Marblescott -- What is That???

Here in its entirety is the latest issue of the Cinema Salem e-newsletter, which I love to read. If you live in Marblehead or Swampscott, you might be especially interested in this issue.

By the way, since our Tavern serves wonderful meals from 11 am to 11 pm each and every day, that makes us the perfect restaurant for you to visit either before or after the movie. We are only one block away from Cinema Salem, so convenience is yours! So many restaurants close between lunch and dinner, and lock up at around 9 pm. Not the Tavern, so we are your one-stop place to eat.

Don't forget we also serve breakfast, early, hot and very, very special!

Juli

CinemaSalem
by Paul Van Ness

Thanks for coming to the theater in record numbers last week for school vacation shows and a sold-out Friday evening show of AMAZING GRACE, our first sell-out in the BIG theater (#2). Previously we had sold out several HAND OF GOD screenings and PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN shows in theater #3, but this is a first for the big, 236-seat #2.

We also had a big, lively discussion on Monday night, moderated by Mark Sargent, who brought one friend from each coast to comment on the fascinating and inspiring movie.

Whether you've seen AMAZING GRACE or not, you'll want to catch our FREE screening of an excellent BBC documentary about the fight to eradicate modern slavery, showing on Thursday, March 8 at 9 pm. The program was produced by an organization called "Free the Slaves", a direct descendent of the abolitionist organization formed in 1986 by Thomas Clarkson, the firebrand radical featured in AMAZING GRACE.

Both our other movies (BRIDGE TO TERABITHIA, and MUSIC AND LYRICS) had a big week last week. We have 180 kids coming in from Beverly tomorrow morning to see BRIDGE at about 8:45am. So far, no big school field trips to see M&L, but everyone seems to be enjoyng it, particularly the scene where the TV producers are trying to coax Hugh Grant to participate in their new television show "Battle of the 80's Has-Beens".

A nice couple from Marblehead visited a few weeks ago, looking into renting a theater for a special event in September of 2008 (!), and they casually mentioned that "nobody in Marblehead knows about CinemaSalem". Is this true?

To try to get the word out, we've designated March (the whole month) as "Marblehead and Swampscott Month" at CinemaSalem. (Don't worry, we'll get around to all the surrounding local towns in the next few months!) We're putting a special ad in the Marblehead Reporter and the Swampscott Reporter. If you cut out a copy of the ad, bring it to the theater and say the secret word ("Marblescott"), you will get a FREE SMALL POPCORN for EVERYONE IN YOUR PARTY WHO BUYS A MOVIE ADMISSION. This would be a kazillion dollar value at a normal movie theater, but only a quarter-of-a-kazillion dollar value at CinemaSalem, since our concession prices are so reasonable.

Please do not disclose this secret word to anyone! Now some of you may be asking, "What if someone finds out I got this email and kidnaps me in order to torture the secret word out of me?" Very good question, for which we have a very good answer. Simply pretend to "break" under the agony and tell your captors, "The secret word is 'Swamphead' (one of our managers, Bob, thought of this)."

Upon hearing this word, our staff has been instructed to have the kidnappers arrested immediately and forced to lead us to your place of imprisonment, where you will be freed, hopefully in time to catch the next showing of a movie, also, hopefully, with free popcorn for you and the police officers, assuming you can remember the true secret word, which is "Marblescott".

You might be able to escape your kidnappers simply by mentioning a movie that we'll be opening NEXT Friday, the long-awaited feature based on a classic graphic novel, THREE HUNDRED, written by Frank Miller. This visually- ravishing live-action film has a stunning art direction, as it retells the story of the Battle of Thermopylae in 480 B.C. and the 300 Spartans who took on an army of thousands. The movie opens March 9.

Here's this week's showtimes, as we hold over our three big movies:

AMAZING GRACE will play Friday-Sunday at 12:05; 2:35; 5:00; 7:30 & 9:55, and Monday-Thursday at 4:00 & 7:00.

BRIDGE TO TERABITHIA will play Friday-Sunday at 12:00; 2:25; 4:50; 7:05 & 9:20, and Monday-Thursday at 4:15 & 7:15.

