Fairmont

— Vol. 9 N o. 2 —

Emerging Nanjing The jet-setter’s gift guide Fitness for the road

Fairmont Magazine —

turning moments into memories

nouveau Monde QUEBEC CITY, AS YOU’VE NEVER SEEN IT BEFORE

The Fairmont Southampton, Bermuda

Enjoy even more one-of-a-kind moments.

Earn 2 complimentary nights with breakfast for 2 after you make just $3,000 in purchases within the first 3 months of account opening.

Plus, get an automatic upgrade to Premier Status after you’re approved and earn Platinum Status faster just by using your card.

Learn more about the Fairmont Visa SignatureÂŽ Card at fairmontcard.com

Accounts subject to credit approval. Restrictions and limitations apply.

Fairmont credit cards are issued by Chase Bank, USA, N.A. See fairmontcard.com for pricing and rewards details.

THE ORIGINAL – THE LUGGAGE WITH THE GROOVES In 1950, the first RIMOWA suitcase with the unmistakable grooves was issued. Since then, it has evolved into a cult object in its own right. To this day, the original RIMOWA luggage has lost none of its fascination. It remains the luggage of choice for all those who seek the extraordinary – including models Alessandra Ambrosio and Johannes Huebl.

RIMOWA Stores North America: Honolulu, Beverly Hills, Las Vegas, Guam, San Francisco, Toronto

www.rimowa.com

OWN AT THE

CORNERSTONE OF GLAMOUR & HISTORY.

Experience the ultimate in second home ownership at Fairmont Heritage Place, Ghirardelli Square.

Our Private Residence Club pairs luxury living with the services of a fine hotel, right in the heart of San Francisco – and all at a fraction of the cost. Our owners also receive VIP recognition and exchange privileges to more than 100 Fairmont, Raffles, Swissôtel hotels and resorts around the world.

For ownership details, visit FairmontAtGhirardelli.com or call 415-292-1000 to arrange a private showing.

900 North Point Street, San Francisco, CA 94109

This advertising material is being used for the purpose of soliciting the sale of fractional ownership interests. This is neither an offer to sell nor a solicitation to buy to residents in jurisdictions in which registration requirements have not been fulfilled, and your eligibility and the resorts available for purchase will depend upon the state, province or country of residency of the purchaser. Brokers must accompany their client(s) and/or pre-register them on their first contact with the Sales Gallery in order to be eligible for a broker commission.

Broker, JMA Properties, Inc. CA BRE #01157751.

Vol.9 No.2

Fairmont Magazine

30 photo: lorne bridgman

Live the experience

Follow this icon

to find out what Fairmont Hotels & Resorts has in store for you this season. You’ll discover exclusive news and offers to fit each of your passions.

cov er story

Nouveau Monde

Beyond the 17th-century facades of Quebec City, Canada, a modern metropolis is emerging.

By Valerie Howes

Vol.9 No.2

46

D E PA RT M E N T S

13 Contributors 15 Check In

Travel, fashion & lifestyle.

81

Check Out

A glimpse of Singapore’s illuminating future.

f eat u res

40

Weekday Warrior

CrossFit is just the beginning of a new kind of fitness regimen.

By Eve Thomas

46

Nanjing Here and Now

A look at an ancient Chinese historic center

turned booming metropolis.

By Adam Leith Gollner

54 A Few of Our Favorite Things Let these travel-savvy experts inspire your

next shopping spree.

By Jasmin Legatos

60

Ming Xiaoling mausoleum, Nanjing

54

Séminaire de Québec. Previous page: Teatime at the Château’s Bistro Le Sam.

Flash Forward Tenth Highlights from the 10th anniversary of this photography festival.

Shanghai Girls An excerpt from Lisa See’s harrowing tale of time and tradition.

Fa i rm o nt H o te l s & R es o rts

26

12 68 70 72 74 76 78 80

President’s Letter Weddings & Honeymoons Arts & Entertainment Spa & Fitness Food & Drink Shopping & Style Leadership & Philanthropy Fairmont Destinations

I S S N 19 25 - 4121

photos: grant harder (nanjing); Luis albuquerque (sleep mask, cocktail set)

On the cover View of Fairmont Le Château Frontenac from the roof of the

Show & Tell

A curated cultural selection from Fairmont

partners Magenta and Random House.

e s t. 1 8 1 8

N e w Yo r k

LoNdoN

MiLaN

Madrid

i sta N b u L

b ro o k s b rot H e rs.c o M

to kYo

H o N g ko N g

sHaNgHai

President’s Letter

President’s Letter —

a

t Fairmont Hotels & Resorts, our hotels hold a special place in their distinctive destinations. And while this comes to life in many different ways, be it an insider tip to a local hotspot or walking in the very halls where history was written, it means that Fairmont guests have a genuine opportunity to experience the very best that the locale has to offer.

Without question, a Fairmont stay promises “a-ha!” moments. Take Beijing, and the moment, trekking the Great Wall, that you realize your feet are firmly planted in history. Or in St Andrews, Scotland, when you take a powerful swing in the very birthplace of the game of golf. Savor the moment in Abu Dhabi in which you become one of the glamorous elite, part of the electrifying drama of F1’s legendary race. Or the moment that afternoon tea moves from ritual...to religion. Read about all of these extraordinary experiences, and more, inside.

This issue also covers our recent arrival in Nanjing, China, which marks another exciting milestone as we continue to grow globally. With a list of future destinations that includes Moscow, Istanbul, Bali and Kuala Lumpur, we’ll continue connecting our guests to remarkable travel adventures, while introducing the “Fairmont experience” to new and dynamic markets.

Looking forward, we are also very mindful of our past, and we seamlessly blend it with a truly 21st-century travel experience. There are milestones to celebrate in 2014 (and in this issue of Fairmont Magazine), like The Savoy’s 125th year as a London icon, and the stunning renovations at Fairmont Singapore, influenced by the local Peranakan culture. Our hotel restoration projects, like the recent one at Quebec City’s Fairmont Le Château Frontenac, which is featured on our cover, or the upcoming one at Bermuda’s grand The Fairmont Hamilton Princess, protect the hotel’s character, history and charm, while offering the contemporary amenities our travel-savvy guests expect.

I hope you have a memorable visit and an opportunity to experience everything this exciting destination has to offer.

Thank you for your business and we look forward to seeing you again soon.

Jennifer Fox

President, Fairmont Hotels & Resorts

12

Fairmont Magazine

Contributors Fairmont Magazine Vol.9 No.2

Editor-in-Chief

Natasha Mekhail

fairmontmagazine@spafax.com Editorial Associate Editor

Art Creative Director

Eve Thomas

Nathalie Cusson

French Editor

Art Director

Mélanie Roy

Christine Houde

Digital Editor

Graphic Designers

Renée Morrison

Marie Roques, André Bazinet

Genevieve Wright

Production Production Director

Melissa Edwards

Acting Production Director

Editorial Intern Copy Editor

Joelle Irvine

Fact Checker

Maureen Veilly

Line Abrahamian

Production Manager

Proofreader

Jennifer Fagan

Jane Pavanel

Contributors Johannes Abeling, Luis Albuquerque, Julien Beaupré Ste-Marie, Pierre-Luc Bouchard, Lorne Bridgman, Guillaume Brière, Harry Campbell, Sarah Chinerman, Adam Leith Gollner, Grant Harder, Valerie Howes, Hubert Kang, Jasmin Legatos, Andrew Ly, Daniel Onori, Anicka Quin, Julie Saindon, Lisa See, Cary Tauben © Copyright 2014 by Spafax Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission of the publisher is prohibited. Fairmont Magazine is published twice per year by Spafax Inc. Points of view expressed do not necessarily represent those of Fairmont Hotels & Resorts. The publisher reserves the right to accept or reject all advertising matter. The publisher assumes no responsibility for return or safety of unsolicited art, photographs or manuscripts. Printed in Canada.

R esorts

FRHI Hotels Chairman & Chief Executive Officer

Senior Vice President, Marketing

President & Chief Operating Officer

Vice President, Fairmont Brand

President, International & Fairmont Brand

Vice President, Public Relations

Executive Vice President & Chief Human Resources Officer

Coordinator, Public Relations

Executive Vice President & Chief Marketing Officer

Administrative Assistant to the President International & President Fairmont Brand

William R. Fatt

Sean Taggart

Michael Glennie

Jane Mackie

Jennifer Fox

Alexandra Blum Danielle Fatt

Michelle Crosby

photos: Morgan Sommerville (Valerie Howes); Julien Valmary (lorne briDGman); Dolly Carpenter (grant harder); Patricia Williams (Lisa See)

Jeff Senior

Sue Moore

FRHI Hotels & Resorts RBC Centre, 155 Wellington St. W., Suite 3300, Toronto, ON M5V 0C3 Canada +1 416 874 2600, fairmont.com, frhi.com

Europe London Spafax Inflight Media

Arnold Green

agreen@spafax.com

Raymond Girard

Middle East Dubai Spafax Dubai

executive vice PRESIDENT, content Marketing

nhopkins@spafax.com

PRESIDENT, content Marketing

Nino Di Cara

Nick Hopkins

South America Spafax Medios y Publicidad Ltda.

Deborah Mogelberg

dmogelberg@spafax.com Advertising Production Ad Production Manager

Mary Shaw

mshaw@spafax.com Production Coordinator

Stephen Geraghty

Vice President, Finance and Operations

North America Canada Media Director

senior vice president, Content strategy

lmaurice@spafax.com National Sales Manager

TORONTO

director, brand alliances, marketing and PR

tmiller@spafax.com Manager of National Partnerships

Paula Pergantis Arjun Basu

Courtney MacNeil

senior strategist, luxury and lifestyle brands

Christal Agostino

Account Manager, luxury and lifestyle brands

Celyn Harding-Jones

Asia Singapore Spafax Airline Network PTE, Ltd.

Geraldine Lee

glee@spafax.com

Laura Maurice Tracy Miller

John Nagy

john.nagy@spafax.com Sales Coordinator

Michelle Richardson

mrichardson@spafax.com United States Media Sales Director, Spafax New York

Mary Rae Esposito

maryrae.esposito @spafaxnetworks.com US Advertising Sales, West

Jan Zeman

jan.zeman@repswest.com

sgeraghty@spafax.com

spafax.com 2 Bloor Street East, Suite 1020 Toronto, ON M4W 1A8 Canada +1 416 350 2425 fax +1 416 350 2440

MONTREAL 4200 Saint-Laurent Blvd., Suite 707 Montreal, QC H2W 2R2 Canada +1 514 844 2001 fax +1 514 844 6001

CHIEF EXECUTIVE officer, SPAFAX

Niall McBain

Executive vice president, media

Katrin Kopvillem

Valerie Howes

Writer Born near Fairmont St Andrews on the east coast of Scotland, Valerie Howes now explores the world writing for the likes of Reader’s Digest, Mercedes-Benz and Blackbook. For “Nouveau Monde” (p. 30), she investigates Quebec City’s contemporary cultural scene and gastronomical fare. “I did an eating crawl and was blown away by all the choices: craft beers, pickles and charcuterie,” she says. Next, she’s writing a book on the unique culinary landscape of Fogo Island, Newfoundland.

Lorne Bridgman

Photographer Lorne Bridgman is a Toronto-based photographer and a contributor to Monocle, Dwell and Travel & Leisure, among others. For Fairmont Magazine’s fall cover, he captured the mix of historical beauty and contemporary attitude in Quebec City at the iconic Fairmont Le Château Frontenac. One of his most memorable recent trips? Following the silver trail in Guanajuato, Mexico, documenting the people, architecture and ruins.

Grant Harder

Photographer A native of British Columbia, Canada, photographer Grant Harder travels around the globe, capturing stunning landscapes and portraits for magazines including AFAR, Wallpaper and Wired. In this issue of Fairmont Magazine, find him exploring the rich history and skyrocketing development in Nanjing, China (p. 46). “The food was fantastic! I’ve got dumplings on my mind now and have to search out what my hometown has to offer.”

Lisa See

Writer Lisa See is the New York Times best-selling author of Flower Net, the memoir On Gold Mountain and, most recently, China Dolls through Random House. Find an excerpt from her novel Shanghai Girls (p. 60) in this issue of Fairmont Magazine. See lives in Los Angeles and loves to travel. “My husband and I are currently planning a trip to Peru, but, first, three weeks summer vacation in Colorado.”

Fairmont Magazine

13

Follow your nose When Le Labo says “handcrafted,� they mean it. Visit any Le Labo boutique around the world and find your perfect fragrance. Lab technicians will blend it on site and label the bottle with your name. Perfume for the masses? Hardly.

