Sydney stay - The Westin

After my trip to Melbourne two weeks ago I was lucky enough to have another ridiculous invite from the same client. He is celebrating 15 years of his business and flew his "inner circle" of close friends and clients to Sydney for the weekend. Again, without going in to all the details the higlights were dinner at Rockpool Bar & Grill on Friday night and the Golden Slipper on Saturday.

Our accommodation was at The Westin Sydney which I've booked numerous times for clients but had yet to stay in myself. The Westin Melbourne is one of my favourite hotels so I was looking forward to seeing its Sydney counterpart. The highlights of the stay were breakfast each morning at Mosaic Restaurant and the "rain shower" I had on Sunday morning, such a great way to start the day!

Yes, that's three trips so far this year and three 5 star hotels stayed in.

Travel-related stresses

Here's an interesting article I came across about what people stress over when travelling. I can relate as I struggle with staying healthy and active on the road but usually I'm only away for a night or two so it doesn't really effect my routine too much. There are some good tips below on how not to deviate from the routine too much when you're away from home (and the gym).

Travelers say eating healthy and exercising on the road are more stressful than airport security

Vicky Karantzavelou - 29 March 2013, 11:21

SAN FRANCISCO - A new survey from TripIt, the leading mobile travel organizer from Concur, revealed that eating healthy, exercising on the road, and coming home to a to-do list are more stressful for frequent travelers than airport security.

When asked how stressful certain travel-related activities are, 67 percent of frequent travelers said exercising was either somewhat or very stressful; while 66 percent said eating healthy was stressful. The top five activities identified by the majority of respondents as stressful include:

Travel-related activity	"Somewhat stressful"	"Very stressful"	Total
1. Exercising	50%	17%	67%
2. Eating healthy	47%	19%	66%
3. Coming home to things waiting for me	45%	19%	64%
4. Airport security	44%	15%	59%
5. Driving in an unfamiliar city	42%	12%	54%

The majority of travelers did not find checking in to the airport, the flight itself, picking up a rental car, or communicating with partners and/or kids to be stressful.

"As someone who is constantly traveling, eating healthy and keeping up my fitness routine are incredibly important," says Trish Friesen, editor in chief at TripStyler.com. "My two biggest travel health tips are to make sure there's always a rainbow of color represented on your plate, and in a pinch, never underestimate the amount of exercise that can be done on the carpet of your hotel room."

To help travelers exercise and eat healthy while on the road, TripIt recommends these tips:

• Carry healthy, portable snacks, like whole almonds or a banana to curb cravings
• When ordering from a menu, substitute an appetizer or small plate for the entree
• Opt to walk or take the stairs, instead of the people mover or escalator
• Aim to increase your steps with an activity tracker or app, and take the scenic route
• Ask the hotel concierge for a map of local running routes or trails
• Take advantage of hotels that loan guests workout gear, yoga mats or shoes
• Use the hotel room to do crunches, push-ups, and chair dips any hour of the day.

Melbourne stay - Crown Metropol

It wasn't work but I was lucky enough to be invited through a friend and BMW to a ridiculous trip to Melbourne including a driving experience day at Phillip Island. I won't go in to all the details but the overview is that we had a fabulous dinner at the casino on the Saturday night and then drove down to Phillip Island the next morning trying out four different BMW's on the way and then spent the afternoon racing around the track.

It was an excellent trip and I don't post it to brag, but one of the highlights was staying at Crown Metropol for the night. I've booked a couple of clients at the hotel before but hadn't yet seen it myself. I expected to be sharing a room as part of the group but that wasn't the case and as you can see from the pic below the rooms were spacious.

We were on the road early the next morning but I did have time for a very quick breakfast in their restaurant Mr Hive which is also where we had a couple of drinks in the bar the night before. Even from my quick overnight stay, I'd certainly recommend the hotel as one of the best in the city.

Andy Murray buys luxury hotel

After my post in January about seeing Andy Murray playing at the Brisbane International Tennis tournament, news came out a few weeks back that he is getting in to the hotel business after buying a luxury hotel in his hometown.

Here's the story:

Game, set and match: Andy Murray outbids rivals to land £1.8million hotel in his home town perfectly placed for four fishing lochs and golf at Gleneagles (... but does it have a tennis court?)

By Hannah Ellis-petersen and Steve Robson

 
British tennis star Andy Murray will be serving up Michelin-starred meals rather than aces - after buying a luxury hotel near his home town for £1.8million.
 
