Jetsettersblog

World famous dermatologist Dr Nicholas Perricone, author of the best-selling ‘The Wrinkle Cure’, has launched a unique new programme at The Metropolitan London to introduce guests to a way to achieve long-lasting youth.

The Metropolitan is now the only hotel in London offering his restorative skin therapy with an exclusive one-day ‘Perricone MD Wrinkle Cure Day Spa Package’ at its award-winning spa, COMO Shambhala Urban Escape.

Plastic surgery isn’t the only way to keep the aging process at bay. World famous dermatologist Dr Nicholas Perricone, author of the best-selling ‘The Wrinkle Cure’, has launched a unique new programme at The Metropolitan London to introduce guests to a way to achieve long-lasting youth.

The Metropolitan is now the only hotel in London offering his restorative skin therapy with an exclusive one-day ‘Perricone MD Wrinkle Cure Day Spa Package’ at its award-winning spa, COMO Shambhala Urban Escape.

Launching on 1 July and priced at £175, this Day Spa Package introduces Dr Perricone’s lifestyle solution to good looks through an anti-inflammatory diet combined with patented skin care and nutritional supplements.

The package includes a 75-minute facial specially tailored to individual needs, whether fine lines or sagging, puffy eyes or simply a lack of radiance.

It promotes younger and firmer skin through cleansing, toning, masking and treatments using patented formulas, combined with specially designed light lymphatic massage.

Also included is a ‘Perricone MD Anti Oxidant Lunch’ of wild Alaskan salmon with raspberry salad, served either at the hotel’s fashionable Met Bar or Lobby Lounge.

Guests will additionally receive a gift set including his book ‘The Wrinkle Cure’, a super berry and PEP blend sachet and a recipe guide to cooking dishes promoting healthy skin at home.

Dr Perricone is a dermatology professor at Yale University School of Medicine. He discovered wrinkles and sags are caused by a combination of passage of time, stress, poor nutrition, excess alcohol consumption and sleep deprivation – along with exposure to cigarette smoke, sunlight and pollution.

“My clients have had tremendous success and extraordinary results with a simple and easy 3-step programme to correct and prevent visible signs of aging – leading to significant decrease in lines, wrinkles, discoloration and skin imperfections, firmer and more toned skin, and increased radiance and glow,” he says.

The ‘Wrinkle Cure’ package can be booked through COMO Shambhala Urban Escape on +44 (0)20 7447 5720.

Apart from the skin-care programme, guests can also enjoy a new summer promotion at The Metropolitan, the trendiest hotel in London:

Until 6 September, the ‘Extend the Summer Feeling’ promotion offers four nights for the price of three. This offer is based on a minimum stay of four consecutive nights.

For reservations or more information please visit http://metropolitan.como.bz.

To mark its 15 year anniversary, Chiva-Som has this year added another dimension to its luxury accommodation with the opening of the new Leelawadee suite. The resort’s largest suite was created by transforming the former house of Chiva-Som’s founder, Boonchu Rojanasatien; the name Leelawadee means frangipani, which was his favourite flower and grows abundantly in the private garden.

You enter the 192-metre suite into an open plan living room and dining room.

A separate kitchen allows for private entertaining, while the butler service provided throughout your stay ensures every need is catered for.

The 66-metre bedroom has 90˚ view over the garden and beach. It has a large walk-in wardrobe and dressing area, and the centrepiece of the master bathroom is a spacious circular Jacuzzi. There’s also guest bathroom accessible from the living room.

Leelawadee’s sheltered, private garden and outdoor terrace overlook the Gulf of Thailand.

The secluded ground floor location enables guests to practice meditation and yoga sessions in complete tranquility.

The new Leelawadee suite complements Chiva-Som’s existing 57 accommodations, which incorporate 17 Thai pavilions, 33 Ocean view rooms and seven suites. It is available to book immediately.

To book, visit www.chiva-som.com  ,email reservation@chivasom.com  or call the resort on Tel: +66(0)32 536536.

For your local sales representative, visit www.chivasom.com

A secluded world of beauty and serenity, Chiva-Som is the “Haven of Life” – a luxury health resort dedicated to revitalising the mind, body and spirit.

The beachfront resort represents tranquility at its best with luxurious accommodation, nestled within lush tropical gardens. Focusing on greater well-being and vitality, Chiva-Som offers extensive fitness, spa and holistic health facilities to help you relax, restore, rejuvenate and redirect.

Personalised programmes and treatments are designed for everyone, blending Eastern philosophies with Western diagnostic skills.

