Marcus Hotels Press > Press Coverage
08.01.15 |
DailyHerald.com
Midwest travel: Fly high at Chicago Botanic kite fest By: Jacky Runice Midwest Adventure capitalists The Grand Geneva Resort & Spa in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, adds The Adventure Center to its roster of activities offering resort and destination adventures throughout the year. Activities at the new Center include: mountain biking (and rentals) through 8.5 miles of trails, ranging from easy to expert; hiking through two trails (easy and moderate); and an 18-hole disc golf course that includes a map and score card. Additional adventures include six slacklines, two sand volleyball courts and archery. 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. (with last rentals at 3 p.m.) daily at Grand Geneva Resort & Spa, Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. Prices for activities vary, and season passes are available. Entrance fees are $5 for individuals and $10 for families. (800) 558-3417 or grandgeneva.com See more here.
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07.30.15 |
WorldGolf.com
Grand Geneva Resort and Spa in Wisconsin: The Brute and Highlands golf courses By: Kiel Christianson LAKE GENEVA, Wis. — In 1968, Hugh Hefner opened the Lake Geneva Playboy Club Hotel to great fanfare. Celebrities from the TV, Hollywood, sports, and music worlds flocked to this one-time hideaway of Chicago’s ultra-wealthy. A major component of undefinedthe rabbit-eared resort’s extensive amenities was golf, with two courses and extensive practice facilities also opening for play in 1968: The Brute, designed by Robert Bruce Harris, and The Briar Patch, designed by Jack Nicklaus and Pete Dye. Fast forward to today’s Grand Geneva Resort and Spa, and you find a family friendly and far more diverse resort than the original. Along with horseback riding, zip-lining, mountain biking, tennis, swimming, skiing, snowmobiling, fine dining, and the luxuriousness of the WELL spa, golf remains central to the resort’s amenities. The Brute Course measures 7,085 yards from the tips, and remains today much as Harris laid it out in the 1960s. From the back tees, most of the par 4s are over 400 yards, and demand both precision and power to find the tree-lined fairways over substantial forced carries. Approach shots into the large greens are no picnic either, as many putting surfaces are domed and difficult to hold with longer clubs. On the back nine, the routing leads you up toward the highest point of the property, with inspiring views of the surrounding rolling woodlands and daunting wind conditions. See more here.
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07.30.15 |
The Resorter
Grand Geneva opens Adventure Center The AAA Four-Diamond Grand Geneva Resort & Spa, owned and managed by Marcus Hotels & Resorts, recently opened The Adventure Center – offering resort and destination adventures throughout the year. “The Mountain Top at Grand Geneva has always offered numerous activities for guests each year including skiing, snowboarding, the annual Snocross races, among other events,” said Director of Ski Operations Chad Hart. “Adding The Adventure Center to the resort’s offerings allows our guests even more of a variety of activities throughout the year. We are excited for guests of all ages to find their adventure during their visit.” Activities at The Adventure Center include:
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07.28.15 |
OnMilwaukee.com: 8 Reasons to Love Green Lake
Bobby Tanzilo, managing editor of OnMilwaukee.com, took a visit to Heidel House Resort & Spa in Green Lake, and shared his eight reasons to fall in love with Green Lake
To view the full article, click here |
07.23.15 |
The Resorter
Grand Geneva celebrating the season with golf and spa specials Summer fun and relaxation continues at Grand Geneva Resort & Spa, with “Nine and Dine.” Enjoy the long summer evenings and golf for just $49 after 5 p.m. any day of the week! After nine holes, stop by Links Patio Bar and Grill to enjoy your $20 dining credit. The new menu includes a wide variety of both hot and cold “sandwedges,” appetizers and bites, and salads. For those dining on the weekends, try the Fish Fry Friday offering with Corona Beer Battered Fish & Chops or the Saturday Honey Breaded Chicken. Links Bar and Grill also offers a wide selection of wines and craft beers. This summer, the Well Spa and Salon at Grand Geneva Resort & Spa is offering several new treatments designed to relax, renew and enhance that vacation glow.
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07.22.15 |
OrganicSpaMagazine.com
SPAS WITH CARDIO DRUMMING Remember when the song “I don’t want to work, I just want to bang on the drums all day” was on heavy rotation on the radio? It sang of the freedom—and sheer joy—of playing percussive instruments. For years, destination spas have tapped into this blissful feeling of experiencing the rhythm nation by offering fitness classes in African drumming. Today, however, such spots are remixing the tune to include a cardio component. Here’s where to dance to the music. Grand Geneva Resort & Spa See more here.
