Jetsettersblog

Atlantic City’s summer concert lineup will include 60 musical performers including: Miley Cyrus/Hannah Montana, Keith Urban, Carrie Underwood, Jay-Z and Mary J. Blige, all to perform at Boardwalk Hall.

Others will include: Van Halen, Andre Rieu and Johann Strauss, Lil’ Wayne and Birdman, Elton John, American Idols Live! The Tour 2008, Jimmy Buffett and the Coral Reefer Band and Celine Dion, to name a few.

For a complete calendar of events in Atlantic City, visit www.atlanticcitynj.com/calendar_events.asp

Tara Tours, in conjunction with American Airlines and Taca Airlines, introduced its 2008 full color Central America brochure. Prices given are from Miami with add-ons available from other gateways.

Itineraries include: the seven-night Exciting Costa Rica tour, which visits the capital city of San Jose, a drive through mountains to the Arenal Volcano, a boat ride to Tortuguero on the Caribbean Coast and a Class III river rafting experience on the Reventazon River.

Price begins out of Miami at $1,474 per person double occupancy including air and land arrangements. Also available is the seven-night program On the Mayan Path: Guatemala and the seven-night Belize Express itinerary.

For itineraries to all the Central American countries, visit www.taratours.com

Branson Tourism Center (BTC), a provider of discount vacation packages, announced the launch of its new division, Branson Travel Agency. This full-service travel company will integrate its airline ticketing and car rental programs with BTC’s catalog of discounted show tickets, lodging options, attractions admissions and vacation services.

The company sells more than one million Branson show tickets in four years of operation. Robert McCracken will direct the operations of Branson Travel Agency. The company will use Sabre. Branson Travel Agency’s reservation center is currently open.

For more information, call 800-251-6179 or visit www.bransontravelagency.com

The Rezidor Hotel Group announced a new Radisson hotel in Ethiopia’s capital city of Addis Ababa. The property will feature 209 rooms and will open in the fourth quarter of 2009.

The new hotel, owned by The Emerald Addis Hotels plc, will be located in the business and diplomatic centre of Addis Ababa in close proximity to the African Union Conference Centre. Modeled on the Radisson SAS EU Hotel, Brussels, which is located near the European Union, the Radisson Hotel Addis Ababa will include an all day restaurant, a bar lounge, meeting facilities, and a fitness and wellness centre.

Guoman Hotels announced a new collection of highly individual deluxe hotels situated in iconic locations throughout central London.

These hotels will officially launch under the Guoman brand in fall 2008.

Each hotel in the portfolio offers its own character, atmosphere and sense of place, while united by a commitment to comfort and service standards. Guoman selected six hotels in London to debut its signature brand experience, investing over £150 million in the renovation and design of these properties.

All Guoman hotels will be individually designed to reflect their own setting and heritage. Staff will be trained at Guoman’s training academies, which include both a “Front Office Academy” offering a two-week, off-site course for those who will be working at the front desk; as well as a “Food & Beverage Academy” for in depth training of new staff and continued development of more senior F&B employees.

While each property is different, a group of distinct brand-wide facilities will be found in all of the Guoman hotels.

The Guoman Bed was created specifically for Guoman by Hypnos, one of the leading manufacturers of beds in the UK, enhanced by Egyptian cotton linens in all guestrooms. Guoman guestrooms will offer plasma screen television with satellite channels and Elemis toiletries in the bathrooms. Hotels will also offer at least one fine dining restaurant and destination bar with live entertainment in the evenings.

Suite guests will enjoy the Guoman Club lounge, which offers executive check-in/out as well as complimentary refreshments throughout the day. Every Guoman hotel will have a range of meeting spaces, a dedicated Meetings & Events welcome desk, and a specialist team to make sure all of the details are taken care of for corporate and social events. The Guoman collection of hotels currently include

The Cumberland, situated at the top of Park Lane; Charing Cross, near Trafalgar Square; and The Tower, offering views of London’s Tower Bridge and the waterways of St. Katherine’s Dock. Next in line to join the Guoman portfolio is the Royal Horseguards, on Whitehall Place. Two additional hotels — The Grosvenor, located adjacent to Victoria Station, and the art deco-style Marble Arch, will join Guoman over the next three years.

Another Guoman property is set to debut at Heathrow connected to the new Terminal 5.

For more information, visit www.guoman.com

MMG Worldwide, a marketing communications agency specializing solely in hospitality and destination travel, has partnered with Dubai-based Fusion Marketing Management to provide marketing solutions and resources to clients in the Middle East.

