luxury hotel

Kimpton Hotels is a relatively new brand, but it is certainly a great choice if you are planning your guys weekend. After all, the point of a guys weekend is doing something special, so why stay at the average business hotel when you come to Chicago? Instead, why not try a super stylish boutique hotel like one of the ones that Kimpton runs - Hotel Monaco, Hotel Allegro, and Hotel Burnham.

The words "pet friendly" seems to mean a lot of different things to different people in the resort industry. At the Park Hyatt Aviara is that they mean that dogs are welcome guests - like any other part of your family. This is our second time visiting and on both times all three of us were received warmly and with a sense that they were genuinely happy to see Heather, Niki and I walking through the lobby. This is a special feeling since it can be difficult to spend time together away from home without worrying about someone taking care of her.

Vegas fascinates me. It is a city that is constantly transforming itself and one that is unabashedly driven by raw capitalism - driven by one goal: to bring people to town who are willing to spend their money. In 1966 when it first opened, the strip wasn't what it was today and this is the property that defined that growth and continues to define what it means to be "Vegas" today. However, for some reason I had never actually stayed there before. Luckily, I was able to check it out recently while I was in town with Smirnoff for the Electric Daisy Carnival. 

When it comes to planning your guys weekend or mancation, the hotel is almost as important as the destination. This is going to be your home base for a few days and it will generally set the tone for the rest of your adventure. While I'm of the thought that different groups of guys can pretty much make anywhere work, the JW Marriott San Antonio Hill Country is one of my favorites since it offers pretty much everything you'd need for the perfect escape with your friends.

Vegas has a lot of great hotel rooms and one of the finest hotels on the strip is Aria. It has everything needed for an awesome Vegas experience including great bars, fantastic food, wonderful staff and a center-strip location that is close to all the action. Things got a bit better this week though with the launch of the T-Mobile Arena and The Park entertainment district right next door. While I was expecting to have an awesome time, my mind was blown away when I received word that their PR Team had not just given me a room here but actually a Sky Suite Penthouse Room! 

The Hotel Del Coronado is a famous and lavish resort in San Diego, several years ago I had the chance to stay at the resort, but I recently returned with friends to check out their Roast - beach bonfire and s'mores experience. "The Del" is a classic hotel that deserves to be part of your San Diego experience, no matter where you happen to be staying or who you are with. It somehow manages to combine the charm of a century old resort with modern amenities and a sense of gracious charm that is often lacking from today's newer beach resorts.

I joke sometimes that I could "move into this place", but rarely could I actually do just that - till now. During our trip to Aspen for the 2016 Kia Optima launch this fall we stayed at a magnificent resort that redefined the word "luxury hotel" in my mind. The Viceroy Snowmass took an extraordinary amount of care when it designed these rooms and I'm sure even royalty from around the world that visit here probably say "wow this is nice!".

River Rock Casino Resort is the perfect Vancouver hotel to host a men’s getaway. Not only does it offer five star accommodations, entertainment, a casino, and more, it’s also located close to all of the other action Vancouver has to offer. Which means that whether you want to play a game of craps, or see the city, you’re all set at River Rock Casino Resort. It's also close to the airport so it's super easy to fly into.

In fact, I think the unique thing about Vancouver is that it offers a dual opportunity for a guys getaway. On one side it's a fantastic destination on it's own. On the other side, Vancouver is the perfect gateway to all the exciting adventures that await visitors in the mountains, rivers, and forests of British Columbia.

One of the few nice things about traveling for business is being able to rack up some serious reward points that I can figure out how to spend on my own. While the idea of using them to head off on a guys weekend with the boys is appealing, it's important to also take care of the homefront and spend some time with the wife as well. 

The Crawford Hotel, Denver’s newest independent luxury hotel located inside the revitalized Denver Union Station, has partnered with two of the Mile High State’s top independent wine and spirits makers - Stranahan’s Colorado Whiskey and Infinite Monkey Theorem - to offer exclusive new “Colorado Curated” packages.

