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Check out the 'vue' at this Florida Ritz-Carlton resort
With airport security so unpredictable these days, it's just not safe to travel with your consoles anymore. So why travel at all? It's a question that The Ritz-Carlton resort in Naples, Fla. has tried to answer with the introduction of its new "vue." That's right -- it would seem that the "dazzling" views of the Gulf of Mexico just aren't engaging enough for today's vacationer, so the hotel has constructed a "virtual user experience." That's marketing-speak for "really jazzy living room." Pictured above, you'll spot the room's setup of LCDs wired to Wiis, PS3s and Xbox 360s, along with some iMacs in the center (not known for gaming, but they sure look swell.) We know it's a little awkward to share your "living room" with complete strangers, but after a few heavy cocktails, who isn't down for a wicked Rock Band sesh with that one couple's only child, who happens to be allergic to the sun? Hmmm ... on second thought, maybe a "staycation" does better suit your budget this year. %Gallery-91976%
Hotel room HDTVs still stuck with standard definition TV have an upgrade on the way
It's a sad truth experienced by too many travelers, far too many of the HDTVs installed in hotels over the last few years don't have any high definition programming coming to them. While the experienced traveler is prepared for all circumstances we've all been stranded somewhere with only stretched, blurry SD programming as our only option. The USA Today recaps the issue, with execs from Marriott, InterContinental Hotel Group (owners of Holiday Inn & Crowne Plaza hotels) and Hilton chiming in about their plans to expand HD services over the next year. That won't completely erase the horrors of our last hotel stay, but at least we can be at ease knowing a change is coming.
BlizzCon 2009: Don't forget to look for us
BlizzCon 2009 officially starts tomorrow and most of Team WoW.com are either in Anaheim or heading down there as we speak. As you make your way through throngs of people this Friday and Saturday, keep your eyes peeled for our intrepid crew. But how do you spot them? Granted, they're not like cosplayers. Although follow the throng of adoring women and you may just spot Turpster. The rest of the team are known for their ability to Shadowmeld instantly so we've had to equip them with some very special gear this BlizzCon.You can get a good look at team at the meetup tonight, but if you can't make it and need a visual cue you can spot them on the convention floor by looking for their special BlizzCon gear: a Legendary and totally epic, limited edition T shirt (with +50 visibility) featuring a certain crab and that long-promised equine mount. So don't forget to mark them off like the rare spawns they are and come up and say "hi". They may even have a little something for you. BlizzCon 2009 is coming up on August 21st and 22nd! We've got all the latest news and information. At BlizzCon you can play the latest games, meet your guildmates, and ask the developers your questions. Plus, there's some great looking costumes.
Announcing the third annual WoW.com BlizzCon Meetup
It's here! For months now, we've told you that we'll be having our third BlizzCon meetup on August 20th, the night before the big event in Anaheim, but we haven't yet told you exactly where. But now, we've finally confirmed our location and we can tell you where to go: We'll be meeting at the Tangerine Patio in the Anabella Hotel at 1030 W. Katella Avenue in Anaheim, CA. That's right behind the Convention Center (between it and Disneyland), and within easy walking distance from anywhere in the area. We'll begin the festivities at 7:30pm Pacific (local Anaheim time) on August 20th, and the Anabella will have the kitchen open and a cash bar ready for all of the eating and drinking you'd want. We're asking that attendees be 18+ or accompanied by parent, but other than that, just be a reader of WoW.com -- many of our writers and editors will be in attendance for you to meet and greet, and we'll be giving away some swag and speculating at just what we'll see later that weekend at BlizzCon.And if you aren't able to make it to Anaheim, don't worry: we'll have audio and video up and streaming to our Ustream page, so you'll be able to attend virtually and chat with everyone else there. And we're planning on having some Ustream-specific giveaways as well, so you won't be left out of the loot, either. All of our reader meetups in the past have been tremendous, and this one is set up to be our biggest and best event yet. We'll see you there!BlizzCon 2009 is coming up on August 21st and 22nd! We've got all the latest news and information. At BlizzCon, you can play the latest games, meet your guildmates, and ask the developers your questions. Plus, there are some great looking costumes.
Preparing for BlizzCon: Reserve your lodging ASAP
BlizzCon approaches! Preparing for BlizzCon will be your regular source for tips on how best to prepare for Blizzard's gaming extravaganza.If you were lucky enough to get tickets to BlizzCon 2009, you've got over two months to prepare. But one of the very first things you should do is make your lodging arrangements as soon as possible. As with any popular convention, rooms closest to the venue are already filling up, so your options are closing with each passing day. Following are tips for choosing the location of your non-BlizzCon time: No charge to reserve now: In most cases, you need a valid credit card to guarantee your reservation, but your card is not charged until your stay. So make your reservations now to ensure you have a place to stay. You can cancel if things change: Check the cancellation policy of your hotel to be sure, but usually you are able to cancel 24 hours before your stay begins or even the same day. More tips are after the break.
