fairmont

Soon winter's snow and freezing rain will give way to warmer days in Washington D.C. The National Cherry Blossom Festival is an annual event in the nation's capital celebrating the blooming of the thousands of cherry trees along the Tidal Basin and elsewhere in the area. The 2011 Festival will commemorate the 99th anniversary of 3,000 Yoshino cherry trees presented by the Mayor of Tokyo to the City of Washington as a "memorial of national friendship between the United States and Japan."

The Fairmont Washington, D.C. is celebrating with its signature Cherry Blossom Package. Available from March 25 through April 15, 2011, the Cherry Blossom Package offers overnight accommodations for two in a luxurious guestroom, complimentary valet parking and a box of assorted note cards featuring scenes of the capital's monuments and cherry blossoms by celebrated Washington, D.C. photographer Jake McGuire. Rates for the Cherry Blossom Package start at $229 per night based on double occupancy and availability. For reservations, call 202-429-2400 or toll free at 1-800-441-1414 or visit www.Fairmont.com/washington.

Guests at any one of Fairmont Hotels and Resorts 60+ locations worldwide will no longer have to sacrifice flavor for health or vice versa as the chain just launched a new Lifestyle Cuisine Plus menu that accommodates special diets including those related to medical conditions, food allergies, and lifestyle choices like vegan, raw, or macrobiotic. And although nutritional guidelines are the same across the board the food is not: each Fairmont chef is able to design and personalize his or her own menu to reflect the unique flavors and seasonal offerings of their location, and guests are encouraged to speak with the chef directly regarding any special dining needs they may have during their stay.

Lifestyle Cuisine Plus menus are available as of January 1, 2011 in all Fairmont Hotel restaurants as well as on room service and banquet menus.

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]

Fairmont Hotels & Resorts first debuted its Global Explorer Series last year and now for its second year there are three new adventure vacation packages built around exploring the world's oceans. Offered in collaboration with the National Geographic Society to promote responsible and sustainable tourism, guests can explore wondrous underwater worlds along with an expert to make the experience truly unforgettable.

• Join National Geographic environmental anthropologist and underwater cave expert Dr. Kenny Broad on a snorkeling expedition through the freshwater jungles of the Mayan Cenotes.
• Snorkel around The Big Island of Hawaii with National Geographic environmental anthropologist Dr. Kenny Broad.
  
• Enjoy an unforgettable weekend of diving, exploring and learning at Fairmont Mayakoba with legendary oceanographer Dr. Sylvia Earle.

Rates start at $399/night and are 'mostly inclusive,' with details varying per location.

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...

Rooms at a Fairmont for $80 per person? The Fairmont Le Château Montebello in Montebello Quebec is celebrating 80 years with some hotel deals. The 80th Anniversary Celebration Package includes an overnight accommodation and dinner for two. This package is offered at a rate of $80 per person, based on double occupancy and is available Sunday to Thursday, April 18 to May 9, 2010. From May 1 to 31, starting from Sundays at noon to Fridays at noon two people can play on the hotel's golf course for $80. The price includes the cart and greens fee. In the spa, guests can order the 80th Seignory Treatment, Maple Forest Hand Treatment or Re-energizing Foot Treatment for, you guessed it $80, from April 10 to May 31, 2010. The hotel's Sunday brunch will also be $80 for two guests on April 18, 25 and May 2, 2010.

In June of 1930, the structure was built as a private Seignory Club for the rich and famous in just four months, with over 10,000 red cedar logs. In 1970, the club was converted into a rustic chic hotel. The hotel is located one hour away from Ottawa and Montreal. It hosted the most recent North American Leaders Summit with President George Bush, President Calderon and Prime Minister Stephen Harper.

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...

The Fairmont Kea Lani is one of Maui's finest (and most expensive) hotels, with its own unique character. Luxury and casual relaxation are rarely so effortlessly combined.

