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Real Time Retreats Library

Thank you all for supporting Real-Time Retreats. We couldn’t have done it without you!

We’re proud (and a little sad) to announce that our Real-Time Retreats series of virtual trips to fantastic places is came to an end after 16 months!

Here’s a look back, by the numbers:

We’ve visited 121 distinct hotels & resorts 
31 different countries 
Had 82 different ‘tour guides’ and hosts 
‘Gone live’ to: Ireland, Greece, Sweden, Italy, England, Monaco, Peru, Mexico and Scotland 

We’ve celebrated holidays like: 
Seis de Mayo in Mexico (Rosewood Mayakoba) 
St. Patrick’s Day in Ireland with Odyssey International, Adare Manor, The K Club, Hotel Europe 
Thanksgiving in New England with Auberge Resorts Collection - The White Barn Inn, The Vanderbilt, Mayflower Inn & Spa 
‘Wintered’ in Canada with Fairmont Hotels & Resorts Banff Springs Hotel, Chateau Lake Louise, Jasper Park Lodge, Chateau Whistler 
Christmas in Scandinavia - live from Icehotel, Sweden 
Mardi Gras in New Orleans with BBC DMC 
Carnival in the Caribbean - Curacao, with Latin+Plus DMC Group and Synergy Connect 
...and helped The Breakers celebrate their 125th birthday! 

Combined video views for all 59 Real-Time Retreats videos comes to an astonishing 8,266!!! (That includes views on YouTube and our website). That also includes views by 6 of our competitors. Real Time Retreats videos below will remain on our website any time you want to refresh your memory or share these presentations, or just to see a screen’s worth of fun and friendly faces!

We’ve raised thousands of dollars for Wine to Water and the Auberge fund for families in need after the California fires.

We’ve given away (through the generosity of our destination partners and our favorite corporate gifting partner, Maui Jim):
78 nights’ stays in gorgeous locations 
64 pairs of Maui Jim sunglasses 
16 bottles of wine and/or spirits 
9 pounds of chocolate 
and 290 ‘first five’ gifts for those of you who logged in early 

We’ve had wine tastings: Malbec from Argentina, South African wines with Mont Rochelle - Virgin Limited Edition, and California - Bardessono, Hotel Yountville in Napa.

We’ve experienced: 
Live tango instruction 
Yoga with flamingos 
Hotel secrets from the general managers 
‘Granny Bingo’ 
Sang ‘Whiskey in the Jar’ and ‘The Irish Rover’ with an Irish troubadour 
Meditated under a banyan tree with Banyan Tree Resorts 
Savored high tea in Ascot and Bermuda 
Shared how our hospitality family gives back, recycles, repurposes and does good in the world 
Visited live the barn where the ‘Bailey’s ladies’ cows make Bailey’s Irish cream 
Found out how to sleep better with Equinox Hotel, Hudson Yards 
Got busy in the kitchen and at the bar, making Madelines with Hotel Bennett, Hot Chocolate Bombs with Fairmont Hotels, grilled out in the desert with Enchantment Resort, made the famous Black Miso Cod with Nobu, and made cocktails with, well, just about everyone. 

We’ve dressed up as Greek gods and goddesses, leprechauns, bottles of ranch dressing, the cast from ‘The Love Boat,’ saints, demons, gangsters, presidents, elves, Freda Kahlo, hippies, Mad Men, mobsters, moguls, the Rat Pack, Carole Baskin, spa-goers, mermaids, jet setters, flappers and flowers, ranch hands and revelers!

And finally, we’ve had 512 unique viewers and participants (thus far)! Whew!!!

These weekly gatherings have kept us creative, engaged with all of you and building relationships around the world with industry pros we would otherwise not have met. So for this, our team is extremely grateful! And we may be back for the occasional episode, as opportunity and time allows.

So, we want to thank all of you for participating and supporting these weekly destination deep dives! We hope they have surprised, delighted, entertained and informed you. Your enthusiasm, your creativity, the insights, stories and research you bring every week have enriched us all!

Real Time Retreats

Calling All Parrotheads! How Jimmy Buffet Plans to Transform Times Square!

