Posts

HOTEL HAPPENINGS & PROGRAM PROMOTIONS – LATE OCTOBER 2022

Rancho Pescadero opens in Baja, Mexico

NEW, RE-NEWED AND COMING SOON

An adults-only luxury hotel with 103 guest rooms opens on Mexico’s Baja Sur Pacific coast in November. Amenities at Rancho Pescadero’s 30 acres, sitting between beautiful beaches and the Sierra Laguna Mountains, focuses on the gifts of Baja California and Mexico for nature, local culture, and farm-to-table cuisine.  Located just outside the artist’s haven of Todos Santos, Rancho Pescadero has a spa, swimming pool, two miles of beach, three restaurants, and a mountain of unique sensory experiences, from creating one’s own aromatherapy in the Apothecary to exploring the history of margaritas and mezcalitas while learning how to make their own concoctions and sipping on the results. Luxury accommodations include

HOTEL HAPPENINGS & PROGRAM PROMOTIONS – OCTOBER 2022

THE FUTURE LIES WITH THESE OPENINGS AND RENOVATIONS

Chef Dominique Ansel shows off the pastries for his new bakery at Caesars Palace.

OK. I’m drooling just writing about James Beard award-winning pastry chef Dominque Ansel’s new bakery opening in Caesars Palace on October 21. Dominique Ansel Las Vegas will naturally feature signature creations such as his iconic Cronut® pastry, the best-selling DKA (Dominique’s Kouign Amann), freshly baked French viennoiserie and the new “Lucky 7” collection, a set of pastries exclusive to Las Vegas. Bonus: the first 100 guests will receive a commemorative gift in celebration of the opening. Each month, the shop will offer a new Cronut® flavor available only at Caesars Palace. The Cronut® (a cross between a croissant

HOTEL HAPPENINGS & PROGRAM PROMOTIONS – MAY 2022

NEWLY OPENED AND COMING SOON

Nobu at Paris Las Vegas

Nobu at Paris Las Vegas has opened. It’s the second Nobu restaurant on the Las Vegas Strip that Chef Nobu Matsuhisa has opened with partner Caesars Entertainment to showcase the Chef’s signature New Style Japanese cuisine. Natural wood elements add to the relaxing atmosphere of the 140-seat restaurant that features fresh fish and seafood in the form of nigiri and sashimi. This restaurant opening follows the recent redesign of 182 guest rooms and suites at Nobu Hotel Caesars Palace, the luxury boutique hotel within the larger destination resort. Caesars Entertainment continues to expand its partnership with Nobu Hospitality – the global lifestyle brand founded by Nobu Matsuhisa, Robert De Niro and Meir Teper. At Caesars Atlantic City, Nobu restaurant is scheduled to open in the late summer of 2022, followed by the anticipated debut of Nobu Hotel Atlantic City by the end of 2022. Additionally, Nobu Hotel and restaurant in New Orleans are planned as a part of the transformation of Harrah’s New Orleans into Caesars New Orleans.
www.caesars.com/paris-las-vegas/restaurants/nobu.

HOTEL HAPPENINGS & PROGRAM PROMOTIONS – APRIL 2022

Sea Spirit and 50 Years of Victory meet.

We have watched the invasion of Ukraine and felt sorrow, sympathy, and anger. Ukrainians’ lives are upended. Many have died. Children are orphaned. Businesses fail. We know all that because we can see it in news reports or vignettes shot and posted by shocked citizens on social media. The war may be “there”, but ill ripple effects still reverberate across the globe. Every day is still a question of “What next?” Without turning this into a political column, I will (when notified) inform you of cancellations that may directly impact you. In this edition, please see the cancellation of Poseidon Expedition cruises. If you have events or promotions impacted by the War on Ukraine, please send details.

HOTEL HAPPENINGS & PROGRAM PROMOTIONS – OCTOBER 2021

Pueblo Bonito’s Mexican resorts offer Day of the Day menus and events.

DAY OF THE DEAD HOLIDAY IS NOT HALLOWEEN

Yes, I know people dress up for Halloween in makeup and clothing that reference the Day of the Dead (Dia de los Muertos), but for Mexicans, the two holidays are vastly different. At Pueblo Bonito resorts (Los Cabos, Mexico), the holiday is celebrated with unique dining options that honor the memory of departed family members and friends. The Day of the Dead is commemorated on Nov. 1 – 2 (All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day according to the Christian calendar) to coincide with the fall maize harvest. Dia de los Muertos has been recognized by UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific & Cultural Organization) on its Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. I have never celebrated Dia de los Muertos, but the food offerings sure make me plan for it in the future. At Cibola at Montecristo Luxury Villas, located high on a bluff overlooking the ocean, breakfast will feature Mexican hot chocolate and pan de muerto, a traditional sugary roll dotted with anise seeds and decorated with skulls and bones made from dough. The bones might be arranged in a circle, as in the circle of life.

