Best Holiday Lettings

Category: News

  • News: The Ritz-Carlton, Naples announces multi-million dollar refurbishment

    The iconic five-diamond, five-star Ritz-Carlton, Naples is announcing an unprecedented summer 2013 refurbishment, the 1st of its kind within the resort’s 27-year history. This project can be one of the most largest resort renovations inside the Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company’s portfolio. Refurbishments will include an entire overhaul of all 450-guest rooms, suites and corridors, three dinning outlets, Artisans the “princess ballroom,” in addition to various structural, mechanical and engineering upgrades through the property.

    During the expansive two-month project, set to commence on July 24, 2013, the resort shouldn’t be accepting any guests, a primary in its history.  While the resort is being re-mastered its sister property, The Ritz-Carlton Golf Resort, located just 10 minutes down the street, would be open and entirely operational.  Guests staying on the Golf Resort could have beach access via the complimentary resort shuttle to Vanderbilt Beach, with full Ritz-Carlton beach services and amenities in addition to beachfront dining at Gumbo Limbo restaurant.

    “The decision to cease operations for the primary time within the resort’s 27-year history is a real testament to our ongoing commitment to product and repair excellence,” said Edward V. Staros , Vice chairman, Managing Director of The Ritz-Carlton Resorts of Naples and one of the crucial original founders of The Ritz-Carlton brand.  “Our goal was to prevent any guest inconvenience in this timeframe. Once we reopen our doors on October 1, we glance forward to delivering in this commitment by continuing to produce a worldwide renowned level of luxury coupled with your entire modern amenities expected by today’s global traveler.”

    Interior designers, Wimberly Interiors are answerable for the hot guest rooms, which may resemble an expensive, residential beach home. The effect will bring the wonderful thing about Naples indoors, with warm blues, greens and greys inspired by the Gulf of Mexico and its surrounding landscape. The Ritz-Carlton sophistication will play into the design with clean lines and upscale fabrics with a purpose to attract both traditional and modern tastes.

    On the culinary front, three of the resort’s restaurants might be fully re-mastered by Ny-based design agency Blue Plate. The Sushi Bar, to be rebranded The Bar, gets a longer balcony, providing additional outdoor seating with Gulf of Mexico and sunset views.  The Bar interior may be divided to permit for cozier areas while also creating an open space ideal for small events and entertainment. The living room menu may be revamped to incorporate sushi, small bites and artistic cocktails.

    The Terrace will reopen as Terrazza, an Italian eatery serving three meals an afternoon. a brand new glass atrium with fully retractable doors will provide a seaside cafe feel with indoor and outdoor seating. The favored breakfast buffet will remain, but Terrazza’s new menu and design will make it a hot spot where guests and native residents alike will enjoy an off-the-cuff lunch or Italian dinner.

    The Grill steakhouse and specialty restaurant will continue as a classic establishment with new contemporary accents to the furnishings and decor.  Refreshing the fabrics and updating. The Grill’s mahogany touches at the walls and floors will remain. The restaurant’s selections of dry-aged beef, fresh seafood and choice of international wines will remain untouched.

    The Ritz-Carlton Naples is a fave wedding destination and as such the resort’s Artisans “princess ballroom” could be brightened with soft silvers, whites and lightweight greys to resemble a chic jewel box. Taking a cue from diamond wedding bands, new chandeliers might be added to the distance and a restructuring to areas of the ground plan can assist to expand the room while enhancing access to the resort’s numerous outdoor event venues.
    This re-mastering coupled with the investments during the last ten years including a brand new lobby and lobby concept “Bites” in addition enhancements to other public spaces including 20,000 square feet of meeting space, demonstrates The Ritz-Carlton’s continued commitment to its guests and staff while ensuring that the resort’s reputation for world-class product and repair excellence is enhanced.

    This iconic re-mastering will solidify the resort’s position because the social center of Naples, the destination that the resort helped to improve when the hotel opened to much fanfare 27-years ago. The transformation would be unveiled on October 1, 2013, when the resort will welcome its first guests following the re-opening.

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  • News: Vivid Sydney 2013 lights up Australia’s harbour city

    The world’s creative industries are set to flock to Sydney with the announcement of the yearly Vivid Sydney program if you want to transform the town right into a colourful canvas of sunshine, music and concepts from 24 May to ten June.

    Now in its fifth year, Vivid Sydney is a longtime international event and could showcase its largest program thus far, featuring greater than 60 vibrant lighting installations around Sydney Harbour , over 100 creative industry workshops and seminars, and live music performances at Sydney Opera House.

    Owned and managed by Destination NSW, the NSW Government’s tourism and major events agency, Vivid Sydney is the biggest light and music festival within the Southern Hemisphere, with over 500,000 people attending in 2012.

    Australian creative innovators, The Spinifex Group, will design the centrepiece of Vivid Sydney, the lighting of the enduring Sydney Opera House sails, showcasing a playfully projected journey that celebrates the development in an immersive new way.

