Florida 5 Star Resort Requires Planning To Find The Right One

Sometimes the worst part of the vacation planning is finding the right places to stay. For example, finding a Florida 5 Star resort sounds easy enough, but it depends upon where you plan to stay, what you plan to do, and how much money you plan to spend.

There are other factors that you have to view as well such as what kind of activities you want, the variety of onsite entertainment, the size of the rooms, if there are activities for children and teenagers if that is of concern to you, and what other types of services are included within the price of your stay.

Even with a Florida 5 Star resort, there can be a vast difference in the type of accommodations and the amenities depending upon the location and the resort where you are staying.

A 5 Star resort can vary in many different ways, so you want to be sure to check with the location where you will be staying. Even if you stayed previously with the same chain of resorts, if it was in a different location, do not assume that you will be entitled to the same services.

For example, if you stayed with the same chain last year and they offered childcare services that allowed you to do some adult activities, don't assume that a different location also has this optional service.

You will be very disappointed if you make that assumption and find out that it is not available. When it comes to vacation planning, many frustrations can be overcome by learning to ask questions rather than by making assumptions.

Take the time before you leave home to reiterate with the Florida 5 Star resort exactly what is included in your price and what is optional. Sometimes there is an all-inclusive package, especially if you are flying, that includes meals as well.

Try to get everything in writing if possible so that if anything happens, you have something to verify what they told you.

Source : http://ezinearticles.com/

Unprecedented Hotel Boom in NYC

In a city where even residents often pay more than half their salaries for a place to lay their heads, visitors in need of lodging have long faced a shortage of hotel rooms and rising prices.

While planning her vacation to New York, Lisa Werness was so horrified by the prices in Manhattan that she opted for cheaper lodging in Brooklyn—where she scored a room rate of just $400 a night.

"Don't remind me. I'm trying to forget about it," the Raleigh, N.C., resident said of the price shortly after checking in at the New York Marriott at the Brooklyn Bridge. "We're just kind of biting the bullet."

Now, with 8,500 hotel rooms under construction in the city—a growth of more than 10 percent—that crunch could ease ever so slightly in the coming months. By comparison, it took from 1998 to 2007 to make a leap of the same size.

"One of the challenges that New York has always had is having enough rooms for tourists," said Sean Hennessey, CEO of industry consulting firm Lodging Investment Advisors. "Most of the time the corporate travelers are willing to pay more than the tourists, and the tourists kind of get crowded out."

New York sees more overseas and domestic visitors than any other U.S. destination except Orlando, Fla., according to analysts at Global Insight Inc. But it has fewer hotel rooms than less-popular spots including Las Vegas, Chicago, the Los Angeles metro area and Atlanta, according to Smith Travel Research.

The resulting shortage leads many travelers seeking an affordable room to head far afield of the usual tourist draws, and hotel developers have taken notice, with new lodging under construction or recently opened in Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx, Long Island and beyond.

Even with the weak dollar making his trip to New York a bargain, London resident Mike Jones still found the price tag on his Brooklyn hotel room shocking.

"All the hotels in Manhattan are pretty much full at whatever rate they want to charge," said the 56-year-old, whose travel agent advised him to a book a room in an outer borough because of the cost. "They're operating at pretty much capacity, and they can charge pretty much what they like."

Even when he decided to stay in Brooklyn for its cheaper prices, he ended up with a bill for close to $600 a night, he said, adding, "That's crazy."

Indeed, the city's occupancy rate is much higher than elsewhere around the country—averaging 85 percent in Manhattan during the first nine months of this year, compared with the national average of 65 percent, according to Smith Travel Research. Manhattan's hotels are at or near capacity most nights of the year, said Hennessey, adding that the current growth is the largest he's seen in the city in 25 years.

While hotel developers are doing well around the country, the high demand and rising prices in New York City have convinced investors that it's a particularly good time to build hotels here. Even the current influx of rooms is unlikely to glut the market and knock down prices, Hennessey said, although he noted that an economic downturn could lead companies to cut back on business travel—a move that could lead to cheaper rates.

As of October, New York had 59 hotels under construction—more than any of the 26 other U.S. cities with the largest number of hotel rooms, according to Smith Travel Research. It also had 103 hotels in the planning stage, beating out all those other markets.

With most of those new properties expected to charge what Hennessey called "mid-market" prices, the new hotels should be a boon for tourists, although mid-range in New York—$200 to $300 per night—may still seem far too expensive for some.

