Say 'oui' to Bastille Day and score a Philly hotel deal

Today is Bastille Day, when French celebrate their independence from royalty.

The Sofitel Philadelphia, right downtown, is marking its French heritage and the occasion with a room promotion that's bookable only today. So if you're heading to Philly between now and Sept. 9, you have the chance to get a room at the luxury hotel for two nights for a total of $222, plus state and local taxes. That would bring your total to $255.74.

Yes, it's not cheap, but this is a luxury brand (the one where former International Monetary Fund chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn was staying in Manhattan when he made headlines, but that's another story). The Philly Sofitel is No. 4 in popularity on TripAdvisor.

All you have to do is call 215-569-8300 between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m., ask for reservations and say "Vive Le Sofitel" to get the rate, which is far below the $165 and up nightly you might normally pay. It's not applicable for existing reservations. You also get free Wi-Fi.

Warning: Don't bring your car.

Parking in Philly in notoriously tight, and the hotel charges $41 a night. Is it just me, or does this seem high? My colleague Laura Bly paid $44 at the Westin Copley Place in Boston July 3, which partially negated the joy she felt getting a $144 Hotwire rate over the July Fourth holiday weekend. New York, where space also is at a premium, is famed for skyscraper-high parking rates: Hotel Check-In's Barbara De Lollis found $50 parking (plus a $10 surcharge for SUVs) at the Gansevoort Park Avenue in NYC. What's the highest per-night parking rate you've seen?

P.S.: Just heard from the Philadelphia tourist board and was told of a "Philly Overnight Hotel Package" that involves more than two dozen properties -- including the Sofitel. You get reduced rates on a two-night stay, a teddy bear, and -- more to the point -- free parking. So if you're headed to Philadelphia sometime, click here and see what you can get.

RELATED:  Parking ups the ante at NYC hotel

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Lenny Kravitz tries his hand at hotel design in South Beach

Rocker Lenny Kravitz joins famed hotel designer Philippe Starck to develop a vision for the much-awaited SLS hotel in Miami's South Beach at 17th and Collins Avenue.

SLS is the brainchild of Sam Nazarian, who started as an Los Angeles nightclub operator but with his company "sbe" has been shaking up L.A.'s restaurant and hotel scene. (I'll tell you more about his hotel ambitions when I return from vacation next week.)

The Miami location will mark the second SLS when it opens next March, following the SLS hotel that opened during the recession at the L.A.-Beverly Hills border. Nazarian plans to open a third at some point in Las Vegas on the site of the just-shuttered Sahara.

The inclusion of Kravitz in the South Beach hotel's look gives us an idea of the vibe that Nazarian likes to create at his hotels. He already assembled a list of heavy hitters for the first SLS, who are also involved in the South Beach location:

Starck, who helped create the boutique hotel concept in the mid 1980s with Ian SchragerJosé Andrés, the chef behind the L.A. SLS hotel's popular Bazaar restaurant with a growing national reputationKatsuya Uechi, the sushi chef behind the company's growing Katsuya restaurant chain.

Kravitz's seven-year-old firm Kravitz Design Inc. is tasked with creating an exclusive bungalow and penthouse suite, which could be a hit with the sports teams and athletes, celebrities and others who consider South Beach their playground.

"Lenny is a weapon of massive construction. He is an explosion of all talents, an unlimited boiling bucket of culture, a daily firework, a tireless explorer," Starck says of his friend in sbe's press release.

Kravitz is not just a South Beach vacationer. He's a Miami native who stayed loyal to his hometown after his musical career took off. His firm, by the way, helped invent the concept for the Delano's revamped Florida Room lounge.

The SLS hotel - located across from the Delano, the Schrager-Starck creation that helped put South Beach on the map - will open with the original 132 rooms, plus 10 new luxury bungalow suites near the pool. This property will have a white-on-white palate with color accents from carpeting, stone or artwork.

If the L.A. SLS is any indication, expect whimsical decor and dark lighting that some will embrace and others will shun. The look isn't for everyone, which isn't a bad thing if you ask hoteliers who like to target specific, design-loving customers. (Starwood CEO Frits van Paasschen says this all the time about Starwood's trendy, chic W chain.)

The SLS South Beach, in fact, will likely go head to head with the W South Beach for some individual customers, since it's a much smaller hotel. At the W South Beach, the smallest of its 408 black-and-white-themed rooms can go for $800 a night during peak winter season.

Another sign that the SLS will target the W crowd: A couple of months ago, sbe plucked W South Beach GM (general manager) Albert Mertz to run the SLS South Beach. Mertz had joined the W after running the Raleigh Hotel, which was part of Andre Balazs' luxury hotel group, and also had experience working with the luxury Mandarin Oriental and Ritz-Carlton chains.

