"I DON'T LOOK MY AGE"

 

Awesome little piece of collateral from the Fairmont Chateau Frontenac announcing the "Renaissance of an Icon" and an additional 15,000 square feet of meeting space - coming in Spring of 2014 - for a total of 40,000 square feet at Quebec City's "castle".

Located within the walls of the +400-year old city, the hotel offers 613 guestroom and suites including 61 prestigious Fairmont Gold rooms and "inspiring views from any one of our 23 meeting rooms".

Growing older graciously, indeed.

A Different Kind of Railway Hotel

When I think of railway hotels I think of The Royal York Hotel in Toronto, the Queen Elizabeth in Montreal, The Palliser in Calgary.....Originally CP Hotels (Canadian Pacific - as in the railway) and now flying the Fairmont flag these "Grand Dames" were built to accommodate the railway travelling public, thereby encouraging rail travel: putting bums in seats and as bodies in beds.

Adjacent to arguably the most famous railway station* in the world - Grand Central Terminal - stands the towering Grand Hyatt New York, at 42nd Street East and Park Avenue.

Newly-renovated to the tune of $130 million, $90-million of it in guestrooms alone, the Grand Hyatt New York offers 707 guestrooms and 60,000 square feet of meeting space. The rooms-to-space ratio works well for a property whose business mix is 70/30 transient-to-group.

Red and blue "gobos" welcomed the United State Tennis Association (USTA) while we were there - during the prestigious US Open Tennis Championships

The wide-open and bustling lobby mimics Grand Central Terminal in encouraging efficient movement and travel. Unlike the railway terminal, though, the Grand Hyatt features welcoming seating, free w-fi, and the serene faces of Awilda and Chloe bearing dreamlike witness "encouraging the world around them to pause and perhaps join in the dream".

*Grand Central Terminal - celebrating its 100th anniversary this year,  is not really a "station", as trains do not literally pass though it - but people do.

Bricks and Mortar

 

"This is a BIG hotel. Not convention-center big, but tall and wide, like a roll of toilet-paper if the toilet-paper was skyscraper-sized, sliced in half, and covered with windows. And was made of hotel rooms instead of toilet paper."

- Liza May

I love this description of the newly-flagged Adoba Hotel in Dearborn, Michigan. All toilet roll comparisons aside, this 772-room property, with over 60,000 square feet of meeting space (formerly owned by the Ford Motor Company, and operated as a Hyatt) does in fact feel like a Hyatt.

I thought it might have been built by the famous Atlanta architect, John Portman responsible for the iconic Hyatt Atlanta - as well as the Hyatt O'Hare, the New York Marriott Marquis, the Atlanta Marriott Marquis and many other large, atrium-style convention hotels.

Detail from the Atlanta Marriott Marquis

Nope. It was built 1976 by Charles Luckman, who became an architect after a wildly successful career in business.  President of the Pepsodent Toothpaste company, later Lever Brothers, by age 30 he was dubbed "The Boy Wonder of American Business".  His diverse architectural portfolio includes Madison Square Gardens in New York, the Hyatt Regency Dearborn (now the Adoba), the Hyatt Regency Phoenix, and the Chicago Marriott Magnificent Mile.

There's a wonderful story quoted on Wikipedia about how Luckman had been drawn to architecture:

"As a nine-year-old paper boy outside the Muehlebach Hotel [currently operated as one of the three wings of the Kansas City Marriott Downtown] in Kansas City, he asked a customer about the pretty lights and was told they were called "chandeliers". Then he asked, "Who does...Who decides on things like that?" "An architect", came the reply. "He designs the hotel and says to put the chandeliers there."  Luckman wrote in his memoir, "Right then and there I decided to become an architect."

Growing BIGGER Gracefully

For the past four years I've attended a swing dance convention a the Town & Country Resort in San Diego.  Appropriately called SwingDiego, it attracts dancers from all over the world: Europe, Scandinavia, Asia, North and South America (dancers from Brazil dominated the competitions this year) for workshops, competitions and social dancing - quite literally - all night long.

 

The "happiness problem" of an event that keeps growing in popularity is that eventually you run into space issues. If you already have a great relationship with your hotel, sometimes you have to get a little creative. This year - in anticipation of hitting the 2000 mark in attendance - the organizers took a bit of a chance moving from the elegant 17,500 square foot Golden Ballroom to the hotel's 41,000 exhibition hall.