In part, the building boom has been driven by developers like McSam Hotel Group LLC, which has made a business of buying properties not zoned for residential use but too small to be attractive as office space, then converting them into functional hotels with small rooms, Hennessey said. As of September, the company had nearly 30 hotels expected to open around the city by 2009, according to city tourism office NYC & Company. Representatives of McSam Hotel Group were unavailable for comment.

While properties already under construction are unlikely to be called off, the mortgage crunch has some in the industry wondering if future projects might be slowed by the rising price of financing. Either way, it seems unlikely that a city with such high real estate prices will soon be offering truly cheap hotel rooms.

And, says New York City Marriott spokeswoman Kathleen Duffy, they're unlikely to find such prices in Brooklyn, where, she says, rates are increasingly competitive with Manhattan. The Brooklyn Marriott where Werness and Jones were staying recently added a new tower with 280 rooms to keep up with demand, Duffy said.

A short drive away, on a stretch of Brooklyn's Fourth Avenue that is home to auto body shops and discount liquor stores, the boutique Hotel Le Bleu, which opened last month, charges upward of $300 a night.

That, says general manager Robert Gaeta, is a "good value."

"There's no foreseeable decrease in the demand for New York City as a destination for travelers," he said. "I have no doubts that we'll be at 90 percent occupancy on a consistent basis."

Source : http://travel.msn.com/

Palm Beach & West Palm Beach Hotel Top Picks!

Looking for a Palm Beach or West Palm Beach Hotel for your Florida vacation? We have done some homework and picked some of the best places to stay in this area of Florida.

Palm Beach and West Palm Beach Florida are known as a hot spot for some of the world's most famous and wealthy people. Known for its culture, both West Palm and Palm Beach offer an array of hotels that range from very affordable and elegant to high class and well worth the price.

If you decide to visit this area of Florida you will enjoy the Florida beaches, A1A highway, Donald Trump's Mar-a-lago, the million dollar mansions, Worth Avenue, fabulous restaurants, and so much more.

Note that West Palm and Palm Beach are extensions of one another. West Palm is on the mainland of Florida and Palm Beach is an island of sorts. You will find better rates at a West Palm Beach hotel, but if you can afford the higher prices, we suggest you rub elbows with the wealthy in Palm Beach. Be wary that this area has an inside culture that you may not like- Old Money goes a long way we found out.

This page is set up to provide a list of our favorite Palm Beach and West Palm Beach hotel choices. We'll provide our top 3 choices for either destination and you can read more at our favorite travel website, Trip Advisor (links at the bottom).

As you search our recommendation is to be wary of location. Some of the top spots are located well off the beaches of Florida, so we suggest you try to stay east of I-95 or even highway 1. This of course depends on the type of Florida vacation you are going on.

Palm Beach & West Palm Beach Top Picks The Breakers Florida Hotel Palm Beach
This luxurious hotel is always featured as one of the best hotels in Florida and the world. It is a true escape to luxury that you will never forget.

5-star and first class all the way that if you can afford the price tag each night, you won't regret it.

The Breakers Florida hotel, as one Florida traveler put it, is purely heaven.




Tropical Gardens Bed and Breakfast

This is a West Palm Beach hotel that for the affordable price is a steal in this region of Florida.

It may not be The Breakers Florida hotel, but you will definitely remember your stay at this charming little hotel located in the Old Northwood area.



Biba West Palm Beach Hotel

The wonderful design and uniqueness of this Florida hotel is why we put it on our recommendations list.

You will get a great atmosphere, excellent location, and overall a very cool place to stay with this West Palm Beach Hotel.

A class 3 hotel, many travelers have enjoyed their stay and also enjoyed the discount prices you can receive with this spot.



The Brazilian Court of Palm Beach Florida

This one is a top find in Palm Beach according to many travelers. A short walk from Worth Avenue, this Old World Palm Beach Mediterranean-style hotel dates from the 1920s offers excellent service and stay and has been labeled an icon of Palm Beach.



Other Palm Beach & West Palm Beach Hotels to look into

* Hampton Inn has a couple of West Palm Beach hotel locations. We happened to find some good reviews on either spot, but found them to be further from the beaches than we like.

* Palm Beach has other luxurious hotels to compare to The Breakers Florida Hotel and The Brazilian. This list includes, The 4 Seasons Resort Palm, Chesterfield Hotel, Plaza Inn, and The Ambassador.

* As for other West Palm Beach hotel choices, you should consider Parkview Motor Lodge, Comfort Inn, Crowne Plaza, and Marriott West.

