I love election season! Regardless of which side of the political spectrum you’re on, seeing democracy in action always puts a smile on my face, and for the first time in a long time, California has a say in the presidential primary season. This Tuesday, February 5th, Californians will be voting in the Democratic and Republican primaries, and with all the electoral weight we’ve got here, our state could crown a winner in both parties.

Tonight, California is in luck: The Democratic candidates for President will be debating tonight at the Kodak Center, within the Hollywood & Highland Shopping Center and adjacent to our humble hotel. The debate starts at 5 PM PT and you can catch it on CNN.

We’ve also heard rumblings around the neighborhood that both leading Democratic candidates will be holding big rallies with their supporters in the area, so if you want to come watch or take part, remember to take the Metro. It’s easy and quick.

We’ll post a little update about how it all went tomorrow!

This is Bruce, signing off.

Don’t believe the hype, friends: it’s easy being green. Kermit the Frog may have sang a sad song about his green-skinned fate, but here at the Renaissance Hollywood Hotel, we’ve found our new green, environmentally friendly skin rather fetching. And, I guess we get what we deserve: the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has bestowed its prestigious Energy Star Label on our humble hotel, honoring us for major improvements in energy and water efficiency. Yep, it feels good to be green.

We’re all figuring out the little things can make a huge difference for the environment. Some of what we’ve done can be done by just about anyone. The energy efficient fluorescent light bulbs we’ve installed use up to 75% less energy than traditional bulbs (you can screw in a light bulb, right?) and our new Energy Star-compliant appliances run far more efficient than standard models, using up to 50% less energy and water. We’ve also put into effect a couple of hotel-specific enhancements: a computerized Energy Management System and daily tips for saving energy for our guests and staff.

All this means we’ve improved energy efficiency for the hotel by over 10%. The Energy Star Label means a lot to us, actually, and to Marriott, our parent company. We’re one of 250 hotels in the Marriott line that have earned the label.

And here’s the kicker: by being environmentally friendly, the hotel is saving a lot of money. We pay lower bills because of lower energy costs. Now, once people see they can save money by going green (like we have), I think we’ll see a huge change in this country.

What we’ve done at the Renaissance Hotels is just a small step. Time to go do some stepping yourselves.

Signing out,

Bruce

For those of you who missed the season premier, episode of Ace of Cakes, “The Harry Potter Cake“, you can still catch Duff’s visit to the Renaissance Hollywood Hotel on the Food Network:

February 2, 2008 @ 9pm

February 3, 2008 @ 12am

February 12, 2008 @ 10pm or

February 13, 2008 @ 12am

Have you seen Ace of Cake lately?

Well, no, you haven’t, but that’s just because the new season is just about to begin on Food Network on January 24, 2008. Now, I’m not posting this just because I’m a huge reality TV fan (I am) or because I’m a huge fan of cakes (uh… yes!). No, I’m posting this because Chef Duff Goldman chose our hotel, the Renaissance Hollywood Hotel, as the place to create his Season 4 premiere masterpiece.

If you don’t know Ace of Cakes, basically the idea is that Chef Duff travels the country, creating incredible cakes in wild locations. His designs range from a tilted Dr. Seuss-like-seven-tiered-wedding cake to an almost perfect replica of Wrigley Field. For his Hollywood episode, our hotel was host. They filmed in, around, and outside the hotel and I can’t wait to see how we look.

Now I can’t tell you what the cake looks like, I can’t tell you what went into it, and I can’t tell you how it tasted, because all that would be a major spoiler for the episode. But I can say, without a doubt, you will be in for a huge surprise.

So, to paraphrase the immortal words of Marie Antoinette (that she never said actually, but it’s a nice story anyway), go eat some cake and make sure to tune in for Ace of Cakes on Food Network, January 24 at 9 PM. Now, I’m hungry, and I’m off to the kitchen…

Signing off,

Bruce

Over the holidays, we had a mysterious, yet giant, sign up over our main facade and awning, advertising “YES is the new no! Start learning to say YES to life…TODAY!”

This wasn’t a conference of positive thinkers, all uniting for one big day of positivity, featuring a man named Terrence Bundley as the headline speaker. At least not in real life. No, this was a prop from the new Jim Carrey movie, Yes Man.

Coming out in 2008, the movie is about a man who decides to change his life by saying “yes” to everything for a whole year. It’s based on the memoirs of the British writer Danny Wallace.

With the giant sign in place over the last week, we’ve been getting calls every day from people interested in signing up and reserving their spot at this fake conference. Apparently, people do want to say “yes” to everything.

Have a Happy Holidays, everyone!

This is Bruce, signing off.