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07.21.15 |
GolfAdvisor.com
Golf in Wisconsin: A seven-day trip in America’s Dairy Land KOHLER, Wis. — Any golfer who is even vaguely familiar with Midwestern golf knows that the Great Lakes region is a golfer’s paradise. Despite a short playing season, the rolling hills, endless lakeshores, hardwood forests and plenty of water combine for the perfect golf course topography. Likewise, if you’re aware of all of the above, you also know that in the Great Lakes region, Michigan is king. Michigan once had more public golf courses than any other state — not per capita, simply more courses. These days, the region boasts a couple of contenders to the golfing crown, and Wisconsin is making the strongest push toward golf supremacy, in large part because America’s Dairy Land will be playing host to the 2015 PGA Championship and 2020 Ryder Cup (both at Whistling Straits) and the 2017 U.S. Open (at Erin Hills). Frankly, any avid golfer looking to plan a trip to one of America’s coasts would be remiss to ignore Wisconsin’s “East Coast” along Lake Michigan. Whether you’re planning a trip to one of the major upcoming events or just looking for a Midwestern getaway, here’s a week-long Wisconsin golf itinerary that won’t disappoint. Days 1-2: Grand Geneva Resort and Spa See more here.
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07.17.15 |
Pfister banquet chef learned by taste
 When Laureano Satian left Ecuador, he didn’t even know how to make a proper cup of coffee. Thirty years have passed since he came to the Midwest, where he started out as a dishwasher in Chicago. After stints with a country club followed by the Palmer House, Fairmont and Four Seasons in Chicago, he landed in the kitchens at The Pfister Hotel, where he’s handled banquets for the past 17 years. Pushed by a relentless work ethic and love of food, the 61-year-old says it was chicken piccata that made him want to learn more. “I thought there was only one way to prepare chicken,” Satian said. “There are a thousand ways.” As executive banquet chef at the Pfister, he feeds thousands each month. He believes the most important thing one can do while cooking is taste. Almost everything he does is from scratch. He’s passionate about stocks and sauces, elevating simple ingredients with an investment of time and attention. A married father of three, Satian lives in Brown Deer. Q.How did you get started cooking? Was it something you grew up doing? A. No. I had never been a cook before. In my country, kitchen is the tradition for women. I didn’t even know how to do a cup of coffee. I came here and my first job was a dishwasher. My second job was in a factory packaging food for next-day delivery. I was friendly with the chef. He was a French guy who would speak Spanish. I would watch him. He said, “Would you like to work in the kitchen?” I’d sneak into the kitchen and little by little I’m learning. Then I worked in a country club for about eight years. I thought I knew about kitchens, but there was just one menu. I thought that was hospitality. I went to hotels…. I realized all kitchens are different. It is like art. Q.What made you think the kitchen was the right fit for you? A. It was a dish. The way they presented the plate, I was excited. It was chicken piccata with a mashed potato and green beans with almonds on top. Oh man that looks good. I wished to one day learn to do that. Q.You’ve been handling the Pfister’s banquets for 17 years. How did you get started? A. I’d never run a big kitchen by myself. I’d never been a banquet chef before. I was a restaurant sous chef. That’s a little different. When I came on board, I had a little interview. They asked me when you want to come to work? I said any time. It was Sunday. Monday I have my blood test, same day they called me everything is OK. I’ll be there tomorrow. Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday I was just cooking. I said, “Where is the chef?” They said, “You are.” I said “No, you didn’t tell me that.” I had never run a kitchen like this. I told the truth…. I said give me three months, if this doesn’t work, back to Chicago. Q.What are the differences between a restaurant chef and banquet chef? A. Restaurants, you have your menu and you order and follow the menu. You never know when you will get busy. Banquets, there are a lot of different events, a lot of different menus. We have information in advance. People do tastings two, three, four months, sometimes even a year before the event. Q.How many people do you feed in an average week? A. I would say 1,200 to 1,500 people…the numbers vary. Q.Is there one thing that defines your kitchen style? A. Stocks and sauces. I can buy already pre-made, but I don’t like it. I like the way I do it from scratch. I like they way it tastes and the way people appreciate