Ho-Ho-Holy Moly! W Hotel Wraps Up Xmas Early

In the mood to play “Dirty Santa”?
Want to find out how popular that “Scrooge” character who’s breaking box office records truly is?
Then go ahead, with your bad self, and show up at someone’s doorstep with the naughtiest gift of all this Christmas.
Namely: nothing.
And then blame yourself, from that day forward, for the proverbial lumps of coal that karma hurls upside your head.
If you’re smart, you’ll take the easy way out.
(And, no, we don’t mean that gangsta George Bailey route _ jumping off a bridge on Christmas eve. It’s a wonderful life, after all, even if you’re universally despised.)
Let someone else do the shopping for you. ("Pole Dancer" cuff links from The Store at the W Midtown Hotel)

. The Store in the lobby of the W Midtown hotel works wonders with its new array of “Global Glam” items “inspired by
> luxe locales from South Beach to Santiago”.
Gift items range from $10 (for a set of 52 playing cards that teach you how to cuss in six languages) to $375 for a “vegan” travel bag with enough pockets to tote all your techie necessities safely through customs.
Opulent gift items for women ($57-$300) include cashmere pillows, metallic mini-skirts and emerald earrings. ("Gangsta Rap Coloring Book" from The Store at the W Midtown Hotel)

Walk-in shoppers are welcome. And The Store at the W offers that added convenience of in-room delivery to visiting guests.
The Store may only be the size of a service elevator shaft. But it guarantees good things in small packages. (Silver-plated "Spin the Bottle" set from The Store at the W Midtown Hotel)

Playboy Pioneer Plans Atlanta PJ Party

Attention, all you Hugh Hefner wannnabes: start scouring eBay for smoking jackets now!.
There’s a Playboy-themed pajama party coming to the W hotel in Midtown Atlanta that you don’t want to miss.



Playboy's pioneering Playmate, Ida Ljungquist (below)









It’s guaranteed to be historic for one simple fact.
The guest of honor will be Playboy’s first Playmate of the Year of African heritage. And she's the 50th woman to win the annual "honor" for the sexiest bunny to boot!
A meet-and-greet oppprtunity with Ida Ljungquist, among other Playmates? In a swanky lounge? With posh suites upstairs at special “overnight” prices? Talk about your audacity of hopes.

Ljungquist will be accompanied by “World’s Sexiest DJ” and 50th Anniversary Playmate: Colleen Shannon. Late-nighters are welcome to mix and mingle with them June 12 (9 p.m. - 2 a.m.) in their best bedtime attire at the W's sleek Whiskey Park bar and Living Room lounge. Early arrivals will be treated to tastes of authentic French absinthe by Le Tourment Vert. Specialty drinks will flow freely. Tickets are $50 and available at www.playboypajamaparty.com.













The W Hotel Midtown's "Living Room"

It might be wise to consider making this one a sleep-over. In that case, special room packages can be arranged for as little as $159. Call 877-822-0000 and mention code Pboy.

Halo Runs Rings Around Competition

With Thursday night's grand re-opening of the Halo Lounge (beneath the Biltmore Hotel), owner James Sullivan finally soothed a seven-itch.

WGCL "Better Mornings Atlanta" reporter Corinna Allen hugs it up with Halo owner James Sullivan and GM Orlando Ramirez

"We've been around long enough now to prove that we're not just here for two or three year, and then moving on to whatever's next," he barked above the din of groovy music selected by the house deejay, Dr Katz.

"We remodeled because our customers demand change, and we're not going anywhere.



CWPR's Kate Thacker and Caren West sandwhich Halo owner James Sullivan

Halo still has an "underground" feel: its got no neon signage to announce its side-street entrance at Sixth and West Peachtree; and many patrons dress as if they were all suddenly transported from Manhattan's Lower East Side.



"Sunday Paper" advice columnists Blaine Bachelor and Lisa Baron ring in Halo's return

But Halo has softened some of its rougher edges. There's a sleek and curvy new bar in the upper loft. And a cutting-edge ceramic wall of lights now undulates above the broad and inviting main lounge.


Halo patrons bask beneath the club's new wall of light

Though its located in the still-gritty heart of the city, it's obviously a spot that well-heeled ladies gravitate to.


A Halo bartender prepares to whip an egg white for the house's signature "Biltmore" cocktail

Besides the management staff of J'Adore magazine, the former NBA and college hoops great Joe Barry Carroll and a slew of those "reporting from (bum-f@#k) County...I'm (fill-in-the-blank)" TV guys, there was also: the Sunday Paper advice columnists Blaine Bachelor and Lisa Baron; Marie Claire magazine correspondent Colleen Oakley; and the leggy blonde "Better Mornings Atlanta" reporter, Corinna Allen.
All Images: JimiFlix Photography