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British Airways is apparently ready to follow the lead of some low-cost carriers in charging passengers extra to carry skis and golf clubs.

Ryanair, for example, currently charges £64 ($118) on a return ticket for sports equipment, and easyJet has a levy of £50 ($92). BA hasn’t set a fee yet, although a charge of £25 has been considered.

A spokeswoman for the Ski Club of Great Britain said the proposal could make British Airways less attractive. “BA was favoured by skiers as it had routes to places like Innsbruck, Geneva and Zurich. Those passengers might look at other options - some might even think of taking the Eurostar (through the Channel Tunnel).”

BA’s move to consider charging for sports equipment is the latest sign of the airline industry’s growing cash crisis.

But whatever hardships and extra costs you’ve had when flying, at least you didn’t have to get out and push the plane. That was the fate of some of the passengers in China when their aircraft broke down shortly after landing at Zhengzhou.

It took the passengers and airport staff nearly two hours to shove the CRJ7 plane half a mile to a side lane.

by Andy Moreton

It seems the credit crunch is beginning to hit the French in the stomach.

Eating out in France has always been an important part of everyday life, but there’s growing evidence that the café culture is becoming a victim of the economic downturn.

According to the respected French newspaper, Le Figaro, custom at restaurants fell by between 10 and 30 per cent in the first quarter of the year, forcing 3,000 cafes and restaurants out of business. Owners say that as well as money being tight, regulars have been chased away by the ban on smoking.

It seems French diners are skipping the traditional aperitif, requesting tap water and doing without their beloved shot of espresso. Some are simply skipping courses to save money – and Le Figaro says that’s a policy that will earn them short shrift from proprietors. It quoted one case in which a couple were thrown out by the furious owner of a Paris restaurant because they declined to order starters. “How do you expect me to get by?” he reportedly shouted after them.

Office workers are increasingly buying take-away baguettes and supermarket lunches, and the current situation has prompted the rise of le hamburger. Once considered an undesirable American import, it’s now more popular than ever as it costs less than the traditional steak.

Restaurant and bar owners were already reeling from a poor summer with fewer international tourists visiting Paris, especially Americans and Japanese.

And there was more shock news for the French food and drink industry last week with the suggestion that its fiercely protected champagne was not, in fact, invented by the Benedictine monk, Dom Perignon. A new book claims the technique was developed by seventeenth century cider-makers in the English west country - long before Dom Perignon was born.

by Andy Moreton

Luxique has an extensive selection of luxury and boutique hotels throughout France – including some of the best that Paris has to offer.

The vast cultural differences between East and West were highlighted by an incident in the Italian city of Florence in the summer.

Tourists – including Italians – have, for some years, written their names and messages on part of the panoramic terrace of the Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore. The Florentine authorities have, for the most part, simply shrugged and used a small team of graffiti cleaners.

But when it was reported that some of the work had been done by Japanese visitors, the reaction in Japan was one of shock and horror. Something equivalent to a manhunt was organised in the media there and the perpetrators - several students and a teacher - were unmasked.

A Japanese expert told an Italian paper that the students, but above all the teacher, had made the Japanese lose face abroad. “They offended their hosts – that is to say, Italy – and this, for the Japanese mentality, is unacceptable.

Two students were suspended from their studies and the teacher is to face disciplinary action. One 19-year-old fashion student flew back to Florence at her own expense, apologised and gave the Cathedral authorities 600 Euros (£472/$865) in compensation.

The reaction in Italy was said to be a combination of bewilderment and admiration.

by Andy Moreton

Zagat, which has become an influential and much-thumbed guide to the world’s restaurants, has sprung a surprise in naming its current London favourite.

Ahead of such prestigious places as The Ivy, Gordon Ramsay and Le Gavroche comes the chain of fast-food noodle bars called Wagamama.

Tim Zagat, the founder of the guide, said he was not surprised at how well Wagamama had done, considering diners were increasingly looking for value for money. “I think it is a really wonderful place. It’s good food at a good price.”

Opened in 1992, there are now more than sixty UK outlets of the bustling restaurant, where the most expensive course is just £10.50 ($20). Most of the Japanese-inspired noodles are cooked in minutes, and served by waiters in T-shirts.

