Just Right

I had a "Goldilocks" moment in my local Starbucks yesterday.

All the tables were taken so I headed for a spot on the big cushy leather couch. "Cushy" was right - I sunk in, and back, most uncomfortably. This would not do! So I tried the adjacent armchair - too hard.  Back to the couch where I arranged a cushion behind me and pronounced "Just Right".

And it struck me: this is what I do - with hotels! I find the "Just Right" hotel for meetings and conferences. Not too big for those smaller groups that would get lost in a large convention facility. Not too small for the association that requires a spacious tradeshow hall for face-to-face time with vendors and sponsors. Enough breakout rooms for those pharma meetings, but not too luxurious as to contravene RX and D restrictions. City centre or resort, depending on mobility and off-site programs.

And always in my cross-hairs: the budget and concessions that will make the venue "Just Right".

How Green is your Hotel?

I was at a reception last week hosted by Canopy - celebrating, among other things, the development of "second harvest" paper made from straw.  They had a live auction for the last of a special edition of Margaret Atwood's new book, In Other Worlds, printed on said paper.  Many of the guests are involved in environmental organisations, and when I said what it was that I do for a living the question was raised: What hotel (or chain) is the "greenest"?

Very good question.

My first response was that new-builds are being designed to be more environmentally responsible, and one of the hotels that came to mind was the Delta Guelph, with its green roof, and lights on timers.  I'm pretty sure that the Ritz-Carlton Toronto is part of the system of downtown office buildings being cooled by the waters of Lake Ontario.

When I got home I happened to pick up a copy of Meetings and Conventions magazine featuring an advertorial about ARIA Resort in Las Vegas.  According to the advertorial:

"...ARIA is one of the largest buildings in the United States to receive LEED Gold certification from the U.S. Green Building Council. The property utilizes recycled wood from responsibly managed forests and advanced technology to attain a 30 percent improvement of energy efficiency. ARIA has received a five key [highest] rating from the Green Key Eco-Rating Program for its ongoing operational commitment to sustainability."

The Hotel Association of Canada (HAC) reverts to the same Green Key Eco-Rating Program, but there's also a Green Leaf rating system through the Top Canadian Hotels website, dedicated to green travel.

It's all somewhat confusing, and I'd love to know your comments. Does a the "green-ness" of a venue affect your hotel selection for a meeting or conference?  Or for personal travel?

To be continued.

Another Prime Pairing

Newer, but from same designer as Grande Lakes, the Hilton Orlando Bonnet Creek and Waldorf Astoria Orlando offer 1000 and 500 guestrooms respectively on a 482-acre resort property in the heart of Walt Disney World - practically walking distance to Downtown Disney. Total meeting space for both properties exceeds 150,000 sq.ft.. Guests of either hotel may enjoy the 22-treatment room Guerlain Spa, and Rees Jones Championship 18-hole Golf Course. 

The Hilton Orlando Bonnet Creek's award-winning Italian restaurant
La Luce features chalkboard art, drawn *live* every three months.

The Waldorf Astoria Orlando pays homage to its renowned ancestor in the form of Art Deco style features, and a replica clock in the lobby.

Updated version of famed Peacock Alley

Both hotels and golf course opened October 1st, 2009 – the anniversary of the 1931 opening of the Waldorf Astoria in New York.

Booking to Exhale?

The Travel Section of this weekend's Globe and Mail featured an article ("Forget the pillow menu, what's the gym like?") about how guests' workout preferences drive their hotel choices.  The percentage of discerning and - no doubt fit - travellers (8% as estimated by the Preston Robert Tisch Center for Hosptality, Tourism and Sports Management at New York University) is "a substantial potential market share".

There can be a real difference between older hotels, where fitness centres were obviously accommodated as an afterthought, and new-builds which take their gyms seriously, as both an amenity and a revenue stream. In some cases hotels opt out of the fitness (and spa) biz altogether, oursourcing to experts and established brands.