MUSIC AND LYRICS plays at 12:10; 2:30; 4:55; 7:15 & 9:35, and Monday-Thursday it will screen at 4:30 & 7:30.

A Sweet Look at One of Our Weekend's Weddings

Here at the Hawthorne Hotel in Salem, we get to see so many cute scenes,
like this one from the wedding that occurred here on Saturday night.

I thought you might enjoy sharing this little peek at our life here.

Juli

Hawthorne Hotel's Flags of the Week ~~ February 26 through March 4, 2006

Monday , February 26 ~~ Dominican Republic and District of Colombia
Tuesday , February 27 ~~ Ecuador and Florida
Wednesday , February 28 ~~ Egypt and Georgia
Thursday , March 1 ~~ El Salvador and Guam
Friday , March 2 ~~ Equatorial Guinea and Hawaii
Saturday , March 3 ~~ Eritrea and Idaho Sunday
March 4 ~~ Estonia and Illinois

We hope to see you in Salem!

Juli

Wedding Showcase

If you are going to be in Salem on Wednesday February 28 and you want to experience the wedding style of the Hawthorne Hotel, consider coming to our Wedding Showcase. It will be held right here at the Hawthorne Hotel in Salem, from 6 pm to 9 pm.

Tickets are only $10 per person, and you can reserve them by calling 978-825-4358, or you can purchase them at the door if we happen not to sell them all ahead of time.

We will be passing a number of hors d'oeuvres, Montilio's will be serving wedding cake, and the Chocolate Company will be offering their chocolate fountain. It will be an evening not-to-be missed.

There will be a fashion show put on by Yolanda's of Boston and Mr. Tux, entertainment, and lots to see as well as door prizes for those lucky ones among you.

I hope to see you here.

Juli

Updating Technology Has Its Drawbacks

This weekend we are getting new computers at the Hawthorne Hotel to replace our gear that is slightly over five years old. During this transition, we are finding issues. If you use a computer, you know what that means.

I am hopeful that once these issues are resolved, I will again be able to post photos properly on our Blog. Meanwhile, the Whoopee Pie issue is only half told, because I can't get those photos up anyway I have tried.

Stay tuned. I won't give up.

Juli

The Whoopee Pie "Wedding Cake"

An Unusual Wedding Cake -- "Making Whoopee?"

In the photos above, you will see Jennifer and Jeff. They were married at the Hawthorne Hotel here in Salem the past weekend.

Jennifer doesn't like cake, so she chose to have a very different sort of wedding dessert -- a Whoopee Pie Wedding "Cake".

Because we had never heard of, nor seen such a thing, we thought you might be interested in seeing it as well.

Whoopee!

Juli

Hawthorne Hotel Honors Manager of the Fourth Quarter of 2006

Yesterday we awarded our final Manager of the Quarter award to Liz Dube of our Banquet Department.

Liz is our Assistant Banquet Manager, and she does an awesome job for us, and for our guests.

I was especially proud and happy to be able to honor Liz for her achievements in leading the banquet team in the past months. Liz began her work for the Hawthorne Hotel a number of years ago, working first as an on-call banquet server, and then quickly progressing to a position as my administrative assistant and weekend manager-on-duty.

Over the years she became a wedding coordinator, specializing in running the most challenging of events. She recently came back to working here full time, in the capacity of Assistant Banquet Manager, and has done a phenomenal job.

Please join me in congratulating Liz!

Juli

Travelers Be Wary

I recently read this article on our Massachusetts Lodging Association e-newsletter, and thought that the more people who know about this, the better, so I am publishing it on our blog. The author is credited below.

Hopefully you will never be subjected to anything like this, but just "in case".

Juli

News - News
Hotel Scam Targets Credit Card Info

February 21, 2007 By Marshall Loeb, MarketWatch Last
Update: Feb 14, 2007 NEW YORK

(MarketWatch) -- If you're staying in a hotel and receive a "helpful" call
from the concierge regarding your credit card, beware.

Money magazine reports on a new scam making the rounds, and it targets
trusting travelers.The premise is simple enough. During your stay at a hotel,
you receive a call from someone claming to be from the front desk. "There was a
problem with your credit card," they'll say. "Can you please verify your card
number and billing address?"

