by admin on September 24, 2009
A newly-renovated room in the historic wing
What does a $60-million renovation of an iconic Hawaiian hotel look like? Apparently, it looks like this.
Starwood Luxury Collection’s Royal Hawaiian (on Oahu), a.k.a. the ”Pink Palace of the Pacific,” has just come off a pricey makeover — and those dolla bills certainly weren’t used to tone down the resort’s signature girly-hued decor. Also (and this is pretty important): only the guestrooms in the historic wing have been renovated; the rooms in the tower haven’t undergone any upgrades yet.
But: the new rooms have quite a bit going on, no? While the still-to-be-renovated rooms sport the look of, in the words of our reporter, “subdued rooms from generic midrange hotels like the Hawaii Prince Waikiki,” the new decor in the historic wing looks…busy. Patterns on the walls, the chairs, the carpet — it’s all quite modern and fun and colorful, but it can’t possibly be everyone’s taste, right? Maybe not ideal for the bachelor party before an island wedding?
If you’re into the whole zen, calming-white thing, we’d suggest checking out the Halekulani instead. If the photo of this room alone was too much for you, maybe you should just sit at your desk and flip through pretty pictures of beaches to chill you out.
by admin on September 17, 2009
Holiday Inn, Manhattan 6th Avenue
While some hotels are trying to stay competitive in this tougher-than-ever market by rolling out creative packages, offering quirky-cute amenities, and renovating individual properties (’tis the age of the flat-screen TV — anything else is officially outdated), some big-name chains are getting busy on a much larger scale and revamping their entire image.
One of the most radical (and impressive) cases of rebranding we’ve seen in the last two years has been Holiday Inn. The old iconic wallet-friendly standby’s parent company, IHG, launched a billion-dollar overhaul of the brand in 2008 to give a whole new look to every part of the brand’s image — from the logo to the entrance lighting — and the new modern touches are slated to be in place across the chain by the end of 2010.
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NEW
OLD
The New York Times wrote that rooms at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino’s new 490-room Paradise Tower, which opened over the weekend, don’t differ much from the old rooms in the Casino Tower. But we wanted to judge for ourselves. So we headed to Vegas – camera in hand — and checked into Hard Rock undercover. Now, having seen it, we have to respectfully disagree with the Times: We think Paradise’s sleeker, sexier rooms are a significant upgrade over the basic, slightly worn rooms in the Casino Tower. And lucky for you, they’re not that much more expensive. Take a look at the pics and decide for yourself.
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