Another hotel and condo complex is in foreclosure. The Ritz-Carlton hotel in Denver, Colorado is in foreclosure and condo units will be liquidated in a trustee sale next month according to Globe St. Goldman Sachs was the lender on the project which had sold only one of the 25 residential units.

The project's 25 residential condominiums and two ground-floor commercial condominiums will be sold as one property in a sealed-bid auction next month. The hotel and the condominium are located in what was once an Embassy Suites hotel. The condominium units are on floors 15-19 of the 38-story building with apartments above. The condos share a private owners' lobby with direct elevators, an owners' lounge and board room, and a dedicated concierge. The Globe St. article says that the location across from the Greyhound Bus station and the lack of balconies made the units a hard sell. They were once priced at as much as $800,000 to $4 million but more recently were priced from $500,000 to $3 million.

The Denver Business Journal reports that Chicago lender Transwestern Mezzanine Realty Partners III's lawsuit against individual owners of downtown Denver's Ritz-Carlton Hotel will go to trial next July. Transwestern is suing Ritz owners Steve Roitman and Jim Cobb of Denver-based energy and real estate company BWAB Inc. and hotel developer Charlie Biederman for $9 million in defaulted debt on the hotel. According to the article The Ritz's Forza athletic club building and condominium component have been in foreclosure since June for nonpayment of the $28.8 million balance due on a $95 million mortgage loan.

The Ritz-Carlton has something new up its sleeve: a collection of smaller, unique, boutique-style hotels in stunning natural locations. The first Ritz-Carlton Reserve will be opening December 22, 2009 on Phulay Bay in Krabi, Thailand.

"Ritz-Carlton Reserve will feature signature, one-of-a-kind boutique resorts positioned in unique settings, each with a distinctive personality and sense of place reflecting its history and culture," says Simon F. Cooper, president. "Phulay Bay in Thailand is a natural choice for the first Reserve."

Why? Because it's awesome. Phulay Bay, on the Andaman Sea, is surrounded by rocky forest hikes with hidden waterfalls and sandy beaches. From the resort, you'll be able to fly around the coast via sea plane, take a meditation class with local monks, ride elephants and visit ESPA, the swanky new spa. Can you think of anything else you'd like to do on your luxury vacation? Just let them know; they'll figure it out.

"We want guests to enjoy and discover the extraordinary diversity and beauty in this part of the country in a setting of relaxation and rejuvenation," says Estelita Sebeto, the resort's General Manager. "We have worked with nature to maintain a setting that evokes the very best of the natural environment of the hotel and sourced local and sustainable materials in its construction and styling. We see the resort as an ambassador for the local environment and for the tradition of the land here in Phulay Bay."

The fabulous boutique hotel and 54 adjoining villas comes with extra-special service, so the price is extra-special as well. The rooms start at approximately $582.18 per night, and the villas at $809.99.

Visit the website for more information or to book.

The Global Soap Project is a new initiative to recycle the bazillions of bars of soap that hotels throw away every day.

You know how some luxury hotels replace your bar of soap every day, even if you barely touched it? Derreck Kayongo, a former refugee from Uganda, saw this not as hopeless wastefulness, but as an opportunity. The Global Soap Project collects these partial bars of soap, sterilizes and reshapes them and redistributes them at refugee camps in Africa. How'w that for thinking outside the box?

There are currently 40 hotels participating in the Global Soap Project, one of which is The Ritz-Carlton, Buckhead in Atlanta (above). The project is currently localized in Atlanta and serving Uganda, but both Kayongo and Ritz-Carlton manager Olivia Brown hope to expand it.

We at Luxist think this is a great idea and a great way to make hotels more sustainable!

