Renaissance Aruba Resort & Casino is making some changes to its property that will improve the overall guest experience, including a new business center, a revamped lobby and a new fitness center, all located in the resort’s adult-exclusive Renaissance Marina Hotel.

Renaissance Marina Hotel Lobby
The resort has updated the Renaissance Marina Hotel lobby into an open inviting area for guests to meet and socialize. The new concept allows guests to smoothly transition and mix work, relaxation, socializing and play throughout the day. Music, lights and décor will all play an important role to create a unique ambiance.
The new design knocks down architectural barriers by creating adaptive zones in which guests can more easily meet in small groups, take a private time out or casually dine in more open spaces with easy access to the latest technologies.

Fitness Center
Renaissance Aruba’s upgraded fitness facilities are located in the Renaissance Marina Hotel and significantly expand upon the existing facilities.

Key features of the upgraded fitness facilities are:
•    Its location is in an adult-exclusive portion of the resort;
•    It is accessible 24 hours per day and seven days per week;
•    It includes approximately 3,000 square feet;
•    Its interior design, music and state of the art equipment following the latest trends contribute to this one of a kind wellness center in Aruba; and
•    Technogym equipment includes a wellness TV and personal entertainment is fully integrated on the equipment.

Business Center
Overlooking the fitness center, Renaissance Aruba’s new fully-equipped business center offers business travelers the opportunity to stay connected while in paradise. Accessible from the Renaissance Marina Hotel lobby 24 hours per day and seven days per week, travelers can either use their own laptop or one of the business center’s computers.

For more information about Renaissance Aruba Resort and Casino, visit: www.RenaissanceCaribbeanMediaCenter.com

Eagle Beach, Aruba – With great pride the Aruba Bucuti Beach Resort announces that National Geographic Traveler recently recognized them for their exceptional sense of place on the magazine’s first annual “Stay List.”

THE STAY LIST: 150 HOTELS YOU WILL LOVE… is what the article is called and is in the current issue April 2008.

According to Editor Keith Bellows, there is no greater letdown than a hotel that isn’t original and fails to exhibit any understanding of its cultural context. Hence the creation of National Geographic Traveler’s “Stay List” that celebrates 150 hotels in the United States, Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean region that are among the best at blending location-inspired architecture, ambience and amenities, eco-stewardship and an ethic of giving back to the community. Backed by extensive research, including input from local experts and seasoned travelers, in-depth questionnaires to more than 600 nominated hotels and detailed follow-up by magazine staff, the list showcases overnights that range from rustic to luxurious, dirt cheap to splurge. Yet all the featured hotels cherish a sense of place and offer a sweet night’s sleep. Organized by country, state and city, this is a list that travelers will refer to repeatedly.

“Promoting conservation among our staff and guests is a major part of the Bucuti experience. Says Ewald Biemans. “Whether it’s participating on one of our resort-sponsored beach clean-ups, our recycled crafts contests, interacting with local organizations such as Turtugaruba, or enjoying local cuisine, folklore and music at our restaurant on Aruban night at the Pirates’ Nest, our guests can count on a truly hands-on, authentic Aruban experience.”

The resort’s guest rooms feature Aruba Aloe toiletries and balconies with a view of the beautiful white sandy shores of Eagle Beach. Bucuti’s grounds are landscaped with flora indigenous to the island, which has been labeled by Biemans for guest education.

In addition to his dedication to maintaining the island’s cultural identity, Biemans is also a leader in the region for instituting environmentally sound operating practices. Leading by example, he encourages the entire community to prioritize environmental preservation in their daily lives. Bucuti was the first Caribbean resort to become ISO 14001 certified and is now celebrating its fifth consecutive year of certification and its seventh consecutive year of Green Globe 21 certification.

Throughout the resort, energy and resources are conserved through the use of light and air conditioning sensors, environmentally friendly products and bulk dispensers for products including soap, shampoo and lotion. Solar heated water is used in designated areas of the resort and ozone machines, rather than chemical aerosols, keep guest rooms smelling fresh. HAACP policies and equipment such as the BERSON UV line keep the food and water safe for associates and guests alike.

Bucuti’s award winning environmental program is truly extensive. Biemans regularly gives environmental tours of the resort for colleagues, students, service clubs and other island businesses who are interested to learn about it.

Chicago-based Levy Restaurants, a member of the Americas division of UK-based Compass Group PLC, will design and develop a new food and beverage program as part of developer KL International’s casino renovation project at The Aruban Resort & Casino in Eagle Beach, Aruba, to be completed by the end of the year.

The project will include the concept development of an all-day dining, exhibition-kitchen restaurant, a sports bar and grill, and a new main casino bar, plus F&B-specific service training for resort employees.

“From its restaurant roots, Levy Restaurants pioneered the concept of fine dining in stadiums and arenas, and has expanded into the luxury hotel and resort market. We believe they can create an entertainment culinary experience for The Aruban, making it a truly distinct Caribbean venue,” says KL International spokesman Phil Allen. “We also look forward to Levy’s U. 8.-based food and beverage training that our local employees will receive, with an emphasis on service delivery.”

Levy’s hotel/casino F&B experience to this point consists of the Harrah’s 8t. Louis property and the former Le Meridien in Chicago, says Mike Plutino, regional director of operations. In addition, company founder and chairman Larry Levy recently took a new branch of his highly successful Spiaggia concept south from Chicago to Miami as part of a boutique fractional ownership resort called The Fairfax.

Though the company’s experience does not run deep when it comes to specific hotel/resort projects, Plutino says Levy will get more involved in the space “as long as they are quality projects with quality partners. We bring the restaurateur mindset to a lot of different businesses,” he notes. “Casinos can focus on gambling, and we can focus on food and service.”

On the food side, the new main restaurant at The Aruban will consist of a large, interactive space in which chefs and equipment-like an oversized rotisserie or a brick oven for pizzas-are front and center at various stations, and guests are engaged through the sights, smells and interaction with chefs. “We think it is going to be unique [for] Aruba,” Plutino says. “It will set us apart from anything Aruba’s ever seen before.”

On the service side, Levy will see The Aruban project all the way through to the hiring of the F&B staff and the training phases, Plutino says, noting that the training will be highly customized to the local workforce and culture. “We know we need to be flexible and adaptable,” he says. “We’ve been successful with that model wherever we’ve opened-and we’ve opened in lots of places.”

Finally, in addition to the property’s main restaurant and bars, Levy may also wind up directing the resort’s room service and banquet service. “I think we’re headed in that direction,” Allen says.

By Derek Gale, Senior Associate Editor, Hotels, 412312008 1: 24:00PM