Ref: P6636 - Villa in Mallorca Balearic Islands

Ref: P6636 - Villa in Mallorca Balearic Islands


China's luxury hotel market growing due to increasing affluence in the country
Dec 12, 06 1:58 am
China's luxury hotel market is growing - thanks to increasing affluence in the country and an influx of high-end corporate travellers. And one company that is tapping into this market is Raffles Hotels and Resorts. Raffles recently launched its flagship property in China and is already planning for more such hotels. Raffles Hotels and Resorts has just refurbished a historic hotel in Beijing, turning it into the Raffles Beijing, a luxurious hotel with over 170 guest rooms and suites. The property is owned by government-linked Beijing Tourism Group, but managed by Raffles. Raffles is one of the first players to enter Beijing's luxury hotel sector. Michael Ong, Corporate Director, Business Development, Fairmont Raffles Hotels International, said, "...I think before Raffles was opened there was only a St Regis. So this is the second luxury hotel into the market. After this, a couple more will open. So right now I think we are competing directly with St Regis and we are doing well." The company says there are also plenty of investment opportunities outside the Chinese capital. Thomas Storey, Executive Vice-President, Development, Fairmont Raffles Hotels International, said, "There are five or six key markets already in China that are already supporting luxury hotels and we think represent that opportunity in the future. Markets like Shanghai...Macau (are) increasingly growing in prominence...So we see those markets as key opportunities today. "A market like Tianjin is more of an emerging market (and) probably will have luxury hotels within the next five to 10 years, but there are none existing today." The growth is a result of the increasing wealth in China. Mr Storey said, "With the growth of the Chinese consumer and the affluence that's being built in the region overall, we think both for inbound and outbound travellers, that there will be an increasing number of cities that probably support a luxury hotel going forwards." Outbound Chinese travellers present a huge market for hoteliers. One example is Canada, which was recently given approved travel destination status by the Chinese government. This means the country is open to Chinese tourists and for hotels, this means big business. Raffles Hotels and Resort's parent company, Fairmont Raffles Hotels International, owns significant assets in Canada.

Ref: P433 - Chalet in Northern Alps France

Ref: P433 - Chalet in Northern Alps France

Luxurious Holiday Inns
Dec 12, 06 1:59 am
By Sophia Banay, Forbes.com
Hoping for a white Christmas this year? What about a green one?
That's what holiday guests at the K Club , a golf club and spa resort in County Kildare, Ireland, are paying for. Thanks to Ireland's mild winters, snow is rare, and the K Club's two golf courses--Palmer, where the Ryder Cup took place this fall, and Smurfit, where the Smurfit European Open is held annually--are pretty much guaranteed to remain lush all winter. This year, the K Club is offering a three-night Christmas package, which includes Christmas Eve wine-tasting, caroling and a buffet dinner, Christmas Day dinner or lunch--and a daily round of golf.
If a green Christmas doesn't do it for you, maybe a black Christmas will--black-diamond, that is. At the Four Seasons Resort, Whistler, in Canada, guests visiting over the holidays can take advantage of a wide range of seasonal festivities, including making s'mores over an open fire, schmoozing with fellow guests at the General Manager's holiday reception, and attending a kids' Charlie & The Chocolate Factory dinner buffet on New Year's Eve. Then, there's the skiing. The Whistler-Blackcomb resort area gets 30 feet of snow a year and has 8,000 powder-packed acres. What better stocking-stuffer than two round-trip plane tickets and a Whistler ski pass?
Even if they aren't golf buffs or super skiers, Americans are increasingly asking Santa to send them somewhere new for Christmas--and they are willing to pay for it, as well. According to Smith Travel Research, a Hendersonville, Tenn.-based lodging information provider, the average daily rate at luxury hotels in the U.S. in 2005 for the week of Dec. 25 through Dec. 31 was $345, a 50% holiday premium over a comparable week at the height of the summer travel season, July 24 to July 30, when the rate was just $230.
What’s more, hotels the world over are decking the halls in anticipation of that year-end revenue.
"This is a time of year when families travel together--[especially] families with the means to seek the finest experiences--and celebrate," says Ciro Tacinelli, director of marketing at the Four Seasons Resort, Whistler. "We design our Festive Week to appeal to all ages, couples as well as families, and members of different religions."

Ref: P7766 - Villa in Provence - Cote d'Azur France

Ref: P7766 - Villa in Provence - Cote d'Azur France

By Rich Beattie, Forbes
W hen it comes to Indian hotels, it's all about the palace.
That's the judgment, anyway, of the expert travelers who chose the best hotels in India for Forbes Traveler .
After all, who wouldn't want to stay in a palace hotel? It's like having your own personal Taj Mahal. Not all of India's grand hotels are in palaces, of course, but why not live like a maharaja, at least for a night?
Which one of the 10 is #1? Forbes Traveler didn't rank them; instead, we had our panel choose the overall best places, based on factors such as room quality, service, d�cor and location. We wanted to make our compilation much more than a list -- we wanted it to be a real resource, a place travelers could find the absolute best places to stay.
So we also had professional travel writers who have stayed in these hotels review them, offering an in-depth look at the rooms, service, and other highlights. And since these writers didn't accept a complimentary rate, they could provide an honest assessment.

Ref: P7141 - Apartment in Ibiza Balearic Islands

Ref: P7141 - Apartment in Ibiza Balearic Islands

MKG Consulting presents results from the program that tracks daily hotel results - Hotelcompset(R) - for November 2006 confirming that business is picking up speed in the hotel industry with a RevPAR up by 7.9%* across all categories. • MKG Consulting presents results from the program that tracks daily hotel results - Hotelcompset(R) - for November 2006 confirming that business is picking up speed in the hotel industry with a RevPAR up by 7.9%* across all categories.• On the first eleven months of the year the revenue per available room built is up by 6.5%*, in line with the forecast made by MKG Consulting at the Decision Makers Forum last March which was then revised in September (5% to 7% for the entire year 2006). Growth was up year round and the business year 2006 should close with the strongest growth in the RevPAR since 2000. • Pursuant to MKG Consulting's expectations, the positive hotel cycle, that began 2 years ago and continues, is characterized in 2006 by stronger growth of average daily rates throughout all categories. The 4* segment, moreover, benefits from strong growth in occupancy rates. Continued strong growth in November 2006 Preliminary results from the daily hotel statistics observatory at MKG Consulting for November 2006 establish growth in the revenue per available room at 7.9% across all categories, thanks to occupancy rates that improved by 1.6 points and growth in average daily rates by 5.3%. Such performance is all the more satisfying since results in November 2005 were already excellent despite urban violence throughout France. Moreover, Paris hotels did not benefit from the Batimat show that made a significant contribution to the good results of 2005.Results improved throughout the year as a result of the increase in business and leisure nights alike. The favorable development of hotel performance gains strength as the fiscal year 2006 comes to a close. While the first quarter ended with 2.6% growth in the RevPAR with respect to the first quarter 2005, the recovery gained momentum from one quarter to the next: