Just to be clear: The Kabul Intercontinental Hotel attacked by terrorists this week is not connected to the global InterContinental Hotel Group, according to the London company, which has issued press releases explaining that it lost control of the Kabul property when the Soviets invaded Afghanistan in 1979. Since then, other operators - no great respectors of trademarks or intellectual property, evidently - have continued to run the now-unaffiliated hotel under the same name.
When it comes to globalized commerce, you just never know. Back in the 1990s, on my first trip to Asia, I booked a room in the Fairmont Hotel, in Tokyo, and got a really good - which is to say low - rate. When I arrived, I found a perfectly good old-school hotel built after World War II when Japan was reconstructing. It was not affiliated with the upmarket Fairmont chain, now based in Toronto; Fairmont didn't own the rights to the name in Japan. That hotel has since closed and was demolished.
Anyway, it's a very different Intercontinental in Kabul.
Showing posts with label Fairmont Hotels and Resorts. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Fairmont Hotels and Resorts. Show all posts
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Saturday, February 19, 2011
Fairmont's 'Lifestyle Cuisine Plus'
A server in a smart uniform offered me a little glass of orange liquid with a slender green sprig in the middle at the Fairmont Hotel San Francisco's resplendent penthouse the other night. I took one. It was delicious - fresh, flavorful, with just the right amount of zing. The drink, it turns out, was a chilled Thai carrot and ginger shooter, and it is on the menu at Fairmont Hotels and Resorts' upgraded Lifestyle Cuisine Plus menus.
Fairmont San Francisco General Manager Thomas Klein says that Toronto-based Fairmont surveyed its premier-class customers - called President's Club - and found that what a sizeable number most wanted was more-healthful food while on the road. This was particularly true, Klein said, of vegans, diabetics, people with gluten intolerance and other allergies.
"We are catering to our guests, and what their needs are,'' Klein says. "When we surveyed our customers they said what they really wanted was food that is fresh, light and tastes good.''
Hence, this upgraded version of a more modest menu of healthful offerings, called Lifestyle Cuisine, that the Fairmont chain started in 2005. The new version is greatly expanded and available at all 64 of of Fairmont's hotels and resorts around the world, as of last month.
Sad to say, I wasn't able to stay for the sit-down dinner and kitchen demonstration put on for invited food, nutrition and travel writers by Fairmont San Francisco's executive chef, J.W. Foster, and the Sonoma Mission Inn's executive chef, Bruno Tison. But the earlier samples I had tasted good; they were zesty and often accented with Asian flavors and and spices. The macrobiotic-friendly ahi tuna with myoga, ginger salad and crispy wonton is one example. The diabetic-friendly Agricola Farms grass-fed beef slider, rosemary potato roll and tear-drop tomato salad is another. The rosemary and a number of other herbs come from the San Francisco hotel's rooftop garden. The multiple menu items - not just a take-it-or-leave-it vegetarian plate du jour - come from recipes created at Fairmont properties around the world, accounting for their diversity.
Will the new cuisine be outrageously expensive, pricier than other menu items? And can you get it from room service?
Yes, and no. Yes, you can order it from room service. No, it won't cost more, according to Mariano Stellner, Fairmont's corporate director of food and beverages for the Americas, who told MSNBC "Price will be driven by the prices of ingredients and the complexity of preparation.''
Fairmont is not the only hotel group responding to travelers' needs and desires for healthful food. As MSNBC noted:
"Westin Hotels' SuperFoods breakfast menu features dishes that are health-enhancing and rich in antioxidants and phytonutrients. Sheraton Hotels' healthy dining options were created by Core Performance nutritionists. Marriott Hotels and Resorts' Fit for You dishes are specially
indicated on menus and geared for those who are carbohydrate, cholesterol and fat-conscious. Hyatt Hotels offers StayFit Cuisine, healthy dishes that the company does not identify on menus, though this is slated to change shortly. And Peninsula Hotels' Naturally Peninsula dishes are nutritionally balanced options that are highlighted on menus.''
Cost, complexity and the need for staff retraining are among the drawbacks of doing special diet menus for hotels. But the trend toward more nutritious fare is clear. Some hotels, like some free-standing restaurants, serve up trendy items that are too precious for words. But hospitality- industry guru Bjorn Hanson, of New York University, says that Fairmont "seems to be more serious and dedicated in its efforts than anyone else at the national level.''
There's a long way to go get widely available healthful food on the road, but this seems like a good step in the right direction.
Fairmont San Francisco General Manager Thomas Klein says that Toronto-based Fairmont surveyed its premier-class customers - called President's Club - and found that what a sizeable number most wanted was more-healthful food while on the road. This was particularly true, Klein said, of vegans, diabetics, people with gluten intolerance and other allergies.
