The Renaissance Zurich Hotel looks like a pretty hip place!

Jade Bar (the smaller of the 2 bars) right off the lobby. Painting is by Julian Schnabel. Nice intimate space. You can find more shots of Jade Bar on the hotel’s website.

Thanks to Spencer for sending in these images from his June, 2007 stay at the ritzy Ritz Carlton in Hong Kong.

You’ll probably expect high prices in a guestroom mini-bar but at the Crowne Plaza in Alice Springs, Australia - it seems to fall apart from there:

We checked into the hotel fine but it all went down hill when we got into the room. i was very let down by the quality of the room, it was like a 1970’s airport hotel, very drab and in need of refurbishment. i complained and we were moved to another room. the first thing to greet me was a large spiders web across the bathroom door which i walked through. there was a lot of spiders webs in the room and to be honest it felt as thought the room hadn’t been used in a while. there were a lot of other issues and in the end we checked out after the offer of a 3rd room.

HotelsByCity [Hotels in Alice Springs]

The last night we stayed in a regular hotel more convenient to the Lisbon airport for our early morning flight. When you walk into the hotel you get this view of the bar.

We spent part of our honeymoon in Florence and stayed at this hotel, right next to Santa Maria Novella. The picture is from the roof pool/bar. You can see the tower of the Palazzo Vecchio to the left. Left of that would be the Duomo. A great view of a great city.

Great view indeed. Thanks to Brad for sending in this image of the rooftop pool lounge at the Grand Hotel Minerva in Florence, Italy.

Lobby and lounge area of our hotel in Hong Kong, the Shangri La Pudong. It’s representative of the many hotels we stayed at during our tour. At first I thought such luxury was unnecessary, but after many long days in transit or touring, I was more appreciative..

HotelsByCity [Hotels in Hong Kong]

The Shinkobe Oriental Hotel was smart and clean although no-one spoke English - and I speak no Japanese - but it was not a problem for money exchange and car hire. Hotel is said to be earthquake proof so that is reassuring, room itself was good although a little cramped, I think that they put all non Japanese people on one floor, 37th…[TripAdvisor]

HotelsByCity [Japan Travel Guide] [Hotels in Kobe Japan]

Boutique hotels around the world are positioning themselves as “lifestyle” hotels. The concept of lifestyle branding suggests that a hotel can embody the values and aspirations of a group or culture. A successful lifestyle brand speaks to the “core identity” of its customers, each of whom have their own sense of self based on their background. The lifestyle hotel provides a powerful supplement to this core identity by allowing the individual to publicly associate themselves with the hotel’s identity.

New York City’s Hudson Hotel on 58th Street is self styled as the embodiment of the lifestyle hotel.

“Urban adventure, daredevil design, and true affordability meet in Hudson, the ultimate lifestyle hotel for the 21st century…Hudson is a brilliant reflection of the boldness and diversity of the city – the quintessential New York hotel…Hudson is the next generation of Cheap Chic – stylish, democratic, affordable, young at heart and utterly cool…[Hotel Site]“

Although we’re not sure exactly which lifestyle element the Hudson Hotel lounge, featured above, is trying to appeal to - it does capture the essence of eclectic-cool-weird-chic.

HotelsByCity [Hotels in New York City] [New York City Travel Guide]

Hotel lounges are a gathering place for guests and locals to enjoy good company and good times. Some hotel bars, however, offer an experience far beyond the company you’re keeping across the table.

The Hilton Fallsview Hotel in Niagara Falls, Ontario offers a spectacular bird’s eye view of the incredible falls. While you’re being mesmerized by the view, don’t forget to engage your partner across the table if you are in town for a romantic getaway!

The rooms were nicely appointed. Not brand new, but not run-down either. The views were excellent, especially 34 stories up, in the Blue Martini Lounge. We didn’t get to use the pool but I liked the setup and how you could see what was going on from the lobby. The valet parking service was convenient and I liked how it only cost $20 for the entire stay. The breakfast buffet was also good, although I don’t know if it was worth $19.95 a person. I appreciated getting it comped because of my Hilton Honors Gold status. The only problem we had was with the front desk at checkout. The representative got a little frustrated with my wife when she asked him to change our parking charge to a different credit card. All in all, a nice stay and we would definitely consider coming back…[TripAdvisor]

HotelsByCity [Hotels in Niagara Falls] [Niagara Falls Travel Guide]