 

Exhale at the Loews Atlanta Hotel

 



Grande Expectations

Imagine a resort comprised of Marriott hotels' two luxury brands: JW Marriott and Ritz Carlton. Now imagine that resort situated on 500 acres of lush nature reserve featuring 13 Lakes (yes - you can fly-fish on property!) and a Championship 18-hole, par 72 Greg Norman golf course. Connect those two hotels with 150,000 feet of indoor meeting space (the outdoor options are almost limitless) and a *fabulous* 40-treatment-room spa. Voila!  There you have the Grande Lakes Orlando resort, just 10 miles from Orlando Airport and an eternity away from the plastic theme parks one normally associates with the destination.

Boutique de Jour

The Gault is another shining example of Montreal's boutique hotel model: a historic structure repurposed with an ultra-modern sensibility - and iPads available for guest use!  Located in the heart of Old Montreal with just 30 unique guestrooms (including loft-style suites and studios with private terraces) this would be an ideal choice for a "buyout". Yes, your group could have run of the entire hotel: an urban retreat.  Meetings for 10-24 people can be accommodated in a variety of spaces, including a conference room slated for expansion in the coming months.  Guestrooms are also due to be refreshed with new soft goods and additional decor designed to provide a more residential feel.  http://www.hotelgault.com/

Best Line in a Hotel Review E-ver

In an article about the post 9/11 revitalization of the Financial District of Lower Manhattan, rooms at Thompson Hotels' Gild Hall are described as:  "a mix of stocks and bonds, James Bond, and just plain bondage."*

Said guestrooms feature beds with custom-made 400 thread count SFERRA linens, custom headboards by Jim Walrod, 12-foot ceilings with antique brass chandeliers, luxurious bathrooms with marble floors, oversized terrycloth robes by Frette, bathroom amenities by C.O. Bigelow, LCD flat-screen TVs, and iPod docks. Mini-bars feature (New York favourite) Dean & Deluca gourmet snacks.

One of five Thompson Hotels in New York, Gild Hall's Library Bar can accommodate 32 guests for a private dinner, or you can party like a rock star in its 850 square foot Penthouse Suite.

*Siri Agrell of The Globe and Mail

Island Dreams Coming True

One of the biggest challenges Prince Edward Island has had attracting large conventions (or accommodating multiple groups over high demand periods) has been a lack of appropriate meeting space. Well, all that is about to change with the construction of a new Convention Centre on the city's waterfront, directly attached to the Delta Prince Edward.

The $17.5 million dollar project is already underway, driving pilons and creating land where there wasn't before.  The end result will essentially double the size of the exisiting hotel ballroom to over 24,000 square feet, as well as providing additional breakout rooms to what the hotel already offers.  All the new space will be definitively "waterfront".

Completion date is anticipated to be sometime in March 2013..

JIMMY looks YUMMY

Guests of The James Hotel in New York may enjoy its sexy rooftop pool with a thoughtful "pool package", complete with signature flip-flops, Sunbum sunscreen, a reserved chaise lounge, and a couple of JIMMY cocktails. Let the pool party begin!  The hotel will also provide a "Turn-Over Call" for those cultivating an even tan - or perhaps a "Re-Apply Sunscreen!" reminder for us at-risk types.

Chair Wars?

Do you remember when Westin launched it's "Heavenly Bed"?  It wasn't long before other hotels - and even other Starwood brands - came out with their own consistent, brand-standard beds in all of their properties.  In the business we have jokingly referred to this era in hotel marketing as the "Bed Wars".

Well, Sheraton is leading the charge in - of all things - banquet chairs. Their appeal rests with two key features:

1.  A shelf underneath the seat where books or perhaps a lap-top - or definitely an iPad or Playbook - could be stored.

2.  A hook on the back of each chair - for a purse or knapsack.

I can certainly see the usefulness for both, particularly in a tight theatre-seating set-up.  What do you think?  Will banquet chairs be the new beds?

