Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts is launching an online lifestyle magazine this week designed to "satiate the discerning traveler's thirst for trusted, insider knowledge." Part travel blog and part lifestyle e-zine with a bit of booking agent mixed in, FourSeasonsMagazine.com is a planning tool that "brings the destination expertise Four Seasons is known for to the web in an editorial travelogue format." In addition to booking a stay, travelers can learn about exclusive experiences such as cactus planting adventures at Four Seasons Resort Scottsdale in Arizona, destination "must dos" from a local celebrity such as fashion designer Trina Turk's Los Angeles, and concierge recommendations including the hottest culinary "crawl" in San Francisco.

Another luxury restaurant has become a victim of the economic downturn, the Four Seasons Toronto will be shutting down its 37-year-old restaurant, Truffles, as of September 5. Fine French fare seems particularly vulnerable in this economy. Truffles, which was consistently rated as one of the city's top restaurants, served creative but formal fare rich in its namesake ingredient. The restaurant's signature dish was spaghettini with served with a a sauce of reduced chicken stock, cream and truffle oil with a foamed truffle sauce covered in black truffle shavings. The Four Seasons is building a new hotel in a different location and that hotel will feature a more casual restaurant.

The recently-closed Four Seasons Resort Great Exuma at Emerald Bay in the Bahamas will have a new life as a Sandals Resort. The property will be the 14th Sandals Resort in the Caribbean and the third in the Bahamas. The 500-acre property has a Greg Norman golf course and a marina. The resort closed in May after being in receivership and will re-open next January. It will be given some Sandals-style amenities including a new pool complex with a swim-up bar and additional restaurants. The resort occupies an enviable swath of white sand on Emerald Bay and has 190 rooms. The marina has 133 slips and can accommodate yachts up to 300 feet in length. It seems like a good deal for Sandals, they've acquired a great resort at what was probably a very good price.

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]

The building that houses some of Seattle's most expensive condo units is planning to give potential buyers a little relief. The Seattle Times says that The Four Seasons Private Residences is planning to cut prices in response to the lackluster real estate market. The article says that is has been nearly six months since a sale closed at the Four Seasons. There are 36 condos spread out over 11 stories above the 10-story Four Seasons Hotel downtown. So far 11 condos are still unsold including a two bedroom currently priced at $8.706 million. The amount of the price reductions or when they will take place hasn't been released yet. Bellevue Towers in downtown Bellevue, Washington also recently reduced prices an average of 20 percent because just 45 of the project's 539 condos have sold.

The latest in impressive real estate auctions takes us to Hawaii and two luxury properties at the Four Seasons Resort Hualalai in Hawaii. The two homes were formerly listed at $10.3 million and $9.1 million. The homes will be auctioned off on August 10 through Concierge Auctions in cooperation with Hualalai Realty. No minimum bid is required.

The first property, 72-151 Lau'eki Street, is located on 25,000 square feet of land and contains a 5,900-square-foot residence with 4,600 square feet of air conditioned living space including five bedrooms, five baths and one half-bath, and more than 1,300 square feet of covered lanais. It was was previously offered to $10.3 million unfurnished. The second property, 72-155 Lau'eki Street, is on 21,000 square feet of land, with 4,416 square feet of interior living area and more than 1,200 square feet of lanais. It includes four bedrooms, four baths and one half-bath, and a two-plus car garage. It was previously offered to $9.1 million unfurnished. Both homes have a swimming pool with infinity edge and integrated spa, covered entry with zen garden, outdoor kitchen, and a private outdoor shower garden. A $100,000 deposit via wired or certified funds is necessary to bid.

Hawaii's real estate market has been hard hit by the recession because many properties are vacation homes. Short sales have been rising and the state ranks 19th in foreclosures in the nation.

It's happened again, another luxury hotel is in default. Millennium Partners has said that it has defaulted on a two-year-old, $90-million CMBS loan for the Four Seasons San Francisco. Like other hotel owners, Millennium made this move as a bargaining tool with an eye toward renegotiating the debt with the special servicer, LNR Property Corp., because the value of the hotel is lower than the debt. Alan Reay, president of Irvine, CA-based Atlas Hospitality Group told GlobeSt.com. "My prediction is you are going to see vast majority of CMBS loans in California--probably throughout country--defaulting."

