The initial economic effects of a potential government shutdown that could begin Friday would be relatively minor, felt largely by the tourists shut out of the Smithsonian and the national parks and by the hotels and restaurants they populate.

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Economic impact of shutdown: ‘Danger comes if it goes for a long period of time’

A Mexican getaway offering peace on the Pacific Down a winding mountain road, about five minutes outside the center of Zihuatanejo on Playa la Ropa, lies the The Tides hotel. A Viceroy property that underwent a major re-branding in 2006, it’s a slice of paradise on the west coast of Mexico, located about 150 miles north of Acapulco and conveniently 15 minutes from the Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo airport. The staff at The Tides greeted me by name upon arrival, escorting me past check-in to a beach-front suite with a private infinity pool, an outdoor seating area lined with sofas, a huge outdoor bed, and a view of the entire bay of Zihua (as the locals call it or just Z, because it’s not any easier to say it in Spanish). From there you might even be able to watch an endangered turtle crawl up the beach and lay her eggs in the guarded area the hotel’s set aside to protect the eggs until they hatch. After getting situated, I was given a tour of the property by my very gracious host, Elia Alcazar. There are three pools, two restaurants (one Mediterranean, the other Mexican/Pacific), a spa, a gym, and the beautifully cozy Coral Bar where you have your choice of 110 tequilas. The bar offers tequila tastings and a two-for-one happy hour as part of the hotel activities—in case you aren’t the sporting type who wants to take part in the wind sailing or other water sports on offer. For food-oriented visitors, there are cooking lessons or a trip to the local markets with the chef, private dinner on the lagoon island, dinner in the wine cave (they feature almost 1300 new-world labels), and lunch or dinner on the beach. I asked Elia about yoga on the tour, and when I got back to the room after a swim there was a basket complete with a yoga mat, blocks, towels and extra water—the beginning of what would be four days of impeccable service, where the word “no” is rarely uttered. When I asked about the hours for the gift shop, I was told it opens at 10am but they would open it for me at any time. Service doesn’t end at the beach either. Raise one of the orange flags next to the beach chairs and someone appears almost instantly—a convenient feature since I spent almost every minute I was there on a beach chair, head supported by a Tides neck pillow (similar to what some people use on a flight), reading my Kindle. Before I left, I asked to see some of the other rooms. The architecture, with thick adobe-inspired walls and staircases painted white in most of the interiors, is somewhat Flintstones-meet-Jetsons. Rooms boast flatscreen televisions, iHome iPod docks and WiFi, along with all the other luxuries you would expect. After the beach suites, my favorite rooms were the more modern lagoon suites. A stay in the Presidential Suite (like Britney Spears did a couple years ago) comes with a butler service they call VIP Mayordomo for pre/during/post stay planning and assistance. Apart from beach cushions that required doubling-up and breakfast-stealing birds, it was nothing short of a small piece of paradise. Rack rates start at $355 depending on season and size. Reservations can be made online through The Tides website.

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The Tides Zihuatanejo

Record a hit when you visit Europe’s first music hotel In recent years travelers have shied away from traditional hotel chains in favor of more intimate boutique establishments, but the newly-opened Nhow Berlin aims to change this with a Karim Rashid-designed refuge dedicated to music. Billed as Europe’s first hotel with a state-of-the-art recording studio and guitars on the room service menu, the interior’s surreal setting combined with the seemingly physics-defying architecture serve as a catalyst for late-night jam sessions and impromptu DJ sets. Architect Sergei Tchoban worked with Rashid to implement their lavish design without disturbing the existing industrial style of the surrounding buildings on the river Spree, nestled between Berlin’s Friedrichshain and Kreuzberg neighborhoods,. Tchoban’s solution maintains the building’s stoic lines, but he throws in a shiny section of the hotel—the 8th to 10th floors—that juts out almost 70 feet out from the building for unexpected delight. The amenity that inspired the idea behind Nhow Berlin is its Music Sound Floor. Overseen by Lautstark , a music agency that runs Hansa Studios where artists like David Bowie have recorded, the area includes analog mixing and 5.1 digital suites that visiting professional musicians can use in the tradition of heading to the city to record their next hit singles. Fans and the more music-challenged shouldn’t feel left out. Guests-slash-amateur rock stars who would otherwise riff it out on air guitars can just ask reception to bring them a real Gibson. Rashid brings a whimsy that turns the hotel into what can be best described as an amusement park for lovers of glossy, hyper design. This aesthetic is reflected down to the color of the rooms, where guests have the option to stay in a room outfitted in pink, blue or gray. Furniture throughout the common areas—including the lobby and restaurant—take on a neon color scheme, with wallpaper and carpet patterns clashing in a stimulating way. Everything is so precisely done that the spaces look like computer renditions brought to real life. Rooms run from €170 for a standard room to €2,500 for the Nhow suite. Some photos taken by Patricia Parinejad, for Arch Daily .