Firstly, the property is gorgeous (see above). I know, I know; throw a rock in Maui and you'll hit something scenic, but the Fairmont, in Maui's lavish Wailea area, doesn't impose upon the landscape. Because the hotel wasn't originally a Fairmont, it doesn't ascribe to the usual layout standards and blends nicely into the island. The pools are lovely and include a terrific 140-foot waterslide, which takes you directly from the pool bar to the basketball net. (For those looking for a quieter or more romantic place to sun and swim, there's a chicly appointed adults-only pool set at a distance away.) One of the real draws is the beach upon which it sits -- all beaches in Hawaii are public by law, but the rock outcroppings on either side of the stretch keep the beach feeling private and secure, and the sand is a beautiful mixture of white sand and ... sand-colored sand, creating a lovely marbleized effect.

Not only does the hotel fit into the environment, but it respects it, as well. Fairmonts are known for being among the greener choices in the bunch, and this hotel recycles water, uses biodegradable materials when possible, they give food scraps to local pig farmers, and in each room they have a special thermostat that starts cooling when you check in and stops when you check out -- it's wired to the computer. There's more: "The smart thermostat detects when a door is opened, signaling motion detectors to scan the room. If no motion is detected, the temperature adjusts to five degrees higher." These thermostats reportedly save them over 20 percent on their electric bill AND help save the Earth.

Every room in the Fairmont Kea Lani is a suite (unless it's a whole villa), and each has its own refrigerator (not a minibar) and a microwave. There's also a "Deli" located on the premise which sell everything from cereal for the kids to beer and wine for grown-up time. The hotel is equally popular with families and with couples on honeymoons -- maybe other hotels should pick up on this "I don't want to spend $200 in a restaurant every night" mentality. The hotel is by no means cheap; prices range from $339 for a one-bedroom suite (the smallest room they've got) to $2,000 per night for a 3-bedroom, 2200 square foot, ocean-view villa (includes rental of a minivan, convertible or luxury car). It's nice that they give you the option to eat and drink by your own rules.

The guests and staff alike seem to love the place. A bartender, an east-coaster who's been there since before it became a Fairmont eight years ago, noted the "casual elegance" of the place, and the guests agreed. "At the Four Seasons, you have to have closed toed shoes, and dress up ... here it's just more casual. And the staff remembers you -- they don't have it all plugged into their computer; they recognize you from last year, know you by name and know what you like for breakfast." His wife added with a relishing smile that the nearby golf course is fantastic. The bartender reminded me of the type you'd find in a pub in Brooklyn or even Dublin; easily comfortable with the well-to-do and the young partying types, and striking up a witty conversation with everyone. "I don't feel like I have to 'perform,'" he said.

"Casual elegance" really is an excellent descriptor for the hotel. The staff exudes an almost midwestern friendliness, and the guests are smiling and unaffected. No one around the pool was sucking in their stomach. I liked that.

We wouldn't put it on Luxist if it weren't a fabulous place, but in the interest of full-disclosure, here are the drawbacks: Nothing is included but coffee, neither breakfast nor boogie boards, so unless you're a coffee-and-cigarettes-only type, you should expect to spend some money (and cigarettes aren't included, either). The decor in the villas is somewhat bland -- there isn't much on the walls and nothing feels Hawaiian or otherwise remarkable -- but they are slated to be remodeled in a couple of months. Lastly, the hotel has no shuttle and is a $56 cab ride from the airport before tip.

If that stuff doesn't phase you too much (and after you have a look through the gallery, it probably won't), I recommend you come and visit the Fairmont Kea Lani. "Every hotel attracts a certain kind of guest," said an Indiana-native PR rep. "I love the guests we get here. They're so relaxed." We looked around and found she was quite right. Someone urgently stopped her as we were heading out, but it was only to ask how much a nearby sculpture cost. Some people just can't turn it off.

