Unique luxury hotels, fashionable travel and much more

If you have ever arrived at a hotel tired and weary only to find your hotel room bears no resemblance to what you booked, your fairy godmother is on hand. Room 77 has just launched its searchable website and iPhone app to counter just such a disappointment.

Room 77 is aiming at business travellers who want compare a number of rooms in luxury hotels which may all sound the same but in reality are poles apart. For leisure travelers, the view from the room may be even more important. Certainly luxury hotel chain Starwood Hotels has given it a firm thumbs up.

The database will offer basic details on room category, square footage etc, but the app will also allow potential clients to tap into the view from the actual room you are being checked into. With a database of 400,000 images of participating hotel rooms you can quickly check whether that ocean view is truly breathtaking or whether it is an awkward side view only visible when balancing on the window ledge. This is WYSIWYG at its best – what you see really will be exactly what you get.

The downside? The database currently only covers 25,000 luxury hotels in major American cities and popular resorts in Hawaii. It focuses only on luxury hotels and has no plans to broaden its database to three star hotels. As founder Brad Gerstner explains, your view in budget hotels is generally limited to the parking lot so it is really irrelevant. He does have a point.

Curious readers may wonder how Room 77 actually got into 400,000 rooms to film the view. Apparently they used Google Earth-style satellite technology and made adjustments for latitude, longitude and altitude. They also interviewed people in the know at hotels – the concierge and front-desk clerks - to get the real low down on the best rooms in each hotel.

Those who value a room with a view will find the Room 77 app a godsend. For the indecisive, booking a room could become very tedious indeed.

by Gillian at Luxique Luxury Hotels

It’s not often you choose a luxury hotel based on its educational and literary merits, but that could be a great reason for literature buffs to stay at the Hotel Monteleone in New Orleans. The Monteleone is one of only three hotels in the U.S. to be awarded the Literary Landmark honour.

New Orleans’ writer and historian, Glenn de Villier, has put together a fascinating two hour walking tour which starts in the Carousel Bar of this landmark hotel by recounting the connections the Hotel Monteleone has with such distinguished literary giants as Tennessee Williams, William Faulkner, Eudora Welty and Ernest Hemingway, among others.

He then leads the tour through the city’s famous French Quarter, highlighting historical landmarks and residences of many internationally famous authors. Exchange Alley, the Pontalba Apartments, Madame John’s Legacy, the Old Ursuline Convent, the Beauregard-Keyes House and the Lalaurie Mansion are just some of the highlights on the tour.

Surely no-one is better qualified than De Villier, a long-time New Orleans’ resident whose primary background is in history. Not only has he had the pleasure of spending time with Tennessee Williams, both locally and in Key West, he is also a long-time friend of Rebecca Wells, author of Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood.

Tours take place on Saturdays at 3pm and Tuesdays at 10am at a cost of $5 for Hotel Monteleone guests and $27 for non-guests.

by Gillian at Luxique Luxury Hotels

Canada seems to be riding the downturn in world travel very nicely, thank you!

Not only is Canada earmarked to become the very first destination for an official royal visit by Prince William and his new bride, it also seems to be expecting plenty more well-heeled business and leisure guests in the near future.

Toronto in particular is bucking the trend of other major city destinations in the current financial downturn and is enjoying a run of luxury hotel openings. Earlier this month, the Ritz-Carlton chain opened its first ever hotel in Canada, in Toronto. The 53-story tower of luxury will include 267 rooms and is superbly located near the entertainment district. It also has an uber-sized spa which takes up 23,000 square feet.

Close on its heels, the Trump International Hotel will open its 60-story glass tower with a further 256 luxuriously appointed rooms. Again, this is a first in Canada for Trump and is aimed at business-oriented visitors, being located in Toronto’s financial district.

A further two luxury hotels in Toronto are nearing completion. Shangri-La, best known for its Asian luxury hotels, will open a 220-room hotel in part of the historic “Bishop’s Block”, one of Toronto’s oldest buildings. When it opens it will be an easy stroll to major downtown office buildings.

For shopping, which is one of the main draws to Toronto, the Four Seasons will open a new hotel in Yorkville Village in 2012, just steps from the doors of the Bloor Street boutiques.

It seems Toronto will have a high profile for international visitors during 2011, hopefully attracting many more visitors to sample its cultural and business attractions, with a choice of world class luxury hotels competing for their business.

by Gillian at Luxique Luxury Hotels

February is National Heart Month, and one luxury hotel in New York’s Midtown Manhattan East Side is taking it very seriously. Not only does it advertise its state-of-the-art fitness center, it expects guests to actually use it!

