Dirty hotels beware–there’s a new special agent in town.  Travel Channel’s ‘Hotel Impossible’ host Anthony Melchiorri is on his own ghost protocol assignment.  His mission, which he gladly accepts, is to detect and expose hotel property imperfections, bugs, dirt and poor customer service (among other things).

Melchiorri is quite picky but his expectations are not unreasonable.  The self-proclaimed germophobe expects hotel staff to thoroughly clean rooms; a major pet peeve is having to pay for internet service, and he detests rude hotel staff.  In an effort to help hotels improve their service, facility and decor Melchiorri offers constructive critiques on his show which airs Monday evenings on the Travel Channel.

More information on ‘Hotel Impossible can be found at The Courier.

by Isabel Eva Bohrer

Hotel Silken Puerta America (Spain) (c) Rafael Vargas

Looking for a unique place to stay? Isabel Eva Bohrer, special correspondent for Vagabondish.com, shares 5 hotels worth staying in purely because of their art and architecture.

How do you pick your hotel? On price alone? Amenities? Location? All of the above are common answers. But have you ever chosen a hotel based on its unique art, architecture and interior design? Here are 5 establishments purely worth staying in for their art and architecture.

#1: Hotel Silken Puerta America (Madrid, Spain)

The Hotel Silken Puerta América Madrid describes itself as a “space that invites people to dream.” It brings together nineteen of the top architecture and design studios in the world from thirteen different countries. Within the five-star establishment, luxury is coupled with originality, innovation and formal freedom.

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by Nancy M. Dickinson 

Beautifully kept and laid out, the golf course at Stonewall Resort allows for challenging golf AND the beauty of the Appalachians. (c) Nancy Dickinson

Located in Roanoke, WV, near the center of the state, is one of the premier resorts in West Virginia. Built around a stocked lake and settled amidst some of the greenest forest found anywhere is the Stonewall Jackson Resort & State Park.

Home to a beautifully designed Arnold Palmer Signature Golf course, the Stonewall Resort was ranked 22 of the top 100 Golf Courses in the country by Golf Week Magazine. Built to accommodate the scenery of the Appalachian Mountains, the Stonewall golf course is both challenging and relaxing in its peaceful setting. There may be days when golfers are told to take par on a hole or two just so they can move through the course quick enough to spend a blissful afternoon at the 19th Hole! Being located in a state park has the drawback, or delight depending on how you feel about it, that the wildlife is very much in residence and very much at home in the resort. Around almost every corner are deer, geese and wild turkey prevalent in the area.

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Nancy Dickinson is the editor of Exploration Travel Magazine.

It is said that golf is a game for people who understand class and style. True as it sounds, this is the kind of treatment that you are sure to get whenever you attend any golf holiday in Tenerife.

Being the largest of the Canary Islands, Tenerife has got so much that is interesting and that will delight the heart of every golfer. Tenerife is the ultimate golf destination. (more…)

Zurich is the third most expensive city in the world with respect to prices of overnight stays in local hotels. East Asia on the other hand is the cheapest region.

Travelers who plan to stay in Zurich over night have to dig deeper in their pockets now. According to the statistics for 2011, the prices for Zurich hotel rooms are one of the highest in the world. (more…)