing any of the big booms.

Disclosure: Flights and some accommodation in Singapore are as a guest of Singapore Airlines. Regardless, all photos/videos and opinions presented are utterly and completely our very own.

[Video: Jaunted]

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Inside Paribatra, the Helicopter Departure Lounge at The Peninsula Hotel Bangkok

January 18, 2012 at 10:21 AM | by | Comments (0)

The 34th floor may not sound like so high, but in an area with no other skyscrapers to challenge it, the Peninsula Hotel Bangkok's Helicopter departure lounge might as well be in heaven. Named "Paribatra" after HRH Prince Paripatra Sukhumbhand, Prince of Nakorn Sawan, the Pen's helilounge is one of those sweet secret spaces often heard of a city, but rarely visited. The only ways to access this one? You must either book a helicopter flight transfer for a grand chunk of change or rent out the place for a private function with others who appreciate aviation history; in other words, it's hardcore.

We managed to sneak around the helilounge recently, and though the helipads remained out of reach (for now), we did sink our heels into the rich carpeting, get up close with jet engine parts as wall decoration, and drink in what may be the best view in Bangkok, of Bangkok. You see, The Peninsula sits on the Thonburi side of the Chao Phraya River, opposite like 90% of the central district. Therefore, The Peninsula is essentially gazing over at the metropolis, with the helilounge winking.

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Airlines and Travel Brands to Follow Right Now on Instagram

December 27, 2011 at 1:09 PM | by | Comments (0)

And just like that, social photo sharing app Instagram is super hot. Sure it's only just celebrated its one-year anniversary as an iPhone app, but recent contests and exposure given to it by brands and influential figures in social media have pushed it over the edge. Heck, we jumped in head first! And we're freaking loving it. (Follow us by searching "jaunted" & "hotelchatter" in the app).

It's not just people posting images of their kids eating birthday cake or close-ups of kitty paws, either; Instagram seems to be spreading most rapidly among those interested in design, architecture, analogue photography, nature and—of course—the rest of the world. This is where travel images enter the game, and the airlines are paying attention.

We ran a fine-toothed comb through Instagram to find the airlines you need to follow now, and who else to watch:

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Ear Candling for Frequent Flyers: A Hotel Spa Test

Where: Costa Rica
December 6, 2011 at 4:34 PM | by | Comments (0)

Ever been ear-candled? Is that even a verb? The quick and dirty way to explain the practice of ear candling is to say that you lay on your side, a plate/tray thing is placed over your ear, and a hole in it allows a special waxed muslin candle to rest in your ear. The candle is lit and it smolders, creating a mild suction designed to clean your ear canal of residual earwax other gross-ew-ew stuff. Whether or not it actually works and is safe is constantly being debated, but we decided to give it a go on our recent trip to Costa Rica.

You see, the Four Seasons Resort Costa Rica has quite the impressive spa, with a large spa service menu to match. It was there, under "Alternative Treatments," that we saw it: ear candling for frequent flyers. Bingo.

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Go Inside Trump International Hotel, the Inspiration and Set for 'Tower Heist'

November 4, 2011 at 1:34 PM | by | Comment (1)

Ben Stiller, Matthew Broderick, Eddie Murphy, Casey Affleck and Alan Alda hit the big screen today in Tower Heist, about employees at a luxury residence tower in NYC, owned by a Madoffesque kingpin, who decide to steal $20 million dollars from their boss after finding out he embezzled their pension funds.

The building in the movie is based on the Trump International Hotel and Tower, located at One Central Park West in New York City. They even filmed most of the movie's exterior shots at Trump Tower, including one of the movie's biggest scenes which takes place during the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.

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Rent the 'Jersey Shore' House for $2,500, Since the Cast Isn't Coming Back

October 25, 2011 at 10:05 AM | by | Comments (0)

You won't find it on AirBnb, but you will stumble upon it on the same block it's been on since before the MTV Jersey Shore came in and GTL-ed all over its six bedrooms and roofdeck. Naturally we're talking about the Jersey Shore house—the very one featured in Seasons 1 and 3 of the popular reality show. It's up for rent to regular folks for a whopping $2,500 a day, according to the AP.

Checking out the official listing on Seaside Realty, we can see that the place comes complete with six bedrooms, three bathrooms, three parking spaces and the option of catering or getting a rental DJ. We're going to go ahead and assume that the place is booked up for New Year's already, but now would be the time to begin scooping up summer 2012 dates.

Alas, the cast of the Jersey Shore will not return to film a fifth season at the house, as two spin-off shows are already in the works. The first will follow the further adventures of Snooki and J-Woww as they become roommates, while the second trails DJ Pauly D around the world, making various music and celebrity appearances. Filming on both will commence this late autumn, with the series to hit the air in 2012.

