Today Sofitel announced that it will embrace wind power at its nine U.S. locations. But don’t expect to see windmills whirring away in the parking lot. The company will purchase its blustery new power source in the form of renewable energy certificates from wind energy supplier Community Energy. The move will allow Sofitel to offset approximately 2 million pounds of carbon dioxide annually and makes it the first hotel chain to become an EPA Green Power Partner. We applaud Sofitel for going green!

Sofitel Hotels Become First Hotel Chain in the U.S. to Choose Wind Power and Become EPA Green Power Partner

If you’re going to be in New York this weekend and you love travel, consider checking out the New York Times Travel Show, a veritable smorgasbord of travel information from resorts, hotels, spas, cruise lines, tour operators, tourist agencies and adventure travel companies from around the world. Along with vendor booths and live entertainment performances representing a vast array of cultures, the show features a Taste of the World Pavilion filled with international cuisine and cooking demonstrations, a Spa Pavilion offering sample treatments and discounted packages at spa resorts, travel author appearances and special travel deals offered to folks brave enough to book their next vacation on the spot. And with travel experts Rick Steves, Arthur Frommer, Ian Wright and Stephanie Abrams - among many others - leading seminars, the show offers a rare chance for face-to-face learning from leading peeps in the industry. Cost: $15.

Since opening during the spring of 2005, 9 Beaches resort in Sandys, Bermuda has been making a name for itself with it’s eco-friendly practices and flip-flop-friendly attitude. And being one of the closest resorts to the United States that boasts over-the-water cottages with viewing windows in the floor, it’s a no-brainer for romantic getaways, weddings and anniversaries.

Just how eco-positive is the resort? The staff tools around the property on battery-operated vehicles. Lighting and hot water are powered by the sun, and rainwater is caught and recycled for hotel use. Local produce is used in the kitchen, and bicycles are available for guest use around the property. There’s even a “waterless” garden (known to enviro-geeks as a xeriscape).

We caught up with 9 Beaches General Manager Robin Gilbert, a native Bermudan and fount of local knowledge. Here, he gives us his picks for what to see and do during a visit to his island home.

9 Beaches has made a commitment to environmental stewardship. What unique environmental challenges does Bermuda face?

We get the majority of our water on the island by roof catch systems. There are centralized reverse osmosis facilities on the island, and we’ve all grown up knowing that water is very precious.

Things that other parts of the world are just coming around to, we’ve grown up with that thought process.

With transport, we’re limited to one car per household, and we’ve only had cars since 1968. From the get-go there was only one car per household. Most people have mopeds.

Tell us about the resort’s “waterless” garden.

Everything we have growing on the property is basically from Bermuda originally and doesn’t require a human being to be watering it. We have cedar trees, palm trees, cacti, succulents, aloe. Because nobody lives more than a half-mile from the sea, everything is covered in salt spray. We have to remember that when it comes to what we plant.

Your resort describes its dress code as “flip-flops required.” How many days a year do you wear ‘em?

Only on my day off.

On your ideal day off, where on the island would we find you?

Either on the beach or on the boat.

Most of the beaches are on the south coast. Horseshoe Bay is the largest beach on the island, and there are small coves on the east of Horseshoe Bay where it’s very quiet and there’s room for plenty of people.

Where would you send us to score postcard-worthy views?

For picture taking right on the property, there’s the sunset and the views of the Bay.

There’s the lighthouse, one of the high points on the island. It’s 15 minutes away.

The Dockyards is an amazing visitor attraction. It was built back in the 1800’s, and it’s been brought back to life. There’s a museum, restaurants, a small movie houses.

We want to watch the perfect sunset. Where would you send us?

The sunsets off the edge of the property are just absolutely spectacular. The sky lights up, and it’s just fantastic.

One morning, we’re feeling especially lazy. But we still want to see something of the island. What activity would you recommend?

If you want a lazy day, find yourself a beach. We have two 70-yard ones and also little ones.

For about $10-$15, one can rent a kayak and paddle around the point. There’s a shipwreck in a protected area, and we’re lucky it’s 100 yards off our property.

The next morning, we’re full of energy and ready to exert ourselves. What can’t-miss excursion would you recommend for active, outdoorsy travelers?

One option is to go to the Dockyards. It’s the most popular sightseeing attraction on the island. Get the Fast Ferry to St. George’s. It’s a great trip. You see the north side of the island. Look around St. George’s. There’s Fort St. Catherine, where the first settlers were shipwrecked. In folklore, this is what Shakespeare based his play The Tempest on.

The public transportation on the island is very good. For $4, you can get a bus all the way back to 9 Beaches. You can get back here in time for Happy Hour, or as we call it, Attitude Adjustment Hour.

As a blogger, staying connected is important (okay, an obsession), even when I’m on vacation. How wired is the resort?

The other day I was driving around with our techie on the golf cart, and he was picking up a signal on his laptop in most places - I would say about 70 percent of the resort.

What should every Bermuda visitor take home (i.e. special local product, souvenir, etc.)?

Bermuda Honey. We also have fantastic rum cakes. Down at the Dockyards, there’s a glass foundry. You can take home sand in a little jar. We’ve got enough to spare.

A day at 9 Beaches wouldn’t be complete without _______.

A Dark ‘n Stormy or a Swizzle. A Dark & Stormy is the most popular local drink. It’s made of black rum and ginger beer. Have it very cold.

