SEATTLE – Aug. 7, 2009 – In its heyday, the Fireside Room at the Sorrento Hotel served as a civic hub, where thought leaders convened to exchange ideas about the arts, culture and politics, and the community gathered for music performances and poetry readings. As part of ongoing programming to celebrate its centennial, the Sorrento, Seattle’s oldest boutique hotel, is collaborating with Ross Reynolds, host of KUOW’s “The Conversation,” to hold a series of monthly Fireside Chats.

The public is welcome to attend the free chats, which will be taped and then excerpted for broadcast on KUOW the next day. The first Fireside welcomes Hanson Hosein, Director of the Master of Communication in Digital Media at the University of Washington in Seattle, independent filmmaker, a former NBC News war correspondent and investigative producer, and Emmy Award winner.

Glenn Rudolph
May 1, 2009 – September 21, 2009

SEATTLE, May 2009 – Striking black and white photographs by Glenn Rudolph that explore the vanishing Milwaukee Railroad Line near Snoqualmie Pass are on view at the Sorrento Hotel through September 21, 2009.  The debut of this show marks the start of biannual art installations at the iconic hotel.

This exhibition includes 14 works from Rudolph’s personal collection, made from 1983 – 1991. “I once thought that railroads were forever. Watching a transcontinental line evaporate was a strange experience.  A part of our infrastructure being sold for scrap is an interesting historical footnote.” Rudolph recently stated about the work. The Milwaukee Railroad Line opened a Northwest extension in 1909, the year the Sorrento Hotel was completed. The line was closed in the late 1970’s and was acquired by the state of Washington. It is currently used as a recreational trail.

Artist to discuss his work with Roy McMakin on  June 8
For 30 years Seattle-based photographer Glenn Rudolph has documented the Pacific Northwest and its changing landscapes, its communities and its people.  The photographs are being shown in the Fireside Room and Hunt Club Bar and Restaurant. The artist will discuss his work on June 8th as part of the Fireside Chat series with show curator, artist Roy McMakin.  

Marisa C. Sánchez, Assistant Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art at the Seattle Art Museum, stated: “Glenn has a deep and intimate relationship to the landscape of the Northwest. In 1958, as a young teenager, his family moved to Mercer Island from Los Angeles. His history in this place not only informs his practice, but lends his work a sensitivity gained only over time and through personal, experience. Since 1986, he has photographed the abandoned and repurposed Milwaukee railway lines that were once a sign of progress and now reveal a much more somber history. What intrigues me about this body of work is Glenn’s repeated engagement with this subject matter over thirty years time, making evident his enduring romance with these landscapes that are memorialized in his absorbing views of them.“

“The Sorrento Hotel is a part of the fabric of this city. The origin of Glenn Rudolph’s photographs was the early years of the hotel, a time of growth and excitement in Seattle. In those days guests were invited to gather around the fireplace – it was a real hotel home.” stated the Sorrento’s Barbara Malone. “We want to continue that tradition. By hosting regular installations and events we will be a destination for conversations on art, music and culture.”
 
About Glenn Rudolph (American, born 1946)
A graduate of the University of Washington’s School of Art, Rudolph has exhibited his work in the United States and Canada and in Northwest exhibitions since the late 1970’s including the Seattle, Bellevue, Portland and Tacoma Art Museums.

The Fireside Room in the Hunt Club at the Sorrento Hotel Seattle, Washington is the place to be this Friday night if you are looking for a relaxed Halloween event to meet new people.  Cocktailmatch.com is hosting the event which will include live blogging, awesome cocktails, prizes and great live music.

This is just a fun way to go out without all the pressures of moshpit.  We look forward to seeing you around 8pm on Halloween Night.

In the world of blogging, I have discovered through a colleague cocktailmatch.com.  This is a very interesting social networking site that is based in Seattle.  Since the Hunt Club is known for its classic cocktails (as well as the hottest young chef in Seattle), I have become very interested in the world’s perception of the Hunt Club Bar.

To me it is one of the great afterwork cocktail lounges in the city.  The best part is that it is affordable, relaxing, and authentic.  I encourage you Capitol Hill/1st Hill residents to come by and revisit the best cocktail in town.

I just got back from Maui.  My spouse and I were able to take a parents holiday of four glorious nights in heaven.  Yet, when we reflected on the resort, we asked ourselves what was memorable other than location.  There is not doubt that we chose this resort (and we had been there before we were parents) because of its location.  Yet, I found myself being somewhat critical of the service or lack thereof.

Mind you, nothing bad happened.  Yet, if attitude reflects leadership, you can identify that it is a resort lead by a Policy and Procedure Manager vs. a Service Nut.  I hate when we, as managers, put in rules for the 1%.  At this resort, everything was geared around making sure that the hotel didn’t get bested by its clientele instead of making sure that the clientele got bested by the service.

The culture of any service organization has to be focused on the elimination of customer sacrifice.  Once we eliminate the possibility of sacrifice, we may then focus on created a “Positively Outrageous Service” environment.  As a disciple of T. Scott Gross, who wrote Positively Outrageous Service, I can tell you that when you exist within that environment, truly exceptional experiences begin to happen to you as a guest and you as an employee.

When Policies and Procedures override the guest experience, then we have failed to meet our mission which is to truly dazzle you as a guest.  I can guarantee you that any organization that I lead has a true Guests’ First attitude.  Our culture is always grounded in the elimination of guest sacrifice.

Finally, we have to be consumed with passion.  For without passion, vision is meaningless.  On the flipside, Passion begins with Vision.  Dr. Les Parrott wrote a book called “3 Seconds.”  In his book, he states that, “Vision is a picture of the future, that gives passion in the present.”  I wonder what the vision and the passion are at that resort at Black Rock in Maui.

At the Sorrento Hotel, I can assure you that our vision is quite simple.  We dazzle every guest with our relentless attention to detail and the elimination of guest sacrifice.  I encourage you to come and visit us at the Sorrento Hotel and experience the passion.