The Suite Life

Two weeks ago we launched a special edition of the Suite Life Blog called “Three + Three” in which Perfect Escapes brings you three great deals from three top destinations around the country. Published twice monthly, you can also get your 3 deals delivered directly to you by subscribing to our RSS feed.

This edition of the Three + Three presents deals in Wisconsin, Arizona and Napa, California, each with special amenities exclusively for Perfect Escapes guests. So pick your deal and your destination, and make your escape.

Lake Geneva Escape – The Abbey Resort, Wisconsin
The only full-service lakefront resort on Wisconsin’s Lake Geneva, The Abbey resort offers elegant cottage accommodations, a variety of dining options and a superior spa all on the beautiful blue lake.

Book the 3-night Lake Geneva Escape package and receive: 20% off the best available rate and guaranteed 2pm late check out.

Also, Perfect Escapes guests who book this offer or any other Abbey Resort stay will receive: Complimentary daily spa/fitness center admission, 12pm early check-in* and complimentary room upgrade*.

Discover Napa Valley – Harvest Inn, Napa, California
The warm atmosphere and St. Helena location make this Inn an ideal luxury retreat, close to the fine dining and stunning wine vineyards of Napa.

The Discover Napa Valley package brings elegant romance to your retreat with a 2-night stay that includes: Garden View accommodations, Napa wines paired with fruit and cheese, and $100 gift certificate to the renowned Culinary Institute of America at Greystone’s Wine Spectator Restaurant.

And, enjoy these special amenities only for Perfect Escapes guests: Daily breakfast for two, complimentary daily valet parking for one car, complimentary room upgrade*, early check-in and late check-out*

Sedona Escape – Sedona Rouge Hotel and Spa, Arizona
Escape to Sedona and enjoy quality time with your loved one and a romantic experience to be remembered.

Book the Sedona Escape offer and you will receive: accommodations in your choice of room, a $25 resort credit for Reds Restaurant or The Spa at Sedona Rouge.

Also, any Perfect Escapes guest who books this or any other Sedona Rouge stay will receive: an additional $10 daily dining credit, a complimentary one-hour yoga class, early check-in and late check-out*

* Amenity based on availability upon arrival.

To book these offers and for more details go to Perfect Escapes and search for the deal of your choice or just click the links above in each offer. The Three + Three will be back with 3 new great offers in two weeks.

The luxe French hotel industry has always made a point to stand out. Besides decadent food, smoky sophistication, and that traditional formality, France has also always followed a four-star hotel rating system diferent from the five-star system used in most of the world. For those hotels that surpassed the 4 stars in terms of luxury (and of course price) a special title of “palace” was bestowed upon them. But that je ne sais quoi, which always made French hotels a stand-out and often confusing system for international travelers, will soon be no more.

The French government has decided to implement a 5-star rating system to match the rest of the international hotel community, making it easier for luxury travelers to distinguish between hotels. They will also be classifying the accommodations within each hotel so customers don’t walk into a “palace” hotel expecting grand suites, and instead receive nothing more than a twin bed and reading lamp.

Much discussion will be had internally, however, before the reclassification officially begins, somewhere around the end of 2008 or early 2009. Luxury will still abound in the country, treating travelers to the best France has to offer, in a system that will now cross language and luxury barriers.

Find the whole article on the new rating system at the International Herald Tribune.

For a taste of France, closer to home, check into one of these luxurious French-themed hotels:

Auberge Du Soleil – Napa, California

Petite Auberge – San Francisco, California

The Pierre – New York City, New York

Paris - Las Vegas, Nevada

While most luxury hotels offer an array of special amenities, services, and activities, only a select group can claim that they are Haunted Hotels, serving their guests luxury accommodations complete with unsatisfied spirits and ghostly occurrences.

Haunted hotels are usually more historic, appreciated for their architecture and tradition as much as for their unwelcome ghoulish guests. While many people assume the haunted aspects of these luxury landmarks are silly gimmicks, an increasing number of hotel-goers find that adding a bit of mystery and spook to their hotel stay can really get their goosebumps going.

If you are going to entertain a ghost, why bother with a dark moldy attic when you can let the ghost come to you in the comfort of your luxury hotel room. These haunted hotel achieve their status based on reports from guests and hotel staff and they also happen to be some of the hand-picked luxury hotels on the Perfect Escapes Website, so you can have your tricks and your treats too.