Widely regarded as the Best Destination Spa in the World, Chiva-Som welcomes you with unique Thai hospitality. Located in the Royal city of Hua Hin, the resort is less than three hours by car south of Bangkok.

Ho Chi Minh City – In order to further enhance the butler service at Park Hyatt Saigon, the hotel invited Robert Watson, Director of Training of the Guild of Professional English Butlers from the UK to undertake an intensive training for its Butler team recently.

The London-based Guild is renowned for its training of individuals worldwide for careers in five star hotels, Royal Palaces of Great Britain, embassies in various capital cities as well as private households.

Watson’s butlers are cropping up around the world, at Raffles in Singapore, a natural with its British colonial roots, and other rather un-British havens like Rosewood’s offerings in Panama and Jakarta, the Begawan Giri in Bali, the Middle East’s Burj al
Arab and Al-Faisaliah and the Caribbean’s Sandy Lane and Ocean Bay Club. Park Hyatt Saigon is excited to have its 18 butlers joining this elite group.

“This training is aimed at bringing international expertise of the highest calibre into our hotel.

Our butler team does an excellent job in making our guests feel at home and the training has provided them with additional skills that will assist them in offering authentic hospitality.

We see this investment in our staff as being paramount in ensuring we develop and enhance our service and standards in all aspects of the hotel operation,” said Michael Golden, General Manager of Park Hyatt Saigon.

The Park Hyatt Saigon’s butlers, trained and certified by the Guild, take pride in knowing guests’ preferences prior to their arrival at the hotel. They attend to guests’ every need including private check-in, unpacking and packing of clothing as well as providing specialised services.

“Robert opened our eyes and minds to the highest level of guest care,” said Ho Tri Dung, one of the butlers at Park Hyatt Saigon.

Dung’s job is to be the bridge between not only the guest and the hotel, but also between the guest and Vietnam.

The Park Hyatt Saigon butler service is available to all guests 24 hours a day. “I have to satisfy their requests, but more than anything, I have to anticipate what will make their stay more successful,” he says.

For individuals used to getting what they want, when they want it, the complexities of a different culture are difficult to fathom.

About Park Hyatt Saigon

Situated in the heart of Ho Chi Minh City, Park Hyatt Saigon occupies a prime location overlooking the elegant Opera House and within reach of the international airport, convention centre and business district.

The 252 French colonial designed rooms and suites provide a cozy residential ambience. Xuan Spa offers seven private rooms with recreational facilities include a fitness studio and a 20-metre swimming pool amidst a beautifully landscaped tropical garden.

Two innovative restaurants designed by Super Potato: Square One, a Vietnamese seafood and Western steak restaurant; Opera, an all-day Italian dining venue. Park Lounge, a perfect venue for social and business gatherings. The ballroom and meeting facilities are elegant in design and equipped with the latest technologies including broadband and WIFI access with the capacity of up to 450 persons.

BANGKOK — In an bid to tell world golfers what Asian golfers already know, the golf establishment in Thailand has launched ‘Golf in a Kingdom: The Thai Golf Experience’, a cooperative itinerary that matches the country’s top courses with its most desirable hotels.

The Kingdom of Thailand has for decades been the destination of choice for Asian golfers, thanks to its stellar courses, superb year-round climate and welcoming culture. By banding together to form ‘Golf in a Kingdom: The Thai Golf Experience’  (www.golfinakingdom.com ), these courses and hotels mean to cement a place for Thailand alongside the world’s premier golf destinations.

“I think golfers in North America have an inkling that golf is played in Thailand; Europeans have slightly more of an inkling, but I don’t think golfers on either continent fully realize that this is a country with more than 250 courses, many of them as good as you’ll find anywhere in the world,” said Mark Siegel, president of Bangkok-based tour operator Golfasian.

The Tourist Authority of Thailand (TAT) has partnered with eight premium golf properties, Golfasian and six of the country’s premier hotels to form ‘Golf in a Kingdom: The Thai Golf Experience’.

The cooperative effort has been in the planning since 2007, but its launch this month is timely. According to TAT, some 3.2 million visitors arrived in Thailand the first quarter of 2009 — a 19 percent decrease from the previous year. It’s unclear whether this drop is attributable to the peaceful-but-ongoing political disquiet in Thailand or the worldwide economic slump.

“I live here and the reality is, the political issues in Thailand haven’t had any effect on the day-to-day lives of citizens or tourists — but the economic slowdown has surely affected tourists: prices have dropped across the board,” Siegel asserted.