    Announced today by NSW Deputy Premier Andrew Stoner , Vivid Sydney returns with the longest ever Light Walk featuring interactive light installations, illuminated skyscrapers and massive-scale 3D mapped projections around Sydney Harbour ‘s iconic foreshore. Light installations from Germany, France, Italy, Uk, USA, South Korea, Malaysia and New Zealand will feature alongside Australian works.

    Vivid LIVE at Sydney Opera House will feature local and international artists, including German electronic music legends Kraftwerk and the the sector premiere album show of Australia’s Empire of the Sun.

    Vivid Ideas will explore new creative ideas and collaborations with over 100 industry and business events. Keynote speakers include renowned comedic visual artist David Shrigley (UK), digital artist and storyteller Jonathan Harris (USA), award-winning streetwear entrepreneur Johnny Cupcakes (USA) and concrete design guru David Sim (UK).

    Destination NSW CEO, Sandra Chipchase , said year-on-year increase in festival attendance was testament to Vivid Sydney’s success and recognition with local and international audiences.

    “With greater than 45,000 people from interstate and overseas finally year’s event, Vivid Sydney has proven itself as a significant drawcard for creative industry practitioners, visitors and families who immerse themselves in light, music and concepts,” said Ms Chipchase.

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  • Banyan Tree Chongqing Beibei set for summer opening

    Banyan Tree Hotels & Resorts is decided to be the primary international hotel operator to launch a hot spring resort in Chongqing, China that embraces the natural healing waters of the North Hot Springs. Banyan Tree Chongqing Beibei will open to guests in the summertime of 2013 and every of its 107 suites and villas will feature private hot spring pools so guests can benefit from the water’s healing benefits in privacy and luxury.

  • News: Viking River Cruises sets world record

    River cruising is the most popular segment of travel instantly, and in a fitting feat for the world’s leading river cruise line, Viking River Cruises today set an international record with the christening of 10 new Viking LongshipsTM. The primary-of-its-kind simultaneous christening ceremony in Amsterdam debuted the ships – Viking Aegir, Viking Atla, Viking Bragi, Viking Embla, Viking Forseti, Viking Jarl, Viking Rinda, Viking Skadi, Viking Tor and Viking Var – and was certified by a GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS™ adjudicator as ‘The Most Ships Inaugurated in a single Day by One Company.’ Playing an integral role within the event were 10 distinguished women from world wide, representing the secret Viking brand pillars of history, art, education, exploration and discovery, to function ceremonial godmothers for the hot ships.

    “Today is a proud day for Viking and for river cruising. We’re honored to showcase 10 of our revolutionary new Longships and to have had this kind of celebrated group of ladies helping us christen them,” said Torstein Hagen , Chairman of Viking Cruises. “Our guests are explorers, like the ancient Vikings of our Norse heritage, that is why we deliver authentic and enriching travel experiences like no other cruise line.”

    Guests on the christening ceremony enjoyed remarks by each godmother and a presentation at the growth of river cruising by Hagen. A GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS adjudicator also presented Hagen with an official recognition of the record breaking achievement, ‘The Most Ships Inaugurated in a single Day by One Company’ – eight* – breaking the former record of 2 ships. a primary in modern history, four of the christenings befell in front of a crowd of roughly 700 in Amsterdam, and the remainder six were conducted live via satellite from the Neptun shipyard in Germany. The celebration concluded with an onboard dinner and maiden voyage cruise round the Amsterdam harbor.

    Viking Godmothers

    With cultural enrichment and privileged access on the heart of each experience Viking offers its guests, 10 women of eminence from around the globe were selected to honor that spotlight and function ceremonial godmothers for the hot ships. They included:

    *  Lady Fiona Carnarvon , Godmother of Viking Skadi, is the wife of George Herbert , 8th Earl of Carnarvon. A former auditor at Coopers & Lybrand, Lady Carnarvon ran her own fashion label, Azur, and now successfully manages affairs on the Castle, including many special events which includes the Egyptian Exhibition. Curious about Highclere’s rich history, Lady Carnarvon recently authored the hot York Times Bestseller “Lady Almina and the genuine Downton Abbey: The Lost Legacy of Highclere.” Together with Lady Carnarvon , Viking has created its Oxford & Highclere Castle land extension with a privileged access tour of the Castle and its grounds.

    *  Agapi Stassinopoulos , Godmother of Viking Rinda, was born and raised in Athens, Greece. While collaborating along with her sister, Arianna Huffington , on research for her book in regards to the Greek gods, Stassinopoulos’ love for the gods and goddesses was ignited and resulted in two books of her own – “Conversations with the Goddesses” and “Gods and Goddesses in Love” – in addition to a one-woman show and a PBS special. She also co-produced and co-hosted a documentary called “Quest for the Gods,” shot on location in Greece. Stassinopoulos speaks and conducts seminars all over the world, and her latest book is the bestseller “Unbinding the guts.” She could also be a frequent contributor to The Huffington Post.

