Jetsettersblog

Meridian Sooloos, Together At Last:
New Touchscreen Available

Meridian is pleased to deliver the first of its new designs with Sooloos, the recently acquired manufacturer of server-based home entertainment systems widely acknowledged as the most innovative and sophisticated available. The Control 10 integrates Meridian’s proprietary connectivity with the award-winning Sooloos touchscreen, the most user-friendly media-access solution yet created.

The Control 10 acts as the controller for the Sooloos system featuring a groundbreaking user interface to connect with a range of modular hardware components, creating an experience of digital media that is unrivalled. The components can be connected in many ways to give the user incredible expandability and flexibility with simple and elegant setup.

The desktop-style Control 10 touchscreen features a razor-sharp 17-inch LCD display with crisp, HD-level imaging, and a resistive touchpanel with outstanding user feedback.

Adding to its ease of use, the Control 10 includes a slot-loading CD drive in its low-profile base for convenient, local loading or playback of content without requiring a computer or outboard disc drive.

Meridian SpeakerLink connections transmit digital audio and system control messages via standard Cat5 cables over distances of up to 300 feet. Moving audio over large distances in the home without noise or grounding problems has never been easier.

“Our goal for the first Meridian Sooloos product was to incorporate the SpeakerLink technology as well as legacy-standard Meridian Comms, to provide an integrated system that was incredibly simple yet technically and sonically superior,” said Meridian CEO Peter Wellikoff. “Now the Control 10 is not only the perfect complement to a Meridian system, it remains a superb option for any installation that requires the most intuitive media server on the market.”

Using the SpeakerLink and legacy Meridian Comms protocols, the Control 10 can seamlessly integrate with Meridian’s famed Digital Loudspeakers, preamp/controllers, and music systems, and includes RS-232 for integration with the full spectrum of legacy media and home-control systems. With this system, the storage devices can be placed in a central location, and Ethernet cables can then be used to connect each room in which audio is desired. The result is a device that greatly expands the possibilities of directing digital audio signals to different areas of the home.

The Meridian Sooloos touchscreen uses cleverly integrated heatsinking for a fanless design that renders the Control 10 completely silent, and thus ideal for the most demanding listening environments and customers.

In the ever-changing world of home-entertainment technology, the Meridian Sooloos media-management systems are complete solutions that allow music and photos to be easily accessed easily and reliably stored.

Control 10 Touchpanel
MSRP: $5,000

For more information on the full line of Meridian Sooloos products, please visit www.meridian-audio.com

Luxe Worldwide Hotels, a representation company founded in 1983, is continuing to expand with the latest addition of nine new properties to its portfolio of nearly 250 independently owned and operated hotels in prominent locales around the globe.

These new members include: Hotel Manzoni in Milan, Italy; Hotel Opera in Madrid; Splendom Suites in Barcelona; Relais Oud Huis Amsterdam in Bruges, Belgium; New World Hotel Beijing and New World Hotel Dalian, China; Terre Resort & Spa in Marrakech, Morocco; Treasure Bay Hotel & Marina, in St. Petersburg, Fla.; and Cabot Lodge Hotel in Gainesville, Fla.

For more information, call 866-LUXE-411 or visit www.luxehotels.com

Launched in Asia Pacific 14 months ago, the Pullman brand announced that the pace of the brand’s expansion in the region has exceeded forecasts with a hotel having opened every five weeks.

The Pullman Hotels and Resorts brand was launched in Asia in January 2008, and in its first 14 months has acquired a network of 11 properties. Today Pullman hotels and resorts in Asia Pacific network includes Sydney, Cairns, Bangkok, Khon Kaen, two in Beijing, Shanghai, Dongguan, Sanya, Putrajaya and Changwon.

Globally the Pullman network is 36 hotels and will increase to more than 59 hotels by the end of 2009.

The network is anticipated to be 300 hotels and resorts by 2015 of which 100 will be in Asia Pacific.

Hotels scheduled to open this year include Seoul, Guangzhou and Bali (third quarter 2009). Beyond this hotels scheduled to open include Gurgaon (New Delhi), Lijiang, Sanya Bay, Guilin, Chengdu, Guangzhou, Vung Tao, Sapa and Lao Cai.

