Fairmont Hotels

The Classicist: London's Famed Savoy Hotel Back After $350 Million Revamp

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels, Architecture & Design

London's renowned Savoy hotel has just reopened following a massive $350 million revamp encompassing one of the most ambitious restorations in British history. The world famous landmark, built by impresario Richard D'Oyly Carte with profits from his Gilbert and Sullivan operas, originally opened in August 1889. Originally managed by Swiss hotelier César Ritz and Maitre Chef Auguste Escoffier, the hotel quickly became known for impeccable service and cuisine as well as glittering parties and famous patrons. Over the decades George Gershwin, Frank Sinatra, Fred Astaire and Noel Coward entertained there, while famous guests included King Edward VII, Harry Truman, Marilyn Monroe, Humphrey Bogart, Elizabeth Taylor, Coco Chanel, Bob Dylan, The Beatles and numerous others. The property, now managed by Fairmont, has been closed for nearly three years while the impressive restoration project took shape.

120 years later the hotel's two main design aesthetics, Edwardian and Art Deco, have been carefully revitalized under the direction of world-renowned designer Pierre Yves Rochon. More than 1000 craftspeople, artists and artisans worked tirelessly to create interiors that are in keeping with the hotel's original and much-loved spirit. 38 new River Suites and guestrooms have been added, offering the same stunning views over the River Thames that inspired Whistler and Monet. Nine Personality Suites pay tribute to a few of the artists and well known figures who made the legendary hotel their London home away from home including Sinatra, Maria Callas, Charlie Chaplin and Marlene Dietrich. The suites contain art, literature, photographs and artifacts that evoke the time and spirit of the stars including the 12 pink roses in the Marlene Dietrich Suite that the actress always requested upon arrival.

The reopening also includes the addition of a stately $16,000-per-night, 325-square meter Royal Suite featuring two bedrooms, a study, sitting room, dining room, master bathroom, dressing room (with a specially ventilated shoe closet) and a master bedroom with a bespoke Savoir bed. The suite has been specially designed so that all the rooms enjoy one of the finest views of London. The legendary River Restaurant meanwhile gets a contemporary interpretation of Art Deco décor, and the famed cocktail mecca the American Bar is back in business while Savoy Grill returns under the operation of Gordon Ramsay Holdings with Chef Patron, Stuart Gillies and Head Chef, Andy Cook. [continued]

Gallery: The Savoy Reborn

Tags: Art Deco, bar, cocktails, Coco Chanel, Elizabeth Taylor, Fairmont, Fairmont hotels, Frank Sinatra, Fred Astaire, Gilbert and Sullivan, Gordon Ramsay, hotel, hotel suites, London, luxury hotels, Maria Callas, Marilyn Monroe, Monet, Ritz, Savoy, Savoy hotel, tea, Thames, The Beatles, UK

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The Bees Are Back At The Fairmont Hotels

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Dining, Luxury Travel & Hotels

One of the most interesting hotel features around are the bee hives at some of the Fairmont hotels. The hotel brand now has six apiaries around the world with hives set up on rooftops and in onsite herb gardens. The bees help the local environment by providing plenty of bees to pollinate area gardens and parks and the Fairmont chefs use the honey in sweet treats for guests.

The Fairmont Waterfront in Vancouver shares its herb garden with six honeybee hives on the hotel's third-floor terrace. For summer 2010 they will host 390,000 honey bees producing an anticipated 500 lbs of honey. At the Fairmont Royal York in Toronto there are around 300,000 bees in peak season. The Fairmont Washington, D.C. welcomed 105,000 Italian honeybees in summer 2009 to their three new hives on the roof. The Fairmont Mount Kenya Safari Club has partnered with local beekeeper Stephen Macharia to bring fresh honey to guests. Stephen started out collecting wild honey from the slopes of Mount Kenya, but by June will have eight hives on property to help pollinate African flowers and the nearby Mount Kenya Forest. The Fairmont Le Chateau Frontenac in Quebec hosted four queen bees in four hives in the chef's roof top garden last year. Each hive contains about 70,000 bees that will produce enough honey for the entire hotel, with the extra being sold in the Fairmont Store. And at the Fairmont Algonquin in St. Andrews by-the-Sea, New Brunswick the queen bee and her hive feast on nearby Kingsbrae Gardens producing honey which is sold to guests and also used in the hotel's three restaurants. Several of the hotels offer tours so that you can safely observe the bees hard at work.

