Conde' Nast Traveler Jan. 09' Gold List Winners

710 Gold List Hotels, Resorts, and Cruise Lines around the globe were selected by Conde Nast travelers. After a little research, here are North America's top winners for 2009. Click on any hotel link to see that hotel specifically.

BY DESIGN

Kenwood Inn & SPA, CA. - 100

RHEET HOUSE INN, IL. - 100

Inn at Little Washington, VA. - 98.1

Hotel Contessa, TX. - 97.2

Four Seasons, Lodge at Koele, HI. - 96.8

BY FOOD

Inn at Little Washington, VA. - 98.2

La Posada Hotel, AZ. - 96.9

Manka's Inverness Lodge, CA. - 96.9

Four Seasons, Maui - 95.9

BY ROOMS

The Ritz-Carlton, Dallas - 100

Four Seasons, Silicon Valley - 100

Elizabeth Pointe Lodge, FL. - 100

Inn at Thorn Hill & Spa, NH. - 97.4

Four Seasons, Hawaii - 97.2

Charleston Marriott Town Center, Charleston, SC. - 97.1

Chateau Du Sureau, Oakhurst, CA. - 96.9

BY SERVICE

Grand Del Mar - CA. - 100

Kenwood Inn and Spa, Napa, CA. - 100

Tu Tu' Tun Lodge, OR. - 97.4
The Inn at Little Washington, VA. - 96.3

The Swag Country Inn, Smokey Mountains, NC. - 96.3

The Ritz-Carlton, Chicago - 95.6

Bay Point Marriott, Panama City, FL. - 95.1

Four Seasons, Jackson Hole, WY. - 95.1

HIGHEST OVERALL TOTAL SCORE

Four Seasons, Maui - 95.9

The Peninsula, Chicago - 95.4

Stephanie Inn, OR. - 94.7

Four Seasons, Hawaii - 94.5

Four Seasons, New York, NY. - 93.9

The Ritz-Carlton, Chicago - 93.9

The Peninsula, Beverly Hills, CA. - 93.6

The Ritz-Carlton, Naples - 93.5

Have a Great New Year!

-- Matt Steves

The New Gold Standard -- Book Review

Two thumbs way up!

Author, Joseph A. Michelli (PHD) takes us on a behind the scenes in-depth review of the 5 Leadership Priciples for creating a legendary customer experience, the Ritz-Carlton way. This is the first book ever written about The Ritz-Carlton. The author shares all the great information with readers in a educational & entertaining way. Definitely a key business book to have in your library.

Some great aspects of the book that I found very interesting:

• A foreward from Simon Cooper, President The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, L.L.C. sharing his voice and vision for the new Ritz-Carlton generation of Hotels, Resorts, Clubs, & Residences.

• Horst Schulze, President West Paces Hotel Group (Prev. COO of The Ritz-Carlton) is consulted and featured in this book.

• The history of Cesar Ritz and the history of Ritz-Carlton Hotels.

• The 5 Principles; 1. Define and Refine 2. Empower through trust 3. It's not about you. 4. Deliver WOW! 5. Leave a lasting footprint

The hard cover book is $24.95 and hit bookshelves a few months ago.

--- Matt Steves

Glimpse of Ritz-Carlton History - Original 1983 Ritz-Carlton Boston Brochure

The Ritz-Carlton, Boston was the city flagship hotel of The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company L.L.C. until it was sold and converted into a Taj Hotel a year ago.

This magical brochure shows the attention to every detail that the founding Ladies and Gentlemen had to offer at The Ritz-Carlton, Boston back in 1983 when this brochure was printed.

Notice the great touches of the brochure starting from the raised gold foil emblem, high quality gloss paper, hand drawn map of Boston downtown, and the perfect words written inside which help draw mental pictures for readers of this classic hotel brochure.

What a First Class brochure - Please enjoy this treasure!

-- Matt Steves