We here at Renaissance Hotels are excited to congratulate Janine Falvo, Executive Chef of Briza in the Renaissance Atlanta Midtown Hotel, for being one of the 29 finalists on the next season of Top Chef! Bravo recently announced the list of hopefuls, and we’re not surprised Chef Falvo was selected, considering she already is a “top chef” to us. If her standing is high enough after a couple of preliminary challenges during the upcoming season’s first episode, she will compete with 15 other chefs from across the country to win Season Nine, also known as Top Chef: Texas.
As contestants cook across the Lone Star state, hitting up challenges in Austin, Dallas, and San Antonio, they will compete to wow the taste buds of celebrities, including Charlize Theron, Pee-Wee Herman and Patti LaBelle. Judges include head judge and chef Tom Colicchio, host Padma Lakshmi, Gail Simmons, and Emeril Lagasse. The Top Chef title winner will take home $125,000, receive a feature in Food & Wine magazine, and a showcase at the Annual Food & Wine Classic in Aspen.
We’re big fans of any holiday involving candy and ghosts. To celebrate Halloween we teamed up with Madame Tussauds — the world famous wax museum — to haunt our 13th Floor suites with the “Dare to Check-In” Halloween package. At the Renaissance New York Times Square Hotel, our scary suite got spook-tested by the always-lovely Blake Lively.
Blake checked out the bone-chilling décor of twisted arms and grasping hands, the stares of life-like wax figures, drapes of cobwebs and chains, while enjoying a signature Renaissance blood martini. Blake smiled throughout her visit, pointing out the creepy crawly details of this eerie suite and enjoyed a tarot card reading. As dozens of media outlets around the world mentioned, this was Blake’s first public appearance following her recent break-up with Leonard DiCaprio. Immersed in her reading with our mystic, Blake was in high spirits. What her cards said remains in the chamber of secrets. But days later Blake was spotted snuggling with heartthrob Ryan Reynolds in Boston.
You, too, can enjoy the “Dare to Check-In” suite, available for four nights only this October 28th to 31st for $5,000 per haunting night. It is a unique package, for those who dare. Not only will ghoulish guests stay in a suite decorated by Madame Tussauds, but they will also get to evaporate into the After Dark VIP Tour of Madame Tussauds New York and receive complimentary chilling cocktails in R Lounge, the hotel’s popular restaurant and bar overlooking the dazzling action of Times Square.
So we’re very excited to offer our Facebook fans a FREE download of their song “When the War Ends,” off their album American Ghetto. If you weren’t able to catch them at SXSW, Bonnaroo, or Renaissance, this is the next best thing:
The Plastiscines aren’t just any rock band. They’re an all-girl rock band. An uber-fashionable, all-girl rock band. One who cites the White Stripes, the Kinks, and Blondie as inspiration. And they’re French, too. (Excuse us while we scour the thesaurus for more descriptive phrases synonymous with “ultra cool.”)
Not only has the foursome’s music been featured on Gossip Girl and in NYLON magazine, but the girls have also been inculcated into the fashion world, putting together a capsule collection for French label Jennyfer and joining fellow rockers Iggy Pop and The Virgins to promote Ray-Ban aviator sunglasses.
So it seemed natural that the band would get together at Renaissance Arc de Triomphe for an interview (and, of course, try on myriad outfits in between questions). Lesson of the day: Renaissance suites make for great dressing rooms. Especially if you’re a rockstar.
One of the most notable differences between short-lived trendy music and long-lasting classic music is genre. Many respected musicians with ongoing careers tend to bend genres, experiment with sound, and play music because they love it – not because they care about a fad genre. Thievery Corporation is a band that has successfully defied genre. The duo has mixed and mashed their varying tastes, and the well-received eclectic result has kept them playing (and selling out shows) over the last 14 years.
Recently, Thievery Corporation brought their talent to RLifeTM LIVE. After showcasing their songs at the Capiz Lounge inside Renaissance Boston Waterfront and the Lobby Bar at Eden Roc Renaissance in Miami, members, Rob Garza and Eric Hilton, mingled with the guests. Word on the street is that our guests enjoyed themselves… all night long. (Check out photos from the Eden Roc performance here.)
Inspired by music from across the globe, (dub, jazz, reggae, Indian Classical, Middle Eastern, etc.) Thievery Corporation has created a unique sound that we’re happy to bring to Renaissance guests who will, undoubtedly, be inspired by their music.
Robin Thicke and the Neon Trees kicked off RLive LIVE in NYC and Chicago, making October 28, 2010, a night to remember. But we’ve only just begun—stay tuned for tons of upcoming performances, meet ‘n’ greets, and DJ sets coming your way from RLife LIVE.
She’s a Robin Thicke fan. A Renaissance Hotels enthusiast. Our RLifeTM LIVE winner.
Last Thursday, we flew Angela Sullivan to NYC for an overnight experience we hope she won’t soon forget. Read her awesome account of the night and see more pics after the jump…
We love magical nights. Those nights when you step out of your door, turn the corner, and run right into your favorite celeb. Basically, nights when you know something really good is going to happen. That was exactly the feeling on Thursday night in New York’s Times Square and downtown Chicago as RLifeTM LIVE launched into full gear.
At the RLounge in Times Square, Solange Knowles kicked off the evening DJing a 2-hour set of some of the freshest R&B classics to date. As the dance floor started bumping, Robin Thicke took to the stage and rocked the crowd with his slick demeanor and soaring vocals. After his show, Samantha Ronson donned the DJ booth and cranked it up with some high-energy dance and hip-hop hits. Additional celeb sightings included Kourtney Kardashian and Scott Disick, as well as Friday Night Lights star, Minka Kelly.
The night was just as busy at Renaissance Chicago Downtown. With their pop-meets-rock-n-roll flair, rising stars Neon Trees performed their smash hit, “Animal,” to an animated crowd of partygoers. We also celebrated the 1-year anniversary of our acclaimed Bar Novo.
And thanks to the intimate setting of both of these events, everyone in the room had a front-row view of the performance. Just like running into a celebrity – except this time, they’re there just for you.
At Renaissance, one of the best parts of the job is introducing our guests to fresh new experiences. That’s why we’ve grown accustomed to having our finger on the pulse of arts and entertainment. And hence, in the spirit of discovery, we’re ushering in a new era of entertainment with the launch of RLifeTM LIVE.
This series of live performances, culinary and arts events and more, aims to bring you the next new discovery – whether you’re a guest, Renaissance fan, cultural connoisseur, or (swoon!) all three. Launching first with music, the program kicks off tonight and will feature an eclectic fleet of emerging artists on the verge of super stardom.
R Life is about your life. It's about bold style. Authentic experience. Real travel (even if it's right near your home). And inspired discussion, peppered with wit and joie de vivre. It's about looking to see what's around the corner, and savoring what's new and different once you're there. Learn More
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