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Irish Governments May Wind up in the Luxury Business

Three high-profile London hotels could wind up in the hands of the government soon. The Berkeley, Claridges and Connaught, all owned by Maybourne Hotel Group, are at risk of being controlled by the National Asset Management Agency (NAMA), due to the terms of a €16 billion loan. And, there wil probably be more.

In Ireland, five hotels could fall victim to the impact of economic woes on their developers. Loans totaling €80 billion could push the prestigious hotels – the Shelbourne, K-Club, Ritz-Carlton Wicklow, Radisson and G Hotel in Galway – into the hands of the state. Even if the loans don't go into default, the fact that they used government relief could push control to NAMA.

Depending on how the situation unfolds, NAMA could become one of the largest hotel owners in the world, a dicey proposition for the properties given the agency's lack hospitality experience. There's a shot that 100 hotels could find their way to NAMA's portfolio according to the Irish Hotel Foundation, and others in the industry put the potential at double that amount. The problem is that these assets aren't easy to manage.

Some of the properties that could wind up in NAMA's hands fall distinctly into the luxury sector. The lowest priced hotel in the Maybourne Group comes in at €643 a night (for the Berkeley). At the Connaught, you could wind up dropping more than £8,000 a night. Given the stakes involved, some the developers will be kept on to manage the new properties, though there are cases where NAMA will bring in a new team.

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Tags: hotel, hotels, ireland, london, luxury hotel, luxury hotels, radisson, RadissonHotelsAndResorts, ritz, ritz carlton, ritz-carlton

Luxuriate in Literary London

by Alison Wellner (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels

London is definitely one of the great literary cities of the world -- just check out this London Literary Trail map -- and now the bookish fun doesn't have to stop when you return to your hotel at night. The Radisson Edwardian Bloomsbury Street Hotel , which completed renovations earlier this year, has launched a Book of the Month club -- read the book while you're in the hotel, or take it home with you.

September's book? The Tales of Hans Christian Andersen, Walker Classics Edition. All right, so it ain't Virgina Woolf but I've always been a sucker for rather twisted fairy tales. Book one of the hotel's suites, which come equipped with a bathtub at the foot of the bed for convenient reading, as well as an egg-shaped swing -- and float away in many ways.

Tags: books, london, radisson, suites

Renovated Hotel Ukraina Scheduled to Reopen in Moscow in December

by Tom Johansmeyer (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels

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."

Tags: art collection, ArtCollection, hotel, hotels, luxury hotel, luxury hotels, LuxuryHotel, LuxuryHotels, moscow, moscow russia, MoscowRussia, radisson, rezidorhotelgroup, russia, sauna, saunas, soviet, soviet union, soviet-era, soviets, SovietUnion, spa, turkish baths, TurkishBaths

New Croatian Radison Blu Offers 100,000 Sq. Ft. Spa

by Tom Johansmeyer (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels, Spas

The Radisson Blu Resort and Spa Dubrovnik just became the largest resort on Croatia's Dalmatian coast. The new property, which is only 11 miles from Dubrovnik International Airport, boasts more than 100,000 square feet of spa, sports and wellness facilities with treatments such as hydrotherapy and salt saunas. This is the first Anne Semonin spa to open in Croatia, and to celebrate the milestone, several exclusive treatments have bee developed.

The spa itself occupies 37,000 square feet along the Croatian coastline, with seven individual treatment rooms and two more for couples. An outdoor hot tub sits at the center of this layout. The Thalassotherapy Therma Stone Experience, 100% Active Ice Therapy Facial and Black Sand Scrub & Ocean Massage Ritual were developed specifically for the Radisson Blu – I guess giving three more damned good reasons to get on a plane for Dubrovnik.

Another 75,000 square feet is dedicated to a sports and wellness center. The 60-foot lagoon pool, waterfall and underwater vitality jet lounges sound simply seductive, and there are additional treatments built around these decadent aquatic amenities.

Pass on the cliche European destinations this year, and head out to the Dalmatian coast. The spa experience will be a far cry from the usual.

Tags: croatia, croatian, dalmatian, dalmatiancoast, dubrovnik, facial, hydrotherapy, jacuzzi, lagoon, massage, massages, radisson, sauna, saunas, spa, spa therapy, spa time, spa treatment, spa treatments, SpaTherapy, SpaTime, SpaTreatment, SpaTreatments

Missoni Moves Into the Hotel Business

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Apparel, Luxury Travel & Hotels, Real Estate Developments

On the heels of Versace's newest palazzo project, fellow Italian fashion house Missoni is getting into the hotel act as well. The company, famed for its signature zigzag-striped knitwear (as modeled here by Kate Moss), is partnering with the Rezidor Hotel Group, owners of the Park Inn, Regent and Radisson SAS brands, on the project.

According to Rezidor, the 5-star Hotel Missoni will embody "a strong interest in design, an appreciation of detail, an understanding of food and wine, a belief in authenticity, a cognizance of culture from a contemporary point of view, and a strong and equitable set of social values." The first two branches are planned for Edinburgh in Scotland and Kuwait City, slated for opening in 2009.

Missoni creative director Rosita Missoni will spearhead the project in conjunction with fashionable Milan-based designers Matteo Thun & Partners. Thun has spec'd out a black, white and silver color scheme for the 129-room Edinburgh hotel, which is more business oriented, and "saturated" colors for the Kuwait City branch, which will be more leisure oriented. See the renderings below.

Gallery: Hotel Missoni

Tags: Edinburgh, Fashion hotels, FashionHotels, Hotels, Italian fashion, ItalianFashion, Kate Moss, KateMoss, Kuwait, Matteo Thun Partners, MatteoThunPartners, Missoni, Radisson, Rezidor Hotel Group, RezidorHotelGroup, Versace

Radissson Launches Online Boutique

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Decor, Luxury Travel & Hotels

Radisson has become the latest hotel chain to launch an online boutique. The new boutique for guests in the U.S. and Canada includes bedding, bath products and even the wall mirrors and wall-mounted hair dryers. It isn't the most luxurious offering we have seen by far but this ice bucket set is sort of cute. The ice bucket and shaker are stainless steel with an acrylic center wrap that's been coated with a rubber frost spray and is double wall insulated and he tray is stainless steel. The ice bucket is $75, the cocktail shaker is $38 and the tray is $48.

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Tags: boutique, decor, hotels, ice bucket, journey, radisson, travel, vacation