Travel News Tuesday: What’s New?

See recent posts by Carolina Pirola

Credit: Courtesy of Flickr Creative Commons
Credit: Courtesy of Flickr Creative Commons

  • Linsanity has been taken to the tourism level: Two Taiwanese travel agents are offering Knicks tickets as part of group tours to the U.S. less than a month after Lin became New York’s (and basketball’s) favorite new wiz kid. Several groups are already sold out. [CNN.com]
  • A 28-year-old hotel clerk was arrested after surreptitiously videotaping a couple of honeymooners having sex in their hotel room in St. Paul, Minnesota. The employee was a registered sex offender, but we can’t explain why the couple decided St. Paul was the best choice for their post-nuptial vacation. [TwinCities.com]
  • China will get its first One & Only resort in 2014. The 180-room hotel in Senya, Hainan, will be the eighth property for the luxury chain that already has outposts in the Bahamas and Los Cabos. [Gadling.com]
  • The last 30% of the cabins on the second of the two Titanic Memorial Cruises are being sold at half price. The cruise leaves from New York on April 10 and will visit the site where the legendary ship sunk. [USAToday.com]
  • Justin Bieber surprised girlfriend Selena Gomez on Valentine’s Day with a night at The London NYC. The singer booked the 2,500-square-feet, $2,000/night London Penthouse. Jealous! [HotelChatter.com]

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Travel News Tuesday: What’s New?

See recent posts by Carolina Pirola

[js_single_hotel_rates_cta hotel="99323" /]

Hotels in this story

The entrance to the Beverly Hilton in Los Angeles, CA, where pop icon Whitney Houston was found dead at the age of 48.

  • Pop star Whitney Houston died on Saturday at The Beverly Hilton hotel. The songstress was just 48. Whitney, and ahhh, de ahhh, we’ll always love you. [NYTimes.com]
  • The U.S. State Department has issued an updated, expanded travel warning for its citizens visiting Mexico, with more details and a state-by-state security assessment. The new warning includes no advisories for areas such as Riviera Maya, Cabo San Lucas, and Puerto Vallarta. [USAToday.com]
  • A new policy proposes that hotel employees who enter guest rooms should carry a portable panic button. This comes nearly a year after former IMF chief Strauss-Kahn was accused of sexually assaulting a chambermaid at the Sofitel New York. [CNN.com]
  • Now that he’s had to give up his plans of living in the White House, Donald Trump will be taking over the Old Post Office right across the street from it and turning it into a hotel. The property is expected to open in 2016. [WashingtonPost.com]
  • JetBlue just put into service a Red Sox-themed A320 as part of its efforts towards boosting its presence in Boston. Don’t expect to see the team win much more than frequent flyer points this season. [Boston.com]

All products are independently selected by our writers and editors. If you buy something through our links, Oyster may earn an affiliate commission.

Travel News Tuesday: What’s New?

See recent posts by Carolina Pirola

The mess known as La Lohan. (Credit: Michael Williams/startraksphoto.com)
The mess known as La Lohan. (Credit: Michael Williams/startraksphoto.com)

Hotels in this story

  • After a disastrous first stay at the Chateau Marmont, Lindsay Lohan is back terrorizing the notorious Hollywood property. Reports say she partied hard last weekend, but she’s denying it, obvi. [HotelChatter.com]
  • Talk about in-flight entertainment: Super Bowl Champs, the New York Giants, continued to celebrate their victory on the flight back to New York City. Watch the video. Seriously. [Gadling.com]
  • San Francisco International Airport has gone all Zen on us: The airport has built an on-site yoga studio in Terminal 2, equipped with mirrored walls and mats to borrow. [ABCNews.com]
  • Aruba is offering the Pats a serious consolation prize. So while Eli Manning hangs with Mickey, Tom Brady might be in the Caribbean. If Gisele’s gonna wear a bikini, we bet the whole team shows. [USAToday.com]
  • Atlantic City just approved a “Tourism District Master Plan” that includes facelifts for the Boardwalk and Pacific Avenue, and more nightlife at Steel Pier. Bring on the diving horse! [ACWeekly.com]

All products are independently selected by our writers and editors. If you buy something through our links, Oyster may earn an affiliate commission.

Travel News Tuesday: What’s New?

See recent posts by Carolina Pirola

Credit: Mark Savage/startraksphoto.com
Credit: Mark Savage/startraksphoto.com

Hotels in this story

  • Momma Kris Kardashian spent the weekend with her ducklings Kim, Kourtney and Robert at the W Dallas, where Khloe and hubby Lamar Odom (above) are renting a suite. [HotelChatter.com]
  • Starting on January 26, all airlines are required to include “all mandatory taxes and fees in the advertised fare” in order to comply with a new U.S. Department of Transportation rule. Plus, passengers can now put a reservation on hold for 24 hours without having to pay for it. [FoxNews.com]
  • To fight the “TSA regulations limiting liquids in carry-ons”, Rosewood Hotels is introducing the 24-hour fragrance butlers, who will offer guests a wide range of perfumes to choose from. [USAToday.com]
  • Alaska Airlines is putting an end to 30 years of prayer-card distribution among its first class passengers. But Sarah Palin isn’t too happy about it. [LATimes.com]
  • Downton Abbey fans, start packing: Highclere Castle, featured in the Emmy-award series, has opened its doors. You and three others can explore and dine at the estate for $12,000. [Vagabondish.com]

All products are independently selected by our writers and editors. If you buy something through our links, Oyster may earn an affiliate commission.

