The Hotel Experience Awards

A photo op with the award winners and presenters
Catching up with great friends at the Westin Times Square table...

On Monday night the 1st of February the top hotels in New York City were honored for their achievements in travel, tourism and service to all those who visit our great city.

NYPD Commissioner Raymond Kelly received a lifetime achievement award.  New York City is now “Officially the Safest Big City” in America (and probably the world)!

Hotel honors were given for everything from the Best Overall Hotel Experience , The Concierge Desk of the Year, and even the Most Family Friendly Hotel in all of New York (both big and small).  Yes, we have hotels in all sizes in New York!

Starbright was honored to be a sponsor of the Hotel Experience Awards this year and for every year since their inception (the better part of a decade).  The awards evening was held at Cipriani’s Wall Street and there were well over 500 in attendance.  Many have called this event “The Oscars of the Hospitality Industry” and I for one attending last night agree.   It was a fun night, a night of making new friends and catching up with old ones.

Floral decor was provided by our very own Creative Team at Starbright.  We presented a short cylinder vase with a ti leaf wrapped on the inside (so that the water and the stems were not visible).  Each centerpiece had twenty stems of balm dendrobium orchids and about ten stems of vanda orchids (in lavender).

To top off the evening?  It was my personal honor to be selected to give the award to The Most Family Friendly Hotel in the over 500 room category.  The Marriott Marquis won this category and it was a dream come true when my close personal friend George Ntim (Director of Guest Relations) received the award on behalf of the property.

The complete press release and better photos of the event will be on this scribe soon… But for now – enjoy!

You can always find Starbright Floral Design at www.starflor.com.  We are known as “The Official Florist of the City That Never Sleeps”.  Starbright offers the highest quality blooms imaginable and compositions of flowers that come from all five continents.  Gift-giving deliveries can be made anywhere in New York City (in most cases within an hour) and beyond Manhattan pretty much anywhere.  In addition, we have decorated for some of the most amazing events that have ever taken place  in all of New York’s venues… To learn a bit more about the work that we do, give us a call or visit our website!

Click on THIS LINK to learn more about IN NEW YORK and all the great work they do.  We love ’em!

Nic – “The Official Florist”

Winter Tulips Are In Season! A Preview of Spring To Come!

Spring colored tulips are here...

Every color of the spring rainbow is in season!  A little bit of springtime in the middle of a cold winter day… Smiles are always in season!  Visit our website at http://www.starflor.com or call us at 800.520.8999.  We have millions of ways to make your loved one smile!  We would love to hear from you and thrilled to brighten someones day!

Tulip season has begun and tulip colors are now at their peak.  Just imagine a color and there is a tulip in that tone!

The Starbright page on Facebook is waiting for you to become a fan!

Our Very Own Tom S. in the Rose Bowl Parade!

This year, like every year, Tom S. (Creative Director at Starbright Floral Design) takes a two week sabbatical and goes home to California.  While there he works with the organizers of the Rose Bowl Parade and directs the floral decor of several floats.  This year he helped create three floats and two of the three won major awards!

Check out the photos that Tom shared with us of his great work!  We are so proud to have him on our team!  For many of our clients, Tom has directed their weddings, their corporate events and even retail displays throughout Manhattan.  Tom is an integral part of our organization, a graduate of Fordham University, one of our most commented team members on Citysearch and just a great human being.

All of us love Tom and we love working with him.  We hope you like his work as much as we do! Go Tom!

From The Official Florist!

Orchids from Holland are in Season!

Look at all these amazing colors that Cymbidium Orchids come in!

It is January and that means that orchids from Holland are back in season!  They are available in an amazing array of colors!  Selecting the colors you like is probably the hardest part!

Orchids make great gifts, modern stylish and striking floral compositions… They are also used for corsages, bridal bouquets, etc.  Give  us a call at 800.520.8999 or visit our website at http://www.starflor.com.  Ideas galore!

May the year that just started, be the best ever for everyone!

The Official Florist

A Happy New Year wish to everyone….

Candle Decor
The New York Public Library

Dear Friends and clients….

With the start of a new year and a new decade all of us have our sights set really high and our hopes even higher.  I truly hope that you were able to take advantage of every holiday moment and to take it all in with the proper proportions of love, family, joy, laughter and happiness.  When it is all over we create memories with those we love that will last a lifetime.