“I don’t think there’s ever been a more economical time to visit here. That’s not hype; it’s a fact. Launching ‘Golf in a Kingdom’ now has allowed us to offer value we could not have offered in 2008.”

In May 2009, a CNN International tourism poll asserted that Thailand, among first-world nations, represents the best value for travelers in the entire Asia Pacific region. Conducted across CNN English websites, the survey had more than 5,000 respondents globally.

“The world gets a bit smaller every day,” Siegel continued. “We hope to shrink it just enough with ‘Golf in a Kingdom’ to give North American and European golfers a taste of Thai culture and hospitality, because one visit is normally all it takes. The number of golfers who try Thailand then return for a second and third helping is pretty extraordinary.”

From the mystical hill country of Chiang Rai in the northwest corner to the breathtaking beaches of Koh Samui in the Gulf of Thailand, ‘Golf in a Kingdom: The Thai Golf Experience’ takes in some of the most lush and varied terrain on the planet. That sort of real estate — linked by Thailand’s enviably modern transportation infrastructure — translates into the Kingdom’s stunning golf properties, including:

• Banyan Golf Club, a new hillside course just outside the charming coastal town of Hua Hin, preferred holiday retreat of the Thai Royal Family for almost a century.

• Chiang Mai Highlands Golf & Spa Resort, an inventive Schmidt/Curley design 1,000 feet above sea level in the cool, northern region.

• Muang Kaew Golf Club, the closest course to bustling Bangkok, with sterling greens and a par 3 that looks eerily similar to the 12th at Augusta National.

• Santiburi Chiang Rai Country Club, where Robert Trent Jones II crafted 18 dramatic holes that either skirt a chain of lakes or flow over the low hills of Bang Bor.

• Santiburi Samui Country Club, site of the newest Asian Tour event, the Queen’s Cup, and traversing a jungle of towering coconut trees at the foot of Khao Pom Mountain.

• Siam Country Club, Plantation Course, this 27-hole Schmidt-Curley design played host to the 2009 Honda LPGA Thailand just two years after opening

• Siam Country Club, Old Course, always immaculately maintained, it hosted the 2007 Honda LPGA event and features perhaps the toughest closing stretch in the country.

• Thai Country Club, site of Tiger Woods’s 1997 Asia Honda Classic victory and the ‘Best Championship Course in Asia’, as voted by Asian Golf Monthly readers in 2008.

Thailand also harbors the Asia’s newest and broadest collection of 5-star accommodations ¬— at prices North Americans and Europeans may not believe at first. ‘Golf in a Kingdom’ embraces that development by bridging rounds of golf with nights at posh, brand-name resorts, including:

• Anantara Phuket, a collection of 83 private pool villas set within indigenous gardens of jasmine, orchids and birds of paradise. Conde Nast Traveller magazine just named this property to its coveted worldwide “Hot List” for 2009.

• Bangkok Marriott Resort & Spa, located across the Chao Phraya River from the city center but with all the tranquility and kick-back appeal a traveler could wish for in an urban setting.

• Anantara Golden Triangle, a luxury nature retreat set amid 160 acres of tropical jungle, all of it hewing to the winding Mekong River and a border dividing three countries.

• Anantara Hua Hin, nestled in 14 acres of luxuriant tropical gardens along the white sand beaches on the Gulf of Thailand.

• Anantara Koh Samui, serenely perched above a quiet stretch of sand, and just steps from the shimmering waters that lap Samui Island

• Hua Hin Marriott Resort & Spa, whose architecture combines space, color and natural light with traditional Thai design themes to create a sense of harmony and grandeur.

“The beauty of this marked shift toward high-quality lodging, which has been taking place here for 20 years actually, is that Thailand remains affordable,” said Boyd Barker, Hua Hin Marriott’s general manager. “If there’s a positive to the hit tourism has taken here, of late, it’s that prices reflect this drop in demand. There’s no better place to go on holiday, and there’s no better time than right now.”

The attraction extends beyond golf and resorts. Never colonized by foreign powers and known as Siam until 1939, Thailand remains a constitutional monarchy. But during the past half century it has managed to seamlessly blend Western influences and Buddhist beliefs, producing a first-world destination with an Old World feel.

Six distinct geographical regions — ranging from 8,000-foot-high mountains in the north to a maze of limestone islands rising out of the Andaman Sea in the south — only add to the country’s diverse allure.

“Of all the countries in Southeast Asia, Thailand provides the greatest value,” said Santi Chudintra, Director of TAT Los Angeles. “The people are welcoming, the culture is unique and the scenery is spectacular. Thai food, which everyone wants to talk about, is just a small part of the menu.”

