The Legendary Biltmore

(Biltmore Hotel - Front)As a young boy, George Merrick traveled to Spain, explored medieval castles, towers, Moorish courtyards and pools, and developed a passion for them.  Fast forward several years later, Merrick becomes a real estate developer and teams up with hotel magnate, John McEntee Bowman, to create a grand hotel, a destination magnet for the rich and famous.  The Biltmore Hotel is born.

As you curve around the lush rolling green park, a Moorish tower arises and a Mediterranean palazzo appears majestically to fill out the horizon.  For a moment, you may imagine you’re in Italy or on the plains of Spain

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Hotel Therapy

(Hotel Amiris, Marrakesh, Morocco)One of my main thrills in traveling abroad is the hotel experience.  Sure, tasting new cuisines and meeting the natives is always exciting but I look forward to kicking off my dusty shoes and just relaxing at my lodgings too.  First, there’s the small but important detail – the room is already clean and neat – you don’t have to deal with personal messes.  Then there are the amenities that you may not have in your own home – the powerful jet spray in the shower or the spa toiletries on that dual sink marble vanity. And of course, there’s that menu near your phone – cocktails and midnight snacks ready to be ordered in a moment’s notice. 

Besides service amenities, you have the lifestyle aspect.  You may live in a cramped city apartment but for a few days or so, you can experience life in a lakeside rustic cabin or a petite villa by the sea.  Then there are the grand old palaces that some enterprising soul converted into hotel rooms – borrowed luxury to be remembered for a lifetime.

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