The 25-year-old is the new owner of Cromlix House Hotel - a Victorian mansion just a few miles from Dunblane, Perthshire, where he grew up.
 
He intends to renovate the venue - where his brother Jamie got married in 2010 - in time for the Ryder Cup in 2014 which is taking place in nearby Gleneagles.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2284558/Andy-Murray-outbids-rivals-land-1-8m-hotel-home-town.html#ixzz2ND0KFWDO

Former Dutch prison transformed into luxury hotel

Adam sent me this story about a Dutch prison that has been converted in to a luxury hotel. Click on the link below to read the full story and see the fantastic transformation. From an Australian point of view, the inside of the hotel reminds of a cross between the Intercontinental Rialto in Melbourne and the Blue (formerly the W) in Sydney.
 

The jail where you'd want to be locked up: Notorious prison is transformed into luxury hotel (and guests still sleep in the cells)

By Anthony Bond

It was previously a place from which people desperately wanted to leave.
As one of the Netherlands' most feared prisons for almost 150 years, Het Arresthuis was not a place you would want to stay.
But following its closure and something of a makeover, people are now paying good money to spend a night at the former jail.

The 105 prisoner’s quarters have been converted into 40 spacious rooms, including 24 standard rooms, 12 deluxe rooms, and four suites, all of which feature modern furnishings and chic interior design.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2284261/Bet-escape-tunnels-Notorious-Dutch-prison-transformed-luxury-hotel-guest-sleep-cells.html#ixzz2M9ZPKcpj

I stumbled across this article written by a friend of mine with a review of the best hotel options on the Gold Coast. With our focus on capital cities and corporate bookings, we don't do much on the coast anymore ... so if you want to find out the best places to stay and why, check out Tori's tips. 

Best of the Gold Coast

Posted on February 20, 2013 by Tori Cooper

The Oscars are creating serious awards buzz but why should Hollywood have all the fun? Our resident Gold Coast hotels expert Tori gives out top honours for our very own Glitter Strip and helps you find the best digs for your next GC getaway in the process.

Best location
Peppers Broadbeach
Peppers Broadbeach is true luxury in an unbeatable location! If you are after a cosmopolitan or beach escape, it’s all here at your doorstep. Peppers Broadbeach boasts one and two bedroom suites and three bedroom sky homes, making it the ideal location for your next couples break, family holiday or just a getaway with friends. Within walking distance you’ll find luxury day spas, fashion boutiques and uber-sophisticated dining (minus the rat race vibe) all set against a stunning beach backdrop.

Best Pool
Marriott Surfers Paradise Resort & Spa
Hands down, Marriott Surfers Paradise Resort & Spa blitzes the ‘best pool’ category. It’s highly unique saltwater lagoon and beach features hundreds of tropical fish that guests are able to swim and snorkel with (or just feed from the deck). Or you may just want to re-live your teens in a Blue Lagoon moment by the waterfall. They’ve even got a pool bar, a five-star holiday just isn’t complete without a one if you ask me!

To read the rest of the article, click here.

The lagoon at Marriott Surfers Paradise Resort

Sebel Melbourne gone

I was trying to find an e-mail address for the Sebel Melbourne hotel this morning and had trouble finding their current website. They were previously a Mirvac hotel but changed hands when Accor purchased the Mirvac porftolio of hotels. The Mirvac website link no longer worked and when the Accor link failed as well I started to think something was going on.

I then found this article about the hotel closing:

CBD hotel closes doors, converts to apartments

February 20, 2013

(0)

Kate Nancarrow

ACCOR'S Sebel Hotel at 398 Collins Street closed its doors on Saturday and in three weeks its 150 apartments will return to the control of 119 individual owners in a reversion-conversion the owners corporation manager has described as ''fast and a first''.

The hotel chain had held a 12-year lease on the apartments and suites within the heritage-listed 1876 former bank building but owners corporation manager Alf Musumeci, of L.R.Reed, said as the lease drew to a close the 119 owners, who had been part of an income-pooling agreement via the hotel's lease, felt they ''weren't getting the returns they'd hoped for'' and decided to regain control of their individual apartments.

Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/business/cbd-hotel-closes-doors-converts-to-apartments-20130219-2epde.html#ixzz2LPSzYQr5


I've been disappointed by our lack of production in Melbourne post-GFC but when hotels are converting back to residential apartments due to disappointing returns you know the hotel market in that city is soft.