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Edible, Yes… But Keep Your Hands Off These Centerpieces!

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Top Chef Santa. See the cleaver in his hand?


Edible centerpieces are 3-D works of artistic skill that can showcase an event’s theme, decorate a simply clad table, or in the case of the Orange County (FL) public high school and vocational tech students, it can be the recognition that their creativity, knife cuts, and timed artworks merited their focused concentration.
I’ve lost track of how many years I have had the privilege to judge Orange County (FL) Public School’s Annual Hospitality and Culinary Competition, hosted each December at the Orlando World Center Marriott, but I haven’t lost my enthusiasm for what each Read more

HOTEL HAPPENINGS & PROGRAM PROMOTIONS – NOVEMBER 2017

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Safari Wilderness in Lakeland, FL offers customized tours and facilities for private events.

FOR YOUR EYES ONLY—MEETING PLANNERS & TRAVEL SPECIALISTS

How many of London’s spectacular palaces have you visited or hosted an event in? One of the most unexpectedly incredible venues I’ve ever been to is the Banqueting Hall. I kept imagining myself in a Renaissance dress and hair garland of flowers dining at the long table under massive wooden chandeliers and low-lit wall sconces while the musicians played lilting melodies. This place is truly fit for a luxurious dining event. The Banqueting Hall and other sites such as Kensington Palace and the Hillsborough Castles are all included in the special edition of Historic Royal Palaces, a guidebook of venues and special offers only available to Meeting Planners and Travel Specialists. The book is available in English, French, German, Italian and Spanish.

groupsandtraveltrade@hrp.org.uk.

ONE OF FODOR’S “TOP 10 SAFARIS IN THE U.S.” LIES IN THE HEART OF CENTRAL FLORIDA????

When I first learned about the 260-acre Safari Wilderness located halfway between Tampa and Orlando, my reaction was Read more

HOTEL HAPPENINGS & PROGRAM PROMOTIONS – LATE OCTOBER 2017

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Gaylord Palms snow tubing


WINTER’S COMING BUT THESE DEALS AREN’T COOLING OFF!
Save up to 20% when you book a holiday package at the Gaylord Palms (Kissimmee, FL), for stays between November 21 – January 7, 2018. Here are some of the perks included with this offer. ICE! featuring Christmas Around the World; breakfast with Charlie Brown™ & Friends; Build-A-Bear Workshop® Scavenger Hunt; snow Read more

HOTEL HAPPENINGS & PROGRAM PROMOTIONS – OCTOBER 2017

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HOSPITALITY GROUPS STEP UP THEIR CHARITABLE GIVING AFTER NUMEROUS NATURAL DISASTERS

Journey Mexico is “dying” to take your group on a Day of the Dead cultural tour.

Here’s a unique way of aiding victims of the devastating earthquakes in Mexico while also enriching your personal knowledge of the country’s rich cultural history. Book the last two places available on Journey Mexico’s Escorted Group Day of the Dead Tour in Oaxaca and the travel company will donate 50% of the $4,377 trip fee (per person) to relief efforts in the Isthmus. The 14-member tour group trip is set for October 28 to November 4.

www.journeymexico.com

LEGOLAND® Florida Resort is donating 18,000 theme park tickets to the UNICEF Kid Power Schools program and 2,000 tickets to Citrus Center Boys & Girls Clubs in Winter Haven, Haines City and Lake Wales.  “As a resort built for kids, Read more

HOTEL HAPPENINGS & PROGRAM PROMOTIONS – OCTOBER 2017

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HOSPITALITY GROUPS STEP UP THEIR CHARITABLE GIVING AFTER NUMEROUS NATURAL DISASTERS

Journey Mexico is “dying” to take your group on a Day of the Dead cultural tour.


Here’s a unique way of aiding victims of the devastating earthquakes in Mexico while also enriching your personal knowledge of the country’s rich cultural history. Book the last two places available on Journey Mexico’s Escorted Group Day of the Dead Tour in Oaxaca and the travel company will donate 50% of the $4,377 trip fee (per person) to relief efforts in the Isthmus. The 14-member tour group trip is set for October 28 to November 4.
www.journeymexico.com
LEGOLAND® Florida Resort is donating 18,000 theme park tickets to the UNICEF Kid Power Schools program and 2,000 tickets to Citrus Center Boys & Girls Clubs in Winter Haven, Haines City and Lake Wales.  “As a resort built for kids, Read more

STINKY, SWEATY FEET? NEW SOLUTION FOR OLD MUSTY PROBLEM

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My husband Russ and a 15-year-old male relative (whose name I will not use to save him unmitigated embarrassment) have something in common: they both sweat easily and profusely, especially on their feet. The result is that no one wants to be near them when their socks are first removed.
Enter them being my guinea pig subjects for new socks on the market that claim to be the world’s best odorless socks. Full Read more

DENMARK & NORWAY: ROYALLY RICH IN BREATHTAKING BEAUTY, FROM CASTLES TO FJORDS

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PART 5: OSLO, A CULTURAL METROPOLIS FOR MUSEUMS, ARTS, FABULOUS FOOD, THE NOBEL PEACE PRIZE, AND SO MUCH MORE!