There is such an abundance of high-quality desert golf in the greater Phoenix and Tucson areas that it can be hard to decide where to play over the course of a short visit. Here's one option that may help make Arizona snowbirds choose where to alight this winter with their clubs in tow: The soon-to-open Ritz-Carlton, Dove Mountain is offering an unlimited-golf package beginning December 18. Guests who take advantage of the deal can play the resort's
Jack Nicklaus–designed layout--annual host to the world's finest golfers at the Accenture Match Play Championship--from 2 p.m. the day they arrive until 7 p.m. the day they depart. The offer, which includes deluxe accommodations, starts at $399 for one player and $519 for two.

When completed, the Ritz-Carlton, Dove Mountain will encompass 850 acres within a spectacular saguaro forest outside Tucson. Plans call for the 250-room resort to be accompanied by a community of 400 homes. Beyond golf, activities at Dove Mountain include hiking along 20 miles of trails mapped by National Geographic and touring the rugged desert-scape by mountain bike or Jeep. There's also a state-of-the-art spa that features, among other enticements, a Vichy shower (see photo gallery) that's ideal for scrubbing off the perspiration and grit accumulated on a warm Sonoran day.

The hotel, which is a series of linked pavilions, will have 170 guest rooms, 16 suites, each room with a gas fireplace. A gondola connects you to the bustling and lively Northstar village. The hotel's design, handled by Hornberger + Worstell, is meant to be a contemporary take on traditional great mountain lodges, like Oregon's Timberline Lodge. It was also designed to blend into the hillside, and to that end, the site was not clear-cut --- landmark trees were tagged, and worked around.

The Ritz-Carlton, Atlanta marked its 25th anniversary with a complete redesign of the entrance foyers, lobby, and lobby bar, now named Lumen, which features exotic, sophisticated edible cocktails, a Lumen signature cocktail, and art-themed cocktails.

The new interiors feature well-known, traditional elements transposed in an updated way, such as a Chippendale Mahogany sideboard refinished in a hand-applied gilded platinum tone; sheer shrouds wrapped around the hotel's crystal chandeliers; and accent chairs graced with damask patterns in oversized formats.

Lumen underwent a great change. The lounge, so named for its many light effects, now greets guests with crystal chandeliers that glow red at night; seven-foot tall custom settees covered in midnight blue mohair, complete with their beaded sconces; a bar cabinet that glows blue in the evening; mirror-polished, handspun metal tables custom-designed by Brad Oldham (brother to designer Todd); beaded corkscrew floor lamps; and a custom-designed, under-lit onyx-topped communal-styled table seating up to eight.

My friend Nancy is scheduled to speak at a meeting being held at this Ritz, and I can't wait to hear what she thinks of the new spaces. See the gallery for before and after shots.

Well, I might as well confess: I am not grace personified on the slopes. Forget snowboarding, my goal is (and has been) to navigate a green slope all by myself before I turn 40. If you're similarly situated -- and glare at impossibly skilled children as they schuss past you -- make your plans to visit North Lake Tahoe this winter. On December 12th-13th, it's the 10th Annual Learn to Ski and Board Weekend. It's a bargain at $25, and includes all-day beginner lift ticket, group lesson and gear rental at the area's nine resorts, including Alpine Meadows, Boreal Mountain Resort, Diamond Peak, Granlibakken, Homewood Mountain Resort, Mt. Rose-Ski Tahoe, Northstar-at-Tahoe, Squaw Valley USA and Sugar Bowl.

I had my annual ski lesson -- yes, only one a year, which may be why I've yet to really learn -- in South Lake Tahoe this year, at Heavenly, which was worth it for the view and the excellent lunch on the top and the itsy-bit of progress I made. If you need more incentive to visit the area this year, a new Ritz Carlton will be opening up at Northstar this season.

When you arrive at Rose Hall's Ritz-Carlton Golf & Spa Resort in Jamaica, welcome cocktails are served in carved-out pineapples and an assortment of local juices like june plum, sour sop and tamarind can be delivered to your room. The colors and decor are vibrant and reflect the local culture. The cuisine is peppered with Jamaican specialties like callaloo, jerk-everything (they have a whole Jerk Center on the beach, which is not entirely unhilarious) and to-die-for sugared and pan-fried dough.

