st regis

We can't get enough of alluring Valentine's Day hotel packages. They make a great excuse to indulge. Should you need a little warmth, the St. Regis Punta Mita's Soak in the Love package offers the perfect weekend indulgence. The hotel is located within Mexico's exclusive beach community along the shores of the Riviera Nayarit.

The indulgence begins at arrival as you sip champagne and receive a mini massage at check in. The evening includes an intimate three-course, candlelit dinner on the beach prepared by award-winning Chef Sylvain Desbois, live music by a Mexican trio and a bottle of chilled champagne hidden in the sand. While out, turndown service will transform the room with flower petals on the bed and scented fragrant candles. The next day couples will then be treated to a unique Valentine's Day 90-minute massage at the renowned Remède Spa, followed by a romantic bath ceremony with aromatic candles, bath salts and flower petals in the private bathing pavilion. To finish off the weekend, an a la carte breakfast will be served in bed, before a late check-out. "Soak in the Love" begins at $555 for two including a two-night stay at The St. Regis Punta Mita, representing more than a 25 percent savings. Valid February 10-15; beach dinner is available February 12-14; subject to availability. For reservations, contact 52 329 291 5800, or visit www.stregis.com/puntamita.

Tibet's first luxury hotel is set to open for guests on November 15. The St. Regis Lhasa provides luxury at high altitudes while staying on the "Roof of the World." The St. Regis Lhasa Resort offers refined luxury within easy access of Potala Palace and Norbulingka, UNESCO World Heritage Sites, and Jokhang Temple. The once isolated enclave ruled by Tibetan Buddhist monks has changed greatly since the Chinese took over. There are now regular flights to the area and a high speed train service from central Qinghai province to Tibet. The Independent reports that the amount of visitors to Tibet has risen dramatically, up during the first nine months of 2010 to 5.8 million, which is 23 percent more than the same period last year.

The hotel has 150 rooms and villas and 12 suites including a Presidential Suite. The hotel also has restaurants, bars, an Iridium Spa and meeting space. Rooms have plasma televisions, marble bathrooms and high-speed Internet access. The St. Regis Lhasa Resort will be a green hotel using solar energy and underground water. It also operates a fleet of high-efficiency hybrid and turbo-diesel vehicles.

There are several different restaurants and lounges: Social - an all-day dining restaurant offering a wide selection of international cuisine; Si Zi Kang is a gastronomic Tibetan restaurant; Yan Ting Chinese Restaurant specializing in Cantonese and Sichuanese cuisine; the Tea Room, offering different blends of local and imported teas, and serving vintage teas aged from 10-25 years and Decanter by Haut-Brisson, a wine and cigar bar. The spa offers traditional Tibetan herbal treatments and ensures absolute soothing relief from altitude stress. Guests can choose to immerse themselves the gold-leaf immersion pool, or partake in Yoga or Pilates in the Meditation Garden. Rates start around $300 per night.

There are some who wonder how Los Angeles and San Francisco -- two extraordinarily different cities -- are even allowed by the laws of nature to exist in the same state. And for them, a listing like this just proves the point. Sophisticated, urban, historic and elegant -- it can only be San Francisco.

This rare two-story penthouse with 360-degree views sits atop the 5-star St. Regis Hotel and is listed at $49 million. The apartment was listed at $70 million in November 2008. The Museum Tower Penthouse, which recently completed 5 years of renovations at the hands of Orlando Diaz-Azcuy Design Associates, features three grand entertaining rooms with 21-foot glass walls and an adjacent 2,000-square-foot terrace reminiscent of terraces that border New York's Central Park.

Opulence abounds in this 20,000-square-foot residence that has both catering and family kitchens, a private elevator, an in-home cinema and game lounge with a wet bar. The penthouse also has a double-height cascading water feature in the grand stair hall. There are six bedrooms, four fireplaces and a garage bay for five or six cars.. There are hardwood floors, an in-home fitness center, sauna, spa and library. The building's amenities? Full-on top-scale. This is the St. Regis, which blends an historic building and a 40-story tower into a high-end luxury property. The hotel is in the SOMA area, near the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.

