Jog With the GM
Vancouverites are often regarded as a healthy and active bunch and The Fairmont Waterfront wants guests to join in the fun. To get their days started off right, the hotel has introduced morning runs with the General Manager on Vancouver’s seawall through Stanley Park. GM Ian Pullan has participated in several half and full marathons and loves to show off Vancouver – whether for a 10km run around the park’s entire seawall or just a quick morning jaunt. Generally, a leisurely 5km (3 mile) run is planned, and thanks to the hotel’s great location, it’s just a short distance to world-renowned Stanley Park, with no cars in sight. Runs are scheduled each Tuesday and Thursday starting at 6:30am (rain or shine).
Waste Not, Want Not
At Fairmont Pittsburgh, Executive Chef Andrew Morrison and his culinary team at Habitat Restaurant are passionate about sustainable operations. Habitat not only offers eggs from local heritage chickens, but has a side of grass-fed beef from Burns Angus Farm delivered each week, where the culinary team butchers their own steaks, roasts and ground beef. Every piece of the meat is utilized including the bones, which are used to make stock. The hotel recently unveiled its signature house-made soap, made using tallow, or rendered beef fat, left over from the side of beef, along with coconut oil, lye and natural scents. The restaurant is a member of the Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture and Buy Fresh Buy Local, and Chef Morrison works with a variety of local farmers and vendors to source the freshest and best ingredients.
The Fish are Jumping
Despite the late spring, the opening of the trout fishing season has arrived at Fairmont Kenauk in Quebec, and the fish are certainly biting! Whether using flies or lures, the resort offers excellent sport fishing set within one of North America’s largest and longest-established private fish and game reserves. A collection of 13 chalets, the property’s own trout hatchery ensures a balanced supply of prized rainbow, lake, speckled and brown trout for guests to catch. Bill Nowell, a biologist by training and the Manager of Recreation and Fisheries, helps manage the resort’s 25 lakes for fishing three species of trout, two species of bass and northern pike.
Walking Encyclopedia of Peace Hotel
Fairmont Peace Hotel is an iconic gem from Shanghai’s glamorous Art Deco past, and recently Martin Ma was appointed as the Curator of the hotel’s Peace Gallery to help preserve and celebrate the property’s storied history. Peace Gallery is a part of the hotel’s in-house museum displaying artifacts and photos which trace the history of the hotel as well as the Bund of Shanghai. Starting as a lift operator in the hotel, Martin joined Peace Hotel in 1964 at just 18 and later became the hotel’s public relations manager. Martin has always enthusiastically shared his knowledge with hotel guests and colleagues and is affectionately known as the walking encyclopedia of Peace Hotel, where he is a valuable asset to the hotel and the community.
iPads On Offer for Travelers
Fairmont Gold floors across North America have been finding unique ways to take advantage of one of the most popular gadgets around: the iPad. At Fairmont Hotel Vancouver, two iPads in the hotel’s Fairmont Gold Lounge are available for guests to use in their room or lounge, and have proven to be a popular way to go online to check Facebook or check into a flight. Fairmont Chicago, Millennium Park has also added two iPads to their Fairmont Gold Lounge, and they are especially popular with guests who want to relax and read the news. The hotel has many popular newspapers loaded and ready so guests can have their pick of publications. In Toronto, The Fairmont Royal York has used their iPad to help guests find weather information, provide directions and even browse restaurant menus.Fairmont Gold is the brand’s exclusive lifestyle offering designed to meet the needs of the most discerning corporate and leisure guests.
