Herods Dead Sea

The latest addition to the Herods chain has been open for a few months now, and we thought we'd have a look at how things are going. You'll recall that the hotel that houses the Herods has been through a few rebrandings over the past few years, namely (no pun intended) Sheraton, Moriah, and Leonardo. Unfortunately, with all the name changes did not come any major renovations. Finally, Herods has done a full scale renovation of the place, in an effort to restore the hotels 1960's era glory as befitting a Herods. The result is a definite improvement. All of the hotel's 223 rooms have been renovated (although some look "more renovated" than others). The Executive Garden Rooms with private pools sound particularly appealing. The indoor and outdoor pools have received some cosmetic updates, and the lobby and public spaces look beautiful, albeit not exactly to our tastes. The spa has also been completely redesigned. The hotel also built a new pier and wooden walkway on the beach. Reviews are very positive on TripAdvisor, with reviewers praising the rooms, service, and especially the food. Rates are a very reasonable $240 per night in a standard room for tonight. Still, though, we don't think that the Herods can quite compete with the Isrotel, which is still our #1 choice for the Dead Sea. UPDATE: AVOID THE EXECUTIVE GARDEN ROOMS Apparently, the so- called "Executive Garden With Pool", which offers "exclusive access to a private pool", is not so exclusive or so private either. As one reviewer writes, "We reserved a room with a private pool - be careful - it is private for our room and about 10 more, in a norrow [sic] pathway-pool. It is far from being private." The hotel confirms "You are correct. The swimming pool in front of the Garden room is shared amongst 16 Garden room guests.." That's pretty funny! Save your money and take a regular room. In other hotel news, the Royal Beach Tel Aviv has opened amidst much fanfare, and guests seem pretty happy with the new hotel!

Holy Moley! Israel Gets a Hotel Indigo

We were understandably flustered when we found out about this hotel. We quickly searched around, and after a brief moment of horror in which we thought the hotel had already opened unbeknownst to us, we discovered that the hotel is set to open in late November. Here's the details: For those that aren't familiar with the brand, Hotel Indigo is a newish offering from InterContinental Hotels. Each hotel is uniquely designed to reflect the local style, and the hotels emphasize a homey, local environment. The Israeli outpost (first among many, we hope) will be located in Ramat Gan, in the heart of the Diamond District. As such, the hotel's design is an "Art-Deco re-interpretation of the world's most precious stone “The Diamond”. Throughout the hotel, you will find captivating design features and accents paying homage to this precious gem and our local neighbourhood." The hotel will offer an elegant French-Mediterranean bistro and lounge, a spa, fitness center, rooftop glass swimming pool (Oohh), and a sundeck. Rates for opening night start at a very reasonable $218/night.

Jerusalem Hotel News

It seems that slowly but surely, Jerusalem is catching up to Tel Aviv (and the rest of the world) with a proliferation of boutique hotels. The Arthur opened last month, and there are talks of Atlas Hotels opening another boutique sometime in the near future. In a few more months we expect to see the eleven room Bayit Baneviim hotel open, and the 7 Rav Kook project in the city center just after that. Meanwhile, though, the Agripas Hotel has recently opened, and as of last week they have a somewhat operational website. The hotel has 52 rooms and suites. While amenities are seriously lacking, Wifi and parking are free. The "garish, overly boutique-y" decor might not be our taste, but for the price (around $125 per night for a couple), we'd say that this is a great deal. In other Jerusalem hotel news, the Jerusalem Tower Hotel has just completed a top to bottom renovation. The result is a thoroughly modern, artsy, and upscale hotel, with a great location. While we wouldn't have wanted to step foot in this hotel pre- renovation, now we wouldn't hesitate to stay here either.

Best Hotel Chain in Israel for Upkeep

According to Feigin Architects (the architects behind a vast majority of Israeli hotels), the only hotel chain that renovates and maintains its properties is Isrotel. While we won't argue that Isrotel has done a good job both in expanding and building new hotels, and at the same time keeping its other properties in decent condition, other chains have been trying to catch up. The criterion for judgment is best overall upkeep for all the properties in the chain. We only included major Israeli hotel chains on this list. The worst chain on our list is the huge Leonardo/Fattal conglomerate, with a confusing array of upscale and falling apart hotels. Sure, the chain scores in our books with the new Herods Group (including the "just- opened" Herods Dead Sea and the under construction Herods Hertzliya), and with a handful of Leonardos in Tel Aviv which are new or renovated, but the disappoints with its other hotels around the country. Dan Hotels comes in #3, with a wide range from ultra luxurious hotels (King David, Dan Carmel, Dan Accadia) in good shape to dumpy hotels dying for a reno (Dan Eilat, Dan Caesarea, etc.). Isrotel comes in second place, with top hotels like Beresheet and the Royal Beach Tel Aviv, and a bunch of well maintained, if somewhat dated, hotels. But the top place? Our 2013 choice is Atlas Hotels, which has 12 lovely small hotels all around Israel. Most of the hotels are under five years old, so they are still beautiful and functional. And while some of the properties are less luxurious or interesting than others, from a purely aesthetic viewpoint one can't go wrong by choosing to stay at an Atlas Hotel. Stays at this chain also include nice perks, like free Happy Hour and WiFi. Congratulations to Atlas on this well deserved honor! And by the way, Atlas just opened its first Haifa hotel, the Bay Club. Housed in a historic building, Bay Club offers 55 attractive rooms and, among other things, free bicycle rentals.

