Wednesday, December 13, 2017

Thinking of Getting out of Town for the Holidays?

If you are thinking of getting out of town for the holidays, you are not alone. Many hotels are ramping up the spirit of the season with holiday amenities and special events targeted at travelers looking to relax and get away during a winter break.



From the nearby to the far-flung, here are a few of the most intriguing celebrations of the season:

French Quarter Inn

Travelers can really get into the holiday spirit at Charlestons’ French Quarter Inn. Book the decked out Southern Sleigh Bell Suite through January 1.

Regardless of which room you occupy, guests at the hotel can enjoy complimentary seasonal amenities, including warm Christmas cookies, bourbon-spiced eggnog, hot apple cider, hot chocolate and classic holiday movie screenings.

The hotel also delivers gifts to guests on Christmas Eve and Santa visits for a special reading of “Twas the Night Before Christmas.”
JW Marriott Desert Springs Resort & Spa

The California resort is decking the halls with a giant gingerbread house. The Gingerbread North Pole is 8 feet by 12 feet wide and 11 feet tall and from December 18-24 guests can walk inside for a photo with Santa.

Visitors can also book the Conductor’s Cabin room package, which includes a private Winter Express gondola ride through the resort’s waterways. Guests are also welcomed by the Frosty’s Flight drink cart and receive four tickets to Wild Lights at the Living Desert, a holiday safari featuring over 750,000 twinkling lights.

Hotel Zoe

At Hotel Zoe in San Francisco’s Fishermen’s Wharf area, guests receive Miette gingerbread house kits, Christmas trees on-demand provided by the nearby The Guardsmen Christmas Tree Lot and tickets to The Safeway Holiday Ice Rink in Union Square when staying during the Christmas season.

The Greenbrier Resort

Enjoy “60 Days of Holiday Cheer” at the Greenbrier Resort in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia.

The resort is adorned with 120,000 Christmas lights, 2,000 Poinsettias, more than 100 Christmas trees and a 2,000-pound chocolate display. Guests can also enjoy tree-lighting ceremonies, three family-friendly galas, horse-drawn sleigh rides, an ice skating rink dotted with fire pits begging for s’mores, holiday mixology classes, scavenger hunts and more.
The Henderson, a Salamander Beach & Spa Resort

The Henderson invites friends and families to kick off the season with their Give the Gift of The Henderson campaign. When visitors book the Gift of The Henderson package, they receive $100 per night in room credits.

The hotel also offers a number of holiday celebrations such as a snowman building contest on Christmas Eve, a Christmas Eve dinner and a Christmas Day brunch.

Desire Riviera Maya Pearl Resort and Desire Riviera Maya Resort

For the avant-garde holiday vacation-seeker, Desire Resorts has you covered.

Head to either of these Mexican Caribbean resorts for Desire’s Naughty or Nice Christmas Eve white sand dinner and the Guys in Ties & Girls in Pearls New Year’s Eve party by the pool.

Highlights of the adult entertainment include a “Fantasy Menu.”
Temptation Cancun Resort

Temptation Resorts is tempting travelers to “ditch that ugly Christmas sweater” this holiday season and attend their Christmas and New Year’s Eve special events.

Enjoy the Temptation-style Christmas Eve Dinner or the Trendy White New Year’s Eve Bash as well as seven new restaurants and thevacation packages “Sexy Pool.”

Sunday, December 10, 2017

Hilton Planning Luxury Hotel Rooms and State-of-Art-Facilities at Cancun

Hilton is expanding its presence south of the border with a pair of beachfront properties scheduled to open in Cancun in 2021.

PHOTO: Hilton Cancun. (photo via Flickr/Christian Van Der Henst S.)

The hotel company recently confirmed plans for the 150-room Waldorf Astoria Cancun and the 600-room, all-inclusive Hilton Cancun resort. The neighboring properties will span 100 cres near Benito Juarez, just 10 minutes from Cancun International Airport.

The Waldorf Astoria Cancun will boast the  signature spa,Hotel Boom, the Waldorf Astoria spa's treatments will incorporate local ingredients and native traditions.
The hotel's rooms and suites will bring guests right to the waterfront with ocean- and mangrove-facing terraces and private balconies.

The adjacent Hilton Cancun will feature half a dozen all-inclusive dining experiences of its own along with a swimming pool complex. The hotel will also offer curated experiences designed to immerse guests in local art, gastronomy and culture.

Like its neighbor, the Hilton Cancun's guestrooms will possess panoramic views.
Both properties will house meeting and event space. Guests will also be close to a plethora of nearby attractions, including Xcaret and Xplor Park.

"With more than half of our Latin America portfolio present in Mexico, we are proud to announce the plans for Waldorf Astoria Cancun and Hilton Cancun
as we continue to introduce distinguished properties in the world's most sought-after destinations," Hilton's vice president of development for Latin America and the Caribbean, Juan Corvinos said in a statement.

"Representing our luxury and upscale brands respectively, Waldorf Astoria Cancun and Hilton Cancun will offer guests a taste of Mexican culture fused with Waldorf Astoria's uncompromising sophistication and Hilton Hotels & Resort's flagship hospitality."

Hilton's expansion in Quintana Roo comes amid a hotel boom in the Mexican Caribbean.
Tourism is also up across the region. According to a recent Marketing Consultants study, Cancun's 3.7 million visitors over the first nine months of 2017 marked a 2.8 percent jump from the same period last year. Meanwhile, Riviera Maya experienced an 8.5 percent rise in visitors over the first three-quarters of the year.

Hilton's current Latin American portfolio comprises more than 100 hotels and resorts, roughly half of which are located in Mexico. The company's regional pipeline consists of more than 70 projects, including nearly 30 in Mexico.