The honey pops up in desserts, entrees and drinks. The Festive Buzz, shown at right, served at the Royal York includes white peach puree, champagne and the Royal York honey. Check out the recipe here or watch the Royal York bees in action in a video after the jump.

Tags: apiaries, apiary, beekeeping, bees, fairmont hotels

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The Fairmont Does a 180 at the Monaco Grand Prix

by Jonathon Ramsey (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels

The Fairmont Hotel in Monte Carlo has a prime view of one of the most best corners in all of Formula 1 – it's the tightest turn of any track in the entire Formula 1 calendar, turned so tight around on itself that the cars' steering has to be modified to cope. In years past it was called the Lowe's Hairpin, but no longer. Thenceforth, it will be known as the Fairmont Hairpin, and the hotel has a plans to offer amenities and entertainment as exciting as the race itself.

The completion of a €46 million renovation has graced the Fairmont with a new top-floor restaurant called L'Horizon with 360-degree views of the Principality. The 5-star menu includes vegetables grown in the Fairmont's gardens in the countryside surrounding Monaco, which means the food probably tastes exceedingly rich in more ways than one. When not at the repast, there's the Willow Fitness Center overlooking the Riviera, the Willow Stream Spa with 8 treatment rooms and a sauna and Hammam. You can even order Adidas t-shirts, shorts and shoes from the hotel for your workout, and the Fairmont will provide an MP3 player with EMI tunes to enjoy while you tread on the mill.

For GP weekend, May 13-16, the resort's got two packages: one for the historic grand prix that gets you a bed from April 30 to May 2, and one for the Formula 1 weekend with flexibility from one to four nights. Another benefit of staying in-house is you'll have a better chance of getting into the Fairmont's Salle d'Or ballroom, where Flavio Briatore's Sardinia-based Billionaire's Club will be hosting parties from 11:30 p.m. until 5 a.m. And you can bet that any action that might be missing on track will be more than made up for at the Salle d'Or...

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Tags: f1, fairmont, fairmont hotel, fairmont hotel monte carlo, fairmont hotels, fairmont monte carlo, formula 1 2010, monte carlo

Twitter-Only Valentine's Day Specials

by Carrie N. Culpepper (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels, Lux Tips

Technology can enhance your love life. Just ask anyone whose ever had text sex. (Phone sex is so old millennium.) Twitter, on the other hand, can do more than excite, it can land you deals on Valentine's Day hotel packages.

In the coming weeks, several hotels and resorts plan to release romance packages and other specials exclusively to the Twittisphere. The savings range from an $800 off three nights at Florida's five-star ONE Bal Harbour resort to a 25 percent reduction at the gorgeous Rock Resorts' The Landings St. Lucia (pictured). Your sweetheart never needs to know.

Here are four Valentine's Day specials and how to track them down on Twitter:

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The Fairmont Offering Ten Days -- and Nights -- of Deals

by Jonathon Ramsey (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels

It should be more widely known that Canadians are a giving people. The folks in the geographical apartment above ours invented provided the pager, the foghorn, and basketball. We also have them to thank, or perhaps curse, for the Blackberry. As for talent, or something close to it, Canadians Alannis Morissette, Leonard Cohen, Keanu Reeves, and Natasha Henstridge have all come down to borrow our proverbial cups of sugar.

And although the Maple Leafers didn't give us The Fairmont Hotels -- that's a San Francisco invention -- they own them now, and they're offering you ten days of deals. Book a room in a Fairmont between November 10-19, and you can spare your bank account up to 25% off the normal rate or get a night free.

Of course there are terms and conditions, because even honey comes with bees. Still, when The Fairmont Orchid Hawaii can be had for $299, The Fairmont Southampton in Bermuda for $199, The Fairmont Singapore for $195, and for you devil-may-care MI6 types The Fairmont Monte Carlo for $370, well, bees be damned. Should you wish to visit the company's on its home turf, The Fairmont Le Château Frontenac in Québec City (pictured) is just $165. While you're there, have a Reese's Cup -- they were invented by Pennsylvanian H. B. Reese, but peanut butter and candy bars are yet more Canadian gifts to the world...

