SPG.com
Starwood has so many exciting new hotels and resorts opening up across the country that it can be hard to keep track of them all. Until now, that is. Check out the recently launched a microsite that helps connect travelers with its newest properties, wherever in North America they happen to be. Simply click here and browse by destination, property type, or brand to find new and noteworthy hotels and resorts from sea to shining sea. Curious to see what's new in Colorado? Have a look at the Westin Riverfront Resort & Spa, Avon (pictured), with inspiring views of Beaver Creek Mountain. Looking for the newest resort? They don't get much newer than the Equinox Golf Resort & Spa, Vermont, a member of Starwood's Luxury Collection. Wondering where the next W will wind up? The sleek new W Fort Lauderdale will open on March 1, 2009, ushering in a new era of style to the classic beachfront town. You can even search on an interactive map. Best of all, you'll have instant access to special offers that make checking out a new place all the more enticing. Visit the Opening Offers site today and explore the best in new designs, new escapes, new views, and new luxuries.
Recently in Fort Lauderdale Category
Keep on Top of Starwood's Newest Hotels and Resorts
Tuesday December 2, 2008
Special Summertime Offers in the U.S. and Canada
Thursday July 10, 2008
When it comes to travel to the United States and Canada, the options are practically limitless. Whether you're looking for a beach escape, some urban exploration, or a journey into the wild interior, you'll have experiences to remember forever. So why not take advantage of some great bargains and advantageous exchange rates and plan a U.S. or Canadian adventure this summer? Through September 30, 2008, Starwood Hotels from coast to coast are celebrating the season with amazing rates that are sure to have you packing your suitcase in no time. Say, for example, you've always wanted to wander the cobbled streets of Montreal's Old Town (pictured). Rates at Le Centre Sheraton Montreal Hotel start at £103/CDN$202, while a room at the stylish W Montreal starts at £118/CDN$231. If it's ocean breezes and white sand beaches that beckon you, how about a trip to Fort Lauderdale? The Resort at Singer Island, Florida (a member of Starwood's Luxury Collection) has rates starting at £120/US$246. Or indulge in the many amenities of the Westin Diplomat Resort & Spa, Hollywood, Florida, where rates start at £114/US$235 and the fun never ends. As you float in the infinity-edge pool and gaze out at over the blue water, you can think about all the great places you haven't yet visited, and begin making plans. Click here to see a list of participating properties and make reservations for your U.S. or Canadian adventure.
Fort Lauderdale's Museum of Discovery and Science
Wednesday May 21, 2008
Fort Lauderdale has a lot more to offer than just miles of beautiful beaches and abundant restaurants and bars, although I sure do love that stuff. It's also the home to one of the country's best science museums, the Fort Lauderdale Museum of Discovery and Science. The Museum of Discovery and Science has a pretty large area of expertise, with exhibits that explore everything from the core of the earth to the farthest reaches of space. On the local level, the Florida Ecoscapes and Living in the Everglades exhibits give visitors an up-close and personal look at the plants and animals on both sea and land in South Florida. It's worth a visit just to see the largest Atlantic coral reef in captivity. And for those whose dreams are always in the stars, Runways to Rockets: Our Place in Aerospace has interactive exhibits that show how astronomers use radio waves and light and how to launch a space vehicle. That's what I call news you can use. It's safe to say that Starwood has Fort Lauderdale covered, with eight properties in and around the area, including the luxurious Atlantic Resort & Spa.
Destination Spotlight - Fort Lauderdale - The Extraordinary Cinema Paradiso
Thursday March 20, 2008
While we’ve been covering some of Fort Lauderdale’s more adventurous travel options, including intracoastal boating and gourmet disco dining, sometimes when I’m on the road, all I really want to experience is a great night out at the movies. No matter how luxe my hotel room can be, after four or five days on a trip, it's time to put down the remote and venture out to experience local cinema. It never disappoints. Luckily enough, Fort Lauderdale has Cinema Paradiso. No, I’m not referring to the legendary Italian film, but rather South Florida’s crème de la crème independent film house. Just off Fort Lauderdale’s charming Las Olas Boulevard, and a short trek from the Sheraton Yankee Clipper Hotel, this movie palace, originally built in the 1920 as the New Methodist Church of Fort Lauderdale, is no ordinary independent film house. There’s state of the art stadium seating, a full bar, the Reel Café coffee house and a reputation for programming the most compelling and unique cinematic programming. Home of the Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival every fall, the other 49 weeks of the year, Cinema Paradiso is the live version of my dream Netflix queue.
