The boutique hotel will be constructed on top of roughly 5,000 sq. ft. of ground floor retail.  Construction set to start in October, with opening slated for December 2009.  Pointe of View Construction to serve as construction manager.  Development cost estimated at $20 million.  Construction financing now being arranged.  The five-story project is being designed by Whitneybell Perry Architecture in Phoenix.  [Note: For background on Mentor Properties previously announced downtown Phoenix real estate venture, Copper Pointe condominium, click here and here.]

The Laguna Resort & Spa, Nusa Dua, Bali

Thanks to a new partnership with Luggage Forward and Newspaper Direct, guests at The Luxury Collection's hotels and resorts will now enjoy luggage free travel and having access to more than 600 newspapers and publications.    

The Luxury Collection consists of the world's finest hotels and resorts, including Laguna Resort & Spa, Bali; Wigwam Golf Resort & Spa, Arizona; Grande Bregtagne, Athens; The Phoenician, Scottsdale; and Hotel Imperial, Kuala Lumpur.  

"We define The Luxury Collection by our guests and the experiences and services they demand and expect. Nothing less than an exceptional level of service, perfect location and indigenous personal offerings will do," said Ross Klein, President of Starwood's Luxury Brands Group. "We are proud to launch the brand's first global partnerships in our continued effort to offer our guests a portal to the world's most enriching experiences found only within The Luxury Collection." 

Through the exclusive partnership with Luggage Forward, The Luxury Collection offers the brand's newest service Luxury Collection Luggage Liaison. Imagine having booked a stay at one of The Luxury Collection's hotels. Prior to departure, Luggage Forward's door-to-door luggage delivery service will retrieve your baggage and send it to the hotel to be placed in your room. If you wish, they can also unpack your luggage before you arrive.

Picture how good it would feel when you don't need to worry about your luggage and can travel with a peace of mind - knowing that your belongings will wait for you in your hotel room. No need to carry bags to and from the airport, stand in long check-in lines, or hang around the baggage claim.

You can also use the Luggage Liaison service for your return trip. Just pack your bags and let The Luxury Collection do the rest - including delivery of any purchases you made during the trip.  

"Luggage Forward has fundamentally changed the travel experience by providing a global luggage delivery service that offers convenience, service and unparalleled reliability by circumventing the airline process", said Aaron Kirley, Co-Founder of Luggage Forward. "We are pleased to be working with a brand as respected as The Luxury Collection that has taken the innovative step of adding Luggage Forward as one of the brand's first global partners." 

For more information on Luggage Liaison, visit www.luxurycollection.com/luggage.  

Wigwam Golf Resort & Spa, Arizona

Through The Luxury Collection's partnership with NewspaperDirect, the world leader in multi-channel newspaper and magazine content distribution, you can receive the same-day editions of your favourite magazines from home. Choose from more than 600 newspapers and magazines from 77 countries and have them delivered to your room during your stay. You can also select and purchase publications.

 "NewspaperDirect is honored to partner with the Luxury Collection," said Alex Kroogman, CEO of NewspaperDirect. "Luxury Collection's prominence and stature within the hospitality industry is a testament to its dedication to fulfilling the needs of every guest. We strongly believe that the ND Press service will be a great fit for this prestigious brand and will be a distinctive amenity for guests who need more than just a local newspaper."  

The Luxury Collection's new partnerships surely put the company on the forefront of guest hospitality. With Luggage Liaison and NewspaperDirect's services, you can expect a truly blissful stay at your chosen destination.   

For more information on The Luxury Collection, visit http://www.luxurycollection.com/

A Sheraton Hotels & Resorts, marca da Starwood Hotels & Resorts que tem unidades em Lisboa, Porto e Algarve, anunciou um plano de expansão a nível mundial, que prevê a abertura até 2009 de 54 hotéis e cerca de 20 mil quartos.
Até ao final de 2010 a expansão englobará mais de 70 unidades, das quais 30 terão SPA, na América do Norte, Europa, Médio Oriente e Ásia, diz a marca em comunicado.

A Sheraton anuncia que a expansão será “a mais agressiva e global de toda a sua história” e inclui aberturas nos Estados Unidos no valor de dois mil milhões de dólares as quais fazem parte de um plano mais alargado que engloba ainda a “revitalização da marca e diferenciação da experiência do cliente nos seus 406 hotéis em 71 países”.

Durante este ano, a Sheraton prevê abrir um hotel a cada 12 dias em Dallas, Denver, Minneapolis, Phoenix, Washington D.C., nos Estados Unidos além da Irlanda, Argentina, Egipto e China.

A marca vai ainda acrescentar três novos resorts, dois na China e um em Carlsbad, na Califórnia.

Em 2009, a Sheraton vai aumentar a sua presença em Nova Iorque com a abertura de duas unidades construídas em Brooklyn e perto de Manhattan.