In a unique promotional offer, the Affinia Dumont boutique hotel is cutting its prices, depending upon how fit you are. I’m afraid ticking a box that’s say “Super-fit” is not sufficient; instead guests are expected to perform a series of push-ups under the scrutiny of hotel management. It works like this – if you can do one push-up you save one dollar off the standard nightly rate of $169; if you can do 20 push-ups you save $20 and so on, to a maximum saving of $40 per night.

The promo is running Sunday through Friday during February and March, although standard room rates rise in March, so you may have to count on doing a few more push-ups to compensate.

The things you have to do to get an affordable room in New York!

by Gillian at Luxique Luxury Hotels

Small Luxury Hotels is celebrating its 20th anniversary in the industry. That small gold insignia with its entwined SLH has come to denote far more than just a club membership, it is an endorsement marking out the finest small independently owned luxury hotels in the world.

When it was launched in 1991, SLH had around 300 hotels in 50 countries. Now it offers 520 hotels in more than 70 countries. However it is definitely a case of more is less. SLH continues to be very discerning about which hotels can carry the marque – hence it has gained a reputation for only accrediting the very best small luxury hotels in the world.

The SLH Group believes in quality over quantity, meaning that its high standards will never be compromised. It has an acceptance rate of just five per cent. Guests can be sure that only the best luxury hotels in each locale will carry the insignia. In fact SLH received more than 1,100 applications in 2010, 55 of which were accepted.

The SLH brand denotes an exclusive luxury hotel with its own character and charm and the company reports strong positive growth in its member hotels throughout 2010. Indicators of its success include a revenue increase of approximately 15% since January 2010 and an 18% increase in reservations compared to 2009.

Paul Kerr, Chief Executive Officer of Small Luxury Hotels of the World, is quoted as saying “Small Luxury Hotels of the World is all about offering our guests small hotels with big experiences while demonstrating a passion for high service standards. It’s a recipe for success that we are very proud of.”

by Gillian at Luxique Luxury Hotels

If you’ve got something to celebrate, then consider inviting a few friends to share the occasion at a champagne party at the May Fair luxury hotel in London. This is the newest offering for oenophiles from the 150 bar, named after the magnum-sized 150cl bottles of bubbly which are served at this exclusive bar. The focal point is the floor-to-ceiling glass magnum fridge holding one of Europe’s finest collections of premium magnums, among them a limited edition set of Dom Pérignon bottles in vivid colours.

The 150’s latest indulgent offering is a series of semi-private magnum champagne parties which include vintage champagnes paired with a delectable menu of small plates which are prepared to complement the champagne by head chef, Silvena Rowe. The packages come in all tastes and sizes but the most decadent has to be the Dom Pérignon Vintage Rose 1998 Experience. Designed for 12 discerning guests and priced at £4,400 (approx. $6,800), the package includes four magnums of Dom Pérignon Vintage Rose 1998, paired with four delicate canapés for each guest. They include seared diver-caught scallops and sevruga caviar remoulade; crispy spiced jumbo prawns with avocado and tahini; West Mersea native oysters with sevruga caviar and finally, pomegranate glazed foie gras.

If you want to participate in the Moët & Chandon Imperial Experience, make sure you take the empty bottle home with you – it is personalized with Swarovski crystals!

Finish the party in the May Fair’s Palm Beach Casino in the Grand Art Deco Ballroom which has one of the largest gaming rooms in London. And after all that fun and bubbly you may want to book a night so you can stumble into bed in one of this luxury five star hotel’s signature suites.

by Gillian at Luxique luxury hotels

Those who remember flying into New York’s JFK Airport in the good old days, pre 9/11 that is, may remember the modernist structure with its iconic winged roof which served as the TWA airline terminal building. When American Airlines bought out TWA in 2001 the building was defunct and was left to gather dust.

Designed by Eero Saarinen in 1962, it was one of a rare group of airport buildings which actually have some semblance of design, which is probably what has saved it from the bulldozers so far.

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey have just announced plans to reinvent the building as a 150-room boutique hotel in New York.

“Sounds a little big for the boutique hotel label”, I hear you say, but it does qualify for boutique status on the grounds of it offering something a little different and unique – in this case the design.