To the many lives that have touched our own and to those whose we have touched as well, we are truly grateful for all the opportunities of friendship and service that you have given us.  We thank you for teaching us all that we know and for all that we have accomplished with your support.  We are excited about our plans for 2010, for the services that we plan on bringing to you, the new ways that we will find to communicate with you and all the great flowers that will leave our stores to reach your special someones!

We wish peace, love, happiness, health and joy to everyone we have come into contact with…

With my warmest regards,

Nic and all your friends at Starbright Floral Design

The Official Florist (of the City that Never Sleeps)!

1.800.520.8999

http://www.starflor.com

Starbright Floral Design is located in the heart of New York City’s Historic Flower District.  Our goal is to bring fresh flowers delivered to every home and every office for every special occasion – we fill every “just because” moment with passion for what we do!

Happy Holidays To All….

May the warmth of the season touch everyone’s heart.  We wish to thank all our friends and clients for your incredible support throughout the year.  Without you, we would never have come this far since  1994 and certainly we would not have survived the unique challenges of 2009l

With all of our hearts we wish you lots of X’s,  O’s, Ooooh’s and Ahhhhh’s for the holiday season and every day ahead…

The Official Florist and the Starbright Team

The USS New York (LPD 21) is Comming!

USS-NYOn the 5th of November we are proudly involved in the making of history at New York Harbor.

The USS New York is coming to town and is being commissioned on the West Side of Manhattan.  The newest ship of the United States Navy has its bow stern made of over seven tons of steel from the World Trade Center.  For all of us at Starbright Floral Design it is a very special moment.  We will see the the ship rise and sail the waters of the world from what once was.

This is a special time for all of us At Starbright.  On the 12th of September in 2001 we were at the Red Cross Relief Center in Lower Manhattan and we helped provide comfort to all the volunteers who worked at Ground Zero from the very first day.  Our work there ended during the December holiday season when we decorated all of the areas that were affected.  Together with the Port Authority we did everything we possibly could to bring seasonal spirit and joy early on.

We witnessed the steel leaving the site knowing that it was going far away and never to be seen again.  Now almost a decade  later,  the memory has come full circle and we are all very proud of what has become now of what was then.  Starbright Floral Design has been designated an official “Friend” of the USS New York Commissioning Committee and we will be providing the decor (balloons, flowers) for the festivities that will be taking place at the top floor of Seven World Trade on the 5th of November.

There are many interesting, fun and historical events that are taking place over a ten day period in New York City.  We highly recommend that you join the fun and be a part of this history making event.

To learn more about the USS New York and the calendar of events surrounding the commissioning of the ship, please visit the website at www.ussny.org.  It is really interesting.

To order great flowers, or to learn more about Starbright Floral Design, well we have a website too! www.starflor.com

Fall Has Arrived!

The colors of the fall season are  here and autumn is in full swing!  It will not be long before the season changes to winter and the terracotta tones, the browns, the rusts, the twigs and the amber colors are all gone for 2009… Enjoy them while they are here!

This year year’s favorite fall accent color? Green.  The above photos were provided to a client for an autumnal photo shoot and we are  sharing them with you too… Enjoy the season, get out, go to the country, see the leaves change color, find a hay ride somewhere, pick a pumpkin, be a kid again and enjoy all that the season has to offer.

Happy Fall!

Nic and the Entire Starbright Team…

A little bit about Starbright.  We are a corporate and retail florist based in New York City.  Since 1994 we have been delivering flowers, gifts and floral decor all over the world.  To learn more about our organization, please visit our website.  CLICK HERE or give us a call at 800.520.8999.  We would love to hear from you!

What Every Diva Knows….about flowers.

Vanda Orchids and Eggplant Mini Calla Lilies - By Starbright

An entertainer’s dressing room is their sanctuary.  It’s an oasis, where they can relax and prepare in total peace and tranquility.  Despite the sacred nature of this space, family, friends, and fans often want to invade this domain with floral offerings.   What most people don’t realize is that there is an art and a science to creating bouquets for such an environment.  You can’t just simply throw any random flowers in vase and send them over to Madison Square Garden for Beyonce’s green room.  Heaven Forbid!  There are several key choices that can be made to ensure the flowers are enjoyed and appreciated, rather than being sent directly to the dumpster.