    *  Alexandra Lobkowicz , Godmother of Viking Forseti, is the chairman of the nonprofit that oversees the preservation of the vast Lobkowicz collections including thousands of artistic endeavors, a major library and family archive spanning eight centuries. Further, she oversees dozens of international loans, festivals, restoration projects and ongoing educational programs relevant to the collections. A former teacher, Lobkowicz also established educational programs on the Lobkowicz museums to assist raise funding for Czech schools. With personal input from Alexandra and William Lobkowicz , Viking has introduced a privileged access tour to Lobkowicz Palace in Prague.

    *  Zhang Ling , Godmother of Viking Embla, is a dedicated educator at Cen He elementary school within the city of Jinzhou, Hubei Province, China – a college sponsored by Viking River Cruises . As one of the dedicated teachers she feels fortunate to have won recognition as an “excellent educator,” “excellent educator of ethics” and “excellent mentor for young pioneers.” She also coaches the children’s orchestra, which has proudly performed for the thousands of Viking’s Yangtze River cruise guests who’ve visited in the past seven years.

    *  Marit Barstad , Godmother of Viking Tor, is the sister of Viking’s chairman Torstein Hagen . Marit started her working life as an individual assistant to the chairman of Oivind Lorentzen AS, an organization that during the late 1960’s built two of the ships that subsequently became Princess Cruises. She is now a manager inside the health services sector in Ski, a town outside Oslo where she has lived with Odd Barstad, her husband for over 40 years.

    *  Dertje Meijer, Godmother of Viking Bragi, is President and CEO of the Port of Amsterdam, that is the fourth largest port in Europe, hosting greater than 100 sea cruise ships and 1,300 river cruises ships, and handling greater than 75 million loads of cargo each year. Ahead of Meijer’s career on the port, she worked for 15 years in business development projects at one of the crucial world’s great transportation hubs, Schiphol Airport.

    *  Geraldine Norman , Godmother of Viking Var, is founding father of the days-Sotheby index of art prices and best-known for her discovery of the art forger Tom Keating . A professional within the history of The Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, Russia, Norman also authored “The Hermitage: The Biography of an excellent Museum.” Since, Norman was engaged on international outreach for the Hermitage, starting The Hermitage Magazine and assisting within the establish the Hermitage Rooms exhibition space in London. Additionally, Norman co-created Viking’s successful week-long “Glories of the Hermitage” tour and “Hermitage Behind Closed Doors” excursion, offering Viking guests privileged access to at least one of the world’s greatest museums.

    *  Sabine Rhabek, Godmother of Viking Jarl, is a founding member of the emergency room team on the General Hospital (AKH) in Vienna and a former nurse on the United Nations Mission Hospital in Iran, where she provided remedy to thousands of Kurdish refugees throughout the first Gulf War. Following her time on the Mission Hospital, Rhabek transitioned into medical technology, providing tech support for users of implanted defibrillators and pacemakers.

    *  Birgit Brandner-Wallner , Godmother of Viking Atla, is the co-owner of a Brandner Gmbh subsidiary that operates 38 piers in Austria and Hungary in addition to two passenger ships, MS Austria and MS Austria Princess. In 1997, Brandner-Wallner was the primary woman in Austria to procure her ship’s captain certification.

    *  Eszter Volner , Godmother of Viking Aegir, is a Budapest native, and lives at the Danube’s shore. Daughter of Dr. Pal Volner, secretary of the Hungarian State Ministry of National Development, she studies tourism and catering in addition to her past love, music, including voice and violin, and appears forward to a future within the classical singing field.

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  • News: Altria TCB launches online travel portal The yank Holiday in India

    The yank Holiday™, a unit of Altria TCB group, a globally renowned travel company has entered the Indian travel and tourism industry. Established in 1960s, Altria is a distinguished worldwide associate network with well-designated travel associates spread across various continents like Australia, Asia, Africa, North America and Europe.

    Its India operation, headquartered at New Delhi is registered as a Public Limited company. The American Holiday™ aims to produce quality travel and tourism services in India and has tied up with over 220 travel associates around the length and breadth of the rustic. The various major cities where it will likely be providing its services are New Delhi, Chennai, Kolkata, Ahmedabad, Kochi, Pune, Hyderabad, Goa, Nagpur, Jodhpur, Jaipur and Bangalore.

    The American Holiday™ is a member of renowned travel associations like PATA (Pacific Asia Travel Association) & ASTA (American Society of Travel Agents).

    The American Holiday™ offers principal services that come with destination management, outbound tourism, business travel, domestic holidays, luxury global weddings and incentive & conference solutions. The corporate is additionally planning to give weekend breaks, luxury packages, honeymoon packages and adventure packages. The experienced management team and the organization believes within the principle of 101% customer satisfaction or 100% payback.

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