HotelChatter contributing editor Tim Leffel wraps up his jaunt around British Columbia and Alberta in Canada, seeing the hotel scene from a family travel perspective. All prices are in Canadian dollars--which currently trade slightly higher than U.S. dollars. Enjoy.
Like the Moraine Lake Lodge ten minutes away, the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise has one of Canada's most spectacular settings all to itself. In this case it's Lake Louise, a stunning blue glacier lake surrounded by dramatic peaks topped by ice that's been there since the Wooly Mammoth days.
But while Moraine Lake Lodge is an intimate experience, this hotel is built to serve the throngs of visitors it knows it will receive all summer. When we were there six of the seven sit-down restaurants were all booked up during prime dinner hours.
The hotel has opened its own Fairmont Gold lodgings--ultra-swank accommodations that act as a separate luxury hotel within a hotel. The Gold rooms consist of 69 newly-renovated guest rooms, three parlor suites and a 2,100-square-foot private lounge on secluded grounds.
But the piece de resistance of this special set is the Casa Dorada--a 3,700-square foot super-suite located on a private enclave of the resort grounds.
More on this super-suite (with photos!) after the jump.
With exclusive boutique hotels becoming all the rage, some hotels are getting smart and creating a boutique hotel within their large hotel--putting aside a couple of floors to make a semi-separate hotel with separate check-in and services, but with the advantage of guests being able to access all the restaurants, gyms and pools of the larger hotel if they want.
The Fairmont Scottsdale Princess Resort was one such example, and now the latest to follow this trend is the Fairmont Gold in Dallas. They've turned the top three floors of the Fairmont Hotel into a boutique hotel space for "gold guests". There are 47 rooms in the Fairmont Gold, include six deluxe rooms and six suites, and the area includes two lounges with drinks and snacks in the evening and a continental breakfast in the morning.
The Fairmont Gold must have hit the mark, because it's already getting some celebrity visitors--they say that John McCain stayed in the presidential suite of the Gold recently. With rates ranging from $250 to $1,000, it's not at all out of the question that you could be a gold guest too.
As if the Fairmont Scottsdale Princess Resort wasn't fa-bu-lous enough. Coming in March 2008, Fairmont will launch a new, even higher-end option for Scottsdale Princess guests, Fairmont Gold:
Guests of the AAA Five Diamond Fairmont Scottsdale Princess will have a glittering new option for the ultimate in unique and personalized service with the announcement of the resort's exclusive "hotel within a hotel," Fairmont Gold. The Fairmont Gold offering focuses on delivering the highest level of personalized service and pampering to the most discerning travelers.
The $6.7 million Fairmont Gold concept will feature a 2,100 square foot private lounge where Gold guests can utilize a private check-in and check-out area, complimentary deluxe continental breakfast, afternoon gourmet coffees and teas, evening hors d'oeuvres, and a fully stocked honor bar.
The 68 renovated 600-square-foot guest rooms will showcase "residential-style décor" such as stone flooring, stained woodwork, recessed lighting, a LCD high definition LCD television in both the sitting area and bedroom, and secure, high-speed wireless Internet access. Rooms will also feature views to the Stadium Course of the Tournament Players Club of Scottsdale.
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by Tim L.