If I Had a Million Dollars

Le Royal Monceau in Paris is one of those legendary hotels that has managed to survive the upheavals of history and still boast a guestbook that includes artists, heads of state, and pop royalty such as Michael Jackson and Madonna. Now a member of the Raffles group of hotels (read: luxury brand well-known throughout Asia  named for the eponymous property in Singapore where the Singapore Sling was "invented" and kissing cousin to Fairmont Hotel and Resorts), and owned by a Qatar investment company (read: extremely deep pockets), Le Royal Monceau Raffles reopened in October of last year following a two-year renovation project under the direction of design guru Phillippe Starck (read: unconventional, whimsical, and at times surreal).

So why would this property - with a standard guestroom rate of over $1000 a night - be on my if-I-won-the-lottery bucket list?  Mostly it has to do with the property's fierce approach to art.

• It has carpets that double as art (one with an artichoke and a horse resemblesa surrealist painting)
• Sculptures in the form of a family of life-sized wooden deer adorn the second-floor landing
• Bedside lampshades are covered in the writings of Malraux "as if he has woken up and recorded his dreams in a fit of panic"
• Artificial sugar packets read "Ceci n'est pas du sucre" - a nod to Belgian artist Rene Magritte
• An on-premises Art Concierge hooks up guests for after hours gallery tours or meetings with local artists
• The hotel's weekly newsletter "Art for Breakfast" lists a selection of can't miss shows (and the blog artforbreakfast.com is updated daily)

My own, more refined version of "Night at the Museum".



Older Sister Gets a Makeover

I absolutely adore - and have written here about - Le Westin Montreal. “She” has certainly enjoyed the spotlight since opening a couple of years ago – and rightly so, for her prime location across from the Palais de Congres and bordering on Old Montreal, her generous space-to-rooms ratio, and branded Westin amenities which garner well-deserved customer loyalty. Oh – and you just might be met by a mermaid swimming above you as you arrive….

Not to be overlooked, though is Le Centre Sheraton – located near the Via Rail station, the Bell Centre, Crescent Street, and all the fabulous shopping on St. Catherine Street – AND whose guestroom renovations completed in November 2009 resulted in each of her 825 rooms receiving a $23,000 facelift. The lobby also benefitted from some of the $24 million attention, with new Front Desk “pods” and the Sheraton-branded lobby internet lounge known as “The Link”. Next on the multi-million dollar To-Do List are the meeting rooms (Le Centre Sheraton boasts a 13,000 sq.ft. grand ballroom and two 4,000 sq.ft. junior ballooms), the atrium lobby, and expanded health and fitness facilities. The Cafe Bar, too, will see some improvements – but please don’t change it too much – we really dig it as it is.

One thing that the Sheraton brand of hotels has that Westin Hotels don’t is a Club Lounge, and the one at Le Centre Sheraton Montreal is “magnifique”. It, too, will be see some changes in the upcoming round of renovations.

Transforming a Mess

The third installment of the Transformers franchise, Dark Side of the Moon, is set in Chicago and features the destruction of the luxury boutique hotel, Hotel 71. Okay, so the damage – which extends to a five-block radius of the hotel - is computer-generated, but the “set” still had to be decorated with real debris. Far from turning away guests in all this mess, the hotel capitalized on being at the centre of such cinematic carnage by advertising its starring role. Transformer fans eagerly checked in and watched the filming from a privileged point of view.

Fit to be Tried

Looking for a corporate gift your attendees will actually keep - and use?  How about using that gift to announce the destination of your next incentive trip or annual sales meeting? Maui Jim offers fun and interactive custom sunglass fittings on-site, offering a quality product with excellent perceived value.



Change is Good

I've always been a fan of Hockley Valley Resort, with its spacious guestrooms - all under one roof - self-contatined conference centre, its own 18-hole links-style golf course, and 8,000 sq. ft. "to-die-for" spa...
But it had been awhile since I had seen the resort - and their renovated product.

They've been busy.

The hotel's lobby is totally unrecognizable from previously - in a good way. Gone, as well, is the the country-style dining room; in its place is a hip restaurant and bar - perfect for convivial post-meeting networking .  And the guestrooms?  Let's just say that those floral bedspreads won't be missed.

