Family Package at Naples, FL Ritz makes luxury attainable

by Tom Johansmeyer on

I love the Ritz-Carlton Golf Resort. I spent a weekend down there just shy of a year ago, and it’s become my mission in life to get back there. Until that happens, though, you may ant to see it for yourself. Even if you don’t play golf (personally, I hate the game), there is plenty to enjoy.

The Family Summer Package, which starts at $239 a night, is available from the first day of May to the last of October this year, and it comes with enough perks to make that seem like pocket change. In addition to the roof over your head, you’ll get breakfast for four, a free kids’ menu meal with each adult entrée you purchase, a $50 resort credit and a $50 gift card which is good at the resort’s retail shops. A similar packages is available at the golf resort’s sister property (which is on the beach) for $299 a night.

I know … free meal offers make me skeptical, too. What do you get? At the Ritz-Carlton Golf Resort, you’ll have breakfast at Lemonia, which, I assure you, is outstanding. Also, make sure you get over to the spa at the beach resort. I received the best massage of my life there as part of the Elements treatment. Don’t miss it.

While you hit the links (36 holes in total), your kids can take advantage of the Nature’s Wonders program, which is on the beach resort property. It’s an environmentally-focused program that is conducted by a team of certified Master Naturalists who can give some great insights on Florida wildlife. The Ritz-Carlton does take its environmental seriously, as I found while participating in the “Giveback Getaway” program last summer.

If you need to dash off for a few days this summer, the Family Summer Package gives you an affordable option to have an upscale experience. My only hope is that I get back there before you do (I miss the place).

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Florida’s Winter Park: Orlando for adults

by Tom Johansmeyer on

Winter Park is often described as Orlando‘s answer to the Hamptons on Long Island. There are large houses, upscale shops, wine bars and experiences that you generally wouldn’t associate with Orlando. Only about 15 minutes from downtown Orlando, it’s a great day trip for families that are worn out by the breakneck pace of the theme parks.

The main attraction is Park Avenue, the heart of the local action. Sip a cabernet at any of the many wine bars or restaurants that stretch onto the sidewalk, soak in the unhurried activity around you and feel the anxiety of waiting in Disney World lines melt away. Stop by the farmer’s market for locally grown produce, tasty soups and samples of culinary craftsmanship. I’d probably make this the last stop before leaving Winter Park, that way you won’t have to worry about leaving what you purchase in the car for a few hours.

While you’re in Winter Park, get out on the water. The Scenic Boat Tour will carry you through several, where you can ogle the homes of the wealthy. Don’t ask who lives there now: your guide believes in discretion, and you’ll be met only with a silent smile. The crisp breeze counteracts the hot Florida sun, and the leisurely pace sits in stark contrast to the normal Orlando excursion. Along with the stunning homes, you’ll be treated to Florida Cyprus trees growing in the lakes themselves. One even has a remnant of Christmas past, a small ornament that continues to adorn it.

When you return to land, head back to Park Avenue for the museums. The Charles Hosmer Morse Museum of American Art is a must (especially if you’re staying at one of Orlando’s art-themed hotels). And, the sculpture gardens at the Albin Polasek Museum are a sight to behold.

It’ll be hard to peel the kids away from the theme parks, but if you find yourself in Orlando for a convention this year, add a day to your trip and visit Winter Park. Unwind after several days of sales meetings and business dinners before you go home. Your perception of Orlando will never be the same.

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New Pet Airways lets dogs embark and keeps cats out of the reeear

by Aaron Hotfelder on

I’ve been saying it sarcastically for years: Pets need their own airline. Finally, Pet Airways of Delray Beach, Florida, has answered my fake prayers.

The new airline’s founders, Dan Wiesel and Alysa Binder, got the idea after they traveled with their dog Zoe, and their airline is the world’s first that focuses exclusively on the comfortable transportion of pets.

On most non-pet flights, pets are shipped like baggage in the cargo hold, a process which Wiesel says is “frightening” and which “can cause severe emotional and physical harm, even death.” He added: “This is not what most pet owners want to subject their pets to, but they have had no other choice, until now.”

Special “pet attendants” will give the animals bathroom breaks before the flight and check in on them every fifteen minutes after take-off.

The airline will serve five US cities– New York, DC, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Denver, and its first flight will take place on July 14.

More, including a groan-inducing usage of the word “pawsengers,” here.

Orlando’s Art Hotels

by Tom Johansmeyer on

Okay, talk of Orlando triggers images of Mickey Mouse. Trappings of the Disney empire are unavoidable in the town that Walt built, but if you look hard, you’ll find a city that can stand on its own. For a touch of style, dash off to downtown Orlando and check out the city’s art-themed hotels. You’ll find dramatic expression without having to contend with Donald Duck’s refusals to be ignored.

