DALLAS – Despite the recent scientific determination that time travel is impossible after all (as reported in Time on July 26, 2011), hotels.com® is keeping the dream alive with its “Time Travel Hot List” of nostalgic and futuristic hotels around the world. While the fantasies of many Marty McFly hopefuls have been squashed by the study proving that nothing can travel faster than the speed of light, hotels.com is excited to escort travelers “back in time” or “back to the future” with a carefully selected list of unique properties, each offering a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
“Hotels.com offers a diverse selection of vacation destinations around the globe that celebrate both classic elegance and history and many that look ahead toward cutting-edge technology and innovative design,” said Taylor L. Cole, APR, director of public relations and social media for hotels.com. “Our ‘Time Travel Hot List’ can fulfill our customers’ dreams of living in a different era, whether it’s in the past or the future, all while taking advantage of some great deals today.”
Back in Time
Hotel del Coronado – A KSL Luxury Resort – San Diego, CA
Cruise the Pacific coastline in your classic Eldorado before pulling into the enchanting Hotel del Coronado, sitting on 28 acres of beachfront property five miles from downtown San Diego. A National Historic Landmark, “The Del” is an American treasure with more than 120 years of fascinating stories to tell. Serving as the backdrop for the classic “Some Like it Hot,” the resort has been a longtime favorite among generations of stars, from Charlie Chaplin and Humphrey Bogart to Brad Pitt and Madonna. The Hotel del Coronado’s refurbished interior includes an original birdcage elevator operated by a uniformed attendant, plus a 30-foot arched sugar-pine ceiling in the Crown Room, constructed without a single nail. Babcock & Story serves tropical drinks and fine wines and features a carved bar that dates back to 1888. Other amenities include a health spa, fitness center and boat rentals. Rates as low as $325 per night.
Classical King George Palace – Athens, Greece
Discover the ancient treasures to be found in Athens, one of the oldest cities in the world. From the Acropolis to its crown jewel, the iconic Parthenon, Athens beholds architectural wonders unsurpassed in 2,500 years. One is sure to feel like a Greek god or goddess when experiencing the five-star luxury of the Classical King George Palace. A legend since 1936, this neo-classical hotel is located in the center of the golden quarter of Athens, just steps away from Syntagma Square, Hellenic Parliament, the Athens Presidential Mansion, the National Library of Greece and Zappeion Hall. Hotel guests can enjoy a full-service spa, Mediterranean-French delights at its Tudor Hall restaurant and cocktails at the chic lounge T-Palace. All rooms are individually decorated with antique furniture and Murano chandeliers, but are complemented by the latest technology. Rates are as low as $216 per night.
Algonquin Hotel, Autograph Collection – New York, N.Y.
Find yourself back in the 1920’s among the literary luminaries that frequented the historic Algonquin Hotel in the heart of Manhattan. Best known as the home of the Algonquin Round Table, the hotel regularly hosted this group of talented young writers, including New Yorker founder Harold Ross and poet Dorothy Parker. Today, this four-star property’s location between Fifth Avenue and the neon center of Times Square places guests steps from shopping and theater. Dine at the Round Table Room, where Natalie Ascencio’s painting A Vicious Circle immortalizes the infamous literary lunch crowd. Renovated in 2008, guestrooms offer Edwardian-style furnishings, flat-screen TVs, DVD players, and complimentary Wi-Fi. For a quieter night, curl up in a plush bathrobe with a complimentary copy of The New Yorker. In keeping with the hotel’s literary history, guests can reserve a Kindle preloaded with their favorite book. Rates are as low as $199 per night.
For even more blast-from-the-past hotels, step into biblical times at the American Colony Hotel in Jerusalem, find southern hospitality at its finest at the Wentworth Mansion in Charleston, South Carolina, or explore the ancient splendor of Hotel Fort Canning in Singapore.
Back to the Future
YOTEL New York at Times Square – New York, N.Y.
Travelers are sure to step into a futuristic world when entering YOTEL New York at Times Square. The radical UK hotel concept opened its first city center location in New York in June 2011, and today the sleek hotel stands out in the center of Manhattan’s vibrant theater district with its LED-lit façade. Guests entering the hotel lobby of tomorrow check in via touch-screens and encounter a “Yobot,” a robotic baggage drop-off machine. Each of the 669 cabins features a Techno Wall housing a flat-screen TV, a sleek bathroom wrapped in glass, and a bed that transforms into a space-saving lounging position at the touch of a button. Also offered are three-sided, cube-like fireplaces, a billiard table and wrap-around terraces. The Dohyo restaurant is the size and scope of a traditional Japanese Sumo wrestling ring with a hydraulic-controlled floor that can be raised or lowered to create a performance stage when not being used for dining. Rates begin as low as $199 per night.
Aria Resort & Casino at CityCenter – Las Vegas, Nevada
Towering over the Las Vegas Strip, the five-star Aria Resort & Casino features 4,004 rooms and suites, 16 restaurants, 10 bars and clubs, three pools, a spa, a 1,800-seat theater and a 150,000 square foot casino. It’s massive, but there’s no retro kitsch to be found at this Vegas hotel of the future with gleaming metal and glass, modern decor, and high-tech amenities to match. Most forward-thinking are the resort’s green efforts. The Aria Resort & Casino is the largest hotel in the world awarded a LEED Gold certification by the U.S. Green Building Council. With a touch-screen panel, guests can set a “wakeup event” that opens the curtains, turns on the TV and lights, and changes the temperature at a chosen time plus a “good night” button that shuts everything off and enables a “Do Not Disturb” sign. This system helps maintain solar power and turns off lights and air conditioning when rooms are empty. Rooms have large flat-panel HDTVs with DVD players and connections for media devices, plus wireless and wired Internet access. Another fun feature – there are no conventional room cards, but a system that detects when guests are nearby and opens the door. Rates are as low as $129 per night.
Blow Up Hall 50 50 – Poznan, Poland
If high-tech is your thing, then Blow Up Hall 50 50 is sure to blow your mind. Guests of this Poznan, Poland hotel can not only enjoy an incredible collection of art, but become a part of it. At first arrival, visitors step into the hotel’s architecture as they star in an interactive movie projected on enormous LCD displays, with images taken by thousands of video cameras installed throughout the property. Nothing is conventional about this boutique five-star hotel, including the fact there is no reception and there are no numbers on any of the doors of the 22 guestrooms. Alternatively, guests are given an iPhone at check-in which allows for room entry through a hi-tech recognition system. Inside the rooms, guests can find iPhone docking stations, LCD TVs with Bang and Olufsen surround sound systems and power sprinkler showers.
