As my colleague Jared Paul Stern mentioned back in October, Boston's most expensive penthouse located atop the brand new five-star Mandarin Oriental hotel is for sale for $17 million. But those who can't afford that can still get into Back Bay's new luxurious address if they win the lottery of 10 affordable apartments in the building. The lottery is part of a city initiative to bring middle-income residents to the city's pricier addresses.

Starting on Monday, the building swill begin accepting applications for a lottery that will select tenants to live in building for rents ranging from $1,254 to $2,172 a month for the one- and two-bedroom apartments. Rents on the 25 market-rate apartments range from $6,000 to $13,000 a month. The Boston Globe reports that to qualify, individuals must make between $48,050 and $72,050 a year, and a family of four, between $68,650 and $102,950. Those who already live in Boston and handicapped tenants will be given preference. The apartments are identical to the higher-priced units including Atlantic green granite counters in the kitchen, Portofino marble in the bathrooms, soundproof windows and access to the concierge downstairs. Applications can be picked up at the lower level of the Prudential Center at 800 Boylston St. beginning Monday.

Just about every article I've checked out regarding the announcement of a new $285 million hotel and condo building planned for Midtown Atlanta has expressed a bit of concern over the timing. Condo crisis? What condo crisis, Tivoli Properties is set to build a 53-story building with a Mandarin Oriental Hotel and 71 condos with prices ranging from $1.8 million to $15 million. The Atlanta Journal-Constititution quotes Scott Leventhal, Tivoli's CEO and president, as saying that "now is a great time to be in the planning stage." And indeed he may be right. The condo is set to begin construction next year and finish in late 2011, that is of course if they manage to secure financing and have enough presales to go forward. The project would need to be about half-sold in order to begin building. The first 30 buyers to reserve condominiums will receive $75 a square foot discounts which would work out to six figure discounts because the average condo size is over 2,500 square feet. So far 19 buyers have made reservations.

An investment group has listed Boston's most expensive penthouse, atop the brand new five-star Mandarin Oriental hotel (above), for $17 million - a new record for the city. The investment group paid $13 million for the 8,000-sq.-ft. spread prior to the hotel's completion, and just relisted it for $4 million more. Calling it "Boston's most awe-inspiring penthouse ever," the sales material reads, "Fourteen stories above Back Bay, this 8,000-square-foot oasis features floor-to-ceiling windows on four sides, providing unmatched and unobstructed views," the Boston Herald reports.

The space includes two private terraces and decks, a private elevator, and four parking spaces in the garage, but the interior is "customizable" - i.e. unfinished. The Mandarin, which just opened this month and combines luxury condos with a five-star hotel and luxury boutiques like Gucci, is "fast becoming Boston's most prestigious address," the paper notes.

We've covered a $150,000 hotel offer in New York but if your Christmas travels take you to Japan, you can hole up in the a luxury hotel in Tokyo for a one-of-a-kind Christmas that costs $130,000. The Mandarin Oriental Tokyo is offering a Christmas suite that is decorated with a small tree with diamonds. The package also includes a bath with fresh roses, vintage champagne, and a breakfast with truffles. The package comes with limo service, a spa treatment and a gourmet dinner that is served in the dining room of the presidential suite. Much of the money you spend you get to take home with you, in the form of diamond jewelry worth around $108,000.

The latest Caribbean island to get a marina big enough to accommodate today's megayachts will be St. Kitts. A new 2,500-acre resort development with a marina that can berth up to 300 feet in length will be installed at Christophe Harbor. The development is being created by developer Kiawah Development Partners, Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group, and will include a Tom Fazio-designed golf course, a pair of five-star hotels (an Auberge resort and a Mandarin Oriental), retail and restaurants and residence opportunities. The marina will pamper yacht owners with laundry, wi-fi, access to a heliport, in-slip services and access to the hotels' amenities. There will also be harborside condominiums for sale. The developers promise that the eco-friendly design of marina will preserve the shoreline, water and coral reefs of the area. The development should be completed in 2010.

