soma

Sleep on a Giant Mushroom for $1,400 a Night

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels, Art

The Museum for Contemporary Art in Berlin has a very unique exhibit that must be experienced in a unique way. The exhibit is intended to give visitors a taste of what it would be like to experience soma, the mythical healing and enlightenment drink that was used by ancient Vedic nomads in India to access the divine. No one knows for sure what soma was made of but experts believe 'magic mushrooms,' or fly agaric mushrooms, were a likely ingredient and so the installation features a floating hotel room where guests can spend the night suspended over a large 'shroom-shaped platform.

Besides re-enacting a soma experience artist and creator Carsten Hoeller also aims to explore how to achieve enlightenment and the roles science and myth play in our society. The exhibit will be open November 5th through February 6th for $1400/night.

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Tags: art, carsten hoeller, experience art, hotel, hotels, museum, performance art, soma, travel

The Good Hotel Opens In San Francisco

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels, Green

The latest San Francisco hotel from Joie de Vivre is known simply as the Good Hotel. What makes it good? The 117-room hotel in the SoMa area is billed by Joie de Vivre as the "first hotel with a conscience." It offers a chance for voluntorism through the hotel's partnership with One Brick, an organization that provides support to local non-profits. The hotel also contributes to local organizations through an optional guest cash donation program and invites employees to participate in philanthropic efforts for the charity of their choice by allocating some of their paid monthly hours for those activities. And guests can also choose to participate in a carbon offset program to minimize the environmental impact of their stay.

The hotel is decorated with graphic statements embellish the walls and whimsical items made of reclaimed materials such as a bench made of felt blankets and a table constructed from skateboard adorn the lobby. The guestroom décor features eco-friendly materials including bedframes and headboards made from 100% reclaimed wood, lamps made from recycled Voss water bottles, and décor pillows made from vintage fabrics. And the bathrooms feature the "SinkPositive" toilet sinks. There are also more usual hotel amenities such as a flat-screen television, i-Pod docking station, a space-saving fold-down writing desk, hairdryer, coffee maker and wireless Internet access.

Other "good" moves include free parking to guests with hybrid cars, taxi companies with hybrid vehicles on call for hotel pick-ups and a Good Hotel green Prius Zipcar for Zipcar members' use. The hotel's business center offers One Laptop Per Child computers (for each computer purchased by the hotel, a companion computer is directly shipped to needy children in developing countries).

Is Good too virtuous? Will customers really opt for the guilt-free hotel over something more posh? The hotel's opening rates might be some enticement, they run from $119 to $139.

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Tags: good hotel, GoodHotel, san francisco, soma