August 04, 2021
Smiksha Narula, Director Of Group Sales AND Samara DellaRagione, Director of Sales & Marketing - Margaritaville Resort Times Square

Everything’s Coming Up Roses! - Rosewood Hotel Group is Blossoming!

July 28, 2021
Jennifer Jones, Director Of Global Sales, Rosewood Hotel Group Rana El Zein, Sales Manager, Rosewood Hotel Georgia Tina Gassert, Director of Sales, North America - Rosewood Villa Magna Thibault Asso, Director of Sales & Mkt, Rosewood Le Guanahani

Fit for a Prince! - Santa Barbara, the American Riviera!

July 14, 2021
“Cat” Puccino, Director of National Accounts - Visit Santa Barbara

Scotland: The Glorious Playground! Featuring Gleneagles and The Balmoral, Rocco Forte Hotels

July 07, 2021
Megan McHale - Rocco Forte Hotel Group, Rachel Williamson - Gleneagles Resort, and Graeme Dowie - Spectra DMC

Birds of a Feather! The Unique Luxury Resorts of Baha Mar

June 30, 2021
Jennifer Wierer, Group Sales Manager, Rosewood Baha Mar and Luz Orbaiz, Sr Group Sales Manager, SLS Baha Mar

Xcaret Resort and Hotel Xcaret Arte

June 16, 2021
Debra Edwards, Regional Director, International Sales - Hotel Xcaret Mexico

Bardessono and Hotel Yountville, Napa Valley

June 09, 2021
Hannah Freda, Area Group Sales Manager.

What's New, Pussycat? Sneak Peak into the newest Auberge Resorts

May 26, 2021
Gale McClurkan, Global Sales Director - Auberge Resorts Collection

Concours D’ Elegance at The Ritz Carlton Amelia Island Resort

May 19, 2021
Get ready for your pulse to start racing as we visit this luxury and vintage car show, and take a sneak peek of the resort’s recent top-to-bottom renovation! Christie Hinkle, CMP, Senior Sales Manager, and Karla J. Yeck, Senior Sales Executive - The Ritz-Carlton, Amelia Island.

Divine Greece: Where The Gods Are Celebrated

May 05, 2021
Join us as we celebrate Greece, home of the gods for a reason! This is a Real-Time Retreat of Olympic proportion, so don't miss it!

Taking “The Grand Tour Italy!” - Rocco Forte Style

April 28, 2021
Florence, Rome, Florence, Puglia, Sicily, Palermo and Milan with Megan McHale, Director of Global Sales & Benedetto Consiglio, Regional Director of Group Sales, Italy – Rocco Forte Hotels

Rat Pack Vibes! Palm Springs

April 07, 2021
The hippest spot from the 1950’s is still the best place to find your oasis. Angie Day, National Sales Manager, and Suzanne Aed, National Sales Manager - Greater Palm Springs CVB

Debunking the Myths About Cruising!

March 31, 2021
The cruise industry awakens! Learn all that is new from Karen Devine, Founder and President of 3D Cruise Destinations.

Think Pink! Rediscovering Bermuda

March 24, 2021
Donna Douglas - Bermuda Tourism Authority; Tyler Svetich, Director of Sales - Rosewood Bermuda; Tess Hill, Director of Sales & Shiloh Walen-Roque, Senior Group Sales Manager - Hamilton Princess

The Emerald Isle in Story and Song

March 17, 2021
Come celebrate St. Paddy’s Day with us! Kev Ben Shannon – Odyssey INTL; John Costelloe, Director of Sales – The K Club; Liz Godfrey, Assistant Director Of Sales – Adare Manor; David Cronin, Director of Sales – Hotel Europe.

Banyan Tree Resorts

March 10, 2021
This Thai based brand provides a “sanctuary for the senses” in 10 countries! Featuring Anna Celeste Brenner, Maria Lopez, Tets Kato, Sergio Serra and Pamela Gomez - the Banyan Tree team in Mexico!

The Breakers Birthday Bash

March 03, 2021
Come help us celebrate the nation’s most glamorous resort! Bruce Leet & Cara Pregadio - The Breakers, Palm Beach, Florida

Virgin’s Limited Edition Mont Rochelle

February 24, 2021
Wine Down Wednesday with South African wines. Lyndsey Balog, Virgin Limited Edition Collection.