As Summer Nears End, Hoteliers Ready for Busy Surge

It’s that time of year again — the kids are starting to pack their book bags and add to their wardrobe for the start of the new school year and vacationers are eying Labor Day plans for that last big summer hurrah before the fall. Like most in the hotel industry, we at Boston East India Hotels are prepping for what promises to be a big Labor Day.

Based on booking data, Expedia is predicting that Labor Day 2014 will see a considerable increase in travelers booking air tickets, hotel room and rental cars compared to Labor Day weekend 2013. AAA  is predicting 34.7 million travelers will hit the road on Labor Day weekend. Last year, AAA said 34.1 million travelers hit the road — the highest number in five years.

So if they are right, this year promises to be another watermark!

In Brunswick, and at our hotel, The Daniel, late summer also means one big thing — the arrival of Bowdoin College students! When the college gets back to full swing it will bring just under 1,800 students to the area. From Aug. 26, the first arrival day, through Sept. 4, when classes start, all these students will make the trek back to Brunswick. This stretch is full of students and their families throughout Brunswick.

Bowdoin’s Class of 2018 arrives on Aug. 26 with a full day of activities and excitement to start of their collegiate careers. Orientation and First Year Programming includes Orientation Trips that send first-year Bowdoin students out into the local region for activities that including backpacking, hiking, kayaking and trips to coastal islands.

Bowdoin’s President Barry Mills will host a reception for parents on the evening of Aug. 26, which is always a big draw. Also, popular during the college’s orientation are visits to the unique Peary MacMillan Arctic Museum & Arctic Studies Center and well respected Bowdoin College Museum of Art.

Aside from those connected to Bowdoin, the local Maine community will certainly be keeping itself busy soaking up the waning rays of sunshine this summer.

Locals and visitors alike will not want to miss the last few August and early September weekends at the beach. In the Brunswick area, this often means treks to nearby Georgetown and the beaches at Reid State Park or the ever popular Popham Beach State Park in Phippsburg.

Another very popular attraction, as the heat dies down and the nights cool, is ArtWalk Maine, which allows guests to explore artist studios, galleries, museums, and assorted venues in beautiful downtowns across the state. ArtWalk Maine is a passport to discover the creative communities and working artists of Maine, from Biddeford to Bangor, Portland to Presque Isle.

Each year, about 80 communities take part in ArtWalk Maine. Traditionally, held on Friday evenings between 5-9 p.m., the events often include receptions, street performances and specials at local restaurants.

Our expectations for a busy end-of-summer stretch falls right in line with what hoteliers are expecting around the country.

In 2014, demand for air tickets over Labor Day weekend has increased 20 percent, with the majority of travelers departing on Friday, Aug. 29, according to Expedia. Demand for hotel rooms is up more than 30 percent and hotel room rates have increased as well, averaging just over $180 per night over this holiday weekend, up approximately 3 percent from 2013. While demand for car rentals has increased more than 35 percent, rental rates are slightly lower this Labor Day weekend.

While Labor Day has traditionally been more of a “stay local” holiday versus some of the summer’s other big weekends, the data suggests that it is becoming an increasingly popular travel option.

Expedia’s Sarah Gavin offers a few tips for saving over Labor Day weekend: consider off-the-beaten track destinations — the most popular destinations are often the most expensive; and be flexible with your flying schedule — consider flying on Saturday morning or extending your trip through Monday evening.

The 10 most popular destinations for Labor Day weekend are: Las Vegas; Chicago; New York City; Atlanta; San Diego, Calif.; Seattle; Orange County, Calif.; Los Angeles; Miami; and Houston.

According to Expedia, the best deals for Labor Day weekend can be found in:

Palm Springs, Calif. — Hotel rates are down 12 percent from last year
Charleston, S.C. — Hotel rates are down 10 percent from last year
Virginia Beach, Va. — Hotel rates are down nearly 9 percent from last year
Ocean City, Md. — Hotels rates are down 4 percent from last year
Austin, Texas — Average hotel rates are $177 per night, down 8 percent from last year
New Orleans — Average hotel rates are $172 per night
Washington — Average hotel rates are $145 per night
Denver — Average hotel rates are $144 per night

We at Boston East India Hotels say there is no place better for a Labor Day trip than Brunswick, Maine! Some of the most popular Labor Day activities for travelers in the U.S. include dining and shopping — which Brunswick has plenty of. For returning Bowdoin students, we say welcome back! For the new students and their parents, we hope your first collegiate send-off trip is a great one!

Coastal Living: Collection from Local Photographer offers Guests a Window into Maine’s Ocean Culture

Land's End on Bailey Island. (Pepper Gross)

Guests at Boston East India Hotels Brunswick, Maine, hotel The Daniel or visitors to the Coast Bar +Bistro can get a picturesque window into the soul of life on Maine’s coast and they have local photographer Pepper Gross to thank. Gross is the perfect example of the kind of local talent we want to use to inflect the spirit of the region into the guest experience at our hotels.