From the Ritz-Carlton in Rose Hall, you can take an easy shuttle bus to The Shoppes at Rose Hall, where you can buy all the local jewelry and touristy t-shirts and dresses your heart desires at very low prices -- or to their White Witch golf course and club -- a beautiful plantation-style venue for all kinds of parties. The "White Witch" is named for none other than Annie Palmer, the legendary Parisian plantation owner who offed a slew of husbands and lovers and apparently still haunts the island. In fact, a fellow guest of the RC reported some very strange incidents in her room while she was reading about her! You can get more information about Annie Palmer here -- or just ask me, Annie Scott; every person on the island who learned my name told me another story about her.

Rose Hall is no longer run by Annie Palmer, but rather owned by Michele Rollins, a former Miss USA whose late husband fell in love with Jamaica and created tens of thousands -- perhaps hundreds of thousands -- of jobs by developing the Rose Hall settlement. Mrs. Rollins is a well-spoken, devoted philanthropist who humbly credits her husband with the island's success. "If you can't have vision," she says, "the next best thing is to marry vision. If you could learn vision, we'd all be in Vision 101." Rollins is committed to making Rose Hall into what her husband had imagined.

Rose Hall now includes a number of hotels and golf courses, including a Hilton, and Rollins works with the various organizations who settle there to support the local community. Several companies there own and run homes in the local S.O.S. village for orphans, including the Ritz-Carlton.

The hotel was not without its hiccups -- in the days that I was there, the hot tub wasn't at all hot and one of my closets was damp (the other was fine), but those little things don't come close to overshadowing the beauty of the resort, complete with that sparkling turquoise Caribbean Sea (P.S. complimentary windsurfing) and the genuine warmth of the Jamaican people. As always, the Ritz-Carlton staff was respectful and polite, helpful and friendly, and everyone from families to couples, even to larger groups coexisted in harmony.

With no further ado, here are some photos of the luscious property nestled on the north shore of Jamaica in the center of Rose Hall. Click here to visit the website and book a trip.

For more photos and to read about hosting corporate meetings and events at Ritz-Carlton, click here for my article on Gadling.com.

Bad news for the Ritz-Carlton, it's no longer the top dog in luxury hotels. That's according to the J.D. Power and Associates 2009 North America Hotel Guest Satisfaction Index Study. The study looked at overall hotel guest satisfaction across six hotel segments from luxury to budget. The Ritz-Carlton has been chosen the top luxury hotel in past years but this year the honor went to the Four Seasons even though the rooms at the luxury chain are more expensive. In the next tier down, the winner of the Upscale segment was Embassy Suites Hotels which took the honor for the third year running.

To determine overall satisfaction the study looked at seven key measures: reservations; check-in/check-out; guest room; food and beverage; hotel services; hotel facilities; and costs and fees. Over 66,000 people who stayed n a hotel between May 2008 and June 2009 were part of the study. The survey showed that guest satisfaction with luxury hotels has remained stable from 2008. The most-desired amenities include complimentary breakfast, wireless Internet access and pillow-top mattresses. In luxury hotels a high percentage of guests say they expect in-room high-definition flat-panel TVs. The study also found that guests are more aware of property-initiated "green" programs and 72 percent say they participated in their hotel's conservation programs.

[via LA Times Daily Travel & Deal]

Want the kind of wedding that your friends and family will always remember? A destination wedding can feel like a risky option in this economy, but you'll be surprised -- a vacation may be just what everyone needs. The Ritz-Carlton is making destination weddings even more enticing this summer by offering the Reconnect Package at many of their hotels, including their sunny Caribbean & Mexico locations!

