Tag Archive for: InterContinental

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Steak Dinner and Luxury Lodging

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It’s hard to think about Michael Jordan without thinking about basketball greatness, but what about steak greatness? Our intern Kelsey wants to experience one of the best steakhouses in Chicago while staying in one of the best hotels the city has to offer.

For Christmas I would love to visit Chicago and stay at the Intercontinental and dine at Michael Jordan’s Steakhouse located within the hotel. Michael Jordan’s steakhouse is known for its warm and inviting atmosphere and its beautiful views overlooking the magnificent mile.

Michael Jordan’s Steakhouse is one of the top steakhouses in the city and puts an emphasis on using the best locally sourced and seasonal ingredients in their dishes to help give an all around Chicago dining experience.

An ideal meal would be the famous garlic bread with blue cheese fondue for starters and then the Petite Filet Mignon topped with bourbon-mustard glazed pearl onions and a side of the mashed potato trio that includes lobster, sweet potatoes and colcannon for the entree. This would for sure be a great and delicious experience for a night out in Chicago!

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Hotel Logos Re-created by 6-Year-Olds!

This afternoon we had the pleasure of hosting two guests in our office. 6-year-old-twins Calvin and Olivia had the day off school so we gave them temporary roles in the graphic-design department and asked them for their best attempts at recreating some iconic hotel logos. Having a couple of kindergarteners draw logos that we deal with every day was a fun addition to our Friday!

It was interesting to watch the creative process of the kids.  In the world of professional design the process can often become over-thought and muddled down by restrictions, it might sound cheesy, but it’s refreshing to watch someone be creative in such a free-spirited way.

Calvin Cutting

As calvin works to trim one of his pictures you can see that his creative process is a bit messy!

Olivia created this rendition of the Sheraton logo.  The choice to cut out and paste the Sheraton S emblem was surprising, and leaving the word “Sheraton” off-center added personality!

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Apparently Calvin thought the lettering for the Mandarin Oriental New York would be better placed above the fan logo.

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Here’s an attempt at the Broughton Hotels of Chicago: City Suites insignia. It’s impressive that Olivia was able to achieve that shape on her first try.

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Once again Calvin liked the motif of keeping the name of the hotel above the image.

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We aren’t sure if shrinking the letters “NTAL” in Intercontinental was an artistic decision or if Calvin just ran out of room on the page.

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Olivia decided to go with a much more minimalist aesthetic in her version of the Mission Point Resort logo.

missionpoint sidebysideThere was definitely some tracing used for these St. Regis Hallmarks but regardless of the method, the similarity to the original is impressive.

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It was a fun experiment to see how a couple of six-year-olds would fare in trying to copy logos!

 

Thanks for your help Calvin and Olivia! Maybe next time we’ll give you a shot at copy-writing!

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Livvy Holding St. Regis

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

InterContinental New York Barclay Receives 2013 SMITTY Award

Screen Shot 2013-06-06 at 10.13.39 AMWe would like to wish the InterContinental New York Barclay a big congratulations for winning the Best Social Media Use for Public Service category in Travel + Leisure’s 2013 Social Media in Travel + Tourism (SMITTY) Awards.

Launched in 2012, the SMITTY Awards recognize the travel companies whose social media programs are entertaining and informative—and some offer great deals and discounts. “These winning travel companies are the ones to fan and follow right now,” Rich Beattie of Travel + Leisure said.

The InterContinental New York Barclay was awarded for its social efforts during Hurricane Sandy:

The InterContinental Barclay served as a source for those affected, tweeting about news and transportation updates, as well as on-site relief efforts. Family-friendly events at the hotel kept children busy, and shared photos from the efforts helped the campaign reach 500,000 impressions.

Beattie said, “Companies have seen that it’s not enough to post random photos on Facebook or send out the occasional tweet. Social media requires generating irresistible ideas and powerful messages that break through the cacophonous clutter created by millions of distracting voices. And then doing it again the next day. And the next.”

Check out the entire list of this year’s SMITTY Award winners! Do you have a favorite hotel or other travel company on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Google+ or Pinterest? Let us know!

InterContinental Chicago Gets a Fashion-Forward Renovation

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Historic hotels can be a treasure but can also pose a problem: the fine line between ‘classic’ and ‘dated.’ –Andrew Bender, Forbes

Last week, Andrew Bender, business travel blogger for Forbes, reported that the InterContinental Chicago had an elegant solution to this problem: two towers with two completely different design concepts.

The first wing, the Historic Tower, was built in 1929 as the Medinah Athletic Club, “and it’s been a landmark on the Magnificent Mile ever since,” Bender said. The wing’s classic architecture and decor live up to its name: lion statues in the lobby, the high-rise pool and plenty of other little details. Bender wrote, “Although its 315 European-inspired rooms are regularly renovated (most recently in 2010), a sweeping design change would probably cause insurrection among guests who’ve been staying here for generations.”

The other wing, the Grand Tower, was built in 1961. And before the tower’s renovation was completed last month, the look and feel was more “dated” compared to the Historic Tower’s classic feel. “Gone from its 477 rooms are relics of the Mad Men era,” Bender said. The newly renovated Grand Tower, which is located on the corner of Grand Avenue in Chicago, features brighter lighting and fashion-forward colors and fabrics. Across the lobby is Michael Jordan’s Steak House and the casual, yet chic, wine bar, Eno. The InterContinental Chicago upped its tech features, too, with outlets and USB ports everywhere and a giant video wall behind the front desk that streams a rotating selection of live images of streetscapes outside. “And should you wish to return to the early 20th century,” Bender added, “you don’t have to give up the comforts of the 21st to tour the Historic Tour. An iPod-based audio tour at the concierge desk lets you explore its history at your leisure.”

The renovation is also making the hotel greener. The drapes, signage and headboards were locally sourced, waffle-patterned robes replaced terrycloth (they require less energy to wash), there are low flow toilets in the bathrooms and guests can even charge their electric vehicle in the garage. The hotel plans to roll back utility use by 20% within the next five years. In fact, the InterContinental Chicago has become the first hotel in Chicago to receive an Energy Star rating.

To see a slide show for before and after photos, check out Bender’s original Forbes article.

InterContinental New York Barclay Rooftop Pumpkin Makes Debut

Just in time for Halloween!

Entering their second year of harvesting on their rooftop garden, the InterContinental New York Barclay’s first and very own pumpkin has made a debut! According to the hotel’s blog, New York Barclay Buzz, the pumpkin “was the hotel’s first experiment with using our on-site compost to enhance the soil from which it was grown.”

“Here at the hotel, we believe in promoting sustainability in both big and small ways,” the blog went on to say. So when it came to building a pumpkin crate, InterContinental New York Barclay’s carpenter built one from recycled wood!

Still growing daily, the Halloween squash currently measures 3 ½ feet in circumference.

The pumpkin will be on display in the hotel lobby during Halloween week. In the mean time, according to the hotel, Chef Serge Devesa and his team from the Barclay Bar & Grill will be sharpening their knives in anticipation of carving the autumn gourd!