Beach Hotels Finder — Your Guide To Beach Hotels Around The World

Welcome To Beach Hotels Finder

Looking for a quality hotel by a beautiful beach? You have found the right site. At Beach Hotels Finder we provide quick links for online reservations to terrific hotels at the world’s most inviting beaches. Just follow the links below to the region you are planning to visit and find the perfect beach hotel for your upcoming vacation.

USA:
Southern California
Florida (Atlantic side)
Atlantic Coast
Gulf Coast
Pacific Coast
Hawaii

Non-USA:
Caribbean
Mexico
Central America
South America
Polynesia
Mediterranean
Asia
Australia

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RECENT BEACH HOTELS RELATED NEWS:

Beer festival coming soon in Sneads Ferry

by admin on April 21, 2011

Like most beach towns Sneads Ferry and surrounding communities have some fun festivals. Among the upcoming events is a beer festival. We get this announcement from the TopSail Advertiser site:

On Saturday, April 30, The Greater Topsail Area Chamber of Commerce and Tourism will host a Hops of Spring Beer Festival on the Island in Surf City at the Beach House Marina. From 2 to 6 p.m. there will be eight NC breweries represented: Good Vibes Brewing Company, Wilmington; Weeping Radish Farm and Brewery, Jarvisburg; Lone Rider Brewing Company, Raleigh; Wolf Beer Company, Wilmington; Kind Beers Brewing, Charlotte; Carolina Brewery, Chapel Hill, Pittsboro; Huske Hardware House Pub and Brewery, Fayetteville; Natty Greens Brewing Company, Greensboro with 14 different brews for the discriminating palate to savor. Bald Fury will be playing that afternoon for your listening pleasure. Blankets and/or lawn chairs are suggested for comfort. Admission is $10 per person with children under 12 free.

A starfish invasion at Pawleys Island Beaches

by admin on April 21, 2011

You never know what storms will wash up. At Pawleys Island it was starfish recently. We get this from an AP report:

The unsettled weather along the South Carolina coast has caused thousands of starfish to wash on shore at Pawleys Island.

State Department of Natural Resources Marine Division spokesman Phil Maier told The Sun News of Myrtle Beach that the starfish were likely dislodged from the rocks they usually stick to by rough seas Monday night.

Beachgoers reported starfish littering sections of the beach Tuesday, some piled on top of each other.

Smoking ban recently enacted at Ocean City beached and parks

by admin on April 21, 2011

Ocean City has joined a number of other Altlantic Coast beach communities in banning smoking at some parks and beaches. We get this report from Delmarvanow.com:

Milton and Ocean City also recently banned smoking at public parks and playgrounds. The same laws were already in effect in Bethany Beach and Lewes.

Under the adopted ordinance, smoking is banned in most of the city’s parks and playgrounds. Officials felt that Lake Gerar was too large to prohibit smoking, so the ban is only in effect at the playground on Lake Avenue at Lakeview Street.

Contrary to the original proposal of imposing incremental fines, the commissioners chose to fine violators $25 per offense.

Teens in Long Branch may have to pay fee to use beach in the future

by admin on April 11, 2011

Times are tough are over. We get this interesting report from a Long Branch NJ paper:

Students may no longer be able to attend city beaches for free if a City Council proposal becomes official.

Faced with a $358,000 deficit from beach operations, the council unofficially announced at its March 22 meeting that it would be raising all beach badge prices.

The council agreed at the workshop meeting that the price of a daily weekday badge will remain at $5 but the weekend daily badge will go from $5 to $7 and the seasonal badge will be raised from $35 to $45.

The council also agreed that students ages 14-17, who previously had free access to the beaches, would be charged $3 for a daily badge and $30 for a seasonal badge.

Surf teams in SC compete a Kitty Hawk Beach

by admin on April 11, 2011

Yes, surfing is alive in well in the deep South too. We get this interesting blurb from a recent article in a local publication:

Surf shop teams from Garden City Beach, S.C., to Virginia Beach will hit the swells at Kitty Hawk on Thursday or Friday to compete in the Mid-Atlantic Region of the Oakley Surf Shop Challenge.

Sweetwater Surf Shop from Wrightsville Beach, N.C., is the defending champion and will attempt to fend off the challenge of nine other teams – including Whalebone Surf Shop and Outer Banks Boarding Company of Nags Head; Coastal Edge, Wave Riding Vehicles, Freedom Surf and 17th Street Surf Shop of Virginia Beach; Wave Riding Vehicles of Kitty Hawk; The Pitt from Kill Devil Hills; and Village Surf Shoppe of Garden City Beach, S.C.

Five region winners will advance to the nationals at the Huntington Beach Pier in California later this year.

Weight loss resort at Hilton Head profiled

by admin on April 11, 2011

There was an interesting story written recently by a writer who went to a weight loss resort in Hilton Head. Here is an excerpt:

Four days into my stay at the fat farm, I found myself in the shallow end of a swimming pool doing jumping jacks with a “nautical noodle,” surrounded by nine plump women and an insanely fit instructor as Lady Gaga blared over a loud speaker.

“Ten more reps,” barked the instructor. “Push it!”

An already absurd moment in my life became more so when I realized I was about to lose my swimming trunks.

