A Luxury Travel Blog

Spring is coming and soon its bright days will greet the opening of a new deluxe boutique hotel in the heart of Paris. Ideally located where the rue Duphot meets the rue Saint-Honoré, Le Burgundy Paris, the new intimate, confidential address brings elegance and delicacy to hotel luxury. Architects and decorators have crafted a refined, exclusive decor, blending contemporary furniture and luxurious materials while favouring space and light. Le Burgundy Paris also serves as a veritable showcase of precious and unusual “objets d’art”, and devotes a considerable space to contemporary art.

The only London hotel suite to feature a private roof terrace with retractable glass roof – making it an unspoiled location for even the most typical English summer day – is making its debut this summer.

Recognised as Soho’s first boutique hotel, Hazlitt’s has become noted for its subtle take on the established traditions of hotel keeping. Behind its Frith Street exterior lays a refuge from the frantic pace of metropolitan life. At Hazlitt’s each bedroom is named after an historically famous local resident as the décor then reflects the characters of their namesake.

Hazlitt’s has recently been extended by eight rooms. One of the newest of these bedrooms is the distinctive Duke of Monmouth suite which boasts a private roof garden complete with sliding glass roof – possessing views over Soho’s rooftops the suite is an idyllic location for stargazing and entertaining friends.

The Duke of Monmouth suite’s masculine undertones draw on rich hues, oak panelling and voluminous curtains. While guests are not busy spotting London landmarks from the roof they can unwind in the seemingly bottomless rock n roll style bath which invites inhabitants to while away the evening with a long relaxing soak.

The Duke of Monmouth was born James Scott, who was the illegitimate son of Charles II. He was recognised by Charles as his son but the King did not make him his heir, instead bestowing on him the title Duke of Monmouth. He built Monmouth House in Soho Square, the buildings that make up Hazlitt’s were built on part of the site of the house after it was demolished. After the death of his father, the King, Monmouth led a rebellion against his uncle and declared himself King. He lost the battle of Sedgemoor and was then beheaded on Tower Hill. It is said it took eight blows of the axe to sever his head.

Situated in a quiet backwater off Soho Square, the discreet townhouse bolthole is a refuge from modern London. Dating back to 1718, Hazlitt’s has been meticulously restored and crafted to offer guests an overnight stay seen by London’s 18th century aristocracy. Quaint staircases, exquisite antiques and oil colours are subtly married with today’s technology; all rooms benefit from air-conditioning, complimentary Wi-Fi, a flat screen television, Blu-ray player, stereo, mini bar, safe, antique desk and REN toiletries.

The two-star Michelin Amber Restaurant at the Landmark Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong, has announced its 2010 Epicurean series, celebrating the finest of food and wine. Each Epicurean dinner is preceded by an hour-long apéritif and introduction of fine wines by visiting winemakers and wine masters.

Upcoming dinners this Spring include:

14th April 2010 Spanish Wine Dinner
Hosted by Spanish celebrity winemaker Alvaro Palacios
Six-course menu with seven exceptional wines, including two vintages of his exceptional wine L’Ermita. Priced at HK$3,488

17th April 2010 Sake Dinner with Sato No Homare sake
Six-course menu with six exceptional sakes. Priced at HK$2,388

And in May 2010, The Landmark Mandarin Oriental will have the honour of hosting four additional Epicurean wine dinners with some highly prestigious wineries, and each dinner personally hosted by some of the world’s most acclaimed wine experts.

Great Hotels Organisation is welcoming a number of new members into its alliances (Great Hotels of the World, Special Hotels of the World and Metro Hotels).  Here’s a summary:

Great Hotels of the World

Eurostars Madrid Tower, Madrid, Spain
Located in Madrid’s business district, the five-star Eurostars Madrid Tower offers 475 modern and luxurious rooms and suites, and is the third-highest building in Spain.

Special Hotels of the World

Eurostars Grand Central, Munich, Germany
Located in the heart of Munich, the 229-room Eurostars Grand Central is a spectacular hotel with stunning architecture and interior decoration, perfect for leisure, business and meeting and incentive travel.

