As my colleague Jared Paul Stern mentioned back in October, Boston's most expensive penthouse located atop the brand new five-star Mandarin Oriental hotel is for sale for $17 million. But those who can't afford that can still get into Back Bay's new luxurious address if they win the lottery of 10 affordable apartments in the building. The lottery is part of a city initiative to bring middle-income residents to the city's pricier addresses.

Starting on Monday, the building swill begin accepting applications for a lottery that will select tenants to live in building for rents ranging from $1,254 to $2,172 a month for the one- and two-bedroom apartments. Rents on the 25 market-rate apartments range from $6,000 to $13,000 a month. The Boston Globe reports that to qualify, individuals must make between $48,050 and $72,050 a year, and a family of four, between $68,650 and $102,950. Those who already live in Boston and handicapped tenants will be given preference. The apartments are identical to the higher-priced units including Atlantic green granite counters in the kitchen, Portofino marble in the bathrooms, soundproof windows and access to the concierge downstairs. Applications can be picked up at the lower level of the Prudential Center at 800 Boylston St. beginning Monday.

An investment group has listed Boston's most expensive penthouse, atop the brand new five-star Mandarin Oriental hotel (above), for $17 million - a new record for the city. The investment group paid $13 million for the 8,000-sq.-ft. spread prior to the hotel's completion, and just relisted it for $4 million more. Calling it "Boston's most awe-inspiring penthouse ever," the sales material reads, "Fourteen stories above Back Bay, this 8,000-square-foot oasis features floor-to-ceiling windows on four sides, providing unmatched and unobstructed views," the Boston Herald reports.

The space includes two private terraces and decks, a private elevator, and four parking spaces in the garage, but the interior is "customizable" - i.e. unfinished. The Mandarin, which just opened this month and combines luxury condos with a five-star hotel and luxury boutiques like Gucci, is "fast becoming Boston's most prestigious address," the paper notes.

We've covered a $150,000 hotel offer in New York but if your Christmas travels take you to Japan, you can hole up in the a luxury hotel in Tokyo for a one-of-a-kind Christmas that costs $130,000. The Mandarin Oriental Tokyo is offering a Christmas suite that is decorated with a small tree with diamonds. The package also includes a bath with fresh roses, vintage champagne, and a breakfast with truffles. The package comes with limo service, a spa treatment and a gourmet dinner that is served in the dining room of the presidential suite. Much of the money you spend you get to take home with you, in the form of diamond jewelry worth around $108,000.

If you've always wanted your picture taken by a celebrity photographer here's your chance. Hotel Chatter reports that the Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park in London is offering a new luxury package, the Mary McCartney Portrait Experience. Mary McCartney (the daughter of Paul and his photographer wife Linda) has taken the photographs of a wide variety of rock stars (she's a regular photographer for Interview magazine) as well as actors such as Jude Law and Ralph Fiennes and even Tony and Cherie Blair. McCartney has been appointed the official photographer for the Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group's `I'm a Fan' brand campaign which also features celebrities. The two-night package includes a feature suite, a two-hour spa ritual to prepare, Champagne breakfast daily, a bottle of vintage Champagne and an a la carte dinner for two in the restaurant, Foliage. The package starts at £20,000 and is limited to just ten guests. And I'm assuming that asking questions about her famous dad and his recent divorce are probably off limits.

Calling all brides, the Mandarin Oriental has created a two-part destination wedding for a couple and a pair of witnesses. The package begins with a two-night stay at the Mandarin Oriental, New York which includes accommodations in the Premier Central Park View Suites, a two-hour Mandarin Oriental Signature Time Ritual at the spa and an evening of customized "guys and girls" activities. Then the foursome is flown to Elbow Beach, Bermuda by private jet. The Bermuda event begins with a sunset cruise and a celebratory dinner. The wedding day dawns with a breakfast and the services of a hair stylist and makeup artist. The bride gets a blue sapphire garter as a gift while the groom will receive vintage hand-stitched silk handkerchiefs. The wedding ceremony takes place on the Bird of Paradise Terrace, overlooking the pink sand and turquoise water, with flowers and a string quartet. As the sun sets, Elbow Beach chefs will prepare a six-course reception dinner for the couple and their guests under a marquee. A seven-tiered wedding cake, dancing and fireworks complete the perfect day. The couple stays in the private Bird of Paradise cottage which is prepared with flowers, candles, a rose petal bath, monogrammed silk pyjamas, chilled champagne and Godiva chocolates. The package also includes photographs and personalized bathrobes. The total package costs $75,000 but maybe you can get your lucky guests to pitch in for the party.

Costa Rica is becoming the latest hot spot for major development projects. The latest is from Mandarin Oriental which has announced a beach resort and branded Residences at Playa Manzanillo, in Guanacaste province, on Costa Rica's northern Pacific coast. The Mandarin Oriental, Costa Rica will be part of a 538-acre gated golf and residential development, Rancho Manzanillo, which will feature branded Mandarin Oriental residences, beach and golf villas, and private homes. The resort will include the 18-hole Fred Couples Signature Championship golf course and 200 acres will be protected tropical dry forest. The hotel will be build on a costal ridge with bay views and hte suites will be designed using native woods and stone. The hotel will also have "tree house suites" away from the main building and set below the trees. The resort will include three restaurants, a lounge and three bars and a 20,000-square-foot spa. The 130-room resort will open in 2009.