Shisha in the Spotlight
While the popularity of shisha, flavored tobacco smoked with a hookah, has rapidly grown worldwide, the Middle East is still the best spot for tasting this delightful favorite. At Fairmont Dubai, Nine is a fusion lounge that offers a variety of flavored shisha’s to enjoy outdoors by the rooftop pool, overlooking the dotted city skyline. An extensive menu of Arabic style mezze and tapas gives guests and locals a delicious taste of modern Middle Eastern cuisine. In Abu Dhabi, the bustling Fairmont Bab al Bahr offers Cedar Lounge, a Lebanese hot spot with its own authentic mezze and kebabs. A step outside reveals an open lounge surrounded by water and garden vistas, where visitors can try shisha in a stylish setting. In Egypt, Pizza Bar at Fairmont Heliopolis & Towers offers a selection of 20 shisha flavors mixed to guests’ liking. With a modern terrace overlooking the gardens and the swimming pool, the restaurant features refreshing cocktails and mocktails that can be enjoyed with the perfect shisha.
Fairmont Keeps Buzzing
The Fairmont Olympic Hotel and The Fairmont Empress have recently joined the growing ranks of Fairmont properties cultivating their very own beehives. In Seattle, The Fairmont Olympic Hotel plans to install five rooftop hives that will be home to a half million honeybees once they reach full capacity in 2012. Executive Chef Gavin Stephenson spearheaded the hotel’s bee program with Ballard Bee Company’s Corky Luster as a project consultant. In nearby Victoria, The Fairmont Empress plans to install 10 hives in the hotel’s Centennial Garden. The lucky bees will pollinate Victoria’s most lavish hotel garden and produce about 1,000 pounds of honey annually. The program was spearheaded by the hotel’s Executive Chef, Kamal Silva, who also launched the program at The Fairmont Vancouver Airport in 2010. From Kenya and China to Canada and Mexico, Fairmont now has 13 properties with onsite honeybee programs.
Local Ingredients on the Spa Menu
Located on the south-east coast of South Africa and fronting the spectacular Indian Ocean, The Fairmont Zimbali Resort is home to a new Willow Stream Spa. Using local ingredients, the spa offers healing and energizing treatments for guests in need of rejuvenation. For example, the celebrated marula fruit is rich in antioxidants and oleic acid – essential for healthy skin. Gathered by women in the tribal highlands, it is featured in many Willow Stream Spa treatments. Rooiboos is Afrikaans for red bush and nomadic tribes use the ingredient for a variety of ailments. The intonga stick, made from wood, was traditionally used to crack maize and meal and is used at the Willow Stream Spa in a reflexology-based detoxification treatment. Many more ingredients, from African plum to African shea butter are used to do everything from helping diminish the appearance of fine lines to soothing muscle aches and pains.
Let’s Go Ride a Bike
Fairmont Beijing is encouraging guests to trade in four wheels for two, and explore the city in a time-honored tradition – by bicycle. Located in the hub of Beijing’s downtown core, the hotel is cycling distance from such well known landmarks as Temple of Heaven, Tiananmen Square and Forbidden City as well as a myriad of bicycle routes guaranteed to keep guests gridlock-free and enjoying the sites. For exploratory-types, the hotel has partnered with the Beijing Cultural Heritage Protection Center to develop a complimentary, self-guided excursion into one of the city’s famed and fast-disappearing hutongs, located just a short distance from the hotel. The Heritage Biking Tour equips guests for a half day of exploration with an easy to follow map of the narrow alleys and passageways that form the heart of Old Beijing. Mountain bicycles are provided by the hotel on a complimentary first come basis with plans already in place to enhance the experience with an audio tour in both English and Chinese.
Bitters, Vermouth and Pimm’s from Scratch
The art of the cocktail is back and Jacob Sweetapple, the lead bartender at the Lobby Lounge in the Fairmont Pacific Rim, Vancouver, is stirring it up in style. Inspired by a variety of bars and bartenders from around the world, he is crafting a new style of cocktail – a barrel-aged beverage, along with house made bitters and Pimm’s. At the lounge, mixologists have created aged vermouth that uses a small cask made of American oak. Over the five to six weeks that it ages, the alcohol takes on characteristics from the wood which results in a flavor with hues of soft smoke, vanilla and charcoal. The bar has also prepared a house made Pimm’s that uses a gin base and is aged over three months.
