Partnership with Clean the World at the Heart of Boston East India Hotel's Mission

At Boston East India Hotels, we care first and foremost about our guests and providing a curated hospitality experience that is second to none. However, we are also dedicated to sustainability and the world we live in. We do not toss around words like green, eco-friendly and sustainability lightly, nor do we half-heartedly attempt to make a difference in the world today — case in point, our partnership with Clean the World at The Daniel.

Clean the World is a nonprofit organization that is committed to reducing the waste created by discarded soap and shampoo products, as well as helping to prevent the millions of deaths caused by hygiene-related illnesses around the world.

The organization does this by collecting, recycling and distributing discarded soaps, shampoos, conditioners, lotions and gels from hotels. The guest room hygiene items are recycled by Clean the World’s recycling operations centers in Orlando, Las Vegas and Toronto, and distributed, for humanitarian purposes, to children and families in communities around the globe.

Clean the World partners with some of the world’s largest nonprofit organizations and NGO’s, including World Vision, World Food Program and Harvest Time International, as well as numerous U.S. partners to help distribute soap and shampoo.

As simple as it might sound, soap saves lives and we are proud to be part of Clean the World’s Bed and Breakfast Partners and help the organization save lives around the globe.

Medical research has shown that hand washing with soap significantly reduces the impact of two fatal diseases: acute respiratory infection and diarrheal disease. These are the top two killers of children less than 5-years-old. By distributing recycled soap to those who need it the most Clean the World’s efforts can have a massive impact in the global hygiene revolution.

We also love that Clean the World has a tremendous track record of success.

Started in 2009, Clean the World has collected and distributed more than 18 million bars of soap to more than 65 countries worldwide including Zimbabwe, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Swaziland, Mali, Mongolia, Uganda, Honduras and Romania. The organization has operations in 50 states across the United States and 10 provinces in Canada. Its main recycling operations center in Orlando has the capacity to produce over 80,000 bars a day.

Clean the World’s recycled soap has been tested by TriTech Laboratories, a Florida state-certified testing facility, and given a 100 percent clean bill of health. TriTech infects soap to run through the standard Clean the World recycling process and checks to see what happens. The tests have found that all pathogens are successfully removed by the organization’s recycling process.

Clean the World has also become a natural disaster first responder — in January 2010, as part of our Haiti Earthquake relief efforts, it collected and distributed over 150 tons of hygiene products, medical supplies, water and other essentials to Haiti.

The green and eco-friendly benefits of working with Clean the World are also substantial. Since it was founded, the organization has eliminated more than 1.4 million pounds of hotel waste from polluting local landfills.

At The Daniel, partnering with Clean the World will help produce an estimated 250 pounds of recycle bars of soap annually, which equates to about 1,400 recycled soap bars distributed to children and families in need. The efforts will produce an estimated 200 pounds of recycled bottled amenities, which equals about 1,400 recycle bottled amenities distributed to children and families and need.

Annually, about 275 people are provided with soap from materials that are recycled from The Daniel.

Clean the World estimates that since the organization began its efforts more than 17 million children have died of diseases preventable with proper hygiene. With 18 million bars of soap distributed over that same time, it is clear that the organization’s mission to wipeout hygiene-related fatalities is an achievable goal — as a doubling of its efforts over the same time period moving forward could do it.

While The Daniel is just one of Clean the World’s 1,600 hospitality partners through North America — including giants such as The Walt Disney World Resorts, Starwood Hotels and Resorts, Caesars Entertainment, IHG, Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group, Best Western International, Joie de Vivre Hotels, Hilton and Hyatt — we are glad to play our part in the massive impact this effort is having.

We also want our guests to know that when they visit any Boston East India Hotels property they are also part of this effort to impact the health and well-being of so many around the globe. We know many of our guest do their part at home to contribute to the sustainability of our planet and improve the health of all in it, but when they stay with us they are continuing to do their part even when they are on the road!