Fusion’s media and industry contacts and knowledge of the tourism market in the region will prove a valuable resource for MMG Worldwide clients looking to make an impact in this emerging marketplace. U.K.-based Fusion Marketing’s current and past clients include:

Tourism Australia, MATRADE, Westin, plus governments in the Maldives, Singapore, Jordan, Cyprus and Bahrain.

Fusion Marketing Management will manage the Middle East business from their Dubai base, delivering public relations solutions as part of the offering.

They will draw on MMG Worldwide for global creative and strategic input with a focus on travel, tourism, real estate and hospitality sectors.

 MMG Worldwide is a $100 million full-service global advertising and marketing firm with more than 25 years of experience in the travel, hospitality and entertainment industries.

For more information, visit www.mmgworldwide.com  or www.fusion-mgt.com

Central Holidays added Egypt to its list of travel destinations in the Mediterranean. Central Holidays will offer an array of newly created itineraries that include visits to the pyramids in Giza, the treasures of Tutankhamen, Cairo and cruising along the Nile, as well as visits to the Aswan High Dam or the Colossi of Memnon.

Beyond the new itineraries being introduced to Egypt, extensions will be available to Jordan, Dubai and Israel. Rates and package details will be available on June 15. Founded in 1972, Central Holidays offers superior travel programs, value and service to enchanting destinations throughout Italy, France, Spain, Portugal, and Greece, plus dozens of Mediterranean and River cruise itineraries and worldwide Ski programs.

For more information, call 800-935-5000 or visit www.centralholidays.com

Ubud Bali – Gently embracing a parcel of river valley landscape, Kayumanis Ubud Private Villa has entranced guests with its serene beauty and personalized approach towards hospitality for a number of years.

Due to this overwhelming response, Kayumanis Group is delighted to announce that construction is currently underway to rejuvenate the existing private villas and to expand the property and create additional accommodations and exclusive facilities. A total of 9 rejuvenated villas are to be unveiled in early April 2008 as a prelude to the completion of this exclusive project.

Scheduled for completion in August 2008, the project will eventually reveal a further 13 Deluxe Pool Villas and an individual Honeymoon Suite. Designed to elevate the property to the very height of luxury, each new villa is guaranteed to be a spaciously appointed retreat that goes well and truly beyond any pre-conceived expectation.

In addition, there will be a brand new spa centre that encompasses the concept of traditional healing to nurture the body, mind and spirit. This will be located on the opposite side of the river and accessible by a private bridge to reinforce the sense of seclusion. The Dining Corner Restaurant will also be given a stylish new look to complement the authentic Thai cuisine that has become a signature of this charming venue.

Kayumanis Ubud Private Villa
P.O. Box 777 Ubud
Phone: 62-361 972 777
Fax: 62-361 972 660
E-mail: salesubud@kayumanis.com
Website: http://www.kayumanis.com

Located on St. Kitts’ Turtle Beach, the Beach House restaurant, the newest project from luxury hotel developer and operator Auberge Resorts, opened for business. The restaurant, previously Turtle Beach Bar & Grill, has undergone an extensive makeover.

The former beach bar reflects Auberge’s attitude of “barefoot sophistication” with an updated new look and enhanced menu. The 60-seat restaurant and 30-seat lounge received a stylish new look courtesy of local designer Gina Harris Rey and Atlanta design firm Hirsch Bedner Associates.

The new menu showcases the cuisine of the Caribbean, which marries Spanish and Asian, French, African and Dutch influences. Lunch fare includes casual selections such as Caesar salad with Anguillan crayfish, a burger topped with Indian Creole sauce or tostones with baked carnitas and avocado. Dinner selections include Curried Squash and Sweet Potato Soup and Cumin-Crusted Swordfish.

For more information, call 869-469-5299 or visit www.stkittsbeachhouse.com

The Lodge at Vail’s RockResorts Spa is set to open next month. The 11,600-square-foot spa will be integrated into the lodge in newly built space. Its Colorado décor will feature warm colors and textures, as well as natural sandstone, quartzite, river rock stones and knotty alder wood. The spa will offer 11 treatment rooms, including a wet treatment room, two facial rooms, seven massage rooms and a couples’ room with a fireside soaking tub for two. Each room will include an iPod docking station, allowing guests to play their own personal music selections.

The spa will also feature a large, co-ed relaxation lounge, as well as a separate women’s lounge, a fitness complex with LifeFitness equipment, and a movement studio for yoga, stretching and Pilates. The spa will feature the organic Pevonia Botanica product line. Pevonia’s philosophy is to maintain an affinity with nature and its resources. Signature treatments will include the Green Tea & Chamomile Healing Wrap and the Youth Recovery Facial. Each of the spa’s massage offerings will begin with a relaxing foot soak during the pre-treatment consultation session.

Call 877-528-7625 or visit www.lodgeatvail.rockresorts.com