Hotel Del Coronado – The Ghost of Kate Morgan
In San Diego, the historic Hotel Del Coronado claims to have its very own ghost, a guest by the name of Kate Morgan who checked into the hotel in 1892 and never checked out. You may or may not see odd happenings during a stay at the Del, but a hotel that’s been in existence for over 100 years is bound to have some extra creak in its floors and haunt in its hallways.

Le Pavilion Hotel – The 4 Ghosts
New Orleans: one of the most haunted cities in the world and home to voodoo, above ground cemeteries, and Le Pavillion Hotel. Said to be home to 4 ghosts including a little girl and a couple who decided they rather enjoy the comfort of a hotel instead of a tomb. The hotel dates all the way back to the plantation era, and has one through numerous renovations, giving it a rich and mysterious history that includes centuries of guests both living and not.

The Carolina Inn – The Friendly Ghost
If evil spirits aren’t your thing, consider a visit to The Carolina Inn in Chapel Hill, North Carolina where the ghost of a University professor not so much haunts, but taunts guests. The ghost has been known to close windows, lock doors and play soft piano. Perhaps because the Professor, who lived in the hotel, didn’t actually die in the hotel, he is happy to have guests stay in his old suite. So while it may be spooky, there’s no need to scream. This luxury colonial Inn will have you sleeping soundly in no time…as long as the ghost isn’t playing the piano, of course.

Find luxury hotels where you want to stay without spooky spirits :

Hotel deals in San Diego

Hotels in New Orleans

Hotels in North Carolina

The Plaza Hotel in New York, which recently celebrated its 100th birthday, is now taking reservations.

The hotel is re-opening in parts after an extensive 2-year remodel. While The Plaza officially opens for business on December 3, room reservations will not be accepted until after January 1st, 2008. And many people, including myself, have not been able to locate any availability on the hotel’s website reservation page until February 1st, 2008. That’s no bother, however, since the restaurants and lounges will begin to open in December, giving them the chance to settle in before the swarm of eager guests once again fill the hotel’s elaborate hallways and the afternoon tea service reclaims its place among the elegant Upper East Side crowds.

If you really want to get a piece of New York’s most loved hotel, The Plaza Residences are now taking applications. Starting at 1.5 Million for a Pied-À-Terre and 2.5 Million for a Private Residence, the crisp, bright spaces are sure to be host to an elite Plaza crowd that will certainly give the walls much to talk about, if walls could talk, that is.

There is no doubt that The Plaza will live up to the immense expectations awaiting its reopening. After a lavish birthday celebration, New York and the world appear confident that the hotel will be restored back to its original magnificence. After all, good things come to those who wait, and it is a rare occurrence for anyone in New York to wait this long for anything, so the beloved Plaza must be worth it.

Book your stay at The Plaza, New York.

Find other New York City Hotels from Perfect Escapes.

The soon to be open Gansevoort South has created a major buzz among hotel insiders as the highly anticipated luxury hotel will finally open its distinctly decorated doors to guests beginning January 28, 2008.

Gansevoort South is the sister hotel of Hotel Gansevoort in Manhattan, which has awarded the Gansevoort Hotel Group much acclaim in the world of Luxury travel. The little sister Gansevoort South will of course open with big expectations, but with its many similarities to it’s elder sibling, should be able to meet those expectations with no problem. These similarities most importantly include a large “rooftop retreat” area with all the luxury one could want including a pool, bar, cabanas, and world-class views. The South Beach property will also be host to a number of upscale boutiques and dining opportunities, private club level, and a much coveted luxury traveler accessory; yoga studio and spa. These amenities combined with the ultra-chic design and not-so sparse flashes of hot pink are sure to attract the hip, the beautiful, and those who want to associate with them.

So get those Pucci Cover-ups and bejeweled bathing suits out of storage, the hotel is now taking reservations beginning January 28, 2008. What better way to wipe away those post-holiday winter blues (both the state-of-mind and sun-derprived skin-color kind), than a little South Beach sizzle? Just remember this place will probably book fast. After all, rooftop retreat is the new black.

Heading North for the winter? Get the Gansevoort Hotel experience by booking The Gansevoort Hotel , Manhattan.

Find great deals on other great hotels in Miami, Florida.