Jetsettersblog

Accor customers are now able to make reservations at 3,000 Accor hotels worldwide directly from an iPhone. The company’s website, www.accorhotels.com , is providing iPhone users with free access to an application that will enable them to reserve a room in any of 3,000 Sofitel, Pullman, MGallery, Mercure, Novotel, Suitehotel, Adagio, ibis, all seasons, Etap Hotel, Formule 1 and hotelF1 hotels, directly from their iPhone.

Developed with Haiku, a provider of mobile solutions, the easy-to-use application takes advantage of Apple’s intuitive browsing capabilities and offers additional services, including geolocation features that enable users, for example, to search for the nearest hotels or calculate itineraries in real time.

The application also includes a personalized service that memorizes current reservations and favorite hotels and synchronizes with the iPhone contacts.

When booking via an iPhone, users also benefit from secure payment processing and enjoy access to promotional offers in Sofitel, Pullman, MGallery, Novotel, Mercure, Suitehotel, Adagio, Ibis, all seasons, Etap Hotel, hotelF1 and Formule 1 hotels around the world.

The application is already available in five languages (French, English, German, Spanish and Italian).

Introducing a whole new concept in chalet holidays – offering exactly what the savvy chalet client has long desired and required!

Hundred Hills is a custom length stay, ski-in, ski-out bolt hole in Val d’Isere – located on the edge of the white stuff, just 1.5km from the centre of the village in Le Châtelard region.

TIMED TO PERFECTION

Hundred Hills take the hassle out of organising a weekend breakaway or a longer stay, with the flexibility of dedicated airport transfers, allowing the guest’s own choice of flights. Lift passes, rental skis and snowboards are organised well ahead of arrival, whilst lessons and guiding are booked well in advance , so you can maximise your time on the hill.

GLORIOUS GRUB

Rise and shine, then be treated to a tasty breakfast. Take a packed lunch into the snow and arrive back to an enticing afternoon tea at the end of an epic adventure on the hill. A deliciously hearty dinner awaits each evening with a choice of wine.

PISTE OF THE ACTION

Ski out from the chalet on the blue Santons run or beginners can catch the free shuttle bus to the Rond Point des Pistes.

The Solaise, Solaise Express, L’Olympique and Bellevarde Express lifts are all within easy access from here.

Simply return to the chalet following the Santons – both the black Epaule du Charvet (black) and red Piste ‘M’ feed into the Santons.

ADVENTURE UNLIMITED

The Espace Killy is a world renowned winter playground boasting over 300km of unrivalled corduroy up to 3,450m, vast bowls of backcountry and 40km of cross country trails.

This multi-faceted resort never fails to deliver – beginners, intermediates, free-stylers and experts will have the time of their lives on this limitless terrain.

CREDIT BUSTING VALUE

With no hidden charges for uneven group numbers or use of a credit card, Hundred Hills are the obvious choice. Lift passes, ski hire, lessons and guiding can be pre-purchased well ahead of time at a preferred rate of exchange.

Custom length stays offer the perfect flexible solution but with surprisingly low prices.

Three nights extended half-board from £350 per person with dedicated return local airport transfers from £70. Additional nights from just £50 per person night.

Call: +44 (0) 191 406 6160
Email: info@hundredhills.com
Visit: www.hundredhills.com

Red Mountain, the oldest ski resort in western Canada, has reopened after a more than $57 million in renovations, hill grooming and new lifts, and has already been recognized for having the “Best Powder, Best Steeps, Best Trees” by Ski Canada Magazine and included in Forbes Traveler Magazine’s “North America’s top ten expert resorts” list.

Located outside of the former mining town of Rossland, B.C. (no stoplights, no Starbucks, think Crested Butte before it was discovered),

National Geographic Adventure ranked it as the Number 2 ski destination in North America.

The resort was purchased in 2004 by entrepreneur Howard Katkov and a group of ski enthusiast investors. The resort is opening the season with a $63 per person per night package, available Dec. 18-21. The package includes a 10 percent discount on lift tickets.

For more information, call 877-969-SNOW or visit www.redresort.com

Hyatt Hotels & Resorts unveiled the new Hyatt Wish List website, an interactive resource where travelers can customize and plan their ideal travel experience and share it with friends and family.

In addition to helping plan and share the trip of a lifetime, the Hyatt Wish List provides an easy and secure shopping tool for friends and family to make purchases toward a Wish List.

The Hyatt Wish List is also a great way to organize and coordinate a gift from a group of well-wishers for any gift-giving occasion, such as an anniversary, birthday, retirement, or graduation. Giving travelers the maximum amount of flexibility, reservations are not required in advance of creating a Hyatt Wish List.

