Why Is Marriott Sponsoring A Jackie Robinson Movie?

by Grant Martin on

“Does Marriott have a minority problem?”

There’s an interesting story over at Marketplace.org about a new movie coming out about Jackie Robinson and its corporate sponsor. Marriott, the worldwide hotel chain, is partnering up with Warner Brothers, the producers of “42,” to be the official hotel sponsor for the film.

But why? In a film about baseball that took place far before Marriott was a household name, why would a hotel need to sponsor a movie? Marketplace’s host, Kai Ryssdal and Wesley Morris, a film critic at Grantland.com lob a few theories back and forth during this interview, but the only conclusion they can resolve is that the move targets attention from minorities. If that’s the case, it’ll be interesting to see what they sponsor next.

Hotel News We Noted: March 22, 2013

by McLean Robbins on

Welcome to this week’s edition of “Hotel News We Noted,” where we round up the best, most interesting and just downright odd news of note in the hospitality world. As always, we welcome your tips, so feel free to leave comments below or send us an email.

Hotel Opening: Capella Washington, D.C., Georgetown
Finally, after what seems like months of waiting, our “Birth of a Hotel” feature property has opened its doors. The 49-room ultraluxury hotel features personal assistants for each guest, 24-hour check in and check-out, a locally-focused restaurant, The Grill Room, and a spirits focused bar, The Rye Bar. Boasting a prime location along the C&O Canal in the city’s prime Georgetown neighborhood, the property has been called one of the States’ most exciting openings of 2013.

Gansevoort Las Vegas To Open in Early 2014
Style seekers jet-setting to Las Vegas now have more than ever before to be excited about. Along with the new Nobu hotel and the planned 2014 opening of SBE’s first Las Vegas property, Gansevoort Hotel Group and nightlife guru Victor Drai have announced plans to build their first Las Vegas property in the former Bill’s Gamblin’ Hall & Saloon location. A planned $185 million renovation will transform the property into 188 Parisian-style guest rooms, including 19 suites, plus a 40,000-square-foot casino, destination restaurant and high-end retail shops. The resort will also include Drai Beach Club and Nightclub, a 65,000-square-foot indoor/outdoor nightclub/pool experience. The After Hours by Drai club will remain, and this venue will be included in the planned LINQ development, opening in late 2013.Hotels Celebrate Earth Hour on Both Coasts
March 23 (tomorrow) marks “Earth Hour,” the world’s largest single environmental event. Hotels coast to coast are turning off their lights at 8:30 p.m. tomorrow for an hour, making a commitment to the environment. Hotels are participating in the event in various ways, including:

  • Fairmont Miramar will have lighted candles around the property, which will produce a very picturesque sight under the iconic Moreton Bay Fig Tree at the hotel’s entrance.
  • The Sheraton New York Times Square is dimming the lights and offering guests several “green” treats, including a special “Green Cocktail” for guests in their 44th floor club lounge.
  • Ritz-Carlton hotels around the globe well also participate in the celebration, including candlelight yoga at the Doha property, LED candles in Barcelona and a naturalist guiding guests in constellation spotting at the Laguna Niguel property.

Something Borrowed, Something Brewed: Hotel Offers Special “Wedding Beer” Packages
Brides and grooms might not think of Four Points by Sheraton Los Angeles International Airport as a great destination for beer, but they should perhaps think again. The new “Hoppily Ever After” package from the hotel leverages the trend of offering custom cocktails at the wedding reception and takes personalization one step further – the couple can work hands-on with a brewer to create a custom wedding beer through a partnership with local Enegren Brewing Company, where they can create up to 30 gallons of beer to be served on their special day. The hotel also has an onsite beer restaurant and pub, Brewster’s – a Beererie, featuring an extensive 100-beer menu including many local, regional, national and international craft beers and microbrews. The Hoppily Ever After Package must be booked at least three to four months in advance to ensure the brewing process is completed by the reception date but is just $1,500 – $2,000.

[Image Credit: Four Points by Sheraton]

Facebook Timeline For Travel Industry

by Meg Nesterov on

The World Travel and Tourism Council has introduced a fun element to their Facebook page: rather than a timeline of their own milestones, they’ve designed a timeline highlighting all of the events in the travel industry. Starting in 1400 with the first passport, and ending with the 1,000,000,000 international tourist arrival in December 2012, it puts the whole development of tourism in context. The first airport dates to 1909 in College Park, Maryland, and there are now over 44,000 airfields and airports all over the world. Hilton pioneered the hotel chain concept in 1943, and now has properties in 78 countries on six continents. Expedia has been around for 17 years, and TripAdvisor just celebrated their 13th anniversary.

Check out all the travel industry milestones on WTTC’s Timeline, and be sure to click through all the years.