"We are catering to our guests, and what their needs are,'' Klein says. "When we surveyed our customers they said what they really wanted was food that is fresh, light and tastes good.''
Hence, this upgraded version of a more modest menu of healthful offerings, called Lifestyle Cuisine, that the Fairmont chain started in 2005. The new version is greatly expanded and available at all 64 of of Fairmont's hotels and resorts around the world, as of last month.
Sad to say, I wasn't able to stay for the sit-down dinner and kitchen demonstration put on for invited food, nutrition and travel writers by Fairmont San Francisco's executive chef, J.W. Foster, and the Sonoma Mission Inn's executive chef, Bruno Tison. But the earlier samples I had tasted good; they were zesty and often accented with Asian flavors and and spices. The macrobiotic-friendly ahi tuna with myoga, ginger salad and crispy wonton is one example. The diabetic-friendly Agricola Farms grass-fed beef slider, rosemary potato roll and tear-drop tomato salad is another. The rosemary and a number of other herbs come from the San Francisco hotel's rooftop garden. The multiple menu items - not just a take-it-or-leave-it vegetarian plate du jour - come from recipes created at Fairmont properties around the world, accounting for their diversity.
Will the new cuisine be outrageously expensive, pricier than other menu items? And can you get it from room service?
Yes, and no. Yes, you can order it from room service. No, it won't cost more, according to Mariano Stellner, Fairmont's corporate director of food and beverages for the Americas, who told MSNBC "Price will be driven by the prices of ingredients and the complexity of preparation.''
Fairmont is not the only hotel group responding to travelers' needs and desires for healthful food. As MSNBC noted:
"Westin Hotels' SuperFoods breakfast menu features dishes that are health-enhancing and rich in antioxidants and phytonutrients. Sheraton Hotels' healthy dining options were created by Core Performance nutritionists. Marriott Hotels and Resorts' Fit for You dishes are specially
indicated on menus and geared for those who are carbohydrate, cholesterol and fat-conscious. Hyatt Hotels offers StayFit Cuisine, healthy dishes that the company does not identify on menus, though this is slated to change shortly. And Peninsula Hotels' Naturally Peninsula dishes are nutritionally balanced options that are highlighted on menus.''
Cost, complexity and the need for staff retraining are among the drawbacks of doing special diet menus for hotels. But the trend toward more nutritious fare is clear. Some hotels, like some free-standing restaurants, serve up trendy items that are too precious for words. But hospitality- industry guru Bjorn Hanson, of New York University, says that Fairmont "seems to be more serious and dedicated in its efforts than anyone else at the national level.''
There's a long way to go get widely available healthful food on the road, but this seems like a good step in the right direction.
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Net-centric Nonsense II
A few days back, I wrote a post arguing that it didn't much matter that the Egyptian government cut off Internet and most mobile phone service in Egypt, because passionate protestors intent on bringing down the government will find a way to organize anyway. The government apparently agrees with that, as it has restored service when, as predicted, the many thousands of demonstrators didn't go away. Although several U.S. new-media companies hailed with some fanfare the workarounds they came up with to allow Egyptians to resume Tweeting, blogging, etc., the protestors did quite fine on their own while offline, thank you.
The more serious government media policy - I guess I should say alleged government policy - is allowing armed thugs to attack international reporters at the scene, even as these same thugs wade into crowds of protestors while on horseback or astride camels. The potential for ever-more serious violence is ever-present, with the Army apparently holding the balance of power. As the first groups of international travelers - many flown out of Cairo on charter flights arranged by their own national governments - are making clear, there has been plenty of violence in Egypt already. Many erstwhile tourists describe scary scenes of having to clear numerous checkpoints - some manned by government sympathizers, some by anti-government protesters, some by neighborhood vigilantes - on their way to the airport in Heliopolis.
Some of these trips took hours - only to be followed by many more hours spent trying to catch a commercial or chartered flight out of the country. News reports say as many as 18,000 people have been massed in Cairo International Airport. I have been in that airport. It's a nice airport -big, with the 2009 addition of a gorgeous new international terminal - but not big enough to comfortably hold that many would-be passengers. With the situation on the ground changing by the hour, travelers who haven't left are at times keeping to their hotels. Fairmont Hotels and Ressorts, with two properties in Cairo, is a leading hotelier there. Having stayed in the downtown Cairo property and the Heliopolis property, I hope to never see scenes of chaos there.
No one - traveler or local - knows how any of this will play out. One big unknown is when tourism will return to a semblance of normality in this antiquities-rich country. One thing's for sure, though: If hardline Islamicists win the day, the young anti-Mubarak demonstrators - many of them women, most of them passionately pro-democracy - will find precious little democracy in Egypt's future. They will be among the first people to be supressed.