It wouldn’t be my first humbling moment at Hilton Head Health (H3), a South Carolina fitness and weight-loss retreat that was getting national attention as site of the current TV hit “Heavy” on the A&E Network. Inspired by reality shows such as “Heavy” and “Biggest Loser,” people are flocking to what used to be called fat farms to drop pounds or, in some cases, save their lives.

Film featuring Folly Beach surfing scene released

by admin on April 11, 2011

A short film that features that Folly Beach SC surfing scene was recently released. Here is an excerpt from a local write up on the subject:

Last year’s hurricane season was extremely generous to the Folly Beach surfing community, producing consistent surf that’s rarely seen in Charleston. Local videographer and surfer Bryant Thomas set out to document the unusual wealth of waves, and after one year of filming, he and his brothers unveiled the short film Waves in Our Pocket. McKevlin’s Surf Shop and Surf Bar hosted the premiere Saturday night on the streets of Folly Beach. A huge movie screen, food and beverage vendors, and a stage kept the crowd contained and constantly entertained.

Antiques lovers finding treasure near Exmore

by admin on April 11, 2011

There was a fun article published recently about an antiques store near Exmore. Here is an excerpt:

Buckle up, folks: It’s time for another excellent road trip!

On this day, because we hadn’t been there in who-knows-how-long, we headed over the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel and chatted and talked and spoke kindly of absolutely everyone we knew until we arrived at our destination – The Blue Crow Antique Mall in Keller, Va., about seven miles north of Exmore.

It claims to be the second-largest antiques mall in Virginia with 250 dealers under one roof – 35,000 square feet of period furniture, estate and vintage costume jewelry, decorative arts, Christmas goods, nautical antiques and vintage hunting and fishing gadgets, decoys and tools and, for good spirits, a wine shop.

It’s true. There’s all that and more.

Wear your walking shoes.

Sailors gearing up for Charleston Race Week

by admin on April 11, 2011

We get this from a recent press release on Charleston Race week which is coming up April 14-17:

279 boats take to the water for 2011 Sperry Top-Sider Charleston Race Week, preparations are ramping up to welcome the 2000 sailors and support personnel to the largest keelboat regatta in North America in more than five years.

Race Director Randy Draftz has his hands full, though he took time out last weekend to serve as a guest speaker at US Sailing’s Yacht Club Summit in Chicago, IL. ‘It was great to see Charleston Race Week recognized by the National Governing Body for the work everyone has done to turn this into such a successful event,’ Draftz said. ‘Hopefully the information I was able to share about what has worked for us will be used by others to help their events gain the popularity we enjoy.’

Smoking on the Bethany Beach boardwalk banned

by admin on April 11, 2011

In a victory for lungs in Delaware, the Bethany Beach Town Council recently made the seasonal ban on smoking on the boardwalk permanent. We get this report from a local TV station:

In a 4-3 vote Friday afternoon, the Bethany Beach Town Council passed an ordinance that bans smoking year-round on the boardwalk and access ramps to the beach.

The year-round ban supplanted the previous seasonal ban on smoking on the boardwalk, which had been in place from May 15-Sept. 15.

Of course smokers might miss wading through piles cigarette butts on the boardwalk but everyone else probably won’t.

Coldstroke Classic SUP race is coming to Wrightsville Beach

by admin on January 5, 2011

The folks over at Coastal Urge are sponsoring the “Coldstroke Classic”, a standup paddle surfing (SUP) race in cold waters on January 15th. See here for registration details. And see here for our list of Wrightsville Beach hotels.

Here is some info on SUP from the wiki:

Stand up paddle surfing (SUP), or in the Hawaiian language Hoe he’e nalu, is an emerging global sport with a Hawaiian heritage. The sport is an ancient form of surfing, and reemerged as a way for surfing instructors to manage their large groups of students, as standing on the board gave them a higher viewpoint, increasing visibility of what was going on around them – such as incoming swell. To begin with, this started with using a one-bladed paddle, whilst standing on a normal length surfboard. The popularity of the modern sport of SUP has its origination in the Hawaiian Islands. In the early 1960s, the Beach Boys of Waikiki would stand on their long boards, and paddle out with outrigger paddles to take pictures of the tourists learning to surf. This is where the term “Beach Boy Surfing”, another name for Stand Up Paddle Surfing, originates.

The sport benefits athletes with a strong ‘core’ workout. SUP’ing is popular at warm coastal climates and resorts, and is gaining in popularity as celebrities are sampling the sport, and cross-over athletes are training with SUP. SUPs have been spotted around the globe, anywhere where there is easy access to safe waters, as well as in the surfing lineups of the world.

Laguna Beach trying to attract visitors to downtown after torrential rains

by admin on December 29, 2010

The city of Laguna Beach is trying to attract visitors back to its downtown after the recent rains. The incentive? Free parking. We get this from a local public radio site:

Businesses in downtown Laguna Beach are still recovering from last week’s storm, which flooded stores at the peak of the holiday shopping season. Now, those Laguna businesses are trying to lure shoppers back.

Those shoppers who have returned to this district are discovering that the parking is free. Every parking meter in downtown Laguna Beach has a green sign reading “Free parking for three hours. Happy Holidays from the City of Laguna Beach.”

It’s part of an effort to help restaurateurs and shopkeepers recover some of the business that they lost during last week’s rainstorms, which sent a river of mud pouring down Laguna Canyon Road and onto the Pacific Coast Highway.