Earlier this month, Pullman Shanghai Skyway opened marking the fifth Pullman to open in China in 12 months. The hotel carries the hallmarks of the Pullman brand including a strategic location in the city centre, extensive business facilities and meeting/event venues and with appeal to domestic and international companies.

The launch of Pullman brand is a part of Accor’s strategy to maintain a comprehensive brand strategy with a network of coherent hotels.

For more information, visit www.pullmanhotels.com

CHAHOYA SPA AT WESTERN AUSTRALIA CABLE BEACH CLUB RESORT

As the Kimberley region’s dramatic wet season comes to an end, travelers to

Western Australia can experience luxurious new wellness options in the outback

(PERTH; WESTERN AUSTRALIA)—On the edge of the vast Kimberley outback lies Cable Beach Club Resort, the only resort in Broome, Western Australia overlooking world renowned Cable Beach. Adding a compelling new dimension to the Cable Beach Club Resort experience, travelers can now indulge at Chahoya Spa.

As the Kimberley region enters the northern winter or ‘dry’ season (between April and September) bringing with it mild temperatures, sunshine, and blue skies, travelers to Cable Beach Club Resort can unwind at Chahoya Spa and indulge in unique treatments designed to restore balance and harmony to mind and body. Featuring seven private suites, a double vichy shower room, hair salon, and yoga deck, Chahoya Spa invites spa-goers to relax amidst a blend of contemporary lines and Asian artifacts. Treatment options are available for both individuals and couples and are based on timeless healing philosophies from around the world. Treatment highlights include:

Neti Massage 30 mins

Ease sinus or post-flight congestion and boost immunity with this unique aromatic steam inhalation and facial massage treatment. Potent essential oils clear the head while massage and pressure point techniques relieve tension.

Fusion Stone Massage 60 or 90 minutes

Absolute relaxation to warm the soul – experience the aromatic power of plant oils fused with the sensation of smooth warm stones. Alternating hot and cool stones comforts, de-stresses, and melts muscle tension.

Rosemary Mint Body Wrap 60 minutes

De-stress, awaken your senses and renew both body and mind with this stimulating wrap. Your body is exfoliated, smoothed, softened and wrapped. Essences of rosemary and peppermint will awaken your senses and stimulate circulation while a scalp and foot massage balances the whole body. Ideal for fluid retention, sunburn or muscular aches and pains.

For the ultimate Cable Beach Club Resort wellness experience, guests can book the Himalayan Rejuvenation Therapy. This nurturing 120-minute treatment takes spa-goers through four stages of spa relaxation:

Neti – Boost immunity with this unique aromatic steam inhalation treatment to ease tension and sinus congestion. Potent essential oils will clear the head and facial massage techniques relieve pressure

Friction Massage – A vigorous full body dry exfoliation precedes a rhythmic, friction massage with a customized massage blend

Plant Pure-Fume Steam Tent – Become enveloped in aromatic steam to release impurities and detoxify the body. The warmth of the steam will relax muscles, encourage circulation and improve skin function

Shirodhara – Based on the principals of Ayurvedic Shirodhara, a deep state of relaxation is created by a continuous stream of warmed plant oil infused with a customized aroma. This is directed between the brows on the 3rd eye, quieting thought and inviting exceptional calm.

After a visit to Chahoya Spa, guests Cable Beach Club Resort can repose in one of the resort’s many accommodation options dotted throughout the lush 26-acre property. Intimate studios feature private verandahs, corrugated iron walls, and polished wood floors combined with contemporary furnishings. Perfect for families, the classic Broome Bungalows feature open-plan dining, living and kitchen areas with either two or three bedrooms.

For travelers looking for seclusion or a romantic break, the spacious Villas feature an enclosed courtyard and private plunge pool with full butler service included to meet the guests’ every need. For an opulent escape, guests can book one of Cable Beach Club Resort’s three Asian and Colonial style Suites. Named after renowned artists Humphrey Price-Jones, Sir Sidney Nolan, and Elizabeth Durack, each suite features original artworks complemented by exotic antiques and artifacts and boast views of the Indian Ocean.