The more serious government media policy - I guess I should say alleged government policy - is allowing armed thugs to attack international reporters at the scene, even as these same thugs wade into crowds of protestors while on horseback or astride camels. The potential for ever-more serious violence is ever-present, with the Army apparently holding the balance of power. As the first groups of international travelers - many flown out of Cairo on charter flights arranged by their own national governments - are making clear, there has been plenty of violence in Egypt already. Many erstwhile tourists describe scary scenes of having to clear numerous checkpoints - some manned by government sympathizers, some by anti-government protesters, some by neighborhood vigilantes - on their way to the airport in Heliopolis.
Some of these trips took hours - only to be followed by many more hours spent trying to catch a commercial or chartered flight out of the country. News reports say as many as 18,000 people have been massed in Cairo International Airport. I have been in that airport. It's a nice airport -big, with the 2009 addition of a gorgeous new international terminal - but not big enough to comfortably hold that many would-be passengers. With the situation on the ground changing by the hour, travelers who haven't left are at times keeping to their hotels. Fairmont Hotels and Ressorts, with two properties in Cairo, is a leading hotelier there. Having stayed in the downtown Cairo property and the Heliopolis property, I hope to never see scenes of chaos there.
No one - traveler or local - knows how any of this will play out. One big unknown is when tourism will return to a semblance of normality in this antiquities-rich country. One thing's for sure, though: If hardline Islamicists win the day, the young anti-Mubarak demonstrators - many of them women, most of them passionately pro-democracy - will find precious little democracy in Egypt's future. They will be among the first people to be supressed.
Friday, November 5, 2010
Lounging About With Fairmont
Fairmont Hotels & Resorts launched the first of what could be many tres-trendy Intersect media lounges the other night atop Nob Hill at the Fairmont San Francisco. I say 'could be' because - as regional vice president and general manger Thomas Klein told me at the opening reception - the San Francisco space is something of a trial balloon. If it works, Klein says, "Intersect will be rolled out across the brand.''
The Fairmont brand is spreading all over the world. The Toronto company is on a growth spurt that has prompted it to open plenty of new properties and tweak many old ones. Fairmont reopened the venerable Savoy Hotel, in London, last month after a massive renovation, and it has also renovated the vintage Peace Hotel (also formerly known as the Cathay) in Shanghai.
The San Francisco Fairmont, which opened in 1907 practically in the ashes of the cit's devastating 1906 earthquake and fire, was the first Fairmont. The high-ceilinged, marbled main lobby still has a rich traditional look and feel. That all changes when you descend one floor to Intersect.
Intersect is called a media lounge because it practically vibrates with big screen TVs - including one cool screen that shows a picture visible from both front and back. It also has a full bar and a screening room for videos and films, plus club-like mood lighting and low, designer-driven furniture, some of which is more fun to look at than to sit in.
Fairmont execs see Intersect as a way of modernizing this historic property while quietly containing the modernization within the beautifully classic "old bones' of the original structure. This it does very successfully. When you leave the lobby for Intersect, you're immediately in a different world. You can play video games in that world, certainly sip cocktails, enjoy little nibbles, order room service, take a meeting or just hang out. Initially, Fairmont execs say, the space - divided into three rooms - will be used chiefly for private events booked in advance, but the company is keen for customer feedback and the concept will probably evolve over time.
Fairmont partnered with well-known entertainment industry names to design and trick-out the space. Among them: Bang & Olufsen, Electronic Arts and EMI Music.
If you're in San Francisco and want to book Intersect, I'm told you do that through Catering.
The Fairmont brand is spreading all over the world. The Toronto company is on a growth spurt that has prompted it to open plenty of new properties and tweak many old ones. Fairmont reopened the venerable Savoy Hotel, in London, last month after a massive renovation, and it has also renovated the vintage Peace Hotel (also formerly known as the Cathay) in Shanghai.
The San Francisco Fairmont, which opened in 1907 practically in the ashes of the cit's devastating 1906 earthquake and fire, was the first Fairmont. The high-ceilinged, marbled main lobby still has a rich traditional look and feel. That all changes when you descend one floor to Intersect.
Intersect is called a media lounge because it practically vibrates with big screen TVs - including one cool screen that shows a picture visible from both front and back. It also has a full bar and a screening room for videos and films, plus club-like mood lighting and low, designer-driven furniture, some of which is more fun to look at than to sit in.
Fairmont execs see Intersect as a way of modernizing this historic property while quietly containing the modernization within the beautifully classic "old bones' of the original structure. This it does very successfully. When you leave the lobby for Intersect, you're immediately in a different world. You can play video games in that world, certainly sip cocktails, enjoy little nibbles, order room service, take a meeting or just hang out. Initially, Fairmont execs say, the space - divided into three rooms - will be used chiefly for private events booked in advance, but the company is keen for customer feedback and the concept will probably evolve over time.
