Jetsettersblog

Hotelier Steve Wynn has partnered with nightlife impresario Sean Christie and casino marketing veteran Bob Mancari to unveil an expansive entertainment complex in Las Vegas in May, consisting of the Encore Beach Club, the Surrender Nightclub and a newly revamped Switch restaurant which will blend the daytime beach party, upscale restaurant and nightclub into an experience that will transition guests from day to night.

The 60,000-square-foot Encore Beach Club will feature 40-foot palm trees surrounding three tiered pools.

The deck will offer chaise lounges, couches and day beds with private safes. Guests also can lounge on oversized lily pads in shallow water or dance under one of the shower poles.

The Encore Beach Club also will offer a gaming pavilion with blackjack and craps.

The area will feature 26 cabanas outfitted with refrigerators and flat-screen televisions, as well as eight two-story bungalows spanning 350 square feet and offering individual hot tubs, showers, luxury furnishings and a cooling and heating system set to each guest’s preferences.

Entertainment will feature DJs Kaskade and Steve Aoki. Surrender Nightclub will span 5,000 square feet and will open up to the outdoors as the seasons allow.

The Encore Beach Club will also feature its own grill available to all patrons, while cabana and bungalow guests will be able to order food from Switch restaurant. The back wall of the restaurant will be removed and replaced with glass.

The Encore Beach Club will be open Friday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Monday through Thursday from noon to 7 p.m. Surrender Nightclub will be open Thursday through Saturday from 10 p.m. until closing.

For more information, call 877-321-9966 or visit the banner below.

Since the recent news of the volcanic eruption in Iceland, adventure seekers now have a chance to see it for themselves.

It has been nearly 200 years since the Eyjafjallajokull volcano erupted, making it the chance of a lifetime to witness this historic event. Iceland is five hours from the east coast of North America and Icelandair offers non-stop flights from Boston, New York and Seattle with the Build Your Own Iceland Vacation packages starting from $599 per person double, including air and hotel. Remember when booking an Icelandair package on their Travel Agent Booking Engine, travel agents earn 10 percent commission.

For a limited time, Arctic Adventure Tours (www.adventures.is/iceland ) is offering a jeep evening tour from Reykjavik to the Tindfjoll Mountains in Fljotshlith to view the eruption on Fimmvorthuhals, between Eyjafjallajokull and Myrdalsjokull glaciers.

The tour includes dinner in Hella before going up the mountain and hot chocolate at the top.

Until further notice the tour will operate everyday with pick up between 4 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. (minimum two passengers) while the volcano is active.

Other volcano and geothermal day tours are always available for volcano enthusiasts unable to get to Iceland while Eyjafjallajokull is active.

Reykjavik Excursions (www.re.is/DayTours )  is offering a volcanic getaway as well.

For more information, call 877-I-FLY-ICE or visit www.icelandair.us

Kimpton’s new Hotel Palomar Chicago, an art-themed addition to the company’s Windy City collection, located in the city’s vibrant River North neighborhood, opened this week. The 261-room hotel features design and décor by Orlando Diaz-Azcuy, an indoor rooftop pool, positioned to offer expansive views of the city’s southeast landscape, and a green roof.

San Francisco-based Diaz-Azcuy creates two decisively different moods in the 17-story hotel, which is located within a new mixed-use high-rise building with a curb-side aesthetic.

On the higher floors of the pet-friendly hotel, 261 home-like guest rooms, including 23 suites, are washed in warm and neutral tones, highlighted by red oak.

Floor-to-ceiling windows and images depicting the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair portray a historic period that helped shaped the city’s arts and architecture. All rooms offer a wide range of modern amenities, including HD-LCD televisions, complimentary high-speed wireless Internet access, an honor bar with organic options and more.

For meetings and events, the Hotel Palomar Chicago offers ample event space, with 5,800 total square feet, including a 2,400 square-foot ballroom accented by gold tones, inconceivably tall ceilings with dramatic chandeliers, and a separate pre-function area with an ornamental staircase. Wireless Internet access and comprehensive multi-media and audio-visual support are also available.