Zagat’s volunteer testers – 5,300 dedicated gourmets – ranked London’s restaurants by various categories. While Wagamama was most popular, Gordon Ramsay came top for food and The Ritz for décor. And the guide firmly believes that London dining is better than Paris because it embraces so much international cuisine.

Zagat’s research also suggests that the high price of a meal in London (the average is almost double that in New York or LA) has not had a severe effect on the numbers eating out. Only 18 per cent of those surveyed said they were going out less than they were two years ago.

by Andy Moreton

Luxique can serve up a fabulous selection of luxury hotels in London and a London guide to help you get the most from your visit.

Cultural bodies in France have long complained about the number of English/American words and phrases creeping into their language.

Now, it seems, the Italians have also declared war on what they dub ‘Anglitaliano.’

The Dante Alighieri Society, which draws its name from the country’s most illustrious poet, has had enough of words such as computer, election day and weekend cropping up in everyday conversation.

“Our survey shows that although the hard core of foreign words included in our language doesn’t bother anybody, there are a few excesses that many Italians dislike,” said Alessandro Masi, Chairman of the Society.

Among the offending examples sent to the society’s website were stress, mission, briefing, OK, know-how, welfare, shampoo and cool.

Like many fashions, it seems to be a generation thing. Younger Italians are more likely to watch English and American films and anyway think the trend is part of globalisation. Their parents would prefer to keep the language clean.

by Andy Moreton

Luxique offers hotels throughout Italy and has more than 30 luxury hotels in Rome and more than 10 luxury hotels in Florence.

Workers building a new underground line in the northern Greek city of Thessaloniki have uncovered more than 1,400 graves, dating from the first century BC to the fifth century AD.

The graves range from fragments of wooden coffins to elaborate marble enclosures in five-room family mausoleums. Treasures were also discovered, including jewellery, coins, armour, weapons and works of art.

Thessaloniki is Greece’s second largest city, with a population of around a million.
Archaeologists have also unearthed gold jewellery, weapons and pottery at an ancient burial site near Pella, the birthplace of Alexander The Great.

by Andy Moreton

Nothing in Dubai is done modestly and if you’ve built a £1 billion ($1.8 billion) resort, you want a launch party to match.

So the flamboyant South African hotelier, Sol Kerzner, is laying on a shindig that’s so extravagant, organisers reckon it will be seen from space!

The Atlantis hotel and resort stands on the Palm Jumeirah, a man-made island complex off the Dubai coast which has been built to resemble a palm tree when seen from above. The first guests arrive on September 24th, but the grand opening is not until November 20th.

The 2,000 people invited to the launch will be Hollywood stars, heads of state and billionaire businessmen. They’ll be entertained by Kylie Minogue and there’ll be a fireworks display masterminded by the experts behind the Beijing Olympics opening ceremony.
Even the invitations are collectors’ items – each is studded with hundreds of pounds’ worth of Swarovski crystals. The total bill for this ‘party to end all parties’ will be in the region of £15 million ($27 million).

Atlantis is a joint enterprise between Kerzner International and the Nakheel Corporation, which is controlled by the Dubai Royal Family. It has 1,500 rooms, including The Lost Chambers Suites, which have underwater views of the lagoon.

Luxique can’t offer you the Atlantis – yet – but we do have a dozen superb luxury Dubai hotels for you to choose from, including the world-renowned Burj Al Arab.

by Andy Moreton

You know how it is. You’re having a quiet drink at the hotel bar and Angelina Jolie asks you for a light.

What do you mean it’s never happened to you? Well, all I can say is that you’ve been staying in the wrong joints. Allow me to mark your card with a view to a bit of celebrity-spotting in some of the luxury and boutique hotels of Europe.

If you happen to be in Paris and want to catch a glimpse of Ange, try the award-winning George V or, to give it its full name, the Four Seasons Hotel George V Paris. This Paris luxury hotel is one of her favourites.

Now, if a place is good enough for George Clooney, it should do for you and me and I’m reliably informed that George and the cast and crew of Ocean’s Twelve stayed at Hotel Le Bristol.

Another classic luxury hotel in Paris is the Ritz, the last point of departure for Princess Diana and Dodi Al Fayed that tragic August night in 1997. The Ritz has always been a mainstay for the rich and famous – Coco Chanel lived in a luxury suite there for more than thirty years. These days, you might at any one time bump into Nicole Kidman, Gwyneth Paltrow or Uma Thurman.

