Articles

Hotels

Article / Money and Fees

Can We Talk About Those Ridiculous Game Show Vacation Prices?

When it comes to the cost of a vacation, the price is not right on TV game shows. 

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

What You Need to Know About the (Likely) Cost of Travel in 2019

Will it be a happy new year for vacationers in 2019? Experts are predicting some price shifts. A number of factors should impact the cost of trips next year and beyond. If you’re…

Article / Passportable

Two Atlantic City Casinos Reopen Under New Management

Not long ago, Atlantic City seemed in danger of becoming a ghost town.A string of casino closures—five in two years, according to the Associated Press—came as a consequence of events…

Article / Slideshows

Best of Las Vegas: Our Favorite Experiences

In " Viva Las Vegas ," Elvis Presley sings a wish for more than 24 hours in the day to spend in the city that set his soul on fire. If even the King himself couldn't cram all of the…

Article / Passportable

New Great Wolf Lodge Water Park Opens in Chicago Burbs

Midwesterners in search of chlorinated fun have a new destination in the Chicago suburbs. Great Wolf Lodge Illinois, the 17th outpost in a chain of Northwoods-themed indoor water park…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Arthur Frommer: Universal Orlando Cuts Hotel Rates to Lure Visitors

For at least twenty years, Universal Orlando Resort has been on a hotel building spree. One after another, giant lodging has been squeezed onto its grounds, supplying close-at-hand…

Article / Passportable

Historic Luxury Resort Reborn in Arizona

For several decades starting in 1896, a remote Arizona resort located about 50 miles north of Phoenix played host to a steady stream of well-to-do vacationers, including Vanderbilts,…

Article / Hotels

Where the Droids Are: Robots Take Over Duties at Hotels Around the World

Gimmick or cost-cutting measure? It's too early to call it a robot revolution, but at these high-end properties, bellboys are sidelined by waist-high robots programmed for maximum…

Article / Hotels

Can't Find a Cheap Hotel in Europe? Try the Ramadan Trick

For travelers who are not observant Muslims, it's a time of year that may yield surprising deals in non-Islamic vacation destinations.

Article / Passportable

New Booking Site for Clothing-Optional Stays

We're strong believers in packing light—all that luggage will only slow you down—but the champions in that department have got to be those who are fond of vacationing in the nude.…

Article / Passportable

Hugely Popular European Destination Bans Apartment Rentals

Between 2015 and 2017, illegal vacation rentals, fueled by services such as Airbnb, shot up 50%. As a consequence, rent for locals skyrocketed 40%.For a small Mediterranean island…

Article / Passportable

Renowned Ocean Liner Reborn as Floating Hotel in Dubai

The retired Queen Elizabeth 2 ocean liner, which the Cunard Line operated from 1969 to 2008, has been transformed into a floating hotel in Dubai.Docked at the city's Port Rashid for a…

Article / Money and Fees

In Las Vegas, Now You Have to Look Closely at Your Bill for Hidden Fees

Seemingly overnight, casino owners have found a new way to hit the jackpot: hidden fees. Sometimes, no one can even tell you what the charges are for.

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

In New York City, Rapidly Shifting Hotel Prices, Shorter Dining Hours, and More

Every year at this time, I update the book Frommer’s EasyGuide to New York City. This involves spreadsheets of pricing, hours, and more, meaning that I’m easily able to graph the…

Article / Passportable

Hard Rock Hotel in Vegas Getting a Virgin Hotels Makeover

The Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas is entering Virgin territory. The hotel—located just off the Strip on Paradise Road—has been acquired by the growing Virgin Hotels chain,…

Article / Passportable

Hotel on Skis Debuts in Finland for Northern Lights Viewing

A novel way of experiencing the Northern Lights has come to Finland. The new Aurora Wilderness Camp, located near the village of Kilpisjärvi, is comprised of three mobile cabins that…

Article / Slideshows

Things to Do on Catalina Island, L.A.'s Island Getaway

Just about everything about Catalina is incongruous. Found 22 miles into the Pacific Ocean southwest of Los Angeles, this rugged isle is a bastion of laid-back calm within sight (on a…

Article / Passportable

Makeup Mogul Bobbi Brown Opening Her Own Hotel in New Jersey

Makeup designer and skincare expert Bobbi Brown is going from fashionable boutiques to her own fashionable boutique hotel. Known for creating a popular line of understated cosmetics…

Article / Hotels

The New Park MGM Replaces the Monte Carlo—and Las Vegas' Outdated Hotel Traditions

This spring, a new casino hotel on the Las Vegas Strip rises from the bones of an old one. Is it possible to give an enormous hotel complex a sophisticated boutique feel?

Article / Passportable

Disney World Now Charges for Parking at Hotels, Decreasing Their Value

Update: Disney Parks finally rescinded fees for self-parking at Walt Disney World resorts in January 2023. Click here to read about that.It used to be one of the great courtesies of…

Article / Passportable

New Club Med Openings: Sicily, the Great Wall, and More

Club Med has embarked on an ambitious expansion project.The pioneer in all-inclusive resorts plans to add 15 new properties to its worldwide roster by the end of 2020, opening five…

Article / Passportable

Booking.com Introduces New Program for Unusual Stays

Unconventional accommodations like treehouses, yurts, and barns have proven popular on vacation rental sites such as Airbnb and HomeAway. For the increasing number of travelers seeking…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Privacy vs. Security: How Hotel Guests Can Get Around the Rise in "Room Checks"

I do a strange thing in hotel rooms sometimes: I host a live radio show. When I'm on the road, thanks to the magic of Skype, my room becomes my studio. And it used to be a quiet, easy…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

The Ever-Expanding Footprint of Airbnb and What It Means

With speed more head-spinning than Linda Blair's in The Exorcist, Airbnb has been growing and changing and growing once again. In just the past 18 months or so, it has added online…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

The World’s Most Rewarding Source of Free Homestays Is, and Remains, Servas

Organizations come and go that arrange for you to stay free-of-charge in someone else’s home or apartment in the course of your travels. The latest leaders in this effort are…