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November 16, 2007

Renovations coming along

The Best Western Mariemont Inn is a registered national landmark and is considered one of the finest hotels in America. A cornerstone building since Mariemont’s inception in the 1920’s, the Inn has always been integral to the village’s history and maintaining the integrity and character that has made the village so charming to this day. For the past several months renovations to the interior of the Inn have been ongoing and the progress will indelibly make new history.

The renovations have been taking place thus far on the Madisonville-side wing of the Inn; sometime after the new year renovations will begin on the Wooster-side wing. When completed, the rooms will be more spacious and retrofitted with state-of-the-art amenities.

Stepping outside the Inn, the most visible difference that people may have noticed is an upgraded parking lot at the rear of the building. The lot will be used as exclusive guest parking, where a covered rear entranceway will allow guests to enter the Inn without having to walk around to the front entrance. The rear entrance will immediately lead guests into one of the Inn’s new additions: a new lobby with fireplace.

The new lobby and main lobby will be connected by one of the more intricate additions to the inn, a new inconspicuous hallway which was carved through the existing structure of the Inn. The hallway will give access to a service elevator, a new luggage room, a business center and an all-new fitness room.

“The new first floor hallway is the most dramatic change. Everything has been redesigned to mimic the main lobby,” General Manager Bill Spinnenweber said. The owner is also looking for Mariemont memorabilia to display in the historical hall. If there is any item that someone possesses that they wouldn’t mind having displayed, give Bonnie Malone a call at 271-2100.

In order to ensure the integrity of the interior décor throughout the added hallway and lobby, a craftsman was coerced out of retirement to bring his expertise to the design.

“We brought in someone who was able to replicate the arches found in the main lobby and utilize the design throughout the hallway. He made a mold from one of the original archways and found the appropriate textures to match the main lobby,” owner’s representative Bonnie Malone said.

The main reason for all the renovations, though, is the rooms. Ownership of the Inn knows quality is more important than quantity, and when the renovations are completed the Mariemont Inn will have reduced the number of available rooms by a few; the result, though, is the remaining rooms will be larger.

Each room will have custom designed solid oak furniture, all fabrics will be luxury linen, the bathrooms will be fitted with large rain-shower heads and fogless mirrors, and there will be glass-front refrigerators.

While touring the interior construction in progress, the Madisonville-side wing looks like a jungle of metal struts with thick vines of cables, wiring and piping wrapped around and throughout the structure. Large sheets of drywall are leaning against struts and being escorted through a large second-floor window from a crane. What is significant about the skeleton work of the rooms is that the rooms will be equipped with sound-minimizing materials. The drywall being installed in the Inn has a strip of sound resistant fiberglass in the middle. Each room will be fitted with sound resistant windows and concrete sound abatement flooring has been poured. The end result will be a quieter stay at the Inn.

Throughout the halls and rooms, every pipe, wire and fixture has been removed and replaced with more modern equipment.

Posted by webmaster at 11:44 AM

November 14, 2007

Don't miss out on this one

The Dilly Deli's "largest and most sumptuous" wine tasting of the year is an annual event that is a must for the wine lover.

On Sunday, Dec. 2, from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m., the Dilly Deli, located in the Mariemont Strand, will be setting up six tables of wines, along with a variety of champagnes and special selections, seasonal and specialty beers, excessive hors d'oeuvres and music from jazz guitarist Steve Barone.

Cost is $50 per person and reservations are a must! You can guarantee your seat at this extravagant spread by calling the wine shop at 561-5233.

Posted by johnston at 10:59 PM

November 03, 2007

A few notes on the National Exemplar

If you like football and nachos, then you might consider watching the Monday Night Football game Southerby's and the National Exemplar bar. On Monday nights for the game the restaurant and bar are offering their award winning nacho's for $7.95 with a $1 off Bass Ale Draft.

The Mariemont Inn is currently reconstructing the back parking lot. Alternative parking can be found on the Mariemont Square across from the Theatre, behind the MariElders building and in front of the Mariemont Strand.

And it appears the weather is starting to get a tad bit chillier, so be sure to take advantage of the Exemplar's new outdoor patio which, in case you haven't heard or seen, just recently opened. Breakfast and lunch is being served from 7 a.m. - 2 p.m. with dinner beginning at 5 p.m.

Posted by johnston at 03:20 PM

Photo boxset great look at village

Mariemont, considered one of the finest -- if not the finest -- planned communities in the country, is filled with history and charm. People traveling through the village, either for business or pleasure, are always impressed with the aesthetic and the warm, friendly aura that is innate with the community.

What has been lacking, though, are momentos, keepsakes, something in the area of a souvenir, that capture part of the essence that is Mariemont that visitors can take home with them.

As a result, local photographer Robert A. Flischel decided to hone his camera's eye on some of the village's more recognizable landmarks and snap a few pictures that people can take away with them.

"I had been encouraged to do something creative. It took a while for me to finally get around to doing the project, but now it's complete and I decided to box some of the original photographs and have them matted on individual cards," Flischel said.

There are six photographs in the set, called "The Towers and Cupolas of Mariemont", shots taken of the familiar structures from unique vantage points with intriguing lighting and backdrops. They are 4"x6" photos on a 5"x7" card and the box comes with envelopes so that the pictures may be mailed if purchasers decide to go that route.

The boxed set would also make for a nice, subtle gift with the holidays being just around the corner.

"The Towers and Cupolas of Mariemont" sets are available at The Villager and are $15 a box.

Flischel is presently working on a subsequent box set, but details are not yet available.

Posted by johnston at 03:04 PM