IHG (InterContinental Hotels Group) announced an exclusive travel agent promotion available to travel agents throughout North & South America that gives 50 percent off each night they stay at any one of the more than 2,700 hotels in the U.S., Canada, Mexico and Latin America now through Feb. 29, 2012. […]
A total of approximately 26.9 million people visited LA in 2011, an increase of 4.2 percent more overnight visitors than in 2010. Tourist spending rose as well with visitors accounting for $15.2 billion in expenditures an 8 percent increase from the previous year. […]
The U.S. Travel Association applauded President Obama today for announcing initiatives in his State of the Union speech that will allow the travel industry to continue leading the economic recovery and create American jobs. […]
Regional Economic Models, Inc. (REMI), the foremost provider of dynamic economic models for policy analysis, today announced an analysis of President Obamas plan to stimulate the economy by accelerating the process of obtaining a tourist visa. […]
As 2012 ushers in an improving, but still highly competitive job market, more workers may be looking beyond their own backyard for employment options. Forty-four percent of workers said they would be willing to relocate for a career opportunity, according to a nationwide study by CareerBuilder. […]
A new report launched today entitled Back on Track calls on the international rail industry to embrace a shared approach to customer IT systems in order to meet the multiple challenges of growing passenger numbers, increasing financial pressures and rising customer expectations. […]
Amadeus joins the European Commission Low Season Tourism initiative which looks at actions to enhance the competitiveness of the tourism sector by stimulating the travel flow between European and South American countries […]
MPI has expanded its Business Research Panel globally to more than 300 senior level professionals with a strong showing now in Europe and Canada that allows for greater insights with statistically relevant data for these two regions. […]
euromic, one of the world's premier associations of destination management companies, met on January 13 - 15, 2012 for their Annual General Meeting in Aqaba, Jordan. […]
Now here is a business travellers dream airline worker- Ariel at Jet Blue’s Newark Ticket counter.
After I arrived late for a flight, with only 30 minutes to spare before departure and 2 bags to check. Ticket agent Ariel really stepped up and helped me get checked in and on my way in little time. He was extremely helpful and it set the tone for my entire superb trip.
In July, I flew Air Canada to Vancouver. I arrived 57 minutes prior to my scheduled departure and was told I was late and had to take a later flight by Air Canada- granted it was an international flight. I said- I can make this flight if we work fast. After the ticket agent verbally scolded me for being late, she said it was not an option. So they zapped my credit card for a change in fare, and re-tciketing fee-for another flight. After giving me my new ticket for the later flight, the ticket agent actually told me, “You have 25 minutes- if you run you might make your original flight. Amazing.
My flight on Jet Blue today, to Orlando was awesome and actually much like air travel was like for me in the 70’s and 80’s, when airlines actually tried hard for your business.
Ariel, – great job! I will fly Jet Blue to Florida all the time now. Sorry Continental/United, you need to try harder for my 50k air miles year.
Many hotels and resorts say they are committed to the environment, and most have taken the basic steps to be greener, Luxury hotelier Fairmont Hotels & Resorts is going beyond the basic with a true commitment to protecting the environment and it’s because it isn’t just something that’s “out there” – it is the place where each of us lives, works and plays.The company began its approach to responsible tourism in 1990 with the introduction of the Green Partnership program – an industry-leading initiative to reduce its impact on the environment through energy efficiency, water conservation, waste management and community outreach. Fairmont also sponsors National Geographic Mission Programs, is a member of the World Wildlife Fund’s Global Climate Savers program and in 2011 celebrates UNESCO’s International Year of the Forest campaign with the “Take Root at Fairmont” collection of vacation experiences guaranteed to inspire active, socially responsible travelers and their families to explore the parks, forests, woodlands, and mangroves that make many Fairmont destinations so unique. Have you been to Banff or Lake Louise? Seriously these are very fine resorts in magical settings. My recent stay at three Fairmont’s – Vancouver Waterfront, Chateau Lake Louise and Banff Springs allowed me to see first hand how each strives to be the best of the best. Also impressive as was the journey by train on board the Rocky Mountaineer. Truly a journey for the senses in Gold Leaf- Vancouver to Banff and onto Calgary via Kamloops. Next time we intend to go Jasper to Seattle through Vancouver via Quesnel.
Everyone has a personal record for the amount they’ve spent on a hotel room.
Whether it was for a one-off treat or just because everywhere else in town was full, most people have sampled a luxury hotel at one point or another. Sometimes it’s worth it, sometimes it hurts. In either case, when the bill came, you probably didn’t want to look!
But for the super rich, the cost of our so-called luxury accommodation is just part of the package. All around the world, luxury hotel suites are designed to cater to this elite, with every imaginable feature, priceless furnishings, lavish service, and a price to match. These boutique hotels are the playgrounds of the rich and famous when they travel abroad – celebrities, millionaires, pop stars, heads of state and royalty are the most frequent residents…Some of them pay and others are invited.
