Two Model Resorts in the Caribbean Show the Way

I’ve been doing a lot of thinking lately about the impact of tourism on the places we visit – do we risk destroying the very things we seek? Last week, there was an in-depth cover story in Travel Weekly (an industry publication) that looked at the current construction boom in the Caribbean. Newer and larger resorts, hotels, condos and infrastructure are springing up from Aruba to Bahamas.

I’ve watched construction crews work all night on Paradise Island in the Bahamas and I’ve been in Cozumel on days when there were seven cruise ships in port. Certainly, I bear some responsibility for this – I’ve been selling the cabins on those very ships, I send my clients to the Bahamas, driving up the demand. I realize I’ve already been adapting to this boom for some time now: telling my Grand Cayman travelers what days to avoid town because of all the cruise ships; keeping up with new construction that impacts the experience at adjacent, formerly secluded resorts and so on.

I think it’s going to take some enlightened people in both the private and public sector to properly manage this. A great example of success is The Caneel Bay Resort on St. John in the U.S. Virgin Islands and The Little Dix Bay Resort on Virgin Gorda in the British Virgin Islands, two of my favorite places in the Caribbean. They should remain relatively unchanged due to the actions of one enlightened man, philanthropist Laurence Rockefeller. He established them to provide luxurious relaxation for his family and friends that was in harmony with the Caribbean ecosystem and culture that he loved so much.

Forty-some years ago, Rockefeller donated the properties to the Jackson Hole Preserve, an environmentally-focused nonprofit with ties to his family. To protect the land around the resorts, huge undeveloped tracts were donated to the U.S. and British Governments to create Virgin Islands National Park and Gorda Peak National Park, respectively. Today, the landscape surrounding both resorts is unchanged, and sensitive management by Rosewood Resorts allow the guest experience to be top-notch without deviating from Rockefeller’s original vision.

I am never worried about development affecting my clients’ experience when I recommend Little Dix Bay or Caneel Bay. That’s the model that should be sought – allow appropriate development, while preserving what attracts travelers in the first place. Let’s hope that it happens before it’s too late.

Old School Charm: The Warwick Hotel New York

My family and I spent a few days at the Warwick Hotel in New York last week. I was pleased to find it exactly as I expected based on years of selling it. It was a real classic New York hotel in a great location at the corner of 54th Street and Avenue of the Americas.

The great location and small lobby made it popular with showbiz types looking for little privacy. The Ed Sullivan Show used the Warwick for their guests, including the Beatles, who had to endure a crazy two-block trip to the Ed Sullivan Theater through throngs of fans. Cary Grant and Irving Berlin lived at the Warwick. Their photos and photos of many other notable guests are displayed around the second floor meeting rooms of the hotel. You’ve got to admire a place that attracted both Elvis and Elizabeth Taylor.

Why don’t we head upstairs on one of the great vintage elevators with the light up signs that read “THIS CAR UP.”

Our deluxe room was on the nineteenth floor and faced Avenue of the Americas with views down 54th Street, especially of the New York Hilton, which is located catty-corner from the Warwick. The room was pretty big, especially by New York standards and was attractively furnished with traditional dark wood furniture. Reproductions of antique Oriental prints softened the look. After a close inspection, I concluded that the standard of housekeeping at the Warwick was quite high. The bathroom was done in honey-toned marble and was provided with Gilchrist & Soames toiletries and adequately-sized cotton towels.

I know that some other rooms in the hotel do not have views; instead they open onto air shafts or look at adjacent buildings. I think most of these are included in the less expensive “Superior” room category. This is typical for a 1928 vintage hotel, designed before air conditioning. If you want the old school charm, sometimes you get an old school air shaft. If you’re concerned about this, you can always talk with a top-notch Travel Consultant who will get things properly arranged for you.

