Jetsettersblog

The Jefferson reappeared on the Washington, D.C. hotel scene.

This historic 99-room Beaux Arts gem, which presides over the corner of 16th and M streets, N.W., is poised to turn heads following a top-to-bottom renovation that has created Washington’s finest small hotel. Distinguished architectural and design firm ForrestPerkins was the creative force behind The Jefferson’s transformation, fashioning interiors both European and distinctly Washingtonian in style, rich in historical details and Jeffersonian influences, from guest accommodations (including 20 salon suites) that evoke Jefferson’s years in Paris, to a Private Cellar dining room that celebrates the founding father’s passion for wine, to a spa influenced by the garden at Monticello.

The reopening also introduces Washington’s newest “power duo”: the restaurant Plume, where Executive Chef Damon Gordon makes his D.C. debut, and Quill, a piano lounge where inventive cocktails take center stage. The renovation also includes the reemergence of a 1923 vaulted skylight in The Greenhouse (The Jefferson’s daytime dining setting); three unique specialty suites, debuting in the fall of 2009, including the handsome Thomas Jefferson and intimate Martha Jefferson Suites, plus the mid-Atlantic’s only Spa Suite; and meeting rooms, parlor-like spaces and private nooks designed for high-powered meetings, exclusive social gatherings and discreet tête-à-têtes that allow every group to enjoy the detailed attention of The Jefferson’s skilled staff.

For more information, visit www.jeffersondc.com

An 1,800-year-old Roman building was exposed during excavations at the walls around Jerusalem National Park in the City of David.

The 3,280-square-foot building is believed to have been part of a mansion of a wealthy individual.

The center of the two-story structure features a large open courtyard surrounded by columns and galleries in between the rows.

“We know of no other buildings in Israel from the Roman period which have a similar plan to that of the building from the City of David,” said Dr. Doron Ben-Ami, excavation director of the Israel Antiquities Authority.

“This is truly one of the most remarkable archaeological discoveries in Israel in quite some time.”

A large quantity of fresco fragments with painted designs consisting of geometric and floral motifs were found in the collapsed ruins.

Also, a marble figurine in the image of a boxer with a gold earring and 1,600-year-old coins were discovered on the floors of the building.

For more information, visit www.cityofdavid.org.il

For more information about travel to Israel, visit www.goisrael.com

InterContinental Hotels & Resorts opened the InterContinental Kiev in the Ukraine’s capital city. Occupying a city center address between three of the most famous churches of ancient Eastern Christendom — St. Michael’s Cathedral, St. Andrew’s Cathedral and the Cathedral of St. Sophia — the hotel is surrounded by golden cupolas and is a base from which to explore the cradle of the “Kievan Rus.”

The city’s corporate offices, embassies and government agencies are also within easy reach. The 11-story hotel was designed by Ukrainian architect Sergey Babushkin. InterContinental Kiev offers 272 deluxe rooms, including five Ambassador Suites and two signature suites — a 2,282-square-foot Royal Suite and a 3,380-square-foot Presidential Suite, both overlooking St. Michael’s Square.

The Presidential Suite has enhanced security features with exclusive private lift access, and has been specifically designed to host visiting heads of state and high-level dignitaries.

The property’s angular marble-and-glass façade is highlighted by a three-meter statue of the Greek goddess Nike by Ukrainian sculptor Michael Reva. The hotel’s interiors were created by British designer John Tweedie.

The residential lobby and public areas feature cream and pale yellow marble floors, black marble columns, handmade Italian furniture by Armando Rho, commissioned Eastern European art and lighting fixtures.

Rooms and suites are equipped with high-speed wireless Internet access, Philips plasma televisions and iPod docking stations, and Cisco IP telephones. InterContinental Kiev is anchored by three restaurants, featuring cuisine by Executive Chef Hector Jimenez-Bravo.