Cable Beach Club Resort features two lagoon style pools boasting poolside service. The Ocean Pool is a haven for adults only while the Family Pool offers a waterfall and playground designed with kids in mind. Guests can also enjoy the two flood-lit tennis courts, gym, and lawn bowling green or take part in a complimentary yoga or tai chi class in the Buddha’s Sanctuary, under the gaze of a 3.5m quartz crystal Buddha.

For more information or to book a stay at Cable Beach Club Resort, please visit www.cablebeachclub.com

A Canadian Rockies Wedding

Yoho National Park, British Columbia – Thinking about getting married? Why not think about eloping in the Canadian Rockies this summer? Cathedral Mountain Lodge, located 20 minutes from Lake Louise, offers a unique and personal setting for the celebration of marriage. With a towering forest on one side and the rushing glacier-fed Kicking Horse River on the other, couples will be hard-pressed to find a setting as picturesque as Cathedral Mountain Lodge.

The lodge lends itself to small intimate weddings from two to ten guests. At Cathedral Mountain Lodge, you can combine your desire for travel and the ability to get married in an intimate ceremony focusing on just the two of you.

Cathedral Mountain Lodge offers an Elope in the Rockies package which includes two nights accommodation in a luxury cabin with a a deep soaker tub, fireplace, a private deck with views of the surrounding peaks and Champagne with handmade Callebaut chocolate dipped strawberries upon arrival. You will also receive a wedding commissioner for your wedding day, a flower bouquet in the cabin upon arrival and a three course gourmet dinner for two in the Riverside Dining Room complete with a custom made dessert. Packages start for as little as $875 per couple, depending on the season and cabin type chosen at the time of booking.

While planning a large wedding is the dream of many brides, there are some couples that prefer getting married without all the fuss and bother. Eloping offers an alternative to the traditional formal wedding and a way to begin enjoying the honeymoon without the need to stress over the planning details.

Cathedral Mountain Lodge is part of the Capilano Group of Companies (CGC), owned and operated by Nancy Stibbard, who has developed a number of world renowned properties including Capilano Suspension Bridge and Treetops Adventure in Vancouver and Moraine Lake Lodge near Lake Louise.

To contact the Cathedral Mountain Reservations team, call 1.866.619.6442 or refer to the Cathedral Mountain Lodge website at www.cathedralmountain.com

Privilege Aluxes Resort, owned by Caribbean Privilege Hotels & Resorts, opened on Mexico’s Isla Mujeres. Offering 124 guest rooms and suites, the new boutique hotel provides three onsite “haute cuisine” restaurants — Café del Mar, Sabor and Satay. Executive Chef Luis Gabriel Gonzáles Valderrama has created culinary selections that blend European, Asian and Mayan influences.

Additionally, the hotel features the “24-hour-notice program,” a plan designed to learn about guests’ particular vacation goals and personal preferences in advance, so upon arrival, their visit is completely organized to address, and even exceed, their individual needs and expectations.

The program is developed to assist guests in every facet of their vacation, from dining reservations and hotel activities to room amenities and island excursions.

Situated on an expansive stretch of private white-sand beaches along the island’s Playa Norte, Privilege Aluxes Resort features a full-service spa with a selection of massage and beauty treatments, two shimmering outdoor pools and a complete fitness center.

Its six categories of accommodations include standard and superior guest rooms, in addition to deluxe, premium, platinum and presidential suites.

All of the guest rooms provide a range of deluxe amenities and stunning views; most offer Jacuzzi soaking tubs on a private balcony.

The ultra-luxe Presidential Suites feature grand terraces with 180-degree ocean views and a private pool.

Additionally, every guest room is equipped with modern features such as Wi-Fi, LCD TV, personal computers and iPod capabilities. |

Relaxing aromatherapy offerings in each guest room contribute to the resort’s soothing ambiance. The new resort is located just 40 minutes from Cancun International Airport.

For more information or reservations, call 866-947-6002 or visit www.privilegehotels.com

Dubrovnik will see several luxury hotels open this year. The Valamar Lacroma Resort, a four-star property, member of the “Special Hotels of the World” will open in Dubrovnik in May.