We've already seen another California hotel, the W Hotel in San Diego in a similar situation. Loans made over the past two years were made at the peak of the market. Now with real estate prices and hotel occupancy rates in sharp decline, borrowers want relief. The Four Seasons San Francisco remains open and is offering a package that offers a free third night if you stay two consecutive nights.

One of Boston's more elegant dining institutions has become as victim of the economic slump. Aujourd'hui, the fine dining restaurant at the Four Seasons Hotel Boston will close at the end of June, leaving the more casual Bristol Lounge as the hotel's main dining option. The beautiful, if slightly staid, Aujourd'hui space will be reconfigured for use as a private function venue. The Boston Herald quotes Four Seasons Hotel Boston public relations director Kristan Fletcher as saying that Aujourd'hui's formal (and expensive) style doesn't fit with the way people are dining today.

The restaurant overlooking Boston Garden opened in 1985. It served refined French cuisine and offered tasting menus and elaborate desserts as well as putting on a spectacular Sunday brunch that included a raw bar.

UPDATE: As Aqualung pointed out in the comments, another fine restaurant in Boston, Great Bay in the Hotel Commonwealth is also closing.

With its bluff-top setting overlooking a blue lagoon and the Pacific Ocean, the Four Seasons Resort Aviara was designed to project an aura of bliss. But as The New York Times skillfully reports, the Spanish Colonial–style resort north of San Diego has become the site of a pitched battle between its owners and the Four Seasons, which manages the property.

The owners claim the Four Seasons has financially mismanaged the Aviara at a time when the luxury travel industry is reeling. They've attempted to oust the company and replace it with a new operator. For its part, the Four Seasons defends its performance and says the owners are struggling because they shouldered too much debt. The fight, which has spilled over from arbitration into open court, has gotten so intense that the Four Seasons has hired security guards to prevent the owners from entering the offices that hold the Aviara's financial books.

Outlandish as that is, the dispute itself is by no means unique. Having invested enormously in their properties only to see business steeply decline in the economic crisis, The Times explains, many luxury-hotel owners are now pressed for cash. Hotel operators, however, are often loath to cut room rates or scale back on amenities for fear of diminishing their brands.

For those in New York City you can spend a day at the spa with your mom at Phyto Universe, a Manhattan spa that focuses on your crowning glory. The Mother's Day Royal Treatment package includes a conditioning hair treatment, super-charged anti-aging facial, complimentary champagne, and cocktails around the block at Four Seasons Hotel New York. The Botanical Bliss hair treatment is designed for dry hair and uses jojoba oil plus sage and rosemary essential oils. The calming decor of Phyto Universe includes a two-sided vertical garden and each treatment is lavished with plant extracts and botanicals. The total package price for this Mother's Day special including the cocktail at the Four Seasons is $260.

I've been whale watching from a boat but never an outrigger canoe. That's the experience on offer at the Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea. This is the time of year for whale watching in Hawaii as the North Pacific humpback whales make their annual journey toward warmer waters. The Four Seasons Whale Watching Package includes a free daytime excursion along with a four-night stay and a complimentary fifth night. For the less adventurous the whales can also be observed from shore. Rates start at $640 per night.

Last year brought a record number of humpback whales and this year's migration is expected to be similarly well-attended. Maui celebrates the return of the whales with a month of special events to learn more about these majestic creatures. Whale watching is a popular tourist event each winter but although the whales are in full force, as USA Today reports, some of the tourists are not. A video shot from one of the canoes is after the jump.

The Four Seasons Hotel George V in Paris has just unveiled the ultimate luxury automobile - the world's only Hermès-designed, hand-built Rolls-Royce Phantom. The one-of-a-kind car was custom made to the famed hotel's specifications by Rolls-Royce in collaboration with the legendary French fashion house.

The project, which took a year to complete, was overseen by the luxury hotel's in-house Artistic Director Jeff Leatham. He first selected the car's color scheme to match the famed hotel's "personality". The team at Hermès' Interieur & Design department then conceived and created customized upholstery and accessories based on the aesthetics and rich heritage of the Four Seasons George V.

Leatham selected two tones of elegant gray for the Rolls' exterior, anthracite and titanium, and a deep rose leaf gray was chosen for the full Hermès glove-soft leather interior. Key elements such as the steering wheel and passenger consoles were finished in Hermès Taurillon Plume calfskin to complement the rest. A romantic touch was added in the form of a "starlight headliner": a canopy consisting of 800 lights on the Rolls' roof liner as a tribute to the City of Lights.



