Glenmere Mansion chosen as member of Luxury Hotel Association

Chester — The Glenmere Mansion, the 18-room luxury hotel and restaurant in Chester, has been chosen as one of only four properties nationwide to become a member of the Relais & Chateaux hotel association. Alan Stenberg and Daniel DeSimone, co-owners and innkeepers, attended the three-day meeting in Cape Town, South Africa for the official induction ceremonies. Glenmere is co-owned with Alison and Peter Klein of New York City and Stuttgart, Germany. The hotel opened last January and was one of two tri-state hotels chosen. The other was the Bedford Post Inn in Bedford, owned by actor Richard Gere and wife Carey Lowell. Gere is also the association’s new 2011 World Ambassador for the Association. Relais and Chateaux is an association of small luxury hotels and restaurants in more than 60 countries around the world. The association “celebrates hotels that are unique and different but share the same philosophy of excellence and attention to detail,” according to officials. Induction is by invitation only and hotels and restaurants must meet strict guidelines for inclusion after a stringent review process, officials said. Thirty-one hotels worldwide were chosen to be honored. Glenmere Mansion is one of the few the organization’s history to be selected in its first year of operation. Glenmere Mansion went through an three and a half year renovation to preserve the historic estate once owned by the Goelet family of New York City. Glenmere now retains all of the mansion’s original floor plans and historic architectural details but now updated to luxury hotel standards.