The Grand Bohemian Hotel sits on Orange Ave, right in the heart of downtown Orlando, a short walk from the City Arts Factory. From the moment you step inside, you’re consumed by creative expression. “Aggressive design” is the only way to describe the lobby, and clear signs point you to an on-property art gallery that features Florida artists (who don’t suck).

The guestrooms continue the theme. Sleek design does not come at the expense of comfort, and any New Yorker would describe the rooms as palatial. The logical split between the sleeping and living area (with the bed) and the work area (with the desk) will appeal to business travelers who often crave a dividing line between the two while on the road – I know I always did.

But, it’s the art on the walls, even in the guestrooms, that grabs you.

Forget shitty sailboats and “happy little trees.” The Grand Bohemian offers variety within each room and still manages to make the entire aesthetic experience cohesive. Whether you’ve just finished cranking out work (as I had) or just want to unwind after hitting the town, it’s a nice diversion to sit back and soak in the creative efforts that line the walls.

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Most art-savvy hotels perform well in the lobby and the rooms, but they screw up the space in between. The hallways are easily forgotten, mere passageways from one destination to the next. Thus, I was pleasantly surprised when I stepped from the elevator in the Grand Bohemian and wound my way to my home-for-a-night. Instead of blank walls – or, worse, careless choices – I was treated to a delightful jaunt through varied styles.

The Grand Bohemian is an antidote to the traditional chain hotel experiences in which you push through a consistent blandness to occupy a bed that isn’t your own. Your senses are rewarded with a care that is a rarity in any hotel … and is downright shocking in Orlando.

And, this isn’t your only option in Orlando.

Smaller and tucked away about a mile from the middle of downtown, you’ll find the EO Inn. Once a youth hostel, it is now a boutique hotel with 17 rooms and two cozy balconies. Then entrance is hidden from sight. The front of the hotel is occupied by a Panera, and you have to go around back to reach the front desk, a situation that is actually more charming than inconvenient. The artwork begins in the lobby and stretches up the stairs and into the elevator. When you arrive at your floor, the hallways are dotted with adventurous creations.

I’ve always viewed the slog from the elevator to guestroom, however short, has as an annoyance (as you’ve probably figured out by now). It just seems like the painful passing of time for no good purpose. Careful design solves this problem, and EO excels. I found myself stopping periodically to enjoy what was showcased, and I purposefully passed my door on several occasions to see what was on display farther down the hall.

The rooms are a tad small – which is fine with me, given that I live in small – but are designed for enjoyment. The bed was soft without sacrificing firmness, and the bathroom was clean and serviceable (what else do you really want?). The absence of a desk drove me out onto the balcony, which turned out to be the perfect place to write, smoke and relax (and eat the cupcakes thoughtfully provided to me by ladies from the nearby bachelorette party – alas, the UPS guy did not make a “delivery”). Since the balconies are on the same side of the building as the hotel’s front door, you are spared the noise of passing traffic and can relax unmolested while not being isolated from civilization.

This is the Orlando that few realize exists. The Grand Bohemian and the EO hotel underscore a commitment to the arts that may be hidden by theme parks and conventions, but it is quite real. Forsake the 1,000-room cookie-cutter properties for an art-themed boutique, and get to know the Orlando that will make you want to return … without any nagging from your kids.

Momentum around meeting cancellations

by Tom Johansmeyer on

Meetings and conventions aren’t just falling … they’re actively being canceled. While it’s easy to write this off as the erosion of a wasteful corporate perk, it translates to genuine financial crisis for the travel industry.

Over the past six months, 402 conventions and meetings have been canceled in Las Vegas alone. According to the Las Vegas Convention & Visitors Authority, this translates into a loss of $166 million for the city … and that doesn’t include lost gambling revenue. It’s no wonder that the city has to be inches from paying guests to visit.

Cancellations at Orlando haven’t been as bad, but the problem is merely one of degree. This year, the city has sustained an economic impact of $26 million from the canceling of 114 meetings scheduled for 2009. Because of all this, 146,000 rooms are expected to be vacant this year … rooms that were supposed to be occupied.

It’s been tough in other cities, too.

All in, this has translated to more than $1 billion of lost revenue in the first two months of the year from meeting cancellations, according to the U.S. Travel Association. The number is even worse when you factor in spending on rental cars, catering and local attractions.

So, for anyone who doubted the potential for more than 200,000 jobs to be lost in the travel industry this year … just do the damned math.