Recommend December 2013 - (Page 22)

Picnic Island in the Fort Myers/Sanibel area. whole attitude of the 'what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas' motto. You can see just about anything in Vegas. It's a very opening and welcoming community for all types of people." In fact, the city debuted the largest gay venue in the world this year-the 84,000-sq.-ft. Krave Massive-and play host to wedding commitment ceremonies, as well as bachelor parties-to-remember. This news definitely doesn't have to "stay in Vegas." As Pam Scott, regional sales director, Disney Destinations, said in the September 2013 issue in the onsite review, "A lot of people are looking forward to seeing the entire vision unveiled, but I don't think too many people are waiting to visit the park, since the majority of the attractions are complete." She also said that guests who have visited New Fantasyland are already looking forward to coming back and seeing the entire park come together. las vegas shines There's no shortage of new happenings in this city in the desert as Vegas sinks more than $6 billion in projects that span from the Strip to Downtown. As Art Jimenez, sr. director of leisure sales for the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA), mentioned in the Las Vegas Embraces the Future article in the November 2013 issue, "This sleepless city, embraced by stunning high desert scenery, continues 'to deliver on expectations of visitors and provides a new and different experience for every visit.'" Not only does Las Vegas garner a high repeat visitor rate-84 percent-this constantly-changing city is delivering over-the-top experiences for clients who may have only thought of Vegas as a place for bachelor parties and weddings (although it does excel in those departments). A bevy of high-end properties are popping up around the city in 2014, from the Gansevoort Las Vegas (gansevoorthotelgroup. com) and the SLS Hotel & Casino Las Vegas (slshotels.com/ lasvegas) on the Strip to the Delano Las Vegas in the Mandalay Bay (mandalaybay.com) resort complex. Other notable attractions include the world's largest Ferris wheel-every major city seems to have one these days-the High Roller, opening early-2014 at The Linq, the new entertainment and dining district on the Strip. And in case you haven't heard, Britney Spears is definitely back and making her Vegas debut this month in the show, "Britney: Piece of Me" at Planet Hollywood. While Vegas not only makes a great destination for girls' and guys' getaways, it's also teaming up with the gay community. In the August 2013 issue, in the Girls & Guys Getaways in Las Vegas feature, Mike King, a Travel Leaders agent in Virginia, said, "What makes Las Vegas a great destination for the gay community is the 22 december 2013 urban hotel hotspots While New York City is always a top destination in the U.S., drawing 52 million travelers (80 percent of which were domestic) in 2012, the boroughs are enticing these visitors more than ever, inviting them to step outside of Manhattan and see what the rest of the city has to offer. As I pointed out in the May issue, in the New York City onsite review, the other boroughs "can offer room rates at 20 to 30 percent less, in some cases. In fact, since 2006, 42 percent of the hotels opening in the city have been in the boroughs." Christopher Heywood, senior v.p. of communications for NYC & Company, said in that same onsite that these properties are "ideal for repeat visitors, as they offer something different, where guests can 'live like a local at a better price point.'" When I visited the city in February, the new Wythe Hotel in Brooklyn embodied the hip factor that Williamsburg is now known for, but as I mentioned in the onsite, other hotels are popping up in neighboring boroughs like the 60-room boutique Bronx Opera House Hotel, housed in a Beaux Arts building, which opened in August, and the Jazz Age-style boutique Z NYC Hotel in Long Island City. In the Midwest, tourism is booming in Chicago as numbers have returned to pre-recession levels, bringing 46.2 million travelers in 2012. This year, the city welcomed two much-anticipated brands with the October opening of the 247-room Thompson Chicago (thompsonhotels.com/hotels/chicago/thompson-chicago) in the Gold Coast neighborhood and The Langham, Chicago (chicago. langhamhotels.com). The luxurious 316-room The Langham, Chicago debuted in the 52-story riverfront Mies van der Rohe building, featuring some of the largest standard guestrooms in the city-starting at 516 sq. ft.-as well as the 9,000-sq.-ft. Chuan Spa. Of course, Miami is still just as enticing as ever. While we highlighted one of Miami's spectacular hotels in our February 2013 issue, The Angler's Boutique Resort in South Beach, the city is ending 2013 with a bang as a few high-end hotels make their way to South Beach. This month, sbe's 69-room The Redbury South Beach (theredbury.com/southbeach) is making a splash in South Beach, joining the brand's other high-profile hotels, The Raleigh and SLS Hotel, South Beach. The hotel will feature James Beard Award-winning chef Tony Mantuano at Italian restaurant Lorenzo, and guestrooms will capture the spirit of 1950s Miami with record players, historic Fillmore Theater posters and vinyl collections. Another property I'm particularly excited about that is also opening this month is COMO Hotels and Resorts' (comohotels. com) Metropolitan by COMO, Miami Beach, the luxury brand's first North American property, set in a beachside, historic 1930s building. ● recommend.com LEE COUNTY VISITOR & CONVENTION BUREAU/WWW.FORTMYERSSANIBEL.COM http://www.thompsonhotels.com/hotels/chicago/thompson-chicago http://www.langhamhotels.com http://www.slshotels.com/ http://www.mandalaybay.com http://www.theredbury.com/southbeach http://www.recommend.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Recommend December 2013

Editor's Notes
Hotel Desk: Canyon Ranch
Tour Talk: Insight Vacations
17th Annual Recommend Readers' Choice Awards Winners
Cruising 2013
Discovering North America
Caribbean Trends
Anguilla Travel Agent Specialist Program
Asia & The South Pacific in the Rearview Mirror
Mexico 2013
Latin America in 2013 and Beyond
Africa + The Middle East Continue to Make Stides
Nostalgic for Europe

Recommend December 2013