hotels

Food for Thought: June Edition

Amuse-Bouche

“In Russian we say ‘to the bottom!’ I like that these guys are embracing our culture.”

– a local bartender’s reaction to tourist drinking Moscow dry during the 2018 World Cup; the country experienced a beer shortage during the world’s largest football competition. 

Hors d’Oeuvres

Our favorite Ghostbuster and weatherman, Bill Murray, has decided to invest in a new venture: food trucks. Opening this summer in Charleston, South Carolina, The Container Bar is a food truck venue that will feature an indoor/outdoor bar along with parking spaces and electrical hookups for the food trucks. Although popular and growing in the heart of low country, city laws prohibit food trucks from parking on public streets. This is one of many investments Murray has made in his place of residence.

Image from Jell-O
Image from Jell-O

Time to channel your inner kid with permission from Jell-O. Luckily, gone are the days of ring molds and gelatinized meat; in their place are new fun, animal and building block molds that will make your jiggly treat come to life. Named Jell-O Play, the newest line from the company encourages kids to play and interact in today’s digital age. Noting that these are for play, the products can be found in the toy aisle.

We’ve all done it; we had all intentions of making a reservation, but life got in the way and we forgot. Good news, Google can now do that for you. Its newest technology, Google Duplex, has the ability to contact a restaurant and make your reservation. Identifying as “the Google Assistant”, the computerized-voice is so human-like that it speaks with “ums” and “uhs”. Think of it as an upgrade for OpenTable. 

Image from Thrillist
Image from Thrillist

Summer is officially here which means it’s road-trip time. If you’re a fast-food junkie when traveling, you should check out Thrillist’s list of “states with the most fast food restaurants per capita”. Hopefully, your trip is through the South or the Midwest; the top 10 states include Alabama, Nebraska, West Virginia, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Indiana, Washington, D.C., Georgia, Missouri, and South Carolina. 

The Main Course

Anyone that loves to eat and travel mourned the loss of Anthony Bourdain last month. Dedicating more than 12 years to his shows, Parts Unknown and No Reservations, the icon lives on through numerous episodes, his books, and his influence on food lovers around the world. To pay homage to the celebrity chef and CNN host, here are some of the highlights of his career.

Image from Hollywood Reporter
Image from Hollywood Reporter

  • In 2000, Anthony Bourdain emerged with his best-seller, Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly, where he discussed what happens behind-the-scenes in the restaurant industry.

  • Before No Reservations, Bourdain appeared on the Food Network with a short-lived series called A Cook’s Tour.

  • No Reservations aired on Travel Channel for nine seasons and won an Emmy in 2009 and 2011 for “Outstanding Cinematography for Nonfiction Programming”.

  • Continuing his food travels, Bourdain shifted to CNN in 2013 to debut a new style of programming for the network with his show Parts Unknown – it was deemed “part travelogue, part history lesson, part love letter to exotic food” according to CBS News.

  • On an episode of Parts Unknown, President Obama shared a meal with the famed host at a roadside shop in Hanoi, Vietnam. “He taught us about food — but more importantly about its ability to bring us together,” Obama explained.

  • Besides his books and shows, Bourdain was well-known for his advocacy for immigrants. He referred to immigrants as the “backbone to the [restaurant] industry” and was vocal about his disdain for President Trump’s immigration policies.

On the Side

If you’re used to saying “hey, Alexa” at home, you can now continue your habit on vacation. Last month, Marriott International and Amazon announced a partnership as part of the Alexa for Hospitality initiative. In addition to being able to tell you about the weather, play Pandora, and turn off your lights, the vacation-version allows you to order towels, room service, and contact the front desk; think of her as your personal hotel butler. 

Image from Pioneer Woman Boarding House
Image from Pioneer Woman Boarding House

Whether you’re a little bit country or a little bit rock n’ roll, Ree Drummond’s country-chic boutique hotel is sure to please. Located in Osage County, Oklahoma, The Pioneer Woman Boarding House is a eight-room hotel created in a former J.C. Penney’s department store. The hotel is the newest of Drummond’s ventures; she recently opened The Pioneer Woman Mercantile featuring a multi-use food and retail space. Rooms start at $149 per night.

Sweet Escape

It seems like everyone is getting on the fitness train. Equinox, a New York-based gym, is the first fitness center to open its own hotel. Companies like Marriott, Hilton, and IHG have enhanced their offerings, including in-room options. Wellness vacations are all the rage with cycling trips along the PCH, yoga retreats, and bootcamp weeks with celebrity trainers. Since 2014, wellness tourism has been on the rise with projections of $808 billion by 2020 according to the Global Wellness Institute. It looks like healthy living and adventure are the newest buzz words in the world of travel. 

Food for Thought: May Edition

Amuse-Bouche

“We wanted to create something over-the-top that’s never been done before, and you’ve never seen or tasted anything like it before.”

–  Brian Mazza, president of Paige Hospitality, explains the reasoning behind the new craze of 24K gold chicken wings.

