Take the Stairs
I had last stayed at the Culver Hotel five years ago, but went back this month for my first visit to LA in nearly a year and a half.
Read MoreMaybe Next Time
I’ve yet to experience the joy that I once felt for hotels, but I’m hopeful that I can get there.
Read MoreTwo Rip City Hotels
We took a trip to Oregon this weekend to take in some basketball: Portland Trail Blazers v Brooklyn Nets and the US Women’s team v the University of Oregon Ducks in Eugene. The trip involved a stay at two different hotels in downtown Portland: The Hoxton and Woodlark.
Read MoreDesign is People
The TWA Hotel — with the Erik Saarinen-designed TWA Flight Center as its centerpiece — is beautiful. The lush red carpet in the hotel and concourse hallways is stunning. But — like Soylent Green — design is people. Good design reflects an awareness of how people behave, what people need, and what people want. It’s the entire reason I started 166Beds.com.
Read MoreThe Line - DC and LA
The guests in LA range from lower rent hipsters to Asian tourists while those in DC range from higher rent hipsters to very confused men in khakis who couldn’t get a room at the Marriott over in Woodley Park. Both seem to attract local residents to their bars and brunches, although it’s clear that the DC location has made a bigger impression on the city’s dwellers and has become a destination for those seeking breakfast, a cocktail, wi-fi, or an Instagram selfie.
Read MoreTRUNK (Hotel)
I was greeted at the front door of the hotel by a young woman who held the door open as she pronounced with a smile, “Welcome, Alison.” I hadn’t introduced myself; I wasn’t wearing a name tag; she just knew my name. Perhaps I was the only solo Western woman they expected to arrive that day; I didn’t care. They had me at hello.
Read More3 Connecticut Hotels
The Study at Yale is a 2-minute walk to the front door of the Yale University Art Gallery, a 10-minute walk to Vito’s Deli (where I encourage you to order The Godmother: ham, genoa salami, prosciutto, capocollo, sharp provolone, banana peppers, lettuce, tomatoes, and dressing on a grinder roll), and a 20-minute walk to Pepe’s (where I encourage you to order everything).
Read MoreGood Hotel London
What makes me want to consider staying at the Good Hotel again is that, as the “social good” hotel is seemingly becoming more of a thing, it’s one of the only in which I’ve stayed that I believe is sincere in its mission; it doesn’t feel like simply a marketing ploy.
Read MoreThe Kimptons
Get a super high floor and take lots of pictures of the skyline at night. (I did.) I stayed here after a two week trip to Cuba to celebrate the indulgence of capitalism. I don’t think I ever left the room. Why would I? It was hot outside and my bed was cozy.
Read MoreThe Artist Residence
I ordered a number of small plates, including a bowl of anchovies accompanied by nothing more than a small stash of toothpicks with which to eat them. It may have been the best thing I have ever eaten. Fresh, simple, bountiful. (I dream about that bowl of anchovies.) By the time my room was ready, I was giddy. And it wasn’t just the orange wine.
Read MoreAt the Chapel
It’s the difference you can feel when you arrived at a dinner party hosted by a family who loves and enjoys each other versus one that was fighting five minutes before you arrived and will likely pick it up again once you leave — and hopefully no sooner.
Read More166 Beds
Eventually, taking a picture of every bed you sleep in does something to you. Or at least it did something to me. I felt driven to find new beds, pretty beds, remarkable beds. I resented hotels that looked like every other hotel — because so did their beds. (This does not make for a compelling Instagram stream.)
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