Coasting it: the Sunscape Dorado Pacifico Ixtapa resort.
By Mark Chesnut
The 37th annual Tianguis Turistico, Mexico’s annual tourism conference that took place last month in Puerto Vallarta, provided lots of opportunities for companies and destinations to share the latest business travel and Mexico vacation news — including a slew of new hotels that offer lots of amenities and services for both business travelers and vacationers. (more…)
Golden gates: The Fairmont San Francisco is among the hotels with upgrades.
By Mark Chesnut
Fairmont Hotels & Resorts, which operates upscale hotels that range from the Fairmont Scottsdale Princess in Arizona to the Fairmont Monte Carlo in — you guessed it — Monte Carlo, is making some major overhauls on a bunch of its properties worldwide, and guests are the beneficiaries. (more…)
Fresh face: A redesigned guest room at the Borgata Hotel Casino and Spa, in Atlantic City.
By Mark Chesnut
Borgata Hotel Casino and Spa, one of the trendiest Atlantic City hotels, is betting that you’ll think its $50 million redesign is a winning hand.
Slated to be completed finished in time for the peak summer season in July, the upgrade will bring new style to all 1,566 guest rooms as well as the corridors. Rooms are being recast in neutral gray tones, with bright bursts of color and floral details in the new metal lamps and wooden headboards. Furniture is, according to hotel officials, “skillfully mismatched,” with English Sycamore bedside tables and desks complemented by dark wood dresser sets.
Technological upgrades include a Bittel integrated phone unit that includes speakers, iPod charger and player, USB charge port, clock radio and alarm. In addition, all rooms will have WiFi.
In addition to its 161,000 square feet of gaming — which includes 182 gaming tables, nearly 3,500 slot machines and a recently renovated poker room with more than 80 tables — Borgata also has six formal restaurants, six casual eateries and a 54,000-square-foot spa.
Among the biggest reasons why people have heard of Borgata is the entertainment. The hotel’s 2,400-seat Event Center hosts live music and comedy performances from name-brand stars throughout the year, with upcoming appareances in May and June from the likes of Pitbull, Weezer, Frankie Valli, Sting and the Jacksons, to name a few.
Borgata also targets business travelers, meetings and conventions, with some 70,000 square feet of meeting and event space. The star-studded Event Center also hosts private corporate events, as does the 1,000-person Music Box theater, which is home to the hotel’s nightly comedy club.
Since the 2008 opening of its newest hotel component, The Water Club, the complex offers even more options for travelers with either business or pleasure on their minds. The Water Club has 18,000 square feet of meeting space, including two glass-enclosed boardrooms and a poolside area that can host up to 500 people for private events.
Related resources
Mark Chesnut is a freelance travel writer, editor and publisher of LatinFlyer.com, which focuses on travel to Latin America. Unfortunately, he’s never even won at slots.
Promenade: The waterfront Malecon walkway has been expanded in Puerto Vallarta. Photo: LatinFlyer.com
By Mark Chesnut
It’s already one of the top-selling Mexico vacation destinations, but the Pacific Coast resort town of Puerto Vallarta also showed its stuff as a hotspot for meetings and conventions in March, when more than 7,000 people landed here for the Tianguis Turístico, Mexico’s annual tourism conference. (more…)
Flying colors: the new United Airlines livery represents the heritage of both merged carriers.
By Mark Chesnut
Now that the merger between Continental Airlines and United Airlines is a done deal, what can travelers expect from the new United? Here are a few basics to keep you flying smoothly: (more…)
Mind games: The Valkee headsets used by Finnair are designed to combat jet lag.
By Mark Chesnut
In a sector as high-tech as the airline industry, it’s no surprise that there is always something new and exciting around the corner, whether it’s designed to entertain, make travelers more comfortable during flight or even to combat jet lag. (more…)
Taking it Easy: the Sheraton New Orleans offers multiple options for group activities.
By Mark Chesnut
With its unique heritage, culture and traditions, New Orleans is unlike any other major tourist destination in the United States. And that means that group activities — whether for business travel, conventions or family travel — in the Big Easy are equally unique, with lots of unforgettable options for visitors. (more…)
Grand style: The Wyndham Grand Orlando Resort, Bonnet Creek
By Mark Chesnut
With interesting new hotels and an array of renovations and new meeting and event space opening at existing properties, Orlando hotels are offering more than ever for business travelers as well as anyone looking to plan a Florida vacation. (more…)
German accent: The Residence Inn Munich City East opened in 2011.
By Mark Chesnut
Residence Inn may be a well-recognized brand of hotels throughout the United States, but if parent company Marriott International has its way, the name will be increasingly familiar to international business travelers as well as anyone planning a Europe vacation or international vacations in the Middle East and northern Africa. (more…)
Sweet treats: Melissa Kelly's PRIMO Restaurant at the JW Marriott Orlando serves honey from its own apiary.
By Mark Chesnut
Just because you’re staying at a hotel doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy truly fresh cuisine. An array of hotels now grow and harvest their own produce on-site, allowing guests to savor tasty home-grown meals, whether they’re enveloped in business travel or enjoying a relaxed Florida vacation. (more…)
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