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.