The historic Hotel Ukraina, a city landmark in Moscow, Russia, is about to reopen as the Radisson Blu Royal Hotel. The property will have undergone a substantial renovation and its new look and feel is sure to impress.

The property will offer 507 guestrooms, along with 38 serviced apartments. The rooms will be 345 square feet in size, and the apartments will be quite large – from 540 square feet to 2,750 square feet. All rooms and apartments will be equipped with high-speed internet access.

What really makes the reopening interesting, though, is the connection between old and new. The property's art collection will be featured, consisting of nearly 1,000 paintings from the socialist realism school of thought, the "official" movement of the Soviet Union for more than six decades. Murals and ceiling frescoes will be restored and on display through the hotel's public spaces.

To enhance the experience, the hotel will feature a 43,000 square foot spa and wellness center, with a Turkish bath, Finnish sauna and six-lane swimming pool. There will also be a dedicated kids' club, giving parents some much-needed time to relax. After unwinding, dash up to the 31st floor bar and enjoy the views of Moscow. For another perspective on the city, you'll be able to take a culinary boat tour on the Moskva River.

"This hotel is another milestone in our history," says Kurt Ritter, President & CEO of Rezidor, which owns the property. "Rezidor, the international pioneer on the Russian hotel market, is today the leading international hotel operator in Russia and the CIS countries – and now manages an additional key property in Moscow, which is one of the most remarkable hotel structures in Europe."

A basic trip to Los Cabos, Mexico implies a large hotel room with a view of the beach. Within minutes of putting your bathing suit on, you'll have sand between your toes. This sort of baseline can make it tough for a hotel to stand out. If every one is within striking distance of that lovely turquoise water – and each has an attentive staff and cozy digs – what can one hotel do differently? Upon entering my room at Hoteles Marquis Los Cabos, I learned the answer: everything.

You realize that Hoteles Marquis is a special resort when you pull into the driveway. A covered outdoor lobby is framed by a dramatic space, with the curved walls leading your eye to a carefully designed display that links the statue to the pool to the water ... and ultimately to the horizon. Practicality is not sacrificed for the sake of design, however, as cool air is corralled to offset the powerful Cabo sun only footsteps away. The registration process is as swift as it can be, and a refreshing drink makes it a bit more enjoyable. Hey, forms have to be filled out and credit cards imprinted – nature of the beast.

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.

Sometimes, the hardest part of choosing a vacation spot is balancing between your wants and the kids' needs. Sprawling out on the beach or sipping a cocktail by the pool works for you, but children need distraction ... constant distraction.

In perhaps the most creative travel offer I've seen this year, Eden Rock – St. Barths is offering an easel, a paint brush and a palate of watercolors. Rather than splatter aimlessly, each kid will receive a one-time lesson with the Eden Rock Artist in Residence (the next is still to be announced).

Even for the caliber of guest that you find at Eden Rock, this can only be described as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

During the lesson, kids will also be exposed to the gallery's exhibitions in progress. In the recent past, this gallery has been home to the likes of Richard Prince and Will Cotton. The natural St. Barths aesthetic plus that created by the artists invited to show their work in the gallery yields a unique combination that is sure to inspire any budding artist.

The lessons are only available when the artist in residence is, in fact, in residence, so check with the Eden Rock Hotel when making reservations. The program runs through August 2009.

From Turin to Genoa, Venice to Naples and more, four- and five-star hotels, resorts and restaurants dot the Italian landscape offered through THI Collection. They provide traditional Italian style, art and history with innovative and modern strokes along with exclusive, personalized spa services. One of their restaurants, the Principe Cerami in Taormina, was recently awarded the coveted Michelin Star in the 2008 Guide. Specialty packages available include individual cooking lessons with a chef in Turin, gourmet weekends in Genoa or Sicily, and exquisite chocolate tastings...yum! Check out the gallery for a taste of what THI has to offer...

The Berners Hotel, an Edwardian edifice in London's West End, is set to re-open in 2009 following extensive renovations restoring the famed spot to its former glory. The four-star hotel, named for Josias Berners who purchased the land on which it stands in 1654, was originally constructed in 1835 as five conjoined houses in the classical style. At the turn of the 20th century it was converted into a luxury hotel; King Edward VII was said to have frequently entertained his mistress, Lillie Langtry, in a private suite of rooms there, and it also served as the London premises of famed Russian jeweler Carl Fabergé. All 176 rooms as well as the landmarked public spaces are being restored to their Edwardian splendor under the auspices of JJW Hotels' Luxury Collection.

