Village Living neighborly news & entertainment for Mountain Brook
Volume 6 | Issue 7 | October 2015
Bohemian debut
Hotel set to open in late October
Construction nears completion at the Grand Bohemian Hotel, part of the new Lane Parke development. Photo by Frank Couch.
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“People say they have never spent the night in a museum, but that they feel like they just did that [when they have stayed in our hotels].” -Richard Kessler
By MADOLINE MARKHAM Suzan Doidge will have a new answer at the end of this month. Mountain Brook residents often call the chamber of commerce to ask where to host a bar mitzvah, tea or wedding reception, and in the past there hasn’t been a good venue in the city for more than 30 people. That was before the opening of the $35 million Grand Bohemian Hotel, though. “It’s a game changer,” said Doidge, the chamber director. The chamber itself plans to hold its annual luncheon at the Grand Bohemian in January as well as the Fashions for the Foundation event for the Mountain Brook City Schools Foundation in November. Plus, Doidge said, hotel guests will patronize
INSIDE
Sponsors .......... A6 City...................... A7
other Mountain Brook businesses. “It’s a really great opportunity for us to bring more people into the community,” Doidge said. “They are going to enjoy Grand Bohemian and shop at Lane Parke and enjoy our trails. It will foster business that we might not otherwise see. We haven’t had a resource like this in the past.” The Kessler vision Inspired by the Bohemian Club in San Francisco, Richard Kessler’s Grand Bohemian boutique hotel collection celebrates arts and culture at locations in Orlando, Savannah, St. Augustine, Asheville, Taos and Beaver Creek, Colorado. “People say they have never spent the night in a museum, but that they feel like they just did that [when they have stayed in our hotels],” Kessler said. Business............ A10 Food................... A15
Community ..... A17 School House .... B4
A Charleston location opened this summer and was the first to offer the wine blending experience also available in the Mountain Brook location. The interior design of the Mountain Brook hotel will feature whimsical botanicals inspired by neighbors Birmingham Zoo and Birmingham Botanical Gardens, as well as elements inspired by the state’s auto industry and nearby Barber Motorsports Park. Ground broke for the Grand Bohemian Mountain Brook in January 2014. It is situated in front of Lane Parke apartments in Mountain Brook Village and will be adjacent to the new Lane Parke retail phase that broke ground last month. Kessler has partnered with Evson Inc. and
See BOHEMIAN | page A30
Sports ................ B8 Faith .................. B13
Calendar .......... B26 facebook.com/villageliving
Fashion forward
Home inspiration
The Mountain Brook City Schools Foundation is preparing for its annual fashion show fundraiser with a new format and new location.
Find tips and tricks on caring for your home and garden in this month’s special advertising section.
Features page B1
Special page B14
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