Hotel Reviews

Unassumingly located in the heart of Singapore’s Chinatown is the boutique hotel Naumi Liora, set behind the alluring cover of renovated 1920s Peranakan townhouses – bright, orange and originally designed by architecture firm Westerhout & Oman. The accommodation blends in so perfectly to its surroundings, however, it’s easy to walk past without knowing it’s there….

Come early August of this year, Australia will see the welcome debut of one of the world’s fastest growing hotel brands: Aloft. Part of Marriott International, the little sister to the famed W hotel series (Aloft is branded as “a vision of W Hotels”) will see their 224-room down under debut stand tall in Rivervale,…

Since its opening in 1963, the Loews Regency New York has been one of the most sought after hotels on Park Avenue. A recent US$100 million renovation has ensured it has maintained that status – not just becoming one of the finest luxury hotels in the city, but easily sitting amongst the best hotels of…

Within the past few years, QT Hotels & Resorts have made a massive impact on the lofty world of boutique accommodation in Australia, carving out their own lane through forward-thinking design philosophies and a desire to do things differently. Sydneysiders are in constant awe of the subversive, baroque sensibilities of QT Sydney, awards regularly pile up…

Almost two years old, the Hilton Garden Inn in Burlington, Vermont remains the newest major addition to the accommodation you’ll find in Vermont’s largest city – a city you can learn more about in our Ultimate Guide to Burlington. The hotel, like much of the city it sits in, is a mix of old and…

Those fiery red wigs on the chic-outfitted “Directors of Chaos” who wait on busy Market Street to welcome you into QT Sydney should tell all you need to know about the property: this is a five-star hotel that does things differently. For over four years, QT’s very first Sydney venture (they opened a QT Bondi…

Situated in the heart of the Brisbane CBD, the Hilton Brisbane is a five star hotel which has served the city for some thirty years. It’s a rather grand – yet unassuming building – nestled in the skyline and offering quite a skyline of its own inside; an open lobby and a glass elevator looking…

Serviced apartments are absolutely my kind of hotel room. They not as crazy fancy as some higher-priced hotel rooms, they provide more storage and in-room amenities than a traditional hotel room, they’re designed for longer stays so things are usually a great deal more comfortable, but there’s still room service and they make you breakfast…

In a city that has its pulse in large scale grandiosity, how can one hotel stand out? The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas shows us how. After a valet quickly assisted in emptying our bags and taking our car away, we entered into a contemporary, palatial foyer where screens displayed silhouetted figures embracing and trying to…

Over the Summer, I had the opportunity to spend two nights in a one-bedroom suite at Legends Whistler, in the famed Canadian ski resort town. It’s a different place in Summer – with bikes and hiking gear replacing your skis and snowboards. And where there was once ice, there are beautiful creeks and lakes, where…

It shows how delicious a hotel is when even after a 15 hour flight you crave exploring its ins and outs instead of falling into the comfort of their beds. SIXTY Beverly Hills combines contemporary glamour with Los Angeles exclusivity. Glass, wood and marble detailing meets you as soon as you step into the foyer, and…

As far as the world’s most recognisable hotel brands go, Sheraton is up there as one of the best balanced in almost all facets of luxury accommodation. It’s high end but accessible, elegant but modern, sophisticated but grounded in a way that’s adaptable for all types of guests; for a hotel with roots dating back…

Earlier in the month, we took you to Walt Disney World in Orlando. Today, however, we’re moving things to the nearby Universal Resort and the Cabana Bay Beach Resort, which opened on a 37 acre site some two years ago. It’s the fourth of five official on-site hotels currently operated by Loews, servicing the nearby…

“You’re as connected to the city as you are to the sky at Vibe Hotel Canberra Airport”, the hotel’s brochures proudly proclaim.  Which is just as well, because the Vibe Hotel Canberra Airport is pretty ideal for travellers passing in and out of our nation’s capital. Less than 10 minutes from Canberra’s CBD, and 50 metres…

There is a sense of comfort to the Langham Hotel in Auckland that hits you from the moment you walk into their lobby. It’s spacious, with plenty of sitting areas and a long check in counter. Those behind it couldn’t be more helpful and the process to get yourself to your room is a painless…

