Hotels today offer more than just a room away from home. With competition from online services offering lodging alternatives in private dwellings, hotels are upping the ante on food, fitness and amenities.
Touch of smoke
How about a fireplace and food pairing? At the Royalton Hotel near New York's Times Square, which has 55 wood-burning fireplaces in guest rooms, bartender Joshua Brandenburg and executive chef Vanessa Miller team up to create a sensory experience based on five fireplace sachets, including hickory, maple, apple, oak and pecan wood. Hickory, for instance, is paired with an old fashioned made with hickory-infused bourbon and maple whiskey. Miller matches that with prosciutto and ricotta crostini made with hickory-smoked cranberries, burnt honey and micro greens. "Smoke can get a little much with the fire and the drinks," Miller said. "So I also use foods that aren't smoky, like roasted sweet potato or grilled cheese, which still have that campfire appeal." The building dates to 1898, so the fireplaces are original to the property. "Staff members kindle the fire for guests," said General Manager Bryan Woody, who has the perfect name to oversee this cozy idea for winter travel.
Haute hotel
Hotel dining rooms used to be a default for travelers and locals alike. Now, they're a destination for diners seeking culinary adventure. At the Belmond Charleston Place Hotel in Charleston, S.C., executive chef Michelle Weaver divides her menu of seasonal, locally sourced ingredients at the elegant Charleston Grill into four categories: Southern, pure, lush and cosmopolitan. Looking for lavish? Order the butter-poached lobster with caviar and wild mushrooms from the lush menu. Want something lighter? The pure option is grilled wild salmon with olive tomato salad and baby artichokes. Live jazz music lightens up all of the expertly served courses.
Room service fitness
No time to get to the hotel gym? Guests of Loews Vanderbilt Hotel in Nashville can order complimentary exercise equipment, including yoga mat, stability ball and resistance bands, delivered to their room with a booklet featuring a full-body, intermediate level workout. Designed by Nashville-based celebrity trainer Erin Oprea, the program also includes lighter fare on the hotel menu. "As someone who works with clients who travel a lot," Oprea said, "I see firsthand how difficult it is to maintain fitness and health routines while on the road."
