Successful Meetings - March 2009 - (Page 48)

pearlized finish evokes glamour. So does “a high contrast between a color and a neutral, if used in the right way.” Whereas recent design has been hard-edged, outthere, this is a new direction. Westin restored and updated Detroit landmark the Book Cadillac hotel, opening it last October with 455 rooms. Its Grand and Italian Garden ballrooms are original, part of the The Grand Ballroom of Detroit’s Book Cadillac hotel, now a Westin hotel’s 39,000 sf of event space. The Nines, a Starwood Luxury Collection Hotel with 331 guest rooms and 14,000 sf of meeting space, has a sleek feel. A wall of art glass behind the front desk introduces the rich peacock blues that in the guest rooms become Tiffany blues—a homage to the building’s department store history. Meanwhile, for the Roosevelt, a New Orleans institution, “in as many cases as are humanly possible we are restoring things back to their former glory, not building them new,” says Tod Chambers, the general manager who is overseeing the restoration. Examples are a mosaic floor that was discovered under the carpet in the lobby, and the original crystal chandeliers. The Roosevelt will return June 1 with 505 guest rooms, including 125 luxury suites. Thomas Schoos, of Schoos Design Inc., designer of the Hotel Vertigo, which opened in January, uses the words “small” and “jewel” to define glamour. A native of Germany, he says this is a European sensibility. “In America you think, ‘It’s bigger, it’s better,’ but many places in Europe you didn’t have the space, so you made very small jewels.” The hotel’s furniture is eclectic, contemporary, and playful. The Hitchcock movie is referenced, but not too overtly. Schoos picks up the orange from the poster artwork in wingback chairs. He uses the spiral from the original posters in a piece of framed Plexiglass. This artpiece is in all 102 guest rooms. Chicago’s 216-room Hotel Dana opened its Vertigo Sky Lounge on the 26th floor in October. With wraparound views, it is a glittering special event location whose design evokes Mad Men and adds a naughty edge. Britt Szepsy, who directs events and catering for the venue, says it’s more like a penthouse than a lounge. She has done an awards night for the Chicago International Film Festival for 100 people, using the drop-down screen that covers one wall. In Los Angeles, the Beverly Wilshire’s penthouse is a 4,000-sf venue that has hosted Madonna’s Grammy party and birthday parties for a slew of boldface names. BlackBerry held a launch party there in 2007 to introduce the Curve. An evening event for around 200 people, the party flowed out onto the 2,500-sf terrace. Inside are hardwood floors, crown molding, a dining room seating 10, a wood-paneled library, and an entertainment room with built-in bar. SM Hyatt Regency Mission Bay, San Diego By Kinley Levack I t’s inspiring to was lacking and in visit a spa need of right where the then.) I was able ON SITE to further peremployees and therapists sonalize my treatreally and truly ment by choosing believe that massage from four types of therapy can transform, music—air, water, fire, if not your life, at least and earth—decide your day. Detractors whether I would like may well call that my table heated or not, hocus-pocus, but they and elect whether or too enjoy leaving not to use an anklebehind life’s stress for support pillow. an hour or so. Everyone Not only was the at Blue Marble, the spa treatment phenomenal, at the Hyatt Regency but the spa itself was a Mission Bay, and Spa labor of love for those Director Kyra Johnson involved in its developin particular, is clearly ment, and it shows. of the mindset that givBlue Marble is named ing yourself over to the after the Earth, and the spa treatments and sustainable bent means lifestyle can be life that the gorgeous blue changing. tiles are made from My aromatherapy recycled glass, all of massage indeed the facility’s wood is changed my world, at eco-friendly bamboo, least in the short term. and even the razors My therapist, Krista, available for use have asked me to close my handles made from eyes and smell three recycled yogurt containdifferent oil blends. The ers. A small selection of one I chose for use dur- carefully selected proding my treatment ucts is available for turned out to be sale as well. I went Meditation—a bend of home with a fabulous ylang-ylang and scented candle from patchouli. (The one I Petal, a Seattle-based disliked turned out to line that uses pure soy be Joy, and while a difand beeswax and 100 ferent kind of therapist percent organic cotton might have something wicks—that should to say about that, keep me in the spa Krista was kind enough state of mind for at to say that it just least the 80-plus hours meant that’s not what I of burn time. 48 I SM I March 2009 I SuccessfulMeetings.com http://www.SuccessfulMeetings.com

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Successful Meetings - March 2009 Contents Editor's Letter News Update Education Management Matters Meetings Law Mouth for Sale Visionaries And the Award Goes to... Taking Green Initiatives to the Top Events of Presidential Proportion It's a Small World After All Places + Spaces Big Island Supplement-Insert NYC Metro Houston Oahu The Bahamas Memphis Passport

Successful Meetings - March 2009

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