The resort has also used a portion of their vast 300 acres to create their own garden - growing produce for their kitchen. Talk about locavore!  Amongst their bountiful harvest: four varieties of beets, five kinds of carrots, three types of cucumbers, six lettuces, tomatoes (five standard varieties and five Heirloom)...the list goes on, and I'm getting hungry!

Colour My Meeting World

This Daily Hot Idea came in recently from Meetings & Conventions:

The Trump SoHo in New York used a simple change of colour scheme to add some excitement to a recent all-day meeting. During each break the ballroom was re-set with different coloured glassware, candies (e.g. red Swedish Fish and blue M&Ms), and different brands of water, such as Saratoga in its beautiful cobalt blue bottles.

Off the Beaten Track

Sure, on paper Dundas and Jarvis is not the most "fashionable" address, but the astute business traveller checking into the Hilton Garden Inn Toronto/City Centre will enjoy a newly-renovated guestroom (Jacuzzi suites are especially popular), a reasonably priced hot buffet breakfast, inexpensive parking, and complimentary shuttle service throughout the downtown core. The spacious lobby will soon include a licensed lounge, and there's a Casey's restaurant onsite serving lunch and dinner with private rooms available to groups. Three meeting rooms in the hotel accommodate up to 80 people classroom.

New Heights in Team-Building

How's this for a Team-Building activity? The CN Tower's Edgewalk will take participants on a "hands-free" walk outside the tower's main pod 1,168 ft. – 116 stories – above the ground.

Groups of six to eight at a time will be lead by a trained Edgewalk guides while being attached to an overhead rail via a trolley and harness system.

The entire experience will run 1.5 hours, with the walk itself lasting 20 to 30 minutes.

Tickets go on sale starting June 1st.

The Trumping of Toronto

Expect the new Trump International Hotel & Tower Toronto to exude an air of Old Hollyood glamour, with a "Champaign and Caviar" colour scheme and luxe finishings throughout....but patience, dahling. This kind of attention to detail takes time.

Assistant Director of Sales Carla Olivier holds an artist's rendition of the Grand Staircase joining the two meeting room floors.

Plans and pictures of the meeting space located on the 9th and 10th floors. The 3,155 sq. ft. Grand Salon, and 3,737 sq. ft. Grand Ballroom - each divisable by three - will offer ample pre-function space.

Nearly half of the hotel's 261 guestooms will be one- or two-bedroom suites featuring fireplaces, separate powder rooms, and sofa beds along with such "standard" amenities as 42" flat-screen TVs, in-mirror bathroom televisions, deep soaking tubs with separate rainfall or hand-held shower, and European style wet bars.

There will be a signature restaurant and bar on the 31st floor, as well as the Destination Lounge in the lobby. The Spa at Trump will occupy 18,000 sq.ft, and fitness facilities will include steam baths, sauna, and indoor swimming pool.

No date has been announced for the opening - which is sure to be grand.

You're the Boss

One of Canadian Outback Adventure's most popular new team-building acitivities is called "Cake Boss". Loosely based on the television show of the same name it allows participants to get down and sticky with icing and fondant to achieve a wide variety of goals and objectives.  The above entry is a confectionary depiction of one of Canadian Outback's other successful events, the Olympic Challenge.

Hot Hot Hot!

Congratulations to the Thompson Toronto for being the only Canadian hotel to make it on Conde Nast Traveler's 15th Annual Hot List of new hotels.

Other "hot" properties in North America include:

• the exciting new Cosmopolitan Hotel in Las Vegas, with almost 3,000 guestrooms and already famous Chandelier Bar.

• the luxurious Rosewood San Miguel de Allende in historic central Mexico.
 
• the JW Marriott Chicago - an architectural masterpiece repurposed with $396 million in restorations

• the Waikiki Edition in Honolulu - designed by Ian Schrager in partnership with Marriott.

 
•  Starwood's funkiest brand in Texas's funkiest city: the W Hotel Austin

• Andaz 5th Avenue - representing Hyatt's foray into the lifestyle/business hotel
  concept.