In addition, purchases toward the Hyatt Wish List will be provided in the form of a Hyatt Gift Card or Gift Check, so if plans change, guests have the freedom to experience their trip however they want.

Hyatt Wish lists can include anything charged to a room folio including rejuvenating spa visits, award-winning food and beverage, as well as various other activities provided or hosted by Hyatt, which may include golf, horseback riding or mountain biking. It is recommended that guests contact the property or properties they wish to visit for a full listing of amenities and activities when building their Hyatt Wish List.

The Hyatt Wish List is simple to use. Travelers who want to build a wish list should visit www.HyattWishList.com  to create an account by entering basic information.

They are then on their way to planning their trip of a lifetime. Purchases can be made by friends, relatives and other well-wishers using a secure shopping cart, and the check out process takes only a few minutes.

The site is also designed for recipients to review purchases made toward their Hyatt Wish List and provides useful details regarding these purchases such as when and who made the purchase, making it easy to say thank you.

Recipients can select any disbursement date they choose, whether it is a few weeks or several months in advance. On the selected disbursement date, Hyatt will send the recipient their Hyatt Gift Card and/or Hyatt Check Certificate in the amount purchased against their wish list. Hyatt will then pick up the shipping and processing charges.

For more information on the new Hyatt Wish List, call 877-798-1472 or visit www.HyattWishList.com

In The UK

Chiddingstone Castle has exciting new plans to develop its stunning 35 acres of natural landscape into a Japanese Stroll Garden. When completed, the landscaped grounds will feature many winding strolling pathways, a cherry tree garden, a Japanese ceremonial tea garden, a woodland play garden and nature garden.

This unique project will give Chiddingstone Castle the largest Japanese Stroll Garden in the UK, and will be a fitting addition to the Castle, which is renowned for being home to one of the most important private Japanese collections in Europe.

This wonderful collection of Japanese artefacts includes swords, armour and lacquer ware, all collected by Denys Eyre Bower, who died in 1977 leaving the Castle and his entire collection for the nation to enjoy.

Chiddingstone Castle is a Grade 2 * heritage building of national importance. The Castle Staff have been working closely with English and Japanese Historians to ensure the authenticity of the new garden with the history of the Castle and grounds.

Their research has led to discoveries that during the Victorian era people in the UK became fascinated with Japanese culture. In fact, the interest was so great in London that a Japanese village was built in Knightsbridge, complete with tearoom, gardens, shops and homes! The Victorians also became avid collectors of all things Japanese, especially ceramics.

In 2008/09 150 years of diplomatic relations between Japan and the United Kingdom were celebrated. Following a commemoration of the signing of the Treaty on 26th August 2008 a large number of events took place to celebrate JAPAN-UK 150.

As part of the celebration, the Chiddingstone Team successfully promoted Japanese arts, culture and crafts, which culminated in a very popular Japanese Culture and Arts festival held at the Castle in 2009.

To coincide with JAPAN-UK 150, details for the Japanese Stroll Garden in a Victorian setting were revealed during a day of celebration.

Specially invited guests came from all over the UK to take part in the opening presentation of the plans. The Chairman of the Trustees, Mark Streatfeild and Garden Designer Marie Jackson revealed the designs and explained how the Stroll Garden would enhance and compliment the history of Chiddingstone Castle.

The Chiddingstone team were honoured by the presence of Mr Ken Okaniwa, the Cultural Minister from the Japanese Embassy at the event.

If you would like further information about the plans or are interested in giving support, donating or becoming a sponsor of the Japanese Stroll Gardens project please contact Marie Jackson on 01892 872744 or email her on info@chiddingstonecastle.org.uk

The Ethical Traveler’s new report, “The World’s Best Ethical Destinations,” identifies the 10 countries in the developing world that are best protecting their natural environments, promoting responsible travel, and building a tourism industry which provides real benefits to local communities.

“There’s no doubt that worldwide interest in mindful, responsible travel is growing – not only among travelers, but within the countries that host us,” said Jeff Greenwald, executive director of Ethical Traveler and co-author of the report.

“Now is the perfect time for savvy travelers and well-intentioned governments to evolve together and encourage each other.

“This is especially true in the developing world, where travel and tourism can be developed as lucrative, low-impact alternatives to forestry, mining, and the destruction of ocean habitats.”

In alphabetical order, the best ethical travel destinations for 2010 are: Argentina, Belize, Chile, Ghana, Lithuania, Namibia, Poland, Seychelles, South Africa and Suriname. “In drafting our report, we use scores of information sources — including publicly available data — to rate each country’s genuine commitment to environmental protection, social welfare and human rights,” said Christy Hoover, co-author of the report.