Louis J. Silcox Jr. of Sotheby's International Realty, San Francisco, is the listing agent.

Demand for luxury hotels is ticking higher. Even though the broader hotel industry is likely to cope with depressed room rates this year, due to a combination of economic woes and an increase in capacity, the luxury sector could come back in 2010. Of course, – this sector cut rates by as much as 25 percent last year – but what's important is that the rich are looking for the good life again.

Occupancy is the real story of the luxury hotel recovery, though, with heads in beds expected to surge to as high as 59 percent, a strong gain over last year's 55 percent occupancy rate. In Europe, it could even reach 65 percent this year, with room rate recovery coming next year (at a 5 percent increase).

Bruce Siegel, director of sales and marketing at he Ritz-Carlton Naples Resorts in Florida said to Bloomberg News, "On the leisure side, we certainly are enjoying a rate premium year over year." Further, he continued, "Many guests from the U.S. Northeast with clear signs of exhaustion are arriving at our door." Overall room rates, including corporate bookings, are little changed, he said.

So, what are people looking for when they book rooms at the likes of the Ritz or the Four Seasons, often at $500 a night or more? Ocean views are a must, and guests will be paying more for rooms at the St. Regis, where butler service comes as part of the tab.

W Hotels and Bliss Spas have been an unshakable combination for Starwood Hotels. But after a tough year for the travel and tourism industry Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc. has sold off the Bliss spa unit for $100 million to Steiner Leisure Limited. The Bliss and Remede brands will stay at the Starwood's W Hotels and St. Regis Hotels. Bloomberg News quotes Chief Executive Officer Frits Van Paasschen who said during a conference call in October that the company was looking at "assets that are non-core or that are so attractive that we can still get a good multiple."

The Bliss spa brand was founded in 1996 in New York City. The brand quickly grew and has become famous for its playful approach ot beauty and skin care treatments. The Bliss brand includes not just the Bliss and Remede spas but also branded products. Bliss products are also sold outside the spas through an e-commerce and catalog business and distribution in Sephora and many major department stores.

The brand is a natural fit for Steiner Leisure Limited which is a provider of spa services. The company operates spas and salons on 126 cruise ships and in 51 resort spas and two luxury day spas for brands that include Carnival Cruise Lines, Celebrity Cruises, Crystal Cruises, Harrah's Entertainment, Hilton Hotels, Holland America Line, InterContinental Hotels and Resorts, Marriott Hotels and many others. Steiner Leisure also owns and operates five schools that offer degree and non-degree programs in massage therapy and,skin care, training spa professionals for health and beauty positions at Steiner spas and salons.

Culinary Concepts by Jean-Georges, the global restaurant company by the renowned chef and his business partner Phil Suarez, has announced their first restaurant in Hawaii. The Kaua'i Grill will open at The St. Regis Resort Princeville at the start of November. The grill is the resort's signature restaurant and has stunning views of Hanalei Bay through panoramic floor-to-ceiling windows. Chef Vongerichten and his team have created a menu that will utilize the freshest fish and ingredients indigenous to the islands while adapting recipes and culinary techniques to showcase the chef's unique approach.

The interior will be done in shades of cocoa, ruby, and bronze with zebra wood. The spiraling lit fabric ceiling evokes the shape of a nautilus shell. Cascading from the center of the ceiling is a hand-crafted fiber optic and ruby glass hibiscus chandelier. The restaurant will be open for dinner nightly from 6 to 10 p.m. for resort guests as well as the public.

The third tower of The St. Regis Bal Harbour Resort is expected to be finished next February, and the resort will open its heavy glass doors to early adopters in 2011. Sitting on 1,000 square feet of sable blanc at the north end of Miami Beach, the three 27-story towers will house 511 rooms in various sizes and flavors of sumptuousness. The move south, like a snowbird from that biggest of apples, is intended to be a relocation of the New England grandeur that Colonel John Jacob Astor IV inaugurated when he opened the first St. Regis in NYC in 1904.