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Tags: fairmont, fairmont hotel, fairmont hotels, FairmontHotel, FairmontHotels, hoteldeals, journeys, resort, resorts, the fairmont, TheFairmont

The Classicist: At the Fairmont Algonquin

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels, The Classicist

On our way back from a summer sojourn to Nova Scotia a few weeks ago we had to seek refuge from Hurricane Bill, and wound up at a luxurious, historic seaside resort in New Brunswick that turned out to be the highlight of the trip. Built in the 1880s, the Tudor-style Fairmont Algonquin, in picturesque St. Andrews overlooking the Passamaquoddy Bay, is a veritable castle by the sea. A Canadian Maritime tradition in its second century of impeccable hospitality, the hotel has played host to many notable personages over the years including the first Prime Minister of Canada, Sir John A. Macdonald, President Theodore Roosevelt and Diana, the Princess of Wales.

The hotel was originally the enterprise of the St. Andrews Land Company, established in 1883 by wealthy American businessmen who found the town to be the ideal vacation spot; a 1902 brochure described it as '"an incomparable resting-place and retreat from the cares of business and the heat and dust and bustle of the city." During this period most guests arrived by train and so it was only fitting that the Canadian Pacific Railway Company took over ownership in 1903. The hotel was sold to local interests in 1970 and the Province of New Brunswick leased the property in 1973. The Province eventually purchased The Fairmont Algonquin along with two golf courses and a private beach in 1984, and it is now run by the Fairmont Hotels & Resorts luxury group.

The hotel now has 234 impeccably-appointed guest rooms and suites retaining the resort's classic style, updated with modern amenities. Many rooms have ocean views and look over the lush gardens, swimming pool and tennis courts. The public spaces are elegant and inviting, with fireplaces for cooler weather and plenty of spots to relax indoors and out, while the charming town of St. Andrews is only a few minutes walk. The nearby Bay of Fundy lays claim to the highest tides in the world with rising and falling water levels nearing 55 ft. in some areas twice daily. That provides the scenic backdrop for the award-winning seaside Algonquin Golf Course and Academy, home to two of the top ten golf tees in Canada, while others may choose to go on whale-watching excursions or explore the scenic surroundings.

Gallery: The Fairmont Algonquin

Tags: Canada, dog friendly hotels, DogFriendlyHotels, dogs, Fairmont, Fairmont Hotels, FairmontHotels, golf, historic hotels, HistoricHotels, hotel, Maritime, New Brunswick, NewBrunswick, Nova Scotia, NovaScotia, pets, resort, seaside, Theodore Roosevelt, TheodoreRoosevelt

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Fairmont Monte Carlo: The Only Way to Watch the Tour de France

by Tom Johansmeyer (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels, Sports

There are two ways to take in the Tour de France. One is to cram yourself into a spot along some godforsaken stretch of road with all the other riffraff. You can hope to get a look at the action ... as long as they person in front of you isn't tall. Or, you can find your way to Monaco's F1 circuit, where the race departs. Instead of schlepping out to the site, you can stay nearby. Without the hassle of getting to and from, you might actually enjoy the experience!

To help you enjoy the kickoff of the 96th Tour, the Fairmont Monte Carlo has put together a great package. Stay from July 1 to July 5, and you can pick up a room for €529 (around $735) a night, with a buffet breakfast included.

So, if you've ever wanted to witness the greatest cycling spectacle of all time, here's your chance to do it the right way. Once the riders depart, drop some cash on the roulette table, and sip a wine carefully crafted in Provence. Do everything that those dedicated athletes can't. The lucky racers won't be back until next year, but you can take a few more days to play with the wealthy.

Tags: bicycle, bicycles, cycling, cyclist, cyclists, fairmont, fairmont hotel, fairmont hotels, FairmontHotel, FairmontHotels, monaco, monte carlo, MonteCarlo, tour de france, TourDeFrance

Fairmont Hotels Get Windy at Check-In

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels

The Fairmont Hotels and Resorts have found a new way to go green. They have announced that the computers at the check-in desk will now be powered by the wind. The luxury hotel chain has bought Eco-Logo certified wind power for 249 check-in computers. The new initiative is part of Fairmont's Green Partnership program which is focused on energy issues and sustainable energy technology. The Fairmont has long been a supporter of green power. Since 1999, The Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise has been purchasing green power through an agreement with the Canadian Eco-Logo certified Canadian Hydro Developers. At that hotel 40 percent of the property's electricity needs are met by a blend of wind and run-of-river electricity generation. The Fairmont has agreed to purchase a total of 116 megawatt hours of wind power through the Pembina Institute, a non-profit environmental organization.

[via Breaking Travel News]

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Tags: ecologically friendly, fairmont hotels, FairmontHotels, green issues, green power