The Creative Class: Ashley Cole

Interior Designer, Ashley Cole of Ashley Cole Design

I really don't recall the first time I met Ashley Cole. It was probably during one of the JW parties. She is not exactly easy to miss. Tall. Blonde. Beautiful. She is an instant attraction in a crowd. But beneath the facade is a charismatic personality to match her talents as a designer. After a stint in Chicago, Ashley decided to move back home to make her

The Bars and Restaurants of Boracay - circa 1990

Kon Tiki  floating bar

Pearl of the Pacific - Boracay Island 1990

I first discovered Boracay in 1990. This was the Philippines I never quite discovered after immigrating to California at the height of my teen years a decade prior. I was a city kid  whose one "life threatening" encounter with a jellyfish in Matabungkay, Batangas, forever marred my desire to be in the vicinity of salted water. 

My cousins highly recommended this piece of paradise an hour and a half plane ride south of the capital. I endured a bumpy plane ride in which a "yaya" of one the kids on the plane had to vomit her entire meal upon

Superfriendz' Radio Flyer Campaign collects 5,000 books for Schools of Hope

The tally is in. The Radio Flyer campaign for Schools of Hope generated over 5,000 new and gently used books for the United Way program. Schools of Hope helps close the literacy gap in our Grand Rapids Public Schools by having over 1,000 local volunteers spend 30 minutes each week reading to 1st to 3rd grade students. 

The statistics are staggering. The average suburban family in the US owns about 200 children's books at home. In the inner city, the average is one book! By the time the suburban kids are in 4th grade, they would have been read to 1,700

The Best of six.one.six - Part II

The Best six.one.six Menu To Date

Crispy Pork Belly

tarragon-carrot emulsion, juniper, parsley puree, herb salad ($9)

Did you know that every eight weeks, the dinner menu at six.one.six restaurant at the JW Marriott reinvents itself? It's a daunting task but one that chef de cuisine Joel Wabeke welcomes with open arms. It's foodie term limits, except the best menu incumbents remain on the list with some minor adjustments to the accompaniments.

This rotation is the best set of items yet. The list of sixteen small eats is like an all-star line up of foodie delights. To the

A Refreshed Courtyard by Marriott

The refreshed lobby, bistro and guest rooms of the downtown Courtyard by Marriott in Grand Rapids can now finally stand on its own next to its beautiful sister hotels next door; the classic Amway Grand Plaza and the swanky JW Marriott. This amazing new look is part of the global refresh of all Courtyard's by Marriott International to better accommodate the needs of the brands savvier business clientele. The "Road Warrior" has grown up. The old school

Pizza Heaven in Florida!

Fresh mozzarella, sliced tomatoes & basil pizza. 

It's been two days since my first encountered Anthony's Coal-Fired Pizza in Fort Lauderdale, and let me tell you, I am still stuffed! The delicious flavors of the high quality ingredients and the crispiness of the crust still lingers as one of the best pizza's I've ever tasted. Started by Anthony Bruno in 2002, this South Florida institution has expanded to nearly thirty restaurants in  five states: Florida, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New York and Delaware. I am so surprised that I've

Yolo - Where the beautiful people are in Fort Lauderdale

I have to be honest here. I had very low expectations of Fort Lauderdale before arriving here for an extended weekend with my wife's family. I realize that Fort Lauderdale has made every effort to erase the stigma of college spring break capital - cheap hotels, overcrowded beaches and thousands of binge drinking, gyrating students living it up as if it's the eve of prohibition. Ocean boulevard has been cleaned up. Crappy hotels have been torn down and replaced with more expensive hotels. Restaurants have upgraded their menus though most of them are still targeting tourists. Not exactly my style.

However, about a mile west of Ocean boulevard is the more upscale shopping and dining district of Las Olas.  If you

The Creative Class: Lynn Serulla

Lynn Serulla (right) and her friend staged this shot on a rainy day on

Fisk Lake in East Grand Rapids. 

My Hotel Life is proud to highlight designer and stylist, Lynn Serulla, as this blog's first Creative Class feature. A native of Grand Rapids, Lynn, along with her boyfriend Jason, just recently drove cross country to Los Angeles this summer to pursue their dreams in California.

Please contact me if you know of any creative personalities (artists, designers, architects, t-shirt artists, web

Burma: The Last Frontier

Filipino Style Summer Feast

Our hosts and anniversary celebrants, Don and Enya Schoonmaker

I invited the JW Marriott's executive chef, Andrew Voss, to a friend's parent's 35th wedding anniversary barbecue in their home in Greenville, Michigan, around thirty minutes north of Grand Rapids. Chef Andrew is a newbie when it comes to Filipino get together's but I was very confident that this experience would be an eye opener to the world of Filipino cuisine and Filipino style summer party.

To say that Mama Enya, as her kids call her dearly, is a good cook is an understatement. Petite in stature with a constant smile in her face, she whips out dishes in her home kitchen more fitting a hotel banquet

Sunset with Chihuly

There is something magical when you incorporate Dale Chihuly glass art into an existing space such as a pond or small waterfall. It's inspiring at the very least. With only about thirty minutes to capture the still life's of a Chihuly exhibit, I rushed through four of the fifteen exhibits at sunset, to get a glimpse of the