Category Archives: Budget Travel

Explore the Newer Side of Milwaukee

December 03, 2011

Wisconsin’s largest city is shrugging off its Rust Belt reputation by transforming old warehouses and historic buildings into boutique hotels, craft breweries, indie concert halls, and urban farms.

The motorcycle-friendly Iron Horse is located near the Harley-Davidson Museum.

(Photo: Courtesy of The Iron Horse)

Go industrial at The Iron Horse (from $149), where spacious rooms feature masculine details like leather headboards and iron hooks, and you can fall asleep to the gentle chug of the railroad that runs next to the building (for a quieter night, book a southeast corner suite facing the warehouse district). Stay up late at the buzzing lobby bar playing a game of billiards on the vintage 1912 table while sipping Manhattans ($10) made with the hotel’s own rye whiskey recipe, Barrel 1907, distilled and barreled in collaboration with neighboring Great Lakes Distillery.

Stay around the corner from Milwaukee Street’s stylish restaurants at the green-certified Hotel Metro (from $169), which is housed in a 1937 art deco building downtown. The property’s 65 rooms are outfitted with sustainable wooden furniture and carpets made from recycled fibers, while three of the five 720-square-foot master suites (from $229) have whirlpools and fireplaces.

Step back in time at the Pfister (from $199), a Romanesque Revival building erected in 1893 and decked out with marble staircases, brass chandeliers, gilded ceilings, and the largest Victorian art collection of any hotel in the world. Upstairs, rooms are divided between the historic section, which was renovated less than three years ago, and a circular tower added in 1963 with direct views of Lake Michigan from the suites ending in 09.

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The lounge at the Park Hyatt Tokyo

December 03, 2011

Where the Locals Would Stay If They Weren’t Locals

“At the Granbell Hotel Shibuya (from $171; granbellhotel.jp), right in the heart of the city, the types of rooms range from cozy budget singles to luxury suites with spiral staircases and gorgeous views. And in the morning, you get a nice Japanese breakfast.” —Megumi Hanami, ad salesperson

“Hotel Claska (from $124; claska.com/en/hotel), if you’re into modern Japanese design. There’s a gallery and four floors of rooms, each showing a different aspect of Japanese aesthetics through the eyes of a prominent designer. Kaname Okajima’s take on the tatami room is especially fresh.” —Brett Larner, editor of Japan Running News

“Some rooms at the Peninsula Tokyo (from $566; peninsula.com/tokyo) overlook the Imperial Palace gardens; all of them have nail dryers. But if you’re a fan of Lost in Translation, book the Park Hyatt Tokyo (from $640; tokyo.park.hyatt.com). You won’t have to crouch down to take a shower like Bill Murray.” —Shino Shinjyo, hotel blogger

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The Urbanist’s Tokyo

December 03, 2011

Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden.

A city that has turned itself back on again.

This spring, the Tokyo Sky Tree, the world’s tallest broadcast tower (with restaurant, of course; this is Tokyo), is set to open: an apt symbol of the capital getting back on its feet after the gravity-altering March earthquake. But following two decades of economic malaise and a revolving door of prime ministers—six in the past five years—it’ll take a lot more than a 2,000-foot tower to set things right. Still, economic growth is up for the first time since the quake (alas, for visiting Americans, the yen is high too; at press time it was at 77 to the dollar), and there is a sense that things are finally starting to get back to normal—even as, notes one salaryman, TV network “NHK has been broadcasting a radiation map of Tokyo every day.” (There are, according to monitors, no dangerous levels of airborne radiation.) Meanwhile, one of the most noticeable changes in daily life is a heightened awareness of energy use, which some Tokyoites feel was long overdue anyway. You can see this in more use of natural light, real-time display readings of power consumption, and spirited anti-nuke marches, unheard of in the pre-Fukushima era. Besides that, the mood in the city is a bit more subdued, which may not be such a bad thing, says Roland Kelts, author of Japanamerica: How Japanese Pop Culture Has Invaded the U.S. “To some extent, a slightly calmer Tokyo is more pleasant.