Canberra isn’t typically known as a getaway destination but the short three-hour drive from Sydney makes Canberra sufficiently far away to give you that ‘going away’ feeling yet still close enough that a quick 24-hour stay is more than achievable. Also a plus are the pockets of luxury that you’ll find at our nation’s capital…

Earlier this year, I had the opportunity to spend a couple of nights in the “industrial-chic” accommodation of NYLO in New York City. The NYLO chain offer “innovative urban boutique hotels” in five locations around the country, including in Dallas, which we were lucky enough to review earlier this year. And like their Dallas counterpart,…

Today we’re excited to kick off a series of content from our recent travels to the Theme Park Capital of the world: Orlando, Florida. However, we start not at a theme park, but at a resort that serves as a peaceful getaway from the action at both the Disney resorts and the nearby Universal Studios…

This week, the Calgary Stampede returns to Calgary, Alberta. Last year, I was lucky enough to attend the long running event, and while there I stayed a short drive from the event in South East Calgary at Hotel Blackfoot. The privately owned, contemporary hotel offers incredible views of the Rocky Mountains, as well as the…

Yesterday we took you to the beaches of Santa Monica, and now today we take you to the other end of the new Expo Line – the revamped, revitalised and culturally vibrant Downtown LA. At the heart of this is the Ace Hotel, an old United Artists Theatre turned Church (“Los Angeles University Cathedral”) turned 13…

How many times have you been promised an “Ocean View Room” only to find out your hotel is miles away from the Ocean and you can only see it with a pair of binoculars (BYO, of course). Well we have found at least one hotel that proves itself worth every buzz word in the brochure. Say…

As many travellers would know, the Fairmont Hotel and Resort brand is one associated with luxury, with stunning accommodations scattered all over the world. But there’s only one hotel in their chain that’s been built into an Airport, and that’s in Vancouver on the west coast of Canada – the entry point for all Australians who…

The Fort Worth Stockyards Hotel has more than a ‘certain’ charm about it – staying in this establishment makes you feel like you’re taking a step into a Western film. And in the good way. First opened in 1907, the history of the hotel is ever present; from some elements of the decor, to the…

While in Melbourne for the annual PAX AUS convention, I was given the opportunity to stay in two of YHA’s hostels. YHA are known around Australia for running popular, well-appointed youth hostels for travelers on a budget, and their Melbourne Metro and Melbourne Central locations are prime examples of this. My first night was on…

Smack dab in the middle of Perth’s busy West End – sitting just 300m from the Murray and Hay Street shopping malls – is the Ibis Perth‘s 192 room hotel. Though only listed as a three star establishment, it seems unfair to throw it in the same category that many seedy motels around the country…

I now understand why the Hotel Pullman in the inner south Melbourne suburb of Albert Park would be highly desirable around Grand Prix time. Situated on Queens Road, the hotel overlooks the famed race track (as well as the Albert Park Lake) perfectly. If you’re a traveller making your way to the Hotel Pullman via…

The DoubleTree Hotel & Suites in Houston, Texas, is part concept hotel, part apartment building – with the newly renovated Houston location serving its guests every bit the comfortable experience they would expect from a Hilton hotel, with just that little bit extra you wouldn’t expect. I was greeted with a fast check in, complete with a…

For a travelling Australian, passing through London can be an expensive endeavour. Take one part “poor Aussie dollar” and throw in another part “general expensive nature of one of the world’s greatest cities” and you have a recipe for an expensive holiday. Last year, I made tracks through the city as I headed back towards…

There’s something grand about Sydney’s newest and still largely unknown CBD hotel, Primus Hotel, from the minute you walk into the lobby. It feels like no other accommodation space in the city – reminiscent more of the well kept, classic hotels of London and New York, than the modern hotels that the city is used to…

It’s not every hotel room that greets you with a Spiral Staircase. But it seems that selected Two Bedroom Apartments in the Ibis Melbourne on Therry Street do just that. I was lucky enough to spend a night in one such room last month. Greeted by friendly staff at the front desk, and a vibrant…