If you've always wanted your picture taken by a celebrity photographer here's your chance. Hotel Chatter reports that the Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park in London is offering a new luxury package, the Mary McCartney Portrait Experience. Mary McCartney (the daughter of Paul and his photographer wife Linda) has taken the photographs of a wide variety of rock stars (she's a regular photographer for Interview magazine) as well as actors such as Jude Law and Ralph Fiennes and even Tony and Cherie Blair. McCartney has been appointed the official photographer for the Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group's `I'm a Fan' brand campaign which also features celebrities. The two-night package includes a feature suite, a two-hour spa ritual to prepare, Champagne breakfast daily, a bottle of vintage Champagne and an a la carte dinner for two in the restaurant, Foliage. The package starts at £20,000 and is limited to just ten guests. And I'm assuming that asking questions about her famous dad and his recent divorce are probably off limits.

Calling all brides, the Mandarin Oriental has created a two-part destination wedding for a couple and a pair of witnesses. The package begins with a two-night stay at the Mandarin Oriental, New York which includes accommodations in the Premier Central Park View Suites, a two-hour Mandarin Oriental Signature Time Ritual at the spa and an evening of customized "guys and girls" activities. Then the foursome is flown to Elbow Beach, Bermuda by private jet. The Bermuda event begins with a sunset cruise and a celebratory dinner. The wedding day dawns with a breakfast and the services of a hair stylist and makeup artist. The bride gets a blue sapphire garter as a gift while the groom will receive vintage hand-stitched silk handkerchiefs. The wedding ceremony takes place on the Bird of Paradise Terrace, overlooking the pink sand and turquoise water, with flowers and a string quartet. As the sun sets, Elbow Beach chefs will prepare a six-course reception dinner for the couple and their guests under a marquee. A seven-tiered wedding cake, dancing and fireworks complete the perfect day. The couple stays in the private Bird of Paradise cottage which is prepared with flowers, candles, a rose petal bath, monogrammed silk pyjamas, chilled champagne and Godiva chocolates. The package also includes photographs and personalized bathrobes. The total package costs $75,000 but maybe you can get your lucky guests to pitch in for the party.

Costa Rica is becoming the latest hot spot for major development projects. The latest is from Mandarin Oriental which has announced a beach resort and branded Residences at Playa Manzanillo, in Guanacaste province, on Costa Rica's northern Pacific coast. The Mandarin Oriental, Costa Rica will be part of a 538-acre gated golf and residential development, Rancho Manzanillo, which will feature branded Mandarin Oriental residences, beach and golf villas, and private homes. The resort will include the 18-hole Fred Couples Signature Championship golf course and 200 acres will be protected tropical dry forest. The hotel will be build on a costal ridge with bay views and hte suites will be designed using native woods and stone. The hotel will also have "tree house suites" away from the main building and set below the trees. The resort will include three restaurants, a lounge and three bars and a 20,000-square-foot spa. The 130-room resort will open in 2009.

Other Costa Rican developments we've covered:
Marisol Development
Punta Leona
Thunderbird Resort
St. Regis

The Mandarin Oriental always rolls out the blockbuster packages. This one, to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Mandarin Oriental's first U.S. property, Mandarin Oriental, San Francisco is called Fantastic San Francisco and is a four-day, three-night stay in the two-bedroom Oriental Suite. Along with your gorgeous suite you also get a three-day use of a 2007 Ferrari F430 or a 2005 Lamborghini Gallardo; one-hour private helicopter tour of San Francisco and an exclusive in-suite lunch or dinner prepared by Silks Chef de Cuisine Joel Huff with a bottle of Cristal. Other goodies in the package include a bottle of the 1987 Duckhorn Vineyards Merlot, 20 long-stemmed roses, daily breakfast and a 20th anniversary keepsake. The package costs an even $20,000 and is available through December.

