longer pieces I write on WordPress

Posts

HOTEL HAPPENINGS & PROGRAM PROMOTIONS – JANUARY 2023

Romance package available at Pueblo Bonito Pacifica Golf & Spa Resort.

What’s happening in your part of the world when it comes to events, destinations, promotions, travel, and trends? In my active commitments with Meeting Professionals International and International Live Events Association, I hear positivity that business has been bursting with bookings for the past few months. Companies are eager to host events, groups want to meet in person, and people are being recalled back into offices. What I see personally is a bit of a different story. I hear about

HOTEL HAPPENINGS & PROGRAM PROMOTIONS – DECEMBER 2022

HOT DEALS!

Free printable Santa photo booth props

You have until December 31 to save on Pixilated’s two festive photo booth packages, including the Holiday Essentials Bundle and the Company Holiday Party Booth. Both include a photo booth rental kit, your choice of one of our merry holiday themes, and a set of Christmas photo booth props. Choose between the Base 8MP camera (budget-friendly) or the Pro 18MP camera for crisp, clear high-resolution pictures. A choice of holiday themes,

HOTEL HAPPENINGS & PROGRAM PROMOTIONS – NOVEMBER 2022

HOT DEALS!

Lip print readings even fun for men. Check it out for the MPI SBO virtual holiday social! (See below for details.)

Maybe the name of iconic Inn on Fifth & Club Level Suites’ new To the Nines package should have had the word “opulence” included in the title. If you are seeking to have a vacation that is “to the moon and back” luxurious, check out this offer that is available until May 31, 2023. The Naples, FL boutique property is offering luxury experiences that showcase the best of the Naples lifestyle. Designed for two, the package centers on a three-night stay in either the King Supreme Suite or the elegant Presidential Suite, both with spacious verandahs overlooking Fifth Avenue South. Club Level amenities include deluxe

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 – LATE SEPTEMBER 2022

Caesars Palace Renovated Main Entrance

Hi ya’ll. Am prepping my house and yard for Hurricane Ian, so this will be a short update in case we lose power at some point. My blessings to all for safety, especially to those who were just impacted by Fiona and all facing the powerful Ian.

NEW AND RENEWED!

Caesars Palace (Las Vegas, NV) has finished the multi-million-dollar renovation. The front roof the entryway has been coffered and raised. There’s a new porte-cochère, refreshed gaming areas, and the new Galleria Bar is featured

HOTEL HAPPENINGS & PROGRAM PROMOTIONS – SEPTEMBER 2022

NEW AND RENEWED!

New rock climbing and canyoneering experiences on tap by Moab Adventure Center.

Do you know the difference between rock climbing and canyoneering? I didn’t Moab Adventure Center described their unique experiences that continue through November. Here’s how Sierra Schmutz, General Manager of the Moab Adventure Center, explains. Rock climbers use the textures, bumps, and cracks in the rock walls (and may wear special shoes) to go up a rock wall. Once they reach the top, they descend with the rope and harness back to the horizontal ground. Canyoneers slide or rappel down into canyons and caverns where only a rope can give them access. Often there are multiple descents through a given canyon. All guides with

HOTEL HAPPENINGS & PROGRAM PROMOTIONS – AUGUST 2022

HOT DEALS!

Save on end of summer packages, such as Atlantis Paradise Island resort.

End of summer savings on multiple Rentyl Resorts properties. Your fourth night with 4+ day booking in select rooms is free on Paradise Island in The Bahamas. Must book by Aug.10 for stays through Oct.21. Save 20% with a booking in Cap Cove Resort in St. Lucia. Must book by Sept. 1 for stays through Oct. 31, 2022. Stay three or more nights at The Cottages in the Cayman Islands and save 15%. Must book by Aug. 28 for stays between Sept. 1 and Nov. 15.

https://rentylresorts.com; 321-888-3509

Part 6: TRAVELER DISCOVERIES OF SOUTHSIDE ITALY’S ANCIENT ORIGINS – SORRENTO

Growing cactus must be one of the reasons there are so many varieties in Southern Italy.

In Part 5, we discovered Lecce Baroque is an attitude as much as an architectural style and that certified organic wines go down easily with a farm-to-table fresh meal wonderfully prepared.

The last city on this two-week Odysseys Unlimited tour of Sicily and Southern Italy came sooner than it seemed possible. That’s the way it is with all vacations, I expect, but sometimes the days melt faster into the next depending on activities and on the group’s personal dynamics. This 18-member group has been exceptionally harmonious, so the shared experiences have flashed by. Nonetheless, we are headed to Sorrento, a city Russ and I visited with Odysseys four years ago. Then we had mere hours in Sorrento, but an unmistakable allure demanded a lengthier stay.

Part 5: TRAVELER DISCOVERIES OF SOUTHSIDE ITALY’S ANCIENT ORIGINS – LECCE

Lecce Baroque styling means artistic flourishes carved in white limestone.

In Part 4, we discovered conical roofs of flat rocks not bound with mortar can be quite useful to thwart a King’s taxman and in today’s market, bring in the big bucks.

what we learned:

Barocco leccese is an ornate artistic style developed in Lecce and in Terra d’Otranto allegedly between the second half of the 16th century and the end of the 17th. It was developed as a thanks to God for protecting Christianity from the Ottomans. Lecce Baroque style leaves no empty spaces. The thinking was that empty space lets in the Devil. The 2,000-year-old city is considered the “Florence of the South” for the breadth of the fanciful designs of human figures, flowers, and animals carved in white limestone materials encouraged by Charles V, King of Spain, instead of the marble used in Naples. In Lecce, elaborate corbels appear under railings. Classical sculptures of women line the sides of doorways. The point of Baroque design is to wow!