What started out as a novel way to attract single female travellers and groups of ladies has turned into a legal nightmare for a boutique hotel in Denmark. The Bella Sky Hotel in Copenhagen opened last year as Europe’s largest design hotel. It reserved one floor specifically for women and added extra feminine touches such as makeup mirrors and glossy magazines to make their female guests feel more pampered.
Unfortunately Denmark’s Equal Treatment Board ruled that the initiative was illegal. The hotel is currently refusing to comply with the ruling, stating “the only man who can access this floor will be a fireman in the case of fire”.
The Dukes Hotel, a five star London boutique hotel has also decided to woo women guests and has assigned some of its rooms as “Duchess Rooms”. These rooms are serviced solely by women staff and have added extras such as fresh flowers, styling accessories and female bathroom amenities. They are proving very popular with their upmarket female clientele, but may prove to be less than popular with the European Commission on Gender Equality.
by Gillian
There are more than 40 luxury hotels in London and many of them are involved in multi-million dollar refurbishments with no sign of concession to the current economic downturn. Marriott is opening two new brands in London – a Bvulgari in Knightsbridge and an Edition hotel on the site of the former Berners Hotel. Shangri-La is also opening a new luxury hotel at London Bridge.
The classic Four Seasons luxury hotel on Park Lane is reaping the benefits of a £125 million refurb that gave the rooms and restaurants a totally new look. Most daring of all, a whole new floor was added to accommodate the fabulous spa.
The glitzy modern W hotel in Leicester Square, the heart of London’s theaterland, has recently had a 192 room extension. It is making the most of its stunning new features, such as the huge glitterball in the bar, to host BAFTA awards parties making it the central hub for events in the heart of London.
The newly opened Corinthia Hotel in a former government building cost £300 million to develop. It blends high-class English traditions with some contemporary touches – such as the innovative décor in the Bassoon Bar.
Last but not least, the former railway hotel, now the Renaissance St Pancras, reopened after 76 years at a cost of £200 million. Its Gothic architecture, talked-about restaurants and convenient location to the Eurostar at the adjoining St Pancras Station make this a certain success.
by Gillian
One of the hazards of business or travel is the inevitable difficulty in falling asleep for the first night in a strange bed. For those suffering from jetlag, stress, too much work (or too much play!), the Milestone Hotel, a leading luxury hotel in London, is offering the perfect answer. It has devised the “Gentle Art of Falling Asleep Package” especially with the insomniac traveler in mind.
Those wanting to test the challenge can book a room with a heavenly bed complete with your own preference of pillow off the pillow menu and an Alpha Sleep Pod to emit gentle sound waves to lull you off to sleep.
The package also includes a personal consultation with a sleep, stress and performance therapist who can impart some sleep tips. The package includes a one hour relaxing massage and a goody bag, not of chocolates filled with E-numbers, but a lavender eye mask and aromatherapy oils.
If all this has lulled you into a state of semi-slumber, the price may have you sitting bolt upright and bright-eyed again with shock. The insomnia package reputedly costs $1300 (approximately £813) per night, hence the question, “What price would you put on a good night’s sleep?”
by Gillian
Those planning to attend the London 2012 Olympics would be well advised to book early if they want to stay in a luxury hotel in London. Currently the city only has 120,000 hotel rooms, according to Gadling, and is expecting around 5.5 million visitors. To meet the deficit, the London Olympics organizers are planning to dock cruise ships on the River Thames to act as temporary hotels.
There are suitable docks at Stratford, just three miles from the Olympic Park. Further floating rooms are also planned to cope with the high demand for hotel rooms by leasing berths to private luxury yacht owners. So far there are no estimates on the “floatel” cabin prices, but they are likely to be steep. They city of London is quoting prices of around £150,000 (US$243,000) to lease the docking berths for the three-week period.
London hotels are not cheap at any time, but the UK’s Daily Mail newspaper estimates that hotel room prices may be hiked tenfold during the Olympics. Pity the poor business traveler or regular visitor wanting to see London’s sights during that period.
by Gillian
MasterCard makes it part of their business to forecast trends in visitor growth and spending by studying predicted international arrivals. These figures apparently are the clearest indicators of globalization, gleaned by studying airline schedules and UN expenditure figures.