Leatham followed each step of the fabrication process from the Rolls-Royce motorworks in Goodwood, England to the ateliers of Hermès in Pantin, France. While the car was being hand-built in Goodwood, 39 of its interior parts including the door handles, steering wheel and interior consoles were shipped to France and entrusted to the expert craftsmen of Hermès. As a finishing touch, classic Hermès throws in complementary color schemes were stowed in the passenger area.

"The Hotel's goal in commissioning two of the world's most talented makers of luxury goods to collaborate on the project was to create an experience that is unsurpassed for our guests in Paris," says Christopher Norton, Regional Vice President and General Manager of the Four Seasons Hotel George V. ''This Rolls-Royce represents a marriage of like-minded brands that are single-mindedly focused on the very highest of standards and quality. As it is the hotel's 80th anniversary this year, it is fitting to introduce an experience that is unique in the world and only available at Four Seasons George V."

When the car was complete, five drivers were appointed by the George V and specially trained by Rolls-Royce to operate the precious vehicle. The car is available to hotel guests for airport pick-up at a rate of about $1,000, and for day trips or business in Paris, at a rate of about $5,000 per day, via the hotel's Concierge desk.

Green weddings are all the rage and the Four Seasons Resort Hualalai has jumped on the eco bandwagaon with their Sustainable Nuptials Package. What does sustainable mean to the Four Seasons? The Sustainable Nuptials Package costs $10,050 and includes a wedding planner's "eco-expertise," choice of outdoor wedding location , carbon credit to offset the wedding's carbon footprint, teak chair set-up, marriage license appointment (within walking distance), an officiant, solo acoustic musician, the bridal bouquet, groom's boutenniere, floral leis for 25 guests, a bamboo wedding arch, photography, wedding cake, Champagne and a couples massage. If you are having a hard time finding the green in this one you are not alone, especially since the list of amenities includes 2,000 dendrobium orchids sprinkled at the wedding site. Beautiful? I'm sure. Green? I don't think so. While I applaud the Four Seasons for its other eco-friendly efforts, trying to sell a destination wedding as a green event seems a bit of a stretch.

Luxe sushi empire Nobu, backed by Robert De Niro, plans to open an eatery in Doha, Qatar's capital city. Planning is in the early stages and the exact location is unknown, but the odds-on favorite is the landmark Four Seasons Doha in West Bay on the Arabian Gulf, the Qatari Penisula reports. This will be Nobu's second Middle Eastern outpost, following the branch at the newly-opened Atlantis in Dubai's Palm Jumeirah. Qatar, which has the highest per capita income in the world, is also the site of upcoming restaurants from famed chefs Gordon Ramsay and Jean-Georges Vongerichten, part of the country's growing luxeification. Nobu currently has has 21 restaurants in 16 cities around the world.

The Wealth Bulletin has compiled a new list of the World's Top Ten Most Expensive Hotel Rooms, and the first and second both cost over $30,000 per night. And despite glum economic prospects, demand for these costly suites is as strong as ever, with waiting lists stretching from now until the end of December. Also worth noting is the appearance of Dubai (the Burj Al Arab's Royal Suite, above) and Moscow hotels on the list, which would have been unheard of just a couple years ago. Here are the Top 10:

1. Ty Warner Penthouse, Four Seasons, New York; $34,000 per night
2. Royal Penthouse Suite, President Wilson Hotel, Geneva; $33,000 per night
3. The Presidential Suite, Hotel Cala di Volpe, Costa Smeralda, Italy; $21,000 per night
4. Royal Suite, Burj Al Arab, Dubai; $18,000 per night
5. Royal Armleder Suite, Le Richemond, Geneva; $17,500 per night
6. The Ritz-Carlton Suite, The Ritz-Carlton, Moscow; $16,500 per night
7. The Royal Suite, Four Seasons George V, Paris; $16,000 per night
8. The Imperial Suite, Park Hyatt-Vendôme, Paris; $15,500 per night
9. Brook Penthouse, Claridges, London; $10,000 per night
10. Penthouse Suite, Hotel Martinez, Cannes; $9,300 per night