Tizzette

When you say cultural immersion with the family, it has to be more easily manageable and accessible traveling with kids than with adults only. For cultural immersion staying in one place, I would pick Italy. But what I really like is hopping from place to place along a train route. Smaller cities rather than larger, and not just cultural sites as in cathedrals and museums, but also opportunities for kid fun such as an amusement park or beach. Using the train in kid tolerable segments from 1 to 3 hours, you can see the land, and you can arrive in the center of a smaller town and step right into local culture. Some easy train routes are: from Zurich to Vienna or Munich through Austrian Alps stopping in Salzburg and Innsbruck; Lisbon with day trip to Sintra and train to the Algarve; Naples (home of pizza) with train to Sorrento as a base for the Amalfi Coast, day trip to Pompeii and boat trip to Capri. Kids like day trips on buses with guides, as long as it is just half a day. In the US, some places that would allow a sense of cultural immersion are New Orleans, Albuquerque and Santa Fe, and Honolulu.

Happy

I feel the same thing - Club Carlson did a email survey last year about some health-related benefits - so now despite most of us felt that did not fit with a hotel chain, we see the Mayo clinic? being added as a benefit.

Club Carlson has very poor presence in Asia other than India. Why not work on that instead? I am sure more are interested in staying a hotel than a "cultural immersion" when thinking about a hotel chain and its loyalty program.

TravelinSperry

You're likely addressing the wrong rep. This rep I'm guessing has marketing input or decision making. A rep who wants to fill rooms and better experiences in the hotels they have.

There are other people likely who try to get hotels to accept the CC brand or who scout different locales.

So why not engage this rep for what they are seeking rather than admonishing them for something they cannot control

Club Carlson

Our thread's intent was not to generate destination ideas for signing existing hotels but your logic was correct.

Great insight into why you would book a tour with others as well. Are there specific amenities or design in your lodging you would desire during this sort of excursion? Whom would you travel with?

Club Carlson

Fantastic insight here! Thank you! Exactly what we were looking for. When you say "it has to be more easily manageable and accessible traveling with kids than with adults only", do any property or room designs/amenities come to mind as must haves? Are there design elements or amenities that you wouldn't expect to see during this type of travel, yet would be delighted to see upon entering the property or room? Thanks for your feedback!

Club Carlson

Thanks for your participation in the thread and what you're bringing to the discussion, TravelinSperry! I have a unique role within Club Carlson which affords me the opportunity to interface with several stakeholders. I came here because each of you have unique opinions and it is important to listen to those candid insights. We'd like to stay on topic in this thread and I'll be back here frequently to share ideas with you and gain perspective. Thanks in advance for your feedback and engagement!

Keep the culturally authentic trip ideas coming!

Tizzette

Something small that parents of babies would appreciate is a bottle warmer, if there isn't a microwave. Just put a bottle warmer in the room of those who request a porta crib.

Now and then in the US, you find king rooms with an alcove with bunk beds instead of a sitting area, which is ideal for families of all age kids. Possibly they used to be junior suites with sofa beds, but the bunk beds are so much better. The lower bunk bed is low enough for 3 and 4 year olds, especially if there is a side rail available. In European twin rooms, I wish the beds were separated, not pushed together. And please keep the bathtubs, don't follow the trend of converting them to showers only.

As far as special activities, something that might be nice is a "neighborhood orientation" at 10 o'clock and/or 5 o'clock. A half hour mini tour of what's close to the hotel, talking about about what's interesting, showing where to find a park, eateries, market, maybe some tube and bus tips how to get to get around.

shawn67

Marilyn Carlson Nelson is a strong Mayo supporter and Emerita Trustee.

ZenWorld

Perhaps I am a bit late to this discussion, but I am looking at Club Carlson's Q1 promo, and looking at where I could stay, I realised that Club Carlson has nearly no presence in the countries I like to visit, and hence cultural immersion is certainly not possible, if CC does not have a base to work from.

Countries like Taiwan, South Korea, Japan (save for a Narita Airport hotel - which is only useful for those transiting in Narita Airport - which is 2 hours away from Tokyo), Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, etc and not forgetting Hong Kong SAR.

Wow. That is a huge absence in East Asia strangely from CC, which has a decent footprint elsewhere in the world. I think this is a huge growing market that CC is missing out on, and I hope things will change in 2017. It should be easy to sign at least 1 hotel in each country which will bring Elites of CC there.

As for immersion, I like to eat what locals do, and hang out at places that locals frequent. Those countries that CC is absent in, have great culinary culture.

I hope CC will be able to target at least for CC hotel in each of those abovementioned countries in 2017. That should be possible, if it is a re-flag.

Lyssa

I think something with a wine tasting/vineyard experience would be nice. The Radisson Blu Paris-Boulogne already has a small vineyard on the property. I thought I might see some kind of customized wine tasting or talk about viniculture to go along with it, but I didn't notice those things there.

Another experience would be Northern Lights trips in the Nordic Countries, where CC does have a good presence. One hotel is Iceland has a Northern Lights wake up call, they will call you when the Northern Lights come out so you won't miss them.

These are just a couple of ideas off the top of my head.

Club Carlson

Lyssa, I like your idea! Who would accompany you on this trip? Are there amenities or features that would be nice to haves during your stay?

Club Carlson

Thanks for the feedback, ZenWorld! We hope that you'll continue to watch our footprint grow around the world as there will be some excellent forthcoming destinations. Check out our new properties -- we're updating it often and you may be pleased with what you'll see as 2017 unfolds: https://www.clubcarlson.com/newhotels.

philemer

We would also like Scotland as a destination but for a golf experience.

maryluski

Africa.

We are thinking if Kenya as it is relatively affordable for families since we are talking family groups. If you really want large and extended families, you need to plan and price this for the millionaire not the multi-millionaire. Cultural immersion is not luxury all the way, we are talking real cultural immersion staying where locals stay and going where locals go. My family has plenty of high end immersion here in the US, what they need to see is the other side of the world and do it in a structured manner.

So what we often do is an Airbnb and do our own tour, the downside is this leads to mistakes and yes, sometimes being in the rickshaw in Beijing where the guy is calling the police because I will not pay $160 US dollars for a six block ride, but it also gave us the true living experience in Beijing that staying at a top end property would not provide.

Okgal

I would take my family (husband, son, his girlfriend, daughter, her husband and daughter and my father-in-law) to Japan. My mother was Japanese but died at the age of 57 in 1993. The Japanese culture is fascinating to my children and grandchildren. I would love for all of us to experience first-hand as much of the culture as possible. Temples, museums, and, of course, shopping would all be on the itinerary, as well as meeting the relatives I still have there. Climbing the bottom of Mt Fuji (I know my crew would never make it far &#128540, experiencing hot spring baths, and at least one ryokan (Japanese style hotel with futons on the floor). Going to the park with kids (usually age 15-50) dressed in Elvis, Goth, and cartoon characters. Shopping at multi-story department stores with restaurants in the basement and the top floor with kids attractions, going to Akihabara for electronics and stopping at street stalls for ramen, corn, sweet potatoes and meat-sticks. Maybe we will be able to do it someday...