Tuesday, April 22, 2008

W. Scott Olsen - Book Release Celebration


Author and Concordia College English Professor W. Scott Olsen will be on hand tomorrow night to read from and sign his new book "Hard Air: Adventures from the Edge of Flying." The festivities start at 7 p.m. and will be held in Stoker's in the Basement. The party is sponsored by the Hotel Donaldson and Zandbroz Variety.


"It's hard to imagine a more gripping book for aviation buffs than Olsen's depiction of some of the hairier aspects of service networks usually taken for granted and seldom properly noticed by the media." - Roland Green, Booklist

(Click here for more information about W. Scott Olsen)

Best Workout Ever?

Not so long ago when Nintendo's eight-bit masterpiece, the NES, ruled the universe, it was hard to sell your parents on any redeeming value of video gaming. Some helpful studies came out claiming that video games improved hand-eye coordination, but this "improvement" coincided with the outbreak of ADHD. Parents were not impressed. But, the 21st century has brought us many wonderful exceptions to this stale model of video gaming. "Dance Dance Revolution" and "Guitar Hero," for instance, have forced quantum leaps in the integration of physical activity and gaming.

Enter the Nintendo Wii. It has catapulted into our zeitgeist as the ultimate example of childish fun mixed with a total body workout. For that reason, we chose to put one in our hotel fitness room for use by our guests.

We think the Wii adds an irreverent dimension to the workout routine for our guests ... or is simply something fun to do between check in and dinner. When you stay here, be sure to give it a try.

Thursday, April 17, 2008

Kittens and Their Specious Relation to Night Club After 9

My wife and I just got two new kittens, a brother and sister from the same litter. We named them Pauline (left) and Onslow. Onslow is a boy with a wispy meow that I refer to as his "barbaric yawp." Pauline is quiet and calculating ... or will be, once she gets past the stage of chewing on our lamp cords. Anyway, they're cute as the dickens. They set to wrasslin' and it gives me a hearty laugh. They purr like motorboats.

I must now bring this post around to the matter at hand. The Simon Rowe Trio will set to wrasslin' with jazz tonight at 9 p.m. As always, it's all ages. As usual, there is a $7.50 cover.

Wednesday, April 16, 2008

Earth Week at the HoDo

Earth Week is almost upon us. Although stewardship for our natural resources is a constant responsibility, this is the time to reflect and gauge that responsibility. Further, it's a good time to push awareness in issues affecting our planet and set goals for the future.

Here at the Hotel Donaldson, we have made a commitment to sustainability through a variety of efforts. We encourage the reuse of our towels and bedding by our guests in order to cut down on energy costs. We use compact fluorescent bulbs wherever possible. We recycle. Our rooftop features landscaping that not only looks great, but feeds off of downtown Fargo's carbon emissions, controls rainwater runoff and provides natural insulation. Also, many of our teammates walk, bike or carpool to work.

We are most proud of our commitment to sustainably-raised, organic ingredients for our restaurant. We have a network of local artisan farmers who provide us with quality ingredients from right here in our own backyard. This helps our local economy, cuts down on transport emissions and promotes healthy farming practices.

That's good, but we could be doing better. Currently, we are looking at ways to reuse more of our waste products and find ways to cut down on energy use. We're always open to suggestions, so feel free to leave comments. Every little bit helps.

Have a good Earth Week!

Pat Lipseia - Slouching Toward Fargo


Pat Lipseia left North Dakota and settled in Colorado to find himself ... or something else. What he found was his latent talent to write songs. Like any good writer, he sticks to what he knows: girls, alcohol and baseball. (Check him out here, on MySpace.) His songs relay that sense of longing that took him out of North Dakota and the sense of humor that brought him back.

We welcome Pat to the HoDo Lounge tomorrow night at 8:30 p.m., no cover, 21+. Come check him out and share your thoughts about the Twins' bullpen.

Tuesday, April 15, 2008

High Plains Reader Best Bets

Many thanks to the readers of the High Plains Reader for voting for us for the Best Bets 2008. The HoDo Lounge came in third for Best Place to Take a Date and also came in third for Best Bar. Considering the vast array of watering holes in the area, we're glad to be on that short list.

