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.

A Royal Welcome

 

  

Canada's first luxury hotel, the King Edward (or King Eddy - as we all call it) is celebrating its 110th anniversary with a $110 rate and program of special events and amenities throughout the month of May, such as the unveiling of History Wall, specially re-created food and beverage offerings and, of course, afternoon tea.

It's not all about the past, though.  The King Edward Hotel recently transformed three floors to luxury condos - owners are now taking occupancy - and renovations have begun on its 301 guestrooms.

The updated look manages to be both traditional and contemporary - with rich marble and oversized mirrors, sleek, dark wood, and a restful palette of putty, taupe, and ivory punched up with red or (royal) purple.  I love that they've brought the hotel's original crown logo back; not shown here, the throw pillow on the bed will be emblazoned with the King Eddy crown.

The first floor of new guestrooms is expected to be ready by the end of August or early September. Renovations will continue floor-by-floor and likely be complete by the end of 2014.  The hotel has also renovated its large, windowed fitness centre and filled it with brand new equipment.

Laughing out Loud in the Muskokas

 

The gorgeous JW Marriott Rousseau is hosting the Cottage Country Comedy Festival featuring comedians Dave Hemstad (alumnus of the Halifax Comedy Festival, Just For Laughs, and CBC's The Debaters), Kate Davis, Graham Chittenden, and Tim Nutt. 

Special packages available May 9-11, 2013 with rates starting from $259:

• luxurious accommodation for two for arrival May 9th or 10th
• breakfast for two at Cottages
• two tickets to the comedy festival Friday, May 10th

Dinner reservations are recommended for Teca - and don't miss the Spa!!

 

The Toast of Texas

 

Always a sucker for historic hotels, I couldn't resist a peak inside The Driskill while visiting Austin, Texas recently. Pre-dating the nearby Texas State Capital building by couple of years, the Driskell Hotel opened its doors in 1886 to much fanfare, and has survived many reversals of fortune to operate today as one of the finest luxury hotels in the state - and apparently a Hyatt!  The lobby is wonderfully grand, all marble and stained glass, and the bar - pure Texas, with stars, bull horns, and cow-hide upholstery.

 The hotel straddles 7th and 6th Streets, the latter being Austin's answer to Beale Street in Memphis, or the French Quarter in New Orleans.  Being the Live Music Capitol of the World, the party atmosphere is amped up by live music flowing from nearly doorway. (True story: I was in a club one night, where there was a band playing and people dancing, and I had to take a phone call. I went outside so I could hear better, but it was louder on the street than inside!)

With 189 guestrooms  - I'll have to arrange to see one the next time I'm there - and 18,000 square feet of meeting space, I'm guessing it's *the* place to get married in Austin. A deejay friend who lives there is very familiar with the space, and related a story about a bride tossing her bouquet from one of the balconies to the street below - traffic obligingly stopped by the local constabulary.

To the Castle Born

 

...or so I like to think!

I've been watching too much Downton Abbey, I think, but our welcome to "Canada's Castle in the Rockies", was as grand and gracious as an Crawley could expect.

Styled after a Baronial Scottish castle, The Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel is majestic in stature, and in capacity, with 768 guestrooms and over 76,600 square feet of function space. 

In winter, alpine enthusiasts have their choice of, and shuttle service to Mount Norquay (just 10 minutes away) Sunshine Village (25 minutes), and Lake Louise (45 minutes). In summer, The Fairmont Banff Springs Golf Course offers 27 holes of championship golf. 

It should come to no surprise that an area renowned for its hot springs that there should be an award-winning Spa dedicated to the ancient rituals of "taking the waters", in this case the Fairmont-branded Willow Stream Spa offers the requisite hot and cold mineral baths and thermal pools as well as a wide range of hands-on treatments.