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Nhow Berlin

Custom utility belts for nomadic bon vivants Created for the W Hotel concept of a high-profile,

Take room service home with a menu full of much more than standard fare Typically unappealing lists of overpriced fare, most room service menus take the idea of an indulgent vacation impulse and translate it into soggy, cold meals. The European Boscolo Hotel Group , however, aims to change the game from dull to delectable with alluring photos and a menu organized in a simple cookbook format. The upshot is more of a culinary keepsake (though pilfering is not explicitly encouraged), offering breakfast, lunch and dinner with vegan options included. Meals span easy to difficult, duly noted in the cooking instructions along with tips, preparation time and necessary ingredients. Bruschetta with Salmon and Shrimps (shown above) takes only eight minutes and is labeled easy despite its decorative display. The straightforward Lasagna alla Bolognese takes 60 minutes to prepare and is surprisingly marked with a medium degree of difficulty. During a recent stay at the Boscolo property in Rome, Hotel Exedra , I put the menu to the test ordering the Bresaola Beef with Parmesan Cheese. It arrived stacked on a bed of arugula and, while it naturally didn’t look as picture-perfect as in the menu, the quality ingredients and flavor put any such concerns to rest. A clever example of a hotel chain’s attention to detail, hospitality and marketing, guests who walk away with a Boscolo room service menu leave with a reference guide that will long evoke fond memories while also offering a way to create future gastronomic experiences.

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Boscolo Hotels Room Service

A Tel Aviv hotel putting Israeli art front and center by Brad Grossman While plenty of hotel concepts promote art as a selling point, few manage to make the experience meaningful beyond a picturesque marketing device. Not so with Tel Aviv’s Art+ Hotel which fluidly blends boutique hotel with an art program focused on local artists—providing an equally relaxing stay for art enthusiasts as for anyone just seeking a little respite from the bustling city surrounding it. Each floor of the five-story building is dedicated to one Israeli artist, and with new works rotating in every few months—as well as the Gordon Street galleries and the Tel Aviv Museum of Art just blocks away—the hotel makes a great jumping-off point for getting to know the city’s art scene. Or, just hang out on the modern lobby’s couches and browse their library full of art and design-focused books and magazines. If you prefer to just lounge in your room, a set of minimalist furniture provides the necessary serene background for the artistic amenities, as well as features like a flat-screen TV and full bathroom. “Looking Good,” charmingly etched into each mirror is an Art+ Hotel signature, and free Internet access makes the venue all the more attractive for business and recreational travelers alike. While there’s no room service, one of the hotel’s shining features is a daily breakfast spread of pastries, fruits, vegetables and homemade cheeses. Guests can also mingle and discover Israeli wine at a happy hour offered most nights. Other great features include the Art+ Hotel’s own taxi service for transport to and from the airport, as well as free bikes to ride around town or to visit the beach (which is just a few blocks down the street). Rates vary depending on dates of travel, but typically start at around $180 per night. To book, visit the Art+ Hotel website.