But wait -- won't you know if the call is not coming from within the hotel?
Not if the fraudster called the front desk first, asking to speak with someone
in a specific room or with a common last name such as Johnson. If the front desk
successfully transfers the call to your room, it will look like it came from
within the hotel. In this case, most travelers are inclined to provide the
information. That information can be enough for a scammer to make illegal
charges using your credit card.

The American Hotel and Lodging Association says that most hotels won't ask
you to verify such information over the phone, so if you get such a call, don't
fall for it. Instead, tell the caller you'll verify the information in person at
the front desk.

Follow up at the desk yourself, and you'll likely find out it was a scam.
If there indeed was a problem with your card, you can handle it at the desk and
be sure your credit-card information is safe.

Marshall Loeb, former editor of Fortune, Money, and The Columbia Journalism
Review, writes "Your Dollars" exclusively for MarketWatch.

Ana Jerez Named Full-time Employee of the Month for January 2007

Last week we presented Ana with her award as our full-time employee of the month for January.
Ana works in our Kitchen, as you can tell from these photos. She is the one who will have made your salad, cold appetizer or sandwich, or dessert, when you dine with us.

Ana is shown here with (left to right) Ken O'Keefe, Sous Chef, Ana Jerez,
Juli Lederhaus, G.M., Jennifer Normant, Sous Chef, and Steve Nelson, Executive Chef

You can easily tell from this photo above that Ana is a happy person, and as such, she always makes us smile. In addition, Ana is a very good worker, who cares a lot about her work, and how she does it.

Congratulations, Ana!

Juli

The Hawthorne Hotel Welcomes Rotary Friends from India

Left to right, back row: Srenivas Talluru, Vijay Madhira, G.S.P. Kishore
Seated: Ann Carlson, Marblehead Harbor Rotary Club; Donna Wayman, District Governor of Rotary District 7930, and Pratima Sagar.

Srenivas, Vijay, G.S.P and Pratima are all here from India as part of a Group Study Exchange. This is one of the programs supported by both Rotary International, as well as local Rotary Clubs, to help to foster world peace and understanding. There is a team from our local District off to India as well.

We are happy to be involved with this iniative, and want to extend a warm Hawthorne Hotel welcome to our special guests.

Juli

Nathaniel's and Tavern Wine Flights

An Exciting New Feature in Nathaniel's Restaurant

We have recently begun offering wine flights in Nathaniel's Restaurant here at the Hawthorne Hotel. What is a wine flight, you ask?

A wine flight is an opportunity to taste three different wines, two ounces of each, for one set price. Our set price of $8.95 for three glasses of wine is a very reasonable one.

Why would you want to order a wine flight? There are several reasons and here are some of them:

1) If you want to learn more about wine.
2) If you are trying to find just the right wine to go with a particular dish
3) If you simply can't make up your mind about which wine you wish to order
4) Because you are adventurous and want to try something different

Our wine flights are made up of your choice of three wines from the following list:

White Wines
Bella Sera Pinot Grigio, Italy $6.50
Pannotia Torrontes, Argentina $6.95
Henry Estate Pinot Gris, Umpqua Valley, Oregon $7.95
Rancho Zabaco Sauvignon Blanc, Russian River Valley $8.50
McWilliam’s Chardonnay, South Eastern Australia $6.95
Frei Brothers Chardonnay, Sonoma County $8.50
Hammond Estate Riesling, Germany $7.95

Red Wines
MacMurray Ranch Pinot Noir, Sonoma Coast $8.50
McWilliam’s Merlot, South Eastern Australia $6.95
Sebastiani Merlot, Sonoma County $8.95
McWilliam’s Shiraz, South Eastern Australia $6.95
Pannotia Malbec, Mendoza, Argentina $7.50
Da Vinci Chianti Classico, Tuscany $8.25
Rancho Zabaco Zinfandel, Dry Creek Valley $8.50
Frei Brother’s Cabernet Sauvignon, Alexander Valley $8.95

Most certainly if you ever would like assistance, whether it is chosing one wine or a flight, please ask our friendly staff, as they would be happy to help you.

We hope to see you here, in Salem, at the Hawthorne Hotel, whether it is to taste a flight of wines, or for a simple soup and salad meal.