The hotel’s French restaurant recreates a traditional Parisian brasserie experience inspired by Café de la Paix at InterContinental Paris Le Grand Hôtel. Olivera, the hotel’s casual all-day Italian-Mediterranean dining room, has an open kitchen, buffets and guest-to-chef interactions as a focal point.

B-hush is the hotel’s ultra-modern rooftop champagne, caviar and seafood bar with panoramic views of Kiev. B-hush will also have an outdoor mahogany sky terrace overlooking St. Michael’s Square.

Located on the mezzanine floor with views over the Ukrainian Diplomatic Academy and a 20th century church, the Club InterContinental lounge has six distinct zones including a library, dining room, bar and relaxation area. The lounge is for the exclusive use of Club InterContinental guests, offering complimentary breakfast, all-day refreshments, evening cocktails, and personalized concierge services.

InterContinental Kiev is also home to the capital city’s largest and most technologically advanced pillar-less Grand Ballroom, for receptions of up to 450 guests.

The hotel also has a state-of-the-art conference center, a spa and health club and indoor swimming pool.

The Hotel de Charme Les Airelles in Courchevel will complete a 35 million euro ($50 million) renovation that has been taking place over the past three years and will reopen for the season on Dec. 11.

Located in one of the most exclusive ski destinations in the world, the hotel completed renovations to public areas, guestrooms, exterior entrance, and the Kid’s Kingdom, an expansive play area for children.

This is in addition to last year’s debut of the 5,900-square-foot Private Apartment and Valentino Boutique. Les Airelles also features a 7,000-square-foot Valmont Spa for Les Airelles and the Pierre Gagnaire Restaurant.

The 37 guestrooms and 14 suites are equipped with flat-screen TVs and built-in DVD players, sound dock, video-on-demand service, jukebox and wireless high-speed Internet access.

Most of the suites have a fireplace inviting guests to relax, and bathrooms are equipped with steam showers. In addition, accommodations have been fitted with refined decorations inspired from Italian and Austrian chalets of the past, including hand-painted wooden panels, Frey and Rubelli materials, along with Dedar and Declerc soft furnishings and silks.

For more information, visit www.airelles.fr

Real Resorts announced the opening of an on-site Civil Registry Office simplifying the marriage license process.

Located at The Royal Playa del Carmen, the new office will exclusively serve brides- and grooms-to-be at both The Royal and the adjacent Gran Porto Real Resorts. Gabriela Joublanc Warnholtz was named civil register officer by the head of the government of Solidaridad.

With this new title, Joublanc Warnholtz can officiate over weddings at both resorts and issue valid marriage licenses in less than four days, cutting down on time and red tape.

In addition, guests will have the services of a dedicated Justice of the Peace who is bilingual and can perform wedding services seven days a week.

The Royal Playa del Carmen and The Gran Porto Real offer a wide selection of wedding and honeymoon packages, starting with the Complimentary Wedding for couples staying a minimum of five nights in a master suite or a royal presidential Suite, or booking 20 ocean-view guests suites also with a minimum of five nights.

For more information or reservations, call 800-543-7556

or visit www.RealResorts.com/weddings

Rainforest Bobsled Jamaica at Mystic Mountain in Ocho Rios, Jamaica, this September will become the Caribbean’s first attraction open for nighttime operations. Guests will soon be able to ride on the Sky Explorer to the top of Mystic Mountain, professionally lit by landscape experts.

Once at the summit, R2 Restaurant, which stands at a 700 feet tall, will offer a gourmet dining experience overlooking an unparalleled nighttime view of Ocho Rios. Canopy zip-liners can ride the world’s first nighttime zip-line, donning helmet lights as they zip among the rainforest treetops to platforms ringed with torches.

Mystic Mountain produces its own electrical power, using generators and a battery storage/inverter system to cut fuel consumption, carbon-emissions and extend the life of its equipment.

In keeping with Mystic Mountain’s commitment to the environment and five-year goal of 100 percent self-sustainability, the company will install commercial wind generators and photovoltaic solar panels over the next few years to compliment the existing energy generation system.