For more information or reservations, call 877-731-0505 or visit www.hotelpalomar-chicago.com

Combining indigenous ingredients unique to Curaçao, the new Atabei Spa at Hyatt Regency Curaçao Golf Resort, Spa and Marina will open on April 20.

The spa draws inspiration from the ancient culture and rituals of the Arawak people, the original inhabitants of the island, and looks to utilize native plants, sea salts, muds and herbs honoring the majestic landscape of Curaçao. Surrounded by the sea, Atabei Spa will feature 4,500 square feet of indoor/outdoor space.

The signature treatments at the spa are designed to heal and guide the body to a more relaxed and stress-free state.

All treatments begin with a Balinese foot cleansing ritual using herbs, local sea salts and a kalbass bowl used as a vessel to cleanse the body and soul.

Enveloped with island rich minerals and vitamins, guests can soothe their skin with the spa’s Mud Restore Wrap. Applying traditional Curaçao healing techniques, the Stemps Massage utilizes sachets of locally grown herbs dipped in warm organic oils, leaving the body in a tranquil state of relaxation.

The suites at Atabei Spa are equipped with private Swiss rain showers, outdoor relaxation area and a vanity, which allow guests to remain in one individual room for multiple treatments.

There’s also a couple’s suite and indoor/outdoor treatment rooms.

Atabei will feature the earth-friendly products of Curaçao local, Dinah Veeris, whose botanical garden and homemade products menu includes Curaçao black mud and aloe, Curaçao white mud with oats, Caribbean Sea salts, rosemary, yerba bueno and Curaçao white basil.

The spa will also use products from Naturopathica — eco-certified, natural products using herbs and botanicals grown on organic farms from around the world.

For salon treatments, Atabei offers the Spa Ritual nail care line which uses eco-friendly and organic vegan products with plant essences.

Hair is hydrated and renewed with Davines — an Italian hair care line which uses renewable energy sources and active ingredients such as herbs, flowers and fruits.

 For more information, call 800-55-HYATT or visit www.curacao.hyatt.com

Wyndham Hotel Group agreed with CHI Hotels & Resorts of Malta, its joint-venture management partner in EMEA, to operate a new, 200-room upscale hotel to be constructed along the waterfront in Cardiff, the capital of Wales.

The £60 million Wyndham Cardiff hotel, now under development by Bayscape Limited, a privately owned development company led by Christopher Odling-Smee and Drew McDonald, is expected to open during the spring of 2013. Once completed, the 32-story will be the tallest hotel in Wales.

The hotel will feature an additional 35 serviced apartments, an indoor pool, sauna, whirlpool, fitness center, spa, two restaurants and three bars including a health bar, café and signature bar and restaurant on the 24th and 25th floors that will provide panoramic views of the bay and the city.

The site is adjacent to Cardiff Marine Group’s 350-berth marina in the heart of the International Sports Village.

The project also will include 100 residential units, shops, offices and businesses, many of which will overlook the marina and the adjacent Cardiff International White Water (CIWW) center that opens this week. The project will connect with the Pont y Werin footbridge and link with a 7-mile circuit of the bay edge walkway.

Jeff Wagoner, president of Wyndham Hotels and Resorts, noted that this will be the third Wyndham branded hotel in Europe, joining the brand’s Wyndham Grand London Chelsea Harbour and Wyndham Apollo Hotel Amsterdam. Wyndham Hotel Group’s portfolio in Europe now includes 234 hotels that span the Wyndham Hotels and Resorts, Days Inn, Howard Johnson, Ramada, Hawthorn Suites by Wyndham and Wyndham-affiliated Corinthia brands.

Sugar Ridge, Antigua’s newest resort that opened in December, celebrated the official grand opening on with a cocktail reception and ribbon-cutting ceremony at the resort.

Sugar Ridge owner Aidan McCauley also announced that phase two of the resort will begin soon and will include 54 luxury villas.

