Turning the page

At the turn of the year I believe it is customary to summarize it all. You know, what was good, what was bad and to look in to the crystal ball for what the future will hold. So I figured that it might be a good place to start the New Year. And I promise to stay away from lengthy and annoying list that everyone seem to be throwing mercilessly around.

Surprisingly good
This summer I had the good fortune of visiting The Goodstone Inn in Middleburg, VA once again. Although this resort caught us completely off guard the first time we stumbled upon it during a unplanned road trip some years ago, they once again took the essence of hospitality to a level you would expect to find in places of much higher merit. This is a place to watch in the coming years. They have taken the kitchen to a new and exciting level and the sights are still second to none. I can only agree with my beautiful wife’s observation “It is the only place were I completely relax within minutes of arriving.” Well done guys and keep it up!

Worrying
Anyone keeping up with the hospitality industry must have been up nights (at least one night) considering the future of Las Vegas. Ok, I know some of you love to hate the dessert mirage that is Las Vegas, but when all is said and done there is no place like it for volume, diversity and talent. No other place has taken a harder beating in the “finance crisis” and at one point the MGM Mirage group almost tumbled. As they now seem to be pulling through City Center is adding 10.000 rooms to a discounted market and adding 12.000 jobs to go with it. Worse off is the half-cooked Fountainbleau, with carpet and furnishings in all the rooms up to the 30th floor of the 68-floor hotel condo where Algiers once stood. Lenders have pulled out and if it is ever finished it will add almost 4.000 rooms to Sin City.

Will it be worth the wait?
In December of 2007 The Savoy hotel in London closed its doors to undergo an 18 month restoration budgeted to come in at £ 100 million. With innovations like a greeting in the lobby instead of the traditional check-in, I wonder what they will call that. The Beauford room will be converted into a bar with the largest selection of Champagne in London no less. The River Restaurant will spring back into life (is was closed for dinner the last few years prior to the hotel closing) and will offer al fresco-like dining with the windows open to the Thames. Gordon Ramsay’s man Stuart Gilles is still rumored to be heading up the Savoy Grill and ambitions for a Michelin star is also in the grapevine for the River Restaurant. I will be sure to check it all out once they finally get around to opening some time before summer 2010.