Here are five of the most expensive luxury hotel suites in the world.
Presidential Suite, Hotel Martinez Price: $18,500 a night
Cannes is Europe’s answer to Hollywood, so it’s no surprise that it contains a luxury hotel suite with this kind of price tag.
Decorated in an Art Deco style, it measures 8,000 square feet in total. The wraparound terrace (which can hold over 100 people) is 2000 square feet on its own, and has views of the entire Bay of Cannes.
Other features include a Turkish bath, personal sauna, 24 hour on call butler and a free bar – though breakfast is not included in your bill.
Guests at this famous hotel have included Jodie Foster, Francis Ford Coppola and Monica Belluci.
One Saudi sheik liked the Presidential Suite so much that he wanted to hire it out for five years.
The hotel, confident of being able to fill the suite in spite of its price, refused his request.
Imperial Suite, President Wilson Hotel, Geneva Price: $23,000 a night
You pay for security as much as luxury at this famous hotel suite in Geneva.
Positioned next to the United Nations Headquarters and designed for travelling heads of state, the Imperial Suite features bullet proof glass and bedside alarm buttons, and can only be reached by a private elevator.
With views of Lake Geneva and Mont Blanc, the suite contains five bathrooms, four bedrooms, a cocktail lounge, a library, its own Steinway grand piano and a mahogany dining table that can comfortably seat 26 guests. It costs approximately $23,000 a night. Breakfast is not included but the service can’t be argued with – when one guest requested a bed that could not fit in the lift,
the hotel hired a crane to get it in the bedroom.
The Bridge Suite, Atlantis Hotel, Paradise Island Price: $25,000 a night
The Bridge Suite sits on top of the bridge that connects the two Royal Towers in this resort on the aptly named Paradise Island.
For $25,000 a night you get your own butler, entertainment centre, 50-foot bar lounge, marble baths and a décor described as conveying “regal majesty” by the hotel staff. For regal majesty, read lots of gilded mirrors and windows, golden sofas, and a ten-foot four-poster bed with hand-painted linen sheets. Subdued and tasteful it isn’t, but if you like to see some eye-watering
opulence in your five figure luxury hotel suite, this may be the one for you.
Ty Warner Penthouse, Four Seasons Hotel, New York Price: $30,000
This boutique hotel spared no expense when it came to furnishing the penthouse on its 52nd floor.
Gold thread curtains, walls inlaid with mother of pearl, onyx bathroom floors, and even a shark skin coffee table are all part of the package here, along with stunning views over Manhattan and even a waterfall in the so-called Zen room.
For those who like a little more than the standard room service, this luxury hotel suite comes with unlimited treatments from an in-house masseuse, a butler on 24 hour duty and a chauffeur driven Rolls Royce.
Perhaps it’s no surprise that Hugh Hefner’s name is attached to the ultimate in luxury hotel decadence.
At a jaw dropping $40,000 a night, the Hugh Hefner Sky Villa is the world’s most expensive hotel suite, located (appropriately enough) in the Fantasy Tower of the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas.
Amongst the eccentric extras are an eight foot revolving bed with ceiling mirrors, an indoor waterfall, an exercise room, sauna, and a terrace pool projecting out over the edge of the Fantasy Tower with the Playboy Bunny logo stamped firmly in the center. And those Girls Next Door segments filmed in the Suite…
Stephanie Clarke is the Managing Director of Concierge Collection, providers of some of the finest luxury hotels in Europe.
Stephanie and her team use their wealth of experience, expertise and contacts to achieve “Beyond Special”.
For Concierge Collection, luxury does not have to have a large price tag but the hotels do have to be unique.
Article Source: http://www.ArticleBiz.com
Looking for a casino holiday? Expedia.com has the best range of Las Vegas hotels
Our day with friends at three of the North Forks best Vineyards and Wineries.
By Gary Occhiogrosso for ExplorerPod.com
For the last two years I have been telling (almost preaching to) my friends here in Bergen County NJ about the wonderful weekends my wife and I have spent over the years on Long Island’s North Fork. In particular our time spent carousing the wineries and farms during harvest time. We are fortunate to have friends and family out that way so we can often enjoy a weekend on “The East End” without the challenge of a place to stay. Nonetheless on many occasion we have gone out for the day and with an early start the 1 ½ hour drive east of the George Washington Bridge is worth every minute!
On this October weekend we planned to spend a day initiating four of our friends from New Jersey into the joys of the local Long Island wineries and family operated farms…
We started our day by traveling east from the Mattituck home of a good friend. We ventured up to the “middle road” and soon came upon our first stop; Sparkling Pointe, home of Long Island’s sparkling wine producers. Sparkling Pointe uses the “Methode Champenoise” a process comparable to techniques used in France to produce Champagne. Our group enjoyed sampling a three wine flight while listening to live music on the veranda & lush lawn adjacent to the vineyards.
