destination

Enlivening Exclusive Resorts: Moving Forward in the Destination Club Industry

Bovey Castle, England

As with many great ideas, this one started small, and from unpleasant, stressful experiences. Exclusive Resorts was originally founded seven years ago, by Brad and Brent Handler, two brothers who had consistently experienced classic vacation dilemmas with their own families. When traveling with children, grandparents and friends to high-end resorts and hotels, they experienced the same problems again and again: not enough room, no kitchens, child-unfriendly spaces, and the distinct impression from some hotel staffs that larger families with children were noisome rather than welcome.

At the same time, a new luxury travel idea was already in the air. That year, 2002, a company called Private Retreats, based in Telluride, Colorado, was launched to address the same vacation dilemma. It was called a destination club, a new idea with a model that combined two vastly different yet already successful industries: the country club and the fractional jet business. From the country club model came the idea of paying a membership deposit and annual dues, and from the fractional jet world came the idea of paying the dues and deposit in relation to the amount of time the potential member wished to use, so there was a range of pricing, usually from one month to three, or more or less. But in both cases, the member did not own or invest in the club, or the homes, instead he or she paid to use, and so it was called a non-equity club.

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Tags: Americas Group, destination, Destination Clubs, Exclusive Resorts, Miraval, Sea Island, Steve Case

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Westin Monache Resort Wants to Make Skiing Mammoth Rewarding

by Jonathon Ramsey (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels

The "Mammoth" in Mammoth Mountain, California actually comes from the 19th century gold rush, when a group of prospectors among the clamoring hordes founded the Mammoth Mining Company. But with winter -- and a yearly average of 400 inches of snow -- rapidly approaching, the kind of mammoth you should be concerned with right now is the resort, its luxury, its skiing, and the fun you can have with all of those.

The Westin Monache Resort in Northern California is Mammoth Mountain's only 4-star resort, and it intriguingly lists "excellent soundproofing" as one of its signature features. When you're finished testing your bedside klaxons, you'll find it is also just steps from the mountain's 15-passenger express gondola that will begin the trip to 3,500 skiable acres and 3,100 vertical feet of skiing at a maximum altitude of 11,053 feet.

At the conclusion of exploring any of the 150 named trails you can head back to your suite -- the resort has 230 of them in studio, 1- and 2-bedroom varieties, each one benefiting from a kitchen and a fireplace, and that Heavenly Bath (you'd never guess how good a second shower head can make you feel; it's almost like being tenderly scrubbed to by mermaids... or so we've imagined). Regardless of whether you brought your own skis or snowboard or used the on-site shop's pro fitments, the ski valet will be happy to relieve you of your equipment and prepare it for the next day's adventures, 24 hours a day.

Book a package before November 5 and you could save 25% on your winter getaway. Direct air service on Horizon Air begins December 17 from some West Coast and Nevada cities, and the Village Ski Back Trail should open around that time as well, so you can glide straight from the mountain into the base Village. The only thing you'll need to worry about then is getting back in time for the Korobuta pork chop in a cognac demi-glaze at Whitebark and saving room for s'mores...

Gallery: Westin Monache Mammoth Winter 09

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Tags: california resort, CaliforniaResort, destination, hotel deals, HotelDeals, mammoth mountain, MammothMountain, ski resort, SkiResort, spa, westin monache, WestinMonache, winter-travel-main

Going Out of the Way for Privacy

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels, Services

In years past only the biggest celebrities received special accommodations at hotels and resorts when it came to maintaining privacy and anonymity, but in today's world of ever-increasing celebrity news popularity, fiercely competitive worldwide businesses, and even terrorism, many travel locations have made going to great lengths to protect privacy a part of their regular routine.

It's not unusual for certain travel destinations to provide rooms in separate wings with space enough for security personnel, private entries, and aliases for check in and billing. Some have even been known to specially request no-fly zones when particular guests are present.

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Tags: alias, destination, discreet, hotel, hush hush, hush hush hotels, HushHush, HushHushHotels, papparazi, privacy, private, resort, security, travel

Quintessentially Reserve

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels

Need to know where to go next? Quintessentially, the global private members' club and luxury concierge service has created Quintessentially Reserve, a travel guide to some of the world's best destinations. The newly published guide is a coffee table style book with 120 of the world's most decadent getaways such as Necker Island in the British Virgin Islands, Villa Feltrinelli on Lake Garda, Hotel Cipriani in Venice, Copacabana Palace in Rio de Janeiro and The Grove in Hertfordshire. Each page includes lavish pictures and "insider" tips. Quintessentially Reserve will be produced annually with 100,000 copies of the book available. The books will be distributed for free to a"wealth list across the globe" and Quintessentially members. Not on the list? Don't fret, you can browse online at the Quintessentially Reserve website.

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Tags: destination, luxury, quintessentially, travel

St. Regis Resort in Costa Rica Underway

by Nicole Weston (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels

Starwood Hotels and Resorts has reached a deal with the Costa Rican development firm Genesis to build a new luxury resort in the country. The ultra-luxury hotel will be under the St. Regis Brand, located on a 250-acre site in Playa Coyol. The hotel will feature 133 guestrooms, all with outdoor terraces, showers and day beds. There will be four spa suites for guests wanting the most private, pampered stay, in addition to an 11,000-square foot spa and fitness center elsewhere on the grounds. There will also be a world-class golf course. The Presidential Suite may rival the top rooms at other luxury resorts with a cliff-top location, private pool and three bedrooms. On the grounds, there will also be 49 condominium/hotel residences, 42 private villas and 9 large estates. They will be built primarily with indigenous material, making them environmentally friendly as well as luxurious.