Metro Hotels

The Beechwood Inn, Coventry, United Kingdom
Housed in a converted thirteenth-century farmhouse, The Beechwood Inn offers 25 en-suite rooms and offers ideal corporate accommodation in Coventry. Facilities include a restaurant, function facilities and business support services.

Almanar Hotel Apartments, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Situated just five minutes’ drive from Dubai International Airport, this hotel offers 85 tastefully decorated, luxuriously furnished and spacious apartments, a restaurant and café, health and fitness centre and rooftop swimming pool.

Hala Hotel Apartments, Muscat, Oman
Located in the business district of Muscat, just 20 minutes’ drive from the International Airport, Hala Hotel Apartments offers 48 luxurious suites perfect for business travellers. The hotel is a five-minute walk from the beach and also boasts a conference room, ballroom and business centre.

Umi Hotel Brighton, United Kingdom
Located on Brighton’s seafront and close to the city centre, the 77-room Umi Hotel Brighton boasts one of the most enviable positions in the city with excellent facilities and services. Only an hour’s train journey from London, the hotel is perfect for corporate and business travellers.

Umi Hotel London, United Kingdom
Situated close to London’s Hyde Park, the 117-room Umi Hotel London offers facilities for small business meetings, conferences, training courses and intimate dinner parties, as well as large functions and parties.

The Shangri-La Hotel, Guilin opened in Guilin, China this week. The newly opened hotel is also offering guests a luxury cruise experience along the Li River – the only luxury hotel in the city to provide this exclusive waterborne journey. From now until 31 October 2010, guests can book the Suite Cruise package and enjoy two nights in an Executive suite, a 90-minute morning or afternoon guided tour, a gourmet four-course meal cooked on-board by the hotel’s executive chef, daily breakfast for two and full Horizon Club access and privileges.

Sailing from Long Chuan Ping Jetty to Die Cai Mountain, guests can enjoy a classical Chinese guzheng (a Chinese plucked zither) performance as the boat journeys across a 10-kilometre natural river gallery, passing 10 of Guilin’s most famous mountains such as Elephant Trunk Hill, Fubo Hill, Seven Star Hill and Laoren Hill. The waterborne trip is the perfect cruise from which to enjoy China’s famed “finest mountains and rivers under heaven.” The sheer rock formations of the Li River, the series of mountains shrouded in mist and old villages that the cruise passes have inspired many poets and painters through the centuries. A stay in an Executive Suite overlooking the Li River and karst mountains completes the journey.

I’ve stated on this blog previously that some hotel star ratings are a bit of a nonsense, as new 6 and 7 star hotels continued to spring up.  Now one hotel is claiming to offer an “8 Star Gourmet Emotional Experience”.  The following is an extract from a press release from Relais Santa Croce, the latest acquisition of Baglioni Hotels:

To sample some of the best food in the world try our 8 Star Gourmet Emotional Experience – 5 stars belonging to the Relais Santa Croce and 3 Michelin stars belonging to the Enoteca Pinchiorri: an unparalleled opportunity set inside the same Palazzo that houses both the hotel and this renowned restaurant. Charming spaces enriched by frescos and work of art from Florentine history, luxury rooms and, memorable dinners created by one of the world’s greatest chefs, go together to create a very special stay in a magical city.

Relais & Châteaux has announced its official India launch at a press briefing.  Three new Indian properties – Sher Bagh in Ranthambore (Rajasthan), The Serai in Jaisalmer (Rajasthan) and Neeleshwar Hermitage in Malabar Coast (Kerala) were accepted as members of the association, in addition to Malabar House (Fort Cochin) and Mahua Kothi (Bandhavgarh Park), already members since 2008.

Sher Bagh is a classic 1920 “Raj” style luxury tented camp and offers the perfect retreat to those looking for the authentic Indian ‘Safari Experience’, in Ranthambhore, which is probably the finest place in the world to see wild tigers.

The Serai, Jaisalmer is a luxury desert camp and spa set in a hundred-acre estate of indigenous desert scrub; it is a luxurious base from which to explore the medieval desert Kingdom of Jaisalmer- the property takes inspiration from a royal caravan serai.

