Kersplat! Ever wondered what the difference is between a blank canvas and post-modern art?  Pop in for some Pop Art, go gaga over Dada and mix with some Matisse on our US and Canadian designer hotels and arty experiences.  Read more »

If the room’s a rockin’ you’ll want to be knockin’ at our jivin’ US and Caribbean hotels and day jaunts. Whether you move it like Marley or boogie like the Blues Brothers, these vacation beats, tunes and melodies are guaranteed to work up an appetite for some serious pillow time. Read more »

Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it’s you! Experience the rush of fresh air, the weightlessness of free-fall, the serene beauty of drifting up near the clouds, and feel on top of the world on a sky-high hotels adventure.

Are those stars in your eyes the sparkling lights of Chicago at 1362 feet – or the result of a diamond or sapphire infused massage from The Spa at Trump? The new Trump International Hotel and Tower has 10-foot floor-to-ceiling windows with unobstructed lake, river or city views and is the second-tallest building in the United States. Within the bedazzling 92-storey structure is the Rebar bar where you can fuel your body at the ‘Liquid Kitchen’.

Drift over charming Quebec City in a one-hour Hot Air Balloon Flight. Watch as the balloon is inflated, then glide over the St. Lawrence River, the ile d’Orleans and the Laurentian Mountains. Back on earth at the Dominion 1912 Hotel, tuck into a continental breakfast. Or, if you take the sunset flight, sip cocktails and admire the view of the river on the terrace.

Keep an eye out for King Kong as you experience the Empire State Building’s NY Skyride, including virtual and real experiences. First, you’ll see above, below and around New York City on a giant screen, with special effects and custom seating. Then go up to the observation deck a quarter of a mile above ground and gaze over the Big Apple in all its glory. Continue the high life theme with Manhattan Art Deco decadence at the Beekman Tower Hotel, and dine at the 26th floor Top of the Tower Restaurant, with a pianist and Gotham city views – a highly recommended spot for romancing.

Experience a 60-second free fall - ahhh – then drift back to earth – mmm – on a Las Vegas tandem skydive which starts two miles from the earth at speeds of 120mph. Who’s going to believe you did it? Don’t worry, they can capture it all on DVD for you. Fuel the high by staying at the Stratosphere Hotel and Casino in the 1149 foot tower with its revolving restaurant and rides such as the Insanity, which spins you at 3Gs over the edge of the tower. We suggest Insanity before dinner… if you get our drift.

You Tarzan and Jane on the commando-like Canyon Canopy tour in the Boca de Sierra National Park, Mexico. There are zip lines to whizz along, climbing walls to scale and a Tarzan swing to holler your lungs out during this safe eco-tour with trained guides and the latest equipment. Let the adrenaline settle relaxing on the private beach of the Pueblo Bonito Sunset Beach Resort or enjoy a massage treatment at their spa.

Move over Hal, 2001 was years ago. Hi-tech gadgets, gizmos and games are no longer the realm of spacemen and their naughty computers.  Here’s some hotels that use software for seduction, toys to train the brain and the chance to play a round of cyber golf anywhere in the world. Check out these silicon-savvy suites in our Hotel Odyssey 2009.

Blending playfulness, sophistication and a whole lotta gadget grunt is the Hotel Sax in Chicago, home to ‘The Studio: An Experience by Microsoft’. Try out the latest Xbox games, listen to the hotel’s music library on a Zune music player or even hold a meeting in the techno conference room. Then instant message the concierge for room service while you kick back watching flicks in your own private theatre — very saxy. 

You can’t honestly say you’re a true technophile until you’ve made a pilgrimage to the Mecca of geekdom, Silicon Valley, in California. At Hotel Avante, the in-room entertainment is designed to stimulate the brain, where even the unique furniture includes left brain/right brain objects. For example, your left brain can live it up with the post-its and pens, while your right brain parties with renowned wild boys Rubik’s cube, etcha-sketch and yo-yo. Hit the hi-fi lounge where a suite of hotel cds will get you in the mood to break out ‘the robot’.

