Delight Your House Guest by Providing an Ultra-Luxury Visit: Part Four

In our final installment, we’ll talk about final, special touches that will add to your guests’ overall experience. It’s attention to detail that will really make your guests feel at home and that you’re happy they have visited.

1. Have a cool or warm drink and snack available for the weary traveler.

2. Have the bedroom ready for its first impression. In the bedroom, turn the bedside lamp on the lowest setting to welcome the guest to their room. Turn the radio on with soft music or a favorite CD. If your guest arrives late at night, already have the bed turned down and the drapes closed (just like in your favorite hotel).

2. In the bathroom, have a small nightlight turned on. This is a very nice touch that helps guests find their way in the dark.

3. Allow the guest to unpack and settle in before engaging them in activities. Take it slow and go with the flow.

4. Be available but never pushy. Remember, this is their trip and it’s up to you to create lasting memories that your guests will relive for years to come, telling their friends with delight of their unforgettable visit in your home.

Happy hosting, and happy holidays!

Delight Your House Guest by Providing an Ultra-Luxury Visit: Part Three

Last week you learned tips to create a luxurious bedroom for your holiday guests. This week, we’ll address the bathroom. As important as it is to create a comforting bedroom, the bathroom experience is equally important.

As earlier noted, a well-stocked medicine cabinet makes a guest feel at home and lessens embarrassment. Guests are often limited with carry-on luggage restrictions, so supply their toiletry needs as well. This also helps personalize their visit. Again, remembering your favorite hotel experience will help you make a memorable selection. Find out your guest’s product preferences, or offer ones in their signature fragrance.

1. Clean the entire bathroom; it should be spotless. Some bathrooms have tub-shower combinations. If this is the case, don’t neglect the shower liner. They can easily be washed in the washing machine on the gentle cycle with a little detergent and then air fluffed in the dryer (no to very little heat – otherwise it will melt).

2. Stock the bathroom linen closet with bath towels, hand towels and wash cloths. Provide at least two per person. If you are limited on space, create a basket to accommodate linens. The basket can also substitute for a dirty linen basket once the towels are used, but be sure to refresh them as often as needed. As with bed linens, quality is important. Fluffy, thick, absorbent (“FAT” towels) that are as plush as possible are key to the bath experience. Towels should be in new condition, never worn or faded. My mother always had a perfect set of “company towels” for when guests arrived.

3. Stock the under counter cabinet with plenty of extra toilet tissue and facial tissue.

4. Purchase shampoo, conditioner, bath-shower gel, fragrant bath salts and body lotion. Choose a fragrance or brand you know your guest will use (having done your homework, you will know their favorites). Hair spray or gel is a nice touch, too. To further enhance the luxury feel, pour your high-quality products into decorative containers (crystal is always elegant) and then place them on a presentation tray (silver or leather makes a real statement) along with a finger tip towel.

5. In the bathroom drawer or cabinet place a hair dryer and any other accessories that your guests will find pleasant to use. A magnifying make-up mirror is an added touch that is much appreciated.

6. A soothing fragrant candle with matches adds to a relaxing bath. Be sure to have it in a safe container. As with the bedroom, a small vase with fresh flowers adds freshness as well as beauty.

In our last installment next week, we’ll talk about those final special touches before your guests arrive.

Delight Your House Guest by Providing an Ultra-Luxury Visit: Part Two

Last week we talked about the first step to making your guests feel at home this holiday season: doing your homework. The more you know about your visitors, the more pleasant the experience will be for them, and you.

This week I’ll tell you how to create the perfect bedroom for your guests. Again, think of your favorite luxury hotel experience and create some of the same surroundings in your home to make guests feel pampered and special. Take a serious look at the surroundings and be realistic with what you have to offer. A clean and private room is the basic offering. Making the room extra comfortable is where you have the opportunity to make it memorable.

1. Start with a good cleaning (if the room is your child’s, ask him/her to pick up and help). A fresh, clean and organized room is inviting and relaxing. As an added touch, use diffusers to freshen the room and fill it with your guests’ favorite scents. Fresh-cut flowers are a special touch that add freshness and beauty.

2. Sit, lie and bounce on the mattress. Is the bed comfortable? Could you sleep on the mattress? If it’s not suitable for you, then it’s not suitable for your guests. Enhance the mattress with a memory foam or egg crate topper and mattress pad. Also consider the bed size. Will your guests fit comfortably? If not, consider a different sleeping arrangement. When it comes to a good night sleep, one size does not fit all. Everyone wants to have ample room to sleep comfortably, especially for longer visits.