Food poisoning incident at Costa Rica beach hotel

by admin on December 23, 2010

Depending on who you ask, 22 to 100 guests at a Costa Rica beach hotel were hit with a nasty bit of food poisoning recently. We get this report from insidecostarica.com:

Numbers are flying all over the place as to tourism, the number of tourists, hotel reservations and even the number of hotel guests who, according to the Ministry of Health, got food poisoning at the Hotel Barceló, Playa Tambor.

The Ministry says 100, the hotel PR person Greivin Sandoval says “…only 22…” suffered from pura vida and all “Natural Ingredients”.

It´s all on how you count or how you define “sick”.

We’re guessing the guests define sick a little differently than the hotel PR person defines it.

UPDATE (Dec. 27)

Looks like the Costa Rican ministry of health has now shut the hotel down entirely until it it can determine the cause of the widespread sickness among hotel guests. We get this updated report from the same journal:

The Ministerio de Salud (Health Ministry) shut down the hotel Barceló Playa Tambor following a diarrhea outbreak that affected at least 40 guests.

The beach hotel cannot accept new guests and will have 24 hours to clear out the existing guests. However, the ministra de Slaud, Maria Luisa Avila, said it could possibly take up to a week to evacuate the hotel entirely.

Marlon Prendas, director of the hotel, said the first place the search for the cause was the hotel’s pool.

The closure will be in place until the Health ministry determines the cause of the outbreak.

Up to 150 guests were reported to have suffered nausea and vomiting last week and were treated at the nearby clinic in Paquera, though hotel officials put the number at only 37.

Well at least a Miami Beach Hotel got mentioned in this fake news

by admin on December 21, 2010

You know how they like to create fake relationships in Hollywood to get cheap news coverage? Well below is a fine example of that. But at least one Miami Beach Hotel got some press in the wake of this fake news.

JUSTIN Bieber and Selena Gomez have denied they are going out, but they most certainly do enjoy each other’s company.

They laughed and joked together as they walked at Miami Beach, before realising they had been spotted.

The pair tried to get to the beach, but turned around and ran when they saw all the paparazzi waiting for them.

Bieber, 16, and Gomez, 18, were staying in a plush Miami hotel ahead of Bieber’s performance at the American Airlines Arena in Miami.

A toy drive for Haiti being held at Newport Beach Hotel

by admin on December 17, 2010

There is a planned toy drive this weekend at a Newport Beach Hotel. Here is a bit from the press release on the subject:

The goal of the December 19th event is to fundraise for toys and donations for Haiti in support of the AJE Foundation. Guests and media attendees are encouraged to bring new unwrapped toys to be placed in the bins at event doors of the Newport Hotel through December 19, 2010.

Adults Juvenile Empowered Foundation is on a mission to rebuild the lives of people in Haiti. AJE’s vision is to empower disadvantaged people by providing the support needed to achieve self-sufficiency, challenging the vicious cycle of poverty and lack of access to basic resources.

New Hollywood Beach Hotel Part of Overall Resurgence of Florida Beachfront Community

by admin on December 15, 2010

Everyone’s heard of Hollywood California, but what about Hollywood Florida? This lovely beach town in South Florida has saw some hard times a few decades ago but has been making a real comeback. A newly announced Hollywood beach hotel will be part of that comeback. We get this from the Miami Herald article in the topic:

With names like Ocean Mist, The Blue Wave and the Sun and Sea, the once-blighted mom-and-pop motels and small hotels on Hollywood beach are riding a wave of change that is beginning to transform one of the few quaint beach towns left in South Florida.

Visitors still can grab a beer for $2, a large cheese for under $10 and a motel room in season for a humble $59. For the cost of parking, a frugal family can bury its toes on the sandy side of one of the most beautiful oceanfront promenades in the country.

On Wednesday, Hollywood commissioners gave their blessing for Margaritaville, a vast 17-story resort hotel that promises to change the face of the beach.

The Jimmy Buffett-themed resort won’t break ground for another year, but visitors and locals already are waking up to the clatter of saws, hammers and construction trucks.

Bringing your pet goose on vacation? One Daytona Beach Hotel won’t object.

by admin on December 1, 2010

There was an amusing story about a Daytona Beach Hotel recently. We get this from the UPI article on the subject:

A Florida hotel made an exception to its usual dogs-and-cats-only pets policy for a well-behaved goose.

Jennifer Thomas, 38, of Roanoke, Va., said The Shores Resort & Spa in Daytona Beach Shores allowed her goose, Gabby, to stay due to her good behavior and cleanliness, The Daytona Beach News-Journal reported Monday.

Gulf oil spill has taken toll on Florida panhandle beach hotels

by admin on October 19, 2010

It probably comes as no surprise that the massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico scared many would be visitors away from Gulf Coast beach hotels. We get this from a recent article:

As a result, beachfront hotels reported year-over-year drops in revenue ranging from 12 percent to 29 percent during the high-season months of June, July and August, according to figures compiled by the Santa Rosa Island Authority, which leases the land to hotels, restaurants and other businesses.

“We call it the summer that wasn’t,” said Beverly McCay, whose Holiday Inn Express reported a 27 percent decline in sales.