* For the best price and highest ratings, we found Fairfield Inn and Suites a good hotel if you are on a tight budget.

These are our top choices for a Palm Beach or West Palm Beach hotel. Prices will vary in this region from very affordable to quite expensive as we don't suggest this as the best region for a discount Florida vacaiton.

However, we had a great time in West Palm Beach on our honeymoon and may go back one day when we strike it rich. We do suggest you do your homework if you are heading to this part of Florida.

The Palm Beach and West Palm Beach hotel reviews have varied extensively so take them with a grain of salt. Be sure you pick the right location if you want to be on the beach or near any of the key attractions including Worth Avenue, Peanut Island, the Flagler Museum, and so on.

Do take the Water Taxi and make sure you spend some time driving up and down the coast on highway A1A! Plus, if you want great food, make sure to book an evening at Charley's Crab and the City Cellar Wine Grill and Bar.

Source : http://www.discount-florida-vacations.com/

Hotel-Condo Hybrid Growing Trend in Florida, Nationwide

Denver attorney Jacques Machol loves the hotel amenities he gets when he stays at the Fountainbleau in Miami Beach: room service, housekeeping, linen service and a complimentary breakfast.

Only Machol isn't a hotel guest. He recently paid $735,000 for his 1,100 square-foot suite.

The hybrid concept of a luxury hotel that sells some of it units as condominiums has become one of the most popular trends in the industry in recent years.
Condo-hotels in the past two or three years have expanded beyond traditional markets in ski resorts or Hawaii and into other tourist destinations such as Orlando and Las Vegas. Projects also are under construction in urban centers like Atlanta, Chicago and New York.

Hotel developers like the concept because they spread their financial risk among the future condo unit-owners. Individual condo owners like it because they enjoy the resort-style luxuries, and in many cases the hotel rents out their units when they're away.

"Anything is at your fingertips," said Machol, who gets 45% of the income when the Hilton-run Fountainbleau rents out his suite.

Smith Travel Research, the lodging industry's leading research firm, doesn't keep figures on the number of condo-hotels in the United States since the popularity of the concept is so recent. But the hybrid concept "definitely is the hot topic of today," said Jan Freitag, director of client services for the Tennessee-based firm.
"Every major player, the major hotel owners in the country, are looking at hotel condos, hotel condo conversions, hotel condo construction to see if it fits their portfolios," he said.

The luxury hotel chains, including Hilton, Four Seasons, Marriott, Starwood and the Ritz-Carlton, have brought new credibility to a concept that in the 1970s was used as a tax shelter until the benefits ended in the 1980s.

"People have a lot more confidence buying into a Hilton or a Four Seasons because they know the name. They know the quality. They know it must be reputable," said Joel Greene, president of the Condo Hotel Center in Miami, a brokerage that sells such units.

The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Co., in fact, won't even manage a hotel anymore unless there is a residential component because of the lucrative nature of the condo-hotel concept, spokeswoman Vivian Deuschl said.

The Chevy Chase, Md.-based luxury chain first became involved almost five years ago with the concept in Washington, Boston and New York. The company recently opened condo-hotels in Dubai and Berlin.

"This is an idea that has reached a lot of acceptance," Deuschl said.

Several factors have led to the current boom in condo-hotel projects - the improving performance of hotel companies, the recent investment appeal of real estate over the stock market, low interest rates and baby boomers approaching retirement who want to invest in a second home, said Mark Lunt, a hospitality expert at Ernst & Young in Miami.

Hotel occupancy rates dropped after the 2001 terrorist attacks, limiting the amount of Wall Street money available to developers for building new hotels. So the developers went looking for another way to finance their projects and arrived at the condo-hotel concept. For a traditional hotel project, a developer typically has to come up with around 40% of the equity; a condo-hotel development requires much less investment for the developer.

"This rage started when financing for traditional hotels dried up," said Scott Berman, a partner in the hospitality and leisure consulting practice at Price Waterhouse Coopers in Miami.

"What's interesting is we're in a very favorable time for hotels. It will be interesting as traditional financing becomes more available whether this growth continues."
Nowhere has the condo-hotel concept been hotter than in Florida. An estimated 30 projects currently are under construction in South Florida. The Orlando area and the Miami-Fort Lauderdale area each could have as many as 10,000 units in the next few years. Each metro area had less than 1,000 units five years ago.

