Fun Travels Across the United States
RHODE ISLAND
NEWS (Please note: Towns & Cities in Alphabetical Order Follow the News)
NEW ENGLAND'S HISTORIC OCEAN HOUSE RE-OPENED ITS DOORS
A slice of 19th century history in Watch Hill, RI, that has engaged vacationers since just post Civil War begins a 21st century iteration next spring. Continuing its 136 year history, the Ocean House, one of the last grand hotels in New England, re-opened its doors in June 2010. The Ocean House will be a five star hotel featuring 49 guestrooms and 23 private residences perched high on the bluffs in Watch Hill Rhode Island with sweeping views of the Atlantic Ocean, Montauk and Block Island.
Because of its age, the original structure was dismantled in 2004 after the property closed in 2003. Longing to preserve this centerpiece of Watch Hill history, a community group came to its rescue. Bluff Avenue LLC, led by Charles M. Royce, Nicholas C. Moore, Donna Simmons and Grant Simmons, was formed to preserve the Ocean House site as a hotel, community asset and significant cornerstone of the Watch Hill and Westerly neighborhood for generations to come.
'The Ocean House is a reminder of a simpler time,' said Mr. Royce. 'The friendships and family bonds that were forged here have lasted a lifetime. Our goal is to recreate the environment of those golden days and provide the chance for people to once again gather and enjoy this grand and extraordinary spot.'
Famously known for its warm yellow facade and stunning views of the Atlantic, the Ocean House was built in Watch Hill just after the Civil War. The Victorian-style hotel has always been a gracious and genteel resort where generations of families and guests from across America would come ìto summer. The new Ocean House will be open year-round and will cater to leisure and business travelers seeking a serene, first-class, beachfront hotel. Guests will be treated to ìfarm to tableî cuisine in both the fine and casual dining venues. A private Club Room and bar will offer light fare and a convivial atmosphere. An impeccably designed spa will feature six treatment rooms, an ocean view lap pool and a state-of-the-art fitness center. A 1,000 foot expanse of private beach will provide guests with an oceanfront playground replete with staffed cabanas and an array of water sports and area activities. The Ocean House will feature over 10,000 square-feet of indoor and alfresco events space to accommodate private gatherings, corporate retreats, business conferences and weddings.
In addition to the hotel, the Ocean House will feature 23 private residences ranging from sumptuous studios to stately two bedrooms, all with stunning ocean views and each featuring the privacy of home combined with the elegant services of the finest of hotels: world-class cuisine, breakfast in bed, private beach and cabana access, spa and fitness centers and all the exceptional touches that make Ocean House living an unparalleled experience.
Nightly rates at Ocean House are from $450 depending on the season. For additional information on Ocean House, please visit www.oceanhouseri.com or call (401) 345-5599.
NYLO Providence/Warwick Invites Travelers to Stay Unique with Special Hotel Getaway Packages (For details, go to Warwick, below)
NEWPORT
Hyatt Regency Newport Gets Makeover
Rhode Island's largest city hotel/resort has retooled a $34 million makeover touching almost every area of the property. It also included many upgrades to the event and conference facilities. The hotel has an 8,000 square foot grand ballroom space, 16 meeting rooms, and 27,000 square feet of function space.
The Inn At Newport Beach Announces A Complete Interior Renovation
The Inn at Newport Beach, known for its unique waterfront setting overlooking Newport Beach and Easton’s Pond, has been completely renovated as follows:
• Guestrooms: Guestrooms received all new furniture, bedding, 37” flat panel LCD TV’s with high definition cable signal, carpet, wall coverings, draperies and wood blinds, lighting, artwork, in-room safes, and many other enhancements. Furnishings are in rich dark wood tones with granite tops, while fabrics are in beige and blue tones, in keeping with today’s contemporary New England beachside architectural interiors.
• Bathrooms: New white Carrera marble floors and wall surrounds, residential wood vanities with granite tops, lighting, mirrors, and increased storage space for guest amenities.
• New Lobby and Hallways: Featuring English Ax minister carpets and marble flooring, wall coverings, draperies, signage, lighting, and artwork. The lobby continues with the seaside design of the guest rooms and resembles the interiors in keeping with today’s shingle style resort architecture.
• New Suites: 14 existing guest rooms have been converted to 7 spacious, one and two bedroom suites.
• New Exercise Room: Exercise while enjoying the beautiful water views in this new exercise room featuring cardiovascular equipment with LCD panel televisions, strength training and flexibility equipment.
