A Luxury Travel Blog

There’s currently a poll on the Travel Daily News website which asks the question “How do you expect luxury travel to perform in times of economic downturn?” The results so far, based on 560 votes, are as follows:

• 5.2%
  Providers of luxury travel products are going to witness shorter stays by their customers and an increase in seasonality.
• 30.5%
  People are going to become more value conscious and will opt for those luxury offers that represent a convincing value-for-money proposition. Providers of overpriced services are those to feel the pinch.
• 23.2%
  Both people paying for their personal trips and firms paying for their top executives’ business trips will cut back on travel expenses, thus affecting all luxury travel providers.
• 41.1%
  It is going to be business as usual. Those people opting for high-end travel products are not going to be affected by the looming crisis.

An interesting mix of opinions.  How do you think the luxury travel industry will be affected?  Are you changing your plans at all this year?

Pay for 2 nights and receive 1 additional night free. This offer applies to all ResortQuest‏ locations, including Alabama, Aspen, Bethany Beach, Breckenridge, Charleston Islands, Hilton Head, Keystone, Myrtle Beach, Northwest Florida, Outer Banks, Park City, Snowmass, Southwest Florida, Steamboat Sun Valley and Telluride. Book by 1st March 2009 to take advantage of this exclusive offer. Call 800-GO-RELAX and mention code INT MYM.

A new hotel brand – Franklyn Hotels and Resorts – has been launched. Formerly Stein Hotels and Resorts, Franklyn will build upon Stein’s fundamental strengths, but will seek a wider geographic platform with a portfolio that focuses on iconic, emblematic properties situated in areas of great natural or urban interest. So far they have city properties in Amsterdam, London and Monaco, and resort properties in Malaga, Mallorca and the French Riviera.

To celebrate the new launch they are offering some extra warmth this winter: enjoy complimentary breakfast and a special winter treat for all guests staying at a Franklyn hotel with a free room upgrade.

Do you like wild animals and great nature? Then take a look at the dream villas in Kenya for this year, with fantastic rates from Bohline Villas. They are offering a 40% discount from the 4th to any subsequent night on stays in their Kenyan villas. This applies to The Beach Villa, The Cliff Villa and The Garden Villa, all of which come with staff which will do their best to take of you during your vacation.

Featuring newly remodeled guest rooms, a refreshed spa and fitness centre, updated restaurant and lounges, remodeled beach and pool, and up-to-the-minute technology upgrades across the resort, Grand Wailea’s charm and founding elements of trees, water, flowers, art, light and sound more prominent and enjoyable than ever.

$50 million in renovations has seen guest rooms re-designed to create a unique and luxurious residential experience consistent with The Waldorf Astoria Collection, welcoming guests with a tasteful blend of Western and Polynesian décor, including new carpeting, freshly-painted walls, beautiful dark wood furnishings and 37” flat-screen televisions. The bathrooms have been enhanced with new frameless shower enclosures, upgraded fixtures, lighting and artwork, complimenting the existing oversized soaking tubs, marble vanities, and sinks and accessories.

The Wailea Canyon Activity Pool has been restored with fresh colour schemes and seven separate pools including a baby beach, seven waterslides, the world’s first water elevator, caves, waterfalls and Jacuzzis, have all been re-tiled and re-plastered to enhance guest enjoyment and relaxation in and out of the water. Recently named “Top Hotel Spa in Hawaii” by Travel and Leisure magazine, Spa Grande has also undergone renovations.

Upgrades have also been made to food and beverage venues including a complete renovation of the famous Botero Bar, and private luxury town homes (Ho’olei at Grand Wailea) have been introduced to a gated community adjacent to the resort, ideal for large family gatherings, groups of friends, or anyone looking for more exclusive and spacious vacation options.

The Long Beach and The Franschhoek, two of Cape Town’s most prestigious boutique hotels, have recently re-opened following extensive renovations.

The Long Beach in the fishing village of Kommetjie has seen changes to all rooms. The two superior double rooms upstairs have been converted into suites averaging an area of 70sqm each, with private lounge areas that open up onto magnificent balconies that make you feel as if you are right on the beach! The downstairs suite has been increased in size to 95sqm with its own private lounge area and patio that flows to the pool. In all rooms the beds have been reconfigured to face the sea, so that guests can enjoy sea views from their beds just as they can from the bathrooms. In addition, the deck in front of the public areas has been increased by a further 20sqm towards the sea. The interior décor has been completed by Anna Carst of ‘Inside Outside Design’, and she has carried through the theme of blues, creams and sea greens with a splash of colour to reflect the glorious beach of which the property derives its name.

The Franschhoek in the Cape Winelands saw two of its existing suites converted into magnificent pool suites, each with their own private pool and garden/courtyard area. The private courtyards are an average of 38sqm in size including the pool that flows directly from the lounge areas through glass windows. For guests looking for the ultimate in luxury and privacy, these pool suites are best! Carrying though a French chic element in the interiors, the pool designs are a greatly impressive feat; on-lookers can benefit from a continual flow from the bedroom through to the lounge area, pool and finally the courtyard area.

The 119-room Shangri-La Hotel, Vancouver opened this week; it is set in downtown Vancouver at the intersection of West Georgia and Thurlow Street.  To mark Shangri-La’s 60th property worldwide and to celebrate the opening of this latest hotel, an “Introducing Shangri-La Hotel, Vancouver” package has been devised.  It is available until 31st March 2009 with prices starting at CAD$345, plus 16.5% tax, yet includes a CAD$100 credit (CAD$200 if you book a suite), per stay, towards any service or facility within the hotel.

