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.