Friday is now officially Cute Hotel Doggie Day here at HotelChatter, and in honor of Halloween, we felt it was our duty to bring you Dogs At Hotels in Halloween Costumes. It looks like quite a few properties have had Halloween parties for their four-legged guests this week, including Houston’s Hotel Derek.

Dog Days Out are a regular affair at the pet-friendly Hotel Derek, but this Wednesday was a special Howl-o-ween Spooktacular. As you can see from these photos, it wasn’t just the dogs who dressed up: owners were welcome to come in costume, too. (Which seems fair, considering how silly and perturbed some dogs look when they’re in costume.)

Look, we can’t help it. We’re suckers for a pet concierge. And this one takes the cake. At just 4 months old, Labrador Retriever Kora is the youngest Director of Pet Relations so far for Kimpton. She started her job at Hotel Palomar Dallas last night, at the property’s Howl-O-Ween Spooktacular party benefiting no-kill animal shelter Operation Kindness.

Austin gets all the credit for being the arty city in Texas, and Houston residents probably like it that way: When no one's depending on you to bolster your state's reputation, you get a lot more work done! But the city where "Reality Bites" and "Rushmore" were filmed is stepping into the limelight with next month's Cinema Arts Festival Houston.

Held November 11 to 15, the fest says it focuses on "films by and about artists," offering events like a conversation with screenwriter Guillermo Arriaga ("Babel") Nov. 13 and a screening of the new documentary "Yes Men Fix The World" with one of the Yes Men, who have been wreaking havoc in Washington D.C. this week with fake press conferences and silly costumes—that's on November 14 and 15.

Kelly Crabb competed in Season 13 of The Amazing Race, taking 6th place with her best friend, Christy. Coined as "America's Divorcee," this freelance writer and travel enthusiast lives life to its fullest in Houston, Texas and remains "bitchy with a heart of gold." Here she recaps the latest Amazing Race/Survivor alumni event in Texas:

Stars of reality shows don’t always return to normal, everyday life. After such an eye-opening experience, most go on to alter their lives by making special appearances, continuing to travel the world, posing for pictures like a regular celebrity, working towards good causes, and some even hold political offices. Of course it's even more drastic if you win a reality show, as they usually drop work altogether.

Houston’s Jolanda Jones of Survivor: Palau, and now Houston City Council Member, has put on The Houston Survivor Challenge now for the second year in a row. Many reality stars from different shows were in attendance this year, including the event’s Emcee, Uchenna Agu, Winner of Season 7 of The Amazing Race.

Who else was there, after the jump>

The pink hotel craze continues but the latest hotel to use pink in its rooms is doing it for a good cause. The Hotel Derek in Houston has created five guest rooms designed for the female traveler (uh oh, paging gender neutralists) and 10 percent of the room rate will go towards the Houston chapter of the Susan G. Komen for the Cure.

Pink décor complements each of the guest rooms and includes luxurious bedding, bathroom accessories, as well as a cozy robe and slippers. A unique feature of the Lady Pink rooms is the wellness bar and soothing spa music atop each nightstand.

Room rates start at $289 a night during hte week

Remember when we were sorta obsessed with the idea of Aloft Hotels taking over the world? The recession may have thrown a hitch in that plan — at least for the time being — but it seems world domination is alive and well in the Dallas area, where the brand’s fourth hotel, The Aloft Dallas Downtown has just opened its doors.

The newest Aloft has us excited for two reasons: 1) it’s actually located in downtown Dallas, not out in the boonies; and 2) it’s the first Aloft to also be adaptive re-use, an endeavor the brand apparently has plans to continue with future projects. Operating out of a 1924 railroad freight depot and

Ok, we're using the word "celebrity" loosely here when talking about Samantha Ronson but the DJ is often in the headlines thanks to her famous-for-being-a-wreck girlfriend, Lindsay Lohan. Still, despite what some folks think, Samantha is a rather in-demand DJ, always jetting off here and there to spin at some party, club or private event.

Last week, her work took her to Dallas where she played a party at the W Dallas. It should have been a quickie in and out but thanks to airport delays, her United flight got grounded. And apparently, even dating Lindsay Lohan will not get you special treatment when rescheduling your flight. Samantha tweeted:

yeah it really sucks- they told me they could get me there tomorrow- hmmm- f*ck you very much UNITED.

She then went on to tweet that she prefers American over United and that she learned her lesson a long time ago about checking musical instruments as an Italian airline once lost her guitar. Oh, if only she made a clever YouTube video about it she could have been reimbursed!

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Related Stories:
· Twitter stories [Jaunted]

Hey there tech geeks: next time you find yourself in need of a hotel room in Houston, consider spending the night at the Hotel Sorella which will open on August 16. That's because the hotel promises to have a plug panel that includes bluetooth stereo for guests in-room--meaning they can play music from their iPhones or other Bluetooth-enabled devices through the rooms's TV speakers.

We got the tip from someone who works for the plug panel technology. Here's how it all went down:

I work for a hotel technology supplier and we are installing our first MediaHub panel with stereo Bluetooth at the Hotel Sorella in Houston. I know I've seen a few people chatting

We suppose Texas is the place to roll out the new looks for the big brands: first, Le Meridien got its new identity goin' in Dallas — and now Four Points by Sheraton has unveiled the brand's "refreshed" new identity down in San Antonio.

Today's opening of the Four Points by Sheraton San Antonio Northwest also marks the launch of the brand's first "prototype hotel," displaying the brand's "rejuvenated, contemporary look, complemented by classic and comfortable interior design elements refreshed for today’s self-sufficient traveler."

The San Antonio property is actually the first of three "prototypes" opening across North America this year; those new hotels are the fruits of a

In some sad news that's all too similar to last week's Disney Monorail accident, a typical small amusement park train rear-ended another, injuring 31 visitors, 27 of whom who went to the hospital. The accident happened Saturday night aboard the Shark Voyage mini-train, which runs on a 10-minute-long loop through Houston's downtown Aquairum.

According to the Chronicle, the trains "never travel faster than 7 mph, and neither train left the track. Passengers were not thrown from the trains — just jolted in their seats." That hardly sounds like the type of accident which would send so many people to the hospital.

There is good news however for anyone anticipating a visit to the Houston Aquarium this summer: the trains were back up and running yesterday, and making their famous loop through an acrylic tunnel under a 200,000-gallon shark tank. Good thing the crash didn't take place in there, we say.

Related Stories:
· Accident at downtown attractions injures 31 [KTRK-TV Houston]
· Several injured after 2 trains collide at downtown Aquarium [Houston Chronicle]
· Accidents Coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: waymarking]