Before you ask — no, I’m not in the business of rating blogs. But I’m a panelist at the Historic Hotels of America annual meeting at the Don CeSar Beach Resort on St. Petersburg Beach, Fla., tomorrow, and have been asked to name some of the hotel bloggers that are worth following.
Here’s my list, in alphabetical order, of the hotel blogs I’m bookingmarking for 2008:
Gridskipper — The “urban travel guide” spends a lot of bandwidth covering hotels, and does it extremely well. (Probably my biggest oversight on the 7 most influential travel bloggers list I just published.)
The Lobby — Starwood’s corporate blog is a seductive showcase of its hotel properties. I like.
Hawthorne Hotel — How does a historic hotel connect with guests? These guys wrote the book. I mean, the blog.
Hotel Blogs — A blog about hotel blogs. Great idea, and nicely executed. (The blog’s author,
HotelChatter — Irreverent and authoritative, HotelChatter is among the most influential blogs in the hotel industry. It’s also a fun read.
Hotel Hotsheet — Covers lodging trends and breaking news as only USA Today can.
LA Times Daily Deal Blog — Although not exclusively a hotel blog, this site features solid lodging deals and lots of compelling hotel biz posts.
Vacant Ready — A fascinating insider look at the hotel industry.
And no, I didn’t leave out Bill’s blog. I got him the last time around.
Christopher Elliott is the author of Scammed: How to Save Your Money and Find Better Service in a World of Schemes, Swindles, and Shady Deals. Critics have called it “eye-opening” and “inspiring” — it’ll “grab your attention and won’t let go.” Order your copy now on Amazon, Barnes & Noble or iTunes.
Elliott is consumer advocate 
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