Pensacola Beach now seems itself again, nearly six months after the Deepwater Horizon drilling platform exploded and sank, sending oil drifting across the Gulf toward Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida. A ribbon of powder-white sand borders crystal-clear water tinted with an assortment of blues and greens.

“September is the first month since the oil that we’ve seen the numbers better than the year before,” said McCay, the Holiday Inn’s general manager. “The bulk of what we’re seeing are leisure travelers who … postponed their visit and came in the fall.”

…

There’s also an ongoing tension between the oil spill’s continuing aftermath and the image that hoteliers want to project as tourists trickle back to the Panhandle.

The beaches are far less smeared with tar balls than they were a few months ago, and the oil that remains is hard to spot and so dried and hardened that it doesn’t leave stains on beachgoers’ shoes or bare feet.

But below the Margaritaville’s balconies on a recent afternoon, three men in green-and-orange safety vests were huddled over a small hole in the beach, retrieving buried bits of oil. A dozen feet away, a young boy splashed in the Gulf’s lazy surf, oblivious to the cleanup work.

Fire damaged Surfside Beach hotel to re-open

by admin on October 5, 2010

Fire might have gotten the Surfside Beach Resort down, but the hotel is not out. It is set to re-open this week. We get this report from a local news channel:

The owner of a Surfside Beach hotel damaged by a Monday night fire expects to re-open the property on Thursday.

The fire ripped through a dry storage area inside of a restaurant at the Surfside Beach Resort around 6:30 p.m. Monday, according to hotel spokesperson Jim Neil. Officials said the fire was quickly extinguished and did not damage any hotel rooms.

Approximately 40 rooms were being rented out at the time of the fire. The resort’s owner said it paid for guests to be relocated to a Holiday Inn in Surfside Beach.

Because the fire occurred during the middle of the week after a busy summer season, hotel officials expect to take a $20,000 to $30,000 hit in lost revenue.

The cause of the fire is believed to be electrical. No injuries were reported.

Alabama state-financed beach hotel and convention center being challenged

by admin on October 4, 2010

We of course think that beach hotels are wonderful things. But not everyone in Alabama in thrilled with plans for a new state-financed beach hotel. We get this report from the AP:

Plans for a state-financed hotel and convention center on the Alabama coast are still being legally challenged by a private resort even though the Alabama Supreme Court has ruled against a separate complaint the resort filed.

Bill Baxley, a Birmingham attorney who represents the Perdido Beach Resort, said Monday that two legal avenues were taken seeking to block the Gulf State Park Hotel.

The Alabama Supreme Court shelved one of those challenges Friday when it held that an amended complaint filed with Montgomery Circuit Judge Eugene Reese was properly dismissed by Reese.

But Baxley said a separate lawsuit also has been filed challenging the state’s latest plans for a beach hotel. That suit is now before Montgomery Circuit Judge Tracy McCooey.

The Perdido Beach Resort and others won in March 2009 when Gov. Bob Riley’s initial hotel plan was found to violate state law. A new law passed later last year allowed for revised plans.

Beach Hotel Business Doing Fine on Gulf Coast

by admin on August 3, 2010

One might expect that the massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico would be severely hampering business for beach hotels along the gulf coast. But according to recent reports business is doing pretty well:

While I’ve not visited the region yet, from what I’m hearing and reading recently it seems that relatively few of the thousands of miles of beach along the Gulf Coast have been heavily affected and life continues on as usual for most residents and visitors. The Louisiana coast has been hit hardest with multiple beach closures, but as you travel east along Mississippi, Alabama and Florida, the impact is minimal, beaches are open and the hotel business is, well booming.

Booming? Yep, at least in terms of occupancy. According the Smith Travel Research (the go-to guys for hotel industry stats) occupancy rates along the coast Gulf Coast from Texas to Florida were up 7 percent in June year-over-year. In coastal Alabama alone, occupancy was up a whopping 41 percent; in Louisiana and Mississippi it was up 10 percent and 11 percent respectively. Florida and Texas experienced smaller increases, but all were up over last June.

Where is this silver lining coming from? To answer that, I called in some experts.

>Troy Rutman, spokesperson for Best Western*, which has hundreds of hotels in the region, said, “While some beach properties have seen declines, the overall short term outlook has been buoyed by corporate business from clean-up crews and news media. We’ve got our eye on the mid- and long-term economic impact of the spill, and we have solutions on deck to assist our members as needs arise.”

>Travel industry analyst Henry Harteveldt said, “Many of the hotels had ‘clean beach’ guarantees and stepped up their various advertising/PR efforts. Some may have turned to social media as well to get out the word. The online travel agencies have also promoted the area.” He also pointed out that many hotels in the region are having to “buy business with low rates” which are resulting in “profitless occupancy increases.” (Indeed, a recent Expedia report showed average rates down as much as 30 percent in some areas.)

Gulf Coast Beach Hotels brace for oil slick arrival

by admin on May 3, 2010

Beach hotels all along the Gulf Coast are dreading the approach of oil slicks from the massive recent massive oil spill. We get this report on Pensacola beach hotels from the AP:

Florida tourism leaders and workers from Pensacola to Key West grew increasingly angry and worried Monday as an oil slick created by a blown out drilling rig off Louisiana moved closer to the state’s shores and threatened their livelihoods.

