Dirty Dancing in Chennai India Hotels

Police arrested three employees at a posh hotel in Chennai India on Sunday night, charging them with organizing entertainment for guests without a valid license.

Police said a team that inspected the hotel around 10 p.m. found girls performing a disco dance in a hall where liquor was also being served to the guests.

The police arrested the hotel employees and are on the lookout for the hotelier. Cases under Section 34 and 76 of City Police Act have been registered. Further investigation is on.

I'm having flash backs to Footloose and Dirty Dancing right now. You have to respect the laws no matter how upscale your hotel may be. Hotel promoters are willing to adhere to the strict regulations, but want the Government to take note of the changing face of Chennai and adjust the rules and regulations accordingly.

Sunken Ship Reefs in the 1,000 Island Region

The Eastern Ontario Artificial Reef Association has unveiled their plan to sink an old navy warship in the St. Lawrence River. Their goal is to create an artificial reef for drivers to explore.

I have always wanted to explore sunken ships! I think has something to do with me wanting to be a pirate as a small child.

The site the group has proposed is in the 1,000 Island region near Gananoque Ontario, just east of Kingston, however the exact drop site will be revealed on Friday. With hopes that the new ship can generate 10,000 new visitors a year as well as taking the pressure off of the already deteriorating wooden ships divers can explore at this point.

source

Hampton Hotels Lost Landmarks

Hampton Hotels has launched a very cool new feature on their website. Lost Landmarks is an interactive program that calls for wannabe detectives young and old to investigate some of today's most mysterious pop-culture disappearances. The Lost Landmarks launch is part of the complete redesign of www.hamptonlandmarks.com and aims to track down these - and other - famous artifacts from the U.S., Canada, and Latin America that have seemingly vanished into thin air.

This is what they have to say:

"We invite everyone from the somewhat curious to the expert artifact hunter to visit hamptonlandmarks.com and investigate these great pop-culture mysteries," said Judy Christa-Cathey, vice president of marketing for Hampton Hotels. "These beloved pieces of pop culture have gone missing, unbeknownst to many people. We're hoping with the online help of industrious fans, we can bring these Lost Landmarks back to where they belong and help preserve them for future generations."

What a great way to get people interested in Hampton Hotels, while at the same time giving people an opportunity to find treasure. I for one love treasure and will be checking the Hampton Landmarks website regularly.

BlackBerry Thumb treatment

We live in a culture of internet addicts. Everyday it gets worse and worse. You know it is bad when words like 'CrackBerry' are invented and thrown around in terms of needing your BlackBerry to live. It sounds silly to some people, but to others it is just a way of life. The Sheraton Hotel chain has a program in place to aid head-hand addicts on vacation, supplying them with a place to lock away their palm pilot of choice. Now Hilton Hotels and Hyatt Hotels are offering guests guest treatment for 'BlackBerry Thumb.'

Yup BlackBerry Thumb is the real deal. Basically it is a stress injury to the hands caused by over use of the thumb keyboards on BlackBerrys and similar devices.

Available at locations throughout North America, Hilton pairs a 30-minute hand massage and heat treatment for $30, while Hyatt is offering a similar massage and heat treatment called the 'BlackBerry Balm' for $80. Both aim to help ease the pain caused by the malady.

source: http://www.smartphonetoday.com/

The Vineyard Hotel Cape Town wins awards

The Vineyard Hotel and Spa in Cape Town South Africa was Awarded a high honor this week at the Imvelo Awards for responsible tourism. The awards, hosted by FEDHASA and the Department of Water Affairs and Forestry in Alexander Township, are judged according to the responsible tourism guidelines for the South African hospitality industry and the UN World Tourism Organization's code of ethics.

The Vineyard Hotel won 'Best practice - economic impact' and was a finalist in the 'Best social involvement program' for the hotel's positive impact on local communities.

I like to see when world-class hotels are recognized for being more than world-class luxury machines. Taking time to be part of the community is important to any business, whether they are big or small. Too many big companies - hotel industry related and otherwise - have their blinders on, cutting costs and corners to make as much money as possible. What some people tend to forget is that large luxury resorts, factories, and the like can affect the environment and even culture around it.

Michael Jackson takes over a hotel

I, like many people, seemed to be under the impression that Michael Jackson was not just a musical icon, he was a broke musical icon. After recent drops in record sales and numerous legal problems I assumed that the spending would slow down...

This is not so.

Michael Jackson and his 25 person entourage have taken over two floors of the Hempel Hotel in London's Notting Hill. The price tag on taking over two floors of a hotel? It hovers around £75,000 (US$142,080). Small change I suppose if you can support an entourage that big.
Jackson, who is in town to receive the World Music Awards' Diamond Award - presented to the superstar for selling more than 100 million albums during his career - is even taking measures to keep his children safe and healthy by asking the Hempel Hotel staff to remove all candles from his children's rooms and insisting complimentary chocolates are not supplied. Instead of the chocolate Jackson has asked for freshly squeezed fruit juices and smoothies.

I actually think that freshly squeezed fruit juices and smoothies is a good idea. I would love a tasty fruit juice smoothie on the nightstand when I check into a hotel room. He may be on to something there.

Chef Ramsay lands in New York

Celebrity Chef Ramsay is famous from the Hell's Kitchen reality cooking competition. For those not familiar with the show the premise was Ramsay pitting a small army of want-to-be chefs head to head for a chance to become a head chef at a Ramsay owned restaurant. Now he is taking his talent to the Big Apple. New York City will be getting an up close and personal taste of Chef Ramsay's food in the Luxury London NYC Hotel (formally the Rihga Royal Hotel New York), aptly named Gordon Ramsay at The London.

New York City is famous for eating out isn't it? I've heard that on average New Yorkers eat out four times a week. I guess if you are going to eat out constantly it should be at an amazing restaurant in a 5 star hotel rather than McDonald’s.

Hey, if Ramsay is living in the USA now do you think he'll ever turn up on Iron Chef America?

• New York City Hotels
• London NYC Hotel (Rihga Royal Hotel) New York City
• Gordon Ramsay Home Page