It will be the largest congress and spa hotel in Dubrovnik (eight conference rooms in total, one with capacity to host more than 1,000 people).

For more information, visit www.valamar.com/valamar-lacroma-resort

The Radisson SAS Resort is scheduled for grand opening in July. The five-star property is located in Orasac, just outside Dubrovnik.

The resort will have a hotel with 155 rooms and 24 suites, as well as bungalows. F

or more information, visit www.radissonsas.com

In the historic core of the city of Korcula on the island of Korcula, in June of this year, the Lesic Dimitri Palace hotel will open its doors to guests.
This is the first five-star property on the island, located in the renovated palace, next to house where famous world traveler Marco Polo was born.

For more information, visit www.lesic-dimitri.com

Kidani Village at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Villas is now open for bookings.

Scheduled to open to on May 1, this new addition to Disney’s Animal Kingdom Villas features its own front desk, retail store, pool, lounge and table-service restaurant.

Rooms in Kidani Village provide all the homelike amenities of Disney Deluxe Villas Resorts including a full kitchen and whirlpool tub

. One-, two- and three-bedroom Grand Villas, which sleep up to 12, are available.

The 2009 Kazakhstan Open, to be played at Nurtau Golf Club in Almaty from September 17-20, will carry the largest prize fund in European Challenge Tour history with €450,000 on offer to the field, an increase of €20,000 from last year.

The Kazakhstan Open thus continues its proud tradition of having carried the largest prize fund on the Challenge Tour Schedule in each year since its inception in 2005, when the purse was €250,000.

Indeed, the size of the prize is such that in all four years since that inaugural event the winner has progressed onto The European Tour, with last year’s champion Gary Lockerbie of England following in the footsteps of Sweden’s Leif Westerberg, Wales’s Mark Pilkington and Ireland’s Stephen Browne, who triumphed in 2007, 2006 and 2005 respectively.

The event has also helped launch the career of rising star Martin Kaymer, who finished in a tie for third at the 2006 Kazakhstan Open. His cheque for €18,000 helped Kaymer to fourth place in the final Challenge Tour Rankings that year and the young German has since taken The European Tour by storm, winning the Abu Dhabi Golf Championship and the BMW International Open in his homeland en route to eighth place on the 2008 Order of Merit.

Similarly, top 12 finishes at the 2005 Kazakhstan Open helped England’s Ross Fisher and Argentina’s Andres Romero secure graduation from the Challenge Tour and, like Kaymer, both men have since become European Tour champions.

This year, the tournament again returns to the stunning Nurtau Golf Club which is widely considered to be one of the leading courses on the Challenge Tour Schedule and capable of hosting future European Tour events.

At 7,319 yards it is certainly one of the longest, whilst the Tien-Shen (or “heavenly celestial”) mountain range which forms the backdrop lends itself to some spectacular views.

Alain de Soultrait, Director of the Challenge Tour, said: “It is a mark of the strength of the Kazakhstan Open that this year’s prize fund has again increased, despite the current economic climate. It is also testament to the hard work and commitment shown by the Kazakhstan Golf Federation and promoters Parallel Media Group, whose determination to make the Kazakhstan Open one of the major events on the Challenge Tour Schedule always makes for a tremendous week.

“I fully expect this year’s event to be to be just as successful and well received as the previous four, as our Members always look forward to the challenge that the magnificent Nurtau Golf Club presents.”

Konstantin Lifanov, Director of Nurtau Golf Club, said: “We are delighted to host the fifth edition of the Kazakhstan Open, which continues to go from strength to strength. It is always nice to hear the players compliment the efforts our greenkeeping staff put in to ensure the course is in the best possible condition for the tournament, and we are again confident of providing a venue worthy of the occasion in September.”

Nurtay Abykayev, President of the National Federation of Golf in Kazakhstan, said: “It gives us great pleasure to present this tournament again, which over the years has played an important role in promoting golf in our country. Kazakhstan is a proud nation and we are very pleased with the positive feedback we receive from the players and everyone involved, which shows just how successful the event has become.

