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".