Ah, we love Amy Winehouse hotel updates. For some strange reason (cough…crack), wild things seem to happen whenever the British songstress enters a hotel room. While bunking in at London’s Park Plaza Riverbank Hotel last week, Winehouse reportedly caused over $6,000 damage to her executive suite. The damage was discovered only after Winehouse had refused housekeeping services for several days. When the hotel staff finally got into her room, they are said to have found ciggies everywhere, evidence of alcoholic bevs, dirty bedsheets, drains clogged with black hair, hair dye staining the bathroom and a mirror suspiciously laid out on the floor. And that’s a week after getting out of rehab.

Amy Winehouse, Showered With Pity, Lives Like Pig In Hotel

Downtown Boston’s Seaport District now has its very own Renaissance property. The 471-room Renaissance Boston Waterfront Hotel has adopted a maritime theme: an exterior designed to look reminiscent of a ship’s wind-filled sails, seagulls flocking above the front desk, blue hues in the rooms and wave-like structural features incorporated throughout.

While the hotel hopes to attract leisure travelers thanks to a location within walking distance of Fanueil Hall, the Boston Harbor Walk and the New England Aquarium, it is wooing business travelers with amenities like a DS-3 line Internet connection (28x faster than a T-1), rooms outfitted with flat panel televisions and connectivity panels that power multiple electronic devices at one time.

Travelers who stay at the hotel for two nights or more by Sept. 3, 2008 will receive a $100 Savvy Savings Certificate good toward a two-night stay at any Renaissance property in the U.S. or Canada. To score the savings, you’ll have to book through the site or call the hotel’s reservation number (1-800-834-7282) and use promo code PX3. Nightly rates at the hotel start at $169.

Smoke a butt at the Swissotel Chicago, and you might as well hand the hotel management a cool $250 when you check out. Fines for smoking in non-smoking rooms are nothing new. But Swissotel’s approach is. Instead of letting smokers run wild with abandon, the 632-room property has begun paying its housekeeping staff to rat offenders out. If a housekeeper enters your room to do her daily clean up and suspects you’ve been sucking down cancer sticks, you get fined. She gets $10. It’s not a lot, but the hotel is betting it’s enough to inspire a keen sense of smell in its employees.

The hotel is currently renovating all of its rooms and going for a green certification, so we can understand their anal ‘tude. After all, unlike hotel guests, smoke never really leaves a room.

The semi-funny part? The hotel has let two former guests escape from fines. Why? As the Chicago Tribune’s story The Smoke Patrol puts it:

To date, 22 guests have gotten socked with fines — with two granted amnesty because it turned out that friends did the smoking, according to hotel officials.

Riiight. That’s what I used to tell my parents. Glad to know it still works.

Pop Quiz

Question: The greatest football team ever to roam the planet earth?
Answer: Daaaaaa Bears!

Question: The greatest coach ever to lead a football team to certain victory?
Answer: Ditka!

Question: It’s Ditka vs. Superman. Who would win?
Answer: Ditka!

Question: If Ditka fought the sun, who would win?
Answer: C,mon, ask me a tough one. Ditka!

Question: When was the last time you were seen in public wearing a coconut bra?
Answer: Ditka!!!!!

If you answered any of the above questions correctly, or have been known to eat brats while experiencing a mild heart attack, then we’ve got two vacation destinations for you: Mike Ditka’s Lighthouse Key Resort and Spa and the Runaway Beach Club, both in Orlando, FL.

Opening this weekend, the Lighthouse Key is the larger of the two resorts and offers villas with gourmet kitchens, washers and dryers and flat screen TVs. On the grounds, visitors will find two pools, a huge European spa, fitness facilities and a 50-seat movie theater. For a weekend in April, I found rates starting at $299/day for a two-bedroom suite.

Also, opening this weekend, The Runaway Beach Club Resort also offers villa accommodations with similar amenities, but has smaller grounds and fewer resort amenities, i.e. no grand European spa. But there are two pools and a fitness center. For a weekend in April, I found a one-bedroom villa starting at $149/night and a two-bedroom villa starting at $189/night.

Don’t forget to grow out that ’stache before you go!

Both resorts offer free shuttle service to Walk Disney World theme parks (both resorts are within 2.5 miles of the maingate).

LastMinuteTravel.com recently launched a program aimed at frequent travelers willing to pay a $49.99 annual membership fee for “exclusive” rates on hotels. The
LastMinute Travel Club offers discounted rates on around U.S. and international 13,000 hotels. The company says savings average between 23 and 66 percent of the rack rate. Not being a member, I can’t personally vouch for the service and the potential savings, but I do think this sort of “pay for deals” system is part of a growing trend in the online travel space. Frequent travelers who book their own hotel accommodations may very well find this sort of setup to be worth the cost of membership. My guess is that the service makes more sense for people who prefer business class to luxury hotels.

LastMinuteTravel.com Launches Discount Travel Club

Feeling a little post-Valentine’s Day journey into the macabre? After a day of sweet nothings and mushy come hithers, it seems only fitting to indulge in something slightly morbid. Thankfully, Gridskipper had just the thing to our love hangover:

The New York City Celebrity Death Map

Featured celebs include everyone from Malcolm X to Nick de Noia (who’s that? Only the original choreographer for the Chippendale’s. Duh.).

Fire? What fire? The Monte Carlo Resort and Casino reopens today after recovering from the Jan. 25th fire that closed the hotel and sent much of the Vegas Strip into a panic. Check out Major Fire at Monte Carlo Resort & Casino for the details on the blaze, which was reportedly accidentally caused by welding work being done on the roof.

The goal was for the hotel to be up and running again by President’s Day Weekend, so they’ve accomplished that. Most of the hotel and casino is open, including the wedding chapel and spa. The Monte Carlo Brew Pub and a few retail shops will stay closed a little longer, but everything will be open by the 22nd.