The St. Regis Resort, Costa Rica is slated to open in 2008.

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Tags: 2008, costa rica, destination, hotel, luxury, new, resort, st regis, starwood, StRegis, travel

The Elysian Opens in Bali

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels

Another luxury getaway has opened in Bali. The Elysian is a member of the design hotel group and is a 26 villa hotel. Each vill has its own pool and an open floorplan. Each villa also has broadband internet connection, 40 channel cable television, DVD/VCD/CD player and a preloaded ipod Nano on request & Bose sound dock. The main pool has a Balinese temple and cabanas draped with traditional cloth. There is a clubhouse that includes the Rush-Bamboo poolside cafe and bar, a gym, a library and a spa. The hotel is located in Seminyak and there is a drop-off service that takes you to the beach which is a few minutes away. The villas are each privately owned and there are resale units available. Rates start at $195 per night.

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Tags: bali, destination, elysian, getaway, hotel, journey, travel

Xscape, The Latest Place To Ski Indoors

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels

It turns out that Dubai isn't the only place with a new indoor ski slope. Xscape has the U.K.'s largest indoor ski slope as part of a family destination in Glasgow, Scotland that combines ski slopes with bars, restaurants, a cinema and rock climbing walls. Other features of this unique spot include a fan drop, robocoaster, bowling, and a skypark, aerial adventure course. The launch party last night featured Danni Minogue and fireworks.

[via Pink Is The New Blog]

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Tags: destination, rockclimbing, scotland, ski, skiing, skypark, xscape

Momi Bay Development in Fiji

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates

If you've ever dreamed of running off to Fiji, you might want to get out your checkbook. A development in the premium Momi Bay area in Nadi has recently gone on sale. The lots which offer panoramic views of the golf course and the ocean, cost from $300,000 to $800,000 ($168,600 to $449,600 US). The development will also include a Marriott resort which will overlook a large lagoon have overwater bures for guests. According to this article in the Fiji Times, 60 of the 140 lots offered thus far in the development have been sold to Fijian nationals with other going to expats living in Fiji. The residents of the new development will have access to the Marriott facilities and will receive a complimentary joining membership for the golf course.

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Tags: destination, development, fiji, land, resort

St. Regis San Francisco

by Matthew Collins (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels

If you aren't spending your weekend in a lovely place, why not plan to spend an upcoming one somewhere nice, like San Francisco. The relatively new St. Regis should be your resting place when you're not taking tea at the Japanese Gardens or eating Dim Sum in Chinatown. The St. Regis features an oh-so swank decor of neutrals and whites with luxurious linens and baths. The rooms are some of the largest in the city and have automatic draperies and plasma screen TVs. Located next door to the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, the hotel is in a great spot for exploring the city. If you get tired of climbing the never ending hills of San Fran, revive at the 9,000 sq ft Remede Spa.

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Tags: california, destination, hotel, hotels, san francisco, SanFrancisco, st. regis, vacation

Forte Village

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels

Hotel Travel News has an interview with Lorenzo Giannuzzi, the managing director of Forte Village. What's Forte Village? It is an a resort on the Italian island of Sardinia that includes seven hotels, a spa and restaurants. The hotels are all four and five star and each has a slightly different feel, from village quaint to seaside luxe like the Hotel Castello, shown here. The village recently went through a big renovation and will host the German soccer team before the FIFA World Cup. A future renovation will include a dedicated pool with sea water. For those of us who can't do without our laptops, the village offers wireless in the rooms and most public areas around the resort. Currently the resort caters mainly to an Italian crowd but more and more people are finding out about the resort which offers a wide variety of recreation opportunities from golf and tennis to diving and jet-skiing. They are currently booking Easter packages that start at 600 euros for a three-night stay with breakfast, lunch and dinner with mineral water and local wine and free entrance to the “Thermae del Forte” spa with use of the thalassotherapy pools, gym, sauna and Turkish bath.

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Tags: destination, forte village, ForteVillage, getaway, mediterranean, resort, sardinia

Former Starwood CEO Launches New Hotel Brand

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels

Another luxury hotel group has been launched. This one comes from the Starwood Capital Group (not part of Starwood hotels) and will be called the Crillon. Like the Waldorf-Astoria brand we talked about last week, the Crillon takes its name from a landmark hotel, the Hotel de Crillon in Paris. Target areas for new hotels include London, Rome, Barcelona, New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Las Vegas, Tokyo, Shanghai, Beijing, Hong Kong, Delhi, Mumbai, Dubai and Qatar. And resort destinations may follow. The Crillon hotels will have shopping and dining options, spa and fitness facilities, and some of them will be co-tels. The new brand is headed by Barry Sternlicht, former CEO of Starwood hotels.

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Tags: crillon hotel, CrillonHotel, destination, hotel, resort, starwood, vacation