Hors d’Oeuvres

It was quite the month in Denver. Chipotle traded in their skis for a surfboard . Alex Siedel got a Beard upgrade with a little fowl play . A Denverite took his waffle obsession to new heights . Plus, there's a new kid on the Dairy Block . 
It was quite the month in Denver. Chipotle traded in their skis for a surfboard . Alex Siedel got a Beard upgrade with a little fowl play . A Denverite took his waffle obsession to new heights . Plus, there’s a new kid on the Dairy Block . 

We’ve all done it. After a long day at work, sometimes you just don’t feel like cooking. Rather than opening up your UberEats app or going out to eat, you go for the next best thing: a frozen meal. Interestingly, despite a recent slump in sales, frozen food is on the rise among millennials. Why? It’s less expensive, there are a multitude of vegetarian, vegan, paleo, non-GMO, gluten-free options, and you can control your portions.

Image from Delish
Image from Delish

If you’ve been desperately wishing that the Taco Bell’s naked chicken chalupa come back, you’re in luck; the fan-favorite menu item returned to a local bell near you on May 10. For those of you not in the know, the special chalupa consists of a chicken cutlet “shell” with your favorite fixin’s inside. To up the ante, a new variation deemed a “wilder version” has also been released that turns the heat dial up a couple of notches.

I’m sure you’re familiar with a Chipotle burrito baby. You know, when you scarf down an entire Chipotle burrito and have a little “food baby” to prove it. Well, this couple’s version of a burrito baby is very different. Last month, a Denver couple gave birth to their fourth child in a Chipotle parking lot. In celebration of the occasion, the QSR decided to throw a Chipotle-themed baby shower for the happy family. Spoiler Alert: the baby’s name is not carnitas. 

The Main Course

The next time you stay at a hotel, don’t be shocked if your bathroom sink is missing a few items. In an effort eliminate waste, many hotel companies getting rid of those small bottles of shampoo and condition and opting for something more eco-friendly.

Image from Ishan via Unsplash
Image from Ishan via Unsplash
  • A slow phase: Like most corporate changes, it’s not going to happen overnight. Many companies are opting to slowly phase on their current products for the wall dispenser options. For example, Marriott has been converting U.S. based hotels to the bulk method across five of their brands: Courtyard, Residence Inn, TownPlace Suites, Fairfield Inn, and SpringHill Suites; they’re hoping to have 450 properties completed before the end of the year. The company’s Starwood Hotel brands and Moxy hotels have already made the switch. InterContinental Hotels is taking a larger scale approach and plans to have 1,500 of their North American properties without the little bottles by January 2019.  They’ve already enacted these policies at Holiday Inn Express, Staybridge Suites, Candlewood Suites, Avid Hotels, Even Hotels, and The Kimpton Hotels and Restaurants. 
  • All in the family: Not only is this a better practice for the environment, but it’s something great for the entire family. Most parents complain about not having enough soap or shampoo to satisfy their large families and often contact guests services for additional bottles. With the dispenser method, the entire family can use as much shampoo as they’d like.
  • Not everyone is on board: As with life, not everyone is keen on the change. Many guests see the dispensers as a way to cut costs that cheapens the guest experience. Economy brands like Choice Hotels and Wyndham Hotel Group are resisting and have decided to continue having individualized bottles. On the opposite spectrum, many luxury brands work diligently with companies produce special product lines for their hotels. The thought behind these partnerships is to encourage guests to take the products home; unfortunately, most of these get left behind and are tossed in the trash.
  • What else? For those companies that are going to keep with the small bottles, organizations like Operation: Care and Comfort can distribute unused products to our troops, veterans, and their families. Other organizations like Clean The World (one of our favorite do-gooders) are repurposing the used bar soaps from hotels by recycling them and distributing the soap to developing countries around the world. 

On the Side

Image from MCR via Curbed NY
Image from MCR via Curbed NY

If you were born before 1995, you probably remember Trans World Airlines (TWA). What you probably don’t remember is the TWA Flight Center that was located near JFK Airport. As a blast from the past, the former flight center is being converted into a retro TWA hotel. The only hotel located within the airport grounds, it will feature more than 500 rooms along with 50,000 square feet of meeting and conference space. The hotel is projected to open next spring.

The royal treatment was what one Kenyan hotel tried to provide its guests in honor of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. For $10,000, guests could enjoy two nights at the to the Windsor Golf Hotel & Country Club in Nairobi and watch the wedding with a bonus helicopter ride to Mount Kenya. Pretty sure this would not get a stamp of approval.

Sweet Escape

When it comes to wine, most people imagine California, Europe, or South America, but what about Asia? Turns out, there are quite a few wineries in the region. From Sula Vineyards in the Nashik region of India to China’s first winery established in 1892, the wine will surprise you.

Food for Thought: April Edition

Amuse-Bouche

“Apparently, it wasn’t a long-thought-out gesture, either.” 