Before we discuss the tasting here’s a little history about Sparkling Pointe. As their website states:
Tom and Cynthia Rosicki established the winery in 2003.
“The soul of Sparkling Pointe was born more than twenty years ago, when the North Fork couple first met at a debutante ball at the Waldorf Astoria. Weeks later, with a bottle of Champagne they toasted their first date. Cruising the Chesapeake Bay on their honeymoon, they stocked their boat with many vintages and types of Champagne and Sparkling Wines. And through the years, they became lovers of the romance and magic of Champagne.” http://www.sparklingpointe.com/
Steve Mudd was instrumental in preparing the ground and the original plantings as well as influencing Tom and Cynthia’s decision to produce sparkling wine. Additionally, Sparkling Pointe’s winemaker is Gilles Martin, and their vineyards are the classic Champagne varieties of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier. Production is around 3,000 cases a year.
We enjoyed three wines in our tasting flight. They included:
• Sparkling Pointe Brut 2006
• Sparkling Pointe “Imperial Topaz” 2005
• Sparkling Pointe “Blanc de Blancs” 2004
The Imperial Topaz was the preferred favorite of our group and the tasting notes below adequately describe the wine:
Sparkling Pointe “Imperial Topaz” is created from a blend of 52% Chardonnay and 48% Pinot Noir. It takes on a pale pink color. Aromatics lead toward melon and clean, crisp notes quickly follow. I found the overall experience of the Imperial Topaz to be both enjoyable and intriguing.
It was my personal favorite and as one member of our group put it “Sparkling Pointe is hip, bright & modern. Set in a relaxed environment reminiscent of Napa.” We strongly recommend you pay a visit to Sparkling Pointe the next time you are out on the North Fork of Long Island.
I want to thank the very helpful & accommodating Samantha Polewac for hosting us during our tasting and for the information she provided on the winery. www.sparklingpointe.com
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As we ventured back west on the main road we stopped at Raphael Vineyard. Established in 1996 and situated just 2,000 feet away from the Peconic Bay, Raphael’s features guided tours through the tasting room and its vineyard.
I need to say up front that my first experience at Raphael back in 2001 was good, but I was not overly impressed. However, this time around everything from the sophisticated grounds to the exceptional wines far exceeded my expectation. Our group was impressed from the moment we walked into the large bountiful tasting room, right up until we left with our arms filled with bottles we had purchased as we tasted…
Chip our host for the tasting was knowledgeable & candid in his explanation regarding the maturing and evolution of the vineyard and the winery. Chip walked us through the history and philosophy that makes Raphael a very special place on the North Fork. For our tasting at Raphael we stayed with their whites, from the Chardonnay to the Sauvignon Blanc, and a few in between, we found them to be unique, crisp and built upon Raphael’s sustainable vineyard practices, hand harvesting, spontaneous fermentation and a natural wine making philosophy.
This short excerpt from their website expresses their dedication to the process and the passion for the result.
The Petrocelli Family strives to produce Long Island’s greatest wines, incorporating both New World advances and Old World traditions We are located on the North Fork of Long Island where the gentle maritime influence of the surrounding water provides a moderate climate allowing our grapes to fully ripen, achieving perfect balance, aroma, and flavor. Using sustainable vineyard practices, hand harvesting, spontaneous fermentation and a natural winemaking philosophy, Raphael produces hand-crafted wines that reflect a pure expression of the unique climate and soil of the North Fork.
The winery was designed by John Petrocelli who was inspired by the Italian monasteries of his ancestral home. Our production facility blends classic Mediterranean architecture with modern wine making equipment. By building the winery 12 feet underground we are not only able to make our wines using a gentle gravity-flow method, but were able to construct a very energy efficient building using the earth’s natural 55F temperature to cool the winery in the summer and warm it in the winter.
Our favorite by far: Raphel’s First Label Sauvignon Blanc. Our entire group recommends it. Don’t leave Raphael without a few bottles.
Here are the tasting notes from Raphael’s website.
“Our First Label Sauvignon Blanc is one of 2 separate vineyard-designated Sauvignon Blancs that showcase the distinct differences in the terroir of our vineyard. It’s made from hand-harvested grapes grown on our original, 3-acre founding vineyard block planted in 1998. Gravelly sandy loam soil predominates on this gently sloping, south-facing rise. The grapes are hand-sorted, gently pressed in a wooden basket press and kept entirely in stainless steel to retain the intense aromatics of the fresh fruit and the unique essence of our terroir. Elegant and delicious, this wine offers thirst-quenching flavors of grapefruit, passion fruit and herbs along with a unique saline minerality. A perfect compliment to seafood, poultry, fresh cheeses, and vegetarian cuisine.” www.raphaelwine.com
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Our last stop was at my favorite winery on the east end, Bedell Cellars. Bedell has been surprising me with an ever increasing array of their Reds. Bedell selections have become my first choice to share with friends at everything from summertime BBQ’s to special family and Holiday occasions.