 

 

When I heard about the change I was a little concerned about the set up: 

How were they going to accommodate a big enough dance floor amongst all those pillars?

 

The event directors came up with their own design for the exhibit-hall-turned-ballroom, maximizing the available space between the pillars for dance floor, and arranging seating at tables and on risers on three sides. Pipe and drape blocked off the fourth wall. A stage with the event logo projected as a gobo became the focal point, framed by two of the pillars (attractively lit with coloured lights) and on either side there were screens for closed-circuit coverage of the dance  competitions.

Unionized  hotel employees were responsible for rigging, but beyond that the organizers were at liberty to use whatever venders they wished. They went with the hotel's in-house provider for A/V, with a customized set up directing music more towards the dancer floor - and the dancers - and less at the audience.

Brilliantly designed for great dancing  - all night long!!!

Hockey Night in Maple Leaf Square

Forty years after being one of the first NHL coaches to allow female reporters into the dressing room Don Cherry reneged on that decision. Yeesh!

The story came to mind when re-visiting Le Germain Maple Leaf Square last week. I do love the stunning black and white photos of professional athletes that dominate the guestroom décor, and perhaps not surprisingly women react a bit more to the expanse of male skin and sculpted muscle; men are totally blasé - possibly because of all that locker room experience?

Speaking of "hitting the showers", Maple Leaf Square is one of five Canadian-owned and managed luxury boutique hotels under the Le Germain banner, all of which feature the chain's signature glass-walled rain-water shower. You can actually watch television while taking a shower - never missing a moment of the playoffs ;)

The hotel is ideally located (for sports fans) adjacent to the Air Canada Centre. The coveted 'Penalty Box' meeting room overlooks the giant screen which is the focus of tailgate parties with live music in the square.

GO LEAFS!

Smoke and Mirrors

That expression is usually associated with deception or an attempt to fool an audience in a clever manner, but in this case it's being used to describe the design features and colour schemes of the new guestrooms unveiled - and occupied for the first time this week - at the Fairmont Royal York Hotel. In fact there are two colour schemes, red and blue, supported by smoky sheers, grey marble, and inlaid mirrors.

Local art adorns the walls, including black and white photography celebrating the hotel's history as one of Canada's famed railway hotels. Thoughtfully, there are abundant (and discreet) electrical outlets for all your devices, an ample desk with ergonomically designed chair, and even a bedside work station.

The guestroom hallways have been completely gutted and redesigned as well, from carpet to wall-covering, crown molding and light fixtures.

Eighty (80) renovated guestrooms are available now for groups of up 50 rooms on peak.  This kind of a block is nicely "paired" with the hotel's executive meeting space on the 19th floor.  By mid-June there will be another 120 new rooms available.

A Royal Welcome

 

  

Canada's first luxury hotel, the King Edward (or King Eddy - as we all call it) is celebrating its 110th anniversary with a $110 rate and program of special events and amenities throughout the month of May, such as the unveiling of History Wall, specially re-created food and beverage offerings and, of course, afternoon tea.

It's not all about the past, though.  The King Edward Hotel recently transformed three floors to luxury condos - owners are now taking occupancy - and renovations have begun on its 301 guestrooms.

The updated look manages to be both traditional and contemporary - with rich marble and oversized mirrors, sleek, dark wood, and a restful palette of putty, taupe, and ivory punched up with red or (royal) purple.  I love that they've brought the hotel's original crown logo back; not shown here, the throw pillow on the bed will be emblazoned with the King Eddy crown.

The first floor of new guestrooms is expected to be ready by the end of August or early September. Renovations will continue floor-by-floor and likely be complete by the end of 2014.  The hotel has also renovated its large, windowed fitness centre and filled it with brand new equipment.

Laughing out Loud in the Muskokas

 

The gorgeous JW Marriott Rousseau is hosting the Cottage Country Comedy Festival featuring comedians Dave Hemstad (alumnus of the Halifax Comedy Festival, Just For Laughs, and CBC's The Debaters), Kate Davis, Graham Chittenden, and Tim Nutt. 

Special packages available May 9-11, 2013 with rates starting from $259:

• luxurious accommodation for two for arrival May 9th or 10th
• breakfast for two at Cottages
• two tickets to the comedy festival Friday, May 10th

Dinner reservations are recommended for Teca - and don't miss the Spa!!