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Art+ Hotel

Kanye cartoons, touch-screen watches, licorice-nectarine bitters, black market goods and more in our weekly look at the web 1. #kanyenewyorkertweets Kanye West has close to a half million followers on Twitter , hanging onto every ridiculous Tweet. Inspired by his words, musical comedic group Paul and Storm had the idea to mash-up Kanye’s Tweets with classic New Yorker cartoons, resulting in a genius collection of newfangled cartoons found on the website #kanyenewyorkertweets . 2. 3sixteen+ American menswear label 3sixteen already sets itself apart by being the only U.S.-made jean that uses high quality Japanese denim. The new 3sixteen+ line, a collaboration with Self Edge, uses even better rope-dyed fabric and tweaked certain key details—like a dual red selvedge line—for another step above the competition. The jeans are available through Self Edge . 3. Core 77/Hand-Eye Supply Leading industrial design site Core77 recently opened up shop with their first flagship store in Portland. Hand-Eye Supply contributes to the city’s thriving culture of creativity and craft offering basic tools like colorful Copic markers alongside hammers, safety glasses and coveralls. 4. Scott Pilgrim v. The World Hitting theaters next week, Scott Pilgrim v. The World features the impossibly adorable Michael Cera, who must defeat seven evil ex-boyfriends to win the heart of his beloved Ramona in a video game-meets-film hybrid format. 5. The Sketchbook Project Share your doodles or thoughts with the world through The Sketchbook Project , a traveling art exhibit showcasing creatively completed Moleskines. After its U.S. tour the collection will remain permanently at The Brooklyn Art Library . 6. Pinel & Pinel x La Forge Laguiole A culinary dream team, French brands La Forge Laguiole and Pinel & Pinel collaborated on a gorgeous steak knife, highlighted on Selectism . 7. Stephen Doyle’s Language Art Influenced by the power of words, designer Stephen Doyle created paper sculptures from real pieces of literature. In an interview with Felt & Wire, Doyle discusses his inspirations, materials and more. 8. Mutewatch Engadget recently featured Mutewatch, a vibrating watch that appears as a blank white bracelet, concealing the clock face until it’s touched. Once activated, you can swipe the screen to scroll between the timer, clock and alarm. 9. Contraband An excerpt from her upcoming book “Contraband” (due out Fall 2010), T Magazine displayed artist Taryn Simon ‘s disturbing photos of items confiscated at New York’s JFK airport. The assortment spans dead animals to cow dung toothpaste, for a book that aims to reveal what is considered “threatening to economies, to personal safety and to a nation.” 10. The V8 Hotel For those who love nothing more than a good engine, the Stuttgart, Germany V8 Hotel offers rooms that Plastolux points out are “geared” for the driving enthusiast but are also well-appointed. 11. Jonas Damon iPad Case Motivated to create things from materials lying around his house, industrial designer Jonas Damon created an iPad case that’s like no other. Encased in a retro arcade console and another in a gutted Mac, the iPad mimics an old-school cathode-ray television complete with a grainy-snow screensaver for a full ’80s effect. 12. A.B. Smeby Bitters A waiter at NYC restaurant The Modern, Louis Smeby tapped his true talent with a line of bitters crafted in his Brooklyn kitchen from local ingredients. Shown on Tasting Table , A.B. Smeby Bittering Co. takes careful consideration of seasonal flavors when creating the limited run of all natural bitters, such as this summer’s range which includes lemon verbena, licorice-nectarine, hibiscus-rose and celery-lovage.

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Link About It: This Week’s Picks

TriBeCa NYC’s youngest contender in modern luxury hotel scene Just under a year old, the latest addition to Thompson Hotel ‘s family, the Smyth offers the same casual sophistication they are known for with a custom-tailored interior suited to its TriBeCa location with understated wine-toned rooms, mini-bars stocked with Dean & Deluca gourmet snacks and incredible BBG architecture. Upon entering the hotel, guests pass through the lobby designed by Yabu Pushelberg down a dimly lit hall to reach reception, where they are greeted by staff members dressed in Helmut Lang -designed uniforms and a wall of antique toys. Each room offers a high level of comfort and style, featuring an LCD flat-screen TV, iPod dock, DVD player and Wi-Fi, with laptops and cell phones available upon request. The penthouse—large enough to fit 75 people—makes the perfect place to throw a party. Amenities like 400-thread-count Sferra linens, terry robes by Frette and Kiehl’s products stocked in the marble bathrooms add to the overall stylish comfort, while the full bath and separate shower replete with Hansgrohe rain showerheads indulge you the way a hotel should. The ground floor of the Smyth includes Frederick Lesort ‘s latest French-inspired brasserie Plein Sud , and the Smyth Lobby Bar , serving lighter fare and drinks. Rooms begin at $350 a night, to book visit the Thompson Hotels website .

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Smyth Hotel