We've seen a lot of hotel trends over the years, plasma TVs, the rise of free wi-fi, pillow butlers, in-room fitness equipment and all sorts of adjustments as hotels adapt to the greening of America but the latest might just be the disappearance of an old favorite. ABC News has a story on the fact that luxury hotels are ditching the tradition of the Bible tucked in the bedside drawer. According to the American Hotel and Lodging Association, the number of luxury hotels that stock the Bible and other religious items has dropped 18 percent since 2001. Luxury chains taking part in the trend include Kimpton Hotels, the Borgata in Atlantic City and the Gansevoort Hotel Group. The hotels all offer various religious materials that are available by request.

This trend is on the luxury side. In other motels, hotels and inns, the number of in-room Bibles has increased from 79 percent in 1988 to 95 percent today. In fact, a survey from the American Hotel and Lodging Association reveals that the more you pay for a hotel room the less likely you are to see a Bible. A full 99 percent of economy hotels have a Bible in the room but just 73 percent of luxury hotels provide one. Also Bibles are least likely to be found in urban hotels and resorts and are most often at hotels near interstate highways or at airports.

Forbes has answered a very interesting question pertaining to tipping. With all the luxury services that new hotels offer, there are many more people that you will come into contact with than just the porter and the maid. How do you know who to tip and - more importantly - how much to tip?

The first lesson is that some resorts are all-inclusive and will have a "resort fee" added to the bill (15-20% against the room rate) that is to be distributed as tips for the employees; no additional tipping is necessary here, and many employees will not accept them. If this is not the case at your hotel, employees who should be tipped include the concierge, doormen, drivers, pool attendant and those who offer special services, like masseurs. See the full guide for details on who gets a dollar, who gets 20% and what you should expect in return.

And don't forget the maid. Leave a few dollars a day, depending on the size of the room and the size of your mess.

Europe's will soon be getting its first seven-star hotel. The new hotel, the Town House Galleria will open in fashionable Milan in an area known as the Galleria Vittoria Emanuele, a shopping area between LA Scala opera house and the cathedral. The hotel is the opposite of the other seven-star hotel in the world, the over-the-top Burj Al Arab. This Town House Galleria will sit above the Prada shop and will be a small and elegant hotel with less than 30 suites and an elegant style will stress service over glitz.

Hotels and resorts are starting to use podcasts and video more and more to lure tourists to their luxurious offerings. The latest is from Jumeriah which offers a new J Cast service that features biweekly promotional videos which can be downloaded to your iPod or watched from your computer. They are currently featuring a short video of the Jumeirah Bab Al Shams Desert Resort & Spa , a  hotel styled to resemble an Arabic fort. It's a lovely little bit of hotel eyecandy but watch with the sound turned down, the music is dreadful.

Solis isn't going to San Antonio after all. The San Antonio Express-News reports that the Atlanta-based West Paces Hotel Group won't be building a luxury hotel in San Antonio as was planned. Last year, we covered the announcement that Solis was launching with six hotels in Chicago, San Antonio, the Phoenix suburb of Paradise Valley, the Atlanta suburb of Alpharetta, Frankfurt, Germany and Orlando, Florida. The hotel in San Antonio was to be a Spanish colonial-style hotel that would have cost $35 to $40 million.  No reasons have been given for the hotel chain's decision but another Solis hotel, the Sunny Isles Beach hotel near Fort Lauderdale, Florida has been added to the list of the original six. In the article, Marco Barros, San Antonio Area Tourism Council executive director, is quoted as saying that the loss of the hotel isn't a big concern because so many other projects are coming to the San Antonio area.

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.

And yet another well-regarded hotel has been bought as the foundation for a new chain. We've seen the Waldorf-Astoria and the Hotel de Crillon spawn new hotel chains recently. Now the Scotsman Hotel in Edinburgh has been bought by Saudi billionaire Mohamed Bin Issa al-Jaber who plans to use the hotel as the flagship for a new chain. According to the Scotsman, the hotel was sold for £63 million. The new European hotel brand will also include La Tremoillé in Paris and the Berners Hotel in London which is undergoing a £32 million refurbishment.

More places to play in Abu Dhabi, the Danat Resort Jebel Dhanna, a five star beach resort, has opened six waterfront villas at the west coast resort. The new villas join the 109 rooms and suites and offer privacy as well as amenities like a living room, kitchenette and soaker tubs in the bathrooms. The villas have sea views and satellite television. The villas also offer access to a private 800-metre sand beach as well as two floodlit tennis courts and two squash courts, swimming pool, the Body and Soul Health Club, plus water sports and beach activities. Guests may borrow MP3 players for use at the pool or beach and enjoy a free DVD movie to unwind. Villas start from AED 1500 for a one bedroom and AED 2000 for two bedroom.