kempinski

Hotel de Crillon Reported Sold To Saudi Investors

One of the world's most famous hotels (and a former Luxist Awards nominee for Best City Hotel), Hotel de Crillon in Paris, will soon have new owners. Starwood Capital is selling the hotel to Saudi investors with ties to the royal family for a sum said to be around 250 million euros ($353.6 million). That number is quite a bit less than the 420 million euro sum that it was reportedly listed at last year.

French newspaper Le Figaro reported that the buyer may have to spend an additional 100 million euros in renovations. The management of the hotel is expected to go to luxury hotel chain Kempinski, which currently doesn't have a French hotel in its stable. The classical edifice was built in 1758 as a government building commissioned by Louis XV and was converted into a hotel over 100 years ago. Starwood took over the Crillon in 2005.

Tags: awards-main, Hotel de Crillon, kempinski, luxist-awards, paris hotel, Starwood Capital Group

The Nominees For The Best in Summer Travel

by Carrie Coolidge (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels

The Yachts of Seabourn's Fabled Far East Cruise

Best Adventure Getaway
The first nominee offers an unforgettable trekking experience in Bhutan while the second offers an unparalleled safari in East Africa. The third nominee is located in one of the world's finest unspoiled havens, while the fourth features elephants in their natural habitat. The final nominee, located in the Montana Rockies, is known for its outdoor sports, from fishing to horseback riding.

Amankora Resort: Trekking in Bhutan
East African Safari with Abercrombie & Kent
Phinda Private Game Reserve
Savute Elephant Camp by Orient-Express
Montana's Triple Creek Ranch

Best Beachside Hotel
The first nominee is where to go when in search of a peaceful sanctuary while the second nominee is a tropical haven with a relaxed pace. The third nominee is located in a secluded natural sanctuary while the fourth offers an award-winning beach. The last nominee offers a beachside location that is idyllic and unspoiled.

Amanpuri Resort, Phuket, Thailand
Four Seasons Resort, Bali at Jimbaran Bay
Four Seasons Costa Rica at Peninsula Papagayo
Grace Bay Club, Turks & Caicos
The Oberoi, Mauritius

Best International Summer Destination
The first nominee is one of the world's most glamorous destinations while the second one was once the home of the Ottoman Sultans. The third nominee is the premier hot spot on the Amalfi Coast while the fourth offers chauffeured-driven tours of the Tuscan wine country. The final nominee offers a once-in-a-lifetime trip from Venice to Istanbul aboard one of the world's most luxurious trains.

Hotel Santa Caterina, Amalfi Coast
Kempinski's Ciragan Palace, Istanbul
San Pietro di Positano, Amalfi Coast
Tuscany Wine Tours
Venice Simplon Orient-Express Train

Best Luxury Family Vacation
The first nominee offers a luxurious barge cruise through Burgandy while the second offers an armchair safari suitable for the whole family. The third nominee is where families go for Scottish outdoor pursuits from falconry to golf. The fourth nominee is considered to be the jewel of Maui while the final nominee is unplugged and unpretentious.

Abercrombie & Kent's River Barge Cruise in Burgundy
Ebony Lodge, Singita Game Reserves
Gleneagles, Scotland
Grand Wailea Resort Hotel, Maui
Kona Village Resort, Hawaii

Best Summer Cruise
The first nominee offers an unforgettable cruise through the fabled Far East while the second nominee is the way to experience the Greek Isles and Turkey in complete luxury. The third nominee is an expedition to see the ice bears upclose while the fourth nominee takes its passengers down the Nile in style.

Fabled Far East Cruise by The Yachts of Seabourn
Greek Isles and Turkey Cruise by Sea Cloud Cruises
Land of the Ice Bear Cruise by Lindblad Expeditions & National Geographic
Oberoi Zahra Luxury Nile Cruiser: Down the Nile in Style
Mediterreanean Luxury Cruise on Cunard's Queen Mary 2

Tags: Abercrombie Kent, Amalfi Coast, Amanpuri, awards-main, Cunard, Ebony Lodge, Four Seasons Resort Costa Rica at Peninsula Papagayo, Gleneagles, Grace Bay Club, Grand Wailea, Hotel Santa Caterina, Kempinski, Kona Village, Lindblad Expeditions, luxist-awards, National Geographic, Oberoi Mauritius, Oberoi Zahra, Phinda, Queen Mary 2, San Pietro di Positano, Savute, Sea Cloud, Tuscany, Venice Simplon Orient-Express, wine tours, winners-summer-travel, Yachts of Seabourn

Ciragan Palace Kempinski in Istanbul: The Former Home of Ottoman Sultans

by Carrie Coolidge (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels

The view of the Bosphoros from the Ciragan Palace in Istanbul, Turkey

For any traveler looking to stay in a hotel fit for kings in Istanbul, there's no need to look farther than Kempinski's Ciragan Palace. Once home to Ottoman sultans, the locale is a fitting nominee for a Luxist Award in the best international vacation category.

Built on the European side of the Bosporus by Sultan Abdulaziz between the years of 1863 and 1867, the original Ciragan Palace lasted until 1910, when it was decimated by a fire. The walled-in ruins became a soccer stadium for decades; in 1989, the site was restored to its former glory, with a modern hotel complex built next to the refurbished palace.

Gallery: Ciragan Palace Kempinski Istanbul

Beyond the hotel's walls, Istanbul beckons. The city of 12.6 million is Europe's second-largest metro area, and its streets are filled with attractions accumulated over thousands of years. Highlights include the Hagia Sofia, a millennium-and-a-half-old building converted from cathedral to mosque to museum, as well as the Galata Tower, an ancient edifice that offers panoramic views of Old Istanbul.