Other amenities in the room included plush bathrobes, ironing board and iron, safe and minibar. The minibar was unfortunately one of those that I call a Robo-bar -- equipped with electronic sensors, where if you even think about touching the contents, you get charged. You’re out of luck if you want to buy a six-pack of Diet Pepsi at Gristede’s and stick it in there; I ended up hoofing it to the ice machine on eighteen twice a day.

The bed was very comfortable, similar to the Westin Heavenly Bed. I didn’t hear any street noise – not sure if that was due to the double-glazed windows or being nineteen stories up. There were some minor things in our room that should have been repaired –a broken outlet cover and chipped paint on the door. These were the only things I saw that detracted from the overall excellent upkeep.

At the Warwick, the excellent staff was a really high point of the experience. Check-in was effortless and smooth and each employee was wonderful – every housekeeper, bellman and room service waiter we encountered greeted us as if they were truly happy to do so. I can’t tell you how many so-called deluxe hotels fail to observe this form of courtesy.

Overall, it was a very nice stay. We even lucked into the free Friday night at the Museum of Modern Art, located across the street. We did not eat at the restaurants or try the room service, so I can’t give you my opinion. I can say that Murals on 54, the restaurant featuring historic murals by Dean Cornwell, is well-regarded.

In future updates, I’ll try to address aspects of other hotels I critiqued on this trip: The Essex House, St. Regis, Hilton, Four Seasons, Ritz-Carlton and Waldorf=Astoria.

An Airline Disaster: Independence Air

It’s been a month since Independence Air ceased operations on January 5. I was initially impressed with the fact that they gave advance warning that were shutting down, avoiding the debacle exemplified by Eastern Airlines when they folded without warning in 1991.

I’m not sure what to think about Independence Air now that there has been a month of post mortem. I feel especially bad for the employees, many of whom worked for Independence Air in its previous incarnation as a financially strong United Connection carrier. Published reports state that Independence Air began with a war chest of over $800 million – where did that go in eighteen months?

Log Cabin Living My Way: Old Faithful Inn

I stirred in the bed and rolled over, looking towards the open window, the cool air chilling me despite it being June. The sound was like a jet engine at full throttle, and I pawed for my glasses as my wife slept on, oblivious. An incredible sight was perfectly framed in the window opening, lit only by the moonlight. A vast white jet of steam and water shot into the air nearly 200 feet with terrific force while the powerful sound – a jet underlaid by moaning, continued. Dumbfounded, I watched for at least five minutes until it abruptly ended, the night silent except for the distant sound of coyotes calling to each other. I laid my head on the pillow and returned to sleep.

That nighttime interruption was one of many special experiences that I enjoyed while staying at Yellowstone National Park’s Old Faithful Inn. Dominating the Old Faithful Geyser Basin, and standing next to its eponymous geyser, the Old Faithful Inn has provided lodgings for weary Yellowstone travelers since it opened in 1904.

The day we arrived, we hiked through the upper geyser basin overlooking Old Faithful, and admired the seemingly perfect nozzle-like vent of Beehive Geyser. The sign said that Beehive geyser was as large as Old Faithful but only erupted once or twice a day at unpredictable intervals. We walked on, sure that we would never see Beehive erupt. That night, I discovered that because of our choice in lodgings, we were wrong, when Beehive Geyser’s nocturnal eruption awakened me.

The Old Faithful Inn is unlike any hotel I’ve ever stayed in. It is the largest log building in the United States and has a spectacular lobby that rises over 90 feet to the exposed ceiling. The centerpiece of the lobby is a massive fireplace made of local stone, its chimney rising through the space. As an historic building, the Inn retains a high degree of integrity with many of the original light fixtures and wood furniture still in use today. It has been designated a National Historic Landmark, the highest honor any historic building may receive in the U.S.

Our room was located on the second floor of the old building and had a view of the Upper Geyser Basin and Firehole River. The room included a sink, no bathroom, rough-hewn wooden walls, a metal-framed bed, dresser, wardrobe, chair and the coolest thing for me: an original rotary light switch to operate the lights.