For more information on ‘Golf in a Kingdom: The Thai Golf Experience’, or to make golf travel plans in Thailand, visit www.golfinakingdom.com , or send email to info@golfinakingdom.com

From HK$9,299.00

The R.V La Marguerite is an exclusive 46-cabin river vessel, with French colonial interiors and local artifacts to immerse you in the culture of the Mekong Delta, in total comfort and style. Amazing 9 night river cruise package along the Mekong River departs fortnightly from September 2009.

The R.V La Marguerite is an exclusive 46-cabin river vessel, with French colonial interiors and local artifacts to immerse you in the culture of the Mekong Delta, in total comfort and style.

Each of the Staterooms measure a spacious 21m2 (226ft) and feature twin or double beds, air-conditioning, ample wardrobe space, sofas, mini-bar, in-house telephone, bathroom and shower, hairdryer, and in-house television.

Your journey begins either in Siem Reap with 1 night (pre-cruise) accommodation at Le Meridien Angkor Hotel or if you embark from Saigon, 1 night accommodation at the Sofitel Plaza Hotel, Saigon.

Upon boarding the La Marguerite you will be treated to a world class culinary dining experience with a welcome dinner that will set the tone for your sensory journey of the region. The cuisine is French influenced and features Vietnamese/Cambodian fusions.

Excursions of the region are expertly crafted through the passion of Marguerite Duras.

In Phnom Penh you will explore the famous Killing Fields where Khmer Rouge reigned from 1975 to 1979, traverse through the famous Cai Be floating markets in the western region of Vietnam or jump on a Trishaw to visit traditional and family run silk weaving factories in Tan Chau.

This ecruising.travel/hk special package includes 7 nights on board RV La Marguerite, 1 night (pre-cruise) accommodation at Le Meridien Angkor Hotel, Siem Reap, and 1 night (post-cruise) accommodation at the Sofitel Plaza Hotel, Saigon.

Transfers between ship and hotel at the start and end of the voyage, onboard meals, Welcome and Farewell Dinners, local beer, packaged soft drinks and house brand spirits, all onboard taxes, fuel, pilot, port dues and passenger levies are all included.

ITINERARY -

Day 1 Siem Reap to Kampong Chhnang
Day 2 Kampong Chhnang to Chong Koh
Day 3 Kampong Cham to Wat Hanchey
Day 4 Phnom Penh
Day 5 Phnom Penh to Tan Chau
Day 6 Tan Chau to Sadec
Day 7 Sadec to Cua Tieu
Day 8 Saigon

27 September 2009
Cabin Grade Price
Mekong Stateroom HK$9,299.00
Tonle Stateroom HK$10,049.00
Saigon Stateroom HK$10,799.00
Sadec Suite HK$11,799.00
Indochina Suite HK$13,299.00

To book these cruises please choose one of the following options:

Call 8202 6226 to speak to one of our cruise consultants, who will help you make your reservation.

Email us at

hkbookings@ecruising.travel

Complete an online booking request form, which will be actioned by one of our cruise consultants.

InterContinental The Clement Monterey, in California, announced an added-value package designed to appeal to meeting planners and companies seeking conference facilities in the Monterey area.

InterContinental The Clement Monterey’s Added-Value Meeting Package is available immediately for all new bookings through Dec. 31, 2009.

The package includes deluxe ocean or Cannery Row-view guestroom with fireplace; one VIP upgrade to an ocean-view suite; complimentary valet parking; complimentary wireless Internet access; meeting room rental and basic AV, including screen and flip chart; continental breakfast and lunch at C Restaurant; healthy refreshment break with a 15-minute stretch and tips on healthful living led by the director of the hotel’s Energia Spa; complimentary wine tasting certificates for Scheid Vineyards Wine Lounge, adjacent to the hotel’s entrance; and complimentary use of the 24-hour fitness center, pool and whirlpool. In addition, meeting guests can take advantage of discounted childcare programs that are available at the VIP Kid’s Club located inside the hotel.

The Added Value Meeting Package rate starts at $269 per person.

The package rate is based upon availability and requires a minimum of 25 guests in the group.

For more information, call 831-375-4500 or visit the banner above.

Hilton Garden Inn signed a multi-year management agreement with Hoteles Valle del Grijalva SA de CV, for the first Hilton Garden Inn management agreement in Mexico: Hilton Garden Inn-Tuxtla Gutierrez, Chiapas.

Construction of the Hilton Garden Inn-Tuxtla Gutierrez, Chiapas is expected to begin April 2010 and completion is scheduled for spring 2011. This will be the fourth hotel for the Hilton Garden Inn brand in Mexico and the 23rd property for Hilton Hotels Corporation in the country.