Swirl, Sniff & Sip
At Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn & Spa, a new Swirl, Sniff and Sip (aka Wine 101) class led by Wine Concierge Jamie Herbison is being held every Saturday morning at the resort’s Big 3 Wine Bar. The class is a step by step guide to getting the most out of a wine tasting experience. Topics covered in the weekly sessions include: Dirt Matters, Why Swish, Three Sip Rule and To Know More You Have to Drink More. Jamie Herbison, recently appointed Wine Concierge at the iconic hotel, currently holds an Advanced Certificate from the Wine and Spirits Education Trust. He also spent a season as a Wine Educator at Robert Mondavi Winery in Napa.
New Waterfront Dining in Boston
Boston’s North End has always been a popular dining spot, but travelers looking for waterfront locales have been conspicuously short on options. With the opening of Aragosta Bar & Bistro at Fairmont Battery Wharf, diners can now find Italian-New England fare in one of the city’s most sought after neighborhoods. Award-winning chef David Daniels is already receiving accolades for adding his signature flair to hand-made pastas, prime meats and New England seafood, using quality, local farm-raised ingredients, with influences from Marseille, France to Genoa, Italy. Changing seasonally to make the most of ingredients sourced from local farms and fishermen, the opening menu highlights such favorites as Braised Veal and Pancetta Meatballs with Soft Polenta and Arugula, Truffle Rigatoni and Cheeses with Warm Goat Cheese Fondue, and Lobster Ravioli with Wilted Pea Greens, Fennel Pollen, and Truffled Cauliflower.
Fairmont Sticks to its Roots
Fairmont has been an environmental leader for over two decades, and is always working to find ways to offer unique experiences that are fun for guests and good for the environment. Paying tribute to UNESCO’s 2011 International Year of the Forest, new Take Root at Fairmont travel packages have sprouted around the world. The Fairmont Chateau Whistler’s Treetop Eco Walk package lets guests hike Whistler’s only tree top canopy walkway – some 200 feet above the Blackcomb and Whistler mountain valley. In Abu Dhabi, guests can kayak through stunning lagoons beneath a canopy of mangroves with Fairmont Bab Al Bahr’s Mangrove package, while Bermuda’s extraordinary pink sand beaches, spectacular walking trails and breathtaking seascapes are accessible via The Fairmont Southampton’s East to West Bermuda Walking Adventure package.
The Artist’s Apprentice
With guests still looking for enriching and authentic experiences that bring value to their everyday lives, Fairmont has launched another set of the brand’s popular Apprentice Trips. These packages offer unique ways for travelers to gain a skill or learn something new while on vacation. This year, Fairmont Monte Carlo has developed the Apprentiss’Art Package. It provides an up close look at the Croatian-born contemporary artist Matéo Mornar and his renowned sculptures that have captivated the likes of HSH Prince Albert II and his royal family. Guests enjoy two-night’s accommodation with buffet breakfast daily, a special visit to Matéo Mornar’s studio, including an introduction to the art of clay sculpting, and dinner for two in the hotel’s signature gourmet restaurant l’Argentin. Package rates start at €440 per night with a seven day advance booking required. Visit http://www.fairmont.com/Promotions/apprenticetrips.htm for a full list of Fairmont’s Apprentice-Trip experiences.
Kids get Back to Nature in the Rockies
The Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge and Jasper National Park have partnered with acclaimed Canadian artist and naturalist Robert Bateman and his Get to Know organization to engage youth and connect them with the outdoors. With the launch of the “Natural Treasure” program this summer, children will have the opportunity to explore hiking trails while visiting “wildlife impression stations” scattered over the vast hotel property. Each participant will have their own GPS unit to help find the impression station and each station will consist of a plaque engraved with a hieroglyph designed by Robert Bateman. Once at the station they will use a pen and pencil to make an impression of each hieroglyph that will decode a series of challenges presented on the Natural Treasure website. The decoding will showcase unique information about the destination and the critters that call it home, and provide a fun and educational experience for young guests.
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