To celebrate its 35th anniversary this year, Travel & Leisure is doing some traveling of its own, feting the occasion with 35 parties at stylish hotels around the world. For the Los Angeles stop on the tour, the American Express Publishing mag—known around the special event circuit for the cool, inventive parties put together by creative projects director Laura Aviva—took over the W Los Angeles—Westwood and its cabana-lined, flower-shaped pool.Guests entered the space from a sloping, curving path flanked by giant spherical orange balloons (we thought the color and placement evoked Christo and Jean-Claude’s installation of “The Gates” in New York’s Central Park). Staff wearing T-shirts emblazoned with the word blow (a reference to birthday candles, ahem) passed hors d’oeuvres and mixed colorful cocktails using sponsors’ 10 Cane rum and Ketel One vodka, among others. Ketel set up an ice bar to showcase its spirit, and Veuve Clicquot served its new rose bubbly from a cabana decorated with graphic, orange-toned faux flowers that matched the brand’s packaging.
—Alesandra Dubin
Posted 04.20.06
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While Aviva’s in-house team mainly worked with the hotel and limited additional vendors, Classic Photo Booth brought in a color photo booth with an attendant—a simple touch that's always an easy crowd-pleaser. Along with their photo strips, guests left with gift bags that included a magazine, a Rough Guides travel book, and products from the Bliss spa that recently opened in the hotel.
The party came not even halfway through Travel & Leisure’s planned circuit of 35 parties in 35 cities this year. The mag has already hosted parties on a similar scale at hotels in Honolulu, Singapore, and Hong Kong, and has more planned for Seattle, San Francisco, Chicago, Miami, Sydney, London, Bangkok, Cabo San Lucas, and more—plus a finale in New York in September.—Alesandra Dubin
Posted 04.20.06
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Travel & Leisure’s Laura Aviva