Think: mirrors. Lots of them. The Yabu Pushelberg interior scheme (from the firm that has lent a helping hand to Prada, Tiffany, the Mandarin Oriental, and so on) will naturally focus on textures and materials: Movingui hardwood walls, marble and travertine flooring, and etched plaster walls will abound upon entry. Guests and residents are no less looked after, with spa-like bathrooms, enclosed walk-in showers, and overflow soaking tubs. Granite makes its necessary appearance for the kitchen countertops, and the cutlery drawers will even be pre-slotted, so you'll never mistake your butcher for your cleaver.

Residences come in one-, two-, three-, and four-bedroom sizes, range from 1,777 to 6,868 square feet, and start at $1.9 million. If you need more convincing -- and proof that that this St. Regis has left behind most of its New York City roots -- the balconies alone start at 455 square feet, larger than a fair number of Manhattan apartments. Amenities will include white-glove butlers, 24-hour room service, a 12,000 square foot spa, and someone to do your grocery shopping for you. Because, you know, you'll be hungry when you finally roll in from Nikki Beach...

Another luxury hotel is in financial trouble and facing foreclosure. The Los Angeles Times is reporting that the owners of the St. Regis Monarch Beach in Dana Point, California have defaulted on a $70-million loan. The Orange County resort became infamous last year for being the site of the $443,000 AIG retreat after the federal bailout.

The companies that own the resort are in default and the hotel has been scheduled for a foreclosure auction. Ongoing negotiations may prevent the auction but unless a deal is worked out the auction will take place on July 7. The St. Regis has a 400-room hotel, a golf course, a private beach club and several restaurants including Michael Mina's Stonehill Tavern. The property is current on two other mortgages totaling $230 million. The property was refinanced in 2007 amassing $300 million in debt. The five-star hotel is located near Laguna Beach, California which is also home to Ritz-Carlton and Montage luxury resorts.

The hotel is part of the Starwood Group, a company which has seen several of its W Hotels also flirt with foreclosure. Like those hotels, the St. Regis Monarch Beach remains open. It has a Father's Day brunch planned as well as barbecue events for the Fourth of July and packages to coordinate with Laguna Beach's popular Pageant of the Masters which runs from July 8 to August 31. The art event showcases "living pictures" - re-creations of classical and contemporary works of art with real people posing to look exactly like their counterparts in the original pieces. That show and several other art festivals, brings tourists to the beach town all summer long and usually keep local resorts full of guests.

I first mentioned this one back in August but now the listing is available for us to take a good look. Back in August the San Francisco Chronicle reported that real estate mogul Victor MacFarlane put his St. Regis penthouse for sale for $70 million which would easily set a record for San Francisco. The condo is roughly 20,000 square feet and was originally three unfinished units on the top two floors. He bought the property for about $30 million in late 2005. The property also features 2,900 square feet of terraces with 360-degree views of many San Francisco landmarks. Glass walls also offer plenty of light and the foyer has a winding staircase and two-story waterfall. There are six bedrooms, two offices, a wine storage room, a gym with a sauna and a home theater room. It is definitely one of the most striking apartments in the country, let alone San Francisco but will anyone pay $70 million for it? Other San Francisco properties above the $30 million or so mark have lingered on the market. I suspect $70 million is a bit ambitious for a Bay Area apartment, even one as fabulous as this.

UPDATE: This home is now listed at $49 million.

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The House of Representative's Committee on Oversight and Government Reform is holding a hearing on the decline of American International Group (AIG) and they have revealed some stories of lavish spending. In fact, Businessweek reports that just days after the New York Fed gave the company and $85 billion handout, $443,343.71 was spent on a subsidiary's executive retreat at the St. Regis Resort Monarch Beach in Dana Point, California. The bills for the event included nearly $7,000 in golf fees and $23,280 in spa treatments. USA Today quotes Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Md. who told the committee that AIG spent $200,000 for hotel rooms, and almost $150,000 for catered banquets. Given the current economic crisis this revelation doesn't sit well with many people.