Travel News Tuesday: What’s New?

See recent posts by Carolina Pirola

Courtyard at The Setai; Miami, FL
Courtyard at The Setai; Miami, FL
[js_single_hotel_rates_cta hotel="8391" /]

Hotels in this story

  • A $230,000 brand new 2012 McLaren MP4-12C sports car was airlifted into the middle of The Setai’s courtyard pool as a surprise gift for Miami Heat star Dwyane Wade’s 30th birthday. It was given to him for free by the owner of a local luxury car dealership. Jealous? We are. [TMZ]
  • A 34-year-old man has been charged with criminal sex act, sexual abuse, forcible touching and unlawful imprisonment after he allegedly assaulted a woman at Le Bain, The Standard New York’s rooftop bar. The 23-year-old said he molested her in a restroom and forced her to perform oral sex. [New York Post]
  • Music fans, take note. Fairmont Hotels guests will be offered studio time at Abbey Road Studios, where The Beatles recorded most of their songs. Selected Fairmont’s President’s Club loyalty program members will be allocated a producer and session musicians, and will “get a CD of their recording as a souvenir”. [Hotel Chatter]
  • Starting in 2014 you won’t have to go all the way to Japan to experience sleeping in a capsule hotelyou’ll only have to jet to London. With a pull-out table, a tiny bathroom, and a single, low-ceiling bed, the 107-square-feet niches will be more spacious and… errr… luxurious? than those in Tokyo. But, don’t expect windows or room to walk around. [The Economist]
  • Country singer Dolly Parton announced plans to open a new theme park in Nashville as soon as summer 2014. It would be a water-snow park, and is expected to attract 500,000 visitors in its first full season. [Huffington Post]
  • The local forestry authority in Poland’s remote northeaster woodlands is looking for an investor to turn the site where Hitler and other top Nazi officials hid during airstrikes into a tourist attraction. The fortress, now partially destroyed, would be restored and would feature a museum. [USA Today]

All products are independently selected by our writers and editors. If you buy something through our links, Oyster may earn an affiliate commission.

Travel News Tuesday: What’s New?

See recent posts by Carolina Pirola

The lobby at the Mandarin Oriental, Boston; Boston, MA
The lobby at the Mandarin Oriental, Boston; Boston, MA
[js_single_hotel_rates_cta hotel="100138" /]

  • Pack your polar fleece jacket and après-ski boots and head to Montreal’s Snow Village. From January 18th to March 31st, you can sleep, eat, drink, hold company meetings and even get married in this complex completely made of ice. Rooms start at $259 per person and include access to the spa under the stars, continental breakfast and a welcoming kit. [HotelChatter.com]
  • “Modern Family” star Eric Stonestreet decided to celebrate the show’s Golden Globe for Best Comedy Series by sneaking into the Beverly Hilton’s kitchen and snapping some pics of himself amidst pans and pots. “Where do you go after you win a Golden Globe? The kitchen of the Beverly Hills [sic] Hilton,” he Tweeted. [WhoSay.com]
  • A luxury cruise ship carrying 4,200 passengers ran aground off the coast of Isola del Giglio, Italy. Six have been reported dead, and 29, including 4 crew members, remain missing. The captain is being detained on suspicion of manslaughter after having made an “unapproved, unauthorized” deviation in course. [BBCNews.com]
  • A Legoland Windsor hotel outside of London has just launched an online competition to recruit eight-to12-year-old junior concierges to ‘work’ at the property and help young guests make the most out of their experience. In return, they will receive a free weekend at the resort and two-day passes for the theme park. [NYDailyNews.com]
  • Not everyone can afford to buy (and pack!) a cashmere blanket to brave the chilly AC during a flight, but Ivanka Trump has the pricey “snuggie” on her list of carry-on must-haves to make your trip more comfortable. [USAToday.com]

All products are independently selected by our writers and editors. If you buy something through our links, Oyster may earn an affiliate commission.

Travel News Tuesday: What’s New?

See recent posts by Carolina Pirola

Credit: Dave Allocca/Startraksphoto.com
Credit: Dave Allocca/Startraksphoto.com
  • Mike Tyson awoke on NYE to rustling sounds in his room at the Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas and found a burglar going through his luggage. The intruder was able to escape before the ex-boxer realized what was going on. [TMZ]
  • (Sort of) Heroic start of the year for Sofia Vergara. The “Modern Family” star saw a young woman collapse while partying at the brand-new Hyde Bar at Bellagio and rushed over to help her. “I didn’t save her life! (…) I realized she was just drunk”, Vergara said after the incident. Oh well. [Access Hollywood]
  • Feeling hungry at the departure gate but don’t want to leave your seat? Or maybe your flight has been canceled? Check out this list of the travel apps that will make the lives of frequent fliers much easier. [USA Today]
  • Stop dreaming of winning one of the 10,000 free flights the Japan National Tourism Organization was giving away to jump-start tourism in the country after 2011’s nuclear disaster. The organization has decided it was “insensitive” to do that “when the cities, towns and villages devastated are still in desperate need of funding for reconstruction”. [WSJ]
  • Public Hotel in Chicago just announced its first ever One Dollar Sale. The sale will go live on a secret date and will be first come, first served, so have your credit card ready– Prospective guests have 48 hours to book a room within a 90-day period. [Hotel Chatter]

All products are independently selected by our writers and editors. If you buy something through our links, Oyster may earn an affiliate commission.