Jetsettersblog

The new A&O Hotel and Hostel in Cologne opened on Dec. 4. “The remodeling of the building did not take as much time as we thought and we are pleased to be able to welcome the first guests this month” said General Manager Oliver Winter.

The former office building now has over 170 rooms and will employ nine staff members as well as 15 students. Hotel guests will be accommodated in 60 rooms; the hostel part has 111 rooms with 260 beds.

The property is near the Neumarkt at Mauritiuswall.

From here, guests can reach the city’s most important landmarks in minutes.

For more information, call 800-888-0200, email aohostels@atmsusa.net  or visit www.atmsusa.net

Valentin Imperial Maya Resort, an all-inclusive, adult-only resort property, is located along a half-mile stretch of white sand coastline aptly named Playa Del Secreto (Secret Beach).

Opened in November 2007, Valentin Imperial Maya is the first resort developed outside of Europe by Valentin Hotels, a family-run hotel business that began in 1966 in Mallorca, Spain. The company currently owns and operates six resorts in Mallorca, two in Menorca, one in Costa de la Luz and one in Gran Canaria of the Canary Islands.

 Inspired by the grand haciendas of Spain, the 540-suite Valentin Imperial Maya Resort presents a unique blend of classic style and contemporary sensibility. Valentin Imperial Maya Resort features an array of amenities, ranging from superior accommodations, restaurants, meetings facilities and recreational activities. The resort offers six categories of suites that overlook the Caribbean Sea, and a 900-foot meandering swimming pool surrounding three island pools or natural lagoon area. Additionally, guests can enjoy the main pool, which features two swim-up bars.

All guest suites offer a range of deluxe amenities including private terrace or balcony, marble bathrooms with hydro-massage tubs, fully stocked mini bar, high-definition television with DVD player and extensive movie selection, radio/alarm clock with iPod dock, nightly turndown service, slippers, bathrobe and a bed pillow menu.

For dining, Valentin Imperial Maya Resort offers seven à la carte and two buffet restaurants which invite even the most discerning palates on a first-class culinary adventure.

Offering gastronomy from Italy, France, Japan, Mexico and other Asian-inspired cuisine, dishes are hand crafted and presented by chefs.

To keep guests informed of the exciting mix of activities both on and off the property, the “Valentin Journal” is distributed daily and offers a schedule of what is happening at the resort as well as the weather, available tours, excursions and information on the “Spotlight Show,” taking place each evening in the resort’s fully air-conditioned theater, “El Palenque.” For an additional cost, guests can enjoy a private, romantic dinner on the beach.

Guests can also take advantage of the Spa at Valentin Imperial Maya.

Special treatment rooms are available for couples, featuring a Jacuzzi and rain shower.

For couples planning their weddings or who wish to renew their vows, Valentin Imperial Maya Resort is home to an official Roman Catholic chapel, the only one of its kind located within the entire destination of Riviera Maya.

A multi-religion wedding gazebo and two dedicated wedding concierges are additionally available for couples planning their upcoming nuptials.

For more information, visit www.valentinmaya.com

The Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas will open Vanity nightclub in its new HRH Tower on Dec. 31 to ring in 2010, followed by the official grand opening party Jan. 2 hosted by Diddy. Vanity’s entrance features a collage of reflective tile and antique vanity mirrors.

The interior features an eclectic jewel box adorned with pearls, hand-cut crystals and reflective walls of bronze fused with metallic gold.

The heartbeat of the club is a cyclone chandelier lit from within by more than 20,000 LED lights.

The 14,000-square-foot venue features two marble bars, 50 VIP booths, an outdoor terrace with cabanas and a fire pit and offers direct access to the new outdoor Sky Bar opening in April 2010.

The ladies’ lounge offers nail and makeup technicians available for touch ups, and all bathrooms are equipped with full-length, three-way mirrors. VIP seating lines the 80-foot sunken dance floor, while a larger center seating area borders an onyx catwalk lined with tall lanterns. Staff in rocker-style uniforms offer champagne menus engraved on handheld antique mirrors.

Vanity will be open Thursday through Sunday from 10 p.m. to 4 a.m.

Cover charges will be $20 for women and $40 for men; local ladies can enter for free at all times.

VIP booths and tables start at $500 and include crystal punch bowls. To reserve a VIP booths or table, call 702-693-5555 or visit www.vanitylv.com.

For hotel information, call 800-473-7625 or visit www.hardrockhotel.com

The Lake Geneva Region has 19 Michelin stars shared among 12 restaurants in the Guide Michelin Suisse 2010.