To find a location near your hotel, visit lelabofragrances.com

Vol.9 No. 2

Check In tr avel, fashion & lifest yle

Live the experience ——

pag e 7 1

London, England, is packed with picturesque settings, but it’s one thing to think you have the best view in

photo: HoundDog Photography

the city – and quite another for the world’s most famous Impressionist to agree with you. When Claude Monet came to the capital in 1899 he booked two rooms at The Savoy: one to sleep in and another to use as a studio. Step into the Personality River View Suite dedicated to the French painter and see for yourself what moved Monet to immortalize the Thames in brilliant shades of lilac, ocher and aquamarine. While the modern vista includes new points of interest (like the London Eye), the effect of the river remains the same. At once soothing and vibrant, bustling with tourists and trade, the artery of England’s capital is its own living, breathing work of art. Eve Thomas

Pop-up restaurants (p. 16), Monte Carlo shopping (p. 18), Designer travel (p. 20), paddleboarding tips (p. 21), New england style (p. 22), Healthy gadgets (p. 24), Water massage (p. 25), Sleep masks (p. 26), Kids’ fitness (p. 27), Eco road trip (p. 28) Fairmont Magazine

15

The Dish

Top of the Pops Pop-up restaurants are out to prove that they’re no flash in the pan.

c

hefs are the rock stars of the foodie world and pop-up restaurants are their soldout shows. Like pop-up shops – those temporary venues that offer emerging designers an affordable start-up space, and established brands a hot spot in which to sell their limited editions – pop-up restaurants are a guaranteed way to build buzz.

Sometimes a pop-up is the perfect way to mark a special occasion. To celebrate The Fairmont Hotel Vancouver’s 75th anniversary, the hotel reopened The Roof Restaurant + Bar, a 15thfloor dining venue that debuted in 1939 and was a humming social hub well into the sixties. The restored space pays tribute to its past with a retro menu (think prime rib and classic cocktails) and will stay open through fall 2014, when the hotel’s new restaurant and lounge is set to open.

Other pop-ups are purely seasonal.

In Montreal, Canada, urban sugar shack La Cabane salutes spring in the city’s Old Port with a month of maple-infused menus.

Once summer hits, hungry visitors can head to nearby Muvbox, an upcycled shipping container that sells buttery lobster rolls and creamy clam chowder until October (weather permitting).

While the concept of a pop-up restaurant implies an expiry date, some are just destined to stick around. What was supposed to be a temporary treat for fans of Nobuyuki “Nobu” Matsuhisa’s awardwinning Japanese-meets-South American cuisine turned into a permanent location – Nobu Fairmont Monte Carlo – last December due to high diner demand. Proof positive that once you pop, you can’t stop.

Eve Thomas Pictured: Boerenwereldkeuken, a mobile pop-up restaurant designed by dutch firm maurer united, can be set up in four hours and has space for 100 diners. maurerunited.nl

——

pag e 75

16

Fairmont Magazine

photo: Johannes Abeling/Hollandse Hoogte/Redux

Live the experience

Street View

Principality Charming

Shop the chicest addresses in Monaco with help from StĂŠphane Bellon, assistant head concierge at Fairmont Monte Carlo.

18

Fairmont Magazine

Lull

Elizabeth Wessel

Jean-Charles Pellegrino

LULL

e or ni ch Ro ut ed el am oy en ne C

esse rinc l. P Bou

Rue Gr ima ldi

Ja r din exo du

Bo ul.

eB elgiqu e

1er

ul. d

bert Bo ul. A l

Lull

o

Rue de Mill

Live the experience ——

pag e 7 7

l. d

Mercedeh Shoes

Fairmont Monte Carlo nde

’Oste

Elizabeth Wessel

u

Stefano Ricci

te rlot

Av. d

tique

Bo

a Ch

Bo

votto

Jean-Charles Pellegrino

Monaco

photo: naneen Photography (Elizabeth Wessel)

es M

Monte Carlo

Boul. de Lar

oulin s

Best for Italian Elegance Catering to the well-dressed gent

for more than 40 years, Florence-based brand Stefano Ricci pairs a history of craftsmanship with modern refinement. Monaco’s flagship boutique is famous for its Swarovski-crystal studded ties and bespoke suits.

12 AV. DES SPÉLUGUES, STEFANORICCI.IT

Best for the Well-Heeled Shopper Monte Carlo’s

undisputed footwear mecca, Mercedeh Shoes offers clients the best of every trend. Find show-stopping heels and espadrilles from coveted European brands, including Casadei, Le Silla and Rene Caovilla.

17 AV. DES SPÉLUGuES, MERCEDEH-SHOES.COM.

Best for a Night to Remember Launched by stylist

Yannick Barrale, Lull boutique carries a dizzying mix of vintage finds, haute couture pieces and timeless classics. For those last-minute gala invitations, formalwear, including tuxes with tails, is available for rent.

29 RUE DE MILLO, LULL.MC

Best for Brilliant Ideas In the expert hands of Jean-Charles

Pellegrino, diamonds, emeralds and tourmaline are transformed into priceless treasures. He brings clients’ dream jewelry to life, from initial sketches to 3-D modeling to the final, brilliant bespoke creation.

26 BIS BOUL. PRINCESSE CHARLOTTE, JEANCHARLESPELLEGRINO.COM

Best for Timeless Style After training in the haute couture houses of Paris, fashion designer Elizabeth Wessel made Monaco her home. Also a talented illustrator, Wessel has a special surprise for her very best clients: she immortalizes them on canvas wearing creations designed just for them. 17 BOUL. DE BELGIQUE, ELIZABETH-WESSEL.COM

Mercedeh Shoes

Mélanie Roy

Fairmont Magazine

19

Questionnaire

Gulf Glam

Middle-East fashion designer Hatem Alakeel shares his international insight and travel tips.

Fondest travel memory — Reuniting with some of my best friends from university on a trip to Barcelona, Spain. The city’s Art Nouveau architecture is breathtaking.

Next vacation — London. It’s my favorite destination for both business and pleasure. I spent my childhood there, so it evokes plenty of nostalgia.

When traveling, I wear — Pants that are comfortable but not too casual. Comfort does not have to be sloppy!

Best thing about traveling — Staying in hotels. I am a big fan of being pampered and going to spas.

The older I get, the more I yearn to have spiritual and relaxing experiences.

Best way to get to know a city — To mix with the locals and access the non-touristy areas.

I never leave home without — My sunglasses.

What’s in my carry-on — Clarins sunscreen.

Having worked in the skin-care industry, I know the importance of good SPF. Favorite city in the world — Rome. The city has so much character and sense of history.

Best shopping cities — New York and Milan have mastered the art of variety and selection. It’s all about finding those items that you can’t find everywhere else.

My idea of travel happiness — Nice scenery, great company and good music.

I’m always searching for the perfect — Peace of mind. It’s always nice to be able to do something relaxing that distracts me from my daily work.

The ultimate fashion icon — A trendsetter who goes by the beat of his or her own drum. From my point of view, it’s not about trends – it’s all about style.

Live the experience ——

pag e 76

20

Fairmont Magazine

Hatem Alakeel

Saudi-born fashion designer Hatem Alakeel splits his time between Jeddah, Dubai and destinations around the world, wowing fashion audiences with his tailored modern takes on the traditional men’s tunics known as thobes.

Mélanie Roy

Thrill Seeker

o n L o c a t i o n

All Aboard

Stand-up paddleboarding is a breeze with tips from Fairmont experts.

p r o

t i p s

“It’s a lot of fun

but don’t forget – paddleboarding is also serious exercise. That means respecting the basics, like staying hydrated, warming up and cooling down.”

Ryan Phillips

“Wider, longer

“Hawaii is a

boards are best for beginners.

They help create a more stable platform, which makes balancing easier.”

perfect paddleboarding playground, with gorgeous ocean views, turtles coming up to your board and whales breaching during the winter.”

Water sports attendant The Fairmont Royal Pavilion, Barbados

Aqua Surf School instructor Fairmont Miramar Bungalows, Santa Monica

Allen King

John Kealoha Fero

Soothe sun-kissed skin. KORRES yoghurt after-sun cooling gel, US$24, korres.com

stand out in swimwear. vilEbrequin water print moorea trunks US$250, vilebrequin.com

make a splash with sunnies. burberry spark square frame sunglasses, US$190, burberry.com

Hui Holokai beach boy The Fairmont Orchid, Hawaii

illustrations: guillaume brière

t o p g e a r

Fairmont Magazine

21

Accents 9

1 2

7

8

Prep Work

7

Stand up to a brisk Boston autumn with style inspired by the Ivy League.

6

3 5

4

Live the experience ——

1. Vintage New England collegiate style sets the tone for the season; 2. Fall/Winter 2014 collection, Black Fleece by Brooks Brothers, brooksbrothers.com; 3. Rescue leash, Found My Animal, US$50, foundmyanimal.com; 4. George chukka boot, Swims, US$199, swims.com; 5. Infinity Dark bow tie, Bo by Mansouri, US$60, getyourbo.com; 6. The Quartermaster suitcase, Ebby Rane, US$1,145, ebbyrane.com; 7. Atticus Finch bracelet, Kiel James Patrick, US$40, kieljamespatrick.com; 8. Leather football, Shinola, US$135, shinola.com; 9. Greenland backpack, Fjällräven, US$105, fjallraven.com Eve Thomas

22

Fairmont Magazine

photo: AMBER GIBBS (students)

pag e 6 8

escape home to oahu

Ward Village is Honolulu’s newest coastal community: a cosmopolitan setting, a fresh, modern attitude that embraces the spirit of Hawaii, the perfect mix of urban and island living.

Two iconic residential buildings, Waiea & Anaha, are now selling.

1, 2, and 3 bedroom residences from $1.3M to $5.5M Ultra luxury penthouses from $1.8M to $19.8M Call us today to schedule a private appointment.

Obtain the Property Report required by Federal law and read it before signing anything. No Federal agency has judged the merits or value, if any, of this property.

WARNING: THE CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF REAL ESTATE HAS NOT INSPECTED, EXAMINED OR QUALIFIED THIS OFFERING. This ad is not intended to be an offer to sell nor a solicitation of offers to buy real estate in Ward Village development to residents of Connecticut, Idaho, New York, New Jersey, and Oregon, or to residents of any other jurisdiction where prohibited by law. No offering can be made to residents of New York until an offering plan is filed with the Department of Law of the State of New York. Ward Village is a proposed planned master development in Honolulu, Hawaii that does not yet exist. Photos and drawings and other visual depictions in this advertisement are for illustrative purposes only and do not represent amenities or facilities in Ward Village and should not be relied upon in deciding to purchase or lease an interest in the development. The Developer makes no guarantee, representation or warranty whatsoever that the developments, facilities or improvements depicted will ultimately appear as shown. This is not intended to be an offering or solicitation of sale. Exclusive Project Broker Coldwell Banker Pacific Properties LLC. Copyright Š2014. Equal Housing Opportunity.

Tool Kit

Plug-in

Stylish

High-Tech Health

Stay in shape with wearable gadgets that track your every move.

User-friendly Social

Ergonomic

Versatile Clockwise from top left: Misfit Shine can be worn as a brooch, pendant or popped into a wristband, keeping you stylish while it tracks your activity (steps, calorie burn, even sleep) – just tap to view your progress, US$100, misfitwearables.com; Tinké monitors your breathing and heart rate during daily activities through a lightweight device that plugs into your iOS or Android smartphone, US$119, zensorium.com; Withings Pulse O2 gets right to the point, measuring and recording your heart

24

Fairmont Magazine

rate and blood oxygen levels instantly through a touch of the finger, US$120, vitrine.withings.com; Fitlinxx Pebble clips discreetly to your belt – and don’t be afraid to get it wet, US$60; Lumo Lift tracks activities and keeps tabs on your posture, vibrating lightly whenever you slouch, US$79, lumobodytech. com; Sony SmartBand not only monitors your steps, it records special moments in your day, plays your music and even tells you the weather, US$100, sonymobile.com Genevieve Wright

In Balance

Into the Blue

w

Live the experience ——

In-water massage helps tense muscles go with the flow.

warmer climes, the Dead Sea’s famously salty waters help massage therapists practice Watsu, a form of aquatic massage therapy that incorporates shiatsu and rhythmic movement.

For your own slice of H 2O heaven, book the Watsu massage at The Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn & Spa. In a dedicated Watsu pool filled with natural thermal mineral water, your body will release its tension as a massage therapist takes you through the treatment. Bath time never felt so good. Renée Morrison bluelagoon.com; fairmont.com/sonoma

photo: frederic lagrange/trunk archive

ater massages are making a splash on spa menus around the world. By swapping traditional therapy tables for bodies of water (from swimming pools to seas), spa-goers float weightlessly as they’re rocked, cradled and kneaded. The benefit: the body is totally supported and weight is taken off the vertebrae, allowing for deeper stretches, all gently guided by a trained therapist.

Iceland’s Blue Lagoon geothermal spa offers in-water massages on floating mats in a private corner of the massive outdoor pool, where heated, milky-blue water helps muscles fully relax. In

pag e 7 3

Fairmont Magazine

25

Travelogue

1 2

8

Sweet Dreams

3

Handcrafted in ateliers around the world, these eye masks will send you off to sleep in style.

