If 2012 was the year of conceptualizing the hotel experience, 2013 will be the year those experiences actually come to life. In an effort to appeal to more luxury travelers, hotels will continue to invent the extraordinary for their guests. We’ve seen everything from deep sea dining to sky-high spas, to partnerships with top fashion [...]
Food & Wine
Luxury Wine Retreats Around the World
Love wine and travel? Experience them both at one of these upscale wine resorts around the world: 1.K-Club, Ireland: It’s not all Guiness and mash in Ireland. The plush K-Club, located 30 minutes from Dublin, is a 69-bedroom hotel nestled among the rolling green hills. K Club’s wine cellar, originally built by Hugh Barton of [...]
Europe Travel
Destination: Berlin
Germany’s edgy capital offers wine and culinary experiences that push the envelope. Berlin’s progressive disposition is driving its trendy art and fashion scene. Just as controversial to some are its cutting-edge restaurants and bars, which attract visitors with a flair for wine and food. The richness of Berlin’s history becomes apparent within seconds. Immerse yourself [...]
Asia Travel
Exclusive: Inside the Ritz-Carlton Hong Kong
When the Ritz-Carlton closed the doors to its original Hong Kong hotel in 2008, it wasn’t long before the hotel group would make one of its biggest announcements in hotel history: the next Ritz-Carlton Hong Kong would be open just three years later and would be the highest hotel in the world, surpassing the Armani Hotel at the Burj Khalifa, which opened in March 2010.
Asia Travel
Top 10 Luxury Hotels to Visit in 2011
As a new year begins, so do new travel plans. I crisscrossed the globe in 2010 – from Shanghai to Sydney and Manhattan to Miami – and visited many hotels that left a lasting impression. Now that 2010 is over and 2011 has begun, I’ve put together my list of the must-see luxury hotels to [...]
People & Culture
Closing out the Year at The Ritz-Carlton Kapalua
Before we entered the ancient burial ground on Kapaula, Clifford Naeole offered a chant introducing me to the 400-plus Hawaiian ancestors who lay 40 feet under in the lush gardens overlooking the Hawaiian islands. He touched my arm gently midway through the chant – a signal for me to make my introduction. “Melanie Nayer, from [...]
Hotels
Hotels That Make a Grand First Impression
Walking into a hotel for the first time is like meeting a blind date — first impressions count and if the hotel (or date, for that matter) doesn’t appeal it’s likely you won’t go back for seconds. Hotels hire the best of the best designers to create that unique first impression. Working with space, color, [...]
Asia Travel
First Look: World’s Tallest Hotel, Ritz-Carlton Hong Kong
Maybe the Ritz-Carlton saw the Armani Hotel Dubai in the Burj Khalifa–the current tallest building in the world–as a challenge. Or, maybe the hotel group just wanted to create some local competition with the Park Hyatt Shanghai (to date the highest rooftop observation deck in Asia). Or, maybe still, the pending opening of the tallest [...]
24 Hours...
Shanghai Nights: 24 Hours in the Expo City
Shanghai is a city of complications and successes. It’s one of the most modern cities in China, yet still holds sacred its roots in China’s history. It’s lived in the shadows of Beijing and Hong Kong for centuries but today offers travelers a new experience, thanks in part to its hosting the World Expo Shanghai. [...]
Asia Travel
Sky-high Luxury: The Ritz-Carlton Shanghai, Pudong
The fog settled heavily on this particular night in Shanghai. I was told the view from the 58th floor of the Ritz-Carlton Shanghai, Pudong was of The Bund, but the dense fog provided a different view. I thought, this is what heaven must be like — surrounded by clouds, with just a saxophonist, a glass of red wine and a comfortable lounge chair.