There’s the weekly Midweek Live series featuring concert films, including the March 25 HD screening of Bruce Springsteen: Live in Barcelona and Pink Floyd’s Live In Pompeii. There’s screenings of old favorites: The Maltese Falcon, and The Treasure of the Sierra Madre. There’s the retrospectives, including an April 5-13 series of Brazilian cinema entitled “Fome de Form” that will feature classic films by such 60s masters as Glauber Rocha and Joaquim Pedro de Andrade alongside contemporary gems including City of God and The Year My Parents Went on Vacation. There’s even regular silent film screenings with live piano accompaniment, because sometimes it’s great to celebrate the joy of how cinema was long ago, before HD, before surround sound, back in those Norma Desmond days, when the pictures were big, the stars were bigger, and everyone went out to theatres to watch them glow on-screen.
recent articles
- Ski and Cinema Come Together at the Sundance Film Festival
- The Painting and Anti-Painting of Joan Miró at New York's MOMA
- Destination Spotlight - Paris - A Day at La Cité
- Six Days of Music, Art, and Inspiration at the Woodford Folk Festival
- Laugh It Up at the Kung Pao Kosher Comedy Festival
More Destination Spotlight - Fort Lauderdale - Gold Coast Eating
Wednesday March 19, 2008
Florida's Gold Coast offers a wealth of superb dining, from ultra-casual up to top hat and tails. (OK, maybe not the top hat.) And The Atlantic Resort & Spa serves not only as your home base for your culinary adventures, it's also your first stop. Trina Restaurant & Lounge, headed up by New York restaurateurs Don Pintabona and Nick Mautone (Tribeca Grill & Gramercy Tavern, respectively), is Sicilian by way of the rest of the Mediterranean. The Moroccan tagine-baked Florida grouper with almond couscous comes highly recommended.
For a much more traditional Italian meal, head up the beach to Cafe Martorano. Musclebound Chef Steve Martorano prepares a full South Philly-style Italian menu from scratch each night in this loud but fun hotspot. His meatballs are deservedly famous. Stick around after dinner to watch the chef man the DJ booth as the restaurant morphs into a nightclub and perhaps you'll even hear the chef's theme song.
On the ultra-casual tip, check out Shooters, a waterfront favorite. Take the water taxi right to the cafe, where a range of fresh seafood, salads and signature burgers await.
Destination Spotlight - Fort Lauderdale - A Cruise Along The Intracoastal Waterway
Wednesday March 19, 2008The sheltered stretch of water known as the Intracoastal Waterway, with the myriad canals that veer off to form tiny residential islands, give Ft. Lauderdale its nickname "The Venice of America." I've cruised along this aquatic paradise a couple times, once on a family friend's grand sailboat, and again many years later, on my own little rented cruiser. One thing I've learned is that the Intracoastal Waterway is one of the East Coast's loveliest attractions, and a must-see on any visit to the sunny, palm-fringed city of Ft. Lauderdale.
The Sheraton Yankee Trader Hotel overlooks both the Intracoastal Waterway and the Atlantic Ocean. So once you've finished gazing at the glorious view from your room, head down to Seville Street, where you can hop aboard one of the yellow water taxis that ply the waters between Oakland Boulevard and Southeast 17th Street. For a narrated cruise, try the one and a half hour tour on the Carrie B, a 19th century-style paddlewheel riverboat that departs its dock three times a day. The captain provides a rundown on Ft. Lauderdale's history, and doles out details on the spectacular multi-million dollar homes and yachts you pass along the way. Those who prefer to go at their own pace, can captain their own vessel for a full or half-day at one of Ft. Lauderdale's many rental companies such as the Best Boat Club, located just up the shore from the Sheraton Yankee Clipper Hotel. Of course the best option would be to snag a tour with the highly informed Captain Pierre, featured in the video.