The package is more than just a high-priced luxury wedding tied up in a bow. Actually, a lot of the services are free! The Reconnect package includes:

• Ceremony Location (such as the above)
  
• Wedding Specialist
• Wedding Concierge
• Minister
• Signature Bouquet
• Signature Boutonniere
• Signature Location Décor

Also, expect a $100 daily resort credit and a free three-night stay on your first anniversary! Sound to good to be true? It's not, you just need 25 friends and family members to book rooms.

What's more, your wedding guests will enjoy a $100 daily resort credit for use at restaurants, the spa, and for recreation activities such as the Culinary Center at The Ritz-Carlton, Cancun, where guests can explore cooking, wine, and Mexican tequilas, the award-winning White Witch Golf Course at The Ritz-Carlton Golf & Spa Resort, Rose Hall, Jamaica, Silver Rain, a La Prairie Spa at The Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman, BLT Steak at The Ritz-Carlton, San Juan Hotel, Spa & Casino, and sailing on the Lady Lynsey at The Ritz-Carlton, St. Thomas.

Want to see what it will look like? Here are some exclusive Luxist photographs of the wedding setup at the Ritz-Carlton, San Juan Hotel, Spa and Casino -- at sunset, no less.

If you happen to be heading to San Juan, Puerto Rico, the hotel options are dizzying. There's an endless stream of accommodations in every price range, but if you're looking for effortless, relaxing luxury, complete with a pristine beach and a prime location, I highly recommend the Ritz-Carlton San Juan Hotel, Spa, & Casino (above).

The Ritz-Carlton is located right on Isla Verde beach (pale, fine sand and completely cleaned out for swimming), two miles from the airport and six miles from Old San Juan. I actually had the pleasure of staying at this resort in its inaugural year (my parents say it was under construction but all I remember is the hot tub and the big door to the beach, which look the same -- the tub and the door, that is; the beach was rocky back then), as well as earlier this month.

There's an extra luxurious way to stay which may actually end up saving you money: Stay on the Club Level. Not only do you get access to the exclusive 9th floor -- accessible only by key -- and a gorgeous, two-bathroom suite, but there's a Club Lounge up there where you can have expedited check-in and check-out service, a super-attentive concierge and, best of all, free food and drinks all day long. Now, I don't recommend trying to make a luxury meal of the (lovely) buffet, but when you want a light lunch or a quick snack? The Club Lounge offers elegant, tasteful dishes -- including local desserts -- as well as wine, champagne, and pretty much anything you want if you just ask (this includes the endless morning coffee working people like me require). Considering what snacking (and drinking) can cost you at a many-star hotel, paying extra for the Club Level may actually work to your advantage -- and at the very least it eliminates the calculator from the frugal mind which is constantly adding up the daily costs of your vacation.

The hotel offers a full-service, well-regarded Spa and Casino, as well as some top notch restaurants, including a BLT Steak and Il Mulino. There is also a Tiffany & Co. and a Little Switzerland, for the shopping-inclined, and like I said, Old San Juan, with all its fabulous food and drink options, is just a six mile cab ride away. The real amenity of this hotel, though? Ritz-Carlton service. When you head down to the beach and drag the chairs all over the place, an RC employee will probably approach you -- and ask if he can drill a hole in the sand for you and plant an umbrella. Seriously.

For more beautiful photos of a beautiful property, click below.

This week a dedication ceremony was held to mark the official opening of The Residences at the Ritz-Carlton in Philadelphia. The 48-story, 270-residence building is being called the most luxurious residential project ever built in the city. The residences have five-star Ritz Carlton amenities and the building includes a restaurant by celebrity chef Eric Ripert in the lobby. Units are listed from $500,000 to $12 million and offer amazing views like the one shown above.

