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Elaf Group, the leading Saudi hospitality company has announced the soft opening of their new hotel in Makkah - the Elaf Bakkah Hotel which is located in the Mahbas Al Jin area - about 1.8km from the Haram. Elaf Bakkah Hotel has 810 rooms and 32 suites all equipped with modern facilities. The hotel features two restaurants serving Arabic and International cuisine. It has 24 elevators and 213 car parking…
A boutique hotel in Pyrmont, Sydney, Australia, has been designed with Instagram addicts in mind—according to Daily Mail. Called ‘1888 Hotel’, the five-story accommodation has a view at every level, and all elements have been thought through to be considered ‘Instagram-worthy’ before being used in the décor. Named after the year Kodak released its first box and roll camera, the hotel has free WiFi…
Mandarin Oriental has chosen mainland China’s Shenzhen, a popular shopping destination located just across the border from Hong Kong, as the site of its new hotel. Scheduled to open in about three years’ time in a 400-meter tower near downtown Shenzhen, the hotel will offer 190 rooms and suites. Among the facilities planned are a rooftop restaurant and bar and a 1,600 square meter spa offering traditional…
At 22,600 square feet, the Royal Suite at the St. Regis Saadiyat Island Resort in Abu Dhabi is being billed as the largest hotel suite in the United Arab Emirates and comes with a private movie theater, game room, spa and sauna, and outdoor swimming pool. Unveiled last week, the suite spans 22,600 square feet or 2,099 square meters and takes up the top two floors of the resort’s west wing at a price tag of…
The majority of travelers will never know the joys of a personal concierge service. After all, a person dedicated to responding to guests’ every need at all hours of the day and night, in addition to providing suggestions on where to wine and dine, is a rather high-end luxury. However, internet users now have access to what may be the next best thing. The Four Seasons, whose 91-hotel network includes the…
Go where not many have gone this Eid. The Greek island of Crete has a hotel fit for kings and princesses - the Palazzo Loupassi Boutique Hotel, Kolymbari Chania - is offering a special 50% discount for those who wish to visit this Leading Hotel of the World in October. The Prince Elias Presidential Suite is ideal for visitors with large families. This palatial suite has three bedrooms, a kitchen, a dining…
The Italian luxury brand has signed a deal to open its third ‘Palazzo’ hotel, as part of a new casino resort development in Cotai, Macau. Versace has partnered with Hong Kong based SJM holdings on the deal, which will see a new five star hotel opening in the Chinese city of Macau. The new location will join the company’s two Palazzo Versace hotels, located in Dubai (where plans for a refrigerated beach…
Most marathon's are held during the day but there is one city where the annual marathon is held at midnight. To avoid the sweltering daytime temperatures, the Amari Watergate & BMW Thailand Charity Midnight Run starts at midnight when the temperatures in Bangkok cool down to about 24C. The Amari Watergate Hotel in Bangkok is a 5-star luxury hotel located in the vibrant Pratunam neighbourhood in downtown…
There aren't many hotels where you can see zebras grazing in the front yard. The Royal Livingstone Hotel in Zambia is an exception. It is located a short walk from the Victoria Falls in the Musi-o-Tunya National Park which is a wildlife sanctuary. The uber expensive Royal Livingstone charges over $600 per night for a standard room and over $2,000 per night for its Presedential Suite - unlimited visits to the Park…
Planning an exotic wedding? The Angsana Velavaru, Dhaalu Atoll, Maldives, is offering an out of this world experience for couples who wish to tie the knot in paradise. In fact, if you are on a honeymooon and just wish to re-enact your wedding, you can do so simply by booking 5 nights at the hotel. You will get the following wedding package free of cost: Wedding ceremony at the Beach Pavilion Traditional…
If you want to experience the ultimate in luxury, you have to wait for three years before you can get it in Shenzen. Until then, you can be pampered at one of the 45 hotels and luxury resorts operated by the Mandarin Oriental Group in 27 countries. The Hong Kong based hotel group has just signed an agreement to manage a luxury hotel atop a 400m tower in the premier Shum Yip’s UpperHills area close to the…
Riyadh does not usually evoke any instant association with holiday and tourism. It is a city with no beaches and no mountains. Admittedly, it is the capital of Saudi Arabia but unlike Jeddah it is not accessible to the millions of religious tourists who visit the kingdom every year. So, how does a classy hotel in Riyadh promote itself as a destination for the Eid holiday? It follows the old adage - the way to a…
Airport hotels are usually very convenient. You land, collect your luggage and wheel it to a hotel that is connected to the airport. After a tiring long haul flight you do not want to worry about taking a train or a taxi to the city and checking into a hotel that is at least a 30 minutes ride away. But there is one airport hotel that guests love to hate. They love it for the experience. They hate it because…
If you travel alone and want to upgrade to a fancier hotel but do not want to pay the price, there is now a solution. A new website has been launched to help travelers reduce the cost of their hotel rooms by half. The catch? Share your room with a stranger. Easynest.com is a new San Francisco based website which wants to encourage solo passengers to share their hotel room with a stranger to subsidize the cost…
The Sofitel at Dubai's famous JBR "The Walk" is offering a great deal for guests wanting to spend Eid at this luxury hotel. Apart from the in-room creature comforts provided by their signature MyBed - wide beds with soft mattresses and down duvets - you can also enjoy a free extensive Eid buffet breakfast for an all inclusive price starting from just AED 590 for a Superior Room. Luxury Rooms are available from…
There are hotels and resorts and there is the Al Bustan Palace in Muscat. A Ritz-Carlton hotel, this luxury resort was built in 1985 as the venue for hosting the GCC Summit where royalty from the region assembled. Today, every guest at this 5-star resort experiences a regal treatment. And this Ramadan you can enjoy the resort's royal experience for just OMR 119. What does this get you? One night stay in a…
The Plaza Athenee hotel near the Champs-Elysees in Paris, one of the top hotels in the French capital, said Wednesday it is to close for seven months starting from October for large-scale renovations. The 100-year-old five-star establishment joins two other luxury hotels in Paris, the Ritz and the Crillon, that have temporary closed for major repairs amid stiff competition from new Asian-run hotels.…
Le Royal Monceau is the latest top-end Paris hotel to receive the prestigious Palace rating — one step higher than five stars — from the French government. It re-opened in 2010 after a two year transformation by Philippe Starck, revealing brilliant, witty contemporary interiors infused with artistic flair. The vibrancy of les Années Folles of the late 1920s, when the hotel first opened, peopled by a…