HOTEL HAPPENINGS & PROGRAM PROMOTIONS – JULY 2021

Sexual Discrimination in golf packages? You’ll have to read on to see which resort chain only thinks men golf. Venue alert: new hotels and renovated properties are vying for your business. The Galapagos say, “Welcome back”!

OPEN AND READY FOR BUSINESS

The new Crystal River Rapids ride is an exhilarating way to cool off in Gaylord Palms’ Cypress Springs Water Park.

The two-year, $158 million renovation and expansion of the Gaylord Palms Resort & Convention Center (Kissimmee, FL) has been completed. More than 100,000 sf of meeting space and 306 guest rooms in the new Gulf Coast Tower have been added. Gaylord Palms has 482,745 sf of meeting space, with 76 event rooms and 10,000 sf in the largest space. Florida Exhibition Hall, Florida’s largest in-hotel exhibition facility has 178,500 sf of flexible space. The new meeting spaces add 30,000 sf of breakout space and 30,000 sf of pre-function space. The expansion includes the 306 additional guest rooms, 13,000 sf outdoor terrace and function space, parking garage, and expanded pool offerings. Added fun for adults and youth: the new Crystal River Rapids ride has twists and turns through varied currents amid limestone rock walls in the Cypress Springs Water Park.

HOTEL HAPPENINGS & PROGRAM PROMOTIONS – LATE JUNE 2021

Pose Rooftop Bar and Lounge at Gaylord National

OPEN AND READY FOR BUSINESS

The $64 million renovation of Gaylord National Resort reopened July 1. Located minutes from downtown Washington DC on the Potomac River, the resort has easy access to National Harbor. The redesign includes the guestrooms, signature Pose Rooftop bar and lounge. The redo enhances the 19-story glass atrium, all-season pool, hot tubs with river views, and the resort’s spectacular 1.5-acre garden atrium.

https://www.marriott.com/en-us/hotels/wasgn-gaylord-national-resort-and-convention-center/overview/?

HOTEL HAPPENINGS & PROGRAM PROMOTIONS – MAY 2021

Galactic characters welcomed to Pensacola International Airport in Florida

I read a lot of news, from the morning Orlando Sentinel newspaper to various professional organization and general news feeds. It would be easy to buy into just one side of reported events, but when one story says the world is returning to normalcy and that tourism and event numbers are exploding, but the next story says the virus is still rampant and if we don’t continue being careful it will worsen… what is one to believe? As an optimist and psychic for events (did you know that part about me?), I am all in for believing that the second half of this year will be far better for the greater number of people than the past year+ has been. So there. You can help. Start by envisioning where you, your family and friends, and your business will be in just a matter of months. Would love to hear your expectations and successes!

HOTEL HAPPENINGS & PROGRAM PROMOTIONS – JULY 2020

A second chance at new life for the Springmaid Pier in Myrtle Beach, SC. This was how she looked in 1953 when first erected. Look below for the newly rebuilt pier.

The most difficult job I have ever had as a writer is to get the first sentence written. That one simple idea encapsulates my path for where the remainder will follow. It’s like taking a journey, with one foot in front of the other, but until you take that first step, you will only idle in place and never move forward. So it is today, as I begin this next post.

Globally, we are still entrenched in Covid-19 or in the aftermath for those nations fortunate enough to have had strong leaders and the backbone to do what was strictly necessary to flatten that darned curve. Many of us though, are still seeing deaths soaring, jobs and businesses being lost (perhaps permanently), and entire industries having to reinvent themselves (and we thought online sales were outshining brick & mortar stores before Covid). My first attempts to begin this post all seemed too depressing, sad, and without hope. It is not what I want to convey.

HOTEL HAPPENINGS & PROGRAM PROMOTIONS – JULY 2019

Hyatt Regency Coconut Point Resort and Spa

HOT DEALS!

Summer isn’t the only time Florida Resident discount rates will be available at Hyatt Regency Coconut Point Resort and Spa, minutes from Naples, FL. A seven-day advance purchase is required, but the rates are available through December 31 by using the code CPFLR. The 26-acre property can host meetings up to 1500 people, has an 18-hole golf course, Camp Hyatt kids club, two firepits and is close to the airport. There is a three-acre pool area with waterslides, lazy river, adults-only pool, hot tub, and both a Read more