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New Bedrooms Land at London-Heathrow Airport for £20 Per Hour

October 24, 2011 at 8:28 AM | by | Comment (1)

There’s plenty of airports (like PHL and NRT) with rent-a-room spots, where travelers may pay for a few hours to take a nap or just to escape the hustle and bustle of the terminal, but now the concept has crossed the pond.

Thanks to the creative airport engineers over at No.1 Traveller, there are now private rooms available airside for rent for just a few pounds. Open to one and all—assuming you have the cash—they're found in the airport’s terminal three. In total there are 12 rooms from which to choose, and each comes with television, free internet access, free telephone, and of course a shower to freshen up. There’s even a room service option, but unfortunately they don’t do wake-up calls—so don’t forget to set your alarm!

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Inside a Day Room at Tokyo's Narita International Airport

Where: Tokyo-Narita International Airport, Tokyo, Japan
October 21, 2011 at 12:05 PM | by | Comment (1)

You've had a long flight, or maybe you're about to have a long flight, or maybe—horror of horrors—both. You've got some sizeable layover time at Tokyo-Narita Airport and you're desperate to have a shower, take a nap or work in peace and comfort—or all three things. If you're flying economy you don't have the option to crash in a lounge, but luckily Narita is a large (and awesome) enough airport to offer Shower rooms and Day Rooms, and we just tried them out!

Our story involved a long flight to NRT from Bangkok, an 8-hour layover and another long flight back to the States in economy. Typically we'd enjoy the airport like an amusement park, but we were under the weather and sleepy. Although the day rooms may be reserved online up to one month in advance, we just walked in and plonked down our credit card for five hours in a single room.

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Jetsetter.com Wants to Sleep With You, But In a Big Fancy House This Time

September 12, 2011 at 1:04 PM | by | Comments (0)

Pardon us for uttering two very dirty words: vacation rentals. Ew, right? Renting someone else's house is like, for old people and big families and stuff, not for cool people. Or so that's what we thought up until this week, because lovely little Jetsetter.com has gone and launched Jetsetter Homes, with villas and condos and beach bungalows (oh my!) to add to the variety of hotels regular Jetsetter already offers.

Yes, they'll be on limited sale. Yes, you can score a first booking credit of $500 if you book for at least five nights before the end of October. It's standard Jetsetter stuff, just taken to another level.

It maybe seems like there's nothing Jetsetter can't do, what with their grabbing the first discounted rooms at the Armani Hotel Dubai, offering the occasional private jet deal and even planning your trip for you if you're into that sort of thing. They still haven't quite gotten their grip around First Class seats on regular airlines, but that's something we're willing to wait for.

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'Contagion' Has A Lot To Teach Us About Staying Healthy While Traveling

September 9, 2011 at 3:00 PM | by | Comments (0)

If you're brave enough to see Contagion this weekend, at the very least you'll probably walk away more aware of what you're touching and who's around you, or...you'll never want to leave the house again. But since that's not very realistic, especially for those of us with the travel bug, you can pick up a few practical tips from the movie which can be applied before boarding your next flight or checking into that next hotel room.

Contagion is about a fast-spreading deadly virus that turns into a worldwide pandemic after a carrier sticks her hands in a bowl of nuts at an airport bar. But staying away from communal snack offerings is just one lesson you can learn form the movie. It also reminds us how much we touch our faces (3,000 times a day) and how little most of us wash our hands, making us all easy targets for common viruses which are looming in hotel rooms and on planes.

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Moscow Airport's New Sleepbox: Better than 'Two Luggages on the Floor with a Hoodie Draped Over'

August 17, 2011 at 10:40 AM | by | Comments (0)

We're not going to say that sleeping in airports is uncomfortable. Everyone already knows that. We're here today to slam down the Bible, thumb our fist on the pulpit and do declare that there is a better way! There is hope for airport nappers! This hope is the Sleepbox and after spending several years as a popular concept and focus of design blogs, the Sleepbox has actually materialized as a physical, money-generating thing.

Just this week the first Sleepbox made its debut at Moscow-Sheremetyevo Airport and the international interest has been immediate. In all fairness, anything beating two luggages on the floor with a hoodie draped over them is a huge improvement. So now Sleepbox is accepting its first guests, offering rentals of 30 minutes to several hours while providing free WiFi, bunk beds, a folding desk, an LCD TV and "ventilation." Don't expect an ensuite bathroom, but do note that the bed sheets are automatically self-changing and there is luggage storage.

Want a bathroom? It's off to the Yotel with you.

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