Lights, Camera, Action at the Peninsula New York

The Peninsula New York is launching a monthly rooftop French film series starting this Monday, July 30th. The series is called “Ciné Sous Les Étoiles,” and it will feature classics such as A Very Long Engagement, Chocolat, The Artist, and Amelie, a 2001 romantic comedy which will kick start the series this Monday. The movies will be shown at Salon De Ning’s West Terrace the last Friday of every month, and cocktails as well as snacks such as popcorn, hotdogs, nachos, and ice cream will be served throughout the screening. No reservations are needed, but there is a one cocktail minimum requirement. We can’t think of a better way to generate buzz for Peninsula’s next big luxury hotel opening in Paris than creating a Parisian feel in the heart of New York City!

Beautiful Courtyard at the Greenwich Hotel in New York Now Open

The courtyard at the Greenwich Hotel is now open and exclusively available for use by guests of the hotel. It is quietly tucked away from the chaos of New York City and features stone benches, hanging lanterns, and beautiful brick walls. Come down to enjoy some fresh air while reading the paper and sipping a cup of coffee and take in the relaxing atmosphere. Greenwich Hotel is located at the corner of Greenwich St. and North Moore St. in the Tribeca neighborhood. It is a beautiful luxury hotel that has a traditional, unique feel offering 88 rooms of which no two are alike. Enjoy lunch in the Drawing Room with 12-foot ceilings, bookshelves, and a wood burning fire place, and then enjoy dinner on the courtyard beneath latticed vines. Consider the Greenwich Hotel for your next visit to New York City for a truly exceptional and unique hotel experience unlike any other!

Hotels with an Incredible View! Boston, Massachusetts

We understand that an incredible view is of utmost importance to luxury travelers. After a day of exploring a new city, there’s nothing more enjoyable then returning to your luxurious accommodations and taking in the miraculous view before calling it a day. For others, there simply is no time to enjoy everything a city has to offer, and the only exploration one has time for is to take in the view from the hotel. We’d like to introduce you to our new blog series, which will be featuring incredible hotels with incredible views! Whatever your travel reasons or however much time you have to enjoy your trip, we hope you leave thinking wow what a view!

Our feature is the Boston Harbor Hotel which is situated on one of the nation’s oldest wharfs in Boston, Massachusetts. Its unique combination of history, culture, location, and service has quickly made this hotel a Boston landmark. The Boston Harbor Hotel has been listed as ‘One of the Best Places to Stay’ by the Conde Nast Traveler, and its award winning restaurants, shopping opportunities, spa, and fitness center all contribute to its high level of luxury and comfort. What sets the Boston Harbor Hotel apart is its phenomenal views of the beautiful city and harbor, making it easy to stay in for the entirety of your stay and call it an escape!

Be sure to keep up with our blog series to discover various luxury hotels all over the world with the best views!

Deals and Steals at the Hotel Plaza Athenee New York

We at Five Star Alliance know that our travelers are in search of luxurious accommodations at the best prices available, so we go above and beyond to find the best promotional packages and specials to ensure you get the most from your hotel experience. We’re thrilled to introduce our newest blog series where we’ll be featuring luxury hotels that offer you more than just room-only rates. Whether you’re traveling on business or pleasure, we certainly have something for you. Be sure to check in with us often to get the inside scoop on the best deals and packages available at luxury hotels all over the world!

The Hotel Plaza Athenee is one of the iconic hotels of Paris, and its sister property in the other capital of the world, New York, matches it stride for stride. This week's deals focus on the American transplant, which brings a brand of Parisian romance and style to a city with its own particular character. With these specials, now is the perfect time to experience the unique blend of Paris and New York at the Hotel Plaza Athenee.

Classic Families

The classic families package is a great way to guarantee that your family has enough space for everyone and doesn't have to take the elevator to stay together. The Plaza Athenee can guarantee two connecting king-bedded rooms for the price of just $1120 in the low seasons or $1220 in the high (from April 1-June 30). Similarly a two bedroom suite is available for $1720 or $2125. The cost of the interconnecting rooms is a 50% discount on the second king bed for the low season. Additionally, it includes up to four tickets to the Central Park Zoo and milk and cookies at turndown.

Leading Celebrations

Book leading celebrations for a great flat discount on your rate, with Executive King rooms available for under $500 with rates varying depending on your dates of travel.

Spa Package

If you want to make use of the Plaza Athenee's wonderful spa, book a spa package which comes with a 50-minute signature massage at the Plaza Athenee Spa.

Simply enter your dates of travel here to see what great deals are available at the Hotel Plaza Athenee when you'll be there!

Treat Mom to a Day at the Spa for Mother’s Day

Mother’s Day is just around the corner, and we can’t think of a better way to show your appreciation for everything mom does than by giving her the gift of luxury and relaxation. The Lodge at Woodloch in Hawley, Pennsylvania features only 58 rooms, and a 15 acre private lake for rowboating, kayaking, and fishing. Check out the packages available to treat mom on her special day!

All packages include lavish accommodations, 3 meals daily, inspiring creative arts, scheduled group fitness classes, chef’s cooking demonstrations, selected guided group adventure excursions, and health and fitness amenities such as pool, hydro massage waterfalls, indoor and outdoor Jacuzzis, steam rooms, saunas, and a state-of-the-art 3,000 square foot cardio weight studio.

Make your reservations for mom today and give her the perfect gift this Mother’s Day!