“Guests have always loved our special beachfront location, historic character, and
personalized service,” says Douglas Cohen, Principal of the Newport Hotel Group, and
owner of the hotel since 1998. “With the exciting renovations, the Inn at Newport Beach
has become Newport’s premier beachfront hotel. We are committed to offering
excellent value to our guests. We are proud of the history of the hotel, with its charming
Gambrel style New England architecture.
9 Manning Square Newport, Rhode Island Artist Captures Hollywood’s Attention!
Former social worker and community activist Meg Reagan is stunned by the success she has had as a jewelry and glass artist in Newport, often referred to in Rhode Island as “the city by the sea.” Friends and supporters can’t get over it either – yet they are hardly surprised that someone with Meg’s talent, work ethic, and personal generosity would capture the notice of Hollywood.
Reagan, owner and creator of 9 Manning Square, unabashedly pulls out pictures of Paris Hilton wearing the glossy belt buckle she designed and produced and unveils a photo of herself taken with Carlos Santana. Reagan’s success is flooring considering how young both she and her business are. Even Martha Stewart’s editors have taken swift notice of Reagan’s quirkily slick house wares and as we speak are poring over her portfolio to see what they’ll feature in one of Martha Stewart’s numerous publications.
9 Manning Square, nostalgically named after her grandmother’s home in upstate New York, boasts simple, yet elegant fused glass and sterling silver jewelry, belt buckles,
mirrors, tiles, and other house wares such as the “Lazy Meg,” an updated glass version of
the 1970’s era ‘Lazy Susan.’ What sparked national attention is an invite to Las Vegas in October to be a part of the celebrity gift lounge at Andrea Agassi’s Grand Slam for Children, a star-studded benefit concert that raised $9 million for children’s charities. Reagan put her toe into that big and gleaming sea by gifting sets of two buckles and one belt.
“The reaction was unbelievable,” said Reagan, who is still flabbergasted when she thinks
about Hilton and Santana, Seal, The Goo Goo Dolls, Matchbox 20, and Tia Carrera walking around with her belts cinched around their waists. In fact, her product was so
well received that she was invited to showcase her buckles in the 2008 “Everyone wins at
the Oscars” gift bag, gift lounge at the Screen Actors Guild awards in January, 2009 and
attend the gift lounge event at Sundance Film Festival in Park City Utah in January,
2009.
The publicity is heady, but it would never have happened without Reagan’s own
community embracing her products first. At age 30, Reagan shifted gears instinctually
from her work helping others to answer a creative calling that wanted to put her into the
limelight. She began an online jewelry business that became so popular that she was able
to open her own storefront this past summer in Waite’s Wharf, a charming beach-side
pad that conveniently offers free parking – and gains by sharing the flow of human traffic
with the West Deck, an esteemed Newport restaurant. Reagan is solely responsible for all stages of production, and admirably seems up to the challenge. The glass tile is handmade and created using a four-step process: design, fusion of numerous layers into one, forming holes, adding the final touches to make each piece distinct.
According to Reagan, she never dreamed of being a full-time artist, despite minoring in
fine art while receiving her undergraduate degree. Her life took a 180-degree turn seven
years ago while in grad school when the glass necklaces she’d made for friends as
Christmas presents found their way into a high-end shop in Boston’s affluent Beacon Hill
area. Today Reagan calls herself a full-time artist and entrepreneur and her one-of-a-kind, handmade glass creations sell in over 100 shops, museum stores, and galleries across the
country.
Reagan’s penchant for rich layered color sings in every piece she creates, from deep
fuchsias and turquoises, to caramel swirled with chocolate tones, to hues of jade sandwiched together to make an eye-catching almost mouth-watering statement. Each
necklace, bracelet, ring, and buckle is derived from a simple rectangular or oblong shape
that gracefully concedes itself to the vibrancy of Reagan’s palette.
The process that brings each unique creation to life includes designing the piece, creating
the tile, fusing numerous layers of glass into one, and adding final touches that make each
piece a distinct work of art. Every 9 Manning Square creation comes with an unconditional guarantee, and is repaired or replaced for free in the event of breakage, a
rare perk enjoyed by enthusiasts of Reagan’s line.
Says Reagan, “As I look back and think about my first year as a full-time entrepreneur I
am amazed by all the changes and giddy with excitement over what’s to come.”
Reagan’s work is available throughout the country and at her Newport Waites wharf
studio and retail store. To learn more about 9 Manning Square, or find a store or gallery
near you, please visit www.9manningsquare.com.