The Michelin Guide, published on Nov. 17, awarded two stars directly to the cuisine of Anne-Sophie Pic at the Beau-Rivage Palace in Lausanne.

Three new addresses are included in the guide, putting the Lake Geneva Region (Canton of Vaud) at the head of the Swiss honors listing. Le Trianon, a gastronomic restaurant at the Mirador Kempinski, earned its star after nine months of hotel closure for major renovations.

Sylvain Trincaz, former assistant chef, now manages the restaurant. At Saint-Saphorin, the Auberge de l’Onde gained one star for the cuisine of Patrick Zimmermann. Finally, at Chardonne (Lavaux), David Tarnowski was named “New Star hopeful” for his restaurant Le Montagne.

This distinction paves the way for him to receive the award in the next edition of the guide.

For more information, visit www.lake-geneva-region.ch

A group of safari lodges in Zambia that joined forces to market themselves and their country collectively under the banner Zambian Horizons, received awards from the Tourism Council of Zambia at the first annual Zambia Tourism Awards ceremony in Lusaka.

Guide of the Year was awarded to Abraham Banda of Norman Carr Safaris; Best Safari Accommodation was awarded to Chongwe River Camp; Best Lodge Award was awarded to Mfuwe Lodge; and Best Tourism Promotion was awarded to Robin Pope Safaris.

The collaborative effort of the new group includes a collaborative, full-color quarterly newsletter; regularly scheduled meetings; packaged trips that include two or more properties; and a Zambian Horizons dedicated website.

Each member of Zambian Horizons is committed to improving the lives of the Zambian people through hands-on involvement in community projects ranging from the support and development of local schools to helping find small business opportunities for the nearby villagers. Zambian Horizons’ safari camps are scattered among the North Luangwa, South Luangwa, Lower Zambezi, and Livingstone regions of Zambia. Their primary focus is spreading awareness and providing information to the public and the press about Zambia’s natural beauty, vast wildlife populations, wilderness areas and reserves.

The Bushcamp Company in the South Luangwa National Park comprises Mfuwe Lodge with 18 chalets overlooking a lagoon and five intimate and exclusive bush camps in one of Africa’s last unspoiled wilderness areas.

The camps are all within walking distance of each other and guests walk through the Park by day to a new location each night, experiencing the exhilaration of the bush.

The company’s slogan is “From a vehicle, you can see Africa.

On foot, you hear, feel and taste Africa.” Norman Carr Safaris, based in the South Luangwa National Park, is home to a collection of five camps with unspoiled natural beauty and abundant game.

Norman Carr Safaris was the first company to offer walking safaris out in the Zambian bush year round.

Founded in 1986, Robin Pope Safaris is based in the unspoiled South Luangwa National Park in Zambia, home to one of the greatest collections of wildlife in the world — including leopard, lion, elephant, giraffe, buffalo, hippo and more than 400 species of birds.

Three camps offer a luxury wilderness experience with stylish accommodation, attentive service, fine dining and private guides.

Chongwe River Camp is a family-run lodge situated on the confluence of the Chongwe and Zambezi Rivers in an abundant wilderness area in the Lower Zambezi, Zambia. The camp offers a relaxed and natural setting, with home-cooked meals.

From eight lush and comfortable accommodations, guests have a choice of day and night game drives in open safari vehicles, guided walking tours, canoeing or motor boats.

Sausage Tree camp is on the banks of the Zambezi River at the heart of the Lower Zambezi National Park.

It was voted the number one luxury destination on the BBC Holiday Program’s “Ten Best.” Sausage Tree Camp offers day and night game-drives, walking safaris, canoeing, boating and fishing for the world-renowned Tiger fish.

The Camp features Bedouin-style white canvas tents furnished in minimalist white fabrics and teak.

The open air bathrooms and expansive teak decks are a signature of the camp. From every room at Stanley Safari Lodge, guests see distant views of Victoria Falls. Set on a hill, overlooking unspoiled bush, Stanley is a perfect base from which to explore the delights of the area — from river rafting and bungee jumping to sunset cruises, walks with lions and elephant-back safaris.

The main lodge offers a large swimming pool and the only wine cellar in Zambia.

Six of the 10 cottages have one wall open to the outside and four cottages have all four walls. Tongabezi Lodge is the first river lodge on the Zambian side of the Victoria Falls, with five cottages providing luxury accommodation in the privacy of the Zambian bush.

It has valets in each house and offers game drives, bush walks and boating trips, all included in the price. Each cottage features open-air tubs in the bathroom, soft down pillows and duvets, oversized windows for enjoying the untamed, spectacular beauty of Zambia and dinner under the stars. The Islands of Siankaba Lodge is located on two densely forested islands in the heart of the Zambezi River, 24 miles from Victoria Falls, and 30 miles from Chobe National Park. Accessed by elevated walkways, Siankaba’s luxurious teak and canvas chalets are hidden away among the trees, providing guests direct views over the Zambezi.