Fairmont partnered with well-known entertainment industry names to design and trick-out the space. Among them: Bang & Olufsen, Electronic Arts and EMI Music.
If you're in San Francisco and want to book Intersect, I'm told you do that through Catering.
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Busy Being Born: The Fairmont Nile City
CAIRO - If the old line "location, location, location'' holds true, the Fairmont Nile City Hotel, which began its soft opening Oct. 1, has a bright future. The highrise tower is located just across the street from its namesake, the fabled River Nile, and is part of the Nile City office and shopping complex, one of the most modern, forward-looking developments in Egypt's capital.
Like any property in a soft opening, the hotel is a work in progress. Most guest rooms are yet to be open, as are most of the planned restaurants and bars - though the hotel's California-style eatery, Napa Grill, is up and running and shows real promise. The two top chefs came to the Nile City directly from the San Francisco area, where they worked most recently at Silks, the Mandarin Oriental's fine-dining establishment. The hotel's director of food and beverage has California credentials, too; he lived in the Golden State for 26 years.
When Toronto-based Fairmont Hotels and Resorts made the Nile City its third Cairo property, and the first one in central Cairo, Fairmont decided to do an American-style hotel. That's where the California smart-casual connection comes in. Nile City executives told me they didn't want to do a French or Italian restaurant and they didn't want to do a steakhouse. They wanted to differentiate the property. So, in addition to Napa Grill, Nile City will open a Vietnamese restaurant, to be called Saigon Bleu, install a rooftop bar called Sky Bar right next to the rooftop swimming pool and extend the current tea-and-coffee lobby lounge by adding a bar. The lobby is stunning, with a soaring atrium, updated Art Deco styling and three waterwalls interspersed between glass-walled elevator shafts.
I say "will'' a lot - as do the hotel's executives - because much remains to be done. The hotel operators have set March 2010 as the time to wrap things up and open officially, with a gala likely next summer. As it is, I had a generally comfortable stay in a river view room; I was moved from another room, without asking, so the hotel could give me a bigger room with a desk. Indeed, the staff spares no effort to be helpful, and their positive attitude helps smooth out some of the awkwardness and language and cultural hurdles between local staff and international guests.
When you're this new - barely six weeks old - there are bound to be glitches. The front desk apologetically told me they didn't have any city maps. The chair I am sitting in as I write this has a tag still attached underneath. It has taken several hours of back-and-forth talk to arrange a car to take me to the airport for an early morning departure, something that is routine at hotels that have had time to hone their act.
The Nile City is already very good in some ways - with well-intentioned, hard-working staff, good food and drink, a handsome look - and there's that location. It's almost unfair to evaluate the hotel this early. But soft opening or no soft opening, I want to alert travelers that a new, high-end hotel has entered the market in this fascinating city. In the months to come, I expect the Nile City will reach the high standards set by parent Fairmont and come together nicely.
For more information: Web: http://www.fairmontnilecity.com/. Telephone: international toll-free 1 888 310 2323. E-mail: nilecity@fairmont.com.
Like any property in a soft opening, the hotel is a work in progress. Most guest rooms are yet to be open, as are most of the planned restaurants and bars - though the hotel's California-style eatery, Napa Grill, is up and running and shows real promise. The two top chefs came to the Nile City directly from the San Francisco area, where they worked most recently at Silks, the Mandarin Oriental's fine-dining establishment. The hotel's director of food and beverage has California credentials, too; he lived in the Golden State for 26 years.
When Toronto-based Fairmont Hotels and Resorts made the Nile City its third Cairo property, and the first one in central Cairo, Fairmont decided to do an American-style hotel. That's where the California smart-casual connection comes in. Nile City executives told me they didn't want to do a French or Italian restaurant and they didn't want to do a steakhouse. They wanted to differentiate the property. So, in addition to Napa Grill, Nile City will open a Vietnamese restaurant, to be called Saigon Bleu, install a rooftop bar called Sky Bar right next to the rooftop swimming pool and extend the current tea-and-coffee lobby lounge by adding a bar. The lobby is stunning, with a soaring atrium, updated Art Deco styling and three waterwalls interspersed between glass-walled elevator shafts.
I say "will'' a lot - as do the hotel's executives - because much remains to be done. The hotel operators have set March 2010 as the time to wrap things up and open officially, with a gala likely next summer. As it is, I had a generally comfortable stay in a river view room; I was moved from another room, without asking, so the hotel could give me a bigger room with a desk. Indeed, the staff spares no effort to be helpful, and their positive attitude helps smooth out some of the awkwardness and language and cultural hurdles between local staff and international guests.