Neeleshwar Hermitage is the first boutique hotel on the beautiful unspoiled coast of Malabar. It is an oasis of eco-friendly practice and a refuge for the soul: The Hermitage offers a large variety of ayurvedic and spa treatments, as well as yoga and meditation.

VIE Hotel Bangkok, one of Asia’s trendiest hotels, introduces a new guest concept – “Deep Sleep” bringing together all the essential elements to help guests revitalize their mind and body through a better night’s sleep.

A good sleep is vital for a person’s wellbeing, ensuring the mind and body rejuvenates and restores itself. Studies indicate that most travelers have difficulties getting sufficient and restful sleep, leading to weariness that may affect their activities during the day.

“Research with our hotel guests found many said similar things about minor sleeping disorders when traveling. A common factor was their biological clock being out of sync with their home base, having to constantly adapt to different time zones and forcing themselves to sleep at unnatural hours adds to the weariness” says Remko Kroesen, General Manager of VIE Hotel Bangkok.

The Deep Sleep product offers a methodical plan of activities and elements to choose from in order to ensure ultimate relaxation and sleep preparedness. The service provides a retreat from the hectic life outside the hotel and an opportunity for guests to find respite and take care of the most important thing – themselves.

VIE’s Sleep Consultants provide recommendations and advice on the best sleeping position, meditation and muscle relaxation activities, suggestions on sleep-friendly meals and create an environment that soothes the senses of sight, scent, sound, taste and touch for the ultimate sleeping experience.

Media speculation claims that Victoria Beckham has been offered a cool £25 million to design rooms and staff uniforms for a luxury Dubai hotel. Isla Moda has reportedly already recruited the services of Chanel’s head designer Karl Lagerfield and it’s claimed that Sheik Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum has personally approached the former Spice Girl about the project.  The Dubai Government is denying the rumour, however.

Flying hotels… the future of luxury travel?  Who knows? But an aircruise concept from Seymourpowell in association with Samsung looks to be little more than a publicity stunt to us here at A Luxury Travel Blog.  Not only does it look an unlikely shape for such a vessel but the choice of hydrogen gas to get it airborne leaves us wondering whether the people behind it have ever even heard of the Hindenburg disaster.  Still, it did manage to ’suck in’ all kinds of media interest, including the likes of CNN and The Independent who you would hope might have known better than to take the bait.  Enjoy the video but don’t expect to see one of these things any time soon!

The Westin Wall Centre, Vancouver Airport, a sophisticated, new-build hotel in Richmond, B.C. is now open. Ideally situated less than 4 km from Vancouver International Airport, it is also within a five minute walk of the Yaohan Centre and a 20 minute Skytrain ride to downtown Vancouver. Minutes from downtown Richmond, the new hotel also offers easy access to the Aberdeen Centre, River Rock Casino and Royal Canadian College as well as the nearby Richmond Olympic Oval.

Its 176 guest rooms and eight unique suites all feature the iconic Westin Heavenly Bed and a 32 inch High Definition flatscreen TV. In addition, in-room, high-speed Internet access, dual line cordless telephones and an ergonomic work space offer business travellers convenience and productivity in an ultra-comfortable setting.

Additional amenities include an indoor heated pool, 24-hour business centre, a gym, valet parking and The Apron, offering guests contemporary Pacific Northwest cuisine in the dining room or intimate lounge.

The Tivoli Victoria has been voted one of the best international hotels after figuring among the winners of Trip Advisor’s Travelers’ Choice 2010 Awards. In the category of Relaxation/Spa, the hotel took 1st place in the Top 10 in Europe.

The Tivoli Victoria is the first property in the Tivoli Hotels & Resorts chain which has been purpose built from the ground up. The hotel opened to the public in March 2009 and has already notched up numerous important awards. Last week it was the winner of the Portuguese Tourism Board award in the category of Best New Private Project and in September 2009 it won the award for Best Real Estate Project in the category of Tourism, at the “SIL National Real Estate Awards 2009″.

Inspired by concepts of timelessness and style, the hotel has been designed to meet the needs of the most demanding of guests in the golf, leisure and meetings and events segments. It also enjoys a privileged location in Vilamoura overlooking the Victoria Golf Course.