PROVIDENCE
Latest Happenings in Rhode Island:
American Masters
"Hairspray"
Broadway’s Tony Award-winning musical-comedy phenomenon takes you back to 1962 Baltimore, as 16-year-old Tracy Turnblad sets out to dance her way onto TV’s most popular show. Can a big girl with big dreams – and even bigger hair! – change the world... and still have time to win the boy she loves? This mega-hit is piled bouffant-high with laughter and romance – and enough deliriously tuneful new songs to fill a nonstop platter-party. It’s the winner of eight 2003 Tony Awards, including Best Musical. Providence Performing Arts Center, 220 Weybosset St., Providence, 401-421-2997, www.ppacri.org
WARWICK
NYLO Providence/Warwick Invites Travelers to Stay Unique with Special Hotel Getaway Packages
NYLO Providence/Warwick, located at 400 Knight Street in Warwick, RI, is offering a selection of exclusive getaway packages. Valid year-round, these packages allow guests to enjoy the unique loft lifestyle experience of NYLO Providence/Warwick while taking in some of the area's top attractions. For more information or to make reservations, please call NYLO Providence/Warwick at 1.866.391.NYLO or visit www.NYLOHotels.com/Warwick.
Beginning at $199, NYLO's Romance Package offers overnight accommodations for two, a bottle of champagne, dinner in The Loft - NYLO's signature full-service restaurant and bar, and a complimentary in-room movie. The Wine Tour Package, starting at $250 per night, features overnight accommodations for two, dinner in The Loft, a bottle of wine, and limousine transportation for wine tastings at three of Rhode Island's historic vineyards: Sakonnet, Newport and Greenvale. The Dinner and a Movie Package includes overnight accommodations for two, dinner in The Loft and tickets for two to the Showcase Cinemas. Rates for Dinner and a Movie Package start at $159.
Starting at $129 (midweek) and $99 (weekends), the NYLO Providence/Warwick Park & Fly Package ensures that travelers will get a restful night's sleep and a good parking spot when heading to their next destination. Details include overnight accommodations for two the evening prior to departure and free parking for two weeks with shuttle to/from TF Green airport.
The Stay & Play Golf Package includes overnight accommodations for two at NYLO Providence/Warwick, dinner and breakfast in The Loft, and 9-holes of golf at Midville Golf Course in Warwick with a special "19th hole" refreshment in The Loft. Rates start at $189 (weekends).
The Retail Therapy Getaway Package has shopping written all over it with the Warwick Mall steps from the hotel and Providence Place minutes down the road. Itching to see the latest flick? The Showcase Cinemas at the Warwick Mall features all the latest releases, or stretch out in NYLO's chic loft-style accommodations with an in-room movie and snacks from The Loft's "to-go" menu. The Retail Therapy Getaway Package includes overnight accommodations for two with dinner in The Loft and a $25.00 American Express gift card. Rates start at $175 (weekends).
Guests will experience an explosion of decadent flavors when art and cuisine come together at NYLO's Dining Getaway, showcasing the gourmet cuisine and regional specialties in The Loft - NYLO's signature full-service restaurant and bar serving sophisticated regional cuisine. With rates starting at $175 (weekends), this special dining package includes an overnight stay for two at NYLO Providence/Warwick, dinner and breakfast in The Loft, plus admission to the Culinary Archives Museum at Johnson & Wales University.
NYLO Providence/Warwick opened on September 2, 2008 as the first property in New England for loft lifestyle hotel innovator, NYLO Hotels. Designed by Stephane Dupoux, one of America's Top 20 architect/designers, NYLO Providence/Warwick features 163 guestrooms, called guest lofts, and more than 1,450 square feet of meeting and event space. Each guest loft has 300 square feet of bright, airy living space, with 10-foot-plus ceilings, exposed brick walls and floor-to-ceiling windows. The property offers a Pure Floor with allergy-friendly guest lofts. Its signature ultra-social living area, The Loft, features a hip atmosphere, eclectic menu and local musicians. A 3,000-square-foot terrace also provides outdoor dining and entertainment.
About NYLO
Atlanta-based NYLO Hotels offers a new class of hotels that combines the dynamic qualities of urban residential loft-style living with the best-of-the-industry features of leading hotel brands. The properties will feature bright, spacious loft accommodations; state-of-the-art business center; gym; and 24-hour, healthy-alternative restaurant and bar. They will cater to business and leisure travelers seeking an energized alternative to the bland, one-size-fits-all experience typically found in mid-priced lodgings. For more information, visit www.nylohotels.com.