When you're this new - barely six weeks old - there are bound to be glitches. The front desk apologetically told me they didn't have any city maps. The chair I am sitting in as I write this has a tag still attached underneath. It has taken several hours of back-and-forth talk to arrange a car to take me to the airport for an early morning departure, something that is routine at hotels that have had time to hone their act.
The Nile City is already very good in some ways - with well-intentioned, hard-working staff, good food and drink, a handsome look - and there's that location. It's almost unfair to evaluate the hotel this early. But soft opening or no soft opening, I want to alert travelers that a new, high-end hotel has entered the market in this fascinating city. In the months to come, I expect the Nile City will reach the high standards set by parent Fairmont and come together nicely.
For more information: Web: http://www.fairmontnilecity.com/. Telephone: international toll-free 1 888 310 2323. E-mail: nilecity@fairmont.com.
Friday, November 6, 2009
The Sun Shines on Fairmont Towers Heliopolis
CAIRO - Hillary Clinton checked out the day before I arrived at the Fairmont Towers, in the aptly named Heliopolis (city of the sun) district of Cairo, but the hotel staff was still abuzz about the visit of the U.S. Secretary of State and an entourage that included 50 security officers.
But then the two-year-old, light-filled hotel - a 247-room business redoubt near Cairo International Airport - sees frequent visits by high-profile people. One reason is its proximity to the airport, which sports a handsome new terminal (terminal 3) just several months old. Another reason is this is Egypt's governmental district; the presidential palace is here, as are other walled government buildings, interspersed with highrise apartments, along a broad, beautifully landscaped boulevard that runs between the airport and the congestion and bustle of downtown Cairo. Heliopolis is on the eastern side of the megalopolis (estimated population: anywhere from 15 to 20 million), and prime tourist attractions such as the sphinx and the pyramids are in Giza, on the western edge. Old Cairo and the River Nile are halfway between.
I tumbled off my 6-hour Egyptair flight on a sunny, breezy day and settled into my room: large, well-appointed, with a big, sparkling bathroom, a comfortable bed - covered with Egyptian cotton, of course - and a good-sized desk. My room looks directly out into the hotel's defining feature: a 5-story atrium, complete with skylight, a bar area, an indoor stream and clusters of tall palms and ferns. The business center is right off the main lobby, along with a good place to have a French-press coffee and croissant, which I did. Just past the reception desk in the lobby is a plush area tucked away behind closed doors: Fairmont Gold, a lounge with food and beverages and comfortable, modern furniture reserved for the Fairmont's best customers.
Hillary Clinton and her posse may have been gone, but the hotel was packed. Most of the property's guests are business travelers, according to hotel executives, and the meeting rooms below ground level were humming and crowded. My only complaint: smoking is allowed in the public rooms, so billowing clouds of tobacco smoke are abundant. This is a cultural feature in much of the world, including the Middle East, where smoking restrictions, let alone bans, have yet to widely catch on. Hence, the hotel goes with the flow. Otherwise, Fairmont Towers Heliopolis is a lovely property with a friendly, attentive staff; it earns its five-star rating.
For more information: Web: www.fairmont.com/towersheliopolis. Toll-free telephone in North America: 1 888.0707. E-mail: towersheliopolis@fairmont.com.
But then the two-year-old, light-filled hotel - a 247-room business redoubt near Cairo International Airport - sees frequent visits by high-profile people. One reason is its proximity to the airport, which sports a handsome new terminal (terminal 3) just several months old. Another reason is this is Egypt's governmental district; the presidential palace is here, as are other walled government buildings, interspersed with highrise apartments, along a broad, beautifully landscaped boulevard that runs between the airport and the congestion and bustle of downtown Cairo. Heliopolis is on the eastern side of the megalopolis (estimated population: anywhere from 15 to 20 million), and prime tourist attractions such as the sphinx and the pyramids are in Giza, on the western edge. Old Cairo and the River Nile are halfway between.
I tumbled off my 6-hour Egyptair flight on a sunny, breezy day and settled into my room: large, well-appointed, with a big, sparkling bathroom, a comfortable bed - covered with Egyptian cotton, of course - and a good-sized desk. My room looks directly out into the hotel's defining feature: a 5-story atrium, complete with skylight, a bar area, an indoor stream and clusters of tall palms and ferns. The business center is right off the main lobby, along with a good place to have a French-press coffee and croissant, which I did. Just past the reception desk in the lobby is a plush area tucked away behind closed doors: Fairmont Gold, a lounge with food and beverages and comfortable, modern furniture reserved for the Fairmont's best customers.