Other Costa Rican developments we've covered:
Marisol Development
Punta Leona
Thunderbird Resort
St. Regis

The Mandarin Oriental always rolls out the blockbuster packages. This one, to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Mandarin Oriental's first U.S. property, Mandarin Oriental, San Francisco is called Fantastic San Francisco and is a four-day, three-night stay in the two-bedroom Oriental Suite. Along with your gorgeous suite you also get a three-day use of a 2007 Ferrari F430 or a 2005 Lamborghini Gallardo; one-hour private helicopter tour of San Francisco and an exclusive in-suite lunch or dinner prepared by Silks Chef de Cuisine Joel Huff with a bottle of Cristal. Other goodies in the package include a bottle of the 1987 Duckhorn Vineyards Merlot, 20 long-stemmed roses, daily breakfast and a 20th anniversary keepsake. The package costs an even $20,000 and is available through December.

The Mandarin Oriental in Manila has opened The Spa at Mandarin Oriental, Manila, a Thai-themed spa, on the hotel's top two floors. The spa experience starts with a relaxing foot ritual and treatments include facials, body massages, treatments, wraps and scrubs which are tailored to the guest's preferences and needs. The Spa uses the Ytsara line of organic Asian spa products which incorporate ingredients of herbs, roots and flowers with essential oils. The spa also plans to add heat experiences by mid-year. The design of the spa is Thai-inspired with silk upholstery and teak wood. The spa also includes an Oriental-style relaxation area and a mini Oriental garden on the upper floor, surrounded by four self-contained treatment rooms. The spa is probably one of the least expensive Mandarin Orientals I have seen, the Oriental Indulgence, a three hour and 20 minute experience that includes a 45-minute body scrub, 60-minute massage and a facial costs 6,388 Philippine pesos or around $134 dollars.

The Mandarin Oriental in Hong Kong recently went through a sumptuous renovation that includes a gorgeous new suite named for Lord Lichfield, the photographer who shot the hotel's popular "She/he's a fan" ad campaign that has featured celebs such as Helen Mirren and Elle Macpherson. The suite was designed by Nicky Haslam, and has a black, silver and red look with a 1970s cool. The suite is decorated with black and white photographs, tripod-based lamps and a glass-topped coffee table contains Lichfield memorabilia, including contact sheets, keepsakes and even some of the miniature Tabasco bottles that he always carried with him.

The Mandarin Oriental in Miami becomes the latest hotel chain to introduce spa rooms for their guests. The Spa Lifestyle rooms have an air purification system, in-room fitness program and spa cuisine offerings. There are 16 spa rooms and each one has received a seven-step cleaning process so the rooms are certified as "allergy-friendly." The in-room fitness program includess dumbbells, wellness balls, yoga mats and fitness-themed TV channels. The Spa Lifestyle Rooms are on the sixth floor of the hotel and each has a private veranda with views of Biscayne Bay and the Miami skyline. Rates start at $375 per night.

For some dedicated shoppers the idea of being able to shop while no one else is there is the ultimate thrill. The Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park, London provides just this experience with the Harvey Nichols Shopping Experience. For a price of £10,000 (around $18,770) you get to stay at the hotel for two nights directly opposite your quarry, the Harvey Nichols store. You are given a £5,000 shopping voucher and turned loose in the store outside normal hours with a a dedicated personal shopper for one hour. If that walk across the street is too much effort you can also enjoy a personal viewing of the latest collections in the salon of your suite. The package also includes a two-hour "advanced time ritual" spa treatment for two in the Spa at Mandarin Oriental. A bottle of chilled champagne and hand-made chocolates are waiting for you on arrival and you will be served a full English Breakfast each day.

As we mentioned earlier, the Mandarin Oriental recently opened a new hotel  in Tokyo. Now guests at the hotel can experience a massage with a view. The Spa at Mandarin Oriental, Tokyo is on the top two floors of the hotel and offerers everything from hydro- and heat-based treatments to ice fountains for skin toning.  There are nine treatment rooms including five spa suites, Mandarin Oriental Spas offer the “Time Ritual,” which lets guests book time rather than treatments. On the day of the appointment the treatments are determined. Treatments specific to the new spa include the Adzuki Ritual which uses adzuki beans in a scrub, Absolute Pearl body wrap with pearl powder and the Oriental Harmony with Mandarin Oriental’s own frangipani and jasmine infused signature body oil and salt scrub. The 38th floor of the hotel also includes a fitness center.

[via Asia Travel Tips]

Tokyo, consistently rated one of the world's most expensive cities, has had a glaring absence of luxury hotels. Certainly, the Four Seasons is probably the best in town, but up till now it hasn't had any real competition. The Mandarin Oriental has just opened its 179 room hotel in Nihonbashi that balances the natural elements of forest and water. In other words, its designed to make you feel at one with nature, even though you are on top of a skyscraper is one of the most densely populated cities on Earth. Joining Four Seasons and Mandarin in 2007 are both Peninsula and Ritz-Carlton, who will open new hotels in Tokyo later in the year. The venerable Peninsula Hotel Group is opening a 315 room, 24 floor hotel in the Marunouchi district of Tokyo. Situated in a area experiencing a revitalization, the triangular shaped hotel will certainly become a hub of luxury-minded travelers. Ritz-Carlton is opening 250 rooms on the top nine floors of a high rise in Roppongi district. Part of a mixed-use facility designed by American architecture firm Skidmore, Owings & Merrill. The hotel will feature a sky lobby, several restaurants, and a large spa. At long last, a place to lay my head where I can dream of the world's most expensive hotel bill.