7

4

6

1., 2. & 6. The silk-lined masks from this San Francisco company are all made in the USA, elizabethW, US$22, elizabethw. com; 3. A sheet of Japanese binchotan charcoal helps promote circulation, Morihata, US$23, rikumo.com; 4. & 8. This London brand’s Savile Row collection uses Yorkshire weavers and leather tanners from England’s West Country, Otis Batterbee, US$75, otisbatterbee.net; 5. Made in Nepal, this cashmere mask comes with its own travel pouch, Armand Diradourian, US$115, armanddiradourian.com; 7. This Canadian bedding and accessory company crafts its masks with 100-percent mulberry silk imported from China’s Jiangsu province, Cilque, US$45, cilque.com Eve Thomas

26

Fairmont Magazine

photo: luis albuquerque; styling: daniel onori

5

Three Steps

Kidding Around Keep traveling tots active with tips from Dr. John Ratey, spokesperson for Reebok’s Build Our Kids’ Success (BOKS) program.

1/ Move it

It’s easy to get locked into a schedule while traveling, but little ones need a chance to move around. “After a long flight or drive, instead of heading straight to the check-in desk, find an open area for kids to run around in,” says Dr. Ratey. “The exercise will make them more attentive and less prone to tantrums.”

2/ Stick together

Rather than splitting up for evening activities, make exercise a family affair with a game of tennis or soccer, or even with dancing. “There are so many options that feel more like having fun than working out, and doing them together is important because active parents set the example for their kids.”

3/

Take a break

If children have homework or reading to do on the road, encourage a quick bout of physical activity before they start.

“Give them a ‘brain break.’ Five or ten minutes of an activity like jump rope or jumping jacks is all it takes to help them focus.”

Renée Morrison

Build Our Kids’ Success

BOKS is a free, before-school physical activity program founded by Reebok Director of Social Responsibility Kathleen Tullie. Already implemented in 1,000 schools around the globe, the program was inspired by the book Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain by Harvard psychiatry professor Dr. John Ratey. BOKSKIDS.ORG Fairmont Magazine

27

Day Trip

The Green Miles

3 Eco -minded Pl ace s to Break Bread

28

Fairmont Magazine

1/ Granville Island Public Market Try salted caramel apple focaccia at Terra Breads. granvilleisland.com

2/ Farmer’s Apprentice Restaurant Start your meal with sourdough and onion butter. farmersapprentice.ca

3/ Trout Lake Farmers Market Pick up a lavender rosemary loaf from Purebread. eatlocal.org

photos: Hubert kang (left page); grouse mountain (wind turbine)

An eco-friendly journey from Vancouver to Whistler, Canada, is best seen from behind the wheel of the new electric BMW i3.

Stanley Park Seawall While one BMW is charging, hop on another – a BMW Cruise Bike, compliments of Fairmont Pacific Rim. Ask the hotel’s Bike Butler about his favorite routes along the oceanside Seawall. Take a selfie by the totem poles in Stanley Park, then loop back to the hotel to find your BMW i3 ready for the road and looking sharp with sustainably harvested eucalyptus-wood dashboard trim and leather seats tanned using environmentally friendly olive-leaf extract. fairmont.com/pacificrim

8 a.m.

10 a.m.

Bloedel Conservatory Check the BMW i3’s intelligent navigation system for the most efficient route to this tropical wonderland, located atop the highest point in the city.

(Fear not the steep drive up: the electric engine’s full torque means going from 0 to 35 mph in under four seconds.) Given Vancouver’s glut of green spaces, it might seem strange to head indoors – but a stroll through the oh-so-’60s biodome, complete with more than 200 free-flying exotic birds, is a blissful addition to any day. vancouver.ca/parks-recreation-culture/ bloedel-conservatory

4 p.m.

The Eye of the Wind You can spot the wind turbine on Grouse Mountain from downtown, but it’s worth the drive (and gondola ride up to the peak) to check out another form of responsible energy in action.

The world’s first and only wind turbine with its own glass viewing platform – located just 10 feet from the rotating blades – offers 360-degree views of the city and beyond. grousemountain.com

River of Golden Dreams The drive to Whistler is one of the most scenic routes in North America, but even more gorgeous points of view await on the water. Book a trip along the River of Golden Dreams, and Canadian Wilderness Adventures will drop you off at Alta Lake, where you and your guide can canoe or kayak down the often-challenging waterway to Dream River Park (where you’ll be picked up). canadianwilderness.com

Live the experience ——

pag e 7 7

1 p.m.

The Wildflower at The Fairmont Chateau Whistler Park the BMW i3 at one of 13 charging stations in the village, then end the day right with a meal built around the region’s bounty. Start with a salad of local Pemberton beets paired with apples and aged goat-cheese Gouda, followed by a sustainably fished cioppino stew of salmon, cod, scallops and clams. Then, finish with something extra sweet – a dessert that uses honey from the hotel’s very own beehives. fairmont.com/whistler Anicka Quin

8 p.m.

Fairmont Magazine

29

Beyond the 17th-century facades of Quebec City, Canada, a modern metropolis is emerging with all the architecture, culture, nightlife and dining to match – and while the tone is strikingly contemporary, it nods proudly to the past.

By Valerie Howes — Photos by Lorne Bridgman Styling by Cary Tauben

30

Fairmont Magazine

photo: Producer: Julien Beaupré ste-marie; Hair & Makeup: Andrew Ly; Photographic Assistant: Pierre-Luc Bouchard; Model: Sarah Chinerman; RIGHT: Michael Kors Hooded Sweater, T-Shirt, Trousers and footwear; By Malene Birger Handbag

Monde

Fairmont Magazine

31

T

­ e first time I stayed in Quebec City, at Fairmont Le h Château Frontenac, was 16 years ago, with my son – then a toddler. We walked the cobbled streets of the Old Town. I practiced my French at European-style bistros by ordering lacey crepes. And we visited the Plains of Abraham (once a battlefield, now a public park), until he’d announce – like a petit prince in snow pants – “I want to go back to my castle.”

The desire to inhabit a 121-year-old hotel orbited by 17th-century fortifications is a regal dream even for those more than three feet tall. Quebec City is one of Canada’s oldest settlements, and the Château, with its copper roof and fairytale turrets, the jewel in the city’s crown.

French explorer Samuel de Champlain founded Quebec City, in 1608, as a fur trading post and the first permanent colony of New France – a territory stretching west from the Atlantic to the Rocky Mountains, and south from subarctic Hudson Bay to the mouth of the Mississippi.

The French and British clashed repeatedly for control of Quebec City; the capital of New France was a key trading port on the St. Lawrence River – the most important commercial waterway in Canada to this day. To protect their strategic position, 18th-century French leaders built more than three miles (five kilometers) of fortifications around the Old Town, which today is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Yet the British still laid siege in 1759, claiming victory in a 15-minute battle on the Plains of Abraham, which brought French rule across all North America abruptly to an end.

Still, the language and culture prevailed. In the late 18th century, to calm tensions between French Canadians and the influx of Loyalist subjects fleeing the American Revolution, the British created Upper and Lower Canada, with Quebec City as Lower Canada’s capital. This laid the foundations both for the predominantly French-speaking province of Quebec and, ultimately, for Canada as an independent country.

So while history may be palpable here in every cobbled step, locals refuse to treat their hometown like a city frozen in time. On returning to stay at the newly renovated Château this year, I discover a dynamic and youthful Quebec City, crying out to be explored.

I

settle into a bronze bar stool at the black marble bar in Bistro Le Sam, under a light fixture of gold and copper strands, as delicate as fine-chain necklaces. Their colors complement the plush blue velvet and pale gold of the booth seating around me. My bartenders are Joannie, who does a wee shoulder dance as she mixes drinks, and Daniel, who sports a Tintin haircut and thin beard. They explain that the decor was inspired by the vintage passenger cars run by Canadian Pacific Railway – the company that built the Château and many of Canada’s historic hotels to accommodate 19th-century rail travelers. The name Le Sam pays homage to the city’s founder, Samuel de Champlain, but in cheeky diminutive to point out its smart-casual ranking among the hotel’s three new restaurants.

Built on Cape Diamond, a quartz-encrusted cliff overlooking the

Previous Pages, left to right: waterspout, an aluminum sculpture by Jean-Pierre Morin graces the entrance of the musée national des beaux-Arts du Québec; relaxing in the hotel's refreshed lobby; this page: enjoying a bloody caesar at Bistro Le Sam's bar; right: The Château's White Cosmopolitan cocktail is served with a spherical ice "cube" containing a pink orchid; the modern foyer of the Museums of Civilization; Michel côté sits at champlain restaurant's king's table, a long table that can be reserved for special occasions and at which diners are treated to a "chef's choice" tasting menu

32

Fairmont Magazine

Michel Côté Director of the Museums of Civilization

Left: Filippa K Turtleneck and Trousers; Betty Ray Necklace; Giuseppe Zanotti footwear (Available at Browns)

I’ve lived all over Europe directing many museums, and can confirm that the Château is an international icon – everyone knows about it. When friends visit from here or abroad, I always take them for a drink at the hotel bar for the spectacular views of the St. Lawrence River. It’s the highlight of their day.

Fairmont Magazine

33

Jacques Plante Architect, author, teacher and designer of Palais Montcalm concert hall

LEFT: Roksanda Ilincic Skirt and Top (Available at SSENSE.com); Mimosa footwear (Available at Browns); Swarovski Ring

My grandmother was born in the lower town in 1902 – a girl "from down the hill" as they used to be called. To her, the Château, in the upper town, had an aura of glamour about it, reserved for the city’s elite. To have so much as a coffee at the Château was to enter a world of wonder and prestige. She would dress in her Sunday best just to go, and did so right up until the end of her life.

34

Fairmont Magazine

This page, clockwise from top left: the cheese room at the entrance to 1608 Wine & Cheese bar; ARchitect Jacques plante; The circular bar at 1608; right: La maison de la musique's Casavant pipe organ at the palais montcalm was designed to match Jacques plante's concert hall; museum director Line Ouellet takes a break on the velvet banquettes of Bistro Le sam

Line Ouellet Director of the Musée National des Beaux-Arts du Québec (MNBAQ) The Château is part of the urban landscape and the experience of visiting Old Quebec. I’ve visited in every phase of my life. As a child, a trip to the terrasse with my parents always ended with us entering the majestic hall where I felt as though I’d been transported to a château in Loire, France (where the architect took his inspiration). It was an experience I repeated years later with my own children. What the Château represented to our lives in the 20th century, I hope the new pavilion of the MNBAQ will come to symbolize in the 21st.

city, where for 200 years the territorial governor's residence once stood, the Château has been the backdrop to daily life since 1893 and has hosted such dignitaries as Grace of Monaco, Winston Churchill and Charles de Gaulle. It was even the silent star of Alfred Hitchcock’s 1953 thriller, I Confess. All of these elements of the Château’s storied past inform its latest incarnation.

I ask Joannie for a cocktail suggestion from the new menu and she returns with a Martinez. Warm with cinnamon and allspice bitters, it’s served in a slightly misshapen silver tankard. “This thing has been at the Château for a very long time,” she says.

For my next drink, Daniel pumps bourbon-barrel smoke into his cocktail, then covers it with a glass cloche. “This is our spin on the classic Bijou, which uses gin to represent diamonds, sweet vermouth for rubies and Chartreuse for emeralds,” he says. “But ours is called the Algonquin because the smoke suggests the campfires of Quebec’s first inhabitants.”

When Daniel lifts the cloche, dramatic swirling ensues. Then each time I raise my stemless glass from its base, it sends out a tiny smoke signal. A couple approaches just to stare. Who doesn’t like barside theatrics?

J

une marked the completion of Fairmont Le Château Frontenac’s facelift, a renovation that touched on everything from the guest rooms to the spa. In the lobby, the original oak paneling and gleaming brass mailbox and elevator doors that I remember remain. But behind the reception desks I now find backlit blue-rippled Italian onyx and ultramarine ceiling panels, recalling the St. Lawrence River – the city’s lifeblood.

This motif continues in the more formal Champlain Restaurant, where a twisting swath of gauze streams across the ceiling. Breakfast is just wrapping up as I sit down for coffee with the hotel’s executive chef Baptiste Peupion and Champlain Restaurant chef Stéphane Modat.

“We hear a lot about Nordic countries right now. Why not Quebec?” says Peupion, an Alain Ducasse protégé. He and his second-in-command are in whites, sans toques, on a break before their lunchtime shift. One picks up where the other leaves off, like an old married couple, as they define their vision for a new Quebecois cuisine.

“We use what Quebec has now instead of looking backward to what they had in a time before trading,” says Modat. “For example, coconut may not be a terroir product, but everyone’s grandmother here used it in their macaroons. It belongs to our culture.”

“And maple syrup is great, but there’s so much more,” adds Peupion.

“A local company, La Face Cachée de la Pomme, is making us ice cider from the juice of apples frozen on the branch in winter,” continues Modat. “It’s a great example of what people call a terroir product, but if you look back 30 years, it didn’t even exist.”

