PROMOTION COMMOTION

Michelin Hotel & Restaurant Guide - The PERFECT Gift

A new supplier to the promotional / ad specialty industry (did I miss them in previous shows?) - the THE MICHELIN GUIDE has been called by USA TODAY as the ''gastronomic bible for international travelers''. I have the San Francisco Bay Area & Wine Country Guide and  just went through it.  If I may say so, I am really motivated to check out these restaurants that are so close by!  The Michelin hotel and restaurant reviewers have done a fantastic job. The guide reflects a variety of culinary establishments and hotel scenes, all rated by Michelin (yes, the Michelin Man is on the front cover!). The reviews were done anonymously so you can't get any more real than that!   Culinary establishments were rated and classified accoring to decor, ambience, table settings and quality of service.  They're rated from Good to Exceptional; Modest to Luxurious; and price ranges for all budgets. Maps of San Francisco and the surrounding cities are on the front (street map) and back cover (city map) Both fold out, you won't need another map.   

These guides are available now for corporate branding and imprinting in the front cover. It makes a PERFECT gift for out of town guests. If you're hosting out of town or international visitors, hand them a guide to your city as a WELCOME gift when they check into their hotel room, or when they visit you at headquarters. The guide cover can also be customized with your own story. This guide should be a corporate staple. It is absolutely the most useful gift you can give to an out of town or foreign guest.  It has just the right amount of information a traveler can digest in a short amount of time -- and information that will entice them to return.

For more information, please contact sales(at)webbmar.com or visit WEBBMAR PROMO.

Venue Revue - Hotel Pacific, Monterey, CA

Monterey, CA is one of our favorite quick getaway locations.  We have stayed in several hotels but by far our coziest and most favorite is the Hotel Pacific in downtown Monterey.

The hotel is walking distance to all the reasons you want to be in Monterey.  If it's for a quick, quiet get-away weekend, then look no further and book yourself a room.  Like most of our preferred hotels, the rooms here are all suites.  In the winter, light a cozy fire and snuggle.  The Monterey Conference center is right across the street.  There are many fine restaurants that are walking distance.  While you're there, you might want to see some of the city's historical sites and walk along Cannery Row.

As Ad Specialists, we help individuals and corporations book and plan their festivities, not just the gift giving.  Event planning is second nature.  We have and continue to review and recommend facilities for sales conferences, conventions, holiday parties and destination weddings.  We have preferred partners we refer to you or we work with for bigger events who can handle indoor and outdoor construction, including tent assembly and tear down, lighting, table and chair rentals, audio-visual, decor and catering.   You just have to show up.

We are happy to refer our best and favorite sites and locations and hope you get to visit them and see for yourselves!

Venue Revue - Fairmont Kea Lani, Maui

If you're looking for a more laid back experience, away from the hustle and bustle of the more metropolitan Honolulu, then Maui would be our suggestion.  Definitely Maui. And if you're thinking of heading that way, then you must experience the Fairmont Kea Lani.  It is not your typical 'hotel'. It is home away from home, only better.

On our visit there this last summer, we experienced the entire island from the Kapalua golf heavens to the Wailea resorts.  In between was tons of beach. These were two different worlds.  The Kapalua (north) side of the island offered much more of the touristy buzz, especially around the shopping town of Lahaina.  During this trip, we visited and rated ten beaches.  With snorkeling gear in our backpacks, we ventured to each, braved all the waves and checked off as many fish from our list. Our favorite snorkel area was Big Beach by Makena followed by Napili Bay.  The Honolua Reserve offered a challenge the day we were there but it was really neat to see underwater life!  This reserve is one of the best in the world but it was totally empty when we visited (that was neat!).  We were at a time share for a week so our pace was very much relaxed.  While we enjoyed the amenities we had - a full kitchen and laundry area, we missed the pampering of having our beds made, and room service at our beck and call.

The expansive Fairmont Kea Lani in Wailea came to our rescue. The resort, to those unfamiliar, offers luxury suites and the friendliest staff who are more than happy to indulge you. They are on our list of having the most comfortable beds, firm yet luxurious, with fresh, crisp linens. [we are VERY picky with hotel bedding].  They also had the best room layout (so far, they are our Number One ranked hotel).  The food is a bit expensive at the resort, but we were good with buying from the local supermarket.  The room had a good sized refrigerator and a microwave, which came in really handy.  We enjoyed take outs from Da Kitchen and Aloha Mixed Plate.  We also absolutely delighted in Matteo's Pizzeria which is right across the Shops at Wailea.  After over a week of local delicacies, real authentic Italian food from a family run pizzeria was a truly welcome.  I wish they would open one here in the Bay Area!!  I think we tried everything in their menu!

Back to the hotel - The Kea Lani also offers excellent meeting and banquet facilities.  A few years ago, we planned a corporate event at this location and had a themed dinner at Polo Beach.  I remember how difficult it was to be in a three day meeting with the warm sun and sound of the ocean beckoning

We highly recommend this resort if you are planning a convention in this side of the Pacific. It is an excellent venue for a meeting that calls for participants from Asia and the Western United States. It's great for a family get-away, or a wedding at the courtyard (pictured). You may contact EVENT PLANNER if you need assistance with your event planning.  While Maui is our second favorite island, this is our favorite place to stay - next to home.

We RATE: 4+ Star: Recommend for meetings/conventions, destination weddings, honeymoon

Venue Revue - Hilton Hawaiian Village, Oahu

We recently visited the Hilton Hawaiian Village to do a site review and to explore some opportunities in our favorite Pacific piece of heaven.  We were guests in three  buildings:  The Kalia Tower,  Rainbow Tower and the Ali'i Tower, in that order.  All the towers were unique and had it's own personality, the Ali'i being the most exquisite of the three.  The more private pool of the Kalia Tower was our favorite, and we kept returning to it each evening until we moved over to Ali'i.

The entire stay was a lot of fun.  Oahu is our favorite island with Waikiki and the surrounding towns offering so much in terms of entertainment.  The HHV also offered the most for business meetings. The room configurations were good for small to large groups, and the Business Center was conveniently located.  What we liked (for business) was that the HHV really had everything you needed if you didn't have a car. The staff everywhere was kind and courteous.  If you had to venture, The Bus was easy to figure out.  There were shuttle buses to take you to the Ala Moana Shopping Center.

We posted a few photos. Here are some impressions:

• Check out other beaches if you think Waikiki Beach is too crowded (we did). We actually loved Kailua Beach  the best! It's about 15 minutes away
• Foodland on Thursdays..check out their barbeque to go!  Fruits!!
• Walk the beach and visit the other hotels (versus driving)
• International Market is cool for souvenirs and typically touristy.
• We never really went out for dinner... although there are lots of places to eat right in the village. We usually got a take out dinner and just relaxed in our room at night.
• Shopping Ala Moana Mall was so-so.  Nothing that we couldn't get at a mall in California. They have a cool Japanese department store called Shirokiya which had some really neat things. 
• Make sure you stay for the fireworks.  We were fortunate enough to be at the Rainbow Tower on fireworks night with a room directly looking at the nighttime extravaganza (pictured)
• Tour the island...there is so much history there.

We Rate 3+ Star: Recommended for:  Meetings / Conventions