Gov. Charlie Crist expanded a state of emergency Monday to include 19 counties from Escambia in the Panhandle to Sarasota in southwest Florida. The massive spill caused by the explosion of a BP PLC oil rig two weeks ago has been slowly moving toward Florida and oil might start washing ashore in the Panhandle by Tuesday and could reach the Keys by the weekend.

“We have an ecological and environmental disaster in the making,” U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., said at a tourism meeting Monday in Orlando. “This could not only be an economic disaster for Florida and our $65 billion tourism industry, which depends on pristine beaches but also an environmental disaster because of our bays and estuaries that spawn so much marine life. People in the Panhandle are panicked. They’re about to start their tourism season and they’re facing the oil spill.

“

Fall at Riviera Beach hotel ruled to be no fall and no accident

by admin on April 25, 2010

Police recently determined that a man’s claimed fall from a Rivera Beach hotel balcony was actually a beating that resulted in his death. We get this from a recent report:

Investigators now think a man who said he fell while at a Riviera Beach hotel was a homicide victim.

On Tuesday April 20 paramedics responded to a call at the Sands Hotel at 2401 Beach Court.

51 year old Robert Doyle said that he had fallen and was in pain.

He was transported to St. Mary’s Medical Center where he died a few hours later.

A doctor treating him didn’t think Doyle’s injuries matched those sustained in a fall. He had broken ribs on both sides of his body, bruises on his legs and rib cage and a black eye as well as suspected internal injuries.

An examination by the Palm Beach County Medical Examiner determined Doyle’s death was the result of a homicide.

South Florida beach hotels had a better winter than expected

by admin on April 22, 2010

The economy may be down but it isn’t out. The Sun Sentinel is reporting that winter hotel occupancy at South Florida beach hotels was better than expected. Here are some excerpt from that piece:

Numbers released Wednesday by Smith Travel Research detail the improvements for South Florida hotels in the first quarter. Overall, hotels in Broward County saw revenues per room rise about 6 percent and in Palm Beach County about 3 percent from a year ago.

Occupancy rose about 7 percent in Broward and 11 percent in Palm Beach counties, while average room rates declined slightly in the period, the research group said.

Analysts cite several reasons why hospitality fared better this winter than forecast even in late 2009: a rebound in U.S. economic growth, a slowdown in job losses nationwide, gains on Wall Street and South Florida’s hosting of the Pro Bowl and Super Bowl football games in January and February.

“There was a period last year when people were uncertain, even if they had money set aside for travel. They weren’t sure what would happen in the near term with their employment and money in the bank,” said Bill Cunningham, general manager of the Courtyard by Marriott Fort Lauderdale Beach hotel. “Times are still difficult, but it’s stabilized. People feel that they can predict their financial future a little bit better, so they are starting to spend that travel money.”

Cunningham’s 261-room Courtyard hotel posted a 15 percent gain in revenues per room in the first quarter, with both occupancy and rates up from last year. Rooms fetched about $175 night, considered mid-range on the beachfront that has gone increasingly upscale. Some of the hotel’s 80 employees chose to work overtime hours this winter, an option unavailable in slower times last year, he said.

Local lawmakers mulling new tax on Rehoboth Beach Hotels

by admin on April 14, 2010

Lawmakers are considering raising taxes on Rehoboth Beach hotels. And of course when taxes go up, room rates go up to compensate. Here are some bits from a recent article on the subject:

Hotel and motel owners could soon face another expense as officials look to boost revenue through the increase and extension of the city’s rental tax.

The measure would raise the current 3 percent gross receipts tax, which is levied on rental income generated by residential properties and cottages, and extend it to hotels, motels and other commercial rentals.

“It would be like pouring vinegar into a sore,” said Inez Conover, who owns the Sea Witch Manor, BEDazzled and Bewitched inns. “We’re taxed enough already.”

Hotel and motel owners are not currently taxed by the city, but 8 percent of their annual rental income is paid to the state. Changes at the city level would mean owners could be forced to relinquish 11 percent or more of their annual income.

If that’s the case, Conover said spending a night in Rehoboth Beach will be more costly.

“I’ve had to reduce my rates significantly (because of the economy),” she said. “But if taxes are going up, then prices will have to as well.”

Hollywood FL beach hotels — the other Hollywood

by admin on April 11, 2010

There was a fun article recently in a Delaware newspaper about “the other Hollywood” — namely Hollywood Florida. As the article note, Hollywood Florida is a lovely little beach community with quite a few nice beach hotels to choose from. Here are some excerpts from that article:

A low-key, friendly town located on Florida’s Atlantic coast, it is unpretentious and un-glitzy.

Located right between two high-profile resorts — Fort Lauderdale to the north, and Miami to the south — Hollywood takes pride in its small-town charm. This low-key Hollywood was named an “All-America City 2007” by the National Civic League.

One example of its special ambience is the popular beach promenade known as the Broadwalk. It’s indeed broad and an ample 27-feet-wide, so there’s plenty of space for a separate lane for bikes, as well as the wider lane for walking. Stretching for two-and-a-half miles, the Broadwalk is a colorful brick-lined oceanside promenade, the most extensive along Florida’s East Coast.

Strolling on this promenade, pedestrians are practically on the beach. This is not an elevated walkway as in Atlantic City, N.J., or Ocean City, N.J. Instead, it’s flush with the beach, which is just steps away.