And if that wasn’t already enough, it also has an Elements Spa by Banyan Tree, a Spa concept based on pure luxury in the best oriental tradition. Covering approximately 1,200 sq m the spa has an indoor treatment pool (vitality pool) with a panoramic view over the sea. The extensive facilities include sauna, Jacuzzi, hydro-massage, seven treatment rooms and relaxation areas, all decorated in a style of true Asian luxury. In order to ensure the quality of service, all therapists are fully trained at the Banyan Tree Spas in Thailand and most are Thai nationality.

Moroccan hotel operator, Kenzi Hotels Group, are driving forward their expansion and repositioning themselves as key players in the luxury market with the launch of the new ‘Premium Signature’ range. Recent openings include Kenzi Menara Palace, Marrakech, part of Summit Hotels & Resorts and the Kenzi Tower Hotel, Casablanca, part of Preferred Hotel Group.

2009 was a busy year with the launch of Kenzi Menara Palace, Marrakech, the latest 5 star resort and spa in the Kenzi Group. Opened in March, The Kenzi Menara Palace offers 236 luxury rooms including a Royal Suite in 12 acres of landscaped gardens and is situated in the Red City. Just 2 miles from Marrakech International Airport, it overlooks the Atlas Mountains in a peaceful location from which to visit Marrakech’s major attractions including the atmospheric Jamaa El Fna Square, the colonial quarter of Gueliz and several renowned golf courses.

Back in November 2009, Marriott announced that it would be unveiling a new brand comprised of upper upscale and luxury, independent hotels with distinctive personalities in major cities and desired destinations worldwide. And the founder member hotels of the brand are about to be announced.  On 25th January 2010, at the Hilton San Diego Bayfront, Tony Capuano, Marriott’s Executive Vice President for Lodging Development, and Don Semmler, Marriott’s Executive Vice President for Global Full Service Brands, will unveil which hotels will make up the new brand.

Swissôtel Hotels & Resorts have every reason to celebrate the new year: this is the year the Swiss hotel chain turns 30. The venture which started out in 1980 with just a few hotels has now blossomed into a distinguished, internationally renowned hotel chain with deluxe hotels in 17 countries across five continents.

The company’s eventful history began with its founding, all those years ago, by Swissair and Nestlé. The company assembled its initial portfolio of hotels by acquiring Hotel Le Président in Geneva and signing management contracts for Hotel Drake in New York, Bellevue Palace in Berne and Hotel Internationalin Zurich.

Today Swissôtel Hotels & Resorts is a distinctive group of deluxe hotels for discerning business and leisure travellers, combining the renowned Swiss touch with a fresh, contemporary and modern design.

Rose petals, Champagne, a seductive atmosphere and fabulous Italian food… what more could you want for the one you love on St Valentine’s Day? At the Baglioni Hotel London you can make dreams come true by booking their very romantic package as a surprise gift.

Arrive in your De Luxe Junior Suite to find that the butler has the Champagne on ice to start your evening in style. Follow that with cocktails and a delicious dinner for 2 in Brunello. On returning to your room, you will find the scented candles lit, the music turned on and the bed strewn with rose petals…

The following day after a hearty breakfast you may use their Jaguar courtesy car and chauffeur to do a spot of shopping in Knightsbridge before returning home, relaxed and refreshed.

The package is valid on 14th February 2010 and includes:

• Accommodation in a Deluxe Junior Suite
• English breakfast for 2 people
• Bottle of Moet & Chandon Champagne and Chocolates in the room on arrival
• Bouquet of Flowers in the room on arrival
• 3 Course Valentine Dinner for two in Brunello Restaurant
(beverages not included)
• Romantic Turndown with scented candles, music and rose petals on bed
• Complimentary unlimited blockbuster movies on demand
• Complimentary use of Jaguar within a 1.5 mile radius of the hotel
(subject to availability)
• Butler service
• Entrance to The Baglioni Spa, use of the gym and steam room

There is a 2 night minimum stay and a package rate of £380 per night for two people.