Hillary Clinton and her posse may have been gone, but the hotel was packed. Most of the property's guests are business travelers, according to hotel executives, and the meeting rooms below ground level were humming and crowded. My only complaint: smoking is allowed in the public rooms, so billowing clouds of tobacco smoke are abundant. This is a cultural feature in much of the world, including the Middle East, where smoking restrictions, let alone bans, have yet to widely catch on. Hence, the hotel goes with the flow. Otherwise, Fairmont Towers Heliopolis is a lovely property with a friendly, attentive staff; it earns its five-star rating.
For more information: Web: www.fairmont.com/towersheliopolis. Toll-free telephone in North America: 1 888.0707. E-mail: towersheliopolis@fairmont.com.
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Spoil Me
Consumer demand for travel remains weak in the recession, and that means the cascade of travel deals for airlines, hotels, resorts and worldwide destinations that began last winter continues apace, with packages and discounts reaching into this coming winter.
Here is a sampler of current travel deals. (Note: I am a journalist, not a travel vendor. I don't have shares or a stake in any travel company. As always, conduct due diligence.)
Onward, then:
* American Airlines has a big fare sale good for travel within the United States with one-way fares starting at $49. The sale is good for travel from Sept. 9 to Jan. 7, 2010 and must be purchased by 11:59 p.m. Central Daylight Time, Thursday, Sept. 3. Tickets must be purchased 14 days in advance on the American Airlines Web site (www.aa.com). There are blackout dates near major holidays. Sample one-way fares based on round-trip purchase: $49 Minneapolis-Chicago; $59 Los Angeles-Las Vegas; $79 Orlando-Miami.
* Ritz-Carlton Hotels has a worldwide "Peace of Mind'' sale on at 30 of its resorts and 40 of its city hotels through Dec. 31. Details vary from property to property but typically include at least one free night with a minimum stay of four consecutive nights, resulting in a fine de facto discount. Other amenities include $100 resort fees, daily breakfast for two, free parking and local telephone calls and more - a good deal at this 5-star, luxury chain. (www.ritz-carlton.com or telephone 1.800.542.8680 in the U.S. and Canada).
* The landmark Kahala Hotel and Resort, Honolulu, has just finished a $52 million renovation. Additionally, the hotel is celebrating its 45th anniversary with 30 percent off Kahala suites, plus a fifth free night with a five-night stay and daily buffet breakfast for two at the resort's beachfront Plumeria Beach House(www.kahalaresort.com or telephone 1.800.367.2525.) Hawaiian officials report that tourist arrivals dropped 15 percent in the first half of this year from the first half of 2008, so this is, broadly speaking, a good time to find deals in Hawaii. The 50th state is busy marking its 50th year as a member of the Union.
* The Upper House, a designer-driven, high-style boutique property from Swire Hotels, opens Oct. 2 in Hong Kong. The new arrival has 117 rooms, including 21 suites, and is located in the highrise Pacific Place complex on Hong Kong island. Advance press materials say the Upper house will boast bathrooms over 300 square feet. This is a sister property to the Opposite House, in Beijing. The Hong Kong opening is being marked with a two nights for the price of one offer from Oct. 2 through Dec. 31. (www.upperhouse.com, info@upperhouse.com.
* Lufthansa, Germany's major airline, is offering double-mile status for Lufthansa's best customers: its frequent flyers. The airline calls its program Miles and More (www.milesandmore.com). The double-miles offer is good throughout September and October for flights beginning and ending in Europe and includes travel on affiliated airlines such as Austrian Airlines, LOT Polish Airlines and Swiss. (www.lufthansa.com).
* Dive St. Vincent and Mariners Hotel in St. Vincent, located in the southeast Caribbean, is offering savings through Nov. 30 of $106 U.S. per diver in its 7 nights/10 dives package. The deal includes an eighth night free and two free extra dives and costs $999 per person. (E-mail bill2s@DiveStVincent.com or telephone 1.784.457.4928).
* Six Fairmont Hotels and Resorts properties in California are asking guests at check-in if they want to contribute $1 to help make up a desperate funding shortfall at California's beseiged state parks. The properties, which include the Fairmont Hotel Nob Hill, in San Francisco; Sonoma Mission Inn and Spa, in northern California wine country; and Fairmont Miramar Hotel and Bungalows, in Santa Monica, say funds collected "will be earmarked for Tourism Cares and the California Save Our Parks Campaign.'' Hopefully, the state, currently ablaze with wildwires, won't burn down first. Contact the non-profit Tourism Cares, a volunteer-based and educational-oriented organization, at www.tourismcares.org. You can reach Fairmont Hotels at www.fairmont.com or telephone 1.800.441.1414.
Here is a sampler of current travel deals. (Note: I am a journalist, not a travel vendor. I don't have shares or a stake in any travel company. As always, conduct due diligence.)