The MasterCard figures predict that New York will be the only US city in the Top 20 most visited cities this year, with most international travelers heading east – Far East to be exact. Cities in Asia-Pacific account for eight of the top 20 global destinations. Visitor growth in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia’s capital, is predicted to be 21.8 percent this year with Istanbul up 20.4 percent. These places will also see the fastest growth in the amount we spend, something no doubt closer to MasterCard’s heart. It expects expenditure in Istanbul to be up by 30.1 percent in 2011 and up 24 percent in Dubai.
No doubt luxury hotels in Europe and the Far East will be hoping MasterCard’s predictions prove correct, bringing them a bumper year for tourism. The list of 20 most visited cities this year is topped by London, but they did cheat by hosting a Royal Wedding. The interesting Top 20 list is shown below. How many will you tick off by the end of the year?
2011’s most popular cities (international arrivals)
1 London (20.1m)
2 Paris (18.1m)
3 Bangkok (11.5m)
4 Singapore (11.4m)
5 Hong Kong (10.9m)
6 Madrid (10.1m)
7 Istanbul (9.4m)
8 Frankfurt (8.4m)
9 Dubai (7.9m)
10 Rome (7.9m)
11 Seoul (7.9m)
12 New York (7.6m)
13 Amsterdam (7.4m)
14 Kuala Lumpur (6.9m)
15 Milan (6.7m)
16 Barcelona (6.7m)
17 Vienna (6.2m)
18 Shanghai (5.5m)
19 Taipei (5.4m)
20 Tokyo (5.0m)
by Gillian at Luxique Luxury Hotels
When Richard Branson says he is developing Virgin hotels, you somehow know that it will be a concept like no other. Although the first Virgin luxury hotel in London is still two years from opening, at a recent hotel conference Branson let slip that he wants his Virgin hotels to be based on the same concept as his Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse lounge at London’s Heathrow Airport.
If you have ever had the pleasure of spending time in the high-class VA lounge, you will know it is like no other airport lounge anywhere in the world. Set out on two levels, small areas are separated by chest-high dividers providing cozy corners for working, small bistro tables for dining or comfortable home-from-home armchairs for enjoying the vast array of magazines and newspapers. There’s even a full-size billiards table provided.
All the latest facilities are available for those wanting to check their emails, but that’s pretty standard these days. What’s different in Branson’s Clubhouse lounge is that there are freebies at every turn, from notepads to shoeshine. Giant jars of candy invite you to dip in and even gourmet meals are served without charge from breakfast through dinner at the deli or a la carte restaurant. Waiters are on hand to bring you a drink from the full-service bar.
The stylishly modern and spacious lounge is a virtual playground with hanging chairs to swing in, phones on hand, office supplies, showers and even a Bumble and Bumble hairdresser standing by for a quick trim or blow-dry. However you feel when you arrive at the Clubhouse Lounge, you will leave feeling refreshed and invigorated. I guess it’s the only place in Heathrow where passengers are reluctant to leave.
No doubt that is exactly how Branson intends his Virgin hotel guests to feel after a stay, and whatever the price, you can be sure there will be plenty of inclusive benefits thrown in. We’ll keep you posted.
by Gillian at Luxique Luxury Hotels
Morgans Hotel Group in London has announced the launch of its green bicycle program. Just to be clear that’s the environmentally friendly scheme, not the color of the bicycles!
Their two major luxury hotels in London, the Sanderson and St Martin’s Lane, are offering stylish bicycle hire from their concierge. The bikes are the sturdy Dutch inspired Public J7, so no cowhorn handlebars or racing tires on these tried and tested designs, which were specifically designed for city riding. With the step-through frame, riders can even wear a skirt with modesty and the rear rack can carry a surprising amount of weight.
Londoners seem to have adopted this form of transport over the traditional but crowded Tube since the Mayor of London introduced a city-wide bicycle scheme in 2010. There are now 110,000 registered subscribers, and probably not enough bikes to go round if they all wanted to ride at once. This clever scheme has pick-up and drop-off points all over the city, making it easy to cycle to a destination and not have to worry about securing it while you go to work or go shopping. Simply drop your bike off and pick up another one later for the ride home.
With the drier summer months ahead, the idea of hiring a bicycle and ordering a Sanderson’s Mad Hatters Afternoon Tea to go seems a great way to visit some of London’s leafy green parks for a picnic and to feed the ducks with the left-overs. Both the Starck designed Sanderson and the St Martin’s Lane luxury hotels are listed on Luxique.com, along with 68 more luxury hotels in London. Bicycles are optional!
by Gillian at Luxique Luxury Hotels
If the Royal Wedding created an interest in Europe’s architectural treasures, there are a host of affordable cities that offer incredible sights and history to match that of the 1000-year-old Westminster Abbey. Consider spending a few days in a luxury hotel in London to recreate your own royal London experience before flying on to a second city of culture.