The Mandarin Oriental in Manila has opened The Spa at Mandarin Oriental, Manila, a Thai-themed spa, on the hotel's top two floors. The spa experience starts with a relaxing foot ritual and treatments include facials, body massages, treatments, wraps and scrubs which are tailored to the guest's preferences and needs. The Spa uses the Ytsara line of organic Asian spa products which incorporate ingredients of herbs, roots and flowers with essential oils. The spa also plans to add heat experiences by mid-year. The design of the spa is Thai-inspired with silk upholstery and teak wood. The spa also includes an Oriental-style relaxation area and a mini Oriental garden on the upper floor, surrounded by four self-contained treatment rooms. The spa is probably one of the least expensive Mandarin Orientals I have seen, the Oriental Indulgence, a three hour and 20 minute experience that includes a 45-minute body scrub, 60-minute massage and a facial costs 6,388 Philippine pesos or around $134 dollars.

The Mandarin Oriental in Hong Kong recently went through a sumptuous renovation that includes a gorgeous new suite named for Lord Lichfield, the photographer who shot the hotel's popular "She/he's a fan" ad campaign that has featured celebs such as Helen Mirren and Elle Macpherson. The suite was designed by Nicky Haslam, and has a black, silver and red look with a 1970s cool. The suite is decorated with black and white photographs, tripod-based lamps and a glass-topped coffee table contains Lichfield memorabilia, including contact sheets, keepsakes and even some of the miniature Tabasco bottles that he always carried with him.

A few weeks ago when I was on Grand Avenue in Los Angeles with a friend attending an exhibit at the MOCA, we got to talking about Frank Gehry's plans for the blocks around Disney Hall. Gehry's designs for Grand Avenue are supposed to help this part of downtown Los Angeles complete its transition into the land of the luxe. The plan just got another boost. Related has announced that the Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group will manage the hotel that will occupy the first 20 floors of Gehry's 48-story tower. The upper floors will be luxury residences. The 275-room hotel is expected to open in 2010. Perhaps by then people will be more willing to stay downtown.

The Mandarin Oriental in Miami becomes the latest hotel chain to introduce spa rooms for their guests. The Spa Lifestyle rooms have an air purification system, in-room fitness program and spa cuisine offerings. There are 16 spa rooms and each one has received a seven-step cleaning process so the rooms are certified as "allergy-friendly." The in-room fitness program includess dumbbells, wellness balls, yoga mats and fitness-themed TV channels. The Spa Lifestyle Rooms are on the sixth floor of the hotel and each has a private veranda with views of Biscayne Bay and the Miami skyline. Rates start at $375 per night.

For some dedicated shoppers the idea of being able to shop while no one else is there is the ultimate thrill. The Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park, London provides just this experience with the Harvey Nichols Shopping Experience. For a price of £10,000 (around $18,770) you get to stay at the hotel for two nights directly opposite your quarry, the Harvey Nichols store. You are given a £5,000 shopping voucher and turned loose in the store outside normal hours with a a dedicated personal shopper for one hour. If that walk across the street is too much effort you can also enjoy a personal viewing of the latest collections in the salon of your suite. The package also includes a two-hour "advanced time ritual" spa treatment for two in the Spa at Mandarin Oriental. A bottle of chilled champagne and hand-made chocolates are waiting for you on arrival and you will be served a full English Breakfast each day.

Dallas seems to be one of the places that is experiencing a massive boom of condos. The latest comes from the Mandarin Oriental which announced that they will build a 43-story tower in the Victory project near downtown Dallas.The Victory Tower will contain a 120-room Mandarin Oriental Hotel, retail space and 90 condominiums which will be priced from  $850,000 to more than $6 million.

This development is just part of a huge amount of construction in the area. We've profiled the W Hotel in Dallas and Starck's project before but there are  13 projects under construction and nearly 30 planned total. Given recent condo fallout in Miami and Las Vegas, it will be interesting to see what becomes of all these Dallas projects.