  1. Keep it simple.  In most cases less is more.  This goes for both the size of the arrangement and the combination of the flowers.  If you do something too big, there is a chance the flowers won’t even make it to the dressing room.  Often the larger arrangements are left outside or in a separate dressing room.  When choosing the types of flowers, one or two varieties is usually best.  A lush bubble bowl of cream colored roses can make a better impression than a vase of mixed flowers.
  2. If you can smell it, don’t send it.  Many artists are fanatical about keeping their dressing rooms free from scented flowers.  Singers are especially known for this quirk.  It’s understandable that a sneezing or histamine fueled attack would want to be avoided at all costs.  For this reason, never send lilies, freesia, gardenia or tuberose unless they have been specifically requested.  Most roses acceptable due to the fact that hybrid roses have had the scent bred out of them.
  3. They’ve seen it all.  Most famous entertainers have been sent enough flowers to cover a Rose Parade float.  There probably isn’t a combination they haven’t come across.  However… that doesn’t mean we should stop trying to keep their flowers unique.  A celebrity flower order is the perfect chance for a floral designer to try that new technique they saw in a magazine or book.  Ask your florist if they have any unique varieties of orchids or roses they could recommend.  Perhaps the florist has an interesting or funky vase they could fill with a bold bouquet of hydrangea.  It never hurts to ask.

Flowers are a great gift for celebrities and us regular folks alike.  It just takes a little extra care and thought to make the perfect addition to a diva’s dressing room.  While roses may be thrown at their feet, you don’t want to have your roses thrown in your face.  Remember to keep it simple, scentless, and special and your flowers will be the toast of the town!

This article was contributed by Tom our Artistic and Creative Director.  The direction of floral design that Starbright takes is determined in no small part by Tom’s personal creativity.  His contributions in all areas of the company and his design elements have been an inspiration to us all.

Starbright Floral Design (starflor.com) is located in the heart of New York City; on 28th Street between 6th and 7th Avenue.  We are in the heart of what has been known for over a century as the Historic Fl0wer District.  Many have dubbed us as The Official Florist of the City that Never Sleeps because of our contributions to the Hiospitality and Special Events markets.

Give us a call (800.520.8999) or visit our website to learn more about us.  We would love to be of service by delivering the most amazing flowers to your loved ones – in New York City and beyond!

Having an Event? Looking for a Producer?

Linwood Peel's Tribute to the Drifters
Linwood Peel's Tribute to the Drifters

In the past fifteen years Starbright Floral Design has made  many friends in many different walks of life.   From time to time, we like to talk about our friends and let the whole world know about all the great people we know!  My very close friends at Mark Sonder Productions are  in that group!  MSP is a group of agents/producers that are capable of introducing the highest level talent to your next event.  The most sought after headline entertainment and the most customized shows imaginable (to fit your event’s theme) can be brought to life  from this extraordinary organization.

A current headline at Mark Sonder are the LPT Drifters; here is what I know about them….

You remember The Drifters…those great tunes, that patented choreography.  Classic Rock, Classic R&B, Oldies, Rock, R&B, Pop, Male, ’50s, ’60s, ’70s…Now they are back!  Today, Linwood has united his former group members as Linwood Peel’s Tribute to The Drifters to commemorate much of the great material to which is still known, sung and covered worldwide.  Not only does the group perform many of the Drifters tunes that they were noted for, but an abridged potpourri of standard rock songs.

The Drifters Million Sellers
On Broadway
Under the Boardwalk
Up On the Roof
This Magic Moment
Save the Last Dance For Me
There Goes My Baby
Dance With Me
True Love, True Love
I Count the Tears

For more on Linwood Peel’s Tribute to The Drifters click here.

For more information on Mark Sonder Productions… Visit their website

Starbright Floral Design is your go-to florist for flower deliveries anywhere in  the world, events in Manhattan and beyond.  Recently, Starbright was selected as  the top florist in New York City by Citysearch.  Visit our website at www.starflor.com to learn more about the work that we do.  We will always be thrilled to hear from you and to be of service in every way possible…. NF