UPDATE: Given the attention to the outrage generated by the story of this retreat, ABC News reports that AIG has canceled a second one which was to be held at the Ritz-Carlton in Half Moon Bay.

The Palazzo Las Vegas officially opened earlier this year and now, like its neighbor The Wynn, it's expanding into resdiences. Las Vegas Sands has announced that the company has reached an agreement with Starwood Hotels to create The St. Regis Residences at the Venetian Palazzo,. The new project is a collection of 398 private luxury residences under construction between Las Vegas Sands' Palazzo and Venetian resorts on the Las Vegas Strip.

The residence will be available fully furnished with a choice of several different designer packages. They will range in size from 1,700 to over 10,000 square feet for a duplex villa with private pool. Prices on individual units haven't been released yet but the press release says that total sales for all units could reach as much as $2 billion which would put the average price at over $5 million. The St. Regis Residences are expected to open in March 2010. They will begin accepting VIP reservations this month and open a preview gallery in October.

Visitors to Singapore have a new place to stay. The St. Regis Singapore is said to be the first new internationally branded luxury hotel to open in Singapore in 11 years. The 20-story hotel is next to the St. Regis Singapore residences which will be in two 23-story towers still under construction. The towers will be home to 173 residences, 92% of which have already been sold at some of the highest prices Singapore has seen. The hotel has 299 rooms and suites and has a ballroom, spa and a fleet of customized Bentleys.

The Singapore St. Regis has 34 butlers who provide personalized service. No self-service coffee bar here, the butlers will prepare drinks and serve them to guests. They will also coordinate courses for room service, offering restaurant-like service in the privacy of your room. The butler service is available to all guests and several butlers are stationed on each floor who are available at the touch of a button. Room rates start at 680 Singapore dollars, which works out to around $465.

[via NY Times]

If a trip to Tibet is in your future you're not alone -- due to recent upgrades the area is currently experiencing a dramatic increase in international interest and tourism. As a result, Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide is planning to open a St. Regis Resort in Lhasa, which will be the first of its kind to open in the area in over a decade. Scheduled to start hosting guests in 2010, the 169 bed luxury hotel will offer the same services guests of the St. Regis New York have become accustomed to, including the famous English-trained butlers who will quietly and efficiently anticipate your every need and personalize your experience around the clock.

The St. Regis hotels have a program that creates specific experiences for luxury travelers called St. Regis Aficionado. Depending on what you are passionate about the hotels have a variety of adventures in many of the far flung St. Regis locations. Examples include the Toshiba Classic golf package that takes you to the St. Regis in Monarch Beach, California that includes access to a one-on-one breakfast or lunch with a Champions Tour Pro, VIP access to the corporate skybox, a round of golf, four nights in a suite and a "Champions Wine Bottle" collection to take home. The package costs $5,600 per guest. Other packages include ski packages, a tour of the Roman catacombs and a two-night stay in the Bottega Veneta suite at the St. Regis New York that includes the limited edition Bottega Veneta weekend bag and private shopping at Bottega Veneta's Fifth Avenue boutique for $16,000 per couple.

Starwood Hotels and Resorts has reached a deal with the Costa Rican development firm Genesis to build a new luxury resort in the country. The ultra-luxury hotel will be under the St. Regis Brand, located on a 250-acre site in Playa Coyol. The hotel will feature 133 guestrooms, all with outdoor terraces, showers and day beds. There will be four spa suites for guests wanting the most private, pampered stay, in addition to an 11,000-square foot spa and fitness center elsewhere on the grounds. There will also be a world-class golf course. The Presidential Suite may rival the top rooms at other luxury resorts with a cliff-top location, private pool and three bedrooms. On the grounds, there will also be 49 condominium/hotel residences, 42 private villas and 9 large estates. They will be built primarily with indigenous material, making them environmentally friendly as well as luxurious.

The St. Regis Resort, Costa Rica is slated to open in 2008.