For more information, visit www.zambianhorizons.com

Sun Country Airlines launched a private label vacation packaging division called Sun Country Vacations, which allows travelers to save time and money by booking airfare, hotel and additional components in a single transaction at www.suncountry.com

Sun Country Vacations partnered with hundreds of hotels, and the new program will offer special promotions with highlighted partners such as the Omni Hotels and El Cid Resorts throughout Mexico.

The deals can be found on the Sun Country website as well as communicated through emails, Facebook and Twitter. The Sun Country Ufly Rewards program will be offering a Triple Points promotion as part of the Sun Country Vacations Launch. For every vacation package booked, members will receive 30 Ufly points, which puts them more than half the way to earning a free one-way ticket.

Sun Country has partnered with ezRez, a leader in the airline and vacation industry in web hosting, and Tourico Holidays, an exclusive provider of hotel inventory and one of the leaders in the wholesale distributor industry. Sun Country Vacation packages will be offered to a wide range of popular destinations including

Cancun, Cozumel, Mazatlan, Puerto Vallarta, Ixtapa, Cabo San Lucas, St. Thomas, St. Maarten, San Juan, Orlando, New York, Palm Springs, Phoenix, San Diego, West Palm Beach, Seattle, Las Vegas, Tampa, Fort Myers, Harlingen and coming soon, Anchorage, Washington D.C., and Boston.

In the near future, Sun Country Vacations will offer the option to book Hertz rental cars, cruises, attraction tickets and sightseeing tours. Sun Country Airlines is based in St. Paul, Minn., and flies to destinations in the United States, Mexico and the Caribbean. For more information, call 800-359-6786 or visit www.suncountry.com.

Budget Rent A Car now offers Daimler’s space-saving “smart fortwo” in certain cities.

Measuring 8.8 feet long, 5.1 feet tall and 5.1 feet wide, the 2009 smart fortwo pure coupe is the latest addition to Budget’s “Street Fleet,” a series of popular vehicles available for reservation by specific make and model.

Available at select Budget neighborhood locations, including

Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, Miami, Key West, New York, Philadelphia and San Francisco, the smart fortwo pure coupe gets an average U.S. EPA rated 33 miles a gallon (city) and 41 miles a gallon (highway).

Aside from hybrids, the smart fortwo is the most fuel-efficient vehicle available from Budget.

In addition to its unique compact design, the vehicle features a 1.0-liter three-cylinder engine and offers many accessory and safety features found in most luxury vehicles.

These include the protective “tridion safety cell,” developed especially for the smart fortwo which acts very much like a NASCAR roll cage to protect passengers, electronic stability program, anti-lock braking system and four airbags.

Krabi’s Rayavadee resort and spa is hosting an exhibition, called “Arcade of the Arts: Past & Present,” which brings together a selection of antique and contemporary Thai art objects for the first time.

The exhibition is held in the resort’s gallery boutique and showcases a wide range of objects, representing regional craft traditions and design ingenuity.

The exhibition is on display through Feb. 28.

Exhibition objects vary between those created by traditional artisans to one-of-a-kind pieces from young up-and-coming designers and fine art pieces from internationally acclaimed design houses.

The spirit of the past is represented by a number of rare antiques from the collections of two of Thailand’s most formidable collectors, Neold Collection and Lamont. Neold’s offerings include gilt and lacquered religious objects such as votive tablets, lacquered scripture books and ceremonial items, as well as simple household items including intricately carved silk weaving implements and antique pottery.

Alexander Lamont, a highly acclaimed international designer, famous for finely crafted contemporary pieces, offers a selection from his collection that include antique sculpture and Buddhist art.

The boutique and exhibition are open daily from 8 a.m. through 8 p.m.

Rayavadee’s 98 pavilions and four beachfront villas sit amid 26 acres of tropical gardens and coconut groves against a backdrop of sheer cliffs, jungle foliage and the Andaman Sea.

The resort’s four restaurants offer a variety of settings while the Rayavadee Spa features a wide range of healing treatments that draw on ancient Thai healing traditions.

Rayavadee’s fleet of speedboats and its antique Siamese junk allow guests to explore the surrounding islands.

For reservations or more information, email reservation@rayavadee.com  or visit www.rayavadee.com

The Miyako Hybrid Hotel has opened in Torrance, Calif., in the South Bay area of Los Angeles County.