“Data sources include the United Nations Development Program, Human Rights Watch, Columbia University, Reporters Without Borders, the Millennium Challenge Corporation, and many others.

Private interviews with NGO leaders are part of the process, as well.” The full report can be found at www.ethicaltraveler.org/destinations

IBEROSTAR Grand Collection presents IBEROSTAR Grand Hotel Salomé, a stunning luxury five-star boutique hotel situated within the grounds of hotel IBEROSTAR Anthelia which is located by the glorious Costa Adeje shore, in the south of Tenerife.

This new boutique hotel will no longer be the VIP area of IBEROSTAR Anthelia, but rather a separate space with its own individual identity and style. IBEROSTAR Grand Hotel Salomé, can be discovered between the Duque and Fañabé beaches, and is a luxurious, private resort comprising of twenty three stunning upper-level suites all overlooking the beautiful Atlantic Ocean.

Each one of these exquisitely designed suites, all equipped with satellite TV and its own balcony or terrace, has been tailored to meet all the expectations of the most demanding guest.

Guests staying at IBEROSTAR Grand Hotel Salomé will be looked after like royalty with exclusive access to the Thai Zen SPAce wellness centre, which features an active swimming pool thermal circuit, a wide range of jets and waterfalls, a 30ºC swimming pool, a cold-water pool,

Finnish sauna, hammam, sensations showers and relaxation areas; and butler service.

Guests will also have the opportunity to enjoy an exquisite gastronomic offering enjoying a wonderful gourmet breakfast in the El Mirador canopied terrace.

The sumptuous food offerings of IBEROSTAR Grand Hotel Salomé are like no other.

The hotel has the gourmet restaurant Poseidón, El Mirador and Salomé Beach Club as its top features.

If that wasn’t enough the resort also has a private, heated, fresh water pool with bar service, terrace, chill-out areas, deck chairs, umbrellas and towel services.

All guests at IBEROSTAR Grand Hotel Salomé will also have the possibility of benefiting from all services offered by the neighbouring IBEROSTAR Anthelia, as are the Portofino, Zeus or the Barbacoa Beach Club restaurants, the 4 bars in the main resort or the big sea water swimming pool of nearly 22,000 square feet.

Although traveling can be stressful, particularly around the holidays, there are a number of new iPhone apps that add a little cheer to the miles – either on the ground or in the air.

Consumers are increasingly turning to mobile devices for nearly every aspect of their lives, and travel information is high up there in popularity for on-the-go travelers. According to a recent Deloitte LLP survey, 41 percent of participants who say they plan to vacation between Thanksgiving and March 2010 use mobile devices for making reservations or gathering travel information.

The following five travel applications for iPhone will help you throughout the journey.

Whether you are commuting to the airport, trying to find something to do in-flight or researching ways to escape from your family once you arrive, these apps will ease the pain of the miles away from home.

1. Fluent News

While you’re flying from New York to Los Angeles and you want to catch up on all the news you’ve missed while you’ve been flitting from the office to home and then to the airport, Fluent News can help

. Developed by Fluent Mobile, Fluent News delivers stories from the most trusted sources across the Web in one, intuitive and up-to-the-minute mobile newspaper.

The best part is that Fluent News works even when you’re not connected to the Internet, so you can keep reading in flight full articles from all the sources you love – the New York Times, CNN, FOX and even TMZ. News junkies can stay in-the-know while on-the-go.

2. Google Earth

If you can’t wait to exchange evergreens for palm trees, you can check out your tropic paradise from your phone. To help prepare you for bliss, Google Earth allows you to see panoramic views of beaches and cities and browse millions of geo-located photos from around the world. Before arriving, you can preview your destination to get oriented prior to arrival.

As you wait at the airport to fly home, there’s no need for melancholy. You can use Google Earth to start planning your next trip by checking out images of some potential vacation destinations.

3. Yelp

During your trip, there’s no doubt you might crave some of your favorite foods and drink, but you may not be able to locate the nearest Italian restaurant or coffee shop. Yelp lets you find quick links to nearby restaurants, bars and cafes and stores.

It also lets you narrow searches by neighborhood, distance, price and hours of operation.

If you don’t have paper and a pen available, the app will look up addresses and phone numbers for thousands of businesses – and then call or map them from your phone.

4. Urbanspoon

After you Yelped, but can’t narrow down the choices for your favorite restaurants, Urbanspoon can solve your taste-bud troubles.

