Hotel News We Noted: July 13, 2013

Happy Saturday, hotel fans. It’s time for your weekly dose of the wild, wonderful and just plain weird “Hotel News We Noted.” It’s a big week for hotel news, so we’ll jump right into it:

Sweet Slumber: An LA-Based Hotelier Designs Her Own Sheets
Frette, Sferra, Pratesi. There are many brands of luxury sheets in the hotel industry, but none of these were good enough for Armella Stepan, a 25-year veteran of the hospitality industry (think Shutters on the Beach and Casa Del Mar) – so she created her own. INTENTIONS linens take a great night’s sleep a step further and feature “intentional” words woven into the fabric themselves. The concept is fascinating: words we find calming to read, see or hear while awake are said to trigger our psyches to achieve deeper tranquility and rejuvenation as we sleep. While we’re not 100 percent sure that these linens will let us sleep as soundly as we do in a hotel bed, the concept of bringing the hotel home certainly can’t hurt. What do you think? Would you test these out for yourself?

Haute Hotel Opening: Domaine de la Baume Hotel
We’ve long been fans of the French countryside, and so when we heard a new luxury property had come to Provence, we needed to get the scoop. Domaine de la Baume opened just last week in what was once the home to French Expressionist painter Bernard Buffet. The 99-acre property includes an olive grove, horses, waterfalls, formal gardens and more. Feeling more like a private retreat than a hotel, the Tourtour property is the third in Provence from MAISON & HOTELS Sibuet’s.Ice Cool: Hotels Celebrate National Ice Cream Month
What better month to celebrate a sweet treat like ice cream than in July? Some of our favorite hotels have gotten in on the action for National Ice Cream Month with unique promos and fun flavors. Here are a few of our favorites:

  • At Las Ventanas al Paraiso, a Rosewood Resort in Los Cabos, guests enjoy tequila ice cream poolside.
  • At the Waldorf Astoria New York, sample honey ice cream, made with honey from the hotel’s own rooftop hive.
  • Four Seasons hotels and resorts have gotten really into the ice cream trend, but we’re particularly impressed by the Miami property’s liquid nitrogen ice cream bar cart.
  • In Grand Rapids, Michigan, the Amway Grand Plaza hotel gives a new take on s’mores with ice cream sundaes made with tableside flamed vanilla-bean marshmallows on top of molasses and honey-infused graham cracker ice cream, topped with chocolate ganache and almond tuille.
  • Head to Maui and try inventive flavors like Kauai Pie, Mango Sorbet, Kona Coffee and Caramel Coconut Macadamia Nut at the Grand Wailea.

Hotel Review: Embassy Suites
We spent our first night at an Embassy Suites in ages this past weekend when we were in Richmond for a wedding and were pleasantly surprised by this Hilton brand property. The rooms were spacious, the service friendly, the beds comfortable and the complimentary hot breakfast plentiful and fresh. An evening Manager’s Reception would have included complimentary drinks and snacks – had we not been otherwise occupied with wedding prep. While this particular property could have used a facelift – the rooms did look a bit worn – we were pleasantly surprised by the quality for the value: a mere $125 per night.