Travel Agent - January 7, 2008 - (Page 48)

SKI/SNOWBOARD Le Westin Resort & Spa, Tremblant is located in the base village 100 yards from the slopes CONTINUED FROM PAGE 47 Le Westin’s travel agent liaison is Sean Palardy, head concierge (819-681-5726, spalardy@ intrawest.com). For weddings, contact Pascale Panneton (819-681-5467, ext. 15467). Book via the GDS or visit Starwood’s Travel Professional Program portal at www.starwoodhotels. com/pro. Fairmont Tremblant Even closer to the mountains, the Fairmont Tremblant (www.fairmont.com/tremblant) has a slopeside location that provides its guests with ski-in/ski-out access to the lifts. The best rooms to book are the Fairmont View Rooms. At up to 462 square feet, Deluxe Rooms have the most space, and are good for big families and groups of friends traveling together. A Deluxe Fairmont View Room has a spectacular view of the colorful village rooftops and the base of the mountain. The most requested premium accommodations are the One Bedroom Suites with Kitchenettes, which are spacious and also have beautiful views. Approximately 150 rooms connect, so families can create a Two Bedroom Suite (with or without a kitchenette). Bathrooms have Miller Harris toiletries. The property’s general manager is Louise Champagne, and agents may contact her executive administrative assistant, Natalie Johnson, at 819-681-7601 or natalie.johnson@fairmont. com. All rooms can be booked over the GDS. Availability is scarce during the holiday season and the weekends before and after Presidents’ Day. For those times, book as far out as possible. Fairmont Tremblant’s Amerispa has 18 treatment rooms, including a couples’ massage room. The spa’s most popular treatments are the Relaxation Massage and the Therapeutic Back Treatment. Kids can enjoy a Duo Massage with a parent. The featured product lines are Phytociane, Algotherm and Darphin. The property recommends that agents book treatments for their clients ahead of time. Call Diane Paquin, spa director, at 819-681-7680. The hotel offers a romantic dinner escape by helicopter to the Italian restaurant Trattoria di Lago on Maskinongé Lake. Guests are served sparkling wine upon arrival, then treated to a romantic seven-course candlelight dinner. Alternately, a private dinner can be arranged at the hotel’s Windigo restaurant, where clients enjoy a personalized multi-course meal served by the Fairmont chef or sous-chef. The restaurant’s Surf, Turf and Sushi buffet on Friday and Saturday evenings is especially popular with locals. Reservations are recommended; agents can make them by calling 819-681-7685. Concierge Corinne Du Cap assists Fairmont guests in arranging babysitting, car rentals, shuttle transfers and private guides or instructors for skiing, snowboarding, golf, hiking and biking—and can provide shopping tips too. Agents should contact Vincent Thériault, head concierge (819-681-7689, cmt.concierge@ fairmont.com). Fairmont Tremblant is a popular wedding venue due to its large ballroom and wedding packages, as well as its excellent catering and conference department. For guests who want to bring their pets with them, the hotel allows well-trained dogs under 20 pounds in some room categories on the main floor at a charge of $25 per night. AGENTADVICE Kelly Wallace, a mountain vacation specialist with Ski.com, shares her Scandinavian Pampering One of the highlights of my trip was a sojourn at Spa Le Scandinave Mont Tremblant (www. scandinave.com, 819-425-5524), whose centerpiece is the Scandinavian baths, featuring a Norwegian steam room, Finnish dry sauna and two outdoor hot tubs—one with a thermal waterfall—plus cold rinse areas (a Nordic waterfall, Nordic baths and the Diable River). The spa also offers yoga sessions and Swedish, Hot Stone Therapy, Duo and Thai-Yoga massages. Despite some trepidation, I followed the wellness ritual to a T, alternating hot soaks and cold rinses. The first cycle is always the most intense. After soaking in one of the 100-plus-degree hot tubs for 15 minutes, I forced myself to get out and make my way down the steps to the 35degree Diable River. I stepped onto the platform and quickly plunged into an opening in the ice shelf that stretched along each bank, submerging myself completely in the icy cold water. My heart and head pounding from the shock, I hurried into one of the spa’s relaxation solariums and stretched out on a recliner, enjoying the rush of adrenaline and subsequent euphoria. The Spa Le Scandinave brand is expanding: A site just opened in Blue Mountain, near Georgian Bay in southern Ontario, and new locations are coming to Whistler, British Columbia, and Lake Tahoe, CA, in 2008 and Banff, Alberta, in 2009. I insider’s perspective on Mont Tremblant. “The pedestrian village is very well planned and boasts cobblestone pedestrian walkways and colorful buildings. The style is a wonderful mix of Europe and New England,” says Wallace. “The upper and lower villages are connected by an open-air gondola, making it very easy for guests staying in the lower village to get to the chairlifts. “My favorite hotels there are the Fairmont Tremblant and Le Westin,” she continues. “The full-service Fairmont Tremblant, located near the top of the village, is very elegant, has great ski-in/ski-out access and beautifully updated rooms. Le Westin has a great bar, perfect for skiers and snowboarders, and offers the choice of one- and two-bedroom suites with living rooms and kitchens. “If you’re looking for condos, check out Le Sommet, a newer property with spacious units right next to the gondola. The Ermitage is also a newer property with several different room types.” She adds, “If you’re looking for French cuisine, try Aux Truffes. They have an award-winning wine list and their food is to die for. I also really enjoyed the fondue at the Savoy and the crêpes at Crêperie Bretonne, an authentic restaurant with a quaint French-Canadian ambiance.” CONNECTING YOU For an overview of Mont Tremblant’s restaurants, après-ski, nightlife and shopping, go to www.travelagentcentral.com/tremblant 48 | TravelAgent January 7, 2008 http://www.starwoodhotels.com/pro http://www.starwoodhotels.com/pro http://www.fairmont.com/tremblant http://Ski.com http://www.scandinave.com http://www.scandinave.com http://www.travelagentcentral.com/tremblant

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Travel Agent - January 7, 2008

Travel Agent - January 7, 2008 Online Now Contents From the Editor From the Publisher Contributors Europe: Top Hotels in the Czech Capital, Prague Europe News & Notes Pacific/Asia: India's Tourism Boom Hawaii Spas: Send Your Spa-Loving Client to these Havens of Relaxation in the Islands Hawaii Briefs Las Vegas: Restaurants are Taking Center Stage as Vegas Becomes a Destination for Foodies California: San Diego, La Jolla and Coronado Offer a World of Options Close Together Ski/Snowboard: Mont Tremblant in Quebec, Canada New Orleans: Hotels for All Types of Travelers and Can’t-Miss Events to Consider Central & South America: Selling Santiago, Chile Caribbean & Bahamas: The Reef Atlantis, Cape Eleuthera Debut in the Bahamas in Time for the New Year Caribbean News & Notes Cruises: Onboard Enrichment Programs Grow as Cruisers Seek to Work on More than their Tans Cruise Lines Expand the Variety in their Shore Excursions with Special Activities and Adventures Cover Story: A New Era for Classic Luxury Travel Expo & Home Based Travel Agent Expo: Photos and a Recap of the Events Rail: Company Books Private Train Trips Agent Profile: Dave and Christa Krick, Advantage Cruise & Travel in Northern California Technology: XML Enhances Sabre and Amadeus Agenda: Fam Trips, Deals & Incentives, Calendar Onsite Reports from Queen Victoria Christening and Marriott Headquarters Funjet Vacations NCL’s New Ship, Norwegian Gem The African Country of Djibouti In the Spotlight Editorial Index Classified Marketplace Advertisers Index Trendwatch

Travel Agent - January 7, 2008

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