Stranahan’s Colorado Whiskey is one of the first whiskeys made in Colorado since Prohibition ended. Master Distiller Rob Dietrich sources primarily local Colorado malted barley for fermentation and distillation, and the spirit is then cut with Rocky Mountain water.

The MGM Grand Las Vegas is the second largest hotel in the world by number of rooms and since it opened up in 1993, the hotel has transformed from the loose theme based on the Wizard of Oz into what I found last week - an AMAZINGLY COOL sports and entertainment themed experience that was about as awesome as you could possibly get for a Vegas guys weekend. It could have been that we happened to be there during the PAC 12 Championship basketball games and the contagious excitement from thousands of excited fans, alums, and players but I suspect that with their aggressive sports entertainment schedule including PBR, MMA, Boxing, and others that this vibe is not unique to the days we visited.

Washington DC is a special town - it's where I grew up and later after I returned, it's where I met my wife. The city has no shortage of awesome hotels, expensive hotels, cheap hotels, and hotels that are just "good enough". One thing though that I always love is checking into a W Hotel. They aren't always the biggest rooms or the fanciest rooms but Starwood Hotels has always done something special with these properties to make them hip, fun, and welcoming when you enter the door. That's absolutely true for the W Hotel Washington DC as well. What's interesting here is how Starwood has taken a nearly 100 year old hotel (opened in 1918 as Hotel Washington) and added ultra modern styling to it in a way that works well.

I had the chance to visit here as part of the Dodge Charger press trip but I can't wait to come back again for a longer stay!

The economy might suck for some but if you want to live like a rockstar then times have never been better! Check out this amazing suite at the Hilton Bentley in Miami's South Beach neighborhood that goes for between $2,700- $7500/ night!

Just in case you needed another excuse to play in the sun down in Puerto Vallarta, the CasaMagna Marriott sends word that they have launched a new tequila appreciation program titled Secretos de la Familia and they are one of the few resorts in the world where agave azul is actually grown on the grounds and used for making their very own tequila.

According to the General Manager, the resort boasts an enormous library of this spirit including 114 tequilas regularly available by the glass and a Tequila Sommelier who hosts regular tasting classes for the guests.

Planning a Hawaiian Mancation and looking to avoid the big mega resorts and enjoy a secluded beach but still be close to all the action including golf, swimming, sailing, hiking etc?

We came across the Hanalei Bay Resort today and it looks awesome.

If you live in the United States, it is highly likely that you have seen the commercials for Atlantis - pictured as this gleaming Las Vegas-style resort emerging from powdered sugar Bahamian sands, with a gorgeous couple (or maybe a family) enjoying their stay there.

What you don't see is that Atlantis is also a great spot for a group of guys to go for a long weekend, or even just for the day, since it is super convenient to the port of Nassau. That is how I got to experience the spectacle that is Atlantis Resort, during our cruise on Carnival Ecstasy, and I had a BLAST!

Tired of the same old resort scene and looking to take your next Mexican mancation to the next level? How about trying a vacation villa rental instead? Villa Milagro writes in with some info about their newest Rental in Troncones Mexico - located on the Mexican Riviera, just north of Ixtapa.

Most guests to Hawaii probably are thinking about beaches, flowers, and volcanoes, but the Equus Hotel in Waikiki Beach is promoting its equestrian theme with  Complimentary Polo Tickets and the Option to Take an Oceanside Horseback Ride or Polo Lesson on Oahu's North Shore. If this sounds like a fun Hawaiian mancation then check it out...

The Abbey Resort in Lake Geneva has positioned itself as the gateway to all the great fun that the Lake Geneva area has to offer.

This is the direct antithesis of the other well known resort in Lake Geneva, the Grand Geneva Resort. Grand Geneva, (the former PlayBoy Club!) offers nearly everything a guest could possibly want, all in one resort. Instead of competing directly with this, The Abbey focuses on providing a fantastic core resort experience and then connecting guests with all the awesome guys weekend activities in the Lake Geneva Area.

Are you ready for the ultimate outdoors mancation? Does hiking and fishing sound like fun? Well, if you are like me, stuck in hot and humid Chicago right now, then maybe it might be time to think about heading off to western Wyoming for a visit to the Grand Teton National park.