When staying at an upscale hotel or resort, there are certain expectations about the amenities and activities offered. Yoga, tennis and golf are de rigueur, and waterfront accommodations usually offer water sports. But what if the hotel concierge was akin to a genie that could grant wishes? Check out these properties that go way beyond booking your tee time.
Credit: Preservation Hall Jazz Band
Credit: Preservation Hall Jazz Band
Four Seasons New Orleans
Are you a musician that’s always dreamed of honing your chops with one of New Orleans’ jazz legends? The concierge at the new Four Seasons hotel can make it happen.
Meet your instructor at Preservation Hall, the intimate French Quarter music venue founded in 1961 that’s widely credited with saving New Orleans jazz traditions during an era when rock ‘n roll ruled. A virtuoso on your instrument will help you step up your game in no time. Record the lesson on your phone and refer to it later during practice sessions.
If you’d rather listen to music than play it, round up 10 friends for a private jazz concert on a St. Charles streetcar, the world’s oldest continuously operating streetcar line. Roll past imposing, historic mansions in the Garden District while some of the city’s coolest cats riff the night away.
As concierge Melissa Comardelle put it, “Music is the lifeblood of this great city, and we have your backstage pass.”
Four Seasons New Orleans. $472 and up per night. Private music lesson starts at $500. Private streetcar jazz concert starts at $4,250. 2 Canal St., New Orleans. 504-434-5100, www.fourseasons.com/neworleans
Credit: Handout
Credit: Handout
Jekyll Island Club Resort
Croquet players sporting crisp white attire are one of the first things guests notice when they check in to the Jekyll Island Club Resort, a majestic Queen Anne structure topped with an eye-catching turret.
The tradition dates back to 1888 when the property, now a National Historic Landmark, opened on the smallest of Georgia’s barrier islands as one of the most exclusive clubs in the world. It was a winter retreat for Gilded Age bluebloods like the Vanderbilts, Rockefellers and Astors who came to hunt and enjoy miles of peaceful, driftwood-scattered beaches.
Croquet was popular with Victorians because it was deemed not too strenuous for the ladies and, therefore, an appropriate game for men and women to play together. It’s considered one of the first co-ed sports.
Most of the players on the lawn today are members of the Jekyll Island Croquet Club, but hotel guests can play, too, and it’s free. Just grab a mallet and balls, and aim for the wicket.
Modern women have a distinct advantage over their Victorian counterparts; they don’t have to play trussed up in a corset and petticoats.
Jekyll Island Club Resort. $450 a night and up. Croquet is free to guests. 371 Riverview Drive, Jekyll Island. 912-319-4349, www.jekyllclub.com
Credit: File
Credit: File
The Omni Homestead Resort
At falconer Linda Spence’s command, a white-bellied hawk flies toward her and lands gently on her gloved arm. He is rewarded with a tasty morsel. Along the way, the captivity-bred raptor tucks in its wings and shoots like an arrow between a delighted couple of Omni Homestead Resort guests participating in their first falconry lesson.
This historic ski resort set on 2,300 scenic acres in the Allegheny Mountains of western Virginia is one of a handful of properties in the South that offers lessons in falconry, an ancient sport where wild birds of prey are trained to hunt small animals.
At the Homestead, a lesson for beginners doesn’t involve hunting. It’s an educational program that demonstrates raptor behaviors and outlines the different survival techniques employed by hawks, falcons and owls in the wild. In the process, guests learn to command these majestic predators.
Spence says helping to facilitate the human-animal connection is always rewarding.
“Some people consider owls and hawks nuisance birds,” Spence said. “This experience provides a different perspective. The more people appreciate them, the less likely they are to harm them.”
The Omni Homestead Resort. $349 a night and up. Beginning falconry lesson $99. 7696 Sam Sneed Highway, Hot Springs, Virginia. 504-839-1766, www.theomnihomestead.com
Credit: ©Jim Kruger
Credit: ©Jim Kruger
The Joseph Nashville
At the Joseph hotel in downtown Nashville, guests hope to get the boot — preferably a pair. On the streets of Nashville, cowboy boots are as common as honky-tonks and hot chicken, but for a pair that stands out from the rest, let the Joseph introduce you to Lucchese, a celebrated boot maker that has set the industry standard for craftsmanship and design for more than a century.
The art-centric hotel’s connection to Lucchese is evident the moment guests check in. The front desk is embellished with a specially designed leather panel that depicts the migration of a monarch butterfly.
Channel your inner rhinestone cowboy at the Lucchese’s VIP design loft. A design expert will work with you to create a hand-tooled, bespoke pair of boots that captures your singular style. Choose from an array of exotic leathers — python, goat, stingray and ostrich to name a few — then let your imagination run wild. The pattern choices and colors are almost endless. To really make those boots your own, have them monogrammed.
Lucchese is the official boot maker for the Dallas Cowboy cheerleaders. If you didn’t make the squad, you can still rock a pair of those iconic white boots worn by America’s Sweethearts.
The Joseph. $499 a night and up. Bespoke boots start at $1,200. 401 Korean Veterans Blvd., Nashville, Tennessee. 615-248-1990, www.thejosephnashville.com
Credit: Omni Louisville Hotel
Credit: Omni Louisville Hotel
Omni Louisville Hotel
Bourbon lovers raise their “spirits” at the Omni Louisville Hotel. The 612-room hotel in the heart of downtown partners with Mint Julep Tours to immerse guests in the city’s world-famous bourbon culture. Book a traditional tour or a customized experience that showcases coveted limited releases and single barrel bourbons.
Kick off the evening at Pin + Proof, the hotel’s speakeasy and bowling alley that embraces a devil-may-care Jazz Age vibe. A master mixologist demonstrates how to mix your favorite bourbon-based cocktail like a pro.
Many distillery tours are offered, but a visit to Stitzel-Weller Distillery, coined the “Cathedral of Bourbon,” is a nearly religious experience for some bourbon enthusiasts. A virtual monument to bourbon history on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail, it opened on Derby Day 1935 and reopened in 2014 after being shuttered for more than 20 years. Guests are introduced to the bourbon-making process and can taste bourbons from a portfolio of products that include Blade and Bow, I.W. Harper and Orphan Barrel.
When it comes to how you enjoy your bourbon, there are no rules in Louisville. You can even sip bourbon at breakfast. Settle into the Café, and wash down a hearty Southern breakfast with samples of Uncle Boojie’s bourbons made from the family’s secret, 200-year-old mash recipe. No judgment if you opt for a little post-breakfast catnap in that comfy bed at the Omni.
Omni Louisville Hotel. $189 a night and up. Mint Julep Tour $35-$275. 400 S. 2nd St., Louisville, Kentucky. 502-313-6664, www.omnihotels.com/hotels/louisville
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