For more information, visit www.rainforestbobsledjamaica.com

Harrah’s Cherokee Casino & Hotel in Cherokee, N.C., announced the Sept. 1 grand opening of Sequoyah National Golf Club, an 18-hole, par 72 championship course designed by Robert Trent Jones II.

Owned by the Eastern Band of Cherokees and managed by Troon Golf, Sequoyah National is set against the backdrop of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Designed at 6,700 yards from the back tees, the course’s five sets of tees challenge every level of player. The clubhouse sits atop a hill with panoramic views of the mountainous Cherokee homeland.

Guests at Harrah’s Cherokee have privileged access to Sequoyah National through Harrah’s Cherokee Service Connection Center and Casino Host Teams.

All guests can play Sequoyah National utilizing Reward Credits; VIP guests receive monthly offers for two rounds of golf through the hotel’s loyalty program. Rack rates are $85 weekdays, $110 weekends.

Harrah’s Cherokee is currently undergoing a $633 million expansion to position the property as the premier gaming destination in the Southeast and a world-class resort for leisure and business travel.

The property’s Master Plan is currently the largest hospitality expansion project underway in the Southeast and one of the largest in the U.S., offering the greatest number of hotel accommodations in the state.

Upon completion in 2012, the 37-acre property will have added a third guest tower (533 luxury rooms and suites), 3,000-seat events center, entertainment and VIP lounges, 16,000-square-foot spa, state-of-the-art digital poker room, Asian gaming room, new restaurant and retail outlets, and new hotel and casino parking garages.

It is also renovating current casino facilities and doubling the casino floor to 150,000 square feet while increasing video and table game capacity.

The new facilities will utilize the Eastern Band of Cherokee’s important collection of Native American art portraying local culture.

Significant investment is also being made in sophisticated technology and group services ranging from business and conference support to catering services.

For more information, call 800-HARRAHS or visit www.harrahs.com

Pascal Mahvi, developer of the Jalousie Plantation Resort & Spa, and hospitality expert Monty Zullo announced the development of an exclusive Residential Resort Community in the Val des Pitons on the island of St. Lucia.

The Jalousie Enclave, the only residential development on Jalousie Bay, will be the first “green” resort in the world offering buyers the opportunity to own property in a designated World Heritage Site.

It is the collaboration between Mahvi, with his experience in the high-end resort industry, and Zullo, the creative force behind famed New York institutions Doubles and Maxims, that produced The Jalousie Enclave.

The residential resort is located in one of the most meticulously preserved natural environments in the world.

This limited collection of 22 two- or three-bedroom villas and 51 estates is situated within a World Heritage Site designated by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in 2004.

The 196-acre property is in the Val des Pitons, on the edge of a rainforest and overlooking the sea.

The Jalousie Enclave will complement the natural beauty of its surroundings with carefully designed homes, amenities and landscaping.

Low-hanging fruit trees will be planted to aid natural runoff, and drainage catchments on the mountainsides have stopped erosion. As a true model for sustainable living,

The Jalousie Enclave will use filtered “gray” water in each home’s WCs, solar-powered water heaters and some green roofs.

Each residence can be customized according to individual preferences and requirements.

Properties are sold freehold and owners have the option to rent or re-sell with no restrictions.

Every investor in the residential community is provided deeded access to The Jalousie Enclave’s beach. Property management provides turnkey maintenance and staffing of trained butlers, maids and cooks for each estate.

Office services, banking and legal advice are also offered and an on-site representative will be available to oversee the lease of a purchased property for its owner. The Jalousie Enclave will include a world-class spa and two fine dining restaurants in the planned $7 million Clubhouse, as well as a private club pool and lake. Each lot will come with membership to one of the seven new PGA Golf Clubs and Courses. Transportation to and from the Golf Club will be provided by helicopter.