Polar ship Fram


In PART 4: THE TROLL’S DAUGHTER DANCES, WATERFALLS PLUNGE, AND THERE’S SALMON… LOTS AND LOTS OF SALMON! We have left behind the jutting mountains, roaring waterfalls, and orchards planted on sloping hills like grapevines for the country’s largest city.
OSLO translates to Field of the Gods. It is a city undergoing vast urban revitalization.
Where we stayed:

Travellers of all shapes find their way to Thon Hotel Opera


Thon Hotel Opera is a convenient location that will become even more advantageous when the Oslo Opera House opens half a block away in 2019. Right now, the 480-room hotel is ideal for its location to shopping, restaurants and attractions, but what is particularly ideal is its Read more

DENMARK & NORWAY: ROYALLY RICH IN BREATHTAKING BEAUTY, FROM CASTLES TO FJORDS

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PART 4: THE TROLL’S DAUGHTER DANCES, WATERFALLS PLUNGE, AND THERE’S SALMON… LOTS AND LOTS OF SALMON!
In PART 3: STEPPING INTO THE FAIRY TALE WORLD THAT IS NORWAY–GOAT FARMS, SKI RESORTS, FJORDS AND WHITE-KNUCKLE MOUNTAIN ROADS, we visited one of Norway’s most dramatic fjords, dined at a goat farm, and mellowed to the music of Composer Edvard Grieg.

The pastoral elegance of Lofthus


We leave Bergen, the second largest city in Norway, for the serene pastoral elegance of Lofthus, a city in Norway’s Fjord District. Small farms and villages tuck onto mountainsides. Slopes embrace sparkling fjords. Wild flowers grow haphazardly, creating a landscape of emotionally-charged blues, whites, greens, yellows and pinks. This is the Norway of picture postcards, of a place where time has paused to let one breathe crisp clean air and soak in the relentless natural beauty.
Lofthus
Where we stayed:

Over the bridge and to the water-surrounded decking at Hotel Ullensvang


Hotel Ullensvang may be one of the most beautiful resorts at which my husband Russ and I have ever stayed. From the moment we enter the Read more

DENMARK & NORWAY: ROYALLY RICH IN BREATHTAKING BEAUTY, FROM CASTLES TO FJORDS

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PART 3: STEPPING INTO THE FAIRY TALE WORLD THAT IS NORWAY–GOAT FARMS, SKI RESORTS, FJORDS AND WHITE-KNUCKLE MOUNTAIN ROADS

a private wedding and event center, in Oslofjord


In PART 2: DANISH ROYALTY– FROM THE QUEEN’S RESIDENCE TO HAMLET’S CASTLE TO KAREN BLIXEN’S SANCTUARY, reminders of Denmark’s history thrive today in castles, heroic citizens and the Arts.
We stepped onto the Pearl Seaways, an 1800-passenger cruise liner that masquerades as a ferry, in Copenhagen, Denmark and stepped off in Oslo, Norway. If our Odysseys Unlimited tour group of 24 had been awake during the overnight journey, we’d have seen some of the islands and landmarks along Norway’s 1,100-mile coastline.
Over the next 10 days Tour Director Karin Hansen led us by bus on hairpin mountain roads to gaze Read more

DENMARK & NORWAY: ROYALLY RICH IN BREATHTAKING BEAUTY, FROM CASTLES TO FJORDS

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PART 2: DANISH ROYALTY– FROM THE QUEEN’S RESIDENCE TO HAMLET’S CASTLE TO KAREN BLIXEN’S SANCTUARY.

a classic building in Copenhagen


In PART 1: VIKINGS DID NOT HAVE HORNS ON THEIR HELMETS, we began our three week trip by spending a week in Denmark, with a brief foray into Germany, with friends.
Copenhagen is a worldly metropolis without pretensions, much like the royal family who are called by their first names, or the 50% of the population who daily commute by bicycle and think nothing of leaning them unlocked against a building wall.
Fashion styles are typically in muted colors and casually sophisticated. Furniture has smooth, clean lines. People are friendly, direct, no-nonsense and unfailingly obey traffic lights. Healthcare for citizens is free, but the taxes are among the highest in the world. Open-faced sandwiches, herring, and Vienna Read more