The hotel encompasses an array of eco-conscious aspects, hence the name Miyako Hybrid. Among them are 97 solar panels on the roof that supply up to 5 percent of the hotel’s energy; tankless water heaters that reduce gas consumption; the use of local, natural and recycled materials throughout the space; and a key energizing system that automatically shuts off lights and appliances when a key card is not inserted in a guestroom module.

The hotel’s lobby is an open space with white marble flooring and wood and glass walls that allow for natural light to flow in. Lobby furnishings include a distinctive wooden centerpiece table topped with white orchids, potted bamboo, wooden light fixtures suspended from the ceiling, and earth-toned lobby furniture accented by gray, green and blue pillows and abstract Japanese paintings. The seating area is also flanked by a sandstone wall, featuring a glass fireplace that looks into the adjoining Gonpachi restaurant.

The hotel also offers a spa, a business center, a gift shop and meeting spaces.

The hotel’s upper floors feature moss-green, textured wall coverings and plush, neutral-tone carpet for the hallways. Historic black-and-white photographs depicting Torrance in the early 20th century are displayed in the common areas of each floor.

Each of the 208 guestrooms, including 12 suites, features a bathroom accessed through a sliding wooden door, with a deep tub and adjacent showering area, as well as heated water bidets.

Rooms come with a balcony and feature eco-friendly cork walls, flat-screen TVs, DVD players, complimentary Wi-Fi, bathrobes and slippers, mini bars, coffeemakers, and luxury bedding with down comforters and a choice of down or foam pillows. Suites feature additional workspace areas and, in larger suites, kitchenettes and larger bathrooms with expanded showering areas.

The hotel’s Gonpachi restaurant, which serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner, offers authentic Japanese cuisine that is also influenced by California’s culinary styles and flavors. Ingredients are brought in from local markets, as well as from Tokyo’s Tsukiji Market.

The restaurant, accessible via the hotel lobby, can seat 180 in an expansive space that is a mix of traditional elements and modern décor.

On the fireplace side of the space is an array of lounge seating, including an ornate sofa. The center of the space is dominated by two large sushi bars that face each other and are lit from hanging blown-glass pendant lights.

Additional table seating includes an outdoor patio, as well as high-backed booths lined in cream-colored leather.

Between the sushi bar and the lounge space is a large communal table for 18.

Spa Relaken specializes in Japanese-inspired spa therapies, including Shiatsu massage, in addition to reflexology, aroma treatments, facials, and Swedish and Thai massages.

Relaken’s Omotenashi Hospitality concept encompasses the recovery of mental and physical health by multisensory relaxation, including the sound of flowing water and the smell and taste of herbal teas.

The Relaken Spa is the company’s first United States outpost and the only spa in the country to feature the ganban-yoku (bedrock bath) treatment.

A specialty of Japanese bathing culture, this treatment involves the guest lying on a large stone of ore mined from the mountains of Kyushu, Japan.

Guests recline on the stones, which are placed in a sauna-like room. When heated, these stones emit infrared rays, as well as negative ions, which help heat the body inside, restore cells and encourage detoxification through perspiration.

The overall effect is one of refreshment and relaxation, as well as improved circulation and metabolism. Meeting space totals nearly 5,000 square feet. Four different rooms — Asuka, Yoshino, Nara, and Kyoto — are available for groups from 10 to 200, including patios.

For more information, call 310-212-5111 or visit www.miyakohybridhotel.com

Tokyo’s two airports, Narita and Haneda, are adding more facilities and convenience. One of the airport trains Sky Liner opens a shorter route to downtown Tokyo from Narita Airport in spring 2010.

The new service shortens the trip from 51 minutes to 36 minutes to Nippori Station in central Tokyo at the highest speed of 99 mph.

The new car is designed by the fashion designer Kansai Yamamoto. The competitor Narita Express has just renewed the cars with leather seats, connecting the airport to Tokyo station in 53 minutes.

The Mori Building Co. started celebrity helicopter service between central Tokyo and Narita starting at $500. The French Hermes designed the interior.

The service dispatches from the rooftop heliport of Arc Mori Building in Akasaka to the nearby heliport in Narita, then the limousine drives up to the front of the airport terminal. The service will be available up to 22 roundtrips daily.

Tokyo’s Haneda airport will house the first airport planetarium in the world.

The planetarium will be in Haneda’s new international terminal that is scheduled to open in October 2010.

For busy travelers with only few minutes to spare at the airport, each space show is within half-hour-long. Haneda airport primarily serves for domestic flights and short-haul international flights to Seoul, Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong, but the new expansion in 2010 plans to accommodate more international destinations.

For more information, visit www.japantravelinfo.com