As well as working with traditional imports and customized artisanal goods, the young chefs also favor regional delicacies – sweet little strawberries from across the bridge in Île d’Orléans… fresh lobster caught from the Magdalen Islands… artisanal charcuterie from the farms of the Gaspé Peninsula on Quebec’s eastern tip.

In the glassed-in cheese room of the hotel’s new 1608 Wine & Cheese Bar, one of the signature products is cheese made from the milk of the Canadienne. The stocky cow was the only dairy breed to have been developed in North America. It almost disappeared in the 20th century.

But its milk is luxuriously rich, and the animal thrives in Quebec’s frigid winters, so a few farming families in the province have been working to save the Canadienne and elevate its reputation to prized terroir breed.

“If we don’t lead the way by offering products like this,” says Peupion, draining his coffee, “who will?”

Fairmont Magazine

35

the Champlain RESTAURANT with its signature herringbone floor, wine cellars (accessible by ladders) and ceiling installation representing the St. Lawrence river; Right: Painter paul bĂŠliveau in his st-roch studio with his piece "warhol"; The spiral staircase of the SĂŠminaire de QuĂŠbec, a former seminary turned home to the architecture department of laval university

36

Fairmont Magazine

A

pproaching the 19th-century Saint-Esprit church in La CitéLimoilou – amid a modern throng of cafés, bikes and strollers – I know I’m in the right place when I catch a girl singing loudly on the front steps and practicing a Charlie-Chaplinesque choreography. She’s the class clown (literally) of École de Cirque de Québec circus school. I push open a heavy wrought copper door beneath an electric-lime big-top-like canopy, step inside and take a pew.

Downstairs, beneath a sapphire vaulted ceiling, I find girls pedaling unicycles where choirboys once clasped hymnbooks. “Mind if I watch?”

I ask. Pleased to have an audience, they take things up a notch, adding backward moves and 360-degree turns.

From its founding, Quebec City was predominantly Catholic and home to several religious orders. In the 1950s, religion and politics went hand in hand, with priests not only preaching religion but also trying to sway churchgoers in the vote. Prime Minister Duplessis’s era of religious oppression and regressive politics came to be known as the Great Darkness.

By the 1960s, a new generation was rebelling against the old regime, investing their energy in progressive social change and the arts. Church attendance plummeted.

Today, Quebec City has 130 churches, 20 convent chapels, two cathedrals and two basilicas, all considered architectural and cultural treasures. Faced with the demise of these assets, the Archdiocese has been working with the Ministry of Culture and Communications to preserve properties like Saint-Esprit, giving them new uses – but ones that keep them at the heart of community life.

Upstairs, I watch a teenage boy in tights slither through a hanging hoop, stained-glass windows in the background. His female mentor calls out advice when the boy’s body gets stuck in a pretzel form. I ask another girl why she comes here as she clambers onto a trapeze. She calls back, kicking her legs to swing, “Cirque du Soleil!”

M

y calves are getting a killer workout as I explore this city of uphill climbs on a BMW Cruise Bike that I borrowed from the Château. I pedal past the fortifications toward the Plains of Abraham, heading over to the Musée National des Beaux-Arts du Québec, a onetime prison, now home to the province’s collection of fine art.

Builders are constructing a pavilion for large-scale exhibits in an architectural collaboration between Dutch luminary Rem Koolhaas’s firm and Montreal’s leaders in sustainable design, Provencher Roy. Architectural renderings reveal a glass pavilion that will be seamlessly integrated into the park and bathed in natural light – the Quebec City equivalent of the pyramid at the Louvre.

This synthesis of modern design with the strongholds of Quebec City’s past has created some creative architectural workarounds, such as Les Musées de la Civilisation’s stone-and-glass frame that climbs the sloping bank of the St. Lawrence, and the Palais Montcalm, in which an ultra-modern acoustic hall was fused to the building’s existing Art Deco facade.

To see more, I take the cycle path past the Plains’ now-silent cannons and pick up speed as I descend the winding streets down to the Old Port to reach the Promenade Samuel-De Champlain – a 1.5-mile (2.5-kilometer) public path that follows the St. Lawrence River. Inaugurated for the city’s 400th anniversary in 2008, the very visual riverside trail is punctuated by modernist rest stations and large-scale public artworks. Its highlight is a modern lookout tower, the kind of minimalist structure on which beautiful people linger in the pages of Dwell (but here set in a locale

Paul Béliveau Painter My family has a long history with the Château: My grandmother used to work there as a chambermaid and, later, my brother as a cook. In the '70s, I got my first job in the kitchen as a dishwasher before being promoted to prepping salads and performing other non-essential culinary tasks. I remember a big banquet in the ballroom during the holidays. All the servers conspired to pour the ends of the Champagne bottles into a silver teapot, which they gave me and I polished off in hiding. Let's just say I went home a little tipsy that night.

Fairmont Magazine

37

Concierge

Quebec city, Canada Stay

Fairmont Le Château Frontenac just underwent a $75-million transformation that included a redesigned grand lobby and guest rooms, expanded Fairmont Gold floors, additional banquet space and newly launched urban spa and restaurant concepts. The revitalization lends a contemporary hotel feel, while honoring the 121-year-old landmark by restoring historic details throughout.

fairmont.com/frontenac-quebec

Renée Hudon

Dine At Bistro Le Sam, Fairmont Le

In the summer of 1952, Alfred Hitchcock came to Quebec City to film I Confess with Anne Baxter and Montgomery Clift, whose most dramatic scene took place in the hotel ballroom. For authenticity, he left several roles open for Quebecers to fill, requesting only that the candidates be bilingual and without previous dramatic training. I’ll never forget showing up to the audition in one of the hotel suites at 10 years old, and shortly afterwards signing a contract with Warner Brothers to appear in a film directed by the master of suspense (and as one of the two little girls who identify the murderer, no less). I owe a lot to Hitchcock. It’s because of this experience that I started a career in radio and television. That’s where it all began.

Top: Hitchcock gives direction to renée hudon (left, at 10) and carmen gingras in 1952 on the first day of shooting the movie I confess (The director insisted renée wear glasses to "emphasize her eyes"); Hudon today; below: the lookout tower on the promenade Samuel-de champlain

38

where fur traders once launched their canoes).

On my way back, I stop to photograph Canadian Prairies sculptor Joe Fafard’s powder-coated, cut-steel-plate abstract sculptures of horses.

The eight vividly colorful and heroic-sized galloping ponies were a gift from the City of Calgary, Canada, whose farming and lumbering industries were built on the labor of horses sent west from Quebec – horses whose ancestors crossed the ocean from the French stables of King Louis XIV. Their poses are said to represent past, present and future. The vitality of their arched necks, flying manes and pounding hooves certainly speaks to the new Quebec City I’ve discovered on this trip. I sit down for a while to take it all in.

My son, now getting ready for college, would have loved the energy in this city. I send him a snapshot of Fafard’s horses and a wish-youwere-here text. It’s getting late. I’ve been cycling hard. I want to go back to my castle. ­­­ ­ Fairmont Magazine

Château Frontenac’s “evolving restaurant,” guests can come for a light lunch, afternoon tea, happy hour, live entertainment or classic cocktails. In the hotel's 1608 Wine & Cheese Bar, which has the first dedicated cheese room in the province, diners can also sample from a rotation of more than 30 artisanal local cheeses and an extensive wine list. And at Champlain restaurant, the reinvented Quebec cuisine is built around regional ingredients and informed by heritage dishes.

cuisinechateau.com On rue Saint-Jean, Chez Boulay cooks up seasonal daily menus based on the Manifesto for the New Nordic Kitchen, followed by Scandinavian trailblazers Noma and Fäviken. Unique foraged and hyperlocal ingredients make it into their dishes.

chezboulay.com

Do Fairmont President’s Club mem-

bers can borrow a BMW Cruise Bike at the reception and cycle from the Château to the Promenade Samuel-De Champlain – a 1.5-mile (2.5-km) bicycle path along the St. Lawrence River that integrates nature and public art. quebecregion.com/en

photo: Marc Cramer/DAOUST LESTAGE inc. architecture design urbain (promenade samuel-de champlain)

Media personality, public speaking consultant (and child star)

HOW FAR WOULD

YOU GO ?

FOR AN ACCURATE DIAGNOSIS. FOR UNPARALLELED EXPERTISE. FOR GROUNDBREAKING TREATMENT.

YOUR LIFE IS WORTH THE TRIP.

When it comes to your life, distance should never be a factor. As soon as you know you need help, come to Johns Hopkins Medicine. We’ve been innovating patient care at every point of the journey for over a century.

That includes making your journey to us as easy as possible. Let us help you plan your trip. The sooner, the better the outcome.

For appointments, trip planning and more

1-855-88-HOPKINS U.S. TOLLFREE +14432876080 INTERNATIONAL PROMISEofMEDICINE.ORG

40

Fairmont Magazine

Weekday wa r r i o r CrossFit is just the beginning of a new kind of fitness regimen, one built to go with you wherever you are in ­­your life – and the world.

By Eve Thomas — Illustrations

by H arry Campbell

Fairmont Magazine

41

T

he first rule of CrossFit is: You must talk about CrossFit. A lot. Over the past year, reps and squats have been front and center on my social media feeds, along with kettlebells, kale smoothies and triumphant, sweat-drenched selfies taken in the changing room mirror.

Even the last Olympic Games didn’t have people this eager to get out there and exercise. While it’s tempting to call CrossFit a craze, some 20 years after it was first founded it has spread all over the world, with 10,000 affiliate gyms as well as fire departments and military units teaching its mix of strength and conditioning.

So after yet another friend encouraged me to “just try one class,” I slipped on some sneakers, stretched my hammies and headed to Washington, D.C. “People are really passionate about CrossFit, but then passion is what gets you going in the morning,” says Mark S. Andrew, CrossFit expert at Fairmont Washington, D.C., Georgetown.

Three years ago Andrew moved to the American capital from Vancouver, Canada, where he helped orchestrate the city’s winning bid for the 2010 Winter Olympics. He even has the gleaming silver torch to prove it – it’s propped up in his office alongside his stateof-the-art exercise bike and photos of him with the last four presidents of the United States.

When he arrived in D.C., Andrew found a city buzzing with the ambition of politicians, diplomats, college students and eager interns.

What he didn’t find was a hotel gym that suited their needs.

“When you come to town to meet with the President or lobby congress and you have a few hours off, you want your workout to give you the energy to do something you couldn’t do before,” he muses. (It’s worth noting that, during my visit, President Obama makes the front page for his lackluster hand-weight workout in a hotel gym in Poland.)

So out went the Fairmont’s rarely booked racquetball court and in came a “box” – that’s a CrossFit gym to those in the know – as well as new workout equipment, classes care of Balance Gym, a mezzanine-level fitness center open to hotel guests, and even a special paleo-friendly menu that members can order for takeout on their way out the door. (“It saved my marriage!” claims one member as I scan the menu, which includes pan-seared rockfish and grilled grass-fed strip steak.)

CrossFit ABC Get the lingo down with this handy cheat sheet before you set foot in the gym.

42

Fairmont Magazine

In many ways, D.C.’s population is reflective of a new reality, one where you never quite switch off. Whether you’re watching CNN over breakfast or checking your emails at the park, the line between work and play has never been blurrier. It's only logical that the same hotel that makes your dinner reservations or has your shoes shined overnight also ensures you don’t miss a beat in your fitness regimen, whether that means booking a massage therapist or a personal trainer.

At the same time, we are in the middle of a redefinition of what it means to be healthy – an acknowledgement that for diet or exercise to work effectively, it can’t simply be a chore penciled into your schedule (“Tuesday: Be healthy from 9–10 a.m.”). It has to become second nature. In that way, Fairmont Hotels & Resorts is leading the charge with everything from hotel gyms to spa menus.

“Studies show people are more effective in their careers when they work out,” says Andrew. “Helping them do it makes sense.”

I

t turns out that just having a CrossFit gym in the hotel can make people healthier – even if they never take a class. “Your typical guests aren’t CrossFitters, but they’re not not CrossFitters,” says Andrew. “They might check it out and then take a different class or go on the machines.”

While CrossFit boxes are as varied as yoga studios when it comes to approach and design, the one at Fairmont Washington, D.C., Georgetown, is clearly at the top of its game.

“Regular CrossFitters are just blown away when they come here,” says Jim Bathurst, CrossFit director at Balance Gym, as he passes a row of half a dozen students doing handstands along the wall. They all appear to be in their 20s and 30s, wearing alma mater t-shirts, Day-Glo running shoes and, most importantly, wide grins. “We always say that you may not be able to lift your arms at the end of a session, but at least someone from the hotel will hold the door open for you.”

A keen sense of humor is common – perhaps crucial – here.

Despite the somewhat daunting ropes hanging from the ceiling, the vibe is more summer camp than high school gym class. Each task is scalable, meaning I can grab a PVC pipe and struggle alongside my neighbor and her Olympic-sized barbell and we’ll both work up a sweat. Members cheer each other on and scrawl their aspirations

AbMat ➤ A foam wedge placed on the ground during core-strengthening exercises to aid range of motion.