Located in the capital city of the state of Chiapas, the eight-story Hilton Garden Inn-Tuxtla Gutierrez, Chiapas will feature 150 guest rooms.

All rooms will boast the Garden Sleep System allowing guests to adjust the firmness and softness of the bed, ergonomic Mirra chair by Herman Miller, LCD high definition flat screen television, clock with MP3 connectivity, a spacious work desk, and a “hospitality center” that features a microwave, mini refrigerator and coffee maker.

For dining options, the hotel will feature a full-service restaurant offering freshly prepared breakfast, lunch and dinner, room service, and the 24-hour Pavilion Pantry shop with a selection of ready made meals, beverages and snacks.

Recreational facilities will include an outdoor swimming pool, complimentary fitness center featuring Precor cardio and strength training equipment, and Stay Fit Kits that can be checked out from the hotel front desk and enable guests to do yoga, Pilates and core workouts in the privacy of their guestroom or in the workout facility. Travelers to the Hilton Garden Inn-Tuxtla Gutierrez, Chiapas will also have access to 3,000 square feet of flexible meeting spaces, as well as signature Hilton Garden Inn brand attributes such as complimentary Wi-Fi and a 24-hour business center.

For more information, call 877-STAY-HGI or visit www.HGI.com

The Westin Beach Resort, Fort Lauderdale completed the second phase in its multi-million dollar extensive rebirth. Welcoming guests since the soft-opening in March 2009, the resort now adds a Heavenly Spa by Westin, 24-hour WestinWorkout, oceanfront Starbucks Coffee and 433 guestrooms and suites, each with Heavenly Bed and Heavenly Bath, to its array of upscale offerings.

In conjunction with the recent rejuvenation, The Westin Beach Resort, Fort Lauderdale has been named a member of the Lauderdale Luxe collection, highlighting luxury hotels in the Fort Lauderdale area.

The resort has already been honored with the AAA Four Diamond Award and has also been named a 2010 Super Bowl headquarters hotel for the National Football League.

For more information, call 888-627-7108 or visit www.westin.com/fortlauderdalebeach

One&Only Palmilla, in Los Cabos, Mexico, recently introduced a Stress Management Spa Journey and collection of amenities to reduce stress as part of their Wellness Spa Program by ESPA. In August 2009,

One&Only Palmilla will introduce the three-day Stress Management Journey at the One&Only Spa by ESPA. The program incorporates a variety of stress management tools including a lifestyle consultation; oceanside yoga and meditation; transformational breath work to resolve stress and provide more balance in daily life; QXCI (Quantum Xeroid Consciousness Interface) to identify stressors and body needs; ESPA Holistic Stone Massage using black Mexican obsidian stones to relieve depression; ESPA anti-stress body wrap and bath featuring therapeutic aromatherapy oils; custom wellness menu; daily vitamin rich juice; and daily use of spa facilities including outdoor warm and cool rock pools.

All spa treatments are performed in private spa villas located in tranquil gardens equipped with outdoor baths and Mexican daybeds.

The three-day package is priced at $935 per person excluding tax and gratuity.

This price does not include accommodation.

For a limited time the resort is offering an introductory rate of $748 per person providing a savings of 20 percent for bookings made to Nov. 1, 2009.

For more information, visit www.oneandonlyresorts.com

Puerto Rico’s Wyndham Rio Mar is redesigning Aqualuna Restaurant to make it into a reception room.

The space offers ocean views, with an 880-square-foot foyer and 1,200-square-foot seating area.

Additional food and beverage options await with Rio Mar’s brand-new fire pit overlooking the beach.

Along with a daily happy hour from 5 to 7 p.m. featuring Puerto Rican rum mixes and sangria and a sizzling s’mores menu, guests can enjoy the following theme nights by the fire: Thursdays — Latin/Tropical Dance Lessons; Fridays — Hawaiian Nights; and Saturdays — International Karaoke.

Rio Mar is also offering a No Attrition program that allows any number of room nights to be reduced from a contracted room block without penalty.

For up to 10 percent of rooms, Wyndham Rio Mar is skipping the standard practice of charging for unused nights.

Rio Mar is also allowing guests to customize their own concession program based upon the number of room nights utilized for each group.

Benefit options include 10 percent discount on food and beverage, complimentary one-hour welcome reception for all attendees and double Wyndham Rewards points. The No Attrition offer is available now through Dec. 31. The Wyndham Rio Mar offers more than 48,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor meeting space.