The festivities began with a ribbon-cutting ceremony by the Honorable Winston Baldwin Spencer, prime minister of Antigua and Barbuda, followed by the feature address by the Honorable Harold Lovell, minister of finance. Local dignitaries and community members mingled while enjoying live music, cocktails and hors d’oeuvres.

Sugar Ridge is perched upon its namesake hillside bordered with sugar cane and lush flora and fauna, the resort features 60 rooms that wrap around the property, featuring panoramic views to the south and west of palm-lined beaches and the turquoise Caribbean Sea, plus the neighboring islands of Redonda, St. Kitts and Nevis.

Interior décor fuses modern contemporary style with the rich history of the region, while all accommodations feature outdoor lounge areas, private decks and modern conveniences such as wireless Internet, LCD flat-screen televisions and iPod docking stations.

Sugar Ridge entertains guests with three swimming pools, the island’s first-ever Aveda Concept Spa, salon, fitness center, pilates/yoga studio and shopping arcade.

For more information, visit www.sugarridgeantigua.com

Building on the success of their first year, Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. and Live Nation announced that they will expand their sponsorship alliance beyond North America to include Europe, Asia and the Middle East.

The two companies formed their innovative alliance in 2009 to deliver unique live music experiences to members of Starwood’s award-winning loyalty program, Starwood Preferred Guest.

In preparation for this next phase of their alliance, Starwood and Live Nation recently began offering SPG members premium access to Cirque du Soleil’s Saltimbanco and artist experiences with Depeche Mode in Spain, France, the U.K. and Germany.

The expanded relationship will give SPG members in Europe, Asia and the Middle East substantially similar benefits enjoyed by SPG members in North America including premium ticket access and priority seating, music-inspired promotions, exclusive access to top artists for select Live Nation concerts and retail discounts for artist merchandise.

Live Nation helps Starwood drive room stays through multi-platform media placement at Live Nation venues and seamless hotel booking integration on all “Where to Stay” web pages on LiveNation.com

The site is the gateway for Live Nation event, venue and artist information and ticket sales, through which Starwood communicates directly with millions of targeted consumers.

This expanded alliance is expected to drive incremental ticket sales for Live Nation via multiple media channels both online and in-room, reaching millions of guests worldwide.

For more information about Starwood Preferred Guest, call 877-STARWOOD or visit www.SPG.com  or www.starwoodhotels.com

While other hotel loyalty programs are raising the number of points needed for a free night stay, Carlson Hotels goldpoints plus program has lowered the points required at over 300 hotels and resorts around the globe. And or a limited time,

Carlson Hotels is making it even easier to redeem points by launching a Redemption Sale.

Goldpoints plus members can obtain savings of up to 50 percent off the number of Gold Points normally required for an award stay from April 1 to May 31, 2010.

The discount available varies by brand.

Redeem 25 percent fewer Gold Points for an award stay at participating Country Inns & Suites By Carlson and Park Inn hotels worldwide and redeem 50 percent fewer Gold Points for an award stay at participating Radisson, Park Plaza and Regent hotels worldwide.

For more information, a listing of participating hotels, and further details on the terms of the offer, visit

www.goldpointsplus.com/redeempoints

AmericInn, a national hotel chain with more than 200 locations nationwide, has launched its new hotel loyalty program, Easy Rewards by AmericInn.

The new program, which replaces the INN-Pressive Club, offers $40 cash or a $50 room voucher for every 10 nights stayed. In addition to offering the only hotel loyalty program that pays cash, AmericInn also provides a long list of amenities including the AmericInn Perk Breakfast with fresh hot waffles, free high-speed Internet, an inviting pool, and more.

For more information about Easy Rewards by AmericInn, visit www.AmericInn.com/Rewards

Delta Air Lines has announced six new SkyMiles partners and additional ways for members to accumulate miles. The new SkyMiles partners, which join more than 140 other mileage-earning partners in the world’s leading frequent flier program, are LetsTalk, E-Z Rent-A-Car, SpaFinder, La Quinta Inns & Suites, International Links Golf Club and Boingo.

For more information, visit www.delta.com/skymiles