Here Comes the Isrotel Jerusalem (and other Jerusalem hotel news)

We were pleasantly surprised to find a sign for the Isrotel Jerusalem on stylish Emek Refaim Street in Jerusalem. Construction has began, and the hotel is expected to open in late 2015. It will be a part of Isrotel's Exclusive Collection, meaning that the hotel will be finished in a very high standard and will charge high rates accordingly. The hotel will house about 200 rooms, restaurants, a spa, a pool, fitness center, and a large space for events. Additionally, the hotel will encompass two historic buildings that are located on the site. We can only hope that the former Isrotel Tower Jerusalem, which is now undergoing complete renovations, will be a more affordable option in Jerusalem. In other hotel news, the boutique hotel on Luntz Street that we wrote about a while ago now has a name. It will be called the Arthur Hotel, Jerusalem. We walked by today, and it seems that the hotel is working on finishing touches. It is expected to open on March 1st. The hotel will have 54 rooms with retro decor, and will be managed by Atlas Hotels. The hotel boasts free Wifi and a free Happy Hour. Lastly, two hotels from Accor's budget Ibis brand are to be built in Jerusalem. Together, they will have over 200 rooms.

Orchid Hotel Group

Well, we sure got a surprise today! We were browsing hotels in Eilat and came across the New Orchid Reef Hotel (quite a name, no?). Intrigued by the "Orchid", we switched over to the Orchid Hotel Eilat site to find out if these two hotels are related. It turns out they are. These two hotels are part of the previously-unknown Orchid Hotel Group. The group includes four hotels in Eilat, two in the Dead Sea, one in Tel Aviv, a boutique hotel in the Galil, and Maale Hachamisha near Jerusalem. The hotels range from very upscale to "I wouldn't want to step foot in that place" (Cough, cough Maale Hachamisha).

More interesting, though, is that the group also owns a handful of Miami hotels, including the popular Hotel Victor. But that's not our concern. Here's what makes Orchid Hotel Group really newsworthy: They're building three more hotels in Israel. The first, called the Orchid Country Club Tel Aviv, is located in the vague Tel Aviv/Herzliya area. The hotel aims to cater to businessmen traveling to the two cities, and offers 120 rooms and a rare year round heated outdoor pool. Next is the Orchid Kinneret Hotel, which offers 70 vacation units (some with private pools!) housed in two-story bungalows. This hotel will also offer a lakefront pool, spa, beach, and fitness center. Last, and most exciting, is the Orchid Pasha Tel Aviv-Jaffa Hotel. Located in between the clock tower and the sea, the hotel occupies what is arguably the best location in the area. The hotel encompasses an ancient fortress and two new buildings. Renderings look gorgeous, with an infinity edge pool overlooking the sea and a large space for events. Despite the grand scale of the project, the hotel will be small, with about 140 rooms. The "six- star" property is "currently looking into entering into a franchise agreement with a major international luxury hotel chain, one that has not been active in Israel as yet.” Four Seasons Jaffa, anyone?

Checking up on the Leonardo Boutique Rechovot

The Leonardo has been open for several months now, and we were curious as to how things are going over there. Reviews have been quite positive, with one person gushing, "The most beautiful hotel I have visited in recent years", and another praising the staff for being "absolutely amazing and catering to my every need." The only problems seem to be noise from the nearby train and construction, and a lack of parking spaces. Rates are still remarkably low, (there's a promotion for $138.75 a night) which is an incentive to stay here over overpriced Tel Aviv hotels (The Leonardo Boutique Tel Aviv is going for a whopping $370 a night). While the hotel may exaggerate when in claims to be a 5-star boutique hotel that meets international standards (more like a nice three star), we'd still be willing to give it a try for the price. Our only gripe: Couldn't they have put in a pool?