In The Field with Mary
In The Field with Mary Gostelow THE "INSIDE LINE" ON WHAT'S HOT IN HOSPITALITY PART II LUXURY WINE TRAVEL RAISING OUR GLASS TO EXCEPTIONAL HOLIDAY IDEAS Mary Gostelow is often called the world authority on luxury hotels. In addition to being global ambassador for International Luxury Travel Market events, www.iltm.com, she has a daily travelogue, www.girlahead.com. In this report, she takes us on a tour of HER choice of high-end wine tourism destinations. Hotel Marques de Riscal in Elciego, in Rioja, takes your breath away. The “sculpture” that is the Frank Gehry building looks like an unravelled ball of knitting wool, multicoloured titanium sheets in pink, for wine, and silver, for a bottle cap, and gold for bottles’ wires. Inside this extraordinary unique structure are 43 bedrooms (most grand is the 72 sq m Gehry Suite, which can connect to an adjacent room). You can dine in the Marques de Riscal Restaurant, with Laguiole designer cutlery, and tour wine cellars that go back to 1858. There are over 1,000 wine books, and a 25-metre i n d o o r p o o l plus a vinotherapy pool, and of course there are vineyards, over 1,000 hectares, including a Frank Gehry selection. The only miniscule challenge is getting there: drive an hour from Bilbao or, as I did, take a train from Madrid to Logroño, and order a car for the last 20 kms. But, honestly, visiting this unique hotel (GM Stefan Friedl) is a lifetime memory. Hospitality adds greatly to any winery experience. Six Senses Douro Valley, near Lamego, Portugal, is under an hour’s drive from Porto. The complex has a serious Organic Pharmacy spa with indoor and outdoor pools, integrative wellness assessments, and a 24/7 gym with latest Technogym bits. When it comes to the 57 bedrooms in a building expanded from a 19th century mansion, both #401 and #406 have private terraces. Other distinguishing features include vineyard hiking, and tree climbing – act pre-teen yet again. GM Nick Yarnell. HOSPITALITY ADDS GREATLY TO ANY WINERY EXPERIENCE. In Argentina, Estancia Colomé showcases Donald Hess’ art collection. In Chile, Domingo Fernandez Concha’s former house in the Santa Rita Vineyards is now Casa Real Hotel. In USA, Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn, in Boyes CA, offers wineries plus day spa: in Charlottesville VA, Albemarle Estate at Trump Winery offers rooms in the 700-ha vineyards. In Italy, Rosewood manages Castiglon del Bosco, in Massimo Ferragamo’s 1,700-ha vineyards. In South Africa, multitude of Cape winery hotels p a l e b e s i d e Babylonstoren, a working farm, garden restaurant and complex of individual Capestyle hotel cottages in 200-ha of Franschhoek vineyards, all owned, to benefit the local community, by Tencent billionaire Koos Bekker. In Australia, for Mudgee and Orange wines, try Emirates One&Only Wolgan Valley, NSW. In New Zealand, Marlborough Vinters Hotel is ideal for visiting Cloudy Bay winery. And last, but not least, how about France? The 61-room Les Sources de Caudalie, directed by Alice Cathiard and her husband Jérôme Tourbier, is in the meticulously manicured 78-ha Smith Haut Lafitte vineyards, 12 kms from Bordeaux (best room is the Ile aux Oiseau Suite): walk, admire sculptures, eat, luxuriate at the original Caudalie spa – and enjoy a glass of Château Smith Haut Lafitte 2005 or 2009. SEE YOU AGAIN IN THE NEXT EDITION
ELITE TRAVEL TRENDS WINE TOURISM Hotel & Tourism SMARTreport #41 2019 Winter Edition 19 19 3rd edition of the UNWTO Global Conference on Wine Tourism WINE TOURISM – DEVELOPING A HOLISTIC APPROACH UNWTO plots course for development of this fastgrowing sector The recent 3 rd edition of the UNWTO Global Conference on Wine Tourism focused on rural development, stressing the contribution of wine tourism to the 2030 Universal Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). A number of action points emerged from the two days of discussions that brought together representatives of 30 nations. It was underlined that wine tourism needs to be recognised as part of national tourism and rural development policies with the setting up of the corresponding governance model. It was concluded that the contribution of wine tourism to rural development can only be achieved if local communities are engaged and included in and benefit from the tourism value chain. Wine tourism is not only a means for wineries to increase their income. It is, states the UNWTO, an approach to rural and cultural tourism and thus requires a holistic approach in terms of destination management. The organisation called for more research to measure and understand wine tourism trends and consumers and allow for international comparability among destinations RELAIS & CHÂTEAUX RAMPS UP WINE TOURISM UK-born Anthony Torkington, the new General Manager of Relais & Châteaux, says he wants to put more emphasis on showcasing properties within the network that produce wine. Little wonder as he was most recently GM of such a property near Bordeaux. “We want to make it easy for our members to sell wine amongst themselves”, states Torkington, adding, “I think more and more people are looking for holidays and trips away where are they learn and they want to learn about wine. They want to understand the chef, they want to understand where the chef is buying his products, with which produce he is working, and they also want the wine angle.” At ILTM Cannes, Torkington introduced us to Vincent Parinaud, General Manager of the recently refurbished Royal Royal Champagne Pool Champagne, a veritable jewel in R&C’s crown when it comes to wine tourism. From Épernay station, beautifully winding roads lead the traveller past ancient villages nestled in the Champagne hillsides (UNESCO World Heritage Sites). Further uphill, we find Champillon, a town of just 500 souls that delivers breath-taking views of the Marne Valley. It is up here that one encounters the newly revitalised Royal Champagne Hotel & Spa. Along with a major upgrade of the historic building—once a coaching inn where the kings of France traditionally stopped en route to their coronation (and where, it is said, Napoleon passed more than once)— a newly-constructed building boldly houses the region’s only destination spa. The property is also able to host groups of up to 150… Meeting planners take note!