Onward, then:
* American Airlines has a big fare sale good for travel within the United States with one-way fares starting at $49. The sale is good for travel from Sept. 9 to Jan. 7, 2010 and must be purchased by 11:59 p.m. Central Daylight Time, Thursday, Sept. 3. Tickets must be purchased 14 days in advance on the American Airlines Web site (www.aa.com). There are blackout dates near major holidays. Sample one-way fares based on round-trip purchase: $49 Minneapolis-Chicago; $59 Los Angeles-Las Vegas; $79 Orlando-Miami.
* Ritz-Carlton Hotels has a worldwide "Peace of Mind'' sale on at 30 of its resorts and 40 of its city hotels through Dec. 31. Details vary from property to property but typically include at least one free night with a minimum stay of four consecutive nights, resulting in a fine de facto discount. Other amenities include $100 resort fees, daily breakfast for two, free parking and local telephone calls and more - a good deal at this 5-star, luxury chain. (www.ritz-carlton.com or telephone 1.800.542.8680 in the U.S. and Canada).
* The landmark Kahala Hotel and Resort, Honolulu, has just finished a $52 million renovation. Additionally, the hotel is celebrating its 45th anniversary with 30 percent off Kahala suites, plus a fifth free night with a five-night stay and daily buffet breakfast for two at the resort's beachfront Plumeria Beach House(www.kahalaresort.com or telephone 1.800.367.2525.) Hawaiian officials report that tourist arrivals dropped 15 percent in the first half of this year from the first half of 2008, so this is, broadly speaking, a good time to find deals in Hawaii. The 50th state is busy marking its 50th year as a member of the Union.
* The Upper House, a designer-driven, high-style boutique property from Swire Hotels, opens Oct. 2 in Hong Kong. The new arrival has 117 rooms, including 21 suites, and is located in the highrise Pacific Place complex on Hong Kong island. Advance press materials say the Upper house will boast bathrooms over 300 square feet. This is a sister property to the Opposite House, in Beijing. The Hong Kong opening is being marked with a two nights for the price of one offer from Oct. 2 through Dec. 31. (www.upperhouse.com, info@upperhouse.com.
* Lufthansa, Germany's major airline, is offering double-mile status for Lufthansa's best customers: its frequent flyers. The airline calls its program Miles and More (www.milesandmore.com). The double-miles offer is good throughout September and October for flights beginning and ending in Europe and includes travel on affiliated airlines such as Austrian Airlines, LOT Polish Airlines and Swiss. (www.lufthansa.com).
* Dive St. Vincent and Mariners Hotel in St. Vincent, located in the southeast Caribbean, is offering savings through Nov. 30 of $106 U.S. per diver in its 7 nights/10 dives package. The deal includes an eighth night free and two free extra dives and costs $999 per person. (E-mail bill2s@DiveStVincent.com or telephone 1.784.457.4928).
* Six Fairmont Hotels and Resorts properties in California are asking guests at check-in if they want to contribute $1 to help make up a desperate funding shortfall at California's beseiged state parks. The properties, which include the Fairmont Hotel Nob Hill, in San Francisco; Sonoma Mission Inn and Spa, in northern California wine country; and Fairmont Miramar Hotel and Bungalows, in Santa Monica, say funds collected "will be earmarked for Tourism Cares and the California Save Our Parks Campaign.'' Hopefully, the state, currently ablaze with wildwires, won't burn down first. Contact the non-profit Tourism Cares, a volunteer-based and educational-oriented organization, at www.tourismcares.org. You can reach Fairmont Hotels at www.fairmont.com or telephone 1.800.441.1414.
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
The Toronto Film Fest and the Fairmont Royal York
The Fairmont Royal York, a meticulously restored grand dame hotel in downtown Toronto, is rolling out a "TIFF and the City'' package for next month's 34th annual Toronto International Film Festival that illustrates the difference between price and value.
The Royal York (www.fairmont.com/royalyork), long an institution in Toronto, is offering lodging on its Gold Floor - the name the hotel's parent company Fairmont Hotels and Resorts gives its premier club floors - beginning at $389 Canadian ($357 US), based on double occupancy. The offer, which runs Sept. 13 through Sept. 19, includes a number of add-ons such as two martinis and 10 passes per couple to film festival screenings. The deal is available until Aug. 31 unless it sells out first.
Now, $389 (or $357) and up is not cheap. If you haven't got the scratch, you haven't got it. However, if you are a cinefile, as I am - I was a movie critic at the old San Francisco Examiner for eight years - and if you are a fan of sophisticated big cities, as I am, this offer is good value.