[Photo credit: WTTC Facebook]

Hotel News We Noted: March 16, 2013

by McLean Robbins on

Luck o’ the Irish to you, hotel fans. Welcome to this week’s edition of “Hotel News We Noted,” where we round up the best, most interesting and just downright odd news of note in the hospitality world.

As always, we welcome your tips, so feel free to leave comments below or send us an email.

Hotel Opening: The Ritz-Carlton, Abu Dhabi, Grand Canal
The 532-room luxury resort is the first Ritz-Carlton in Abu Dhabi and the ninth property in the Middle East for the brand. This ultra-luxury destination has seen a slew of new properties in recent years, and the Ritz-Carlton will likely become a favorite. Inspired by the architecture of Venice, the waterfront hotel is actually comprised of ten buildings set in a crescent overlooking a large pool with the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque as the backdrop. A highlight for luxury seekers? The hotel features 85 private one- and two-bedroom villas, as well as five F&B offerings, ensuring that travelers never get bored of eating on property.

Blame it on the Booze: Man Arrested After Flashing Guests at South Carolina Hotel
Here’s an item for news of the weird. A 20-year-old man was arrested last weekend after flashing guests of a Charleston, South Carolina DoubleTree hotel. The guests were gathered for a wedding and spotted a young man waving at them from his hotel window. Minutes later, the man returned and showed the guests his “goods,” shall we say politely. We’ll spare the sordid details: the full story is here, at the Daily Mail.

Spring Break Savings at Stylish Hotels
We’ve got quite a number of discounts to show you this week. Check out our favorites:

  • More than 50 members of Preferred Hotel Group worldwide – including some of the newest hotels on the market – are offering some pretty great discounts for their suites, a discount of 20-50% on the regular rate. Discounts include 20% off rooms at The Mark Hotel in NYC, Hotel de Paris Saint-Tropez in Saint-Tropez, France, and the new ME London as well as Miami’s hot, hot, hot SLS South Beach. For families heading to Disney World … the newly renovated Villas of Grand Cypress is offering 30-50% off its one-bedroom villas (discount dependent on date).
  • The oceanfront 13-villa Trident Hotel opens next month, and the first guests are enjoying a suite deal – 50% off rates (which means rooms start at $375 per night, normally $750) for travel until April 17. We spilled details a few weeks ago about the hotel – but this sounds like a great deal for value-conscious jetsetters looking for a last-minute getaway.
  • Viceroy Hotel Group is offering a flash sale starting Monday, where you’ll save a minimum of 15% at their stylish selection of worldwide hotels (50% in the Maldives and Riviera Maya) and resorts, plus enjoy upgrades, resort credits and more.

Adorable Amenity: Bedtime Snack Cart at Vanderbilt Grace
Newport, Rhode Island’s Vanderbilt Grace hotel (part of the Grace collection) has a kid-friendly amenity we can’t help but think is pretty creative. The hotel rolls in a “bedtime snack” cart for kids (with parents’ permission, of course) with items ranging from fruit and cereal to cookies and popcorn.

[Image Credit: Ritz-Carlton Abu Dhabi]

Healthy Spa Travel Becoming A Popular Option

by Chris Owen on

Not all that long ago, ask just about any travel agent about “Spa Travel” and they would probably not have known what you were talking about. Hotels have had spas and nicely equipped exercise centers for decades. Cruise lines promote spa treatments on ships at sea almost as much as shore excursions. Chains of fitness centers around the planet have had a focus on health for a while. But the arrival of spa-focused travel is an entirely different animal and one that looks like it will be around for quite some time.

Not really fitting in any particular category, spa travel can combine adventure, budget, wilderness and even air travel to make a new lifestyle-oriented option that can be an excellent choice for people of all ages.

A recent survey found that travelers “are now more interested in traveling to spas specifically for programs like stress-reduction, fitness and weight loss,” notes Susie Ellis, president of SpaFinder Wellness, a service that connects those seeking a healthy lifestyle with its worldwide network of wellness providers in a MySanAntonio report.Just how popular is spa travel? Agents surveyed reported that spa travel bookings increased 37 percent in 2011, a “healthy” growth in and of itself. But that number nearly doubled for 2012 with agents reporting a 68 percent growth in the number of clients choosing spa travel last year.

Better news: spa travel can be a real value-oriented choice with many agents reporting discount pricing on spa vacations. If the idea of centering travel on spa services sounds like something for older travelers, think again. The 26-45 age group is now most likely to book spa vacations. Another Hot spa travel destination? Mexico. Recovering from drug lord-induced bad press, this destination has some of the best deals around.

“The results are a clear indication that more travelers are deciding they simply can’t afford exhausting, unhealthy vacations,” concluded Ellis.

But what is spa-focused travel?

The bloggers at Traveling Mamas inspire women to explore the world via vacations with the kids, girlfriend getaways or romantic escapes. One option to make that happen is a spa vacation as we see in this video– in addition to their library of information – on the topic.




[Photo credit – Travelingmamas]