Trends

-- Hotels, 4/1/2007

HERITAGE HOUSE: Doesn't Rest On Laurels

The Heritage House in Mendocino, California, boasts one of the most gorgeous natural landscapes anywhere. Now, with its first major renovation in more than 50 years complete, the hotel's 20 private, 19th-century cottages and 47 guestrooms are complemented by a new restaurant and an innovative new spa.

Under the guidance of new owner GHM Hotels, The Heritage House is "working for today's nomadic, bohemian traveler who is looking for luxury in subtle ways," says M. Puri, head of the Americas for GHM. "It isn't all about the fluff or the stuff." To that end, Heritage House claims to be the only American hotel offering ultra-luxe Duxiana beds in every room. Chef Nancy Kinchela's Kitchen Garden uses heirloom, pre-hybrid produce.

With the renovation also comes a slate of eye-popping guest packages, including the US$50,000 Wedding Package, in which the entire hotel can be rented out for a weekend. For couples that simply can't wait to make reservations for 80, they can try the Elopement Package-for US$1,500 they get a private cliff-side ceremony, dinner for two and a night's stay.

LAS VENTANAS Reinvents The Bath

In April, Rosewood Hotels & Resorts' Las Ventanas resort in Los Cabos, Mexico, became the only local resort with butler service for all 71 of its suites. But what really makes Las Ventanas guests rave, says Managing Director Andres Araya, is the resort's new Bath Menu.

Guests are offered the special Bath Menu alongside the regular dinner menu, and for US$51 to US$77, they can select one of three, post-meal bath themes-stress-relieving, rejuvenating or romantic. The bath is drawn in the suite while the guest dines in the restaurant, and upon returning to the room, the bath-customized with a variety of scented soaps and oils-is ready to be experienced. The package includes a choice of champagne or tequila and a cigar.

"Many people want to go back to their room and take a bath, but it takes time to fill up the bath and to order roomservice, and the whole experience gets diluted," Araya says. "With this, it's a whole sequence of service, and the people just love it." The resort has also taken to showing films on the beach on selected evenings and to loaning out Porsche Boxsters to guests.

Bad Behavior Begets Bannings Down Under

Several Australian resort managers began noticing a sharp rise in guests blatantly disregarding rules and a lack of respect for hotel staff and fellow guests. That realization spawned Guests Behaving Badly, a Newcastle- based company that keeps a database of the country's least hospitable guests.

For about A$300 per year, hoteliers can access the list of ruckus-raising guests, and they just may refuse service. "The only people we're trying to make life difficult for are the minority who behave badly," says Product Manager Josh Ginty. "We're trying to give management a proactive tool to make an informed decision to bar guests that have a history of negative behavior." Guests added to the list are allowed to appeal, and minor transgressions are usually dealt with via warning.

Most individuals in the database are accused of unreported negligent damage, Ginty says. Mark Fisher, proprietor of The Normandie in Wollongong, says guest behavior has improved noticeably since his motel joined the organization. Besides deterring bad behavior, Fisher says, guests feel "we're being proactive in taking care of their wellbeing."

Guests Behaving Badly launched in November and has more than 1,000 member properties. Ginty says the company hopes to launch a North American branch this summer.