Dropping out is not an option at Hotel 1000, in the heart of Seattle, a small town in the state of Google. The entire area has high-speed wireless and VoIP phones for complimentary local and long distance domestic phone calls. Call your friends and brag about the hotel’s virtual golf experience, which uses sensors and tracking to beam you up to one of 50 championship courses including St Andrew’s in Scotland. Once you’re finished, walk to the 19th hole at the in-house bar ‘The Library’, or head back to your room and challenge the auto-stocked private bar to a race you can’t possibly win (but will have a great time trying). When it’s time for a lie down, watch the pretty colours on the custom selected artwork displayed on your giant LCD HDTV while the infrared sensors adjust the room to your desired temperature.

Dishing out face to face pick-up lines is sooo 20th Century. Instead, use the Microsoft Surface touchscreen at the Rio All Suite Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas to concoct your own cocktail and interact with other tables at the iBar. On the 30-inch flat screens you can play video games, or games of another kind to send drinks, winks and the perfect pick-up line all without leaving your seat or stumbling over your words. At the very least, a successful seduction ends the evening with a virtual stroll down the Las Vegas strip.

Open a door to cloud nine in the blink of an eye at the penthouse suite of Boston’s Nine Zero Hotel. The Mission Impossible iris recognition security system lets you in to gaze upon the breathtaking views, and at night, use the viewing telescope to spot some stars. The electronic drapes will block off the world from your own little techie burrow so you can play video games on the 27-inch TV with surround sound and complimentary wireless internet. And after your gruelling thumb workout, sink into the in room jacuzzi.

He may be British, but agent 007 James Bond loves to visit the USA, and you too can enjoy some typical Bond glamor, gadgets and adrenaline. Cuddle up in a gondola, wrestle wild beasts, dodge dangerous villains and rest up at hotels served with a slice of double-o decadence. All guaranteed to leave you shaken with pleasure and stirred for another day of action.

Hit the Florida Everglades for some Live and Let Die thrills on an airboat ride to see alligators, turtles, snakes and exotic birds, with the help of your professional guide. The tour continues at a wildlife show, where you can hold a baby gator and see slithery snakes, then relax on the Biscayne Bay boat for a cruise alongside celebrity speckled islands. Impress your Bond boy/girl with some in-room dining at the Hyatt Regency Miami, on the scenic Miami River, then slink to the heated outdoor swimming pool to gaze up at the city lights. You won’t need Solitaire’s tarot cards to tell you what happens next.

You don’t need to jet off to Italy for a romantic Bond style rendezvous when the Las Vegas Gondola tour has everything you need and more. Impress your date by introducing them to more than 100 of your closest celebrity pals at Madame Tussaud’s wax works - and they’re always happy to pose for a photo with you. Then slip into an authentic gondola for a ride down the Grand Canal to your lunch destination. Make eyes and suggestive corny jokes over Italian cuisine at Zeffirino’s. You may want a roll of the dice or a cocktail by the pool before heading back to your room at the Venetian Resort Hotel Casino where suites have canopy draped king size beds. If you’re up for some Bondesque action the next day, you can conquor the climbing wall and reward yourself with a spa session, rated one of the best in the USA by Conde Nast Traveler magazine.

Before super spies packed Walther PKK pistols and cruised around in Aston Martins, all the villianous action took place around a speakeasy dinner show at Tommy Gun’s Garage in Chicago. Now you can enter the den of roaring twenties gangsters, complete with Model A Ford car, machine gun fire and dancing ‘molls’ as you eat a hearty dinner… but keep a low profile or you might be pulled on stage for some audience participation! Keep your cover at the Mediterranean themed Raffaello Hotel and enjoy one of Bond’s favourite pastimes — room service breakfast dressed in a luxury bathrobe.

You’ll never look at an umbrella the same again after the Washington DC Spy tour, with admission to the International Spy museum. You’ll be briefed for an interactive mission by high level M-types, who use video and trade secrets to prepare you for the 25 sites tour around the capital. Afterwards, use your VIP admission to investigate over 200 spy gadgets that would have Q in a lather, and eavesdrop on some spy tales. Muse over your intel at The Fairmont Hotel’s luxurious Gold Floor, with its exclusive lounge offering complimentary breakfast, bar, and evening hors d’oeuvres.