Argophilia

Αργοφιλία: For the love of the journey.

Hotel Spotlight: Azimut Hotels Novosibirsk

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Travelers researching a trip to the Russian Federation will, undoubtedly, feel directed toward Moscow and St. Petersburg, the country’s most visited destinations. It’s a little bit funny, a country nearly as big as Canada and China combined, is so virtually unknown as to be famous for two places only.

21st Century Adventurer Andrew Evans Sails Cape to Cape

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For those seeking adventure, or at least seeking to read about adventurers, here’s a bit from National Geographic Traveler’s own Andrew Evans. According to the news, Evans is testing his Digital Nomad reputation by navigating the vastness of the Atlantic between South America’s Cape Horn and Africa’s Cape of Good Hope.

WIHP Convert Reveals Value to Guests & Hoteliers

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Have you ever Google’d before going on a trip, only to run across one crappy website after another in search of a hotel? Face it, despite all the technology advances, the mobile breakthroughs enabling us like never before, hotel websites still suck. WIHP aims to change all that.

Hospitality Spotlight: La Mamounia in Marrakech

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Is there a more exotic destination than Marrakech? The “Ochre City” was once capital of the vast Almoravid Dynasty, which spread across the Northwestern Sahara and half of Spain. Today visitors to this mystic city of sultans may best experience what being royal in Morocco means staying at one of the world’s great hotels, La Mamounia.

London’s Sheraton Park Tower – Starwood Digital Superstar

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There are a lot of hotels engaged in social media, and presenting their wares online. Hilton to the smallest Mom & Pop cabins on the remotest river, everyone wants in on the digital superhighway. Today, a lone tweet sent me reeling back toward an old friend from childhood, Sheraton and Starwood Hotel’s fine Kightsbridge luxury hotel, the Sheraton Park Towers.

5 Luxury & Lifestyle Sites to Live for

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Surfing the web is a pass time for some, a job for others, but a necessity for finding anything good on the web. No matter what service one signs up for, which social network they cotton to, without Googling for some excellence or even relevance, a lot is missed. Argo Travel News tries to bring some surfing gems to you periodically. So here are some luxury sites you may not have skimmed across yet.

Kiev Rooms for Euro 2012 – A Costly Proposition

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In news from Ukraine and the upcoming 2012 European Championships, organizers are concerned with keeping down hospitality prices for the coming wave of travelers headed East. Along with integrating their efforts with those of sister venues in Poland, soccer fans being fleeced seems to be tops on the agenda of late. But is the concern already too late and too little?

5 East Europe Luxury Stays To Experience

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Though you may not realize it, Eastern Europe has some of the most exquisite hotel accomodations anywhere in the world. And, where relatively unsung excellence goes, the region has many small five star gems not many outside Europe have heard of. By way of revealing some of these, Argo Travel News presents; Marrol’s in Bratislava, Granary Suite Hotel in Wroclaw, Grand Hotel Toplice at Lake Bled, Villa Dubrovnik in Croatia, and Bulgarian ski resort Hotel Yastrebets.

Google Search: Concerts & Mind’s Eye Travel Boosts

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Google’s seemingly never ending list of improvements and refinements to search received the latest “tweak” with concert information in real time. Released yesterday with little or no fanfare, Google users can now see live concert and artist info including; dates, venues, and links to sites offering tickets. Tools for locals and tools for travel come to light in the last two days.

Hilton Engages Restaurateurs for Concepts

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News from Hilton Worldwide tells of the company’s plans to have under their brand some 500 new restaurants worldwide in the next three years. The launch of HiltonRestaurantConcepts.com is designed to integrate partner restaurants into the Hilton family, and vice-versa bolster Hilton’s value.

Roomkey: On the Verge of Success & Failure At Once

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Roomkey. If there were ever a more appropriate name for a hotel booking channel, a more symbolically significant potential for branding, that would have to be perfection. Roomkey.com actually does have that possibility. But, like all great ideas and initiatives, the big time hoteliers’ 3rd interjection of intelligent engagement, has it’s problems too. There’s room for lots of niche products in travel, but is Roomkey an escape hatch or a marketing channel? And if exit marketing is introduced, even niche traffic and conversions could be scared away.

Magnuson Hotels Adds Corallia Beach Hotel Cyprus

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Magnuson Hotels Group, the world’s largest independent hotel chain, has announced the rebranding of Corallia Beach Hotel in Cyprus. Located on the pristine Western coast of the Cyprus, the hotel looks out over Coral Beach and the bay beyond, a perfect setting for a memorable family getaway.

Good Food Ireland: What’s Cooking Is Great

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The food we discover and enjoy during our travels is one of the most memorable pleasures out there, yet somehow an often overlooked experience when the journey is related. During a recent research of Ireland hotels we discovered Good Food Ireland, an Irish food group arrayed across the emerald isle to deliver excellence and sustainability. Join us in discovering just how selected Ireland restaurants, cafes, food shops, and cookery schools have upped the food game there.

Selected London Hotel Images from Google Plus

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Reading the Google News ticker this morning we ran into some extraordinary images via hotel pages on G +, so we thought we would share. For the travel enthusiast, there is perhaps no imagery more effective than the views of and from a hotel. For the hotelier, imagery is certainly the Holy Grail of media. Let’s look at some extraordinary examples from random hotels.

Magnuson Hotels Extends to Southeast Asia

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An exclusive press release from Magnuson Hotels tells of their expansion into the Southeast Asia hospitality market. According to the news, the world’s largest independent hotel group adds the Grand Royal Panghegar Hotel in Bandung. A 450 room, four star hotel, the Grand Royal is situated in the center of Bandung, once referred to as “the Paris of Java.”

East Europe Cold Snap Won’t Let Up

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Rivers across Eastern Europe remain frozen as a record cold snap covers much of the continent. Reports that the Danube froze over, disrupting shipping and river traffic, reveal one of the most bitter Winter weather situations in modern history. Hundreds of deaths and literally thousands of cases of frostbite and hypothermia have also been reported.

Hotel Spotlight: Ireland’s Cliff House Hotel

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Doing our research as per usual, we ran across a fabulous hotel in Ireland, a dream getaway discovery we just had to share with you. The Cliff House Hotel, a five star revelation from out of the past, offers not only breathtaking sea views – but a taste of charm not many places hint of. Cascading gardens, terraces, and the salt air here mix inextricably with Irish hospitality.