3. Quality bed linens are crucial to sleeping comfort. Invest in 100 percent cotton sheets with a high thread count (I recommend 400 or more). The higher the thread count, the higher the quality and price, but the linen will last longer and produce a more comfortable experience. Include a high loft (lots of stuffing), high thread count fitted mattress pad that fits completely over the mattress and will not slip off.

Regarding pillows and comforters, do your homework. Feather or non-feather (consider allergies)? Whichever you provide, ensure they are plush, fluffy and comfortable. The higher the loft ounce filling the better. A flat, hard and small pillow only contributes to an uncomfortable sleep experience. Provide a light throw blanket at the foot of the bed or across a chair for added personal warmth, if desired. By creating a dream bed fit for kings and queens, you will make your guests extra comfortable and their stay memorable.

4. Provide ample lighting to dress and read by. Include a lamp (with a three-way bulb) that can further set the mood from reading to soft relaxation. A small nightlight placed in a nearby outlet is nice touch to help guests find their way in the dark.

Delight Your House Guest by Providing an Ultra-Luxury Visit

The fall and holiday season is a lovely time to receive guests into your home, but being prepared for holiday travelers takes some preplanning. Begin by imagining your favorite luxury hotel experience, and then recreate the same surroundings in your perfect guest bedroom and bathroom. Make your guest feel pampered and special; create lasting memories that your guests will relive for years to come, telling their friends with delight of their unforgettable visit in your home.

It’s easy to do and I’ll tell you how to create a welcoming experience in the coming weeks. This week, it’s all about doing your homework:

1. It sounds simple, but find out guest likes and dislikes, including food, fragrance and reading favorites for starters.

2. Ask in advance what your visitors’ travel plans are. Is your guest in town for business, to sightsee (cultural, night life, sports events, amusement parks, etc.) or just relax? Based on their itinerary, do some research to find out what exhibits are in town – plays, musicals, new clubs or restaurants. Make a list of what to do in and around your hometown; check out your local visitors’ bureau for help. We sometimes overlook fun attractions or landmarks that may be exciting to guests because we see them every day. If you plan enough in advance, the visitors’ bureau can send you an assortment of information.

3. Preplan meals. Pick some special restaurants that reflect your area or region’s cuisine to treat your guest to, and then plan some home-cooked meals that your guests can participate in, including their favorite foods. Be sure to pair appropriate wines and specialty drinks, like holiday eggnog, to compliment your dining experience.

Chili con Carne, Mansion style

As the weather cools down and football season heats up, I start craving something warm and hearty that’s perfect for tailgating. Burgers and brats can only take you so far, so I came up with this chili con carne recipe, done up Mansion style. It’s got a little heat from different kinds of chiles and a special ingredient for a twist – unsweetened chocolate.

Keep reading for the recipe…

Washington Wine Harvest Roadtrip – Day Three

Desteming the grapes

Day two finished out with a really fun visit to Piero Antinori’s Col Solare estate at the summit of Red Mountain, where we pitched in and helped destem and sort five tons of Petit Verdot. It’s a semi-mechanized process, but one which relies on intense, and monotonous human participation to make sure any so-called MOG, or “material other than grapes” is removed before the grapes are transferred to the presses.

Later, we did an enlightening exercise tasting wine aged in a variety of oak casks to try and pinpoint the flavor profiles of various coopers. We then tried to guess the makeup of the oak aging regimen for the 2007 Col Solare based on taste, and I’m happy to report that my conclusions weren’t so far off as to discredit me and the Rosewood family!

Today was another hands-on day, and I began at Airfield Estate in Yakima, where we got a chance to help the fermentations by punching down the caps and doing light pumpovers.

This year’s harvest has been unusually intense due to the recent heat wave, so the fruit had to be brought in quickly and all at once. So not only was Airfield running multiple fermentations, but they also had a bottling line going full tilt, during which they had to halt the delivery of any freshly picked grapes. Sounds like a logistical nightmare, but they took it, and us, in complete stride.

Red Willow Vineyard

Then it was lunch on the bus and a visit to the Red Willow Vineyard, where wine grape growing was pioneered in the 70s, 80s and 90s, and a more beautiful spot would be hard to find. After a run through the vineyards, the group sat down to an intense tasting of Syrahs from Washington and around the world. I’m beginning to appreciate the qualities that make Washington Syrah unique – the purity of red and black fruit flavors, the firm tannins, the light notes of black pepper, and, of course, the signature crisp acidity found in many of the state’s best wines.

Washington Wine Harvest Roadtrip – Day Two

I’m on the road this week checking out Washington’s wine harvest and tasting some great wines. Keep reading for a report on day two of the trip.