Picking Up the Pieces: Life-Size Chess at Forty 1 North

Boutique hotels are well known for being a little more innovative in their design, and many smaller boutiques make the decoration of their public spaces a distinct expression of contemporary style. There's not many of these that have gone so far as to make the design interactive, however. The Forty 1 North plays host to quite the impressive life-size chess set. The plus-size pieces are the perfect pairing with a private party pregnant with prospective players. And if you prefer your play to be packaged in a pint-sized display, Forty 1 North also offers an iPad free with every room. That means for the duration of your stay, a few belligerent fowl are always just a flick of the finger away. Forty 1 North apparently never saw the annotated power point presentation explaining how to make a luxury hotel because they've broken all the rules, and it's working out very well for them. They couldnt even make up their mind whether to spell out the numbers in their name, and it's ended up looking chic and off-beat. If I had half the panache that let's them pull off the things they have, I'd be drinking cocktails out of a goblet and riding a tiger to work. As it stands, the closest I'm going to get to that kind of style is if I book a room there.

Bacon Goes Well With Everything: W New York's Breakfast Cocktails

The W New York is going out on a bold limb (that's the one on Lexington Ave). We've heard of breakfast for lunch and breakfast for dinner, but breakfast for cocktail hour is a new one on us. The Whiskey Blue lounge is featuring breakfast-themed cocktails off of their Comfort Food menu. And nothing could be more comfortable than a glass full of alcoholic bacon, a holy union of my two favorite things. Throw in some whipped egg white and a lemon rind, and you've got yourself a complete breakfast. Tony the Tiger would be proud. And maybe you're more of a sweet breakfast kind of guy. In that case, the waffle cocktail is your go-to nighttime breakfast-in-a-glass concoction. Orange juice in a maple syrup coated glass is all the sweet you can handle, and there's more than enough fine liquor in there to keep the stomach settled. Finally, you'll Whiskey Blue is offering a blueberry scone cocktail, and you can probably guess what's in there: flour, baking soda, and a bit of salt. No, wait, I mean blueberry, cinnamon, and vanilla. It's so delicious, it's sinful. Head to the W New York to try out the cocktails that get you out of the bed in the morning.

Via Luxury Travel Advisor.

The Algonquin Maintains its Classiness

The Algonquin has been undergoing some serious upgrades and updates, but it hasn’t lost its true identity in the process. A beautiful 4-star hotel in Time Square, the Algonquin has been the destination for business and leisure travelers in midtown Manhattan. This luxury hotel is New York City’s oldest continually operating hotel, and it has recently updated its rooms with new furniture, paint jobs, decorations, etc. The lobby is being updated and the fitness center is getting moved and upgraded. With all of these updates and changes, the Algonquin is maintaining its poise by installing an exclusive series of black and white photos in all of its guestrooms featuring Manhattan during the 1900s to the 19050s. The photos are by Irving Underhill, and each photograph will depict a different scene around New York. Be sure to make your reservations at this historic landmark which will be reopening on May 1st, 2012, and take in the charm of the old New York City!

Check out the following tweet to see the black and white photos of New York City for yourself!

Historic black and white photos of NYC come to the Algonquin: bit.ly/HQ2fOH

— HotelChatter (@HotelChatter) April 17, 2012

New Look of the W New York Union Square

The W New York Union Square’s landmark 1911 beaux arts Guardian Life building was reinvented by d-ash, and this luxury hotel puts the city at your fingertips. Located in the heart of Silicon Alley where the finest and most exciting aspects of New York City are a short stroll away. Enjoy boutique shopping on Fifth and Sixth Avenues known as “Ladies Mile,” dine in some of the city’s best restaurants, experience the best bars, and taste freshness at the farmer’s market. According to HotelChatter, this hotel has also recently revealed a new look for all of its 270 rooms. Its design is simpler and a bit brighter, with red and white headboards and beautiful silver curtains in its guest rooms. The W New York Union Square is currently the only hotel overlooking Union Square, so it’s certainly worth checking out for your next visit to the Big Apple!

Packages and Specials at the Carlyle in New York City

The Carlyle, a Rosewood Hotel has quickly become one of our favorite luxury hotels in the Big Apple. It was built in 1930 and has 187 elegant rooms and 64 timeless suites. It is brilliantly positioned on Madison Avenue, and it is a true New York landmark. The Carlyle is a family friendly hotel and it goes above and beyond to ensure that even the smallest travelers feel like royalty. Each room description includes a floor number range and most rooms have a description of the view, so book with confidence knowing that there will be no surprises and you will get exactly what you wanted! Be sure to check out the following packages and specials and choose the one that fits your needs best!

Special Promotional Rate

The Rosewood Spa is now open, and the Carlyle has a few special promotional rates to celebrate. Room types include a quiet courtyard location on floors 4 through 18, a Manhattan cityscape view on floors 23 through 33, and a 2 bedroom suite with 1 king and 2 twin beds featuring skyline views.

Suite Special

Traveling with kids or with your entourage of a few friends? Then this special promotion is certainly for you. Enjoy 15% off the Tower 2 Bedroom Suite which is 1800 square feet with 1 king and 2 twin beds and features a skyline view towards the East River.

Rosewood Escapes Bed Breakfast Package

This package features a variety of room types including a quiet courtyard location on floors 4 through 18 and a Manhattan cityscape view on floors 23 through 33. This package includes buffet breakfast daily for 2 in the restaurant.

Welcome Amenity Package

This is for the ladies and gentleman hoping to get a relaxing treatment at the now open spa at the Carlyle. This package includes a $50 spa credit which can be applied to a facial, massage, or the many other treatment options available. This spa credit excludes Blissful Basics, Yves Durif Services, and all retain merchandise.

Want to stay at the Carlyle for free? Then be sure to sign up for our newsletter by April 15th, 2012 to automatically be entered to win 2 free nights at this phenomenal hotel!