An Air China plane cabin was filled with smoke after its engine caught fire, forcing the plane to make an emergency landing in Singapore on Sunday.
25.08.2023 - 14:05 / skift.com / Carley Thornell
Motels won’t go the way of the dodo bird if Lark Hotels founder Rob Blood has anything to say about it.
In just about a year, Blood’s boutique brand will have expanded its wingspan with nine properties under a new sister brand, Bluebird by Lark. The brand gives motels and lodges new life with a similar design-forward approach that’s earned Lark a following in California and across the East Coast.
But whereas Lark’s 22 properties feature mostly bespoke accouterments like gilded wallpaper, ornate lighting fixtures, and mosaic tiles in the bathroom, Bluebird strives to be a bit more durable and affordable.
Bluebird’s effort heralds a broader trend of hotel designers and developers attempting to reinvigorate the motel concept for next-gen travelers faces competition. Last month, investors Starwood Capital and AJ Capital launched Field & Stream Lodge Company, a “modern and affordable lifestyle lodging brand” that will use the brand name of a chain of outdoor recreation stores.
Other players in this space include Tourists in Western, Massachusetts, whose blond-wood lodges, Dezeen-applauded interior decor, and yoga pavilion update the roadway motel idea. Three Basecamp Hotels in the southwestern U.S. have attempted to create a more consistent, hipper experience for fans of the outdoors. In the U.S. Northwest, Loge adds hip layer to motel-like inns close to adventure spots. In coastal New Jersey, the Starlux is a boutique motel done up in a Doo-Wop style a block from the ocean in Wildwood.
In Europe, German brand Motel One is scaling up a design-led roadside hotel concept, with BWH Group (Best Western Hotels)’s Vib (pronounced “vibe”) brand attempting something similar.
At Bluebird, each hotel is threaded, whenever possible, with design elements that transform underused areas like meeting rooms into spaces that capture a culture of fun, Blood said.
“Our concept is good design in outdoor locations at a mid-scale price point,” Blood said. “Simply by the physical nature of buildings at Lark – where you can typically only fit one bed – that narrows that demographic quite a bit.”
While guests will find the same cushy pillow-top mattresses as Lark-branded maximalist hotels, the Bluebird aesthetic skews noticeably more minimalist Scandinavian. Walls are typically neutral colors, and woods like pine or tambour are used for furniture, textured walls, or headboards.
Hardwood floors at several locations peek out where outdated carpeting used to be. In Cape Cod, beautifully restored knotty pine painted white by most renovation teams maintains a sense of place.
Not only are natural materials highly durable for families with kids, but they have lower maintenance and lower sourcing costs. That was especially important
An Air China plane cabin was filled with smoke after its engine caught fire, forcing the plane to make an emergency landing in Singapore on Sunday.
Hilton said Thursday that it plans to install at least six electric vehicle chargers per property at 2,000 hotels in North America, and will buy devices from Tesla. Once it fully installs them, Hilton will own more electric vehicle chargers than any other U.S.-based hotel group.
When it comes to planning a trip as a solo female traveler, safety is almost always number one. Of course, things like activities, museums, and sight-seeing also come into play but making sure the destination will be accommodating and comfortable is vital to ensuring a positive trip experience.
International travelers heading to mainland China will no longer need to present a negative COVID-19 test before being permitted to enter, starting on Wednesday, August 30.
Summers in my hometown of Geneva, Switzerland used to bring sunny spells, but also long, rainy periods during which one wondered whether July had suddenly morphed into November. No longer. Climate change and its resulting heat waves have transformed the aquatic landscape, and more importantly the relationship between people and Lake Geneva (also known as Lake Léman). Along the quays, outdoor bars and cafes have sprung up, and on the water, sail boats, yachts, but also kayaks, canoes, paddleboards, and even floating mattresses lend a new Mediterranean feel to this Alpine scenery.
BPI Travel Advisors joins Signature Travel Network as its newest member starting August 2023.
Wellbeing and sustainability are growing in importance, but price, convenience and quality remain stronger drivers to actually purchase.
One of the first things my dad showed me after we reunited in New York City last week was his luggage.
The Parlour where afternoon tea is served in the pink, ridged roof cottage at Cambridge Beaches Resort & Spa dates back 400 years. This year, the resort, Bermuda’s original cottage colony, celebrates its 100th anniversary as a hotel. But while celebrating its history and continuing traditions (such as its repeat visitors’ plaque including one California couple in residence over 100 times, earning them their own key to the cottage which has been renamed for them), the resort is also breaking out new developments. On the heels of its purchase by Dovetail + Co and complete redesign, a new executive chef took over in July with new, inventive menus due to be unveiled in November.
The world’s biggest airline is ready for Thanksgiving, having already battled through several hurricanes in recent months.
The United States will impose mandatory COVID-19 tests on travelers from China, U.S. health officials said on Wednesday, joining India, Italy, Japan and Taiwan in taking new measures after Beijing’s decision to lift stringent zero-COVID policies.
Deploying travel advisors with zero travel booking experience sounds like a bad idea. But travel agency Fora believes it is leveling the playing field for individuals passionate about travel to earn extra income by planning and booking trips.