The Fairmont Hotel in San Francisco has unveiled the remodel of their lavish penthouse suite. The $15,000 suite with the gorgeous bay views, a billiard room, dining room, living room, two-story library and terrace is being reopened this month just in time for a wedding that unites two prominent wine families. The suite takes up the entire eighth floor and has three bedrooms. For your $15,000 a night you get the services of a butler, housekeeper, chef, masseuse and personal trainer and the use of a Ferrari California.

[via MSNBC]

The Fairmont Scottsdale has declared this "The Season of Personal Discovery", and happily for people who love books, much of the personal discovery comes from what amounts to a super-mega book club meeting: weekends centered around books in different genres, that include panel discussions, Q&As and several opportunities to rub elbows with the authors themselves over dinner and cocktails.

Pick your genre. If you're a self-help addict (and no one will judge you for that), try Living Your Best Life, September 25th-27th, which will make you likable, fit, sexy, and a music expert. Or the Ultimate Girls Getaway Weekend, October 9th-11th, which will help you lose weight, and develop an expertise in wine, social media, and your own soul. If fiction is where your heart lies, For the Love of Books,October 2nd-4th, features Anita Diamant, Lisa See and Debra Dean, while Literary Stew, brings in Ridley Pearson, Dave Barry and Scott Turow. Check out the rest of the schedule here.

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.

President Obama got a tour of the Pyramids with Dr. Zahi Hawass, head of Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities and you can too. The charismatic Dr. Hawass, who has also been part of a host of documentaries on Egypt's rich past, headlines a weekend discovering the wonders of Cairo November 27-30, 2009. The Wonder With One Of The Seven Wonders package features one night at Fairmont Towers, Heliopolis and two nights at Fairmont Nile City with breakfast and dinner; a full day tour of the Great Pyramids of Giza and Saqqara; a guided tour of the Cairo Museum, Nile Felucca ride and a dinner lecture with Dr. Zahi Hawass. Rates for the three-night package start from $960 per person.

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.

The Fairmont Royal York Hotel in Toronto, Canada has a hidden amenity that I've never heard another luxury hotel claim, its own apiary. The hotel set up three beehives on its roof last summer in partnership with Foodshare's Field to Table Centre and the Toronto Beekeeping Co-operative. The bee colony of over 10,000 bees created close to 300 pounds of honey. This year the hotel added three more hives hoping to increase production. Royal York's chefs use the fresh honey in salad dressings, baked goods and other items. The honey also makes its way into the milk and honey pedicures at the hotel spa.

The hotel already has a rooftop herb garden growing mint and other culinary herbs which contribute to the unique taste of the honey. The hotel's success with the bees has inspired the Fairmont Algonquin in St. Andrews, N. B., and the Fairmont Waterfront in Vancouver to set up their own apiaries. Guests at the Fairmont Royal York can request educational beehive tours over the summer. The potential disappearance of bees in recent years due to colony collapse disorder has also caused other brands, including Haagen-Dazs ice cream which donates money to beekeeping research, to be concerned for the future of the busy pollinators.

Chicago's Fairmont Hotel just re-opened after a $50 million renovation that includes a new 1,850-sq.-ft. top floor Presidential Suite dedicated to the city's own Barack Obama. Overlooking Chicago's Grant Park, where Obama made his historic acceptance speech on the eve of his election as the 44th President of the United States, the plush suite features an "illustrative montage" of Obama's life along with a selection of memorabilia including campaign buttons, newspaper headlines and seals of the various offices he has held throughout his political career.

The Fairmont has created a special package to inaugurate the suite which includes an intimate, chauffeur-driven tour of Obama's favorite spots in Chicago in the hotel's private Bentley Continental Flying Spur (above). The package features roundtrip airport transportation, fresh floral arrangements upon arrival, a fully-stocked butler's pantry, a personal concierge to assist with reservations, museum passes and basketball or baseball tickets, and spa and restaurant credits. The two-night package is available for $8,244 plus tax.

[via JustLuxe]