Destination Spotlight - Fort Lauderdale - The Legendary Swap Shop
Wednesday March 19, 2008
The Fort Lauderdale Swap Shop is something of a cultural institution in South Florida. For starters, it's the world's largest drive-in movie theater, with fourteen screens showing all the latest films seven nights a week. And if that wasn't enough to get noticed, it's also the world's largest daily flea market, with more than 2,000 vendors operating seven days a week. And that's not all: the Swap Shop's 88 acres also include a farmer's market, carnival rides, a video arcade, a food court with live entertainment, an exotic car museum and a circus. That's right, all that other stuff wasn't enough, so they decided they needed a circus. It makes perfect sense. The Swap Shop was started by Betty and Preston Henn in 1963 with just one movie screen, but it steadily expanded, adding a weekend flea market, additional movie screens, and plenty of free entertainment to keep the shopping crowds happy. The concept flourished from there, and today it's often humbly referred to as Florida's #2 attraction. Guests at the Atlantic Resort & Spa (a member of Starwood's Luxury Collection) or any of Starwood's Fort Lauderdale properties might enjoy a visit to this this eclectic treasure trove of classic Americana.
Fort Lauderdale Antique Car Museum
Monday January 14, 2008
Fort Lauderdale has a lot more going for it than its pristine beaches and festive nightlife scene, although they're both quite enticing. This charming seaside town is also a great place to check out vintage automobiles. The Fort Lauderdale Antique Car Museum has an impressive collection of more than 25 classic cars from as far back as 1909, so even if you feel like your car is a little out of date, I bet it can't compare to some of these old-school rides. A 1909 Packard Speedster, for example, is the 60th oldest Packard out there, and a purple 1939 Convertible Victoria - one of only 20 ever built - would certainly turn heads at your local gas station. The museum is the brainchild of car collector Arthur Stone, who felt that that the Packard line of automobiles best represented the standard of automotive luxury in the United States in the early- to mid-1900's and deserved preserving. It's now the largest collection of Packard cars and memorabilia in the United States, with models from nearly every year as well as artfully-designed details such as mascots, ashtrays, and lighters (don't smoke, kids). The museum, which is designed to resemble a 1920's Packard showroom, is a short drive from the St. Regis Resort, Fort Lauderdale, as well as several other Starwood properties. Ladies and gentlemen, start your engines.
Starwood Insider - Jeremy McCarthy - Clodagh's Magic
Monday December 24, 2007
Jeremy McCarthy is the Director of Spa Operations Development and Marketing for Starwood Hotels & Resorts and thelobby.com's expert on everything spa.
Clodagh (a designer so well-known and so iconic that she only needs one name to be immediately identified) was just awarded the 2007 Visionary Award by the International Spa Association (ISPA). The ISPA Visionary Award is given to an active member who has contributed significantly toward both the definition and positive movement of health and wellness over the lifetime of their career.
On behalf of Starwood Hotels and Resorts, I would like to congratulate Clodagh on this distinction and also to thank her for everything that she does to help our properties be as beautiful as they can be. Clodagh has designed the treatment table used in our Heavenly Spas by Westin, and she has also been working her magic on the guest rooms and bathrooms with a zen twist for the W Hotel in Fort Lauderdale, opening in June 2008.
Gastronomic Delights at the St. Regis Resort, Ft. Lauderdale
Thursday December 6, 2007
Cero, the house restaurant at the St. Regis Resort, Fort Lauderdale, is no ordinary hotel restaurant. James Beard Award-winning executive chef Toby Joseph has brought a flair for extravagant presentations for the seafood-dominated menu — molecular gastronomic treatments a la Ferran Adria are applied to fresh, local and organic ingredients for dishes that couldn't be more beautiful.
Start with the bluefin tuna and hamachi layered sashimi with jalapeno gelée and wasabi rice foam, then indulge in the butter-poached Maine lobster with caramelized stone fruit and tarragon-walnut foam. (That may sound like foam overload; trust me, it's not — and they're the only two foamy dishes on the menu.) Rich as the main course may sound, don't skip dessert: pastry chef Jordi Panisello crafts spectacles worthy of its precedents, such as the apple confit topped with mascarpone goat cheese and fleur de sel caramel ice cream, wrapped in a "cellophane" cone of sugar.
Over in the Lobby Bar, the menu is also by Chef Joseph. There you'll find small plates like artisan farmhouse cheese with pumpkin honey and bluefin tuna crudo with micro-arugula, shaved fennel and chives. Order a couple along with your perfectly prepared martini and gaze up at the 13-foot mural of Neptune hanging behind the amber onyx bar. Or stroll over to the Wine Room, which offers more than 5,000 bottles carefully selected by sommelier Christopher Covolo.
What Are You in the Mood For?
Paris
Renowned worldwide as a capital of fashion, romance and gastronomy, Paris awaits you with magical moments and endless opportunities. Book your trip now!
Looking for advice about SPG? Ask questions to our SPG insiders and other SPG members or answer the questions submitted by others.
submit your question or answer