Today, the hotel's atrium greets guests with grandeur worthy of a sultan. A vast chandelier hangs from the ornate ceiling; a magnificent white stairway winds between the first and second floors. Visitors who stay in the Palace Suites are greeted by a private butler and ushered to rooms graced by balconies overlooking the water; some also include 65-inch LCD televisions or private steam rooms. The most modest rooms start at about 350 Euros, while the most opulent suites easily exceed 2,000 Euros per night.

Vote for the International Vacation Destination that you think is the best of breed. The winner will be announced on September 1st.

Tags: awards-main, Best international summer destination, Ciragan Palace Kempinski, Istanbul, Kempinski, luxist-awards

St. Moritz: On Top of the World

by Carrie Coolidge (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels

Skiing in the Swiss Alps is a favorite pastime of moneyed Europeans, and there are few glitzier locales than the town of St. Moritz. Packed with thrills on and off the slopes, the mile-high village, which is one of the best-known holiday resorts in the world. St. Moritz, a nominee for a Readers' Choice Award in the Best International Ski Destination category, is known for its beauty, culture, great shopping, dining and, of course, its world-class skiing.

Located at an altitude of 1,856 meters above sea level, St. Moritz is considered Switzerland's cradle of winter tourism. St. Moritz offers three different ski resorts: Corvatsch, Corviglia and Diavolezza and 350 kilometers of pistes. St. Moritz's "house mountain", the Corviglia, boasts the steepest start slope in Switzerland with the Piz Nair Wall's 100% vertiginous drop. For winter hikers, there are 150 kilometers of winter walking trails while cross-country skiers enjoy a track network of about 180 kilometers.

The town hosted the 1928 Winter Olympic Games and the stadium is still standing. Those who are adventurous may want to visit the Olympic bobsledding run, which is also the oldest bob run still in operation, which is located in St. Moritz-Celerina. There, visitors have the opportunity to have a one-to-one experience schussing down the run at speeds up to 84 miles per hour. The Fun Park for snowboarders features a permanently operational half-pipe, tandem parachute jumps as well as altitude training.

Though the town of St. Moritz dates back to the 12th Century at least, it didn't start to become a tourist destination until the middle of the 19th Century. According to local lore, in 1864 a man named Johannes Badrutt challenged a band of Brits visiting for the summer to return in winter. If they didn't like it, he'd pay for their roundtrip journey; if they did, they could stay as long as they liked. Pleased with the win-win wager, the Brits came back for Christmas – and ended up staying until Easter.

Today, Badrutt's Palace Hotel (a Readers' Choice Nominee for Best Ski Hotel) is a legend in St. Moritz and throughout the rest of the world. The century-old lodge boasts a spa, a fitness center, and the elegant French eatery Le Restaurant, among others. Those with more of an avant garde sensibility might prefer the nearby modern Kempinski Grand Hotel des Bains.

Both Badrutt's and Kempinski can give travelers a taste of the finest the Alps have to offer, but be prepared to pay. Given the current exchange rates, Americans will be lucky to land a room for two at either locale for less than $800 a night.

Vote now for what you believe is the best of breed for each of the Winter Travel categories. Readers' Choice Awards for the Best in Winter Travel will be announced on January 31st.

Gallery: More from St. Moritz

Tags: awards-main, Badrutts palace, BadruttsPalace, kempenski grand hotel des bains, KempenskiGrandHotelDesBains, kempinski, luxist-awards, ski resorts, skiing, SkiResorts, snowboarding, st. moritz, St.Moritz, swiss alps, SwissAlps, switzerland, winter-travel-awards, winter-travel-main

Kempinski Adds To Great Wall China Hotel

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels

You wouldn't think modern design and the Great Wall of China would go together but a gorgeous modernist hotel with private access to an unrestored section of the Great Wall, opened this week. The Commune by the Great Wall Kempinski is located in the Shuiguan Mountains, one hour's drive from Beijing. Since 2002, The Commune has been a collection of contemporary villas designed by 12 Asian architects. It was opened as both a boutique hotel and semi-architectural museum. Kempinski Hotels took over the hotel in 2005 and have built an additional 21 villas with 191 new rooms. The new villas have views of The Great Wall and each one is a replica of one of four of the original designs: The Bamboo House, Cantilever House, Shared House and Forest House. The interior is full of beautiful modern furniture designed by top designers such as Philippe Starck and Karim Rashid. The hotel also now has a spa with 15 suites that offer partial views of the Great Wall. There is also a Kids' Club, named Commune of the Children, a whole villa devoted to activities for children including a kitchen for cooking classes, a garden, a tree house and outdoor pool.

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Tags: china, great wall, hotel, kempinski, modern design, modernist

Kempinski To Open Ski Dubai Hotel

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels

The Ski Dubai indoor ski resort is on one of the most unusual places in the world. A ski slope inside a mall, it's perhaps the most powerful symbol of the excess and over-the-top fantasy that is the Dubai. It's no surprise then that Kempinski, the company behind the epically posh Emirates hotel has created the Kempinski Hotel Mall of the Emirates which is attached to the Ski Dubai indoor ski resort and the massive Mall of the Emirates which has over 400 shops. The hotel has 393 rooms and 15 ski chalets which have views of the indoor slopes. The hotel is also planning a spa with an ayurvedic center, beauty treatment rooms, fitness center and an infinity swimming pool with sun deck and tennis court. Guests can sunbathe and ski during the same day. The hotel opens next month.

[via Breaking Travel News]

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Tags: dubai, hotels, kempinski, ski dubai, unique destination