Recommend June 2012 - (Page 12)

tour talk hotel desk Beachside wedding at LaPlaya Beach & Golf Resort in Naples, Florida. destination weddings with W paloma villaverde de rico NOBLE HOUSE destination, so you don’t have to create anything. It’s already special.” So important is the destination weddings market to Noble House they have a dedicated in-depth microsite, noblehouseweddings. com, that lists the different destinations couples can choose for their nuptials, divided into waterfront, island, historic, city chic, mountain, and beach subcategories, with each subcategory listing the hotel that’s right for that type of wedding. Additionally, you’ll ﬁnd a listing for ethnic ceremonies, including Jewish, Italian, Catholic, Protestant, military, Irish, and Eastern Religions. There’s even a page dedicated to suggested pre- and post-events such as a bridal luncheon. The point being the microsite offers comprehensive information on the myriad possibilities for tying the knot at a Noble House property, but as Gavin points out, “we are spending more effort, more resources to recreate it. My team is in the process of redesigning the site—which has been up for ﬁve years and is a core component of the company’s offerings.” You’ll even notice a tab for “Elegant Packages,” but Gavin stresses that every wedding can be customized to what the bride and groom want. “For the most part, we try not to put pricing on the site because at the end of the day I don’t want pricing to be the ultimate decision maker. I want people to ﬁnd a destination and then let us customize something that ﬁts their budget. We’re not here to try to take as much money as we can from people; we’re here to try to give you the experience you want and tell you what the fair cost for that is. Frankly, let’s talk about what your needs are and I’ll tell you what it costs.” For travel agents who want to stay in the know of this ever-expanding market, Gavin says, “challenge us. Say, ‘Can I come and experience what you offer at the hotel’ and take time to meet with the wedding planner and the director of catering so they can understand what we offer.” Travel agents intimidated by the destination weddings market, meanwhile, should “let their guard down,” Gavin says, “talk to industry experts, talk to colleagues in the market to really validate the importance of it. Start small. Learn about destination weddings in Florida and then when you have the comfort level there, learn about the Caribbean market, but start small because it’s overwhelming.” ■ contact information Noble House Hotels & Resorts: noblehousehotels.com; noblehouseweddings.com or noblehousehotels.com/travel-professionals.aspx recommend.com With a portfolio of unique and locally authentic properties that span the U.S.—from waterfront Seattle at The Edgewater, to an island off the Florida Keys at Little Palm Island Resort & Spa—Noble House Hotels & Resorts offers a selection of charming properties that are picture-perfect for destination weddings. But there’s more to this hotel company’s destination weddings product than just a pretty face. It’s all about creating customized experiences that can’t be replicated in the cookie-cutter property down the street, so to speak. A military wedding amidst a mountain setting? No problem, Noble House will make it happen. An all-out wedding with a Rat Pack ﬂair in California or an intimate affair on the beach as the sun sets? You don’t need to ask twice—onsite wedding planners are available at each of the collection’s more than 10 properties to help you create a fabulous and memorable wedding for your clients and talk you through the pros and cons, says Eric Gavin, v.p. of marketing, Noble House Hotels & Resorts. “When you look at our portfolio of hotels as a collection, they are all unique to the individual location, so they take on the personality [of the surroundings],” says Gavin. “What you ﬁnd in Naples [LaPlaya Beach & Golf Resort] doesn’t ﬁt in Ocean Key Resort & Spa in Key West. It’s a different style. One is more relaxed, laid-back, and the other is a little bit more trendy, bright colors, in your face, and we understand that,” says Gavin. “So we customize the wedding experience to ﬁt the local destination, its style and vibe. And I think people when they are researching these hotels, they see that and can experience it. “If it’s the Riviera Palm Springs in California, it’s really a throwback to the 1950s. So that might mean incorporating the Rat Pack vibe into the music and food selection, where we’ll do the original tableside Caesars salad and bananas foster; it will be obvious in the decor—darker colors with pops of color.” Gavin adds that, “Each resort has dedicated event planners that will customize your client’s wedding from start to ﬁnish. They’re going to help you with menu selection, ﬂoral selection, cake design, linens, etc. And at Little Palm Island, for example, the person creating the experience for the couple can also be their ofﬁciant. “At Hotel Viking in Newport, RI, there’s a traditional stained glass chapel where you can get married and then have a courtyard reception or couples can do the top of the hotel overlooking all of Newport. Tell me where else can you recreate that? They are authentic to the 12 june 2012 http://noblehouseweddings.com http://www.noblehousehotels.com http://www.noblehouseweddings.com http://www.noblehousehotels.com/travel-professionals.aspx http://www.recommend.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Recommend June 2012

Editor's Notes
Hotel Desk: Noble House Hotels & Resorts
Tour Talk: Artisans of Leisure
Romance on Land & Sea
Out of Africa Come Romantic Retreats
Starry-Eyed Bliss in Exotic Surroundings
Enchanting Nuptials American-Style
Honeymoons that Stir the Soul
Latin American Gems Play to the Heart
Brazil Travel Planner
Fairy Tale Honeymoons in Europe
Island Weddings Pump Up the Volume
Once-in-a-Lifetime Honeymoons
Destination Wedding Powerhouses
Fancy-Filled Mexican Weddings
'Mooning in Mexico

Recommend June 2012