This beach, studded with palm trees, is a 5-mile expanse of soft sand and clear ocean water which was voted Florida’s best beach by Florida Living magazine. It’s also earned the distinction of “Blue Wave Beach,” an award given to selected beaches by the Clean Beach Council.

And the Broadwalk has its own claim to fame. It’s been named one of American’s Top 10 nostalgic promenades by USA Today.

Funeral held for boy who died at Panama City Beach Hotel

by admin on April 10, 2010

The funeral was held today for the high school All-America football player who died recently after falling from a 5th story balcony at a Panama City beach hotel. Here is an bit from the AP story on the subject:

A funeral has been held in Ohio for a 17-year-old Notre Dame football recruit who fell from a Florida hotel balcony during spring break.

An overflow crowd gathered Saturday at St. Xavier Church in downtown Cincinnati to remember high school student Matt James.

Police say the 6-foot-8, 290-pound offensive lineman was drunk when he fell over a fifth-floor railing in Panama City Beach, Fla., a week ago. His coaches and teammates say he should be remembered for his hard work and loyalty, not the way he died.

James attended St. Xavier High School, where a visitation for him was held Friday.

Occupancy at Palm Beach Hotels reportedly rebounding

by admin on April 9, 2010

According to a recent article in the South Florida Business Journal hotel occupancy in South Florida and specifically at Palm Beach hotels is up this Spring. Here are some highlights from that piece:

Hotels in South Florida continued to bounce back from the recession last week, according to data from Smith Travel Research.

The peak of the tourist season and special events brought occupancy gains in all three counties.

For the week ended April 3, occupancy in Palm Beach County was up 33.4 percent, year-over-year. Occupancy in Miami-Dade was up 9.1 percent, while occupancy in Broward was up 6.6 percent.

Occupancy across the U.S. fell 3.6 percent.

St. Regis Monarch Beach Hotel in Dana Point in the news

by admin on April 8, 2010

There was a lot of news recently about new owners taking over the St. Regis Monarch Beach Hotel in Dana Point. Here are some excerpt from the LA Times piece on the topic:

St. Regis Monarch Beach, the posh Orange County resort tarred in a public backlash to corporate travel spending, has a new owner after a transaction that values the property at about $235 million. …

Like other hotels, the 400-room resort was hammered by the downturn in the economy. It was further battered as corporate executives canceled meetings and retreats at upscale resorts in part because they didn’t want to appear to be living large while a recession squeezed the middle and lower classes. …

New Jekyll Island beach hotel announced

by admin on March 31, 2010

There is a new beach hotel being launched on Jekyll Island GA. Here are some excerpts from the press release on the subject:

With the historic oak tree canopy unique to this Jekyll Island hotel, the Hampton Inn & Suites, welcomed its first guests in January 2010 to the eco-friendly, beachfront hotel that utilized sustainable practices to help preserve and honour one of the eastern seaboard’s few remaining true maritime forest and dune eco-systems. The first hotel to be built on Jekyll Island since 1974, the 138 room Jekyll Island hotel provides guests with beach access in minutes while maintaining the unique natural area with dunes ranging from 18 to 30 feet above sea level with an elevated wooden walkway, providing guests a scenic route to access the Jekyll Island oceanfront.

Holiday Inn Santa Monica relaunches

by admin on March 24, 2010

The folks over at the Holiday Inn Santa Monica recently put out a press release announcing the relaunch of their hotel. Here are some excerpts from that release:

Holiday Inn Santa Monica Beach – At the Pier has joined the fast-growing ranks of Holidays Inns worldwide in receiving the new Holiday Inn sign and seal of approval. InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) started the major brand renewal initiative in 2007 with a mission to create a more contemporary brand image, drive consistency and increase the quality of all Holiday Inns.

The popular Santa Monica hotel completed necessary renovations well ahead of the program schedule, which is slated to reach over 3,200 hotels by the end of 2010.

Fire at a Miami Beach Hotel

by admin on March 17, 2010

There was reportedly a fire recently at a Miami Beach Hotel.

Nothing like being herded onto the street in the middle of the night to improve a vacation…

Here is an excerpt from a recent TV news story on the subject:

Flames destroyed one room and forced all of the guests out on to the streets. Most of the guests are visiting on Spring break. “I actually came from Wisconsin because I’m a student here, but our flight got delayed, so it took all of our day and not a good end to the day,” said the student. “They’re claiming there was a fire in 210, and that’s right next to my room, so I’m pretty worried about my stuff.”

No injuries were reported.

Investigators haven’t said what caused that fire and the guests have not been able to return to the building as of yet.

Vero Beach Hotel announces new hire

by admin on March 16, 2010

Ever been to Vero Beach FL? If not you should some time — it is beautiful out there.

Anyway, there was a brief new release about a key hiring at a Vero Beach Hotel that reminded us of the lovely area. Here is the link to that story.

And here is a bit about Vero Beach from Wikipedia:

Vero Beach is a city in Indian River County, Florida, USA. According to the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2006 estimates, the city had a population of 16,939. It is the county seat of Indian River County. Vero Beach is a Principal City of the Sebastian–Vero Beach Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is home to 130,100 people.