Two focal points for use of this credit are MARKET by Jean-Georges, the hotel’s signature restaurant featuring the regional cuisine of three-star Michelin chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten, and CHI, The Spa at Shangri-La, with its holistic approach to well-being inspired by the philosophies and traditions of China and the Himalayas. Other options include the Lobby Lounge, in-room dining or time with a personal trainer in the hotel’s fitness facility, Studeo5.

Also, for the same period, guests booking three consecutive paid nights will be offered a complimentary fourth night.

Crystal Cruises is offering an unprecedented six-night, tennis-themed package to co-incide with the semi-finals and finals of the Wimbledon Championships in June 2009. As well as tickets to the world-famous Wimbledon centre court, participating guests will enjoy VIP access to Fairway Village, Wimbledon’s luxury hospitality area, where they will enjoy complimentary Champagne, a four-course lunch and a traditional English afternoon tea. Accommodation is at the Savoy Hotel with private transport provided. Rates start from $25,299 per person for the post-cruise package. 

Starwood Hotels & Resorts – known for its nine distinctive hotel brands - has revealed that it is set to open its 1,000th hotel in 2009.  Among the brands, W Hotels is one that plans to triple in size in the next three years, opening 13 properties this year in markets that include Barcelona, Bali, Doha and Santiago, as well as Atlanta, South Beach, Hollywood and Washington D.C. Meanwhile, Sheraton Hotels & Resorts is undergoing a $4 billion revitalisation program, expecting to open a further 18 hotels in places such as New York City; San Juan, Puerto Rico; Istanbul, Turkey; Prague, Czech Republic; and Qiandao, China. Both Aloft and St. Regis are also expanding rapidly.  Recession… what recession?!

With over 10 inches of fresh powder and more coming down, now is the perfect time to book your Telluride vacation. Experience the world-famous slopes at their very best. The Peaks Resort is just steps from the area’s premier skiing and a place where you can be assured of crisp attention to detail and warm hospitality. Rates start from $199 per night and, for a limited time, you can earn up to $200 in resort credits.

A quick insight into Hotel Chandler, New York’s newest luxury boutique hotel, to be found in Manhattan’s historic Murray Hill neighbourhood.

 

A new air service took off in the UAE this month with twice-weekly flights linking Abu Dhabi with Sir Bani Yas Island; phase one of the Desert Islands project in the emirate’s Al Gharbia western region. The service, provided by private operator Empire Aviation, can also be chartered on demand as part of the accommodation package offered by Anantara Desert Islands Resort and Spa.  Operating two eight-seater Cessna Caravans, the flight to Sir Bani Yas Island – home to the Arabian Wildlife Park – will take approximately 50 minutes as opposed to a two and a half hour car journey from the UAE capital.

Wynn Las Vegas had made history with triple Mobil five star award wins, distinguishing the resort as one of only two in the world to receive Mobil Travel Guide’s highest honour across all star-rated categories. The Tower Suites at Wynn Las Vegas, Alex restaurant and The Spa have each earned five star recognition for their achievements.  The Tower Suites at Wynn Las Vegas is one of 44 hotels in North America to achieve the Mobil five star award, and the resort is also the only casino resort in the world to hold the Mobil five star award for three consecutive years.

Alex, where Chef Alessandro Stratta’s elegant cuisine captures the flavours of the French and Italian Riviera, is one of only 20 restaurants in North America and one of two in Las Vegas to earn Mobil’s top honor. Again, it receives the award for the third year running. And The Spa is one of just 8 spas in North America – and the only one in Vegas – to get five stars.

Travel forums… blogging forums… Facebook… Twitter… this is all getting a bit silly, isn’t it?  I’m really not sure there’s enough hours in the day to spend sufficient time on all these sites AND run the blog AND do my day job (promoting travel online) but, for what it’s worth, I’ve now also signed up to the Travel Blog Exchange.  There’s lots of familiar faces there from the travel blogging world.  You’ll find my page on the site here.

Mobil Travel Guide has unveiled their annual winners for the coveted Mobil Travel Guide four- and five-star awards. This list has defined the industry’s highest standard for excellence in hospitality for over fifty years. This year, two destinations made history by achieving the most Mobil five stars ever awarded to one destination. Sea Island Resorts was awarded the Mobil five-star award for its hotels The Cloister (Sea Island, GA) and the Lodge at Sea Island Golf Club (St. Simons Island GA), the Georgian Room restaurant and the Cloister Spa. Hospitality mogul Steve Wynn also earns the triple Mobil five star distinction with his Tower Suites Las Vegas, Alex restaurant and the Spa at Wynn winning Mobil five star awards in 2009. The complete list of Mobil Travel Guide Star award winners and updated comprehensive reviews written by Mobil Travel Guide’s experts are available at www.mobiltravelguide.com

I’m not really sure that I ‘get’ Twitter still, or that I ever will, but I do think I’ve been a bit of a twit with a username that’s perhaps not readily identifiable with this blog.  Unfortunately ‘aluxurytravelblog’ is too long, and luxurytravel and luxury_travel were both already taken (although both are suspended accounts).  It’s not ideal but I’ve changed my username to luxury__travel (ie. with two underscores).  So, if you want to follow me on Twitter, head straight for http://twitter.com/luxury__travel