For more information, visit www.jalousie.lc

The Recreation Africa group’s Misty Hills Country Hotel, Conference Centre and Spa in Johannesburg, South Africa, part of the Warwick International Hotels collection, completed the first phase of a major facility upgrade begun in 2008.

The phase incorporated the development of two new villages (numbers seven and eight), comprising 62 new rooms, including eight executive suites.

Other new facilities include the building of a new leisure area, the addition of a spa conference room and a second Spa Signature Room. Recreation Africa also purchased an additional five hectares of adjoining land, where a new car park and a central store for the group will be developed.

The new leisure area houses two swimming pools (including a dedicated children’s pool), a fully equipped gym, private lounge, game room and the Peregrine Castle kiddie’s play ground. Overlooking the Cradle of Humankind, suspended day beds and a variety of sunbathing options encourage rest and relaxation.

A beverage and light meal service is available throughout the day. Newly appointed resident manager Charles Lamb is on site to ensure a comfortable and pleasant stay.

Also on the property is the Misty Hills Spa in the Country. Day packages and weekend anti-stress specials are available, with massages, aromatherapy, stone rock therapy, facials, reflexology, manicures, pedicures and other treatments.

Adjacent to Misty Hills is the world-renowned Carnivore Restaurant, which offers a selection of charcoal-grilled game and domestic meats, skewered onto Massai swords and cooked over an open fire.

The Gin Box bar will be moved to a new location on site and a coffee shop/bistro will be built adjacent to it. The existing Gin Box will be converted into a new reception area and the present factory is to be converted into an exhibition center.

Recreation Africa has also purchased land in Broederstroom in an existing factory location, and all materials and the art workshops will be relocated to this site. Misty Hills offers 21 African-themed conference and events venues, including a new spa conference facility.

For a unique and pampering conferencing experience, inline with world-wide trends, Spa in the Country Conferencing offers a holistic alternative to the traditional conference choice.

Addressing stress management and promoting well-being in the workplace, the Spa Conference facility provide a therapeutic environment where delegates can enjoy private and personalized treatments as part of the day’s itinerary.

The Recreation Africa group develops hotels and restaurants with African ambience, offering services in the field of environmental education, hospitality and recreation.

For more information, visit www.recreationafrica.co.za  Warwick International Hotels (WIH) was launched in 1980 with the purchase of The Warwick New York, a hotel originally built by William Randolph Hearst for his Hollywood friends. Celebrating more than 25 years of hospitality excellence, the WIH Group now includes more than 40 prestigious hotels and resorts worldwide located in city centers and resort destinations in the United States, Europe, Asia, Bali, the South Pacific, and Africa. For more information, visit www.warwickhotels.com

Europe’s No 1 golf retailer, american golf, has signed an Official Travel Partner agreement with Europe’s fastest-growing golf travel company, YourGolfTravel.com.

The deal guarantees a range of travel benefits for american golf’s customers, not least the ability to source the widest range of UK, European and worldwide golf holidays through one specialist source.

Initiatives will see YourGolfTravel.com’s portfolio of golfing packages distributed on-line and by direct mail, with exclusive discounts for american golf customers.

Commenting on the partnership, Your Golf Travel.com managing director Andrew Harding said: “american golf is a brand recognised as the market leader in golf retail across the UK and we are delighted to offer their customers exclusive discounts on their golf travel needs. We are also thrilled to be able to offer our customers savings on products featured on the american golf website.

“We are confident that this partnership will see YourGolfTravel.com putting plenty more american golf patrons back on the fairways.”

Gill Hammond, marketing manager at american golf, said: “We’re always looking for extra ways we can add benefit to what we already give our customers and the partnership with Your Golf Travel.com will certainly do that.

“In terms of the destinations they offer and value for money, Your Golf Travel.com are unrivalled when it comes to taking a golf break and now our customers can benefit from even better discounts on their travels meaning american golf really does offer everything a golfer could desire.”

For more information call 0800 043 6644, email info@yourgolftravel.com  or go to www.yourgolftravel.com