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Finding Discounts on Las Vegas Hotels

October 17, 2011

One of the most famous cities in the USA, Las Vegas presents its tourists  with casinos, shopping, entertainment and gambling. Luring millions of tourists  year after year, Las Vegas also accommodates its tourists according to their  budgets, whether high or low.

Getting yourself a cheap hotel in Las Vegas can be done easily if you know  how to keep your hands away from the gambling table. Quite a few of the most  well known hotels of Las Vegas exist on the Las Vegas Boulevard, known as “The  Strip”. The list includes the MGM Grand, The Mandalay Hotel, The Venetian Resort  Hotel and Casino, The Trump Hotel Las Vegas and many more. These hotels sure  know how to advertise themselves so they offer a variety of packages, from those  suitable for bachelor parties to those perfect for a family.

To help attract more and more visitors, hotels also offer different packages  for their customers. If you are planning a bachelor night, you can easily find a  package that will include gambling, accommodation, meals and sometimes even a  show. For families, the packages include meals, accommodations and  child-friendly shows. This is one reason why Las Vegas is quickly becoming a  major tourist destination.

The Fremont Street is located in the downtown of Vegas and is one of the  oldest and most popular streets in this city. Featured in many movies, this  street is the location for the first ever casino in Las Vegas. A number of  famous Las Vegas Hotels are located on this street such as the Golden Gate Hotel  and The Fremont Hotel. One of the many entertainments it offers are night light  shows which is one of the must see sights in the city. It is the detail of these  shows along with other factors that helps Las Vegas get such amazing reviews  from its visitors.

Even though this city screams of class and price, cheap hotels can be located  here as well. Discounts are available on many hotels in Las Vegas and you can  even get yourself cheaper prices if you book ahead of time. Three or four star  hotels are usually giving discounts with the rate ranging from $30 to $100 per  night. Such hotels include the Imperial Palace Hotel and the Excalibur Hotel  Casino. Other Hotels include the Stratosphere Tower, and The Casino Resort  Hotel.

For those who cannot afford the typical Vegas Hotel price, the rates of  cheaper hotels begins with 40$. These include hotels like the Sahara Hotel &  Casino, Orleans, Cancun Resort, La Quinta Desert Paradise Resort, Hawthorn  Suites, Boulder Station Hotel & Casino, Hampton Inn, Riviera, and the Las  Vegas Convention Center. However, this is only a list of a few names of hotels  that offer such low rates. The city is full of similar hotels that offer low  rates for tourists.

If you are lucky enough, you may even find yourself a suite or something as  luxurious as a deluxe room on discount. Because of the tourist rush throughout  the year, hotels have a number of rooms ranging from the standard size to deluxe  and luxury rooms. You can even stay in the deluxe room without having to spend a  lot of money just on the accommodation. These discount packages include  gambling, viewing shows, visit the spa, and enjoying the magnificent malls at a  very cheap rate. So, keep yourself updated regarding the discount packages  available so you can get the most out of any hotels here.

As Las Vegas is one of the busiest and most popular tourist attractions  throughout the year, the competition between the hotels also gets tough as they  strive to get most of the guests through their doors. It is in the spirit of  this competition, that even five star hotels drop their charges and start  offering packages such as four-night packages. For even cheaper hotels, the  outskirts of the city offer very cheap prices, although you will have to spend  more on transport.

It is completely possible to find a hotel that suits your budget as this city  has thousands of hotels with a variety in prices. Popular for gambling, everyone  comes with high hopes of hitting the jackpot and being able to afford one of the  classier hotels, but there is no need to empty your wallets for a night in Las  Vegas. Make sure you do your research and find the best deals, and even you can  enjoy a five-star hotel room at not too high a price.

Las Vegas hotels will help you enjoy your vacation. There is  such a variety here from the luxurious to cheap hotels.

 

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