Context Travel, named one of the top European tour companies by Travel + Leisure magazine, launched its first Canadian tours in Vancouver and Montreal in May. This week, PAXnewsWest.com joined expansion manager Lily Heise and Vancouver wine docent Louise-Marie Lessard for a trial run of the new Vancouver-based tour Wines of B.C., a Tasting Journey of the Province, with stops at The Wine Bar in Yaletown and Beach Bay Café in the West End…
Representatives of Choose Chicago wrapped up four days in Vancouver on Thursday with local travel agents during a sunny soiree on the patio of the Shangri-La Hotel.
"There's great interest in Chicago,†Cathy Domanico, Choose Chicago's vice-president of tourism and leisure sales, told PAXnewsWest.com. "Chicago is a new product offering for Western Canada, which provides a good opportunity for travel professionals…”
The booming entertainment district in Scottsdale, Arizona is growing fast. Nine new restaurants and bars have opened in the last two years, giving the area the highest concentration of bars and lounges in downtown Scottsdale. The 230-room W Scottsdale hotel is located in a prime position for visitors looking to experience the area's nightlife, including three lounges within the hotel. PAXnewsWest.com sat down with Rich Gonzalez, the hotel's director of sales and marketing, to learn about the latest developments in the entertainment district, and what guests should know about this 230-room Starwood property…
My first destination article for PAX Magazine appears in the summer issue. Find the digital version at PAXMagazine.ca.
Anantara Hotels and Resorts, a brand launched with one resort in Thailand in 2001, now includes 13 hotels and resorts across the country, with a collection of 35 properties stretching cross Asia, the Middle East and Africa. While the brand may not be well known to Canadians, it is part of the Minor Hotel Group, one of the largest hospitality and leisure companies in the Asia Pacific region, and a member of the Global Hotel Alliance.
PAXnewsWest.com recently had the opportunity to visit two recent additions to the Anantara portfolio in Thailand to learn what this luxury hotel brand can offer the Canadian traveller.
Anantara Siam Bangkok Hotel
This 354-room property in the Ratchaprasong district of Bangkok was rebranded from the Four Seasons Bangkok on March 1 of this year. (Four Seasons is currently building a new hotel in Bangkok – the Four Seasons Bangkok at Chao Phraya River – slated to open in 2018.) The hotel is slated to undergo a $20 million USD renovation to “stay relevant,” Titiya Chooto, general manager of the Anantara Bangkok Siam, told PAXnewsWest.com. “With the rebranding, it will be nice to give a new look to the rooms,” Chooto said, adding that the hotel’s many Thai artworks will be maintained. The hotel’s three buildings will undergo renovations one at a time to minimize guest disturbance.
“Anantara is known for its service,” Chooto said. “We build on the warm Thai hospitality, which is going away a bit in five-star hotels.” Anantara has introduced a new tradition at the hotel – every Friday, staff dress in traditional Thai costumes. “It’s exciting for us,” Chooto said. “It’s something everyone who comes to Thailand wants to experience, and it’s a significant add-on for us since the rebranding.”
PAXnewsWest.com started one morning at the hotel with an alms giving ritual with a local monk, a unique Thai experience the hotel offers daily to its guests. The hotel’s spa also offers services inspired by Thai traditions, including the 90-minute Siam 2482 treatment, which uses healing traditions from Thailand and the surrounding area to send guests into a state of bliss.
The hotel is an easy walk from Lumphini Park, shopping and the Ratchadamri Skytrain Station.
Anantara Chiang Mai Resort and Spa
This 84-room property is another relatively recent addition to the Anantara portfolio, having rebranded from the Chedi Chiang Mai to become the 100th property in the Minor Hotel Group’s portfolio in November 2013. The resort, located on the Mae Pring river, is designed to be “very romantic,” according to general manager Syahreza Ishwara, with assistant sales manager Premhathai Boonchaliew adding the hotel is popular with couples and honeymooners – including Canadian visitors, who Boonchaliew said rank tenth among the hotel’s markets. She added that couples stay an average of two to three nights at the resort – located in Thailand’s second-largest city – as part of a trip through Thailand or the Southeast Asia region.
The resort is indeed a romantic retreat, with the lobby and grounds lit by candles. Each room has a balcony daybed and a partition that allows the room to be opened up so guests can soak in the couple-sized bathtub while enjoying the view. Those game to get up early on vacation can catch a stunning sunrise over the river.
The hotel complex includes the former British Consulate, built in 1921. It now houses the hotel’s The Service 1921 Restaurant and Bar, which opened in April of this year and embraces a 1920s British intelligence theme. The colonial feel extends to the afternoon tea, offered on the terrace, but the restaurant’s main menu focuses on Szechuan, Thai and Vietnamese cuisine. Executive chef Prabhash Prabhakaran incorporates influences from his native India, and is assisted by chefs from Thailand, China and Vietnam.
“Food is very subjective,” Ishwara said. “Our guests have very different palates, and we want to ensure there’s something for everyone.”
Guests looking for a unique Thai experience at the resort can sign up for Muay Thai boxing classes through the fitness centre, learn the art of Thai massage at the spa, or take a class in Thai cooking or fruit carving through the Spice Spoons Anantara cooking school.
The hotel is located less than a five-minute walk from Chiang Mai’s famous night market.
Both hotels offer agents a 10 per cent commission on eligible bookings. Agents can find more information at the Anantara travel agent website: www.anantara.com/travel-agent.
This story originally appeared on PAXNewsWest.com
The sun obliged yesterday, shining on guests as they arrived at the Transat Holidays 2015–2016 sun product launch in Vancouver, presented at an intimate lunch for 20 agents at Blue Water Café.
Transat's new 2015–2016 sun brochure features 35 destinations. For the first time, all vacation destinations are offered as Transat Holidays packages, including those previously available only under the Nolitours banner…
"I could have lived anywhere, but I chose to live on Kauai.†It was a refrain heard over and over again on a recent PAXnewsWest.com visit to the destination.
"Kauai has a feeling, a spirit,†said Sabra Kauka, a Kauai cultural representative. "It has a way of embracing you and saying ‘Aloha.'â€
Ninety-seven per cent of Kauai's land is undeveloped, with many pristine areas accessible only by boat or foot, and some only by helicopter (a quirky piece of legislation prevents the construction of buildings that exceed the height of a mature coconut tree)…
The Thailand Travel Mart Plus (TTM+) 2015 wrapped up Friday after three days of connecting Thailand tourism operators and service providers with buyers and media.
The 2015 Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) campaign encourages visitors to "Discover Thainess,†a theme much discussed at the event. What exactly is "Thainessâ€? It's that unique aspect of Thailand that keeps visitors returning to the country…
PAXnewsWest.com is on location in Thailand this week for the Thailand Travel Mart Plus (TTM+) 2015.
Before attending the TTM+ opening reception last night, media guests (including PAXnewsWest.com) spent the day exploring Bangkok with Tourism Authority of Thailand representatives. First was the Pak-Klong Market, the largest wholesale and retail flower market in Bangkok, which also does a brisk business in produce. After a quick peek at the rows of stalls selling garlands, roses, herbs, and fruits and vegetables, it was off to the Amita Thai Cooking School for a lesson in Thai cuisine…
Read the rest at PAXnewsWest.com
Representatives from Visit West Hollywood are in Vancouver this week to highlight the best of the 4.9 square kilometre city which Communications Manager Chris Arboleda calls "geographically and culturally the centre of L.A.†PAXnewsWest.com sat down with Arboleda to learn more about this "hip, trendy and diverse†neighbourhood with "an authentic Hollywood feel.”