Residences at Ritz-Carlton developer Craig Spencer told the Philadelphia Inquirer that he turned down a "$1.3 million all-cash sale from a buyer who wanted me to cut the price by $50,000." Spencer, whose Arden Group poured around $300 million into the project isn't planning to let the current economy dim his outlook. He says that 80 units have closed but that he'll likely lose half of 37 pending agreements for a variety of reasons, including the main issue plaguing so many top-tier luxury condos, the fact that jumbo mortgages have become scarce. Spencer says he can afford to wait, unlike other developers who have just a whisper of a cushion between projected sales and possible disaster, he has five years to completely sell out the building. The building is located on One Meridian Plaza where three firefighters died and 24 were injured in a fire in 1991 and a memorial will be placed by the entrance.

Thee 10,000-sq.-ft., $12 million penthouse will be a contender for the the most expensive condominium ever sold in Philadelphia. The current record is $7.678 million for a unit on the 46th floor of the Two Liberty complex. It's main competition will be the duplex at Two Liberty that is on the market for $30 million. Hopefully they will have better luck than the Ritz-Carlton residences in Boston are currently experiencing.

The Ritz-Carlton is rolling out a new "Bar Experience" at its luxurious properties worldwide, building on a tradition of elegant cocktails and catering to a new generation of patrons. Where once such bars were once noted for their high-end singles scenes and some serious drinking, the company's latest research shows they are now primarily visited by those more interested in socializing with friends and colleagues, and hence food is increasingly important. So is the whole concept of "comfort" as opposed to ostentation. The new Ritz-Carlton bar experience includes both new cocktails, new appetizers and even edible cocktails. The impeccable service remains as always.

The new bar menu features gourmet comfort food meant for sharing among a group. The final menu includes 30 snazzy snacks such as brie and parsley risotto balls, smoked salmon and arugula egg rolls, chilly water lobster flat bread and calamari in remoulade sauce. Each Ritz-Carlton property features a selection of these 30 in addition to some local specialties. The idea behind the whole project is to reinvigorate and reposition the brand, eliminating the "illusion of rigidity" and prohibitive priciness the luxe chain may have given off in the past and "creating a nice environment where you feel comfortable" in the bars and lounges.

We went down to the elegant bar at 2 West at the amazing Ritz-Carlton Battery Park in New York City to experience it firsthand the other night and got extremely comfortable, so we would say it's definitely working. On the cocktail front, among our favorites was the Sunsplash, made with Grey Goose L'Orange vodka, Cointreau, fresh lemon and orange juice, and cranberry. Another standout was the Ritz-Carlton Martini, made with Tanqueray No. 10 gin, simple syrup, peeled English cucumber, mint and lime juice. Food-wise we particularly enjoyed the Italian spicy sausage and artichoke pizza, the mini Black Angus beef sliders, and the plate of artisanal cheeses served with quince paste, honey comb and chutney.

Guests visiting Bank of America's headquarters in Charlotte, North Carolina will soon have a more luxurious place to stay. As USA Today's Hotel CheckIn reports, the nation's largest bank is opening up a new Ritz-Carlton hotel across the street from its corporate headquarters.

The 18-story building will have a 12,000 square-foot penthouse wellness center, a street-side BLT Steak restaurant and 147 rooms including a 2,900 square-foot Presidential Suite. It will be the first LEED-designed new hotel in Charlotte, North Carolina and is being built for LEED Gold Certification making it the first green hotel under the Ritz-Carlton umbrella. The Ritz-Carlton, Charlotte at Bank of America Center is scheduled for completion in October 2009.

Summer will be here soon, and if you have not yet planned a vacation, now's the time. Here's an idea: The Ritz-Carlton, a name synonymous with luxury accommodations, just introduced two vacation packages made to create memories with "a selection of offerings that are not just about spending less, but experiencing more." The "Peace of Mind" or "Reconnect" packages are available in city and resort locations in the United States as well as abroad.

The Peace of Mind package includes accommodations, daily breakfast for two, Internet, local calls, parking and up to three complimentary nights The Ritz Kids special activities program is available for two youngsters. The Reconnect package includes accommodations and a credit to spend within the hotel. The range of value-added options are for travel between now and September 30, 2009.