The Guest Pantry offers the Comfort and Convenience of Home Anytime Day or Night

At Boston East India Hotels' The Daniel, we recognize that our guests are often on the go and can’t spend every night enjoying the wonderful food and great times at the Coast Bar + Bistro; we knew there was a great need for some late night options to soothe the hunger craving or thirst for a drink.

Guest Pantry at The Daniel is open 24-hours and has all the road-weary traveler might need before settling in to a comfortable night’s sleep — from hot pockets to microwave macaroni and cheese to traditional snacks (including gluten free options). In an effort to provide our guests with a more local experience, we also have local Maine items, including chocolate, maple syrup, jellies and jams.

The Guest Pantry has already been a big hit with our guests who welcome some comfort available in the hotel after the Coast Bar + Bistro closes at 10 p.m..

Adding the Guest Pantry was a move we saw as an additional way to cater to our guests’ wants and needs. We found room in the lobby to craft this addition to make The Daniel a place that can cover all of its guests’ needs no matter what time of the day or night.

Industry wide, select service and extended stay brands have been some of the first to adopt hotel

pantries.

For example, Marriott has developed its pantry concept and dubbed it “The Market.” Hilton has crafted two versions it uses in some of its properties, the “Suite Shop” and the “Pantry Pavilion.”

Those hotel giants say that their pantry concepts have scored big with guests who cite the quality and convenience of items.

Near The Daniel, in the Brunswick region, only the Fairfield Inn & Suites Brunswick Freeport has some kind of hotel pantry option. In this case, Marriott’s “The Market” concept. Aside from that, few of Brunswick’s dozen or so other hotels have any similar offerings.

For the hotels that have them, the pantry has become a way to embrace a movement away from outdated concepts of limited room service and also fit the mold of evolving hotel lobbies. Leaving behind the standard concept of a check-in desk with table, flowers and uncomfortable chairs, many of today’s hotel lobbies have turned into fully functioning, business friendly social spots — the lobby at The Daniel certainly has.

In this environment, the decrepit and dusty lobby gift shop — with candy bars, dusty snow globes and cheap souvenir items — has no place.

However, a clean and modern hotel pantry giving guests the appreciated and valued convenience of a late night meal, headache relief or a favorite snack is a perfect fit.

So come on by and visit our the Guest Pantry at The Daniel — any time of day or night you are guaranteed to find just what you need!

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.

Taking the Clock Radio to a Whole New Level with the Sangean WR-22

Just about every day you can check out a story or blog post on the newest in hotel technology trends. Many of these — property management systems, hotel management software, booking engines and the like — have significant back-end impact on guests. At Boston East India Hotels we are as tech savvy as any and use technology to make our hotels better and run more efficiently. But we also love to use new technology that is just flat out cool and can add to look and feel of the guest experience and make any stay even better.

One such cool technology is the Sangean WR-22WL Bluetooth/USB Table-Top Digital Tuning Receiver that we have in our guest rooms at The Daniel.

This is not your father’s clock radio!

The latest evolution of a product that changed the perception of home audio, the Sangean WR-22 has been praised for its detailed sound and for exceptional quality for a system of its size, just a mere 9.4 inches wide by 7.7 inches deep by 4.4 inches high.

What all The Daniel guests expect in a bedside clock/radio is handled with ease by the Sangean WR-22, but the device is so much more.

The Bluetooth-enable Sangean WR-22 allows users to listen to their favorite music wirelessly and simply from smartphones, iPods, tablets and PCs. No cables, no confusion and no frustration.

There is also a 3.5mm auxiliary input for other portable music players if desired, as well as a USB port for playing MP3/WMA files from a USB drive.

No matter how or where you store your music, the Sangean WR-22 can handle it and pump it back out through its tech-marvel, 3-inch 7W full range speaker that contains an enlarged magnet. It also has a ported bass tube specifically designed for dynamic bass compensation for richer bass and loudness compensation that gives better bass response characteristics, and helps the device deliver sound beyond its size. Music-heads will also love the rotary bass, treble and balance controls that can be used to further adjust the sound to specific liking.

