Luxury Hotelier - November 2007 - (Page 60)

60| Indulge A new brew for old favorites Coffee and tea are moving outside their traditional preparations, and hotels cater to guests who want to make these beverages a focus of their experience T hink coffee is just for breakfast and tea simply an afternoon indulgence? Not anymore. LUXURY HOTELIER spoke with beverage experts at two innovative resorts who are finding ways to offer guests enticing coffee and tea options with holistic appeal. At the Filadelfia Coffee Resort & Spa, a 20-guestroom property in Antigua, Guatemala, guests experience life on a working coffee plantation. “Coffee is the main attraction here,” says general manager José Antonio Domínguez, who oversees all tourism activities at the estate. “Our hotel is decorated with coffee ornaments; the drying patios, mills and roasting plant are right outside the hotel; and most days at 3 p.m., guests experience the aroma of roasting coffee beans.” The family-owned hotel opened in 2006 by the founders of the R. Dalton coffee company (www.rdalton.com), who have been farming coffee on the plantation’s land for more than 100 years. Today, Mr. Domínguez employs a team of bartenders and baristas, as well as a chief taster, to develop new coffeebased drinks and techniques to share with guests. Several have won awards at international competitions. In addition to enjoying cuisine from world-class chefs, guests can tour the coffee mills and learn about coffee cupping from the staff. It’s a total coffee experience, he says, and that’s what attracts guests to the plantation. Even breakfast coffee has a twist here, because guests have a French press in their rooms instead of a traditional percolator. “This is the best coffee they will ever taste in a hotel room,” Mr. Domínguez promises. Tea for wellness At Qua Baths & Spa in Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, tea sommelier and spa operations manager Melissa Fielding has created a tea-centric spa program that lets guests indulge both their bodies and taste buds. Qua opened in 2006, and Ms. Fielding Tea takes center stage [left] at Qua Baths & Spa in Caesars Palace, Las Vegas. QUA BATHS & SPA Luxury Hotelier | November 2007 | www.LuxuryHotelier.com http://www.rdalton.com http://www.LuxuryHotelier.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Luxury Hotelier - November 2007

Luxury Hotelier - November 2007 Contents Editor's Letter Publisher's Letter Inform: News and Notes Network: People Personalities: Traditional Innovator Insight: Smith Travel Research / The Bench Insight: Ypartnership Properties: A Front-Row Seat to Moscow Properties: Northern Star Inspire: Outdoor Showers Deliver: Wellness and Fitness Protocols: The Real Deal Insight: Cornell University Innovate: In-Room Technology Development: Global Project Pipeline Indulge: Coffee and Tea Insight: Ecole hôtelière de Lausanne Connect: Regional Marketing Update: IH/M&RS Luxury Product Collection Dossier: Davide Bertilaccio of The Rocco Forte Collection’s Le Richemond

Luxury Hotelier - November 2007

For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.