A native of Brunswick, Gross is in her senior year at Wheaton College in Chicago, studying international business with a minor in fine art photography and digital arts.

The 21-year-old has a passion for travel and has visited almost 30 countries throughout the Middle East, Asia, Europe and Africa, using her keen eye for landscape and the essence of local environment to document her travels with photos. She loves exploration, discovery and the use of photography to capture the diverse people and landscapes that the world has to offer.

For The Daniel, she turned this passion and vision toward the coast of Maine and the places she grew up. She contributed about 60 photos that are placed throughout The Daniel and the Coast Bar + Bistro.

The setting is mostly Harpswell, including Bailey Island, Orr’s Island, and popular local spot Popham Beach.

“For these photos I focused on the coastal area of Maine. I have grown up around here and I know all the scenic spots to take pictures,” Gross says. “I tried to take pictures that will engage both the locals and people who have not seen these types of places.”

The photos emphasize the variances of light in an oceanic setting, the ocean’s interaction with nature and the infusion of man-made objects representing the connection of people to the sea.

Gross calls the photos classic Maine images, similar to travel photography with a mixture of landscapes and close ups. They incorporate fine art, macro shot and still life photography techniques.

The motif of images connected to the ever-present lobster industry is common throughout the photos, as is the capture of trivial tidbits of the coast life set against the omnipresence of the ocean.

Gross’ favorite photo is a black and white capture of the statue of a fisherman in Land’s End on Bailey Island. The statue is an ode to fishermen, living and dead, and the lives they lead and the importance of their contributions to the local culture.

“That kind of just typifies the area I grew up in,” she says. “It is a classic statue that pays tribute to fishermen, who work hard all their lives.”

Another favorite is the shadow and light infused image of the Cribstone Bridge in Harpswell that connects Bailey Island and Orr’s Island. The bridge has a unique design that uses granite slabs from local quarries in an open cribbing placement that allows the tidal water to ebb and flow freely through

Cribstone Bridge, Orr's Island. (Pepper Gross)

the bridge. The bridge looms prominently in the background of the photo with a parking and boat launching sign detailing cost and payment information in the foreground.

“This picture shows the way that Maine-ards make a living off of tourism and also shows what the locals do — it is a combination of these two things,” Gross said.

The photos include both black and white, but Gross does profess a particular affinity to the black and white images. “I really love black and white. The ones that look best in black and white are generally my favorites,” she says.

One of the things Gross also loved about the assignment was the chance to revisit places familiar to her with a critical eye. “It was really neat just kind of looking at what I have grown up with in a different light,” she added.

At Boston East India Hotels we want to help guests at all our Troca Hotels collection properties experience the local culture. At The Daniel, the way Gross was able to walk through the region with her photos helps guests to experience coastal Maine living. The photos have already received numerous compliments and there is no doubt they will be a talking point for all visitors at The Daniel.

See below for more samples of Pepper Gross’ photos currently at The Daniel and the Coast Bar + Bistro.

Lobsterman's wharf, Bailey Island. (Pepper Gross)

Bailey Island. (Pepper Gross)

Popham Beach. (Pepper Gross)

To check out some of Pepper Gross’ other photography visit: Pepperspray.

Welcome to our Newest Acquisition: Stonehedge Inn & Spa

Our newest property, the just acquired Stonehedge Inn& Spa is one cool place.

Nestled away on ten acres of New England woodlands on the banks of the Merrimack River and surrounded by state forest in Tyngsboro, Mass., Stonehedge Inn & Spa is known through the region as a great place for wine lovers, business travelers and guests in search of a romantic getaway in the classic setting of an upscale European country house. The three-story hotel has 30 guest rooms, a restaurant that seats 180 and a lounge and bar capacity of 30.

But for wine lovers in particular, Stonehedge is a dream. It is renowned for having the largest wine cellar in New England and the second largest wine cellar in North America. We will continue to cater to the wine lovers, including an upcoming wine by the glass program.

Stonehedge has received the coveted Wine Spectator Magazine’s Grand Award for 17 years in a row from 1996 to 2013. The award is presented to less than 75 restaurants worldwide and is the industry standard bearer for the finest wine lists in the world.

The hotel’s flagship wine event has been its monthly winemaker dinners, which have been held for 25 years running. During these dinners, Stonehedge invites celebrated winemakers and proprietors form around the world to share their passion and enthusiasm for wine at a five-course dinner event.

Levent Bozkurt, the proprietor of the Stonehedge Inn & Spa since it was built in 1988, can be credited for creating a legendary wine list and an environment at the hotel that offers experienced wine consumers and novices the chance to learn and taste wine.