 
See the full list of 124 hot new hotels and resorts worldwide here.

Free Wi-Fi Everywhere (!)

I seem to spend a lot of time at airports. Luckily most of them, like Toronto's Pearson, offer complimentary and hassle-free Internet service - but seriously?  Is this really necessary?

Into the Swing of Things

A sure sign that Spring has Sprung?  It was wall-to-wall GOLF in the travel section of the Globe and Mail today.

Although golfing in England was the cover story, four North American resorts were cited for having the "most mojo" - and not just for their courses.

The Torrey Pines Hilton - La Jolla, California, where Globe sports editor Tom Maloney suggests taking "a break from golf to hike the bluffs down to Black's Beach."

Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge - Jasper National Park, Alberta. According to golf travel writer Brian Kendall: "The only thing missing from this iconic Canadian setting is a red-coated mountie standing on guard at the first tee." 

Half Moon Bay Ritz Carlton - Half Moon Bay, California. "Sit on the cliffs at sunset watching the ocean, sipping a find Napa cab..." suggests hockey writer and golfer Bruce Dowbiggin.

Fox Harb'r - Wallace, Nova Scotia. John Marcheson, editor of Golfcanada.ca recommends "indulging in one of the signature spa treatments". The Spa at Fox Harb'r also offers a Men's Executive Menu of services such as Sports Pedicures and Man-icures, as well as a wide range of therepeutic massages.

All of the above resorts have meeting facilities of course, offering an environment in which to focus clearly on agenda items before any much-needed R&R.

Hockey Night in Western Canada

'Nucks fans in Vancouver can watch the playoffs in style in the Shangri-la hotel Vancouver's state-of-the-art Blue Moon Theatre. From just $500 you can book this private screening room with 9x5 foot screen, plush leather seating, private bartender, and complimentary Truffle popcorn. Beverages and additional food charged on consumption, and if you don't want to have to worry about driving - you can get a room.

Meetings Matter 2011

Meetings Matter was the theme of ConferenceDirect's Annual Partner Meeting, held this year at the historic Omni Shoreham Hotel during the National Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington, D.C., and like all good conference themes it was supported by content that reminded us of the economic impact meetings have on communities, associations, and businesses of all kind. We also discussed meeting trends such as virtual meeting (as adjuncts to face-to-face meetings),  mobile applications specifically for meetings and conferences, and managing costs through building Stratigic Meetings Management Programs (SMMPs) - and specifically how ConferenceDirect can deliver these solutions to our clients.

Our opening night Awards Gala (hosted by Hyatt Hotels) was held - not in a hotel - but in the National Museum of Women in the Arts. It was a beautiful and fitting venue, since more female ConferenceDirect Associates were honoured this year than in any other year of the company's history.

Another off-site highlight was the W Washington, formerly the esteemed Washington Hotel. We enjoyed a casual lunch in a function room on the top floor adjacent to the popular P.O.V. Lounge with a view of the White House.

"Laissez Les Bons Temps Rouler"

They're partying in Brazil - and in New Orleans - where the tradition of celebrating Mardi Gras can be traced back to French-Canadian explorers in 1703.

It was about three years ago that ConferenceDirect held its Annual Partner Meeting in "N'Awlins", and my colleague Kelly Cyr and I spent a day exploring some of the city's finest hotels. The Quarter - post-Katrina - was looking better than I'd ever seen it, and since then air lift from Canada has improved considerably.

HOTEL MONTELONE
One of only three 4-Diamond hotels located in the famed French Quarter, this historic property is 4th generation family owned and operated and has recently undergone $65 million in renovations. With 600 guestrooms and more than 21,000 sq.ft. of meeting space, the hotel offers a wide range of modern amenities including a business centre and wireless internet access amid a decidedly historic ambiance (complete with requisite ghostly sightings!). The barstools of the famous Carousel Bar are brightly painted with circus animals, and the bar itself, covered with a gilded canopy, actually revolves like a real carousel.