it. Our lobster bisque is from scratch. A lot of people buy the base; it is salty. I don’t like it. I buy lobster bodies. You wash it, simmer it, you throw away all the fishiness and then you do the stock. So the flavor is there, but it is not fishy. Q.What’s your most time consuming recipe? A. My demi-glace, that’s three days…. If you want to do the real one, the good one, that’s what you do. That’s the longest recipe. If I use 200 pounds of veal bones, I have 60 gallons of stock, two gallons of port wine reduction. It is reduced to five gallons. That’s the best. You can use it in pasta, anything, thousands of sauces you can make. In the busy season, five gallons lasts me two weeks. I put it in the freezer. Q.What’s a dish you are known for? A. Veal-stuffed chicken. I came up with it for a tasting. I was kind of scared because the person who was running the party she tasted it and said, “I love it, but I’m scared because it has veal. People say what is that or I don’t like it.” But when they ate it, the entire room was happy with the food. Even Mr. Marcus liked it. Now it is on the banquet menu. Q.Any advice for someone starting out in the industry? A. Only one person I’ve hired knew how to cook, everyone else had to learn. Q.Are banquets a good starting point for someone wanting to learn the food business? A. We show them how to hold a knife, the different cuts, and we chop vegetables. A lot of people are happy because I work with them and teach them, but in a year or longer they jump into the line and learn. Banquet is not only one kind of meal, it is a lot of different meals. Q.What are meals like at home? A. My traditional food is rice. My wife is cooking rice every day. We never get sick of rice. We prepare it different ways, but there has to be rice. Q.What’s the trick to learning to cook large portions? A. A lot of people try to follow recipes, but for big portions I don’t go by recipes. I go by tasting. Q.You go by taste, not necessarily a recipe? A. In big portions, yes. We make soup for 500. So to break down a recipe, you’re never going to get that to work properly. Q.Do you have a memorable kitchen mishap or learning experience? A. Every mistake, you learn. For myself, every mistake I do, I remember next time. You don’t want to do it again. I screwed up soup for 800 people. See, in a tomato soup you have to put a little sugar to balance the taste. I was busy, and I thought I put the sugar already, but I put in salt. I doubled the salt. Before I take it out of the big kettle I tasted it, said what happened? The tomato soup is dead right there. Q.Biggest lesson you’ve learned as a banquet chef? A. It isn’t just about using your knowledge in a banquet setting, it is using your ideas. The waiter may have 10 trays and drop the food. I’m suddenly short 10 orders. What do I do now? The rest of the people have the food on the table, and that table has no food. You have to fix it in under 10 minutes. I’m very good at that. |
07.16.15 |
The Resorter
Well Spa at Grand Geneva offering summer treatments This summer the Well Spa and Salon at Grand Geneva Resort is offering several new treatments designed to relax, renew, and enhance that vacation glow. The Coconut Grove Body Treatment incorporates 20 essential amino acids and the summer scents of juicy Barlett pear and coconut. The treatment consists of a sea-salt polish, hydrating mask and a warm body wrap (50 minutes, $120 or 80 minutes, $190). For those looking for a glowing complexion, try the Milk & Poppy Softening and Soothing Facial. The decadent treatment kicks off with a green tea milk wash, then a citrus facial polish, mango and poppy extraction, honey and oat mask and a final three-mil serum (50mites, $120). New this summer are acupuncture services, including Electro-Acupuncture, which combines traditional acupuncture with electrical impulses that stimulate muscles and nerves, and Fire Cupping, where specially pressurized glass cups are applied to the skin both increasing circulation and relieving chronic muscular pain.
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07.15.15 |
LuxuryTravelMagazine.com
6 Golf Courses with Stunning Views From breathtaking ocean views to picturesque mountains, cialis these resorts not only offer incredible amenities, but also stunning views while playing golf. Guests can enjoy a round of golf while taking in the gorgeous grounds and surroundings of each of these destinations. Grand Geneva Resort & Spa Grand Geneva Resort & Spa is a Four-Diamond, award-winning all-seasons resort set on 1,300 acres in the legendary southeastern Wisconsin community of Lake Geneva, just 90 minutes from Chicago. The property features 355 guest rooms, WELL Spa + Salon, two championship 18-hole golf courses and three restaurants. See more here.
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