To top it all off, the Sangean WR-22 is a sleek and modern upgrade on the traditional hotel bedside companion, with its smooth dark walnut finish, an extra-large, backlit custom LDC display with an adjustable dimmer, and an advanced AM/FM-Radio Data System tuner that displays information such as song titles and artists.

Additional features include snooze, adjustable tuning step, dual alarm timer by radio, buzzer or media so you can wake up to your favorite tunes.

Oh yeah, if you like, the Sangean WR-22 even has a fully functioning remote control, so all that cool technology can be harnessed from anywhere in the room.

Sangean Electronics has been pumping out products in the consumer electronics industry for almost 40 years, so it is no surprise that its Sangean WR-22 has received rave reviews from most major consumer products media outlets. The company is particularly known for its specialty receivers and the Sangean WR-22 is as special as they come.

Sangean’s advanced technology is why so many major brands rely on the company to produce their electronics for them and the reason why its own branded products are so well received.

Also, it is no surprise that users of the Sangean WR-22 say they love the system’s Bluetooth functionality, its ability to work easily with iPhone and iTunes, as well as the great sound from a small device.

At Boston East India Hotels we want to ensure that every guest experience is like no other and when it comes to in-room clock and music needs at The Daniel, the Sangean WR-22 was the only choice.

Pets are Welcome: Travel Tips for Your Furry Friends

There’s a great scene in the recent excellent debut of FX’s original series “Fargo.” Billy Bob Thornton’s character Lorne Malvo tries to check into a local motel in the show’s fictional setting of Bemidji, Minn., and is amused by the run down property’s Pet Policy — pets are allowed but it is $10 dollars more for a dog or a cat.

"What if I got a fish? Or what if I kept spiders or mice? What if I had bacteria?” Lorne asks, not sure that the motel’s Pet Policy of $10 more should be standard; it should depend on the animal.

While Lorne’s confusion on what constitutes a pet and the motel’s lack of established policy, and what actually constitutes a pet for that matter, is a bit silly. A good word to the wise — amateur entomologists should keep their bugs at home!

All kidding aside, it does illustrate a good example for hotel-bound pet enthusiasts — if you are traveling with a furry friend make sure to do your homework and figure out what options hotels have for you. Pet policies vary widely from dogs only, with no special pet services, to allowing a variety of animals complete with available pet beds, food bowls and even treats from the kitchen.

Our hotel, The Daniel, has a Pet Policy and it lets you know exact guidelines for bringing a pet.

Here is what we say at The Daniel:

We love animals! But, despite our unconditional love for pets, we are aware that many of our guests don’t share our love. Therefore, we do have a limited policy regarding your furry family members.

Pets are limited to dogs and cats. No other animals of any kind are permissible. We do have designated rooms that allow for pets, so you must inform us at the time of booking, as these rooms are subject to availability.

We require guests to sign a damage/pet waiver and make a $100 deposit, which will be returned after checkout if no damage occurs.

As the comfort and safety of our guests is of the utmost importance, pets must not bark or be aggressive; they must be trained and housebroken. Pets are not allowed in the spa, fitness or dining areas. Owners must not leave their pet unattended or leave the premises without their pet, unless prior approval has been made. Any pet or owners violating this policy will be asked to leave the hotel.

An AAA study found that 51 percent of American travelers would bring pets along on every vacation if they could, illustrating the demand for pet-friendly hotels.

The perhaps obvious number one concern for those wishing to travel with pets is actually finding pet-friendly accommodations. According to AAA, some of the things that matter the most include: finding places that accept pets (95 percent), learning about pet policies such as size limits and fees (49 percent) and getting details about available pet services (22 percent).

“Traveling with Your Pet: The AAA PetBook” offers some other useful tips.

It is great when hotels, such as The Daniel, have such a clear Pet Policy, but not all do and sometimes it can be difficult to find out.