Vero Beach may be best known as the location of Dodgertown, where the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers baseball team held their spring training camp from 1948 until 2008 when it moved to a new facility in Glendale, Arizona. The stadium was also the home to the minor league Vero Beach Devil Rays; however, in August 2008 the franchise was sold to the Ripken Baseball Group and did not return to Vero Beach for the 2009 season. In 2009, Dodgertown was sold to Minor League Baseball, and there is no word yet if a new team will make it its home.

Piper Aircraft Inc. builds aircraft here. Major industries include citrus fruit packing and tourism.

Fun story about historical Santa Barbara beach hotel

by admin on March 14, 2010

There was a charming article recently on the old Potter Hotel along Santa Barbara’s West Beach. Here are some excerpts:

I got a call from my friend Jerry Jacobs, the proprietor of the Lost Horizon Bookstore, to “c’mon down and check out a few things I just got in.” Jerry usually has a good selection of Santa Barbara books and ephemera and I’ve been a frequent visitor to his shop for nearly a quarter of a century. A personal request for a shop visit usually means he’s come across another great item for my research.

Fifteen minutes later I was holding a 1904 “Guide to the Rides and Trails of Santa Barbara.” For twenty-five cents the 52-page guide gave the reader over sixty things to do and places to go in and around Santa Barbara. It contained a map of the city as well as a fold out map covering the coast and mountain ridgeline from Rincon Point to Naples. The publisher, W. W. Osborne, was a relative newcomer to Santa Barbara and had opened his bookstore a few years earlier at 931 State. Osborne’s Bookstore would remain a State Street landmark until closing its doors just a few years short of its 90th anniversary.

A few days later I picked up a stack of photos and postcards from a tourist’s visit to Santa Barbara, yep, in 1904.

Swanky Miami South Beach Hotel Facing Foreclosure

by admin on March 12, 2010

When the economy tanks the travel industry is often on the front lines. A high end South Beach hotel in Miami knows all about that problem with creditors moving to foreclose on the property. We get this from a recent Miami Herald article:

The swank South Beach hotel is still open and charging premium rates but last made a mortgage payment in September. A dismal year walloped the financials at the oceanfront property.

Home to a Robert DeNiro restaurant and a long pedigree of celebrity guests, the Shore Club saw profits collapse last year — down 62 percent as it cleared just $328,000 before taxes and debt payments, according to filings by its operator, Morgans Hotel Group. …

Now forced to fend off foreclosure proceedings over a $126 million loan from 2005, the Shore Club probably qualifies as South Florida’s most high-profile hotel drama. Long a source of gossip-column fodder since its 2001 opening, the Shore Club got hit by the recent hotel downturn just as it faced more competition for a shrinking pool of free-spending vacationers.

“A lot of that high-end boutique South Beach product appealed to the Wall Street crowd — the 38-year-old, 39-year-old executive who got six-figure bonuses,” said hotel broker Dan Carlo, of Holliday Fenoglio Fowler in Coral Gables

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Too many West Palm Beach hotels?

by admin on March 11, 2010

There was an interesting piece over at the West Palm Beach Post wondering if West Palm Beach FL really needs another large hotel. Here is an excerpt:

It’s no secret that the West Palm Beach hotel scene is lacking. There’s nothing in the nearby vicinity to downtown’s supposed biggest draw — Clematis Street and the waterfront. The Hyatt Place, at 295 Lakeview Avenue, is a good 10-to-15 minute walk to Clematis. The Marriott near CityPlace is about the same.

There are several big plans floating around, most notably a proposal to develop a 15-story hotel with premier waterfront views at the Old City Hall site. Then there are talks of converting the Comeau Building into a boutique hotel on the heart of Clematis.

At a time when private financing is tough to come by, the city and county would likely to have to get involved to some extent in these projects – especially the convention center hotel. There’s also the issue of vacancy rates, which hover at around 56 percent countywide. City officials don’t seem overly concerned about this, believing that there is a much bigger market for a four-star hotel around Clematis then a two or three star hotel off I-95.

Spring breaker falls at Daytona Beach Hotel

by admin on March 8, 2010

Spring break in Florida is known for the crowds of drunken students. Not surprisingly, accidents happen in such settings. We get this recent report about a Daytona Beach Hotel:

A South Carolina Spring Breaker climbing down from a third-floor balcony to the second floor balcony of a hotel suffered serious injuries when he fell to the ground, Daytona Beach police said.

Poilce officers found Christopher Andrew Grasso, 19, of Charleston, lying on his back in the parking lot of the Daytona Inn at 219 S. Atlantic Ave. shortly before midnight Sunday, bleeding profusely from his head, moaning and unable to talk, a police report said.

Panama City Beach Hotels among those recommended for Spring Break Deals

by admin on March 3, 2010

In an article over at the LA Times several interesting deals for Spring Breaks were mentioned including the lovely Panama City Beach. Here is a quote:

“For college kids, I recommend Jamaica for cheap airfare, post-Olympic Vancouver/Whistler for deals, and Panama City Beach since it’s easy to get to and quite affordable,” said Anne Banas, executive editor of Smarter Travel.

