Eye on Travel

Radio Guest List–Gaylord Rockies Resort and Convention Center in Aurora, Colorado–February 23, 2019

Locations in this article:  Denver, CO

This week’s  Eye on Travel comes from the brand new Gaylord Rockies Resort and Convention Center in Aurora, Colorado. The resort celebrates its grand opening a week from today, and is part of the growing Marriott family in Colorado, including the Ritz Carlton and the iconic Brown Palace. Joining Peter, President & CEO of U.S. Travel Association, Roger Dow, on how the government shutdown affected the travel industry and how the shutdown also ended in large part because of the travel industry. Brian Hostetler, from the Denver Museum of Nature & Science, on the true definition of an interactive, hands-on museum.  Aviation industry expert Mike Boyd, outlines how more competition between airlines is leading to better prices, and how we may soon see nonstop transatlantic flights from secondary U.S. cities, such as Syracuse and Tucson. All  this and more as this week’s episode of Eye on Travel broadcasts from Gaylord Rockies Resort and Convention Center in Aurora, Colorado.

Click here  to listen to the show streaming live from 10 a.m. until 1 p.m. ET on Saturday, February 23, 2019.

Have a travel question? Then ask Peter. E-mail him at peter@petergreenberg.com, or tweet your questions to @petersgreenberg (include #AskPeter).


Captain Greg Pixley of the Denver Fire Department speaks about how new hotels, such as the Gaylord, stay up to code and the precautions it takes to ensure guest safety. Thanks to the progression of the international fire code and its looking out for people, fire safety has improved significantly. He also speaks about the specific challenges of working in Denver. Firefighters are acclimated to the altitude, but they work on staying fit every day. He emphasizes the importance of staying hydrated in Colorado. The altitude and increased sun exposure due to the elevation can especially affect travelers who aren’t used to the conditions.

 

Angelica Daneo, Chief Curator of the Denver Art Museum, details how the museum serves a large community and its responsibility of addressing the interests of a diverse audience. It strives to have all types of art work from special exhibits to growing its permanent collection. One of its biggest projects is revitalizing the Martin Building, one of the museum’s oldest buildings which will complete its remodel in 2021, the 50th anniversary of the building. Although Colorado may be known as one of the top locations for Western Art, it has much more than that on display. One of its upcoming exhibits on Monet will showcase not just the artist’s work, but also his process to give the viewer a deeper appreciation of the art. 

 


Fabian Ludwig, Executive Chef at the Gaylord Rockies Resort and Convention Center, talks about his time working for the Marriott Marquee, one of the largest hotels in New York with nearly 2,000 rooms. That experience has lent itself to his current position with the Gaylord Rockies and being able to serve food on a larger scale. There are 80 separate banquet rooms and in theory, it could have to serve 80 separate functions at once as well as nine restaurants at the Gaylord Rockies. He was here from the beginning of the process designing the menus. One of his biggest emphases across all of the resort’s restaurants is showcasing local products. Although he loves to highlight the local fare, the biggest challenge with local purveyors is them being able to meet their supply demands. One of the top things on the menu it struggles to keep enough of, is Colorado Bison. A lot of the travelers are only here for a few days and they want to experience tastes of Denver. 


Donovan Will, Director of Special Events at the Gaylord Rockies Resort and Convention Center, explores the various activities the multiple acre property has to play with here and how it’s his job to give guests interesting things to do. He considers this a mini-theme park with a hotel around it. One of its biggest events of the year is Ice, an ice and snow carving festival that originated in China. His team builds a tent at 9 degrees Fahrenheit to create a cold environment for these sculptures to be displayed for up to 52 days and uses food coloring in the process to help the characters come to life. Then, there’s Summerfest, where the outdoor space is revamped by changing the mini-golf course, having DJs at the pool, and maybe most excitingly — building escape rooms. As the escape phenomenon hits cities around the world, this trendy activity has a live actor in the space.

 

Roger Dow, President & CEO of U.S. Travel Association, examines the real world issues that result from the government shutdown and how it affects daily workers. Many government employees know they will get back pay for the time during the shutdown, but there are auxiliary professions; for example, waiters who are not getting customers and tips,are really hit the hardest. Then he talks about how competition between airlines is driving prices down, which is bad for some legacy carriers but good for the customer. That trend is also hitting the hotel industry thanks to the growth of AirBnB, which now holds over 7% of global room inventory.

 


Brian Hostetler
, Children and Family Programing Manager at Denver Museum of Nature and Science, dives into (kill the extra space) some of the most exciting features of the museum. The prehistoric journey is always one of its most popular sections of the museum, and an interactive one. You can actually touch dinosaur bone, giving kids and adults a hands-on learning experience. Then he talks about the upcoming Leonardo da Vinci exhibit and how ahead of his time he was in terms of innovation and design, looking at the natural world for inspiration. The exhibit begins March 1st, and you can have interactive experiences like launching a catapult and drawing with forced perspective.

 

Aurora Mayor Bob LeGare joins us to talk about the city’s growth and how the Gaylord is a big deal for the citizens. The city has been looking for a project like this for the last 30 years and the location to Denver International Airport, a relatively new airport, helped it secure the project. Being so close to the airport is a huge part of why the Gaylord was built here. Then he explains that Aurora is the second largest city in the Denver Metro area and the third largest city in the state. He wants people to come and experience the city, which hosts surprises like its parks and recreation areas and its diversity, with over 75,000 foreign-born people living in the city.

 

Mike Boyd, Aviation Consultant & President of Boyd Group International, talks about the TSA and how those people in the blue shirts are victims too. They may have an 88% rate of letting dangerous items through, but the issues stem from the top and they don’t have the right resources to work with. He also warns to beware of TSA apps and their average wait times. If you want an actual gauge of how long your wait will be, triple that. But he also has some good news: the average air ticket fare has gone down, and that means more people are flying. When you are looking at city pairs you are looking at very competitive routes, such as New York to London. And be on the lookout for other markets that are about to explode with low fares – he thinks that transatlantic service from Albany, Syracuse, and more are on the horizon because newer airplanes can sustain those routes.

 

John Ekeberg, Executive Director of the Denver Center for Performing Arts, talks about the sold out engagement of Hamilton. Then he talks about some of the other big successes it’s seen in the last year, such as Dear Evan Hansen, and Denver launching the national tour last fall. The DCPA has a full producing wing that focuses on world premieres, mainly plays. Two shining stars that it developed in the last few years were The Whistle Blower and Last Night. Denver has a great reputation as a great city to be in with a lot of resources, thanks in large part to its vibrant group of technicians, building its own sets, and having a great space to work in.  He also addresses the changing demographics of those who go to the theater. A young and more diverse demographic has moved in, and it has tried to tap into that audience.