Cabernet vines at the Ciel du Chevan Vineyard

I began the day boarding our coach in Walla Walla at 7 a.m., and we headed west to Red Mountain within the Yakima viticultural area. We met with Jim Holmes, owner of the Ciel du Cheval vineyard, who pointed out the dramatic features of this dramatic landscape and then showed us how to determine soil type by fashioning little mud balls in our fists and then extruding them out to see how far they’d extend before crumbling. The verdict: This is a site dominated by sandy loam soils without a trace of clay – uniquely suited to a wide range of grape varieties.

But this is truly a desert, so Jim has altered the vine canopy to provide a degree of shading over the fruit in order to avoid sun burning of the grapes. It looks a little unkempt, but it’s entirely deliberate.

Later, we sipped Fidelitas and Quilceda Creek cabernets, the latter available from the Mansion cellar, from the very vineyards which produced them. Munch on a grape, sip the wine, munch on a grape…..always a fascinating exercise!

Next we go up to Col Solare, Antinori’s estate at the top of the mountain.

Cultures Collide in Beautiful Mansion Wedding

Every bride wants her wedding day to be unique, and she will go to great lengths to make her special day stand out, whether that involves contracting a live elephant for an Indian barat or hiring an Elvis look-a-like to greet guests (I’ve seen both!).

When Julie Stokely became engaged to Shy Hussain, she knew she had a special man, and she had a plan for their special day. It was all about the food. Julie is Korean and Shy is Pakistani and her wedding menu blended foods from both cultures.

After gathering old family recipes from both mothers Julie created the perfect menu with Chris Reed, private dining chef at The Mansion. No family recipe is complete without the perfect, traditional ingredients, and Chef Reed made sure Julie and Shy’s family recipes were spot on.

Wedding guests said the dishes tasted like something their grandmothers would have made – the ultimate compliment for any chef. At The Mansion, each wedding is unique and brides are not limited by set menus. Contact me for more information, and follow the jump to see more photos from Julie and Shy’s cultural and colorful wedding.

Dear Friends of Wine

Our weekly wine chats in The Mansion Bar continue every Thursday (6:15 to 7 p.m.), and we’ve developed a loyal local following augmented each week by hotel guests and others from the Dallas/Fort Worth area. We like to keep the subject of each chat a surprise so you come with an open mind.

As an example of the kinds of subjects we tackle, last week we explored the question of oak aging in wine. I started with one red wine varietal, Syrah, and presented three versions with varying and distinct types of oak aging. First we opened a 2005 St Joseph “Offerus” from Jean-Louis Chave in northern Rhone. Aged entirely in neutral oak barrels from the family’s estate in neighboring Hermitage, this was all about the signature flavors of the Syrah grape – plums and black raspberry, minerals, bacon fat, and a whiff of black pepper emerged with some aeration. 

Next we tried El Porvenir’s 2003 Laborum Syrah from Mendoza, Argentina, aged for one year in 50 percent new American oak and 50 percent new French. What a difference! While the signature flavors and aromas of Syrah were still in evidence, this wine showed a sweet, toasty opulence; a rich, almost unctuous texture; and an unmistakable note of coconut on the finish from the American wood. 

Keep Your Cool

It’s almost September, and in other parts of the nation that might mean cool breezes and the turning of leaves. In Texas it means one last stretch of scorching temperatures. Still, there’s no need to sweat. Follow these easy and “green” tips to cool your area and take some of the heat off the environment.

Minimize the amount of heat that is generated in your home

Though heat that conducts through your walls and ceilings from outside air is a major source of internal home heat, short of increasing insulation and weatherizing your home, there are some simple things you can do to minimize its impact.

- Minimize waste heat given off inside your home from lights and appliances. Use energy-efficient appliances and bulbs and turn them off when not in use.

- Cook, bake and iron in the evening when it’s cooler (and energy costs are less).

- To minimize solar heat from the sun shining through your windows, use awnings or place sun-blocking shades or screens over windows and close window treatments. Outdoor landscaping such as trees and shrubs also help block direct sun.

- Fans use much less energy than air conditioners, so use them to produce your own indoor wind chill effect. Ceiling fans circulate breezes throughout a room allowing you to raise the thermostat on your air conditioner about 4°F without reducing your comfort level. My grandmother’s house (way back when) had a whole-house fan in the attic that would pull cool air in and blow warm air out, saving up to two-thirds on cooling costs.

So don’t sweat it. Soon it will be patio weather and you’ll be sipping a cocktail on the terrace in casual comfort.