AMRAP ➤ As Many Reps (or Rounds) As Possible, within a given time frame.

When your time is up, note

your record so you can beat it in the future.

Box ➤ A gym specializing in CrossFit. GHD ➤ Glute Ham Developer, a piece of equipment used for various

exercises, including back extensions, hip extensions and sit-ups.

WOD ➤ Workout of the Day, a scalable workout that everyone at a box can do together, regardless of ability level.

Aerial Hammock Yoga

Hula Hooping

TRX Suspension

The Fairmont Scottsdale Princess

The Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn & Spa

The Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn & Spa

Using circus-inspired fabric slings, aerial yoga lets gravity do some of the work while you’re in traditional yoga poses.

Have fun while building core muscles in a grown-up exercise routine built around this children’s toy, invented in 1958.

Developed by a former Navy SEAL, this workout uses special straps to help you develop strength, flexibility and balance.

outsi de the box Kettlebells

Fairmont Pittsburgh

Pick up these retro-inspired weights, which originated in Russia in the 1700s, in a class that combines strength training with cardio.

Tai Chi

Fairmont Beijing

Focus on your breathing and movements with this ancient Chinese martial art that’s touted for its health benefits, including stress relief.

Venture beyond the weight room with seven unique workouts that are taking the fitness world (and Fairmont guests) by storm.

Get in Gear With Fairmont Fit, Fairmont President’s Club members can get Reebok gear, including running shoes and yoga mats, delivered right to their room. fairmont.com/fpc/fairmont-fit

Barre

Fairmont Washington, D.C., Georgetown

Anyone can play ballet in this danceinspired workout that increases lean muscle mass and whose celebrity devotees include Madonna and Natalie Portman.

FloYo

The Fairmont Orchid, Hawaii

Develop your core and improve your balance with floating yoga, a class that will have you doing sun salutations on a standup paddleboard.

Fairmont Magazine

43

Concierge

(“20 pull-ups,” “Squat 300 lbs”) across the chalkboard-paint walls. And later, when John Mellencamp’s “Hurts So Good” comes on mid-workout, everybody groans audibly.

The gym also helps create an air of energy throughout the hotel, and it isn't limited to guests (though quite a few of the people stopping into the Gold Floor lounge for a bottle of water or handful of trail mix are wearing head-to-toe workout gear).

When I show up for a Body Balance Class – a fast-paced mix of weight lifting and cardio influenced by Japanese training – I find cleaning staff breaking a sweat next to off-duty CrossFit coaches, incognito D.C. residents and hotel guests, as well as Andrew himself.

He isn’t just a fan of healthy living, he also walks the walk (and runs the run, and bicycles the bicycle), attending classes as both a student and teacher. As he points out during a much-needed water break, “Exercise is a great leveler.”

“W

ellness is no longer just a trend, it is a movement, and it is permeating every aspect of society,” states Andrew Gibson, Fairmont’s vice president of Spa and Wellness.

A 30-year veteran of the hotel industry, Gibson has watched the relationship between health and hotels evolve dramatically. In the late ’80s, the hotel industry took a cue from the boom in private fitness clubs, installing basic gym facilities to give them a

competitive edge, putting in a few pieces of equipment, a pool, maybe even a sauna in the changing room.

Over the next two decades it became standard for hotels and resorts to not only have fitness facilities, but to explore health from every angle. That means cuisine that’s good for both the environment (for example, using seasonal, local ingredients) and diners (catering to special dietary requirements, from food allergies to diabetes), as well as full, luxurious spas that offer more than facials and manicures – what Gibson calls “a subtle shift in focus from pampering to therapeutic.”

As with their workouts, guests want the impact of their spa treatments to last long after they’ve checked out.

The next step for hotels and health, in Gibson’s words: “A hotel will have a unique edge if it evolves to passive participation, where the simple act of staying at a Fairmont hotel will lead to a better and healthier stay.”

And how can you promise a healthy stay without knowing whether someone will book a spa day or go to the gym? It’s in the little things: lighting design, air treatment, even the choice of materials used throughout the property. Imagine, says Gibson, “a hotel that helps you breathe more easily with filtered air, has hypoallergenic materials throughout, and freedom of choice in menu items for allergy sufferers.”

This vision doesn’t seem very far off. In fact, as I walk through the hotel garden and head out the door toward the Washington Monument, on foot, it all appears surprisingly close. ­­

“Wellness is no longer just a

trend, it is a movement, and it is permeating every aspect of society.”

– Andrew Gibson, Vice President, Spa and Wellness, Fair mont

44

Fairmont Magazine

Washington, D.C., USA

Stay

Located in the capital city’s West End neighborhood, Fairmont Washington, D.C., Georgetown is close to all the must-see monuments and museums – but the area still manages to feel cozy and walkable. A short stroll brings you to historic Georgetown and its harbor on the Potomac River – great for high-end shopping and yacht-spotting.

fairmont.com/washington

Dine Order off the Lifestyle Cuisine

Plus menu at Juniper for fresh, healthy meals built around special dietary requirements from diabetes to gluten allergies. The culinary team is dedicated to local ingredients – you’ll find a map of nearby farms on the menu – including honey from the hotel’s own rooftop beehives, which you can find in the signature BeeTini cocktail. Pressed for time? Order a paleo-friendly meal at the gym before you work out and you can pick it up when you’re done.

Do

Visit the Balance Gym (Fairmont guests get free access), or see the sights while staying in shape by taking part in a group run or bicycle ride starting from the property. The Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial are about 10 blocks away, along with crowd-pleasers like the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum and the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, a quiet, lush space amid the crowds.

balancegym.com

Nanjing Here a stone lion stands guard outside the Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum; opposite page: the Fairmont Nanjing lobby mixes traditional motifs and modern design

46

Fairmont Magazine

Now

photos: XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

and

photos: XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

A first-person look

at this booming Chinese city reveals an ancient, historic center turned modern metropolis.

By Adam Leith Gollner — Photos by Grant H arder

Fairmont Magazine

47

left and above: tourists flock to the Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum and statue-lined paths on purple mountain; below and opposite page: boats for hire and public art installations in Xuanwu Lake park

I sense it

the second we pull into the city.

The explosive growth in Nanjing is more than just facts or figures or headlines in the business section – it’s audible. As my bullet train from Shanghai glides into the massive train station (a 180-mile journey in a mere 90 minutes), I am greeted by the sound of construction. “So loud,” says the 20-something engineering student next to me as he awakens from a nap. He looks out the window and brightens as the scene switches from fields to glass and steel. “But I love it.”

With an average of two foreign firms opening offices here every single day, Nanjing is hurtling full-tilt into the future. The volume may be turned up, but to everyone in this growing city (its eight million inhabitants are dwarfed by the 20-million-plus populations of Shanghai and Beijing) it is music to the ears. For all that bustle means growth, progress and prosperity – three words synonymous with success in modern-day China, even when centuries of history are never far away.

As it turns out, the symphony of urban development pairs nicely with the music in my taxi, a cosmic blend of midi trumpets, harp swoops and interstellar pan flutes that I can only describe as “Epic Zen.” The soundtrack serenades me as the high-rises give way to the city’s richest heritage spot: Purple Mountain, a wooded park that packs natural beauty and a history lesson into about 5,000 acres.

History buffs, myself included, head straight to the UNESCO World Heritage-designated Ming Xiaoling mausoleum, built in the 14th and 15th centuries when Nanjing was the largest city in the world. Strolling along the sculpture-lined Sacred Path, I learn that Nanjing wasn’t just a capital city for 10 separate dynasties – it was also the capital of China throughout most of the first half of the 20th century. Climbing the 392 stairs up to the tomb of Dr. Sun Yat-Sen – under whose leadership the country became a republic – I sense

48

Fairmont Magazine

Fairmont Magazine

49

that the city is accustomed to taking change in stride. It’s clear that being in Nanjing doesn’t just mean witnessing the future being built, it means grasping a key to Chinese history.

As I make my way back to the heart of the city, Purple Mountain follows. The park is famous for containing more than 300 kinds of plum blossom – mei hua, the city’s official flower – and when the white, pale pink and crimson flowers bloom every spring they inspire carnivals, music festivals and dragon dances. As I check into Fairmont Nanjing I spot the floral motif everywhere, from dramatic oil paintings to tiny details hidden in the upholstery and wallpaper.

Arriving at the hotel feels a bit like landing 15 (or perhaps 50) years in the future. The 62-floor Jinao Tower (the hotel occupies the skyscraper’s upper half) blurs tradition and high tech, its sculptural exterior inspired as much by the shape of Chinese paper lanterns as by the work of modernist sculptor Constantin Brancusi.

In a district filled with light, it’s incredible how much Fairmont Nanjing still stands out. The tower anchors a neighborhood called Hexi New Town in the Jianye District, an emerging commercial and civic hub where construction began in 2002 and whose Central Business District is expected to host 50 percent of the city’s commercial resources and foreign businesses by 2015. All in a space by the Yangtze that was, until recently, occupied by rice paddies.

As I whoosh up to my suite, the see-through elevator gives me a dizzying view of the soaring atrium, which was inspired by the brocaded interior of a lantern (and is decorated with plum blossoms, of course).

50

Fairmont Magazine

But the sleek design of the hotel, opened at the end of 2013, is about more than first impressions or a striking view. Named after Brancusi’s Endless Column sculpture, the building’s “infinite column” structural system consists of a tube-in-tube system of reinforced concrete. (The American firm behind the building, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, won Architect Magazine’s R&D Award for its work.) The structure was conceived of as an oasis of calm, its double-skin facade specially designed to create “a climatic chamber of air” that offers excellent year-round insulation from heat and cold – as well as noise.

Even more tranquility can be found at the hotel’s immaculate Willow Stream Spa, with its energy showers, steam rooms and a mineral pool sparkling under a glittering, geometric ceiling. Those looking to further unwind can also indulge in one of the Fairmont’s famous afternoon teas – especially with a Chinese jasmine tea, which tastes particularly splendid when sipped 37 stories above the Yangtze flowing beneath your gaze.

A

fter sufficient downtime, I do as the locals and head out to 1912 Nightlife and Leisure District. “1912” refers to the style of its gray brick buildings, constructed in a faux-colonial Minguo style – and emblazoned with neon signs. Its mix of Western coffee shops, Asian cuisine and 24-hour entertainment is a perfect example of Nanjing’s contradictory “new-old” feel. Every part of town seems to be somehow bridging past and present, with everyone caught in the middle.

There are countless moments, attractions and activities to pursue here, but wherever I am I invariably feel that, somewhere between the twin poles of past and future, I am always inhabiting a particular sense of nowness.

The same is true as I take a slow boat down the Qinhuai River, admiring the layers of architecture that make the city so unique, or later in the Confucius Temple Area, or Fuzimiao, a center for the philosophical study of Confucianism that is now a warren of shopping streets that feels like the prototype of every Chinatown in the world. Afterward, I indulge

opposite page: the serene Xuanwu Lake park; jinao tower’s sculptural exterior is even more impressive at night; this page: dishes and diners converge at dapaidang restaurant and on shiziqiao (Lion Bridge) delicacy Street

Fairmont Magazine

51

Concierge

Nanjing, China STAY FAIRMONT NANJING is a

refined totem of luxury and tranquility in the center of Jianye’s Hexi New Town. The dazzling design has made the exterior one of the most recognizable architectural landmarks of Nanjing’s spectacular skyline – 359 rooms and suites await inside, including a Fairmont Gold floor and lounge. Find Fairmont Residences Nanjing in development nearby. fairmont.com/nanjing

DINE RICHESSE CHINOISE, located

on the 35th and 36th floors of the Fairmont Nanjing, is an impeccable introduction to Huaiyang cuisine. Considered to be the most refined form of Jiangsu cooking, Huaiyang represents one of the Four Great Traditions of China’s culinary heritage. VIPs will want to book one of the restaurant’s 22 private dining rooms, and everyone should try the Yang Zhou fried rice – it’s as authentic as it gets.

in the local delights of the Qinhuai Eight Treasures (a set of eight pairs of small traditional dishes) while sipping a bottle of Jinling beer. Its broken-English slogan is cryptic but, somehow, appropriate: “Nanjing for half a century, moments. Still freshly sincerely from Nanjing.”

T

hat happy-here-and-now sensation hits me yet again on the 20th floor of the Jianhua building in the downtown Baixia district. What could easily be office space is instead a restaurant called My Home, recommended by Yin Hoo, a local journalist and new media entrepreneur who says it’s an excellent example of modern Nanjing. It’s easy to see where My Home got its name: Eating here is like eating in someone’s apartment – a cozy, old-fashioned home that also happens to be a restaurant inside a futuristic skyscraper.

