Five Frivolities: August 6
How to turn your home into a luxury hotel, an A+ promotion at Il Borro in Tuscany, trend forecasting in hotels, my holy grails, and snowy hotels to get away to this winter.
1. How to make your home feel like a luxury hotel
Step 1: Upgrade your bedding. Enough of having “good enough” sheets and pillows, it’s time to upgrade. See below for #4 for holy grails to have a hotel bed at home.
Step 2: Hotel slippers. If you haven’t recently stayed at a hotel and snatched their slippers, buy a pair that doesn’t feel like a house shoe, but instead, distinctly like a hotel slipper. Keep them next to your bed.
Step 3: Speaking of next to your bed, at luxury hotels they place a “scendiletto” next to the bed during turndown service. I haven’t been successful in my search to purchase one, so I’ve resorted to either a lovely large cotton placemat or king sized sham pillowcase. You could even get it monogramed, if you’re fancy.
Step 4: Keep a cute notepad (ideally one snagged from a hotel stay) next to your bed to jot down your remaining thoughts of the day before drifting to sleep.
Step 5: Choose a candle that feels and smells luxurious to you. A candle that won’t be your everyday candle, per se, but a candle that’s deserving of a spot in a luxury hotel lobby. Light it at bedtime, only.
Step 6: If you happen to have enough closet space to fit a mini fridge, get a mini fridge and fill it with water or your other beverages of choice. Nothing feels more like a hotel stay than being able to quench your thirst without leaving your bedroom.
Step 7. Do turndown service for yourself and whoever else inhabits your bed, nightly. Or, just when you need a bit of extra luxuriating. Take off the throw pillows, turn down the sheets and duvet, and maybe even leave a piece of chocolate on your pillow.
Happy hoteling! (at home)
2. Hotel deal of the week, and it’s owned by the Ferragamo family
Il Borro is one of the best hotels (it’s a town, really) in the Tuscan countryside. It used to be the Ferragamo family’s countryside estate, and has been transformed into a luxury resort. With all the wine, restored ancient buildings, horses and antiquities you could ever imagine. If you book a suite or a villa anytime before the end of August a stay at Il Borro from mid-October to end of December, pay for 3 nights and get a 4th night free, or stay for 7 nights for the price of 5 nights.
To book, email me at marissa.klurstein@fora.travel :)
3. Trend forecasting #1
“Blanding” has been a thing for about a decade now with DTC and luxury brands alike. Where brands start to look exactly alike. For me, it’But now, hotels have followed suit. Personally, I’m not a fan of when a hotel feels too “of the moment.” As a brand strategist, I know there’s always something unique to the ethos of a place that can be extracted, designed towards, and made timeless, in its distinct way. So, I think hotels are going to start being more story-driven, sensory-driven, soul-driven. With a sense of place. I hope I’m right.
Instead of this…
More of this.
4. My holy grail products
I’m a product person. I work in branding (as well as being a travel agent), and I’m constantly curious about things. Often times, I buy them, I try them, and I give them away. These are my constant repurchases - my holy grails.
Skincare: Osea Body Oil and Ocean Eyes, La Roche Posay Toleriane Dermallergo Face Cream, La Roche Posay Toleriane Dermo-Cleanser face wash, Bioderma Atoderm Shower Oil, One Skin eye cream. Dieux Deliverance Serum
Makeup: Merit Minimalist Complexion Stick, Tower 28 bronzer in Gold Coast, Saie Buffing Brush, Kosas Skin Enhancer that I mix with the Saie Super Glowy Gel in Starglow, Westman Atelier Blush Stick in Minette
Supplements: Armra, Fatty 15, Level Blends Stimulate Tablingual (the best for getting work done fast), Cloud Blue Dream 1:1 CBD Joints
Life enhancers: Down toddler pillow, Insight Timer app for guided meditations and sleep sounds, Libby app for audiobooks, Ettitude Sheets, Parachute Down Pillows, My countertop dishwasher and of course, Spelling Bee on NYT.
5. Winter wonderland hotels to book for snow season
Yes, it’s still summer. It’s hot. But planning ahead pays off when it comes to great hotels. Winter will be here sooner than you know it, and you may want to head out of town. Here are some ideas for winter wonderland escapades.
Of course, there’s many, many hotels you can stay at. These are just my top Happy Hoteling picks, that I’d personally like to escape to for a cozy getaway.
The Alps: Suvretta House, Grand Hotel de Bagni Nuovi, The Experimental Chalet, Miramonti, Auberge de la Maison, Badrutt’s Palace, Le Chalet Zennier, Le Grand Bellevue, Hotel Firefly, Hotel La Perla, Chalet al Foss
In America: The Little Nell and Hotel Jerome (Aspen, CO) , The Goldener Hirsch (Park City, UT), Caldera House and Anvil Hotel (Jackson Hole, WY) , New Sheridan Hotel (Telluride, C O), The Coachman Hotel or The Ritz Carlton (Lake Tahoe, CA), Sonnenalp Hotel (Vail, CO), The Green O (Montana)
In Canada: Fairmont Chateau Whistler, Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise
What you may have missed in Wednesday’s paid edition: My ideal 3 days in Capri, the most coveted (and $) Italian hotels with dates available under $1500, a new Belmond hotel reopening, TikTok insights from a brand strategy perspective, Urugay and where to stay, 3 luxury hotels under $500, warm weather New Year’s hotel ideas, driving in Italy 101 and the full list of my choice hotels in Los Angeles.
Ok, internet friends - talk to me. Do you like this? What do you like best? Least? Do you want me to share more about me or more about hotels or more about places I want to go or more about strategy? Fashion? Tell me what you want, I’ll consider, and hopefully deliver. Regardless, thank you for being here and kudos to you for making it to the end. I am many things, but brief is not one of them.
x Your Penpal, Marissa