InsightBlog

Meatballs and ligonberries before bed?

Contagious Magazine reported this story about Ikea's new sleepover contest: for the small entry fee of a letter explaining why they want to stay over at Ikea, thirty lucky (?) applicants will get to spend the night in one of Ikea's life-like bedrooms. The new trend, being referred to as sleepover tourism has real potential. The Ikea participants even get Ikea bathrobes - !

Contrarian hotels part 1: The Standard

Awhile back I promised a summertime full of blog entries about travel, culture, and fun stuff. I've been on the road for over a month, and it's been hard to deliver until now. I am a huge niche-hotel enthusiast, owing to my good friend Scott who himself is the most in-the-know guy I know. Last week I got to combine business and pleasure and stay at The Standard in Miami Beach, and I'm blogging this to highly recommend it to you and yours.

The Standard - as their name intimates - is anything but: Andres Balazs (Chateau Marmont, the Mercer) created an amazing, 360 degree brand experience when he bought the 1960's Lido Spa Hotel and restored it back to the original period style. When I say 360 brand experience - I mean, everything and everyone you encounter here lives the brand. For example, the desk clerk told me the reason they don't slip checkout bills under the door, is that "that's what everyone else does, and we're not like them." Wheyjer you like your bills under the dooor or not, you have to give AB kudos for evangelizing his staff to the point that they talk about being against the norm. Experientially, the hotel captures everything I love about Miami: from its incredible pooldeck overlooking the bay, to its outdoor bar and grille, to the macrame wall-hangings in the lobby...it manages to be casual and decadent all at once.

Travel and Leisure called it a "throwback to Miami's golden age.." and they were right on..! If you go, be sure to indulge in the mineral pool (c-c-cold but healthy) and the waterfall hottub (which incidentally, is open all night and nobody minds if you're in it until 4am!)

I'm checking out the downtown LA Standard next weekend and I'll write part 2.

Labels: hotels, Miami, The Standard

Who can get enough of the iPhone hype?

Okay, I admit it: as cool as it is, I haven't bought the iPhone and I have no plans to do so. When it comes to technology I am known as a bit of a "late-adopter". Case in point, I still carry around a leather-bound book (yep, book -with actual paper pages-) in which I write (yes write - with a pen or sometimes even a pencil-) my appointments..and I just recently upgraded my 4-year old Nextel phone to one that has a color screen and camera. It's not that I don't like change - it's that I don't have time to learn how to use new devices unless I'm completely convinced the time investment is worth it. After the hype has died down and it shows itself to be a necessary device, I'll probably buy it - and with my timing, I'll buy the first generation just before they unveil g2...that's kind of my style with technology.

Anyway, when a friend sent me this blog post about the power of duct tape and suggested I make my own iPhone, I had nothing to say in defense of myself - all I could do is laugh. Hope you enjoy!

Labels: iPhone, technology devices