–  the reaction to Duff Goldman, the Ace of Cakes, proposal to his girlfriend with a piece of butcher’s twine. Our reaction: chivalry is not dead! #truelove

Hors d’Oeuvres

Image from Impossible Foods
Image from Impossible Foods

Harold and Kumar’s favorite place just got a new burger. Last month, White Castle added The Impossible Burger to a 140 of stores. Deemed the veggie burger for meat lovers, the California start up can now be found in a few chains, including TGI Friday’s. So, what makes this news so big? A full-size impossible burger runs about $16, so $1.99 for a slider is a huge bargain. Sounds square to us!

Image from Refinery29
Image from Refinery29

When it comes to modern conveniences, one of our favorites is Grubhub. There’s nothing like scrolling through your phone and ordering food from your bed, am I right? Well, now your favorite food app takes Venmo. The new integration, not only, makes it easier use your Fantasy Football earnings to indulge but, also, let’s you split the bill. Win win.

If you believe in the philosophy, “rosé all day” you’re in luck. Our favorite Amazon-owned grocery store will be featuring a rosé promotion through the month of May. Specially selected by Whole Foods’ Master Sommelier Devon , the sale features 12 wines priced from $9.99 to $39.99 which includes two magnum bottles. If you’re heard our Portugal post, you’ll be pleased to hear that one of our favorite varietals – Vinho Verde – is included in the list. So, it looks like we’ll be taking a break from rosé cider and seltzer and going back to basics.

The Main Course

When it comes to building hotels, it’s all about location, location, location. Well, that’s exactly what Orion Span had in mind. Their latest venture is out of this world and definitely a first of the industry. Projected to be open in 2022, here are the details on Aurora Station, the first luxury space hotel.

Image from Nasa Basecamp via Unsplash
Image from Nasa Basecamp via Unsplash
  • Luxury conditions: Located 200 miles above the Earth, the hotel will accommodate four guests and two crew members for 12 days. With all the traditional features of a Four Seasons or Ritz-Carlton, the hotel will also include a Star Trek-like Virtual Reality, a space plant souvenir, and a hero’s welcome upon return.
  • It’s not that new: The elite have had an opportunity to visit space – think Elon Musk – for awhile. The International Space Station (ISS) allows guest to visit following a rigorous two year training. This was only reserved for the rich and famous since it cost $20 to $40 million. Plus, don’t forget about SpaceX, Blue Origin, and Virgin Galactic.
  • A cheaper alternative: With the ISS charges, the Aurora Station is considered a bargain at $792,000 per night. That’s $9.5 million for the duration of your stay. Luckily, that includes 384 sunrises and sunsets, so totally worth it. Plus, it only requires three months of training instead of two years. If this all sounds good to you, you can reserve your space today from chump change: $80,000.
  • Who’s Orion Span? This Houston-based start up is a one-stop-shop. Not only are they launching the hotel, they’re building it. Founder and CEO Frank Bunger has hired only the best; his engineers worked on the ISS. Technology will be built in the Bay Area while the hotel will be constructed in Texas. 

On the Side

Image from CNN Travel
Image from CNN Travel

What goes up must come down. With all the hype related to space travel, another hotel project may have gotten washed out. Located 16.4 feet under the Indian Ocean, the first underwater hotel residence is being built in the Maldives. The Muraka, which translates to coral in Dhivehi, is a two-story hotel villa that will feature a gym, infinite pool, bar, and butler’s quarters along with a bathroom and bedroom on the underground level. Boasting the best of both worlds, the second level provides guests with breathtaking views of sunsets over the ocean. The villa will be available at the Conrad Maldives Rangali Island in November.

The wait is over. Marriott and Starwood have officially combined their rewards programs. The integrated program allows loyalists to keep their status and accrue new points at a higher rate. Compared to its competitors, Marriott has one of the largest rewards programs in the biz with more than 110 million members. The powerhouse duo will implement these changes in August.

Image from Seattle Times
Image from Seattle Times

Bummed that you never got to travel on the Queen Elizabeth 2? Then, you better book a trip to Dubai. The famed luxury vessel has been officially docked and the QE2 will now serve as a 600-800 room hotel. Built in 1969, the ship racked up more than 6 million miles in its 800 voyages back and forth across the Atlantic; it even served the British troops during the Falklands War in the ’80s. A $100 million project, rooms will cost visitors $150 to $15,000per night and is hoping to open its doors by October. 

Sweet Escape

If you love food and wine, you have new country to put on your list: Georgia. With a Mediterranean climate, you’ll love the fresh produce and endless meat, poultry, and fish. Signature dishes include Khachapuri – a bread filled with eggs and cheese – and Kinkali – a dumpling filled with spiced meats or a potato and mushroom mixture. But, that’s only the tip of the iceberg. Georgia is one of the oldest winemaking cultures in the world. Although you may not have heard of the varietals, you’ll love the family-owned vineyards. Plus, many of these vineyards practice organic farming.