Our congratulations to every business selected. Thank you for making the Red River Valley a great place to be.

(If you would like to see a full list of winners, click here.)

April's Flavor of the Month: Seghesio Winemaker's Dinner


Our Third Wednesday/Flavor of the Month feature for April is the Seghesio Winemaker's dinner. If you love wines and great food pairings, then you want to be here tomorrow night. Edd Lopez of Seghesio Wines will be on hand to offer insider tasting tips and a bird's eye view of the craft of winemaking. On top of that, we've put together a monster menu to compliment these great wines. You can see the menu here.

Don't miss this opportunity! The fun gets started at 5:30 p.m. Please call 701.478.8888 for reservations.

Congratulations to Our Latest eFishbowl Winner!


Donna Sheldon of Fargo was the latest winner of our latest eFishbowl contest. She was chosen at random from all of those who opened an email blast in the month of March. She received a $50 gift certificate to the HoDo Restaurant.

"How can I win this contest?" you ask? Easy:

1) Sign up to receive email alerts by going to the Hotel Donaldson main page and clicking on "Be Contacted" at the bottom of the page. You'll find out about the numerous concerts and food events we host here.

2) Open emails when you receive them. We only choose winners from opened emails. We're sneaky like that.

And, that's it! Good luck!

Thursday, April 10, 2008

Springtime is for Jazz Lovers, pt. 2

Last week, as we all prepared ourselves for the weekend, I posted a pretty tulip photo and made comments about the first legitimate weekend of spring. That Sunday, we got buried in snow. As I post this time around, we're under a winter weather watch and we might receive another half foot of snow. Am I tempting fate with photos of tulips? Maybe.

Whatever the case may be, know this: spring will come and is coming. Celebrate it. Get out and see the Simon Rowe Trio tomorrow, Friday, April 11th. The all-ages show starts at 9 p.m. and there is a $7.50 cover.

Wednesday, April 9, 2008

Deb's Back!


The HoDo Lounge will once again be the scene of serious rocking tomorrow night as The Deb Jenkins Band takes the stage once again. We're about halfway through our fifth year at the HoDo and we still can't get enough of her.

The fun gets going at 8:30 p.m. and goes until the neighbors call the cops. Be there! No cover, 21+.

Friday, April 4, 2008

Springtime is for Jazz Lovers

This might just be the first legitimate weekend that we can call spring. While the brown ground might not look as dashing as this tulip, it's still nice to feel the sunshine.

What a perfect reason to come out and celebrate. The Simon Rowe Trio will resume its residency tonight at 9 p.m. and will bring along a couple Usual Suspects, Tom Strait and Matt Patnode. There's a $7.50 cover for this all ages show.

Celebrate spring!

Wednesday, April 2, 2008

All Three Hanks Would Be Proud


The Legionnaire's, Fargo's own country/jam outfit, will own the stage tomorrow night in the HoDo Lounge, 8:30 p.m., 21+, no cover. Give them a listen on MySpace.

We've got the hooch and they'll bring the yee-haw. See y'all there!

Hotel Donaldson Recognized by National Geographic Traveler


The magazine National Geographic Traveler placed the Hotel Donaldson on its first ever “Stay List” in its April 2008 issue (here is a blog post about the list, but the full list can only be viewed in the print edition). The list recognizes 150 properties in the United States, Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean. Each hotel was chosen for its “sense of place” with criteria including the use of local resources, community involvement and conservation efforts. Selections to the “Stay List” were made from over 600 nominated properties.

“It’s a thrill to see how many folks in the accommodations business truly care about offering guests a sense-of-place experience,” Traveler Senior Editor Sheila Feldman said. “The hotels and inns that made it onto the list give back to the community, work to conserve and sustain, and – day in and day out – celebrate the very best that their destinations have to offer.”

National Geographic Traveler is the world’s most widely read travel magazine. Its mission is to “celebrate journeys that are about place, experience, culture, authenticity, living like the locals and great photography.” Traveler was one of the first champions of the sustainable travel movement.