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Santa Fe-area hotel rates fall in July as wildfire scare lingers

Demand and rates for Santa Fe-area hotels fell sharply in July as raging wildfires that are sweeping through New Mexico have prompted travelers to think twice about visiting the state.

Santa Fe-area hotels are charging 16% less in July than a year ago, the steepest pricing drop among major U.S. markets, according to Hotwire.com's monthly hotel rate report released Wednesday. The report publishes the rates booked on Hotwire.com during the second week of each month.

As USA Today's Laura Bly pointed out late last month, smoke drifting from New Mexico's massive Las Conchas wildfire, which had grown to more than 70,000 acres and forced the evacuation of Los Alamos, an hour's drive away, has sporadically impacted Santa Fe and other nearby communities.

Firefighters have made progress in recent days but fires continue to burn in other parts of the state. Campgrounds, hiking trails and other park lands - have been closed.

Monterey, Calif. is also reporting a downturn in business, with the average room rate of hotels in the area falling 9% from a year ago to $110. "This great coastal vacation destination had many pre-bookings earlier in the year for summer, but tourist flow has quickly fallen, especially now that the recent holiday weekends have passed," the report says.

Myrtle Beach, S.C. and Flagstaff, Ariz. are tied for third place, each with a 5% drop. Flagstaff has been dealing with slow traffic since February and hopes for a summer boost haven't materialized, it says.

Myrtle Beach had a busy summer last year and started off this summer strong, but hasn't been able to sustain the momentum.

Lake Tahoe in California, where hotels are charging 4% less on average than a year ago, rounds out the top five list of destinations with the steepest price drops.

Meanwhile, some top resort destinations that have struggled through the recession and the global financial crisis of 2008 are enjoying greater pricing powers.

Las Vegas tops the nation in room rate recovery with a 23% increase. "More convention bookings and leisure travelers are causing rates to increase in Nevada's most visited area," it says.

Grand Rapids, Mich., where hotels are 24% more expensive than a year ago, comes in second among the cities with the highest room rate increases. The city hosts "some of the world's biggest music acts this month," it says.

San Francisco (20%), New Orleans (14%) and Vancouver (18%) also made the list due to strong convention and group business and returning leisure travelers.

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Joe Montana wins bid to build hotel next to new 49ers stadium

Joe Montana is reinventing himself as a hotel operator.

The Hall of Fame quarterback won a deal with the city of Santa Clara Tuesday to build a luxury hotel and restaurants on city-owned land next to a future stadium for the San Francisco 49ers, according to The San Jose Mercury News.

Over the objection of the city manager, the Santa Clara City Council voted 5-1 to enter exclusive negotiations with Montana, the report says.

Montana, who says he has received interest from international hotel chains, is working with a group of investors - including Eddie DeBartolo, former owner of the 49ers - to build the project.

City Manager Jennifer Sparacino opposed the deal, arguing that the bid should be open to other developers, the paper reported last week. But Montana's star power and his personal appearance at the council meeting Tuesday were enough to convince other members to approve the quarterback's pitch.

"The star power and sheer attraction Joe Montana would bring to this project is just invaluable," said City Councilwoman Lisa Gillmor. "Do Joe Montana and Eddie DeBartolo belong next to a 49ers stadium? I think they do."

Montana and his investor group will start negotiating with the city for a lease and proceed with their plans to build an upscale hotel, sports bar and restaurants on seven acres of land in the city, the report says.

The stadium is scheduled to open in 2015.

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The first 'anti-snoring' hotel rooms

They're on the way from Crowne Plaza.

The chain says the "Snore Absorption Rooms" are a result of research showing that the non-snoring half of a couple can lose one or more hours of sleep a night due to their partner's snuffles or snorts. According to the hotel chain's website, a United Kingdom survey says that three in 10 couples have come close to splitting up because snoring is an issue and that 50% of UK couples complain their partner's snoring can ruin vacations.

Here's what's in the room, according to Crowne Plaza:

•Soundproofing on walls to absorb loud frequencies and reduce noise reverberating in the room.

•A sound-absorbing headboard to help muffle the snoring echo within the room.

•An anti-snoring bed wedge that encourages snorers to sleep on their sides or upright instead of flat on their backs, which worsens snoring.

•An anti-snoring pillow which uses magnets to create a magnetic field that is supposed to open the airways and stiffen the upper palate, so it won't vibrate and encourage snoring.

•A white noise machine to help drown out the snorer.

I have another suggestion: earplugs in the amenity kit for the snorer's partner. I still think it's near impossible to drown out a snorer next to you who is capable of being heard throughout a house. But this will be great news for those who have been put in a hotel room next to a champion snorer.

According to a report in The Seattle Times, the "snore absorption" room is being tested at Crowne Plaza hotels in Europe and the Middle East. A Crowne Plaza spokeswoman tells USA TODAY that there currently are no plans to bring the rooms to the United States.

What do readers think of the "snore absorption room" idea? Want them stateside?

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