Wellness
Our experience was not to start
until seven-thirty, so around three in
the afternoon, we checked out Crave
Café for some of its homemade
delicious gelato before heading to
the adult pool.
PHOTOS COURTESY OF OMNI HOTEL MONTELUCIA EXCEPT WHERE NOTED
The bewitching hour was
approaching, as the sun was starting
to rest over Camelback Mountain.
Even though we’ve been married
twenty-four years, we felt romantic,
lovely, and smiling like a Cheshire cat
as we knocked on the large wooden
doors, provided our password and
entered a world of intrigue.
Our butler led us up the staircase
where we each put a stone in the
fountain and made a wish. In this
deeply peaceful environment, the
massive crystal drew us near. As we
both placed our hands on it, we took
deep breaths to prepare for what
was next.
As we ventured down the hallway
and the doors opened, we were
overwhelmed by the exotic beauty
and old-world charm of our spa
suite. This spacious hideaway was
accented with candles, antique
lamps, plush pillows and Moroccan
antiques.
Our butler showed us around the
suite and the terrace outside. It
featured a private pool which lights
the air, a telescope to look at the
stars, an iPad with an app to
discover all the constellations, and
the table where we would enjoy our
dinner.
Back in our suite, our butler
introduced us to our two massage
therapists, Abigail and Angie. They
had us change into our robes and
slippers and relax for fifteen minutes
before our massages.
As we rolled around the bed, tossing
pillows out of the way to be close,
we appreciated the quiet, peace, no
phones, and joy of just being with
each other and savoring the moment.
At eight promptly, Abigail and Angie
returned to start our massages that
were suited for each of us
individually. First from a chart of
flowers, we picked our favorite and
they let us smell the oil to match.
Norm’s was right on target and
Maralyn’s needed to be adjusted, and
then we were in for an hour of sheer
bliss where all worries and cares
melted away. We’d never experienced
a couples massage before and
sharing this quiet and peaceful time
with a soft jazz/blues music in the
background was magic.
At nine, our massage was over, but
we still had more to come. We chose
to change and enjoy dinner in our
regular clothes, but we could have
remained in our robes, as the terrace
was ours.
The exquisite flavors of our Spanish-
IN-CEN-TIVE, noun, something
inciting to action or effort, as the
expectation of reward or the
fear of punishment; adjective,
inciting and motivating.
The above definition is from
Webster’s Dictionary. I would cross
out “the fear of punishment,” as I
have only witnessed positive
results from incentive programs,
whether individual, group, small or
large.
For more than three decades, I
wrote and was involved with
incentive programs. Seeing results
produced were phenomenal. Some
were over-the-top luxurious and
others were individual rewards.
Luxe Beat Magazine
is encouraging
the following
• Readers, please consider
sharing the best incentive
program you’ve experienced.
• CVBs and Tourism Bureaus, send
us a list of 8 to 12 reasons why
your destination is an ideal
incentive destination.
• PR firms and individual
properties, same criteria as
CVBs and Tourism Bureaus.
Cruise Lines, same criteria as
CVBs and Tourism Bureaus.
• Individual attractions, tell us
why you are so special.
With destinations, we will break
cities down to different tier cities.
We encourage you to have some
individual attractions. Provide us
with reasons why experiencing
what they offer is special.
The goal of companies running
incentive programs is for
participants to walk away with
positive unforgettable
experiences.
We will be looking for the ideal
incentive and board meeting
locations and you can help us find
them. You may wonder why I
lumped board meetings in with
incentives. Simply, because board
meetings are frequently as
luxurious as incentive programs.
If you want us to do a full feature
on your destination or property,
you’ll have to bring one or two of
our contributors out to cover your
property. If you want to be part of
the general overview, then we will
just need your lists and photos. It
would help to have some quotes
from those who have endorsed you.
Luxe Beat Magazine realizes that
our readers want real experiences
and not fluff. We are pretty good
at reading through the fluff. We
also know, we will be able to
provide more insight when you
pitch in and share your knowledge.
This article from our August 2014
issue is certainly an example of a
luxury incentive destination,
Summer Has Arrived At The
Ritz-Carlto