The food is simple and authentic, featuring dishes like garlicky purple amaranth leaves and spicy bok choy with beef. The showstopper, however, is an utterly unique dish of fermented rice soup (picture a large bowl of milky broth filled with glutinous rice pellets and bits of winey-tasting rice). Yin assures me that, although it may not sound (or look) like much, it’s a winner. And that it is: It tastes supremely delicate, with a subtle sweetness that you often find in local Jiangsu cuisine, and it has that distinctive satisfying quality that you find in the world’s best comfort foods. “This is my favorite meal,” Yin confides.

“And here, it tastes just like how it tasted when I was kid.”

As we finish up our dinner, I realize that even in a fast-moving, industrial place like Nanjing, people still long for the intimate, the familiar and the comfortable. The beauty of this city is that, if you look, you keep on finding those things, over and over again.

“I’m a Nanjinger. We respect traditions while looking forward to the future,” says Yin. “But neither of those matter too much. History is history, and who knows what tomorrow will bring? We don’t really worry about it at all – we just enjoy the moment.” ­­

52

Fairmont Magazine

DO No single area quite encapsulates

the historical splendor of Nanjing so neatly as PURPLE MOUNTAIN, located within the city itself. Many prime tourist destinations are clustered here, from the Ming Xiaoling Mausoleum to the mountain’s observatory. from top: The pool at fairmont nanjing’s willow stream spa echoes the hotel’s geometric exterior; richesse chinoise showcases Huaiyang cuisine

To remember the thousands of Nanjingers who died when the city fell to Japanese soldiers in 1937, visit the NANJING MASSACRE MEMORIAL HALL. The site includes an outdoor area full of statues, victims’ names and footprints left by survivors.

Fairmont residences nanjing

54

Fairmont Magazine Paint from Benjamin Moore (amethyst cream-2071-50)

The Jet-Setting Artisan

Perfume house founders Eddie Roschi & Fabrice Penot

Paint from Benjamin Moore (sunburst-2023-49); john varvatos and filson available at harry rosen; omega available at birks; sennheiser available at future shop

In just eight years, the French co-founders of New York-based boutique perfumery Le Labo have grown their brand to include 10 stand-alone shops – not to mention Fairmont Hotels & Resorts (Rose 31 is the fragrance of Fairmont’s in-room amenities). For a great host(ess) gift, Roschi recommends a Santal 26 scented candle.

Opposite page: POP Teapot EQ3 US$45; This page, clockwise from top: Boots John Varvatos US$300; Bag Filson company US$335; Santal 26 candle Le Labo US$70; Limited-edition Apollo 11 watch Omega US$7,200; Momentum headphones Sennheiser US$300; Vintage inkwells Cynthia Findlay Antiques US$930/US$465 Fairmont Magazine

55

The Well-Heeled Wanderer

Best-selling author Sophie Kinsella

Paint from Benjamin Moore (blushing bride-2086-50); valentino available at davids; roberto coin available at birks

To get into her beloved character Becky Brandon’s frame of mind, the British writer slips on a pair of killer Valentino heels. “I find it gives me an instant ‘Becky’ kickstart.” Coming out this fall from Fairmont partner Penguin Random House, the next book in Kinsella’s wildly popular Shopaholic series, Shopaholic to the Stars, follows the Brandon clan to L.A.

Clockwise from top: Margo satchel Tiffany & Co. US$1,250; Vintage spaniel bookends Cynthia Findlay Antiques US$370/pair; Gold pumps Valentino US$745; 18k chain-link necklace Roberto Coin US$5,295; Gloves Ted Baker US$160; Cheval Phoenix scarf Hermès US$580

56

Fairmont Magazine

The International Gentleman Mixology maestro Erik Lorincz

Paint from Benjamin Moore (citrus green-2032-40); muhle and castle forbes available at harry rosen

When he’s not mixing a modern classic as head bartender of the American Bar in The Savoy, A Fairmont Managed Hotel, Lorincz is shaking it up at 35,000 feet. “I always carry my mixing glass, spoon and strainer onto the plane. During my last trip to Hong Kong, I showed the flight attendant how to make a dry martini.”

Clockwise from top: Wooden tray Williams-Sonoma US$34; Bar tools set (two items shown) Williams-Sonoma US$90; Vintage shaker and stem glass Cynthia Findlay Antiques US$370/US$117; White shirt and bow tie Brooks Brothers US$92/US$55; Shaving set Muhle US$519; After-shave balm Castle Forbes US$53; The Savoy Cocktail Book The Savoy; Sunglasses Porsche US$930 Fairmont Magazine

57

The On-the-Go Athlete

Olympic gymnast Aly Raisman

Paint from Benjamin Moore (tropicana cabana-2048-50); longchamp available at betty hemmings; reebok available at sporting life; samsung available at henry’s

Reebok brand partner Raisman doesn’t get much downtime while training (she’s currently gearing up for the 2016 Rio Games), but the 20-year-old gold-medal gymnast always tries to bring home something that reminds her of her trip. “I’m pretty sentimental so I usually pick up something, like a t-shirt or jacket, with the name of the destination written on it.”

Clockwise from top: Tote Longchamp US$585; Jetfuse Run & ZQuick shoes Reebok US$130/US$70; Dance Floor watch Swatch US$135; Pretty in Pink workout gloves G-Love US$45; South Beach t-shirt stylist’s own; Studio Stripe long tank Reebok US$36; NX2000 camera Samsung US$460

58

Fairmont Magazine

The Global Gourmet

Celebrity chef Nobu Matsuhisa

Paint from Benjamin Moore (sweet orange-2017-40); Komin, fuji and yakami AVAILABLE AT WILLIAMS-SONOMA; Alessi and marimekko available at eq3

With a restaurant empire that includes a new outpost at Fairmont Monte Carlo, the Nobu name is synonymous with haute Japanesemeets-South American cuisine (think lobster with wasabi pepper sauce and rock shrimp tempura in butter ponzu). The star chef ’s ideal gift is a bit hard to wrap: “I’d like a quiet day to spend at home.”

Clockwise from top: 10-inch grill Komin US$90; Todo cheese grater Alessi US$100; Reclaimed cutting board Williams-Sonoma US$173; Chef ’s knife and boning knife shun Fuji US$479/US$300; Ponzu sauce Yakami US$15; Wasabi peas Sanko US$6; Apron marimekko US$63 Fairmont Magazine

59

book excerpt.

Show Tell

excerpt from

Shanghai Girls by new york times best-selling author lisa see photos from

Flash Forward Tenth by the magenta foundation

Celebrate two Fairmont partnerships – a travel-friendly reading

list care of Penguin Random House and a special publication from the Magenta Foundation – with this mix of fiction and art photography.

60

Fairmont Magazine

above: Untitled from the series All Flesh Is, Lydia Goldblatt, united kingdom | opposite: Capture, 2011, Alexi Hobbs, canada

Fairmont Magazine

61

book excerpt.

ama stares at Baba, but what can she say? My face is pretty enough – some might even say lovely – but not as luminescent as the pearl I’m named for. I tend to blush easily. Beyond that, my cheeks capture the sun. When I turned five, my mother began rubbing my face and arms with pearl creams, and mixing ground pearls into my morning jook-rice porridge – hoping the white essence would permeate my skin.

It hasn’t worked. Now my cheeks burn red – exactly what my father hates. I shrink down into my chair. I always slump when I’m near him, but I slump even more on those occasions when Baba takes his eyes off my sister to look at me. I’m taller than my father, which he loathes. We live in Shanghai, where the tallest car, the tallest wall, or the tallest building sends a clear and unwavering message that the owner is a person of great importance. I am not a person of importance.

“She thinks she’s smart,” Baba goes on. He wears a Western-style suit of good cut. His hair shows just a few strands of gray. He’s been anxious lately, but tonight his mood is darker than usual. Perhaps his favorite horse didn’t win or the dice refused to land his way. “But one thing she isn’t is clever.”

This is another of my father’s standard criticisms and one he picked up from Confucius, who wrote, “An educated woman is a worthless woman.” People call me bookish, which even in 1937 is not considered a good thing. But as smart as I am, I don’t know how to protect myself from my father’s words.

Most families eat at a round dining table, so they will always be whole and connected, with no sharp edges. We have a square teakwood table, and we always sit in the exact same places: my father next to May on one side of the table, with my mother directly across from her so that my parents can share my sister equally. Every meal – day after day, year after year – is a reminder that I’m not the favorite and never will be.

As my father continues to pick at my faults, I shut him out and pretend an interest in our dining room. On the wall adjoining the kitchen, four scrolls depicting the four seasons usually hang. Tonight they’ve been removed, leaving shadow outlines on the wall. They aren’t the only things missing. We used to have an overhead fan, but this past year Baba thought it would be more luxurious to have servants fan us while we ate. They aren’t here tonight and the room is sweltering.

Ordinarily an art deco chandelier and matching wall sconces of etched yellow-and-rose-tinted glass illuminate the room.

These are missing as well. I don’t give any of this much thought, assuming that the scrolls have been put away to prevent their silken edges from curling in the humidity, that Baba has given the servants a night off to celebrate a wedding

62

Fairmont Magazine

or birthday with their own families, and that the lighting fixtures have been temporarily taken down for cleaning.

Cook – who has no wife and children of his own – removes our soup bowls and brings out dishes of shrimp with water chestnuts, pork stewed in soy sauce with dried vegetables and bamboo shoots, steamed eel, an eight-treasures vegetable dish, and rice, but the heat swallows my hunger. I would prefer a few sips of chilled sour plum juice, cold mint-flavored sweet green bean soup, or sweet almond broth.

When Mama says, “The basket repairer charged too much today,” I relax. If my father is predictable in his criticisms of me, then it’s equally predictable that my mother will recite her daily woes. She looks elegant, as always. Amber pins hold the bun at the back of her neck perfectly in place. Her gown, a cheongsam made of midnight blue silk with midlength sleeves, has been expertly tailored to fit her age and status.

A bracelet carved from a single piece of good jade hangs from her wrist. The thump of it when it hits the table edge is comforting and familiar. She has bound feet, and some of her ways are just as antiquated. She questions our dreams, weighing the meaning of the presence of water, shoes, or teeth as good or bad omens. She believes in astrology, blaming or praising May and me for one thing or another because we were born in the Year of the Sheep and the Year of the Dragon, respectively.

Mama has a lucky life. Her arranged marriage to our father seems relatively peaceful. She reads Buddhist sutras in the morning, takes a rickshaw to visit friends for lunch, plays mah-jongg until late in the day, and commiserates with wives of similar station about the weather, the indolence of servants, and the ineffectiveness of the latest remedies for their hiccups, gout, or hemorrhoids. She has nothing to fret about, but her quiet bitterness and persistent worry infuse every story she tells us. “There are no happy endings,” she often recites. Still, she’s beautiful, and her lily gait is as delicate as the swaying of young bamboo in a spring breeze.

“That lazy servant next door was sloppy with the Tso family’s nightstool and stunk up the street with their nightsoil,” Mama says. “And Cook!” She allows herself a low hiss of disapproval. “Cook has served us shrimp so old that the smell has made me lose my appetite.”

We don’t contradict her, but the odor suffocating us comes not from spilled nightsoil or day-old shrimp but from her. Since we don’t have our servants to keep the air moving in the room, the smell that rises from the blood and pus that seep through the bandages holding Mama’s feet in their tiny shape clings to the back of my throat.

Mama is still filling the air with her grievances when Baba interrupts. “You girls can’t go out tonight. I need to talk to you.”

He speaks to May, who looks at him and smiles in that beautiful way of hers. We aren’t bad girls, but we have plans tonight, and being lectured by Baba about how much

photos: XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

clockwise from left: Invisible Tanya, Evgenia Arbugaeva, united states | Mirror, Annie Collinge, united kingdom | Bees NO.002-01, China, 2010, Zhe Chen, united states | Jyväskylä, Josée Pedneault, canada

Fairmont Magazine

63

book excerpt.

water we waste in our baths or the fact that we don’t eat every grain of rice in our bowls isn’t part of them. Usually Baba reacts to May’s charm by smiling back at her and forgetting his concerns, but this time he blinks a few times and shifts his black eyes to me. Again, I sink in my chair.

Sometimes I think this is my only real form of filial piety, making myself small before my father. I consider myself to be a modern Shanghai girl. I don’t want to believe in all that obey, obey, obey stuff girls were taught in the past. But the truth is, May – as much as they adore her – and I are just girls. No one will carry on the family name, and no one will worship our parents as ancestors when the time comes. My sister and I are the end of the Chin line. When we were very young, our lack of value meant our parents had little interest in controlling us. We weren’t worth the trouble or effort.

Later, something strange happened: my parents fell in love – total, besotted love – with their younger daughter. This allowed us to retain a certain amount of liberty, with the result that my sister’s spoiled ways are often ignored, as is our sometimes flagrant disregard for respect and duty. What others might call unfilial and disrespectful, we call modern and unbound.

“You aren’t worth a single copper coin,” Baba says to me, his tone sharp. “I don’t know how I’m ever going to—” “Oh, Ba, stop picking on Pearl. You’re lucky to have a daughter like her. I’m luckier still to have her as my sister.”

