Guests are greeted at the Phulay Bay Hotel Pavilion

What could be a more perfect combination than the luxurious attention of the Ritz Carlton, combined with the remote beauty and tranquility of Southern Thailand?

For some of us, absolutely nothing, which is why we’re so excited by the news that the Phulay Bay Ritz-Carlton Reserve is opening in Krabi, Southern Thailand on December 22, 2009. Read More »

Madonna Inn

I asked a friend recently to tell me about their most memorable hotel experience.   “The Madonna Inn in San Luis Obispo, California,” he said without hesitation.  “They have caveman rooms!”

As it turns out, the Madonna Inn offers a variety of themed suites to fulfill just about every vacation fantasy.  Inspiration for the 110 themed suites ranges from merry-go-rounds to Yosemite National Park’s Bridal Veil Falls.  Sixteen of these suites include a unique “rock shower” and fourteen include in-room waterfalls!

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The Fairmont San Francisco opened its doors in 1907, and in the 102 years since then, Fairmont hotels all over the world have borne witness to a lot of history. And they want you to know about it, so they sent out a list of their rooms and hotels which have hosted seminal events relevant to the history of the world.

John Lennon & Yoko Ono Bed-In for Peace

 John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s famous Honeymoon Bed-In for Peace in Suite 1742 at Fairmont The Queen Elizabeth in Montreal in May 1969. Their pajama protest against the Vietnam War has since turned into a defining moment in history.

In 1945, the UN Charter was drafted in the Garden Room at The Fairmont San Francisco and signed by fifty countries.

The young Rose Fitzgerald, future wife of Joseph Patrick Kennedy and mother of America’s 35th president John F. Kennedy, made her social debut in 1912 at The Fairmont Copley Plaza in Boston.

The Northern Ireland peace talks at the Fairmont St Andrews, Scotland in 2006 led to the St Andrews Agreement, the cornerstone to peace in Ulster today.

Relations between China and France were restored in 1964 at the Fairmont Peace Hotel in Shanghai.

The idea of a European Union was first broached at The Savoy in London in March 1943, by the finance and foreign affairs ministers of Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg. The Savoy in London also hosted the first meeting of The Other Club, a private dining club founded by Sir Winston Churchill.

Fairmont wants you to hold your meetings and functions with them, and offers the tantalizing dream that one day – your meeting or wedding may also be a part of the history books.

And to convince you of the power of your meetings, Fairmont asks you to imagine what if… The UN Charter hadn’t been drafted in San Francisco, and Rose & Joseph Kennedy had never met, and all these other meetings had never taken place.

If the UN charter hadn’t been signed, there would have been much less traffic congestion in New York. And probably a couple more World Wars in between then and now. If John Lennon and Yoko Ono hadn’t staged their Bed-in, then the Beatles wouldn’t have broken up.

For more details about Fairmont Hotels & Resorts’ meeting offerings, visit www.fairmontmeetings.com.

Bed-in photo by _ª’s

World's Largest Cruise Ship - Oasis of the Seas

The world’s largest cruise ship is in the water and set to reach Port Everglades on November 11, and Fort Lauderdale hoteliers may have a lot to gain.

Royal Caribbean’s Oasis of the Seas features 16 decks, 2,700 staterooms, and an open-air “Central Park” in the middle of the boat.  To say it’s big, even by cruise ship standards, would be an understatement.

Tourist officials in Fort Lauderdale are hoping that the big ship’s arrival will mean more people staying in Fort Lauderdale hotels.

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