Até 2010 a rede prevê também abrir unidades no Vietname, Itália, Polónia, Turquia, Rússia ou Taiwan.

Entre os novos hotéis que irão ostentar a marca mais conhecida da Starwood incluem-se seis de grandes dimensões, como o Sheraton Phoenix com mil quartos e mais de 7.400 metros quadrados de área para reuniões e o Sheraton Macau, com mais de 4.000 quartos e mais de 25 mil metros quadrados de área para convenções.

A Sheraton irá ainda investir 170 milhões de dólares (cerca de 108 milhões de euros) em renovações nos hotéis de Denver e Dalas que irão acrescentar mais 3.000 quartos e mais 33.400 metros quadrados de área de convenções.

O comunicado da Sheraton acrescenta que as aberturas fazem parte de um plano estratégico mais alargado de relançamento da marca já anunciado pela rede, que tem por objectivo aumentar a qualidade e solidez da marca através de melhoramentos em cem unidades nos Estados Unidos, incluindo a remodelação de cem lobbies que irão criar um ambiente de outdoor e de 50 mil quartos, num investimento de 1,3 mil milhões de dólares e de acções de marketing.

in presstur.com

Esta espectacular obra está ubicada en la ciudad del Vino del Marqués de Riscal, que es un complejo urbanístico compuesto por las antiguas Bodegas del Marqués de Riscal (1958) y un Hotel de la cadena internacional Starwood Hotels & Resorts, en el pueblo medieval de El Ciego, en pleno corazón de la fructífera zona vinícola de la Rioja Alavesa, una comarca del País Vasco.

Este hotel fué diseñado por el famoso arquitecto Frank O. Gehry y es su segunda obra maestra en España después del emblemático Museo Guggenheim de Bilbao, del cual podéis hacer una visita virtual en la página oficial del museo.

Este precioso hotel de tejados majestuosos cuenta con 43 habitaciones y 11 suites, todas ellas mezclando un ambiente moderno con elementos medievales propios de la historia vinícola de la región. Sus visitantes podrán deleitarse con la vista a las más hermosos viñas del mundo desde cualquiera de las ocho terrazas que consta el edificio de dos alas que también cuenta con una bella zona de banquetes adaptados en una antigua bodega de vinos.

Es un hotel lleno de encanto y lujos, como pueden comprobar ustedes mismos por medio de las siguientes imágenes:

Enlace: Hotel Marqués de Riscal / Vía: Arcspace

Το SPG TV προβάλλεται σε περισσότερα από 280 ξενοδοχεία στην Ευρώπη, Αφρική και Μέση Ανατολή, με ειδικά διαμορφωμένες εκδόσεις για κάθε εμπορικό σήμα. Το SPGTV.net προσφέρει περισσότερες πληροφορίες και την ευκαιρία να παρακολουθήσετε τα καλύτερα ρεπορτάζ του οποιαδήποτε ώρα, να τα στείλετε στους φίλους σας και να τα βαθμολογήσετε ανάλογα με την προσωπική σας γνώμη, να κάνετε σχόλια, να προτείνετε κάποια άλλα μέρη στα οποία πιστεύετε ότι πρέπει να γίνει γύρισμα ή να κλείσετε απευθείας στο ξενοδοχείο το οποία αφορά το βίντεο, και να ζήσετε κι εσείς αυτή την εμπειρία που αφηγούνται τα ρεπορτάζ.

Με ένα κλικ, οι χρήστες του SPGTV.net θα μπορούν να επικοινωνήσουν με το αντίστοιχο ξενοδοχείο, δίνοντας τους την ευκαιρία να μείνουν σε μοναδικά μέρη, να ανακαλύψουν φανταστικούς προορισμούς, να απολαύσουν μια εκπληκτική εμπειρία Spa ή ένα γεύμα που είδαν στο ρεπορτάζ από κάποιον chef της Starwood.

To spgtv.net είναι η απάντηση σε 20 εκατομμύρια πελάτες της Starwood, οι οποίοι βλέπουν το SPG TV στις τηλεοράσεις των ξενοδοχείων της στην Ευρώπη, Αφρική και Μέση Ανατολή και ζητούσαν να μπορούν να χρησιμοποιήσουν το κανάλι αυτό σαν ένα εργαλείο που θα τους βοηθήσει να οργανώσουν τις επόμενες διακοπές τους ή για να εμπλουτίσουν ένα επαγγελματικό ταξίδι.

Από τα δωμάτια της αλυσίδας Starwood, στο laptop του πελάτη, το SPG TV είναι τώρα προσβάσιμο από παντού και πάντα στο διαδίκτυο, για να ψυχαγωγεί και να ενημερώνει το κοινό του, εμπλουτίζοντας έτσι τις εμπειρίες των ταξιδίων τους.