We all turn to May. She’s like that. When she speaks, you can’t help listening to her. When she’s in the room, you can’t help looking at her. Everyone loves her – our parents, the rickshaw boys who work for my father, the missionaries who

taught us in school, the artists, revolutionaries, and foreigners whom we’ve come to know these last few years.

“Aren’t you going to ask me what I did today?” May asks, her demand as light and breezy as a bird’s wings in flight.

With that, I disappear from my parents’ vision. I’m the older sister, but in so many ways May takes care of me.

“I went to see a movie at the Metropole and then I went to Avenue Joffre to buy shoes,” she continues. “From there it wasn’t far to Madame Garnet’s shop in the Cathay Hotel to pick up my new dress.” May lets a touch of reproach creep into her voice. “She said she won’t let me have it until you come to call.”

“A girl doesn’t need a new dress every week,” Mama says gently. “You could be more like your sister in this regard. A Dragon doesn’t need frills, lace, and bows. Pearl’s too practical for all that.”

“Baba can afford it,” May retorts.

My father’s jaw tightens. Is it something May said, or is he getting ready to criticize me again? He opens his mouth to speak, but my sister cuts him off.

“Here we are in the seventh month and already the heat is unbearable. Baba, when are you sending us to Kuling? You don’t want Mama and me to get sick, do you? Summer brings such unpleasantness to the city, and we’re always happier in the mountains at this time of year.”

May has tactfully left me out of her questions. I prefer to be an afterthought. But all her chattering is really just a way to distract our parents. My sister catches my eye, nods almost imperceptibly, and quickly stands. “Come, Pearl.

Let’s get ready.”

Shanghai Girls In 1937 Shanghai, 21-year-old Pearl Chin and her younger sister, May, are having the time of their lives.

Both are beautiful, modern, and carefree – until the day their father tells them that he has gambled away their wealth. To repay his debts, he must sell the girls as wives to suitors who have traveled from Los Angeles to find Chinese brides. randomhouse.com About the author Lisa See is the New York Times best-selling author of Dreams of Joy, Shanghai Girls, Peony in Love, Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, Flower Net (an Edgar Award nominee), The Interior and Dragon Bones, as well as the critically acclaimed memoir On Gold Mountain. Her latest novel, China Dolls, was released this June. The Organization of Chinese American Women named her the 2001 National Woman of the Year. She lives in Los Angeles. lisasee.com, Facebook.com/LisaSee, Twitter: @LisaSee

64

Fairmont Magazine

Destination Reading

There is nothing quite like reading a book to get excited about an upcoming trip, or to immerse yourself in a destination once you’re there. In partnership with Penguin Random House, Fairmont has built a carefully curated reading list inspired by its hotels and resorts around the globe.

Start Shanghai Girls (you can order titles right from the website) and you’ll be ready for a visit to Fairmont Peace Hotel, located on Shanghai’s famous Bund, a street at the heart of China’s jazz age and Art Deco design era. fairmont.com/randomhouse

above: 51.10173, 1.24357 from the series Echo, Emma Jane Spain, united kingdom | left: Love Boat, Guiyang , Guizhou Province. 2008 From the series Chinese Sentiment, Shen Wei, united states

Flash Forward Tenth The Magenta Foundation is a nonprofit arts publisher that shines light on the future of photography through the Flash Forward competition, publications, festivals, workshops and shows at select Fairmont hotels. To celebrate its 10th anniversary, the foundation is releasing a boxed set of books, Flash Forward Tenth, showcasing the top 100 photographers of Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom who have participated in the program, as well as a follow-up on all the previous Bright Spark Award winners. magentafoundation.org

Fairmont Magazine

65

Fairmont presents

MODERN CLASSICS

The bars and lounges at Fairmont promise an exquisite cocktail experience.

For more information, visit fairmont.com

Weddings & Honeymoons p.68

Arts & Entertainment

Spa & Fitness

Food & Drink

Shopping & Style

Leadership & Philanthropy

Fairmont Destinations

p.70

p.72

p.74

p.76

p.78

p.80

View from the Top Fairmont Peace Hotel, Shanghai — Located on the Bund, a historic street that was the center of the 1920s jazz age and Asian Art-Deco movement, Fairmont Peace Hotel has been a Shanghai landmark for more than a century. For a one-of-a-kind dining experience, book lunch, dinner or the signature Sunday Brunch on the Bund, hosted on the terrace of the ninth-floor Cathay Room. Each option offers expansive views of the Huangpu River and Shanghai’s modern skyline, a striking contrast to the Bund’s neoclassical and Art Deco-style buildings. fairmont.com/peace-hotel-shanghai Fairmont Magazine

67

Passions

pag e 2 2

Select properties — Whether you’re aiming for an intimate or overthe-top experience, Fairmont’s Engaging Proposals packages are designed to make the “yes” as unforgettable as the “I do.” Sweep someone special off his or her feet with a proposal 2,000 feet above ground in a hot-air balloon at The Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn & Spa, or light up the sky with the question spelled out in fireworks at The Fairmont Acapulco Princess. For something more down to earth, order the Engaging Martini at The Fairmont Copley Plaza, Boston, The Fairmont Southampton or The Fairmont Dallas, and forgo the olive: This drink is garnished with a diamond ring. fairmont.com/explore/weddings/ fairmontengagingproposals

68

Fairmont Magazine

photos: XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The Rules of Engagement

Weddings & Honeymoons

Indian Wedding The Fairmont San Jose

— From pre-wedding henna nights, where the bride and female relatives are adorned in elaborate henna designs, to the Jaimala, where bride and groom come together under the mandap to exchange flower garlands, traditional Indian weddings are celebrated in style at the Fairmont San Jose. The property even partners with the very best local caterers to provide an authentic Indian feast for your reception. fairmont.com/san-jose

Champagne Toast Fairmont partnership

Bachelorette Bliss

Fairmont Hotel Vier Jahreszeiten & Fairmont Le Château Montebello

— Take a break from planning your wedding to escape with the girls. Brides-to-be and their bridesmaids enjoy spa treatments, makeup applications and dinner as part of Hamburg’s Fairmont Hotel Vier Jahreszeiten Bachelorette package, while at Fairmont Le Château Montebello ladies take part in pajama parties and inspirational seminars at the annual Ultimate Girls Getaway. The next one is set for April 10–12, 2015.

— Established in 1785, PiperHeidsieck is the official Champagne partner of Fairmont Hotels & Resorts worldwide.

Arrange for your guests to raise a toast to your nuptials with a glass of Piper-Heidsieck Brut NV, or select the Sunset Splash (Champagne, vintage Barbadian rum, peach puree and Campari) as your signature reception cocktail. piper-heidsieck.com

fairmont.com/vier-jahreszeiten-hamburg // fairmont.com/montebello

pr o m o s Platinum Service

Honeymoon Registry

Wedding Venues

With Fairmont’s Platinum Honeymoon Program package, book your wedding and honeymoon at any Fairmont Hotels & Resorts location and enjoy the complimentary services of a Fairmont Honeymoon Concierge, who can assist with your travel arrangements and services.

Let your loved ones spoil you with the gift of travel. Create your own custom Fairmont Honeymoon Registry (complimentary for those booking a Fairmont wedding) through which wedding guests may contribute toward your honeymoon accommodations, meals, spa treatments and activities.

Whether your dream wedding takes place on a white-sand beach or in a historic landmark, there’s a Fairmont Hotels & Resorts location that can bring your vision to life. Contact a Fairmont event coordinator to begin planning your perfect celebration.

Select properties —

fairmont.com/explore/weddings/ fairmontplatinumhoneymoon

Select properties —

honeymoon.fairmontregistry.com

Select properties —

fairmont.com/explore/weddings

Fairmont Magazine

69

Passions

Fairmont Baku, Flame Towers, Azerbaijan — With the first European Games being hosted in Baku in June of 2015, there’s never been a better time to discover the city’s modern architecture, UNESCO World Heritage sites and café-lined city center. Explore the walled Old City, including the stone Maiden Tower, then head back to Fairmont Baku in the Flame Towers, a striking set of three flame-shaped, 625-foot-tall skyscrapers that light up in fiery hues and animated LED displays at night.

Visible from even the furthest corners of the city, the complex is an architectural gem in itself. fairmont.com/baku

70

Fairmont Magazine

photos: XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Bright Baku

Arts & Entertainment

pag e 1 5

Savoy Special

The Savoy, A Fairmont Managed Hotel

— From Queen Elizabeth II to Marilyn Monroe, The Savoy’s roster of famous guests has established the hotel as a London icon.

Celebrate the legendary property’s 125th anniversary with a limited-time offer that lets you book a third night at a special rate for a stay in one of the hotel’s Edwardian or Art Deco-style rooms and suites. fairmont.com/savoy-london

From Pittsburgh’s Past Fairmont Pittsburgh

— When construction of Pittsburgh’s PNC Plaza began in 2007, archeologists found 26,000 artifacts dating back centuries. Today, guests at Fairmont Pittsburgh (located in the tower built on top of the excavation site) can see a display of the items, which include mid-19th-century china and hand-painted porcelain dolls. fairmont.com/pittsburgh

Golden Opportunity Select properties

— Booking a room on the Fairmont Gold floor means living in luxury during your stay. Whether it’s a matter of last-minute concert tickets, pet care arrangements, personal training appointments or dinner reservations at the newest “it” restaurant, Fairmont Gold floor concierges provide unmatched service while using their local connections to give you an insider experience. fairmont.com/explore/fairmont-gold

p r omos Indonesia Opening Fairmont Jakarta —

From Plaza Senayan, the city’s upscale shopping complex, to the turquoise waters along Jakarta’s north coast, Indonesia’s capital is equal parts bustling metropolis and idyllic escape. Experience it with a stay at Fairmont Jakarta, set to open in 2015.

fairmont.com/destinations/development

Theatrical Stay

The Fairmont Olympic Hotel, Seattle —

Enjoy a night out with The Fairmont & Fifth Avenue Theatre package, which includes deluxe accommodations, complimentary valet parking and two tickets to a performance at the 5th Avenue Theatre across the street. fairmont.com/seattle

Shop Beijing Fairmont Beijing —

Fairmont Beijing concierges can arrange guided tours of the city’s famed Silk Market (located just minutes from the hotel), where thousands of vendor stalls are filled with everything from ties to tablecloths and tailormade cheongsams.

fairmont.com/beijing

Fairmont Magazine

71

Passions

Fairmont Washington, D.C., Georgetown — In Washington’s stylish West End, visiting CrossFitters can work out at the hotel’s awardwinning, in-house Foggy Bottom CrossFit Box, which offers several classes per day during the week and two on Saturdays. Reserve your spot to join one of the free intro classes on Wednesday evenings, or book the property’s three-night Fitness Resolution all-inclusive vacation package, which includes healthy meals and a cooking lesson, a personal training session and Reebok workout gear delivered to your door. fairmont.com/washington

72

Fairmont Magazine

photos: XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

CrossFit in the Capital

Spa & Fitness

Winter Golfing Fairmont St Andrews, Scotland

— Play a round of golf on the oldest course in the world with the Old Course Winter Golf Offer, available between October 20 and December 22, 2014. The package includes two nights at Fairmont St Andrews, three rounds of golf on the St Andrews Links and a full Scottish breakfast to add fuel to your game. fairmont.com/st-andrews-scotland

pag e 2 5

Fountain of Youth

The Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn & Spa

— Thermal mineral waters have graced the site of The Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn for hundreds of years.

Rejuvenate with a soak in the mineral water-fed pool before indulging in the antioxidant-packed Harvest Kur, a signature spa experience that includes a mud body wrap and a full-body massage with nourishing grapeseed oil.

Walk the Wall Fairmont Beijing

— Guests at Fairmont Beijing can hike the Badaling, Mutianyu or Simatai sections of the Great Wall of China (all within a 90-minute or 2.5-hour drive from the hotel) through day trips arranged by the concierge team. fairmont.com/beijing

fairmont.com/sonoma

pr o m o s Fairmont Fit

Grand Prix

Helijet Ride

From yoga mats to Reebok ZigLite running shoes, Fairmont President’s Club members have access to workout essentials during their stay, delivered straight to their room.

Get your gear with a quick call to the front desk.

Live the excitement of this year’s Formula 1 in Abu Dhabi with Fairmont Bab Al Bahr’s Grand Prix Experience, which offers a complimentary fifth night when you book four nights in a Fairmont Gold room or suite from November 19 to November 24.

Fairmont President’s Club members staying at The Fairmont Empress enjoy preferred rates on Helijet flights between Vancouver and Victoria harbors. The 35-minute flight doubles as a scenic excursion, offering spectacular views of the coastal isles.

Select properties —

fairmont.com/fpc/fairmont-fit

Fairmont Bab Al Bahr, Abu Dhabi —

fairmont.com/abu-dhabi

The Fairmont Empress —

fairmont.com/empress-victoria

Fairmont Magazine

73

Passions

pag e 8 1

Fairmont Singapore — Discover the revitalized Fairmont Singapore, where award-winning design teams have given the hotel a new lobby (complete with eye-catching art installations) and Anti:dote, a brand new bar.