London’s prime sights are of course Buckingham Palace, Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament (which are not as old as you might think!), the Tower of London with the crown jewels and the famous Westminster Abbey.
From there, Barcelona is just a short hop away. Luxury hotels in Barcelona can be found right on the famous Las Ramblas where street performers entertain visitors as they browse the flower stalls or sit at an outdoor café. If the street is a little noisy, there are plenty of other luxury hotels to choose from near the Passeig de Gracia shopping mecca, overlooking the port and beach or in the Old Cathedral district. Antoni Gaudi’s unique architecture can be seen all over the city from the UNESCO listed Park Guell, which is filled with his sculptures, to the iconic spires of the Sagrada Familia Cathedral.
Other options include the French Riviera, a hotspot with celebrities and the place to spend the summer if you have a private yacht. Those preferring to stay on dry land will find Nice has a delightful old town filled with squares lined with historic architecture.
If you want to combine blue seas and sunny skies with 2000-years of history then choose one of the 6000 Greek Islands. Luxique has an excellent choice of luxury hotels in Crete, which make a great base for discovering the many churches, monasteries, castles and forts that the island is known for.
by Gillian at Luxique Luxury Hotels
In the final countdown to the wedding of the year, many luxury hotels in London report they still have plenty of space for last-minute visitors. Prince William, second in line to the throne, will be marrying his student sweetheart Kate Middleton on Friday April 29th , but unless you’re a hermit I guess I’m not telling you anything new. What is a surprise is that luxury hotels in London are not fully booked for the event.
As always for travelers, this is good news as the hotels are now throwing in all manner of extras to fill their rooms. Many London hotels have resisted the urge to hike the prices, although London is never a cheap place to stay. What guests will find is that staying two nights or more will net them all sorts of goodies.
Champagne is a popular freebie, but a Champagne Flight on the London Eye looking out over the rooftops of the city is even better. Those staying in the Cadogan Hotel junior suite get afternoon tea and a Royal Wedding dinner thrown in. One Aldwych, a cool boutique hotel in London, still has rooms available along with the classy Bermondsey Square Hotel and the Lancaster London. The May Fair is reportedly dishing out souvenir crystal champagne flutes to its guests. Even the well-located Athenaeum which is just a stroll across St James Park from Buckingham Palace still has availability, as do various Hilton hotels.
The spokesperson for the British Hospitality Association put out an upbeat message saying that London hotels still expect many visitors to arrive at the last minute to celebrate. He explained away the disappointing bookings as being because people are taking long Easter breaks which means they may find themselves at other destinations rather than London for the celebrations.
by Gillian at Luxique Luxury Hotels
Anyone with a modicum of appreciation for Gothic architecture will want to stay at the St Pancras Renaissance Hotel. Splendidly OTT, this historic luxury hotel in London has been magnificently restored at a cost of ₤200 million.
This sleeping beauty has not had guests to stay for over 76 years and actually started its sad decline 100 years ago. The Midland Grand Hotel was attached to St Pancras railway station and it has taken five years of construction and a brave vision to renovate this luxury hotel in London.
Described by some as “a weird house of a crazy old lady …spooky and inaccessible” it has now been transformed into a wonderful neo-Gothic masterpiece, seemingly oblivious to the city which actually runs around and beneath it. You get an idea of its creepiness as it has been used (prior to renovation) as a film location for Harry Potter, Batman, 102 Dalmatians and other films looking to add an authentic Gothic atmosphere to their storyline.
The tall trefoil leaded windows have a distinct ecclesiastical feel, a throwback to the original architect, George Gilbert Scott, who was known for designing dozens of churches as well as the fantastic Albert Memorial. The magnificent theatrical staircase is decorated with no less than 2,300 fleurs-de-lis. Paintings of the cardinal virtues of temperance, fortitude, prudence and justice blend with bold Gothic-style wallpapers in vibrant royal blue, gold, vermilion and mustard in this sumptuous extravaganza.
Thanks to the work of Harry Hadelsman and Manhattan Loft Corporation, together with English Heritage, the phoenix has risen from the ashes. It will be opened as the St Pancras Renaissance Hotel in mid March, and if nothing else it will be awfully handy for catching the Eurostar to Paris!
by Gillian at Luxique Luxury Hotels
