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You get one extra day this year, and today it arrives! So if you haven't had the time yet to vote for the Freddie Awards, you have one bonus day to voice your opinion on your favorite rewards programs. The 20th annual Freddie Awards, presented by InsideFlyer magazine, takes place April 24th, but the ballot boxes close today. Voting for the member-generated Freddie's is determined by the overall rating of each program. Winners are chosen by highest quality, not quantity, so the program that receives the highest average value with at least 1% of the popular vote wins.

Help Starwood set some records after sweeping the awards last year in 11 categories including Best Award Redemption, Best Affinity Credit Card, and Best Program of the Year in Europe, Africa, Asia, Australia and the Middle East. Whether it's your love of no blackout dates, the ease of earning double or triple Starpoints, 4pm late checkout, or the wonders of elite status, the Freddie Awards are your chance to speak up about how you feel about SPG membership. So don't hesitate, vote while you have one extra day in February!

Jeremy McCarthy is the Director of Spa Operations Development and Marketing for Starwood Hotels & Resorts and thelobby.com's expert on everything spa. He recently traveled to Punta Mita, near Puerto Vallarta in Mexico, future home of the St. Regis Resort, Punta Mita.

The first thing I did when I got to Punta Mita was to gorge myself on the fresh seafood in the local village. During the early mornings you can actually watch the fishermen bringing in their booty from the night before. Mexican restaurants in other parts of the world can't duplicate the freshness of the food found in these little fishing villages.

I feasted on ceviche, empanadas de camaron (shrimp), nachos with guacamole, and tuna tostadas with plenty of avocado and of course salsa huichol, the local table salsa found predominantly in Jalisco. A meal like this can only be washed down with a michelada, the local beer preparation served over ice with plenty of lime juice, some salsa (if you want it spicy) and a salted rim. Que deliciosa!

As business travel increases the amount of luggage we're permitted to schlep through airline security decreases. Starwood is helping to ease some of the hassle. "Simpler, lighter, easier travel" is what Sheraton Travelite is all about. Five key services are included: overnight laundry, overnight pressing, luggage storage, clothing storage, and adapter lending. It may sound basic to the passive reader, but to the business traveler in action, it's so fantastically freeing. Just ask the guy in the video.

Imagine this. You have outfits tucked neatly away in four North American cities: Toronto, Chicago, Boston, and New York. When you check into the Sheraton hotel at one of those four cities, your business suit, and whatever else you decide to stow, is clean, pressed, and ready to get you through a full day of meetings. Consider the advantages. Your luggage is unbelievably light; it's kind of like having your own little pied-à-terre; and it's like getting a new addition to your wardrobe, because you forgot about that tweed skirt you thought looked best in Boston. Just remember to return to each hotel within 60 days, because after that, your duds get donated to charity. And if you want to leave your suitcase, that's fine too, only for a week though. Storage is free, and regular rates apply for cleaning and pressing, but for the frequent business travelers out there, the convenience is priceless. Plus you'll have time to enjoy some of the hotel experience like the interactive frieze in the video. Sheraton Travelite services are available at over 100 properties in Europe, Africa, and the Middle East.

This week, Le Méridien relaunched their signature website, an interactive imaged based journey through the creative world of this chic brand and introduced the LM100, a community of creative experts and cultural innovators that are shaping the future of the hotel experience. Throughout the week, thelobby.com has been highlighting special features surrounding this event. Today, we explore some destinations we uncovered navigating the canvas.

Chirping birds, bubbling waters, the subtle strumming of a Spanish guitar, a faraway sitar, these are some of the sounds I hear while watching vivid postcards appear on this three-dimensional grid. I stare at a spectacular array of landscapes and then choose to explore the first image that contrasts with the rain outside my Los Angeles window. Yes, the first image that appeals to me is a stunning cerulean blue ocean. Where is this paradise? After pressing on the + button, I am swept to the coast of Mauritius and Le Méridien Ile Maurice, a hotel featuring nirvana rooms with private heated infinity pools, all nestled against a lagoon off the Indian Ocean. Whoa. From Mauritius, I return to my canvas and become breathless at a blazing orange sunset overlooking another vast body of water. Yes, there seems to be a water theme with me today...Where is this? Le Méridien Nouméa it seems, in New Caledonia in the South Pacific, another destination I never even thought of visiting, although it possesses some of the fantasy vacation prerequisites: the largest lagoon in the world and an accompanying red coral reef. Snorkeling heaven! Throw in the fact that there's plenty of French culture as it is an overseas French territory, this is another enchanting destination I would never have discovered alone.

This week, Le Méridien relaunched their signature website, an interactive imaged based journey through the creative world of this chic brand and introduced the LM100, a community of creative experts and cultural innovators that are shaping the future of the hotel experience. Over the next few weeks, thelobby.com will be highlighting special features surrounding this event. Today, we meet some of the inaugural members of the LM100.

First and foremost, meet Jérôme Sans, Le Méridien's cultural curator, the man who has hand-selected members of the new Le Méridien family from the worlds of art, architecture, design, fashion and even coffee. Says Sans, "It's a family of international creators that are reinventing Le Méridien with the vocabulary of their challenging experience."