Orange Beach Hotel in Alabama wooing lovebirds

by admin on February 19, 2010

A hotel in Orange Beach Alabama is hoping to become a destination of choice for Valentines in the future. We get this from a recent press release:

Celebrate next Valentine’s Day Island Style at a great new hotel in Orange Beach, Alabama. White sand beaches and shimmering blue waters will provide the backdrop for a love bird reunion at the fabulous Fairfield Inn & Suites Orange Beach, AL hotel.

Guests who take advantage of the Fairfield Inn & Suites’ special Valentine’s Day package will receive room accommodations for Saturday night in one of the hotel’s comfortable standard guest rooms, dinner for two at one of the island’s favorite establishments – Lester’s Orange Beach, and breakfast from the hotel’s continental breakfast bar featuring Jimmy Dean breakfast sandwiches. Dinner at Lester’s includes an appetizer, two entrees, a dessert and two non-alcoholic beverages. Lester’s, a favorite among Orange Beach, Alabama restaurants, also offers live entertainment suitable for the remainder of the evening, or guests may want to venture to any one of the island’s many other night life attractions. In addition, guests will find spacious rooms with crisp linens and comfortable amenities to make their Valentine’s Day island retreat inviting and memorable.

Several Beach Hotels make the Travel and Leisure Mag top 100 list

by admin on December 28, 2009

Travel and Leisure released their list of the top hotels in the world and not surprisingly several on the list are beach hotels. The AP story on the subject included this:

The Grand Del Mar in San Diego, The Setai in Miami Beach, Harraseeket Inn in Freeport, Maine, and The Palazzo in Las Vegas, are among the new properties that made Travel + Leisure magazine’s list of the 500 best hotels in the world.

The list also includes 66 properties that offer rooms for $250 a night or less, including the Inn on the Alameda, Santa Fe, N.M.; Hotel Lucia, Portland, Ore.; and Rockhouse Hotel, Jamaica.

The No. 1 hotel in the U.S., according to the magazine, was the Inn at Palmetto Bluff, in Bluffton, S.C. Other top domestic hotels included the Ritz-Carlton Bachelor Gulch, in Beaver Creek, Colo.; the Ritz-Carlton in Naples, Fla.; the Halekulani in Oahu, Hawaii; and The Carlyle in New York.

Virginia Beach Hotels step up for sailors at Christmas time

by admin on December 28, 2009

We get this nice story from that AP on the generosity of some Virginia Beach hotels:

By the Associated Press

December 24, 2009
NORFOLK, Va. – More than 130 sailors and their families will spend Christmas together thanks to the generosity of 27 hotels in Norfolk and Virginia Beach.

Operation J.I.N.G.L.E.–which stands for Join In Giving a Little Extra–provides three days of complimentary lodging for sailors from more than 30 local units and commands who live on ships or in barracks.

Families from across the country checked in on Wednesday and can stay through Saturday.

The program is coordinated by the Navy and Marine Corps Relief Society in conjunction with the Norfolk Convention and Visitors Bureau and the Virginia Beach Hotel Motel Association.

Myrtle Beach Hotel occupancy expected to be up this week

by admin on December 27, 2009

Maybe it is a sign of a recovering economy. The occupancy levels at Myrtle Beach Hotels is expected to climb this holiday season. We get this from a local TV station:

Hotels in Myrtle Beach can expect to see a boost in business during the week following Christmas. Over forty percent of hotel rooms are currently reserved in Myrtle Beach through New Year’s Eve.

According to a tourism update by Coastal Carolina University, hotel occupancy rates will increase through December 31. The report shows that New Year’s Eve will draw hundreds of visitors to the Grand Strand area, which will kick off 2010 on a better note than 2009.

Trump opening Waikiki Beach Hotel

by admin on December 24, 2009

Apparently Donald Trump is not only about East Coast hotels. The New Waikiki Beach Hotel is one of his projects as well. Here is a bit from an OC Register article on it:

When you hear the name Donald Trump, you think New York. Maybe Atlantic City.

But not Hawaii. Yet, there was that name sprouting among the urban canyons of Waikiki.

The Trump International Hotel & Tower at Waikiki is the newest – and perhaps for a time, last – major addition to the famed Oahu skyline. A sparkling new addition to Waikiki for those who see the skyscraper rimmed beachfront as America’s answer to Copacabana Beach in Rio.

A tip on a Huntington Beach hotel deal

by admin on December 9, 2009

A travel blogger over at the LA Times reported found a sweet deal at a Huntington Beach hotel. Here is an excerpt:

Psst…. Want to get a big room discount at the Hilton Waterfront Beach Resort in Huntington Beach? Call the manager.

Deal: Under the Holiday Hot Deal, the the 290-room hotel, which is actually across the street from the beach along Pacific Coast Highway, is offering 40% off its best available (unrestricted) rate for stays through Dec. 30. That means you can get some rooms for less than $150 plus tax per night.

Fire breaks out at Cannon Beach hotel

by admin on October 20, 2009

Sounds like a faulty burner started a blaze at a beach hotel in Oregon. Here is an excerpt from an article on the subject:

A fire that damaged the Tolovana Inn in Cannon Beach early Tuesday probably began on the range in the kitchen, Cannon Beach Fire Chief Cleve Rooper said.

The hotel staff was cleaning carpets on the third floor in one of the hotel’s five buildings and had piled furniture on top of the range, Rooper said. The fire started when one of the burners was accidentally turned on. Firefighters were called to the hotel at 7:24 a.m.

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