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A luxury, ocean-side resort in Hawaii beat out 6,000 other properties to take the title of top luxury hotel in the world, according to members of TripAdvisor. Here are the top hotels around the world according to the website’s 11th edition of the Traveler’s Choice Awards 2013 and what TripAdvisor members said about them. 1. Four Seasons Resort Hualalai at Historic Ka’upulehu, Hawaii…
While luxury spas are aplenty, wellness spas have a different take — alongside a steady menu of massages and facial treatments, spagoers can consult with physicians, lose weight, quit smoking, sample “detoxifying” body treatments, and enjoy specialized meal plans — often set in some of the most pristine places in the world. Here are a few top spas that aim to heal body and mind. Canyon Ranch Tucson…
Dubai, United Arab Emirates (January 16, 2013) – Hyatt Hotels Corporation (NYSE: H) today announced the opening of Hyatt Regency Qingdao, introducing the Hyatt Regency brand to China’s booming coastal city in the Shandong province. Hyatt Regency Qingdao will be the first upscale urban resort in northern China with an idyllic ocean setting. Known as the “Pearl of the Yellow Sea,” Qingdao’s location on the…
News that a Singaporean hotelier has taken over popular London chef Fergus Henderson’s latest venture, the St. John Hotel, has become the talk of the town in the British food world. Known as the king of offal for pioneering the nose-to-tail concept of dining in London, Henderson opened the hotel in Leicester Square in April 2011 after the project suffered a series of setbacks that put the hotel in the red…
The Ritz-Carlton,Doha and Qatar Red Crescent proudly announced their partnership in 2013 to increase community awareness of local humanitarian initiatives. Building on Qatar Red Crescent's vision “To improve the lives of vulnerable people by mobilizing the power of humanity", QRC reaches out to organizations which share its values and goals such as The Ritz-Carlton whose “Community Footprints" program…
Starwood Hotels & Resorts has announced the opening of W Bangkok, marking the brand’s entry into the Thai capital. Located at the intersection of Sathorn and Narathiwas roads, the new hotel is contained within a modern, 31-storey glass and steel tower, but also includes a century-old heritage building that used to serve as the Russian embassy. W Bangkok houses 407 guestrooms and suites in the two…
Plans to open a 500-room five-star hotel near the Grand Mosque in Makkah before Ramadan are underway. The project is part of Jabal Omar housing project and will be manaed by Hilton International. The hotel will comprise of two tower buildings each with 20 floors and will be located in S1 area of the project, overlooking the mosque’s western courtyard. The hotel will have prayer areas for both men and…
The InterContinental Hotel Group (IHG) selected New York for its first EVEN Hotel, the new brand with a focus on health and fitness. EVEN Hotels will put emphasize four spheres: exercise, food, work and rest. To address the needs of the clients, the 8000 square meter space will feature guest rooms with in-room workout elements such as coat racks that double as pull-up bars and menus offering healthy…
Imagine an apple as it travels the globe; stopping first in Boston where it's transformed into a Berkshire pork taco with honey crisp apples, then on to Riyadh where it matures into an heirloom apple and lobster carpaccio and finally, landing in Hong Kong where it emerges as Granny Smith apple, yuzu and kaffir lime bubble tea. The global journey of one ingredient as it passes through the kitchens of…
Luxury Singapore hotel group Banyan Tree will open its first Indian hotel in the southern state of Kerala. It is set to open by the first quarter of 2013. On the private island of Nediyathuruthu in the tropical Backwaters of Alleeppey, the secluded resort will offer 59 villas each with a private swimming pool. The luxury villas were decorated with traditional furnishings and elaborate woodwork. In the…
Marriott International has opened a second Renaissance hotel in Barcelona, designed by Jean Nouvel and Ribas & Ribas. French architect Jean Nouvel came up with a daring design for the 357-room hotel: two towers joined at the top to form a panoramic restaurant. Restaurant Le Palmer serves Mediterranean fare in a lush setting featuring palm trees and plants from around the world. It also boasts a…
The financial district of Makati City, in Metro Manila, Philippines, is about to welcome a new luxury hotel, the Raffles Makati, with a pre-opening event scheduled for December 1, with the main opening set for February 2013. The luxury hotel group’s new address houses 32 suites in a 30-storey building. All the suites sport floor-to-ceiling windows and luxurious decorative touches, such as handwoven…
Ora-Ïto, a French designer known for his work on products and furniture, has opened the first hotel of his new chain named “O” (part of the Elegancia group) in Paris — at a location that’s just a stone’s throw away from the Louvre and the river banks. Ora-Ïto’s signature ‘simplexity’ philosophy forms the basis for the design of Hôtel O’s 29 capsule rooms (ranging in size from 12 sq m to 16 sq m).…
Jeddah, November 11th 2012 – Representatives of the King Abdullah International Foundation and Sofitel, the luxury brand of French Hotel Group Accor, gathered in Jeddah to commemorate the signing of a management contract of a Sofitel hotel in Riyadh, in the presence of HRH Prince Khalid ibn ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Abdulaziz, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Foundation and Denis Hennequin, Accor Chairman and Chief…
The historic Majestic Hotel is set to reopen its doors in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in December this year. The 300-room hotel, owned by YTL Hotels and located along Jalan Sultan Hishamuddin on a 1.29 hectare site opposite the Kuala Lumpur railway station, will open to guests following a RM250 million ($82.5 million) restoration program. The hotel, built in 1932, was considered one of the top landmarks of…
A luxury Irish hotel made famous in the classic John Wayne movie “The Quiet Man” went on sale on Wednesday for half the price paid for it five years ago. Ashford Castle, a five-star hotel on 365 acres (148 hectares) of land on the west coast, is on the market for 25 million euros ($32.46 million) — 25 million euros less than property developer Gerry Barrett paid for it in 2007. The Irish hotel sector…
The luxurious hotel Le Cheval Blanc at upscale ski resort Courchevel is adding eight new suites this winter, all decorated by interior designer Sybille de Margerie. The new suites are decorated with a selection of refined materials, with cashmere, leather and fur adding a touch of softness to the steel, bronze and brushed brass. Three color themes have been used: orange, red and bronze green. Two of…
For those who like their coffee with a strong nose Thailand could be the ideal destination, after a blend made from elephant dung was put on sale by an upmarket hotel chain. The Black Ivory blend, made from coffee beans digested and excreted by Thai elephants, is billed as producing a particularly smooth cup. But it is not cheap, with Anantara Hotels saying the “naturally refined” coffee costs a…