Juli

Romance in February at the Hawthorne Hotel

Today is Romance Day at the Hawthorne Hotel in Salem. You just THOUGHT it was Presidents' Day.

Today's post on our Wedding Blog is so sweet, you really need to check it out. Just go to www.HawthorneHotel.com and click on the link for functions and weddings, and then on the link for weddings, and thence to our Wedding Blog.

In addition, we had another charming story of romance to share with you today. Today we met Michael and Catherine McLaughlin from Boston, who also met because of the Hawthorne Hotel. You see, in the early 70's they were both riding on the train to Boston, and met. He said to she "I'm singing at the Hawthorne Hotel for 17 weeks, why not stop by and see me there."


So, she did, all the while hoping that he really could sing. Evidently she was pleased with what she found, because they have been married since 1975, and while he no longer sings for a living, he still sings for Catherine.

Congratulations on a long marriage, and for being romantic enough to come back to the Hawthorne Hotel from time to time to celebrate your special memories.

We hope we can help some others of you, fair readers, create romantic moments right here at the Hawthorne Hotel too.

See you in Salem,

Juli

Flags of the Week ~~ February 19 through 25, 2007

Here are this week's flags for your enlightenment. We hope you will enjoy learning more about the world through our daily changing of the flags.

Monday , February 19 ~~ Czech Republic and American Samoa
Tuesday , February 20 ~~ Democratic People's Republic of Korea and Arizona
Wednesday , February 21 ~~ India and Arkansas
Thursday , February 22 ~~ Democratic Republic of the Congo and California
Friday , February 23 ~~ Denmark and Colorado
Saturday , February 24 ~~ Djibouti and Connecticut
Sunday , February 25 ~~ Dominica and Deleware

I hope to see you here, on Presidents' Day, or any day.

Juli

If you are in Salem, you can watch a tour on SATV

Last Saturday Susan Babine, our Director of Sales and Marketing, and I were tour guides to Leo Jodoin of Salem Access Television's "Salem Now" show. We showed him, and his audience through the hotel for several hours.

The show aired this week on Channel 16 here in Salem, and it will run again on this coming Thursday and Friday, February 22 and 23. Thursday's show is at 11 am, and Friday's show is at 8:30 pm. The show lasts for nearly 90 minutes, without commercial break, so be forewarned!

I hope you have a chance to see us.

Juli

Do you want to peek into another guest room?

Here you can see room 204 at the Hawthorne Hotel. Our rooms are so unique, each just enough different from the next, that it makes opening the door to your guest room a little like opening a gift. I hope you enjoy seeing these rooms.

Juli

 
 
  

Wednesday Night Wedding for Valentine's Day

While most of our weddings occur on the weekend, from time to time we do have the privilege of hosting a midweek wedding. That was the case last night when this couple, Jeffrey and Tammy, got married and had their reception here at the Hawthorne Hotel.

I happened upon them right after the ceremony, and before they went up to their reception, and offered to take a photo of them with our Valentine's Heart in Nathaniel's.

We hope you enjoy sharing this little bit of romance with them. Congratulations Jeffrey and Tammy!

If you were in for dinner last night, and we took your photo, you can access it at:

http://picasaweb.google.com/f/img/transparent_album_background.gif)

More Hawthorne Hotel Blog 'Stuff'

If you are a dedicated Hawthorne Hotel Blog fan, you might want to know that you are missing a number of bits of information about us if you don't occasionally take a look at our Wedding Blog as well as our regular blog. If you want to see it, just go to www.HawthorneHotel.com and click on the weddings link on the left column. That will take you to our wedding page, and there you can link right out to the wedding blog.

I hope you enjoy seeing some of the unusual touches that our wedding guests have done, and some of the nice stories associated with weddings here at the Hawthorne Hotel.

We hope to see you here in Salem,

Juli

Happy Valentine's Day from the Hawthorne Hotel

Here is a lovely hand-dipped chocolate, just for you. Oh, wait a minute -- we don't have that ability on our blog just yet. Darn, I guess we'll have to eat it for you.

Anyway, you are definitely high on our favorite-person list, and we want to wish you a Happy Valentine's Day anyway.

We hope to see you here.