Indeed, it's a group with a global reach and equally bold initiatives. We start in the kitchen with Jean-Georges Vongerichten, the renowned Alsatian chef, whose first task is redeveloping the LM breakfast. He'll be aided in caffeination by Andrea Illy, the guru of espresso, who is in charge of the coffee experience for the properties. Linda Grabe has joined the LM as its wine advisor and curator of all tastings of the grape. Eddie Roschi and Fabrice Penot, founders of the luxury perfumerie Le Labo, are now Le Méridien's official perfumers and have invented a new signature scent called LM01 for the brand.

This week, Le Méridien relaunches their signature website, an interactive imaged based journey through the creative world of this chic brand and introduces the LM100, a community of creative experts and cultural innovators that are shaping the future of the hotel experience. Over the next few weeks, thelobby.com will be highlighting special features surrounding this event. Today, we journey through the online world of leméridien.com.

From the home page’s destination canvas, where you will enter the visual world of the Le Méridien brand, you will get a hint of the vast and non-traditional transformation occurring in these hotels worldwide. The canvas allows users to visually browse through planning their travel experience using a moodboard. Whether desiring a destination or thematic travel experience, you can identify and capture the visuals that appeal to you, and add them to your interactive canvas. I even resized some of mine! Plus with a plethora of elemental sound samples that change throughout the day based on time, your ears will be enticed to fall into your travel imagination while you order and position your images. While fun and engaging, this play possesses purpose for once you have an idea of your visual palette, the site then recommends destinations that best reflect your envisioned travel. The new website highlights a creative approach to online travel planning with the hope that that it will match guests with the precise hotel location for their exciting future experience. We can’t wait to play with the search canvas some more...

Later in the week, we’ll introduce you to the LM100 and highlight some key members of this group of creative leaders that are reshaping the discovery experience and communal worlds inside the hotel.

First, there was the Starwood Lurker. Then there was the Starwood Lobby. Now there is W's number 1 fan, Andrew Calvo. The New York Post recently featured a story on Calvo, the 25 year-old New Jersey based hotel blogger and aspiring Starwood employee. Calvo, an impassioned SPG fan, writes about Starwood (and especially W) happenings on his blog, "Passions of a Zealot." First noted by Hotel Chatter in late August, POAZ, has been busy trawling what he refers to as 99% public information from google searches, newswires, and the inner depths of flyertalk to create his content. Plus he's ethnographic in his own research! Yes, indeed, he has visited various sites with his camera to give his readers first-hand tips on his "babies" new developments. His babies? Yes, that's what he calls the monthly excursions to the building sites of the W Hoboken and the W NYC Downtown. Calvo has made quite an impression on us here with his smart commentary and zealous devotion to all things Starwood and we look forward to hearing more commentary from him in the future.

{image via New York Post}

Let's head down to South America for a minute. The Sheraton Colonia Golf & Spa Resort is a short trip away from both Buenos Aires (45 minutes via ferry) and Montevideo (two hours by car). The 92-room hotel is home to an 18 hole golf course with a par 5 hole, two par 3 holes and six par 4 holes. The hotel's Real Spa has 17 massage treatment rooms, an indoor seawater swimming pool and a state of the art gym. Other recreational options include horseback riding, fishing and a full restaurant.

Starwood hotels are home to some mighty fine eating establishments. Throughout November, thelobby.com will share the thoughts of the master chefs at these incredible eateries and post the culinary masterpieces they showcase as well as give tips on healthy eating. Kick back and try not to get too hungry, as we profile some of Starwood's hottest.

The Westin Arlington Gateway is one of Washington DC's newest hotels. Located in Arlington, Virginia and a quick ten minute metro ride away from DC's museums and attractions, the Westin is also home to the modern Italian steakhouse Pinzmini. Curious about what may be one of the best Bistecca alla Fiorentina in the DC area? Read on for this interview with the chef at Pinzmini.

What is the full name of the restaurant and what hotel is it located within? Pinzimini at The Westin Arlington Gateway.
How long has the restaurant been open? Seven months.
What is the most unique event or newsworthy occurrence that has happened to or at your restaurant since inception? We created a special wine dinner for the wine maker and owner of Carpineto Wines from Tuscany, Italy.
Have you developed any signature dishes that define your restaurant? We have the Bistecca alla Fiorentina, a 38 ounce T-bone marinated for 24 hours in olive oil and Italian herbs, then grilled to perfection. This dish is meant to share, and is often the centerpiece of the dinner table for many diners.
What is your favorite food or wine related story that you would like to share with potential new customers to the restaurant? We pride ourselves on using only the freshest ingredients and we create a memorable experience with our service and our ambiance.
What are your best tips or suggestions for leading “eating well”? Teach your guests about what they are eating, drinking and enjoying. They will appreciate the meal, and the attentive service more if you do.
What’s the most unique bottle of wine you have in your cellar? We now have a 3 year vertical of Far Niente’s “Dolce cave collection.” This wine is widely considered liquid gold, and is very highly allocated.