"Florida has been the market-leader in terms of supply growth," Berman said.
But the concept has risks for both the developer and the condo buyer.

The Securities and Exchange Commission considers the condo offering a "security" if income and expenses from the rental units are pooled and if a condo unit is sold to the buyer with the explicit expectation the buyer will earn money or derive tax benefits from it.

If the development is structured as a security, it can only be sold by a securities broker and it is easier for an investor to sue the developer under the SEC's anti-fraud rules, according to Los Angeles attorney Jim Butler.

Because most current developers choose not to sell their projects as securities to avoid the SEC complications, they are prohibited from discussing with a prospective buyer the economic or tax benefits from a rental arrangement, and they can't make projections on how much a condo unit can earn in rental income.

As a result, many buyers purchase a condo-hotel unit without all the facts.
"If you're not allowed to communicate revenue expectation, often times buyers are making a decision based on incorrect information or overly optimistic information," Lunt said.

James Walesa, a financial adviser for wealthy clients in suburban Chicago, put a deposit down two years ago for a one-bedroom condo-hotel unit at Canyon Ranch Living in Miami Beach, which is still under construction.

Aided by his financial background, Walesa did extensive research to find out whether it made economic sense to purchase the $485,000 unit, an effort he doesn't think the average buyer will make.

"The way they sell these things, I don't think it's fair to the consumer," Walesa said. "Unless the investor gets somebody who knows what they're doing and how to analyze this stuff, he is buying on the sizzle rather than the steak. I bought the sizzle but I was able to at least guess on the steak."

Source : http://www.condohotelcenter.com/

HardHat Tour of InterContinental SF

The newest addition to the San Francisco skyline is one that can be seen from our offices here at Perfect Escapes. We’ve watched it over the past year rise up from the foundation scaffolding to become the blue beacon in the South of Market area. And while it does look drastically different than the artist’s rendering that we have been seeing all over the place and which graces their materials, the building has grown on me. Then again, I look at it every single day.

A few weeks ago, I was given the opportunity to take a hard-hat tour as construction is still underway on the interior (yes, I do not look great in a hard-hat). The InterContinental is definitely going to change the SOMA neighborhood, as it stretches out the recent expansion of the Moscone Center and expands into what was previously a slight no-man’s land.

Inside the hotel (granted I had to use some imagination due to the construction), one thing that jumped out was the vast amount of conference space – over 43,000 square feet. Huge individual ballrooms and numerous individual smaller breakout rooms make up the three entire floors.

The rooms were nice, although this is definitely a hotel where depending what room you get and what floor you’re on will have a huge impact on your stay. Each room has a flat panel tv, hi-speed internet, and an iPod docking stereo. I’m kind of surprised every hotel doesn’t have that yet. The size of the rooms vary, as does the “unique” features, such as some of the rooms on the north face, which have very public viewing bathrooms. The entire wall of one bathroom was a window overlooking the neighboring office building. If you close the drapes, you’re fine. But definitely a bit unsettling.

On another floor, some very large suites overlook the outdoor area of the spa, which may cause a bit of discomfort for spa visitors. But I’m sure that once the hotel opens, they will make necessary changes. And people going to the spa can always retreat to the indoor pool, or to the elite Club InterContinental.

The biggest draw is the view. The entire hotel was built to keep the views of the San Francisco Bay Area in prime focus and from almost every side of the hotel, the views are fantastic. It is definitely worth the extra money to upgrade to a larger room on the upper floors since these tend to have the best views in any direction.

It should be interesting to see what the hotel’s addition to the city does in 2008, as it increases the amount of hotel rooms in San Francisco by another 550. And located only blocks away from the W San Francisco, the Marriott, Hotel Palomar, St. Regis, Westin Market Street, Four Seasons, and The Palace – it is definitely another notch in San Francisco’s rising luxury hotel scene.

The hotel is taking reservations for stays beginning February 27, 2008.

Source : http://www.perfectescapes.com/

A Storied Name In Miami Luxury Hotels, Boasting A Rich History And Tradition

As the creator of Coral Gables, land developer George E. Merrick also founded the University of Miami, and developed the suburbs with strict building codes to ensure the beautiful surroundings. Coral Gables is a largely residential, affluent area graced with broad, planted boulevards, golf courses, and country clubs. Stately Mediterranean homes, Banyan trees, and tropical foliage line its quiet streets. The thriving business district is also home to over 150 multinational companies and multinational headquarters.