Increasingly, pet lovers are turning to pet-friendly websites and social media to find pet-friendly hotels, even more so than traditional visitors bureaus, newspaper travel sections, magazines and guidebooks.

Pet Hotels of America is one of the best websites to check out. The site hawks 25,000 pet-friendly hotels in the United States through a specific search engine and pet travel guides for popular U.S. travel destinations.

If anything, websites such as Pet Hotels of America can be a real help in highlighting what travelers need to consider when bringing along a pet.

The Daniel offers up a few more local travel tips to keep your pets happy:

·         Nearby grassy areas

·         Neighborhood dog parks or pet friendly parks

·         Groomers or pet day care

·         Local veterinarian

So, load up man’s best friend and head on out. With a little prep it can be a pet-friendly travel world out there. As far as bacteria goes, though, Fargo’s Lorne Malvo is probably out of luck.

Hotel Amenities: What’s in Your Guest Room?

It’s not easy becoming part of Troca Hotels. Just ask some of the amenities lined up to vie for a coveted spot at one of our hotels. If you want to be part of the brand you had better bring your “A” game because we take the selection process seriously.

The fact of the matter is not just any amenity is going to end up at one of our hotels. No, to make the final cut, to earn that spot at one of our hotels, such as The Sofala 15°74 in Goa, India, or The Daniel 43°69 in Brunswick, Maine, you’ve got to have an interesting story, perform really well, and be a little different. 

When guests check into a property within the Troca Hotels collection, they are not seeking cookie-cutter experiences. From the check in to check out, Troca Hotels are an experience — from caring and helpful staff, to creative interiors and artwork to guestrooms that are thoughtful and comfortable. Amenities, long overlooked as throwaway essentials, are a part of the details we care a lot about.

At Troca Hotels we are curators of our guests’ experiences. We are not shy about sharing our learned opinions about what will make their stays most enjoyable nor are we reticent to ask their opinions and learn from them. We are creating experiences for our guests by listening to their needs and then adapting to them. When it comes to amenities, that means lining them all up and digging in to figure out what our guests will appreciate and enjoy best and searching for the signs that convince us it should be part of the experience we offer.

There is no shortage of suitors: Float by William Roam, Aveda, Malin+Goetz, Philosophy, and C.O. Bigelow, to name a few. 

The first part is the fun stuff — testing different lotions, and fragrances; eyeing the cool package and sleek design; stacking the different products up against each other, literally, to see how they compare. Our CEO's own viscosity index -- which measured how watery a hand lotion is -- added to the many hurdles faced by the competitors. 

But that is hardly the end of the process.

Green, eco-friendly, sustainability these words are tossed around probably a bit too lightly nowadays by some, but not us. Our choice is not going to be just the perfect amenity on the face, but it is also going to be backed by a company that takes dedication to sustainability and the world we live in seriously.

In the selection process, the product is only part of the story and you can bet before we choose, we will study the whole story. We are buying the company not just the product.

Yes, we know that William Roam is aligned with 1% For The Planet and pledges one percent of all sales to environmental organizations.

We also know about Aveda’s Full Circle Recycling Program and that the company has partnered with g2 Revolution, a recycling innovations company, to provide product users a chance to return Aveda packaging and accessories not accepted by municipal curbside recycling programs to their Aveda Experience Centers.

And you can bet we are aware that Malin+Goetz founders Matthew Malin and Andrew Goetz are dedicated animal lovers and have pledged to never test their products on animals. In addition, there is the company’s pretty cool Product Hounds section of its website, dedicated to their “customers’ best friends.”

It matters to us, because we know it matters to you.

So the amenities are overflowing right now in a race to the top of the Troca Hotels list.  We’re putting a lot of thought into what we present to you — when you use these products in our hotels, we hope you will see and feel that attention to detail. The winners of our selection process are to be announced soon — stay tuned.

We look forward to seeing you soon!