Fleur de Lys Las Vegas! The MrFiveStar team has awarded this restaurant the “Most Romantic Restaurant in the World” October 6, 2007. Pierre Wolfe and Ron Crider (MrFivestar) informed Chef Owner Hubert Keller of this award during a radio interview.

If you're going to splurge and dine at Fleur de Lys, go all the way with the five-course tasting menu with wine pairings. It's all part of the experience: posh, plush decor (with the trademark giant fabric ceiling "tent"), hushed, correct service and a parade of astonishingly good, ultra-refined dishes, all served in dainty portions. Click here to listen to a podcast with Chef owner Hubert Keller hosted by Pierre Wolfe and Ron Crider. 

If you are a frequent listener to America's Dining and Travel Guide, Sundays you would know this is the weekend we were suppose to be at the Cloister on Sea Island just up the coast from Amelia Island, some 50 miles, however there was a colossal mix up with our reservations partially because our booking department failed to punch the correct completion button on the online reservations. To add insult to our mistake I was then called by the Cloister PR department who informed me we were not welcome there to do our broadcast due to a new policy. How crazy is that, since we do the broadcast from our suite with no inconvenience to guests. In fact no one would ever know we were broadcasting from there except the radio and internet listeners.  Then the Cloister never offered to assist us in replacing our reservations. Hey, what's up with this? We are a full cash paying guest. We ask for nothing except to interview the manager and chef.

Our team has been broadcasting on location siince the early 1980's from Hotels, Resorts, and Restaurants world wide including Crayeres Reims France, Connaught and Claridge's London, George V and de Crillion Paris, Inn at Little Washington, Sonnenalp Vail, Broadmoor Resort, Greenbrier resort to mention just a few. 

The Cloister may have spent tens of millions fixing up the place, it may be highly rated by some publications, and their new restaurant may be excellent but it will be some time before our team schedules another visit there. How many time have we said, you have only one chance to make a good first impression?" They lost their chance with us. Fortunately Peter Greenberg had a better experience and they permitted him to broadcast from there. With so many great 5 star properties to visit, we have the luxury of selectivity.  In locating the cream of the crop, Cloister has fallen low on the list.

 September 27 the MrFiveStar team discretely paid an impromptu visit to this northern Florida gem. True to form as always we weren't disappointed. I have said many times on our weekly radio broadcasts "I have never been to a Ritz Carlton I didn't like."  The Ritz Carlton on Amelia Island, Florida continues that statement. The resort is located 45 minutes northeast of the Jacksonville Florida International Airport.  Ritz Carlton Amelia Island Florida

Here is the latest, hottest, most flexible easy to manipulate luggage I have come across in years. Now I didn’t say it is the most beautiful. It’s not a Lana Marks or Louis Vuitton, however like they used to say, “ask a person who owns one” OK, try Paris Hilton, Nicole Ritchie, Lindsay Lohan. Now would they own anything that wasn’t GREAT? Take it on any airplane from a 737 up and it will easily glide down the isle and fit in the overhead. This thing is made of ballistic nylon, with a TSA compliant zipper compartment for your liquids. Stuck in a busy airport with no place to sit? No problem, sit on your Zuca. The Zuca comes in many varieties for the traveler, student, business person or sports pro. Buy one for $275.00, and it's well worth it. Check out the Zuca on the internet by clicking here. 

  September 22 the Mr FiveStar cameras and microphones travel to Sea Island, Georgia for a long overdue visit to the legendary Cloister resort. Picture this, 5 miles of private beach. 80 year tradition of excellence and opulence. 10’s of millions have recently been invested in this gem resort to insure the most up to date technology is concealed within the walls of this Mizner inspired old world Spanish architecture.

The Cloister is definitely a world class FIVE STAR resort. Conde Nast Traveler magazine has recently recognized Cloister as the Number One Resort in the US. Click here to go straight to the Cloister web site.

 Like Fox News says “we will report you decide”! Listen to our live world wide radio broadcast from the Cloister September 23, Sunday 3-5 PM ET by clicking to the World Travel and Dining Channel here in the upper right corner. If you are in your car you can hear the broadcast on the Business Talk Radio Network all over the United States. Click here to find a radio station near you.

The 92 room Jerome Hotel Aspen that was built in 1889, has been sold again. Stephen Bartolin made the announcement Tuesday March 20, 2007. Stephen Bartolin is President and Chief Executive Officer of the Broadmoor Resort, Colorado Springs and has been directing the Jerome project for Oklahoma Publishing Co., the owner of both the Broadmoor and the Jerome. Okalahoma Publishing Co., purchased the Jerome Hotel in June 2005 for 33.7 million (about $366,304 per room). 

Bartolin was quoted in the Denver Post as saying, " We had some nice plans for the property, and we're very fond of the hotel staff. At the end of the day, it wasn't the right fit for us." Come on Steve, nice sound bite, but Steve, "not the right fit," what is this? I can't think of a better fit than the Broadmoor and the Jerome. A marriage made in heaven.

I was broadcasting from the Broadmoor when the purchase of the Jerome was announced, I can tell you there was major excitement with Stephen Bartolin, the Oklahoma Publishing people and especially with Allison Scott Director of Public Relations. There was no question in my mind that the Jerome was about to become another jewel in Oklahoma Publishing's crown along with the Broadmoor.