With a shake, the Urbanspoon slot machine selects a good restaurant, displaying its name, cuisine and price. You’ll always be close to your favorites because the app uses a Global Positioning System to find the nearest restaurants and allows you to filter by neighborhood, cuisine and price.

To help narrow down your top picks, you can read ratings and reviews from newspapers, bloggers and fellow patrons.

The app can help your palate in most North American cities as well as London and Sydney and Melbourne, Australia.

5. Trapster

If you’re a lead-footer who might be anxious to hit the roadways to get away from family or work,

Trapster can keep any eye out for those flashing blue lights.

Your personal police spotter verbally alerts you as you approach potential speed traps, speed cameras and other roadway hazards.

By detecting live police, red-light cameras, or temporary laser traps, Trapster can help you safely navigate unfamiliar streets

– and not spoil your vacation with any speeding tickets.

Any Austrian resort, on any dates, for any group size – UK firm offers free & unique accommodation finder service to escape or join the skiing masses in Austria.

In times of varying weather, increasing demand for out of season ski holidays and a growing willingness to explore beyond the traditional tour operator resorts – the Skiing Austria service is set to be a big part of the future of Austrian Skiing.

From their offices in Innsbruck, Austria the British firm behind www.skiingaustria.co.uk  offer a unique accommodation finder service for Austrian skiing.

Whilst they frequently send guests to St Anton am Arlberg or Kitzbuhel they also find mountain huts for ski tourers, pensions in the far reaches of the glacial valleys and hotels for short stay corporate groups wanting ski-in, ski-out luxury and a spot of heli-skiing – basically nothing is off limits.

Backing up their accommodation finder service is an experience of Austrian skiing that extends to every corner of Austria, from the slopes of the Arlberg to the toughest off-piste skiing in Austria at the Krippenstein Freeride Arena, from après ski in Ischgl to tractor trailer rides to far flung candle-lit mountain huts.

For the last 10 years the directors have been skiing Austria from October to June each year and know Austrian skiing as well as the locals.

Skiing Austria don’t have bed allocations, a ski hire shop, a guesthouse or sausage stand in any resort – they send guests where the current best conditions are or to where they have the best chance of getting their ideal ski holiday.

Free from contractual obligations and based on first hand and up to the minute knowledge of conditions locally, Skiing Austria builds holidays in any Austrian resort based on availability, suitability and conditions.

And on their newly re-launched website www.skiingaustria.co.uk  they present a unique record of skiing in Austria.

Every image on the site is taken by the company directors.

Every resort review is based on experience.

To help the website user a resort search has been developed to narrow selection of the suitable resorts. Glacier skiing near Salzburg Airport? Ski-in, ski-out resorts near Innsbruck Airport?

Snow-sure high altitude resorts near Friedrichshafen Airport? Big ski areas near Munich Airport?

This search is designed to take the guess work out of resort choice.

Then at the end of the phone line or contact form is someone from Skiing Austria who has actually experienced the place and probably very recently.

The Montserrat Tourist Board announced the return of permanent ferry service between Antigua and Montserrat.

Operated by Anguilla-based MV Deluxe, the initial schedule will offer roundtrip service.

Beginning January, the MV Fjortof, a vessel which is partially owned by the Governments of Montserrat and Antigua & Barbuda and operated by Twin Island Ferries Services Ltd (TIFS) will commence regularly scheduled service. This ferry will offer two daily return trips between Antigua and Montserrat on Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays..

Additional ferry service to the destination will be added during peak travel periods and for special events taking place on the island.

With the return of ferry operations to Montserrat, travelers to the destination will once again have the opportunity to enjoy the spectacular views of the scenic coastline and the Soufriere Hills Volcano during the one hour and 15 minute trip to the island. Roundtrip fares are approximately $115. Special day trip packages will also be available through day tour operators based in Antigua and Montserrat.

In addition to the ferry service and daily Winair flights arriving at the John A. Osborne Airport, FlyMontserrat, a new local airline company, will also provide daily roundtrip flights from Montserrat to Antigua.

The carrier will offer passengers one daily flight departing Montserrat at 12:30 p.m. arriving in Antigua at 12:50 p.m.

The return flight departs Antigua at 5:30 p.m. and arrives in Montserrat at 5:50 p.m., giving ample connection time to visitors arriving from the north.

An additional flight will be added to the schedule, allowing travelers to depart Montserrat at 9 a.m. and arrive in Antigua at 9:20 a.m.

The return flight departs Antigua at 10 a.m. and arrives in Montserrat at 10:20 a.m. Roundtrip fares start at $110 plus taxes.

Call 664-491-3434 or visit www.flymontserrat.com

For more information on Montserrat, visit www.visitmontserrat.com