Marantz Reference gear in the Carlyle hotel spoils you for clock radio
While our typical hotel coverage involves HDTVs and/or special programming, we'll make an exception for the Marantz/DALI audio setup getting dropped into the Empire Suite of Manhattan's Carlyle hotel. We won't make any guesses about what the rack rate is for the duplex suite in the swank hotel, but it's got to be cheaper than the audio system, which combines four MA-9S2 mono amps, an SC-7S2 preamp and SA-7S1 SACD deck from Marantz's Reference lineup with a pair of DALI MEGALINE III speakers. All told, that's about $47,000 of Marantz gear and another cool $60,000 for the speakers, all to deliver good old two-channel. Might we suggest staying in and ordering room service?
E3 2009: Entering our bedcaves with Arkham Asylum room keys
click to embiggen Riddle us this: What insane card will let many E3 attendees find their way to a bed each night?Answer: The Batman: Arkham Asylum room keys that apparently all associated hotels of the show will receive. Yeah, we're definitely taking this as a souvenir. Sorry, Hyatt.PS: Eidos spent all that money on these cards and they were printed backwards (the arrows point the wrong way). Clearly, the Joker teamed up with The Riddler in the production. [Thanks, Sam Houston]
How to make the most of your hotel television
We've covered a number of newer hotel chains that actually recognize the importance of delivering HDTV programming and HD VOD to guests, but for the vast majority of places still living in decades past, there's Gadling's latest how-to guide. If you're sick and tired of checking into hotels with ancient TVs and lackluster programming, there actually are some options. For one, it's always smart to carry a bit of media on a PMP and bring along every connection cable you can imagine. Furthermore, those with Slingboxen and other place-shifting solutions can usually pipe their content from laptop to TV with the right connections. If you're looking to get schooled in the ways of good travel, hit that read link and open wide.
L.A. Live convention center / hotel includes gigantic, see-through outdoor screen
The 54-story tower planned to house The Ritz-Carlton Hotel, Los Angeles and JW Marriott when it opens in 2010 will also include an 8,000 sq ft screen on its eastern face, without disrupting the view of guests inside. The result of a deal between property owners AEG and sponsor Panasonic, the 50-foot by 160-foot screen will live in the neighborhood of the new Yankee Stadium and the Dallas Cowboys new home. No word on the exact res, but there will no doubt be plenty of HD as the entire complex, including Staples Center and Nokia Theatre, is getting Panasonic screens installed as part of the deal. Our reservations are already in, check after the break for an illustration of the future layout.
Internet-based / HDTV content to hit hotels big in 2009
Or, at least that's the impression given off by Acentic's Top Five 2009 Trends for Hotel Television Technology. For those paying attention (and traveling often), lodging venues across the nation have been adding in high-def material at a rapid pace, and that's expected to continue into the new year. Additionally, research asserts that internet-derived material, more WiFi access, additional video-on-demand content and connection pods to link up guest sources will all be part of the shift. With the price of hotels these days, we can safely say we hope all of these changes come at a minimal cost -- and who knows, maybe we'll finally learn in 2009 why an Econo Lodge provides free internet access and a boutique hotel in the middle of everything has the nerve to charge extra.
Chicago's Conrad Hotel getting HDTV services courtesy of RCN
RCN's locking down lodging deals like it's going out of style, and just days after cementing one with Highgate Hotels in New York, here we have another with Chicago's Conrad Hotel. Soon, said luxury venue will be able to provide guests with all-digital cable TV and HDTV services. Each of the 311 guest rooms will present said content on a 42-inch plasma, though there's no exact word on when the agreement will be implemented. And yeah, considering the per-night rates here, you'd better stay locked inside around 90% of the time in order to come close to making it worthwhile.
RCN extends relationship with Highgate Hotels, will provide HDTV to weary travelers
RCN has stuck its nose (and HDTV services, for that matter) in all sorts of lodging chains before, and you can mark it down for another thanks to a revamped agreement with Highgate Hotels. The multi-year contract enables RCN to provide the company's New York portfolio of hotels with its own digital TV / HDTV services sans a set-top-box; additionally, the carrier will be delivering third-party VOD content. At first, the operator will upgrade existing service to the DoubleTree Metropolitan, Radisson Lexington and Park Central Hotels, and it expects to have all five phase-one Highgate properties operational by February 2009.
Wii a winner in love (hotels)
Another demographic conquered! Straight from the streets of Shibuya, Anoop Gantayat reports that the Wii has become a big hit with Japan's love hotels, establishments designed for couples interested in booking a little business time. Some of the more expensive examples contain ceiling mirrors, rotating beds, S&M gear, and now ... probably Wii Sports! Horses for courses, and all that.And get this: Anoop reckons that the Wii has usurped the PlayStation 2 as the preferred choice of love hotels up and down the land, thus landing a crucial blow in the console wars for Ninty. Head here for more details and a couple of pictures (just of the signs, obviously).See also: Porn for Wii: Dark Room Sex Game and Why the Wii and sex don't mix.
