Please join us in welcoming Majeka House to the Elite family. The intimate, owner-managed gem offers a truly exceptional guest experience in South Africa's beautiful Stellenbosch wine region.
We're also pleased to announce a brand-new Elite website, elitehotelmarketing.com. We hope you'll take a look and share your thoughts with us!
Warmest regards,
The Schwabs
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High-Altitude Romance in the Arlberg
What could be more romantic than a horse-drawn sleigh ride through a snow followed by a rose petal-strewn foam bath for two with champagne and candelight? Thurnher's for Lovers offers the ultimate, seven-night romantic retreat at Austria's cozily luxurious Thurnher's Alpenhof. The package also includes daily skiing and tours in the legendary Arlberg ski region, daily meals, including one candlelit dinner, and a snowy photo shoot with keepsake photo presented in a silver Ralph Lauren frame.
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From Bologna to Milan with Expo 2015
Bologna's historic Grand Hotel Majestic gia Baglioni has introduced three packages that capitalize on Expo 2015's arrival in nearby Milan. All three packages include two nights' accommodations, a one-day pass to Expo 2015, buffet breakfast, a special in-room gift, welcome drink and dinner, and a 4 p.m. checkout. In addition, Expo 2015 The Land of Motors features a full-day excursion with museum and factory tours of Ducati, Ferrari and Lamborghini, and an optional test drive. The highlight of Expo 2015 Gourmet Experience is a visit to Bologna's Gastronomic Market and historic city center for local product tastings. Expo 2015 Motors and Flavours, meanwhile, offers a choice of ultimate tour excursions for aficionados of fine autos and fine cuisine alike. All are available May 1 - Oct. 31.
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Make Bern Your Gateway to the Alps
Switzerland's capital city holds a host of treasures for visitors, from its medieval old town to its museums and surrounding villages. Guests of the Bellevue Palace can explore the best of Bern with Gateway to the Alps,
a package that includes a cheese tasting at a local specialty shop, a welcome cocktail, complimentary buffet breakfast, plus a choice of private tours: a cheese and chocolate excursion to nearby Gruyere, the famous sights of Bern, or one of the city's exceptional museums. Valid through March 31.
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Majeka House, Stellenbosch, South Africa
The newest addition to the Elite portfolio, Majeka House offers warm hospitality, bold design and exceptional cuisine in the wine region of Stellenbosch, just a half hour from Cape Town. The inn's boutique scale belies its world-class amenities -- a spa featuring South Africa's first Himalayan Crystal Salt Bed, indoor and outdoor pools, and one of the region's top-rated restaurants, Makaron. An in-the-know reception staff can connect guests to the area's best attractions, from wine tours to bicycling adventures to shopping and entertainment. Learn more about Majeka House here.
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 Guests of the Grand Hotel Wien can don aprons and learn to whip up the Viennese specialty wiener apfelstrudl, thanks to an arrangement with the Warendorf cooking lounge -- a stylish new event space in the hotel building. Grand Hotel Wien guests enjoy a special price of 29 euros for a one-hour cooking class.
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General Manager Paul Brackley, The Be aumont
Working with London restaurateurs Corbin and King on their first hotel project, general manager Paul Brackley steered The Beaumont to a widely heralded launch last fall several weeks ahead of schedule. The veteran hotelier takes great pride in the features that distinguish his independent hotel from others in the British capital -- from the Cub Room, a guests-only lobby level space that he calls "a great example of our desire to put the guest at the centre of everything we do," to ROOM, a monumental sculpture by Anton Gormley that forms part of a one-of-a-kind suite, to the classic style of service and wealth of included amenities. "A Beaumont breakfast, movies, local telephone calls, WiFi, all non-alcoholic drinks and snacks in the room and Nespresso coffee are included in the rate, as is tax."
A Master Innholder, Brackley serves on the executive council of the Institute of Hospitality, where he is a fellow. He mentors future hospitality leaders through a variety of undergraduate programs. For his own inspiration, he looks no further than his hotel staff. "Luxury hospitality is about creating memorable experiences for our guests, that they will talk about, recommend to their friends, with the aim that they will feel a sense of belonging and want to return again and again. I am inspired by the team of people in the hotel who deliver these wonderful experiences on a daily basis."
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On the Road
 In late January, Jeannie accompanied Thomas Brugnatelli, general manager of Jerusalem's The American Colony Hotel, on a week of sales calls in Los Angeles. Here they are pictured with Chad Rodarme and Vida Talandis of First In Service Travel (Virtuoso) in front of the agency's "Wonder Wall."
Thomas's West Coast visit followed a week of agency visits with Greg and Sandy in New York along with Elena Antonini, deputy general manager of
Hotel Bernini Palace in Florence.
After more sales calls with Elena from metro New York down to greater Washington, D.C., Greg and Sandy set off for London and Vienna to visit
The Beaumont,
The Grand Hotel Wien and
The Ring Hotel.
We'll report on the team's continuing travels in the next issue -- stay tuned!
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Hot Spots
What to do and see in Elite destinations this season:
mumok
Vienna, Austria
Feb. 12 - Sept. 13, 2015
Victoria & Albert Museum
London, England
March 14 - Aug 2, 2015
Multiple venues
Bern, Switzerland
March 16 - May 23, 2015
5th Ave., 49th-57th Sts.
New York, NY
April 5, 2015
Green Point Cricket Club
Cape Town, South Africa
April 10-12, 2015
The Super Bowl
Sun City Resort, South Africa
April 10-12, 2015
City center
Zurich, Switzerland
April 13, 2015
Various venues
Bologna, Italy
April 21-26, 2015
Various venues
Milan, Italy
May 1 - Oct. 31, 2015
Various venues
Prague, Czech Republic
May 12 - June 3, 2015
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Trending in Travel
Foodtripper reports on a 19th-century-inspired dinner by Executive Chef Hans Nussbaumer to celebrate the 150th anniversary of
The Kulm Hotel St. Moritz. (That's the hotel, above, decked out with the Union Jack for the Gourmet Festival, British Edition, last month!)
Johannesburg, South Africa, home to
The Maslow, ranks #1 in The Rough Guide's Top 10 Cities of 2015. Among the guide's recommendations: "New clusters of forward-thinking museums, galleries and shops are set to emerge in 2015, though better-known attractions like Constitution Hill and the poignant Apartheid Museum should still be on the to-do list of any first-time visitor."
Are selfies by drone the next big thing? Forbes reports on the advent of the portable travel drone, i ncluding a wristwatch version with "boomerang" and "follow me" modes to capture that perfect self portrait. Get ready for your close-up!
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