In 1925, young Merrick joined forces with Biltmore hotel magnate John McEntee Bowman at the height of the Florida land boom to build "a great hotel...which would not only serve as a hostelry to the crowds which were thronging to Coral Gables but also would serve as a center of sports and fashion." In January 1926, ten months and $10 million dollars later, The Biltmore hotel debuted with a magnificent inaugural that brought people down from northern cities on trains marked "Miami Biltmore Specials." The Giralda Tower was lit for the first time and the champagne corks popped as the guests fox-trotted to the sounds of jazz, all in celebration of the birth of our Miami luxury hotel resort.

In its heyday, this Miami luxury resort played host to royalty, both Europe's and Hollywood's. The hotel counted the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, Ginger Rogers, Judy Garland, Bing Crosby, Al Capone and assorted Roosevelts and Vanderbilts as frequent guests. Fashion shows, gala balls, aquatic shows by the grand pool and weddings were de rigueur as were world class golf tournaments. A product of the Jazz Age, big bands entertained wealthy, well-traveled visitors to this American Riviera resort.

The Biltmore made it through the nation's economic lulls in the late 1920's and early 1930's by hosting aquatic galas that kept the hotel in the spotlight and drew the crowds. As many as three thousand would come out on a Sunday afternoon to watch the synchronized swimmers, bathing beauties, alligator wrestling and the young Jackie Ott, the boy wonder who would dive from an eighty-five foot platform. Johnny Weissmuller, prior to his tree-swinging days in Hollywood, broke the world record at the Biltmore pool and was a swimming instructor. Families would attend the shows and many would dress up and go tea dancing afterwards on the hotel's grand terrace to the sounds of swinging orchestras.

In 1973, through the Historic Monuments Act and Legacy of Parks program, the City of Coral Gables was granted ownership control of The Biltmore. In 1983, the City oversaw its full restoration to be opened as a grand hotel. Almost four years and $55 million later, The Biltmore opened on December 31, 1987 as a first-class Miami Florida luxury hotel. Over 600 guests turned out to honor the historic Biltmore at a black tie affair.

In June of 1992, a multinational consortium led by Seaway Hotels Corporation, a Florida hotel management company, officially became the new operators of the Biltmore under a long term management lease with the City of Coral Gables, and again made significant refurbishments to the property.

Seaway invested in new lighting and telephone systems, computer systems throughout, repairs to the pool, furnishings, a complete guestroom renovation program and also remodeled a space into a state-of-the-art health club and spa. At the 1926 gala opening of the Miami Biltmore Country Club, Dr. Frank Crane predicted that "many people will come and go, but this structure will remain a thing of lasting beauty." He was right and in 1996, the hotel celebrated yet another milestone in its illustrious history --the 70th anniversary of this grand South Florida monument and an official designation by the Federal Government as a National Historic Landmark, an elite title offered to only 3% of all historic structures on the National Register of Historic Places.

Today, The Biltmore proudly boasts a four-star, four-diamond ranking and is one of only several resorts in South Florida recognized as a National Historic Landmark. 2006 welcomed the hotel's 80th anniversary and the beginning of a new millennium, a future marked with opportunity for this local legend.

Source : http://www.biltmorehotel.com/

Welcome to Florida's Elite Island

HOT NEWS: The Leopard Lounge has been selected to receive Wine Enthusiast Magazine’s 'Award of Distinction' for 2007

A jewel in the tiara on this exclusive, elegant resort island, The luxury 4 Star Chesterfield Palm Beach Hotel is a charming European-style boutique hotel ideally located between the Atlantic Ocean and the Intercoastal Waterway, just two blocks from the exclusive shops of Worth Avenue, affectionately referred to as "a little bit of England in Palm Beach Florida".

Encapsulating all that is luxurious and relaxing, each of the guest rooms and deluxe suites at this Palm Beach Hotel are beautifully decorated with fine fabrics, furnishings, and tasteful antiques. Relax by day around the pool or in the hot tub, enjoy any of the many fun activities in the area or take traditional English afternoon tea in the wood-panelled Library. At night enjoy superb dining and dance to world-class entertainment in the renowned Leopard Lounge and Restaurant.

A member of Small Luxury Hotels of the World, The Chesterfield Palm Beach is located within easy reach of the West Palm Beach business district, City Place shopping and dining, Palm Beach Airport, local museums, theatres, and entertainment. It is also around a 1.5 hour drive South to Miami or even closer to see the Mets at their Spring training facility up North.


Source : http://www.chesterfieldpb.com/