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.