The amenities, which also include passes to the soaring CN Tower near the Royal York, a greeting at the hotel by a Gold Floor concierge and a complimentary continental breakfast, don't guarantee a good time but they certainly help, and the Gold Floor shows off the Royal York - a heritage railroad hotel originally run by Canadian Pacific - to best advantage. Located near Toronto's efficient subway loop and directly across the street from busy Union Station, the hotel is nicely positioned.
Back in the '90s, I covered the Toronto Film Fest (www.tiff.net, tel. 416.968-FILM) pretty much every year and watched it grow into one of the most diverse, high-quality film festivals in the world. There are films to suit nearly any taste - the fest screened 312 movies last year, culled from 64 countries - lots of good food at or near the central-city venues where the movies are shown, and lots of opportunities to socialize with fellow cinephiles. I once saw part or all of eight movies there in a single day - not surprisingly, it was too many. But press screenings are free and bouncing from one screening to another can be productive and fun for a writer.
There is a lot of star-gazing at the TIFF, as Hollywood unveils many of its major new features at the fest before they go into theatrical release. Maybe too much star-gazing, actually, though people have fun pretending they're in Hollywood and local media fall all over themselves to cover festival and studio parties - televising them, even - that most people can't attend. That grumble aside, it's hard to fault the fest. It's just very good.
The star of the show is of course, Toronto, itself. Toronto tries to impress visitors with tall buildings and stylish touches, but its real virtues are homey: green, thriving neighborhoods right downtown, good public transport, relatively low crime, easy sociability and a certain vibrancy. Hollywood it's not, but the drear, gray image of decades ago when the town was known derisively as Toronto the Good is long gone.
If you can make it to T.O., film festival time (the fest runs this year from Sept. 10-Sept. 19) is a fine time to go. Heck, the weather is even good, as the hot and muggy summer gives way to the short, crisp Canadian fall with its scarlet maple leaves. I miss the town, I miss the festival and I miss the hotel, where I sometimes stayed on assignment last decade.
If you go, put on those wraparound shades and tell everyone "ciao, baby'' for me.
The Royal York (www.fairmont.com/royalyork), long an institution in Toronto, is offering lodging on its Gold Floor - the name the hotel's parent company Fairmont Hotels and Resorts gives its premier club floors - beginning at $389 Canadian ($357 US), based on double occupancy. The offer, which runs Sept. 13 through Sept. 19, includes a number of add-ons such as two martinis and 10 passes per couple to film festival screenings. The deal is available until Aug. 31 unless it sells out first.
Now, $389 (or $357) and up is not cheap. If you haven't got the scratch, you haven't got it. However, if you are a cinefile, as I am - I was a movie critic at the old San Francisco Examiner for eight years - and if you are a fan of sophisticated big cities, as I am, this offer is good value.
The amenities, which also include passes to the soaring CN Tower near the Royal York, a greeting at the hotel by a Gold Floor concierge and a complimentary continental breakfast, don't guarantee a good time but they certainly help, and the Gold Floor shows off the Royal York - a heritage railroad hotel originally run by Canadian Pacific - to best advantage. Located near Toronto's efficient subway loop and directly across the street from busy Union Station, the hotel is nicely positioned.
Back in the '90s, I covered the Toronto Film Fest (www.tiff.net, tel. 416.968-FILM) pretty much every year and watched it grow into one of the most diverse, high-quality film festivals in the world. There are films to suit nearly any taste - the fest screened 312 movies last year, culled from 64 countries - lots of good food at or near the central-city venues where the movies are shown, and lots of opportunities to socialize with fellow cinephiles. I once saw part or all of eight movies there in a single day - not surprisingly, it was too many. But press screenings are free and bouncing from one screening to another can be productive and fun for a writer.
There is a lot of star-gazing at the TIFF, as Hollywood unveils many of its major new features at the fest before they go into theatrical release. Maybe too much star-gazing, actually, though people have fun pretending they're in Hollywood and local media fall all over themselves to cover festival and studio parties - televising them, even - that most people can't attend. That grumble aside, it's hard to fault the fest. It's just very good.
The star of the show is of course, Toronto, itself. Toronto tries to impress visitors with tall buildings and stylish touches, but its real virtues are homey: green, thriving neighborhoods right downtown, good public transport, relatively low crime, easy sociability and a certain vibrancy. Hollywood it's not, but the drear, gray image of decades ago when the town was known derisively as Toronto the Good is long gone.
If you can make it to T.O., film festival time (the fest runs this year from Sept. 10-Sept. 19) is a fine time to go. Heck, the weather is even good, as the hot and muggy summer gives way to the short, crisp Canadian fall with its scarlet maple leaves. I miss the town, I miss the festival and I miss the hotel, where I sometimes stayed on assignment last decade.
If you go, put on those wraparound shades and tell everyone "ciao, baby'' for me.
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