Levent believes that everyone should be able to enjoy a bottle of wine, from the under $10 wine, to the aged wine, to the new varietals, to the new releases. He also believes that everyone should be able to enjoy a glass of wine with everything from a simple burger to a gourmet dinner. As such, the wine experience is paired with the dining experience at Stonehedge.

With our acquisition of Stonehedge Inn & Spa the hotel will be rebranded as part of our Troca Hotels collection of global curated lifestyle hotels. This means the rooms will be refreshed to update the color schemes, linens, window treatments and an emphasis on discreet but progressive technology. All public areas will be updated, including the development of additional meeting and banquet space. The renovations will include a significant redesign of the bar, lounge and restaurant. New programming will make the signature restaurant more accessible to a new generation of discerning clientele. As with all our properties, the emphasis is on curated lifestyle amenities and features and signature restaurants and bars with live entertainment, so you can expect music events to be part of the new culture of Stonehedge.

However, the wine reputation of Stonehedge Inn & Spa is definitely something we will be continuing to build on and we are counting on Levent to continue to lend his passion and expertise in this area. He will join the board of Boston East India Hotels and continue to advise the property on its wine offerings. 

Our President and CEO Abhijit “Beej” Das says the Stonehedge Inn & Spa will be the flagship property of the Troca Hotels collection and he is excited to bring the hotel under his wing and into the family.

There is really nothing like the Stonehedge Inn & Spa in the Boston area and we are thrilled to now be able to call it our own!

To learn more about this iconic property, read the official press release about the acquisition of the Stonehedge Inn & Spa: Boston East India Hotels Buys Iconic Boston Area Inn & Spa.

The Hotel Business Center Resurrected for the Modern Traveler

Gone are the days of large hotel business centers with rows of computers and printers in a windowless room tucked somewhere on the third floor or in the basement. Today’s travelers are tech savvy and no longer need to hole up for hours in a dank cave to get work done, however, they still need some of the essentials a business center offers. That is why, at Boston East India Hotels property The Daniel, the business center was brought out of the dark and into the lobby, with a large window looking outside.

With natural light streaming in, the business center features simple modern décor, with a sleek dark desktop and a minimalist approach with just two computers and three workstations.

The business center is open 24/7 and offers computer access and free printing, as well as, a great location for those that need to work and want a quiet place to do so, but don’t want to be stuck in an interior room hidden away from civilization. Plus, it is adjacent to the 24-hour guest pantry. Late night hot pocket, anyone?

Our approach to the new business center at The Daniel is in line with the demand from today’s travelers.

There has been widespread reporting that the modern traveler prefers a scaled-down business center with two to four work stations, one printer and more immediate access to the lobby and other open spaces for meetings or phone calls. Trends have also shown that guests who use business centers at hotels are now typically getting in and out quickly, and no longer spend hours working there.

Rapid changes in technology have provided travelers with so many tablets, smartphones, travel-friendly laptops and other hi-tech devices that access to a computer in the business center is no longer a necessity just to stay in touch, but the need for a hotel to have a business center remains.

Currently, despite almost universal access to Wi-Fi at hotels, almost 90 percent of hotels still have business centers — though many, like The Daniel, have adapted their business centers to reflect the true needs of travelers.

For example, Hilton Hotels & Resorts has introduced a concept at some properties called “Technology Lounges,” which are adjacent to the lobby and feature wireless access, individual workstations, communal space and a four-paneled video wall.

Sheraton launched its “Link@Sheraton” at some properties for another spin on the technology lounge concept, though with more computers similar to the traditional business center. Sheraton does put its “Link@Sheraton” near the lobby and has included flat screen TVs.

While most hotels are still sticking to some sort of business center concept, there are some that have eliminated the business center all together. These typically choose to go with some sort of ramped up lobby environment that is described as replacing the functions of a business center. These computer-centric lobbies may include recharge stations and wireless access to a printer.

Some other examples of what different brands have done in recent times include:

• Wyndham Hotel Group launched a prototype that moves the business center into the lobby with computers available in open spaces with free Wi-Fi and typical lobby furniture.

• Westin Hotels and Resorts launched a flexible work space concept last year called “Tangent,” which has furniture that can be organized and moved to accommodate meetings and also has technology for videoconferencing.

• Kimpton Hotels has re-adapted old pay-phone banks into small partitioned workstations.

• InterContinental Hotels’ new EVEN hotels will have a “Hot Desk” rather than traditional business center, with two laptops and guests will be able to print wirelessly from the laptops or their own devices.

While approaches vary across the industry, many brands are figuring out what we, at Boston East India Hotels, already know about how the changing needs of today’s travelers. At The Daniel, we have answered our guests’ call for a new-style of business center that gives them all that they desire to keep up with work and does so in a comfortable environment that is central to the lobby hub of a hotel, with the most up-to-date technology products and services. Let’s hope work doesn’t take up all your travel time, but when it is necessary we have you covered!