If you’re not an historic building aficionado like me, allow me to explain -- used in the early twentieth century, these switches were usually abandoned or removed when buildings were rewired. They were kind of big and make a satisfying solid click when you rotated them. I had never seen one in use, although I’m not surprised that they could last 100 years because they seem so solid.

The new wings of the Inn, added in the 1920s, consist of larger rooms with private bathrooms many with views of Old Faithful Geyser itself. These rooms are more conventional and less rustic. I didn’t mind the shared bathroom that we had to use. It was close to the room, spotlessly clean and the whole time we were there, I never encountered another soul in there even though the Inn seemed to be booked solid.

The Old Faithful complex around the Inn includes the Visitor’s Center, and two other lodgings: The Old Faithful Lodge and The Snow Lodge, as well as shops and other concessions for visitors. On summer days it can seem that every visitor to the Park is there as the crowds around Old Faithful Geyser swell. I found it considerably more civilized in the evenings when the tour buses have departed and you and a few other guests enjoy the deserted landscape from the second floor porch while sipping a cocktail from the bar. You’ll feel as if Old Faithful is putting on a private show just for you.

London Realizes Improvements

Some of the initiatives that London has implemented to improve the lives of its residents and visitors should be recognized and lauded, especially their efforts to reduce congestion and improve air quality. A fee system called Congestion Charging has significantly reduced traffic congestion in Central London since being put in place two years ago and the retirement of the iconic red Routemaster double-decker buses aims towards reducing noxious emissions.

London will look dramatically different without the Routemaster and I, of course, lament the passing of these well-known symbols, but I won’t miss the unpleasant respiratory distress that frequently gripped me in there – runny nose, shortness of breath and sooty deposits in Kleenex. Those charming Routemasters, many dating from the early 1960s, were perhaps the worst polluters in London. You’d smile to see one approach until you were engulfed in a noxious cloud of haze as it passed.

In the end air quality wasn’t the only reason they are being retired. Another important factor is that their design isn’t very accessible for disabled passengers. New buses are lower to the ground, have wider aisles and accommodate wheelchairs far better. Transport for London is phasing out all Routemaster buses by the end of 2005 except on two so-called Heritage Routes that are convenient for tourists. The Heritage buses will be equipped with costly particulate air filters to significantly reduce emissions.

I recommend that all visitors seek out these rolling landmarks. If you want to experience the Routemaster buses on the Heritage Routes, one operates between Trafalgar Square and Tower Hill, and the other between the Royal Albert Hall and Aldwych.

While the improvements brought by the retirement of the Routemaster buses are yet to be fully realized, another dramatic initiative has already transformed London.

Congestion Charging for vehicles driving in Central London during the business week was championed by London Mayor Ken Livingstone. Citing studies showing London had the worst vehicle congestion in Europe and that drivers in Central London spent half their time stuck in traffic, local government pushed through the technology-based scheme.

Thousand of cameras in Central London record the license plate numbers of every car that drives in the designated Congestion Charging zone each day. Drivers must pay a £8 daily fee by 10:00 p.m. for the privilege of driving in the zone. Drivers may pay online, by phone, by mail, text message or at gas stations and parking garages; if they wait ’til after 10:00, a £2 penalty is added. After midnight the penalty is increased to £100, which they will kindly reduce by half if you pay within two weeks. If you delay another two weeks, they add £50.

As you may imagine, this makes people think long and hard about driving in Central London. With the excellent public transport network that includes buses, underground rail, light rail, boats and taxis, there are plenty of alternatives to driving. Because of this, traffic has been greatly reduced and public support for the program is so strong that London is considering expanding the zone to include Kensington and Knightsbridge.

I’ve seen that these changes are making London even more enjoyable for my clients. One particular benefit that I’m advising them to take advantage is to indulge in one of my favorite London experiences: the best taxis and taxi drivers in the world. The improved traffic flow makes them much more affordable because you’re much less likely to be paying for being stuck in traffic.