Kindle offered during your stay at the Algonquin Hotel? Yes Sirree!
Manhattan's Algonquin Hotel has a long tradition of nurturing the literary-minded -- Dorothy Parker, Robert Benchley, even Harpo Marx hung out there in its heyday. Keeping up with the times, the folks running the Algonquin today apparently still have literature on their minds, and are offering Amazon's Kindle pre-loaded with a book of their choice for guests of the hotel during their stay. If they don't have all seven volumes of À la recherche du temps perdu loaded up and ready for us when we get there we're totally heading to the Holiday Inn. [Via Kindle Boards]
Hyatt Regency Woodfield home to Sharp HDTVs, SuiteLinq HD programming
Headed to Schaumburg, Illinois to visit those in-laws, are you? You're in luck. Hyatt Regency Woodfield has just announced that every last one of its 470 guest rooms will be locked and loaded (but unlocked prior to your arrival) with a 32- or 37-inch Sharp LCD HDTV, not to mention a copious amount of HD content flowing from the SuiteLinq in-room digital entertainment solution. Both linear channels and video-on-demand material will be delivered in SD and HD, and it appears that everything's in place for enjoyment as we speak. So, are your reservations in order?
LodgeNet and LG collaborate on in-room interactive EPG
We already knew that LG and LodgeNet were pretty well in bed (in a hotel bed, at that) together, but now the relationship is rounding second and heading briskly for third. The two have just announced plans to develop an Interactive Electronic Program Guide (IEPG) as "the first in what is expected to be a series of in-room interactive applications based on the new Pro:Centric standards-based platform." The plan will also work to eliminate pricey set-top-boxes from the equation, and if all goes well, it will be compatible with "a range of existing LodgeNet free-to-guest (FTG) TV and video-on-demand solutions." Also of note, Pro:Centric could eventually provide guests with all sorts of interactivity that is traditionally reserved for more luxurious venues, but we still have serious doubts that they'll ever install HDTVs with accessible HDMI ports for connecting our own paraphernalia.
WestTel bringing FTTP to Grand Cayman
While we here at Engadget HQ ponder a week-long excursion to the splendorous island of Grand Cayman, we can't help but be swayed even closer to pulling the trigger after reading this news. WestTel, along with suits from WestStar TV and ABC Trenching, has just broke ground on a $15 million, seven-year initiative to bring fiber-to-the-premises (FTTP) to the only Cayman island with an international airport. The first phase will focus simply on establishing a fiber infrastructure amongst corporations, initially from Television Centre to Camana Bay, then up West Bay Road to Governors Square. Phase two will see the deployment of HDTV and high-speed internet / voice services to residences along West Bay Road, while followup phases will string it to the rest of the island. We just made your vacation plans a whole lot easier, didn't we?
LodgeNet acts to keep OTA signals alive in analog hotels
LodgeNet is looking out for hoteliers and hotel guests who actually want to watch a little TV while traveling after February 17, 2009 by rolling out a digital transition roadmap to bring venues up to speed. Granted, most hotels don't rely on analog OTA signals to begin with, but for those that still do, it's hoping to "propose a customized solution for each property." In other words, it'll see if analog OTA is still in use, and then offer a marked-up installation of DirecTV and / or a gaggle of DTV converter boxes -- brilliant!
TiVo invades the hotel room, comes to Mondrian in South Beach
It's about time, no? TiVo has finally cut a deal to get its heralded time-shifting box into hotel rooms, and while the first agreement is relatively small in scope, we can see huge potential for this initiative. The outfit has signed on with Morgans Hotel Group -- which owns the Delano in South Beach, Royalton and Hudson in New York City, and Sanderson in London -- in order to bring TiVo functionality to every guest room in the soon-to-open (December 1st) Mondrian in South Beach (Miami, FL). There are no specifics given as to which model will be installed, but it definitely doesn't mention TiVo HD nor the word "high-definition." Still, we'd take an SD TiVo as part of the stay, but we won't stop wishing there was a way to transfer all of our currently unwatched programs at home to the box in the hotel room. Full release is after the break.Update: We've received word that the units will be TiVo HD boxes connected to HDTVs. Stellar!
RCN pipes HD programming into Boston's Mandarin Oriental luxury hotel
This isn't the first hotel deal RCN has managed to land, and we have every reason to believe it's far from the last. The cable carrier's lastest grab is the Mandarin Oriental luxury hotel in Boston, Massachusetts, where it will deliver HDTV programming, all-digital cable and a dedicated data network connection to serve as the hotel's failsafe for internet connectivity. The multi-year deal will bring the services to 136 guestrooms, 12 luxury suites and the condominiums, apartments and retail stores located within the hotel. Now, if only we could afford a room to check it all out, we'd be set.