Juli and the Staff of the Hawthorne Hotel
Salem, MA

We (Heart) Valentine's Day

 

Here you see Rosa Nina-Brito, one of our servers who works both in Nathaniel's and at the PEM for our offsite catering division, at the Chocolate Festival held at Old Town Hall on Friday February 9. She and Danny Matias set up our booth and represented the Hawthorne Hotel at this event.

 
 
 

We hope to see you here at the Hawthorne Hotel in Nathaniel's for Valentine's Day, or any of the days surrounding it, as you take your sweetie out for a sweet date!

Please be sure to call for reservations, so we can accommodate you without delay. Our direct line for dining reservations is 978-825-4311.

Juli 

Hawthorne Hotel's Flags of the Week ~~ February 12 through 18, 2007

Monday , February 12 ~~ Comoros and Virgin Islands
Tuesday , February 13 ~~ Congo and Washington
Wednesday , February 14 ~~ Costa Rica and West Virginia
Thursday , February 15 ~~ Côte d'Ivoire and Wisconsin
Friday , February 16 ~~ Croatia and Wyoming
Saturday , February 17 ~~ Cuba and Alabama
Sunday , February 18 ~~ Cyprus and Alaska

Don't forget to ask me if you are ever planning a trip to Alaska -- I lived there for 14 years and can give you a few insider's tips.

Juli

Do you want to help us be recognized at "THE BEST"??

If you are one of our raving fans, or you just happen to agree that we are one of the best choices for a number of categories such as Hotel, Bar, Restaurant for Breakfast, Restaurant for Lunch, Restaurant for Dinner, Fine Dining Restaurant, and whatever else you might choose, please consider going to the following website to vote for us. Just go to www.townonline.com/choice, or pick up one of the Community Newspapers, such as the Salem Gazette, and fill out their form.

Ballots must be received by Wednesday, February 14 at 5 pm, and you must vote in at least 10 categories for your votes to be counted.

This is a community newspaper poll being conducted by Community Newspaper Company, of Gatehouse Media, New England.

We would sincerely appreciate your votes!

Thanks,

Juli, and the staff of the Hawthorne Hotel

Welcome to the Hawthorne Hotel ~~ Room 208

 
 
 

We hope to see you here.

Juli 

Welcome to the Hawthorne Hotel ~~ Room 210

 
 

I hope to see you here.

Juli 

Take a look inside our rooms -- here is suite 212

 
 
  

Some New "Welcome Mats" at the Hawthorne Hotel

If you have ever been to the Hawthorne Hotel here in Salem, Massachusetts, you will know how much we love Oriental carpets. We are currently in the process of replacing most of the carpets in our public spaces with 'new' old carpets, to create a fresh new look.

Here you can see photos of the two rugs that we just placed at our check-in desk. We think they are smashing, and hope you do too.

 
 
Here you see Abby intently listening to a customer's request.
 
 
Above you will see Shaela Riley, our Front Desk Manager, as she pitches in to help answer the phones at the desk today.

We all hope to see you here soon. Let us know how you like our new look.

Juli 

February Special in the Tavern

 

Here is one of our specially priced menu items for the Tavern in February. This is four cheese ravioli made in red heart-shaped pasta, served with spinach-Parmesan cream sauce. The meal is three courses, including a green salad, and the chef's choice of dessert, for only $13.

We serve these special three-course menus on Sunday through Wednesday evenings, 5 pm to 10 pm.

I hope to see you in the Tavern.

Juli 

A Sweet Sixteen Birthday for a Special Guest

This past weekend I was fortunate enough to be able to host a sweet sixteen birthday for my daughter. Here you see her with my husband, Walt, and her very special birthday cake in our Library meeting room at the Hawthorne Hotel.

If you pay very close attention to this blog, you will remember that Walt and I were able to adopt our daughter a little over one year ago. It gave us great pleasure to host this very special birthday party for a young lady who has given us so much joy.

Are you planning a sweet sixteen birthday for someone special? We would love to help you plan a very special party at the Hawthorne Hotel for your daughter, niece, granddaughter, or other special teen.

Please contact our catering office at 978-825-4358 so we can help you plan your event soon.

I look forward to seeing you here.

Juli