I find it unfair that some folks continue to refer to Bedell as the “best on Long Island” or to qualify a positive accolade with some unnecessary geographical notation. I say forget the disclaimer Bedell produces some of the best wines not only on Long Island but in the entire USA, period.
Here is some information from their website:
Bedell Cellars is among the oldest and most prestigious wineries on the North Fork of Long Island, America’s ascendant new wine country. A nationally recognized leader in quality, Bedell produces critically acclaimed blends called Taste, Gallery, and Musée with artist labels commissioned from Barbara Kruger, Ross Bleckner, and Chuck Close, respectively. The Corey Creek Vineyards label, also grown and produced by Bedell Cellars, is renowned for its Gewürztraminer and an exquisite Provencal Rosé.
Andrew Mestler the Tasting Room and Hospitality Manager took us though a flight consisting of: Estate Merlot, Taste Red, Reserve Merlot and ended us with the incredible Bedell Cellars Musee.
Please see the Award & Release for Musee by Wine Spectator.
Brief: Bedell Cellars announces that its 2007 Musée has been awarded “91 points” by Wine Spectator magazine, the most widely read wine publication. By receiving 91 points, Bedell’s 2007 Musée has become the single highest scoring Long Island red wine in Wine Spectator during the entire 30-year history of the Long Island wine growing region…. read more
Bedell reds are rich, lush and deep. The notes are an abundance of fruitiness. Bedell has blown me away consistently every time I’ve visited over the last ten years. The atmosphere in the tasting room, the beautiful grounds and the legendary hospitality keep me coming back like a GPS system pinned to only one setting; Bedell Cellars.
I am not a wine expert nor do I claim to have the education needed to dissect wine like a critique for a big newspaper but I know what I like. As a Restaurateur, Foodie and fan of wine I strongly recommend that if you visit only one winery on Long Island let it be Bedell Cellars.
All in all, our group of friends, new to the North Fork had an unforgettable time and vowed to be back. Our supply is running low since our visit a few weeks ago so perhaps we’ll be back sooner than we thought.
In closing I’d like to add that these fine establishments are not simply for the day tripper. Anyone considering a unique venue for a corporate event or a beautiful and romantic setting for a wedding should consider these wineries at the top of their list. www.bedellcellars.com
For more information about booking an event or wedding please contact:
Director Kim MacKinnon via phone at 631.734.7537 x32 or via email at kim@bedellcellars.com.
Please view selected photos from our past weddings and events.
Now here is a business travellers dream airline worker- Ariel at Jet Blue’s Newark Ticket counter. After I arrived late for a flight, with only 30 minutes to spare before departure and 2 bags to check. Ticket agent Ariel really stepped up and helped me get checked in and on my way in little time. He was [...] […]
Many hotels and resorts say they are committed to the environment, and most have taken the basic steps to be greener, Luxury hotelier Fairmont Hotels & Resorts is going beyond the basic with a true commitment to protecting the environment and it’s because it isn’t just something that’s “out there” – it is the place [...] […]
One of our most requested articles from June 2008 Everyone has a personal record for the amount they’ve spent on a hotel room. Whether it was for a one-off treat or just because everywhere else in town was full, most people have sampled a luxury hotel at one point or another. Sometimes it’s worth it, sometimes it [...] […]
Our day with friends at three of the North Forks best Vineyards and Wineries. By Gary Occhiogrosso for ExplorerPod.com For the last two years I have been telling (almost preaching to) my friends here in Bergen County NJ about the wonderful weekends my wife and I have spent over the years on Long Island’s North Fork. In [...] […]
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Single and the City Whether it’s a night out with the girls or the plan is to hit the town solo, downtown Austin is filled with hot, glamorous locations to see and be seen. Listed as the “#1 City for Singles” in 2003 by Forbes, it may have slid down in the rankings this year, but [...] […]
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Football fans can enjoy sunshine, great hotel deals and full World Cup 2010 action while on holiday thanks to the new World Cup hotels hot list launched by Hotels4u.com. All of the hot list hotels will be screening World Cup matches throughout the tournament, with special offers and cheap hotels in top destinations such as [...] […]
Samantha Lister from TripBase.com shares some expert advice on the glorious Southern Spain. From delicious food to beautiful sandy beaches and a wide range of activities on offer to entertain the whole family, Southern Spain is renowned as one of the top holiday destinations in Europe. The Andalusia region is particularly worth a visit if you are [...] […]
