I'm sure I'm not the only one for whom watching Dirty Dancing for the first time was something of a seminal moment. Who could forget Baby's klutzy insecurity, Johnny's smoldering good looks, the goosebump-inducing finale, and immortal lines like "I carried a watermelon"?

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Posted in Celebrity Scoop, Hotels & Lodging
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Benjamin Franklin once said: “Guests, like fish, begin to smell after three days." Granted, this is the same man who wanted the turkey to be our national bird and who nearly electrocuted himself with a kite, but he had a point.

I traveled to Manhattan last week, where a friend graciously let me be a couch commando for six straight days. This arrangement saved me roughly $2,400 (or 240 Benjamins), a figure that weighed heavily on my mind. I lived in New York for four years and I know first-hand how your sofa can develop a revolving door, and how all your obscure aunts, uncles, and half-cousins show up claiming kinship. So I learned a thing or two about what not to do when staying with someone.

Photo courtesy of IgoUgo member vondrejech

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Posted in Budget Travel, Hotels & Lodging
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We’ve all played the what would you do if you were a millionaire game. Fancy cars, big houses and world travel probably top many a list. But, how many people would actually spend $30k per night on a hotel suite? Coming from a person who considers $300 per night a splurge, you could say that the Ty Warner Suite at the Four Seasons in New York induces a case of sticker shock.

If you were a millionaire, would this splurge be on your list?

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Posted in Hotels & Lodging
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When I travel, I tend to book accommodations on a just-somewhere-to-sleep basis. This is for three reasons: first, I’d rather get it over with and spend more time planning things to do or, more importantly, what and where and how often to eat; second, it saves me money; and third, it’s a good way to make myself feel better about not having a single excuse to set foot in a five-star hotel, save visiting the lobby restroom. “Oh, it’s just somewhere to sleep,” I tell myself. And usually, it is.

Photo courtesy of IgoUgo member Jason Elite

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Posted in Green Travel, Hotels & Lodging, International Travel
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Now, personally, I'm not the type of girl to spend $250 on a hotel room when I go on vacation. No siree---not when I could be spending that sort of money on food or souvenirs or (in the case of my recent three-month jaunt around Southeast Asia) two months worth of local beer. (And we're talking several a day. Every day. Honestly, in Beijing, it was only a quarter!)

But if you are looking to drop the mad cash when you travel abroad, you might like to know that the Peninsula Bangkok has been voted the world's best hotel for USD$250 or less in a reader survey conducted by Travel + Leisure magazine.

I can't, of course, vouch for its excellence, as I stayed in an $8-a-night flophouse with a shared bathroom in the backpacker mecca of Khao San Road the last time I was in Bangkok. But since the Peninsula beat out the prestigious Tu Tu’ Tun Lodge in Gold Beach, Oregon and the Post Hotel & Spa in Lake Louise, Alberta--which came in at second and third place respectively--we'll just have to go ahead and assume that it's pretty darn fancy.

After all, I'm fairly sure you get your own toilet there. Which is more than I can say for where I stayed.

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Posted in Asia, Hotels & Lodging, News & Alerts
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Welcome to the Window Seat Podcast!
In this episode host Amy Ziff takes you to Las Vegas. You'll find out what makes Sin City one of the most popular vacation destinations in the world.

Listen to the whole show: [23:47]

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Posted in Entertainment, Hotels & Lodging, Las Vegas, Podcasts
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Paris Hilton’s little stint in the slammer has been defined by her weepy “boo-hoos” and her very vocalized desire to get out. If only she knew that a new trend in the travel industry is to go to jail--directly to jail--and even pay for it, she might sit back, relax, and revel in her lack of freedom like any other properly adventurous prison tourist.

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Posted in Educational & Historic, Hotels & Lodging
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Truth be told, there’s no way I’d travel with my two, big, drooling basset hounds, but pet travel is on the rise and has been for the past several years. Even pet travel to Hawaii, with its strict entrance policies, has risen 30 percent, according to an article this week in the Honolulu Advertiser.

Maybe pooch-toting celebs such as Paris with her teacup Chihuahua contributed to the craze. Whatever the reason, hotels have jumped on board with pet-pampering programs to lure guests. A couple of my favorite programs include: Kimpton’s VIP (Very Important Pet) program, which welcomes your pet with gourmet dog treats, bottled water, a dog bowl and chew toys. Also, W Hotels’ PAW program features doggie happy hour and a 4-legger menu.

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Posted in Hotels & Lodging, Pet Travel
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It’s that time of year when high school and college students are unleashed unto the world without their parents, to revel in freedom and foolishness, and to find within themselves their own limits and boundaries (or lack thereof).

While stations like MTV try to bank on this phenomena by broadcasting beachfront follies (and itsy bitsy bikinis) to the masses, the rest of us vacationers take note to stay as far from these scene-ster destinations as possible. But if you must venture into the heart of spring break territory during these peak partying months, I’ve got five travel tips to help you make it through.

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Posted in Beaches, Holiday & Seasonal, Hotels & Lodging
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I’m back from Las Vegas and am proud to say that I only lost $5. My Vegas experiences have varied widely, from the time my friends won big at the craps table and sprung for a hot tub suite, to the time I went with my parents to see Siegfried and Roy, to the time I was attending all-day work meetings. Through all these visits, though, one thing remains constant: this is a city that always outdoes itself, over and over again.

*Photo courtesy of Byron Lobos.

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Posted in Casinos & Gambling, Entertainment, Hotels & Lodging, Las Vegas
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It seems the whole hotel industry is just trying to get me into bed these days. Yeah, I said it. In TV commercials and in four-color magazine ads, I’m being seduced by pillow-menu promises and lumbar-support lullabies, which are no longer just for high rollers. Many a time, I’ve found myself at check-in jonesing for a sleep fix, so I appreciate the extra efforts toward knocking me out cold, particularly since a bad mattress can put quite a crick into a vacation.

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Posted in Hotels & Lodging
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My movie-watching style is more Netflix than film fest, but one day I'd like to rub elbows with Hollywood celebs and film buffs in and around Park City and catch a glimpse of the latest indie flicks. After all, I've loved Napoleon Dynamite, An Inconvenient Truth, and Hoop Dreams, plus getting outdoors in Utah is a blast.

Today's the kickoff for the Sundance Film Festival, which is the largest film festival of its kind in the country. And although I've never attended this event, our U.S. version of Cannes in France, I have been to the Sundance Resort--and would return in a heartbeat.

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Posted in Celebrity Scoop, Festivals & Events, Hotels & Lodging, Parks & Outdoors
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Since we evolved out of the primordial soup, we humans sure like to keep our gaze fixed firmly on the water--and we’re willing to pay more and more to keep it there. Take the case of the double-wides over in Briny Breezes, Florida. In December, a group of trailer home owners were offered millions of dollars. Why? The lots overlook a spectacular stretch of Florida beach. This week, by an overwhelming vote, the mobile home owners ratified the agreement. And that’s the way it goes. Whether it’s a cruise ship or a Maui hotel, rooms with a view always fetch a premium price.

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Posted in Beaches, Hotels & Lodging
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Few things are more decadent than starting a day opening gifts, ending it with a steak dinner accompanied by a hearty bottle of Syrah, and filling up the hours in between at the spa. That was my Christmas.

Don't get me wrong. I love a Christmas back home surrounded by family and home-cooked meals, but every now and then it's nice not to lift a finger, or step foot in an airport.

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Posted in Health & Wellness, Holiday & Seasonal, Hotels & Lodging, Spas
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