THE RITZ CARLTON NEW ORLEANSComparable in size (with 527 guestrooms and over 23,000 sq.ft. of meeting space) and replete with original artworks, this luxury property is located on Canal Street, at the edge of the French Quarter and three blocks away from the Garden District. Elegant and luxurious, the hotel showed beautifully. Even the green and purple Mardi-gras colour scheme in some of the guest rooms worked. Billed as the city’s only full-service spa, the Ritz-Carlton Spa is a 20,000 sq.ft facility featuring its own Fitness and Wellness Centre, Beauty Salon, and Café which can be used for companion programs and lunches.

JW MARRIOTT NEW ORLEANS
I remember this hotel when it was Le Meridien New Orleans, and although re-flagged, the property retains its European sensibilities, including an intimate lobby and Gallic touches such as the signature “Ile de France” Ballroom. The 494 rooms and suites feature Marriott Revive beds and linens, and there’s 19,000 sq.ft. of meeting space. Like the Ritz, the JW Marriott is located on Canal Street, across from the French Quarter, and within walking distance of various attractions and a wide variety of shopping options.

WINDSOR COURT
Topping the Ritz ever-so-slightly on the luxury meter, the Windsor Court is the only hotel in New Orleans rated with both 4 Stars and 4 Diamonds. With a disproportionate number of suites (264) versus regular/deluxe guestrooms (58) guests are treated to an exceptional VIP experience. The largest “Chinoiserie” ballroom is just over 4,500 sq.ft. and is representative of the intimate and elegant function space available. Located just behind Harrah’s Casino, The Windsor Court is a short walk from the French Quarter, shopping, and riverfront attractions.

RENAISSANCE ARTS HOTELCan you say “Tchoupitoulas Street”? That’s where this boutique-like property is located, in what’s known as the city’s “Warehouse District”, a stone’s throw from the New Orleans Convention Centre. In fact the hotel itself is built in a remodeled 1910 warehouse, updated with modern amenities, a whimsical décor, and original contemporary art, much of it local. With just over 200 guestrooms and 5,000 sq.ft. of meeting space, the Renaissance Arts is compact in size but “full” on service.

Always Unique, Always Memorable

There’s something about a site inspection of the Park Hyatt Toronto.

Over the years I’ve taken numerous clients to tour their facilities. The experience is anything but “cookie cutter”.

We’re talking about an industry where the product is differentiated more by service than anything else. After all, a bed is a bed is a bed, and a function room is no more than a big empty box. The Park Hyatt Toronto recognizes and capitalizes on its key selling points while addressing the client’s and the program’s unique requirements. At the same time they turn the site inspection itself into what you hope your meeting or function to be: a meaningful experience, to inspire and/or be remembered.

Just sayin’.

And the Winner is...

My (admittedly biased) pick for Best Scene in an Oscar-nominated film: the zero-gravity hotel in Inception.

Enjoy the Academy Awards this Sunday.

In the Vault

Really – you can have your meeting or event *inside* a real bank vault.

The repurposed space is a remnant of the building's former life as the head office of Canada's first bank. One King West - the hotel, which opened in 2006 - has retained its original circular door (four feet thick and weighing 40 tonnes) making The Vault a unique meeting venue and popular topic of conversation. One King West is currently using it as a temporary restaurant while renovations continue to its lobby – expanding Henri’s Bar, adding an internet lounge, and reconfiguring the area where the breakfast buffet is normally staged.

One of the hotel's other prime meeting spaces is the Banking Hall, with ornate two-storey high ceilings and purportedly the "longest bar in North America", modelled after the original tellers' counter.

One King West specializes in extended stays, offering both kitchen and laundry facilities in each of its modern suites, but is equally suited for shorter stays and medium-sized corporate meetings & events.

A Refreshing Brand Standard

Free bottled water in Four Points by Sheraton guestrooms.

Oh - and free Internet, too.

Finding Nemo a Room with a View

The Canadian design company Umbra - celebrating 30 years of adding fun and style to our most basic household objects - has come up with this fun and funky fishbowl inspired, one supposes, by a stay in a hip boutique hotel.