“Our relationship with the Challenge Tour, which is already strong, grows by the year. We feel we have come a long way since the first Kazakhstan Open in 2005, and I am confident we can improve even more in the years to come.”

For further information, please contact:-
The European Tour Communications Department
Tel: +44 1344 840400 Fax: +44 1344 840444
Email: Media@europeantour.com

Designer Marie-Jose Pommereau adds luxurious touches to renowned Dorchester Collection property with new Eiffel Suite complete with complimentary Maserati

(Paris) – The Plaza Athénée, a member of the Dorchester Collection, recently put the finishing touches on a extension adding a new Eiffel Suite with connecting Superior Guestroom as well as a new Prestige Suite to the glamorous property. The grand spaces measure over 300 square-meters and are dripping with costly fabrics, luscious colors and magnificent floor-to-ceiling views. The Eiffel Suite’s classically styled guest quarters are just the spot to experience the ever-beating pulse of the City of Love. There’s just one catch: You have to share them with the Eiffel Tower.

Decorated by Marie-José Pommereau, co-founder of Architectural Digest in France and the creative eye behind the redesigns of some of the country’s most prominent residential properties, each of the Haussmannesque, 3rd-floor spaces showcase top-of-the-line textiles, and striking accent, cameo colors. Perhaps most intriguing of all, the Eiffel Suite’s view of the Eiffel tower which are so spectacular, the curtains have been replaced with an oversized frame.

Entering the suite, the guest is greeted by a spacious lounge in which silky pinks add a touch of color to the subtle pearl and silver greys. The silk curtains play with contrasting colors. The lampshades, cushions by Lesage, and pink bergères complement each other beautifully, highlighting reproduction furniture, glass-top coffee table with a reverse-applied silver leaf design, and deep, custom-made dark-grey velvet sofas set opposite each other.

Gradually, the guest’s gaze is drawn upwards to a chandelier decorated with a few black crystals – proof positive that classical features can become sublime when modified – and, further on, to a vast desk behind two wide sliding doors. A large bay window floods the room with light, creating a space for work or relaxation, depending on the guest’s mood and priorities. The new suite features a fully equipped office as well as a grand piano and gaming table.

Lovely, oui? And even more so when you consider that the suite has a coordinated bedroom, a spacious dressing room, a white marble bathroom decorated with grey mosaics, as well as the use of a Maserati Quattroporte Automatic at the guest’s disposal. It all adds up to the perch for viewing the global icon of France, as well as feeling right at home away from home.

The new Eiffel Suite starts at 6000€ per night. For more information or reservations, please call (866) 732-1106 or visit www.plaza-athenee-paris.com

Dorchester Collection

With seven of the world’s foremost five-star addresses, the Dorchester Collection celebrates luxury with hotels of original character and the most modern amenities. Established as the Dorchester Group by the Brunei Investment Agency in 1996, Dorchester Collection was rebranded in 2006 to develop an impeccable portfolio of traditional and contemporary properties in Europe and the United States.

The current portfolio of owned and managed properties includes The Dorchester, a 244-room hotel long favored by the cream of society in the heart of Mayfair in London;

The Beverly Hills Hotel, a glamorous and celebrity-friendly 204-room property on Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles; the elegant Le Meurice, a centuries-old, 160-room property located between Place de la Concorde and the Louvre on rue de Rivoli in Paris; Hôtel Plaza Athénée, a 191-room embodiment of Parisian luxury set between Avenue des Champs Elysées and the Eiffel Tower; and Hotel Principe di Savoia, a cosmopolitan, 401-room property on the Piazza della Repubblica in Milan. The Dorchester Collection’s newest properties joined in August 2008, including The New York Palace, an icon of Manhattan with the landmark Villard Mansion and a contemporary 55-story tower; and Hotel Bel-Air, a shining star of Los Angeles set on 12 acres in Stone Canyon with 91 guest rooms and the renowned “Swan Lake” inhabited by its own resident swans.

With unrivaled experience and capability, cross-property values of the highest order, and strong company branding that expresses universally high regard for its portfolio, Dorchester Collection assures a consistently exceptional guest experience at all of its hotels.

U.S. reservations: 800.650.1842; www.dorchestercollection.com