The building will house the hotel entrance and lobby along with restaurants and shops - after all, it is at the airport - and a newer extension will be squeezed in behind it to create the hotel rooms.

Hopefully, sound-proofing permitting, this boutique hotel in New York should prove both popular and very convenient. However it has way to go financially to break into the black. The Port Authority has already spent $20 million removing asbestos and making it developer-ready.

by Gillian at Luxique luxury hotels

Luxury hotels are falling over themselves to offer some unique and tempting packages for the most romantic night of the year - Valentine’s Day on February 14th. It’s not too late for would-be Romeos to plan a quiet break in a boutique hotel with plenty of extras thrown in for good measure.

Take the Hospes Las Casas del Rey de Baeza, for example. Their Valentine’s package in sunny Seville, Spain includes one night’s accommodation plus a bottle of chilled cava, dinner for two and two massages in this beautiful city of culture. With flights from the UK to Seville from ₤29.99 one way with EasyJet, it becomes a very affordable romantic short break.

Another great place to wow a lover is at the Park Hyatt in Washington D.C. where their corny sounding “suite romance” package includes accommodation in the Presidential Suite, dedicated butler service, champagne and strawberries and an en-suite massage for two with a set of monogrammed robes.

After a shopping spree in Tiffany & Co with chauffer-driven transport in the Park Hyatt’s BMW 7 series sedan, what girl could possible not say “Yes”? Celebrate her promise with a decadent five course meal with wine pairings prepared by Chef Brian McBride at the hotel’s Blue Duck Tavern, where President and Mrs Obama recently celebrated their wedding anniversary. This epicurean feast is followed by a moonlight tour of the Washington monuments, which look so much more romantic after dark, and breakfast in bed the next morning. All this for just $8,000 and only available for Valentine’s Day, so best get your skates on.

by Gillian at Luxique Luxury Hotels

Not received your invitation to the royal wedding yet? Just in case it has been lost in the post (and you can’t gatecrash without one!) better move to Plan B and book your table at the Trump International New York’s private royal wedding event.

Heralded as the next best thing to a seat in Westminster Abbey, and probably a lot more comfortable, the Trump International Hotel and Tower is offering a private showing of the royal wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton as it unfolds. The event will be shown on oversized monitors as guests enjoy a sumptuous wedding breakfast.

The limited seat event (the Trump breakfast, that is!) will take place at Jean Georges restaurant which is known for its astonishing culinary creations. No doubt Chef Jean Georges Vongerichten will be planning to surpass his usual incredible standards with a menu of signature dishes fit for a prince. Expect scrambled eggs with caviar, mini-French toast and pains au chocolate washed down with generous sparkling mimosas.

The date for your diary is Friday April 29th, 2011 and the event kicks off at 10am BST, which is 5am on America’s East Coast. The package thoughtfully includes an overnight stay the night before in one of the newly renovated executive Park View suites designed by Ivanka Trump.

The breakfast will all be over by 9am with plenty of time to hit the shops around this Upper West Side New York luxury hotel before the late checkout of 4pm. As a thoughtful memento of the historic royal day, guests at the Trump will receive a piece of official Royal Wedding China commissioned by the Royal Collection.

At a cost of $1,425 per couple, the package is infinitely cheaper than buying a wedding gift for the royal couple.

by Gillian at Luxique Luxury Hotels

Have you ever wondered where the most expensive hotel suite in Latin America is? All is revealed at the Buenos Aires Faena Hotel and Universe. The price of $9,500 a night for the ultimate suite may cause some to blanche and use the F-word, but that’s OK as this pricey pad is known as the F Suite.

Designed by Philippe Starck in corroboration with Alan Faena, the suite includes imperial style furniture and red velvet curtains with touches of lapacho wood and arabasceto marble. The centerpiece of the living room is a Murano glass chandelier, and despite probably paying for this opulent artwork, you don’t get to take it home with you. The walls are decorated with oil portraits of Argentina’s golden couple, General and Eva Peron.

With spectacular sixth floor views across the city, the suite does have its own private entrance. Along with an outdoor terrace, the suite has a living and dining area, kitchen, library and two bedrooms with state-of-the-art entertainment systems. The master bath is marble throughout with a rain shower and Jacuzzi. The services of a dedicated Experience Manager are also included.

Although this may be the most expensive suite in Latin America, for me it lacks that something special to really make it worth the money. Perhaps it’s just the rocketing inflation which the Argentine economy is plagued with that makes the price so high.

by Gillian at Luxique luxury hotels