 

The Toast of Texas

 

Always a sucker for historic hotels, I couldn't resist a peak inside The Driskill while visiting Austin, Texas recently. Pre-dating the nearby Texas State Capital building by couple of years, the Driskell Hotel opened its doors in 1886 to much fanfare, and has survived many reversals of fortune to operate today as one of the finest luxury hotels in the state - and apparently a Hyatt!  The lobby is wonderfully grand, all marble and stained glass, and the bar - pure Texas, with stars, bull horns, and cow-hide upholstery.

 The hotel straddles 7th and 6th Streets, the latter being Austin's answer to Beale Street in Memphis, or the French Quarter in New Orleans.  Being the Live Music Capitol of the World, the party atmosphere is amped up by live music flowing from nearly doorway. (True story: I was in a club one night, where there was a band playing and people dancing, and I had to take a phone call. I went outside so I could hear better, but it was louder on the street than inside!)

With 189 guestrooms  - I'll have to arrange to see one the next time I'm there - and 18,000 square feet of meeting space, I'm guessing it's *the* place to get married in Austin. A deejay friend who lives there is very familiar with the space, and related a story about a bride tossing her bouquet from one of the balconies to the street below - traffic obligingly stopped by the local constabulary.

To the Castle Born

 

...or so I like to think!

I've been watching too much Downton Abbey, I think, but our welcome to "Canada's Castle in the Rockies", was as grand and gracious as an Crawley could expect.

Styled after a Baronial Scottish castle, The Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel is majestic in stature, and in capacity, with 768 guestrooms and over 76,600 square feet of function space. 

In winter, alpine enthusiasts have their choice of, and shuttle service to Mount Norquay (just 10 minutes away) Sunshine Village (25 minutes), and Lake Louise (45 minutes). In summer, The Fairmont Banff Springs Golf Course offers 27 holes of championship golf. 

It should come to no surprise that an area renowned for its hot springs that there should be an award-winning Spa dedicated to the ancient rituals of "taking the waters", in this case the Fairmont-branded Willow Stream Spa offers the requisite hot and cold mineral baths and thermal pools as well as a wide range of hands-on treatments.

 

 

Rocky Mountain High

Limo to the airport, WestJet flight to Calgary, Brewster coach to Lake Louise (~an hour and 45 minutes), then this:

 

  

 

a sleigh ride along the frozen the lake and back to the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise, accompanied by Baileys-infused hot chocolate and the sound of sleigh bells. Magical!

At an elevation of 5,449 feet (1661 m) Lake Louise is the highest community in Canada, followed by Banff at 4,537 feet (1383 m), and more than twice as high as Whistler Village: 2,214 feet (675 m). This means a lot more of the white stuff.  So while Torontonians are chomping on their bits for patio season to start in March, ski season is still going strong in one of the largest ski resorts in North America, with over 4,200 skiable acres and 113 named runs.

The original Lake Louise Chalet, built in 1890, was designed to be "a hotel for the outdoor adventurer and alpinist". Skiing, snowshoeing, skating, hiking frozen canyons - and in the summer months: canoeing, horseback riding, mountaineering....It would be easy to forget that the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise is a well-appointed conference resort, offering 36,000 square feet of function space, all the latest technological systems, and excellent load-in/load-out capabilities within a purpose-built convention centre completed in 2004.

Mt. Temple Ballroom

 



From Sea to Sky

There are times when the fog is so thick you don't even see the mountains, and it can be overcast and rainy for days and days, yet Vancouver can also be almost unbelievably beautiful - so it's definitely one of those places where you appreciate a room with a view.

The Westin Bayshore self-identifies as the city's only urban resort. Surrounded on three sides by water,  85% of its over 500 guestrooms overlook picturesque Coal Harbour - with floor-to-ceiling windows no-less.  Indoor and outdoor pools, a brand new Vida Spa, branded Westin Workout facilites, sure - but this is a hard-working conference hotel, with over 70,000 square feet of meeting space, including a ~16,000 square foot ballroom. 

Host hotel for the 2010 Winter Games, the Westin Bayshore was completely renovated in 2009 and is showing beautifully. 

And the views are pretty awesome, too.