CDG Interactive Blog

As a child, the last two weeks of August were an exciting time. I eagerly anticipated receiving my course schedule and looking it over with my friends to see what classes we would share. My mother and I made several trips to the mall and in the name of back-to-school preparation, I convinced her to buy me as many clothes, make-up, magazines, books and binders as I could. My notes from the previous year were pulled out in order to brush up on forgotten facts and I devoured a summer’s worth of novels from the reading list I was supposed to have begun in June.

Now that I’m out of school,  end-of-summer just means that it is going to get colder and I miss the learning, fashion and camaraderie that September used to bring. As we’re updating our hotel clients’ websites with information on what’s happening all over the country the Fall, I’ve found myself at the desk fantasizing about what an ideal school day would be like if I could substitute the classrooms with hotels and go back to school

Breakfast in Bed: Despite my eagerness for education, getting up before seven in the morning is not very appealing. As a schoolgirl, I would sometimes scarf down a pop tart, but if I were to board at Hotel Maison de Ville, I could have a croissant delivered to my room to provide me the needed fuel to get through the morning.

Homeroom: Walking beats the bus, so I’d like to begin the day at Quartz Mountain Resort’s Conference Room, which I would get to by walking through Quartz Mountain Golf Club, a course cut from natural terrain and containing wildlife.

Geography: I would study Hilton Embassy Row’s Google Map of the Dupont Circle neighborhood and add my favorite spots to the guide.

Cultural Studies: September 15 is the Celtic Festival in Chicago at which all things kilt-related will be celebrated. I’d attend this event and stop in at the Radisson Hotel and Suites, to brush up on British pub food at Elephant and Castle.

Literature: To hear some of the best authors in the country speak, I’d visit the Churchill Hotel in Washington DC and attend the National Book Festival on the Mall on September 29.

Lunch: Once again, for anything food-related I would want to be in New Orleans. Lunch options at The Bistro include escargot, petit paneed tian of Louisiana catfish, salmon seafood farci and house smoked duck as options on its menu. Though Cappuccino Cream Cheese Brownie with Patron Tequila Mocha soup is something I never would have tried as a child, this dessert is enough to make me want to go to Hotel Maison de Ville.

Arts and Crafts: For creative inspiration, I would visit the Quartz Mountain Art Collection, a wooden lodge that showcases works from the region’s top artists. I would use the scenic area as inspiration to create my own works and find wood and stones to make sculptures and collages.

Architecture: To learn all about buildings, I’d take an hour tour of historic sites on a Wendella Boat Ride as part of the Radisson’s Architectural Tour Package.

History: The Hilton Embassy Row is located right by the metro, so it wouldn’t take long for me to get to the National Mall where I could learn all about the past for free at the Smithsonian Museums in Washington, DC. 

Photography: There’s plenty to in the French Quarter and I’d capture all the sites and then post my photos to Hotel Maison de Ville’s Flickr Pool.

Extracurricular activities: Swimming in the pool at Hotel Maison de Ville (the oldest in New Orleans), hiking around Quartz Mountain Resort or attending meetings at the Chicago Radisson Hotel and Suites would make me want to stay after school.

However, one of the best parts of being out of school is that adulthood means happy hour and no curfew. Since our hotels boast stylish lounges and luxorious accomodations, my daydreams of life after graduation also involve trips to these properties.