Thoughtfully Sourced. Carefully Prepared

That's the new Hyatt green initiative regarding food and beverages served in its more than 490 hotels and resorts worldwide. Driven by the farm-to-table movement, where the focus is on locally-sourced ingredients at their freshest and most desirable, this "philosophy" also supports small-farm economies and reduces the carbon foot-print of transporting food items over long distances.

At a dinner last night at the Hyatt Regency Toronto, Chef Chad Goudie introduced our delicious dinner comprised almost entirely from the bounty of Ontario's harvests. He was practically giddy talking about how wonderful it is for chefs to have free rein in the kitchen to create menus this way. 

Happy chefs make for happy guests, I think.

Oh - and I swore I wasn't going to eat dessert this week but the fresh Niagara peaches in a balsamic reduction served with a small scoop of Chapman's vanilla ice cream was irresistable!

Spamalot

Spam Spam Spam Spam
Spam Spam Spam Spam

Whenever I hear the word “spam” that Monty Python refrain starts running through my head - and I’ve been hearing it a lot lately, particularly as it refers to sending Requests for Proposals out to way too many hotels at a time, otherwise known as “RFP Spam”.

It’s a pretty hot topic. Now that the RFP process has become automated to the point that a planner can – with no more than a few clicks – send a request out to dozens of hotels at a time, the hotels are feeling inundated. The process of assessing which requests will fit, and which are most advantageous to the hotel’s bottom line, is getting bogged down under the sheer volume.

A recent article in the trade publication M&C referred to a panel discussion where “there was a general implication that the proliferation of e-RFPs was driven in part by inexperienced planners – that contacting so many properties for bids indicates a lack of focus”.

Obviously it’s vital to understand the needs of your group or program before thoroughly researching the options. ConferenceDirect has a pretty cool tool in its proprietary facility database. I can go into any hotel listing and not only review all necessary specifications, I can see which of my ~300 colleagues worldwide have booked that particular property and at what rate, when, and for how many rooms. Taking that a step further, I can reach out to a ConferenceDirect associate who may have more experience with that hotel than I do to get an unbiased “review” of everything from working with the sales office to the level of service during the delivery of the program.

All that intel helps to narrow the search to the most suitable venues, but when I’m looking to place a more, let’s say “challenging” piece of business I naturally have to throw the net a little wider. As my colleague Deborah Borak says in that same article: “I can’t send RFPs to six hotels and have five of them not have availability”. We live for giving our clients choices.

Save the Spam for John Cleese and the boys.

"I danced inside a chandelier!"

That's how I updated my Facebook status so that my all of my 'Friends' would know what a wonderful time I was having in Las Vegas.

No, I was not "swinging from a chandelier"; I was swing *dancing* in the Chandelier Bar in the lobby of the Cosmopolitan Hotel - a shiny new member of  Marriott's Autograph Collection, offering 555 guestrooms (many with private terraces) and over 100,000 sq.ft. of meeting space.

Beyond "The Strip"

View of Las Vegas "Strip" from the Green Valley Ranch pool

Okay, I'll admit it: up until a couple of weeks ago I was a "Vegas Virgin". 

Sure I *know* the Bellagio, the Four Seasons, the Wynn, the Venetian, Caesars Palace....all properties I've researched and booked on behalf of clients. However, I've never actually *been* to the gambling and partying mecca famous for bad decisions and over-the-top hotels.

After full two days and one night on The Strip, though, I was done - and grateful that the event I was attending that weekend was taking place at the Green Valley Ranch, a Five Star, Four Diamond resort in Henderson - with a beautifully appointed 40,000 sq.ft. Conference Centre.

Yes, there's gaming, but you don't have to wade your way through slot machines to get to your guest elevator, and with "only" 495 guestrooms and 80 suites GVR is, by Vegas standards, practically a boutique hotel.

I particularly loved the pool area, which the event organizers used to full advantage by taking over an entire row of cabanas and hosting a private pool party, and where - as a reformed sun-worshipper - I discovered a number of shady options.

