What service can you provide to groups that they normally might not receive?
Aside from top-tier guest service that one should expect at a hotel like the Murano, the guest services staff of the Murano offers personalized service to every guest who steps through our door. By inquiring about individual and group tastes and desires we can tailor our recommendations on activities, sights to see, restaurants and much more to each party. Our goal is to make every single person who steps through our door seem like a rockstar deserving of attention and dedication like they haven't seen or experienced before. Our hope is not only to meet the needs of each guest, but to anticipate things that each guest might not even know they need.
What are your bar or nightclub recommendations?
Two great bars in downtown Tacoma are The Matador, and Paddy Coyne's. The Matador on Pacific Avenue is a Spanish Tapas featuring low lighting, great beers on tap and amazingly fresh eats. Fresh salsa, great fish or chorizo tacos, and the best plate of Nachos 4 dollars can buy make the bar menu at the Matador a must for any guest struck with a desire for dinner and a drink.
A block or two away is Paddy Coyne's, an Irish pub with an extensive list of unique concoctions like "Heidi's Guinness Float" (Vanilla Ice Cream with draft Guinness) and the "Irish Trash Can" (a mix of Irish whiskey, Sprite, Red Bull, and a few secret ingredients). Their house cheeseburger is one of the best in Tacoma and it shares menu space with a fantastic Irish Stew served nightly with soda bread.
For those who like the club scene better Encore is a higher end boutique nightclub in downtown Tacoma that offers bottle service, VIP Champagne sections with velvet ropes and guards in ties for those desiring to make an impression with a group.
Can you recommend a good place to take a stroll?
1.) A walk along Ruston Way on Tacoma's waterfront is a must for anyone coming to town. A short drive will bring you to the 3.5 mile long promenade sitting on the edge of the Puget Sound. Great on sunny days yet still pleasant in the rain, Ruston is lined with Seafood restaurants that make a great evening meal after a long walk along the water.
2.) If trekking to the Ruston waterfront isn't in the cards, a great stroll in downtown Tacoma exists between the Hotel Murano and the Thea Foss Waterway. Leaving the hotel headed to the waterfront will take guests through the Museum District featuring the Art, Glass, and History Museums. An open air "Bridge of Glass" featuring art by Dale Chihuly leads across the interstate to a reflecting pool next to the Museum of glass that lets out right next to the Marina on the Thea Foss Waterway. While this second trip isn't as much of a jaunt as the Ruston Waterfront trip, it offers a great view of what Downtown Tacoma is all about.
Are there any quirky places we should check out?
The Red Hot in Tacoma's 6th Avenue district is one of my favorite places to send guests who are looking for something a little different. The Red Hot is a bar with a menu boasting all sorts of gourmet hot dogs with all sorts of toppings from cream cheese and tomatoes to peanut butter with bacon. Aside from the food menu, a huge selection of rotating craft beers makes returning to the Red Hot a must. The decor is great with vintage bicycles and a huge collection of tap handles hanging from the ceiling. Red Hot has weekly specials on Wine and select beers as well as a movie night every Thursday where memorable movies both new and classic are shown on a giant screen.
A quirky outing for all ages can be found at Dorky's Arcade in downtown Tacoma. With a selection of over 50 vintage video game machines from Pacman to Frogger, Pinball and plenty more Dorky's offers fun for the whole family. They serve food and drink along side their electronic attractions and even have an after 9pm bar type atmosphere for those over 21 still looking for a fun time.
What is an unusual request from a group you’ve had?
An impromptu dinner and poker night for a large group of golfing buddies. A big group of golfers had come in for a weekend of play at the nearby Chambers Bay, the evening after their first day of play they were hoping to find a late night space to play poker and enjoy a takeout dinner. We have plenty of areas within the hotel on different floors that could accommodate, but each floor has a theme to its art, rather than recommending a random one of the many spaces we have available, I found a quiet space in which the art theme was several glass playing cards. We found them a late night restaurant that had delivery and they were able to have an impromptu poker tournament until the wee hours of the night.
A party of 12 wants to have dinner right away. What restaurant can accommodate last-minute requests of this size?
The Pacific Grill just two blocks from the front door of the Hotel Murano is a great higher end steakhouse that is not only accommodating to small sets of reservations but also one that boasts a private dining section for larger groups hoping to have a special night out. While they do take advance reservations, they are happy to accommodate larger groups of diners.
Paddy Coyne's, the above mentioned Irish pub also has a sizeable backroom seating area available for larger groups who don't necessarily want a white table cloth steakhouse type experience.
What’s a unique event that has taken place at your property?
One of the favorite times of year around here is the holiday season in the first half of December. While holiday parties as a whole aren't unique, the many companies that hold their holiday parties at the Murano year after year certainly have come up with some very unique themes. From casino nights, to Christmas luaus, even Flashback to the 50's its a great time seeing familiar faces and enjoying the creativity of their parties each year.
Another terrific event is an annual convention held by a group called Madrona Fiber Arts. This fantastic group of folks are enthusiasts of knitting, yarn spinning, and all forms of fiber art. While some people don't think the convention would present much in the way of excitement, the few days of the year where they arrive are some of the most fun. It's a great time seeing returning guests who get passionate about such an interesting hobby. Seeing the sweaters, hats, scarves, blankets and all sorts of projects they've been working on is great each time they return. They are able to turn a week of yarn into one of the wildest weeks of the year for the Murano.
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