Luxury Rome hotels abound. The Hassler Hotel, at the top of the Spanish Steps, has in the past welcomed everyone from Juan Peron to Audrey Hepburn and the Kennedys. Clooney likes this one too, while just recently it hosted the photocall for the movie Get Smart with Anne Hathaway and Steve Carell.

Not far away is the Hotel de Russie. This historic hotel was a favourite of Picasso and today is a popular meeting place for the bright young things from the worlds of fashion and media.

The Hotel Eden is a luxury boutique hotel in the heart of Rome which prides itself on its elegance and tact. It would never release its guest list, of course, but my source tells me that it’s welcomed the likes of Jane Fonda, Pierce Brosnan and Richard Gere.

The luxury hotels in London have names that resonate throughout the world – the Dorchester, for instance. It was here that Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton spent one of their honeymoons in 1964. Recently pictured arriving were Jerry Springer and Forest Whitaker. Michael Jackson and Tom Cruise have been guests, too.

The Ritz is the Grande Dame of London luxury hotels and has played host to any number of celebrities over the years, including Edward VII, Churchill, Chaplin and Judy Garland. It’s never lost its charm and these days is fashionable with celebrities like Julia Roberts, Johnny Depp and Hugh Grant.

One of the newer kids on the London block is The Lanesborough, a former hospital in fashionable Knightsbridge. It’s pricey, sure, but you might be lucky enough to run into Madonna, Jim Carrey or Leonardo di Caprio.

Amsterdam is one of the most laid-back capitals in Europe and a popular destination for celebrities. The Intercontinental Amstel is arguably the most beautiful and prestigious of the luxury hotels in Amsterdam and has welcomed royalty, government leaders and film stars. Jennifer Aniston took a room with a river view last month and the Rolling Stones have also pitched up there.

The Dylan Hotel in Amsterdam has also been much visited in the past by royalty. These days it’s favoured by international personalities who welcome the discretion and privacy that are the hallmarks of Anouska Hempel-designed luxury boutique hotels. It’s so discreet, in fact, that I couldn’t possibly reveal any names.

So, splash out, be a celebrity for a day, a weekend or a week – live like a star, but don’t make a habit of it. As Charlie Chaplin once said: ‘The saddest thing I can imagine is to get used to luxury.’

by Andy Moreton

I’ve seen (and stayed in) some weird and wonderful hotels, but never one made from an old Boeing 747. But all that could change because a Swedish entrepreneur, Oscar Dios, has plans to create what he’s dubbed ‘Jumbo Hostel.’

Dios bought a 500-seater 747, built in 1976, from Transjet when it went bust in 2002. It’s been towed into place just outside Arlanda airport in Stockholm, where it will be fitted out with 25 rooms and a suite where the flight deck used to be.

Room sizes will be modest, however – most are 20-foot square, with three beds to a room and shared bathroom facilities.

Jumbo Hostel, which will remain grounded at the airport, will begin taking reservations from December. If the venture proves successful, Dios hopes to extend it elsewhere.

If you prefer a more conventional, not to say luxurious, Stockholm hotel, Luxique can offer an unrivalled selection of the very best.

by Andy Moreton

I’ve just spent a week in the Italian city of Parma in the Emilia-Romagna region south of Milan.

Parma is not as bustling and touristy as many of the country’s bigger cities, but it has all the features that you would want in Italy – a rich history, fine architecture and warm weather even late in the summer season.

It is also famous for its cuisine and is justly proud and protective of the two foods which bear its name: Parmesan cheese and Parma ham or Prosciutto. There are interesting guided tours showing the traditional way each is made.

Parma’s most famous son was the composer Verdi and it’s well worth trying to get a ticket for a Verdi opera at the beautiful Teatro Regio. The conductor, Toscanini, also came from Parma and his life and work is celebrated in a charming museum.
Parma has been welcoming many more British tourists since the low-cost airline, Ryanair, began flying there from London Stansted in March 2006. Parma’s airport is only a couple of miles from the city centre, but most travellers from outside the UK will have to fly to Milan or Bologna and then connect with Parma.

At the moment, Luxique offers just one luxury hotel in Parma – the Palace Maria Luigia, a traditional Italian hotel right in the city centre and boasting a fine restaurant.

by Andy Moreton