Spa Nostalgia

Years ago when I was working at the Four Seasons Yorkville I treated myself to a weekend at the beautiful Four Seasons Las Colinas near Dallas, Texas (lounge pictured above).  It was my first - and come to think of it - only Spa Vacation I've ever taken. 

I experienced several treatments, including a wrap that had me lying in a dark room like a mummy.  The spa menu included all kinds of delicious and healthy selections, though I found it hard to fit in eating between the aquafit and Pilates classes, and working out in the the gym. I still remember an attendant coming up to me when I was on the exercise bike, bringing me a bottle of cold water and a towel. (Four Seasons service!)

All this came back to me when I read today that the *new* Four Seasons Toronto is opening October 5th with a 30,000 sq.ft. Spa - the largest of any Four Seasons Property in the world!

I think I'm going to have to book myself in for a treatment - or a weekend!!

Does Size Matter?

Well, sometimes, yes – like when you’re trying to shoe-horn your meeting set-up into a space that “on paper” seemed to work, but in reality leaves your attendees feeling like sardines. Or when a small group gets lost in an oversized box of a room. It’s all about getting the right fit.

How do Toronto’s newest luxury offerings measure up?

The Ritz-Carlton Toronto
Located on Wellington - Toronto’s new “south core”. Canadian-themed F&B outlets: TOCA (TOronto CAnada) features a “Cheese Cave”, and DEQ – with its coveted outdoor space – has been a hot spot since it opened last year.
267 guestrooms
23,000 sq.ft. of meeting space
Largest meeting room: Ritz-Carlton Ballroom - 7,400 sq.ft.

2nd Largest meeting room: Wellington Ballroom - 3,053 sq.ft.

Trump Hotel Toronto

Bay Street, Baby – on the corner of Adelaide. Food & Beverage outlets stay on message: Stock Restaurant & Bar on the 31st floor (with semi-private dining space) and SUITS Lobby Lounge. Welcomed its first official guests mid-April this year with much fanfare.

261 guestrooms

Largest meeting room: Grand Ballroom – 3,744 sq.ft.
2nd Largest meeting room: Grand Salon – 3,168 sq.ft.

Four Seasons Toronto
Migrating just a few blocks from its venerable Yorkville located at Avenue Rd. and Bloor to Bay and Yorkville Ave., the *new* Four Seasons Toronto is accepting group business from October onwards. Chef Daniel Boulud will oversee the cuisine in his eponymous restaurant/café and “dbar”.
259 guestrooms
14,300 sq.ft. of meeting space
Largest meeting room: Aria – 6,776 sq.ft.
2nd Largest meeting room: Vinci – 3,249 sq.ft.

Shangri-La Hotel Toronto

The baby of the bunch - the Asian luxury chain’s second property in Canada (a sister for the lovely Shangri-La Vancouver) due to auspiciously open on August 7th.

202 guestrooms

12,000 sq, ft. of meeting space

Largest meeting room: Queen’s Park Ballroom - 3,670 sq. ft.

2nd Largest meeting room: Museum - 1,722 sq.ft.

Recent Hard Hat Tour of the Shangri-La Toronto

"May I have your.......?"

Last week, staying up way too late to watch the season finale of Mad Men I caught the tail end of AMC’s show The Pitch. In the tense final minutes of the show, two advertising agencies were in hot competition to win the Autograph account.

The Autograph Collection of hotels is a new and unique Marriott brand – truly an “evolving ensemble” of one-of-a-kind properties – some historic and/or iconic – others new and edgy. The collection includes city hotels of all sizes and capacities, as well as large convention resorts, and exclusive retreats. Each hotel is, as one of the agencies pitches: “as unique as an autograph”.

Their creative was strikingly beautiful – but the other agency ended up winning the business with their bold, totally-outside-the-box approach – so unlike any hotel advertising I've ever seen – and soooo unlike anything Marriott has ever done.

For awhile you can see a preview of The Pitch on the Autograph hotels website: http://www.autographhotels.com/

I’m looking forward to my own first Autograph experience next week - staying at the famed Algonquin Hotel.