There, mixologist Tom Hogan crafts cocktails like the signature Blood of Dillinger with housemade bitters, liqueurs and sodas. Book the property’s special Introductory Offer (available until December 30, 2014) and enjoy a one-night stay in a Fairmont Premier Room and breakfast for two at a special rate. fairmont.com/singapore

74

Fairmont Magazine

photos: XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

In the Mix

Food & Drink

Wise Choice Fairmont Pacific Rim

— In the Lobby Lounge of Fairmont Pacific Rim, The RawBar has been named the city’s first 100-percent Ocean Wise sushi destination by the Vancouver Aquarium. Using seafood found locally and around the Pacific Rim exclusively, executive chef Darren Brown and his team source only the best of Ocean Wise-recommended seafood for offerings like donburi bowls, bento boxes and sushi rolls. fairmont.com/pacific-rim-vancouver

Raise a Glass Fairmont partnership

— This past July, four signature cocktails from four iconic Fairmont hotels around the globe (Shanghai, New York, London and Monaco) were created by award-winning bartenders and served at the Trilogy Bar in the Richmond Enclosure during the annual Glorious Goodwood horseracing event in West Sussex, England. goodwood.co.uk

Tea Party Select properties

— Find your perfect tea party at a Fairmont Hotels & Resorts property, from High Tea fit for a queen at Victoria’s Fairmont Empress to the Wonderlandinspired Glam Hatters Afternoon Tea at the Philippines’ Fairmont Makati, where guests dress up in the hotel’s cache of whimsical hats and fascinators. fairmont.com/empress-victoria // fairmont.com/makati

pag e 1 6

pr o m o s

Turkey to Go

Nobu in Monaco

Culinary Trip

This holiday season, treat your family to a perfectly roasted turkey with all the trimmings and none of the hassle. The Fairmont Hotel Vancouver chefs will prepare your feast (for 8 to 10 guests) for pickup between December 24 and December 25. Whether or not you accept the compliments is up to you – it will be our little secret.

Celebrity chef Nobuyuki “Nobu” Matsuhisa serves up traditional Japanese dishes made with South American ingredients at Nobu in Fairmont Monte Carlo. Originally a pop-up restaurant, it became a permanent fixture in December 2013 due to popular demand.

Located in an area that is famous for its hairy crab, a local delicacy, Fairmont Yangcheng Lake prides itself on its gourmet offerings. To experience them for yourself, book the Culinary Journey package, which includes meals as well as a cooking class for two at the new Wugu Culinary Studio.

The Fairmont Hotel Vancouver —

fairmont.com/hotel-vancouver

Fairmont Monte Carlo —

fairmont.com/monte-carlo

Fairmont Yangcheng Lake —

fairmont.com/yangcheng-lake-kunshan Fairmont Magazine

75

Passions

pag e 2 0

Dubai by Design Saudi designer Hatem Alakeel’s creations include modern takes on the traditional men’s tunics known as thobes as well as newer ready-to-wear and women’s abaya lines. See his collection showcased in an outdoor fashion show and reception to be held on the breathtaking grounds of Dubai’s Fairmont The Palm in December 2014. Models will use Palm Avenue as a runway, and guests will be treated to prime views of the sea. fairmont.com/palm-dubai

76

Fairmont Magazine

photos: XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Fairmont The Palm —

Shopping & Style

pag e 1 9

Chic Address Fairmont Monte Carlo

— Fairmont is celebrating its 10th anniversary as management of Fairmont Monte Carlo. Its stunning location on the edge of the Mediterranean just below the Monte Carlo Casino makes it a prime address in one of the world’s most prestigious destinations. fairmont.com/monte-carlo

No Wrapping Required

Treasure Hunt

Fairmont gift card

— Looking for the perfect present? Purchase a Fairmont Hotels & Resorts gift card (or e-gift card) to offer your loved ones a luxurious stay in one of our unique properties or an unforgettable dining experience in one of our award-winning restaurants.

You can also opt for a Willow Stream gift card, redeemable for a blissful moment of peace at one of Fairmont’s renowned spas. fairmontgiftcard.com

Fairmont Makati —

Guests at Fairmont Makati are treated to an ultra-luxe shopping experience with the Search for South Sea Pearls package, which highlights the Philippines’ legendary South Sea pearls in a trip to the famous Pearl Market. Accompanied by a personal shopping assistant, choose from a vast selection of the finest freshwater and South Sea pearls, and take advantage of a private consultation to help pick the perfect one as a gift or souvenir. fairmont.com/makati

promos

pag e 2 8

Wine Club

Le Labo

Chauffeured Shopping

In partnership with Dean & DeLuca, Fairmont Vintages offers Fairmont President’s Club members in the United States the opportunity to have two carefully selected Napa Valley wines delivered directly to their doorstep each quarter.

Can’t get enough of the spicy and subtly floral scent of Fairmont’s in-room amenities?

Find full-sized versions of Le Labo’s Rose 31 products – whose Grasse Rose scent is appropriate for men and women – online at the Fairmont Store.

At Canadian properties, Fairmont President’s Club members can arrange complimentary local chauffeur transportation in a BMW X5 or BMW 750i Sedan. Hotel guests also have access to BMW Cruise Bikes for eco-friendly city exploration.

Fairmont partnership —

fairmont.com/promo/wineclub

Fairmont Store —

fairmontstore.com

Fairmont partnership —

fairmont.com

Fairmont Magazine

77

Leadership & Philanthropy

Hawaii with Heart The Fairmont Kea Lani, Maui

— Jonelle Kamai, the resort’s full-time Learning and Cultural Coach, was trained and certified by elders to teach visitors about Hawaiian culture, which is based on the principles of love, support and hospitality. Whether you plan a hiking trip to discover the ancient Olowalu Petroglyphs or volunteer off-site to restore fishponds or plant native species, you’ll experience the Paradise of the Pacific on a deeper level. fairmont.com/kea-lani-maui

Safe Haven Fairmont partnership

Hotels Abuzz Select properties

— With rooftop beehives at 21 hotels from Quebec to Kenya, Fairmont Hotels & Resorts is supporting the world’s declining bee population. Guests can enjoy the home-harvested honey in menu items ranging from salad dressings to pastries and even beer. Brews include Honey Saison at The Fairmont San Francisco and Apiary Ale at Fairmont Royal York. fairmont.com/promotions/fairmontbees

78

Fairmont Magazine

— What started at Toronto’s Fairmont Royal York is spreading globally, with rooftop bee hotels popping up at Fairmont properties worldwide. Constructed in partnership with eco-beauty brand Burt’s Bees as part of the Wild for Bees program, the sustainable structures provide resting spaces for urban pollinator bees, which make up over 90 percent of the bee population and work on their own to spread pollen and nectar. fairmont.com/promotions/pollinator-bees

Fairmont Destinations

Find Fairmont Worldwide Fairmont Gold floor property

Fairmont Hotels United States Boston Fairmont Battery Wharf Boston The Fairmont Copley Plaza Chicago Fairmont Chicago, Millennium Park Dallas The Fairmont Dallas Newport Beach Fairmont Newport Beach New York The Plaza, A Fairmont Managed Hotel Pittsburgh Fairmont Pittsburgh San Francisco Fairmont Heritage Place, Ghirardelli Square San Francisco The Fairmont San Francisco San Jose The Fairmont San Jose Santa Fe Fairmont Heritage Place, El Corazon de

Santa Fe Santa Monica Fairmont Miramar Hotel & Bungalows Seattle The Fairmont Olympic Hotel Washington Fairmont Washington, D.C., Georgetown Canada Calgary The Fairmont Palliser Edmonton The Fairmont Hotel Macdonald Montreal Fairmont The Queen Elizabeth Ottawa Fairmont Ch창teau Laurier Toronto The Fairmont Royal York Vancouver Fairmont Pacific Rim Vancouver The Fairmont Hotel Vancouver Vancouver The Fairmont Vancouver Airport Vancouver The Fairmont Waterfront Winnipeg The Fairmont Winnipeg Europe Baku Fairmont Baku, Flame Towers, Azerbaijan Hamburg Fairmont Hotel Vier Jahreszeiten, Germany Kyiv Fairmont Grand Hotel Kyiv, Ukraine London The Savoy, A Fairmont Managed Hotel, UK

80

Fairmont Magazine

Middle East and Africa Abu Dhabi Fairmont Bab Al Bahr, UAE Cairo Fairmont Heliopolis & Towers, Egypt Cairo Fairmont Nile City, Egypt Dubai Fairmont Dubai, UAE Makkah Makkah Clock Royal Tower, A Fairmont Hotel, Saudi Arabia Nairobi Fairmont The Norfolk, Kenya

Mexico, Caribbean and Bermuda Acapulco The Fairmont Acapulco Princess, Mexico Acapulco The Fairmont Pierre Marques, Mexico Barbados The Fairmont Royal Pavilion Hamilton The Fairmont Hamilton Princess, Bermuda Riviera Maya Fairmont Mayakoba, Mexico Southampton The Fairmont Southampton, Bermuda

Asia Beijing Fairmont Beijing, China Jaipur Fairmont Jaipur, India Makati City, Manila Fairmont Makati, Philippines Nanjing Fairmont Nanjing, China Shanghai Fairmont Peace Hotel, China Singapore Fairmont Singapore

Europe Monte Carlo Fairmont Monte Carlo, Monaco Montreux Fairmont Le Montreux Palace, Switzerland St Andrews Fairmont St Andrews, Scotland

Fairmont Resorts

United States Hawaii The Fairmont Orchid Maui The Fairmont Kea Lani Scottsdale Fairmont Scottsdale Princess Sonoma The Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn & Spa Telluride Fairmont Heritage Place, Franz Klammer Lodge Canada Banff The Fairmont Banff Springs Charlevoix Fairmont Le Manoir Richelieu Jasper The Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge Lake Louise The Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise Montebello Fairmont Le Ch창teau Montebello Mont Tremblant Fairmont Tremblant Quebec City Fairmont Le Ch창teau Frontenac Victoria The Fairmont Empress Whistler The Fairmont Chateau Whistler Asia Kunshan Fairmont Yangcheng Lake, China

Middle East and Africa Dubai Fairmont The Palm, Dubai, UAE Masai Mara Fairmont Mara Safari Club, Kenya Mount Kenya Fairmont Mount Kenya Safari Club, Kenya Zimbali Fairmont Zimbali Lodge, South Africa Zimbali Fairmont Zimbali Resort, South Africa

In Development Ajman Fairmont Ajman, UAE Amman Fairmont Amman, Jordan Austin Fairmont Austin Berkeley The Claremont Club & Spa, United States Chengdu Fairmont Chengdu, China Fujairah Fairmont Fujairah, UAE Istanbul Fairmont Quasar, Turkey Jakarta Fairmont Jakarta, Indonesia Moscow Fairmont Pekin Moscow, Russia Riyadh Fairmont Riyadh, Business Gate, Saudi Arabia Sharm el Sheikh Fairmont Citystars Sharm el Sheikh, Egypt Taiyuan Fairmont Taiyuan, China

For reservations, please visit fairmont.com

Check Out

Light as Air

Live the experience ——

pag e 74

Fairmont Singapore — Even in a building designed by starchitect I.M. Pei, it’s what’s on the inside that truly counts. Guests to the newly renovated Fairmont Singapore will find locally influenced design elements at every turn, from the pop art above their headboards to the modern takes on traditional Peranakan pattern-work that adorn the brand new bar, Anti:dote. But the real showstopper greets guests the moment they step into the lobby. At an incredible 11 by 36 feet, “Playing with Wind” is equal parts sculpture and chandelier, made up of 800 crystal glass spheres hand-blown in the Czech Republic over three months. Lasvit designer Petra Řehořová says the piece was inspired by Singapore’s abundant green space: “It’s a place where the wind fans houses, trees and people, carrying with it the scents of spices, perfumes, even human feelings.” Eve Thomas Fairmont Magazine

81

Don’t have the Fairmont Visa SignatureŽ Card?

To learn more about exclusive rewards and privileges, visit fairmontcard.com

Swipe more. Stay more.

Use your Fairmont Visa Signature® Card to turn everyday purchases into memorable getaways.

From gas and groceries to dining and travel, simply use your card for all your purchases to earn Fairmont Rewards: • 5 for every $1 spent on Fairmont stays • 2 for every $1 spent on airline tickets purchased directly with airlines, at car rental agencies, and on transit and commuting • 1 for every $1 spent on all other purchases

The more you earn, the faster you can redeem for Fairmont stays and gift cards.

Accounts subject to credit approval. Restrictions and limitations apply.

Fairmont credit cards are issued by Chase Bank, USA, N.A. See fairmontcard.com for pricing and rewards details.

Join us in a transformation.

A NEXT GENERATION APPROACH TO LUXURY REAL ESTATE