Jetsettersblog

A unique and contemporary coastal retreat has opened its doors in St Ives.

Resting in a fabulous location overlooking the popular Cornish bay, Salt House offers guests a stylish bolt hole from which to enjoy the seaside delights.

Owners Alan and Sharon Spencer opened Salt House last autumn having spent the past year overseeing the build of the property.

Described as ‘un-typically Cornish,’ Salt House is unlike any other hotel or guest house in the area.

This contemporary property is situated in a picturesque and peaceful area just a short walk along the leafy coastal footpath from St Ives.

The Salt House has two seaward facing letting rooms, each with breathtaking views from their private terraces.

Expansive glass helps blur the boundaries of indoors and outdoors. Guests can even lounge in the bath whilst looking out to sea.

Owner Alan Spencer, a former London-based graphic designer, said:

“Salt House is a property like no other in St Ives and we are really proud of that. Up until now, there has been very little visitor accommodation in St Ives which reflects the town’s artistic and creative history. It has been a personal labour of love and what we have produced is a breathtaking coastal escape which people can enjoy all year round.”

Rooms at Salt House are furnished to the highest standard with contemporary furniture by designers such as Terence Conran and both rooms boast all the mod-cons including Sky+, HD LED TVs, Blu-ray DVD players, DAB music systems with iPod docks and free Wifi.

Rooms at Salt House start at £150 per night including breakfast.

For more information about Salt House, visit www.salthousestives.co.uk

T ravel planning just got a whole lot easier with free downloadable travel guides (previously £2.50) on

www.traveldk.com

We know people love them because they voted the guides best travel innovation in the 2009 British Travel Awards.

The create-a-guide tool on www.traveldk.com  allows you to pick n’mix information on sights, attractions, restaurants, hotels and shops, blending DK’s award-winning Eyewitness Travel Guide content with members’ user-generated content.

Choose the chapter headings, organise the content how you want it, and even personalise the front cover with your own picture – it’s totally tailor-made for you.

Or, if you’d rather get inspiration from others, you can download and print guides created by traveldk members.

From ‘Paris on Film’ to finding ‘Thrills in Orlando’ or searching for the ‘Best Mojito in London’, there are hundreds of shared guides to choose from.

So whether it’s to plan a group trip, preserve the memories post-trip or follow in the footsteps of fellow travellers, there’s never been a better time to create your very own travel guide – for free!

Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. unveiled its first in-hotel Cisco TelePresence meeting suites with a virtual, interactive meeting spanning across two continents.

“The W Chicago City Center and Sheraton on the Park in Sydney are the first in Starwood’s global portfolio to introduce the new meeting facilities, showcasing the state-of-the-art Cisco TelePresence technology,” the hotel company says.

Participants in both locations 9,000 miles apart have a seat at the table and are able to meet “face-to-face” utilizing ultra-high definition video, superior audio and life-size imagery of all participants.

The hotel chain cited a growing need to incorporate technology into meetings.

“More businesses are recognizing the value of being able to rent Cisco TelePresence facilities by the hour, either to extend their existing deployment to further locations or to experience Cisco TelePresence for the first time,” said Mark Weidick, VP/GM for Cisco’s TelePresence Exchange Business Unit.

Starwood last year announced a partnership with Tata Communications and plans to build Cisco TelePresence rooms in 10 properties worldwide.

Two more Cisco TelePresence meeting suites will open in the first half of this year including the Sheraton New York Hotel & Towers and Sheraton Centre Toronto which will come online in the upcoming months.

Other Starwood locations planned to open this year include The Westin Los Angeles Airport, with the anticipation to expand the offering to key domestic and international business markets such as Dallas, San Francisco, Brussels, Paris, Hong Kong and Frankfurt.

Visitors to Scotland’s capital now have access to the most extensive, interactive tour direct from their iPhone, with the launch of the new Digi-Guide Edinburgh App.

EDINBURGH, SCOTLAND,- Visitors to Scotland’s capital now have access to the most extensive, interactive tour direct from their iPhone, with the launch of the new Digi-Guide Edinburgh App.

A modern, good value alternative to traditional walking or bus tours, Digi-Guide Edinburgh puts the destination experience firmly in the hands of the tourist and their own interests.

The comprehensive guide brings together a wealth of information and a number of unique features in to one simple, user-friendly Application.

Combining audio commentary and striking photography with GPS map-tracking and local knowledge, Digi-Guide Edinburgh offers the widest range of downloadable tours of the city currently available.

Other features include a guide to rainy day activities and the pick of the best places to eat and drink.

The 12 detailed tours highlight key landmarks and points of interest along the way, from classic trails around Edinburgh’s most iconic sites, such as The Royal Mile and New Town, to more unusual options, including the architectural and gallery tours, or guides to the city’s best shops and its most haunted locations.

The audio commentary function – a first in UK App tour guides, is narrated by a local resident and keeps visitors informed as they explore the city, giving a personal perspective and inside knowledge of Edinburgh’s hidden gems, off the traditional tourist track.

By using GPS technology, Digi-Guide Edinburgh remains self-contained, so visitors never have to worry about expensive roaming costs, often associated with similar interactive mobile guides.

The GPS positioning also enables visitors to be alerted to points of interest as they wander the city and ensures they never feel lost.

The new Digi-Guide Edinburgh App costs just GBP3.49, available from itunes.com or http://www.digi-guide.com

Edinburgh visitors without an iPhone need not feel left out, as an alternative, lightweight digital handheld guide can also be hired and delivered direct to hotels. Hire costs GBP15 per day, with an additional day hire rate of GBP5.

Other Digi-Guide destinations currently available include Paris, Seville, Buenos Aires and Lille. A brand new tour to Barcelona has also just launched.

Currently, the Digi-Guide Edinburgh App is available in English, with French, German and Spanish versions being introduced shortly.

A similar Digi-Guide Manchester App will also launch in the coming months.

For further information on the new Edinburgh Digi-Guide application and the rentable hand-held tour guides, please visit http://www.digi-guide.com

Gateway Travel is now offering Russian Visa Support Online. Follow the prompts on their website to receive a result in just 15 minutes!

Tourist Visa Support Online for the Independent Traveller.

Now independent travellers can order their own tourist visa support (invitation) independent of us, dealing directly with Russia.

Choose from single entry or double entry. Remember the tourist visa support are date specific, with entry only on the date shown and exit must be on the date shown. Once you have received this visa support you can lodge your own tourist visa application.

Visa Support is provided by Gateway Travel’s trusted partner Real Russia. All invitations are generated by the Russian fully bonded and licensed tour operator East-West Link who is a daughter company of Real Russia.

http://www.russian-gateway.com.au/visa-widget.html#w=600&h=849

with Kelly Slater on 3D IMAX Big Screen

Join surfing champion Kelly Slater to see Tahiti and her islands like they’ve never been shown before in the new big screen film Ultimate Wave Tahiti 3D.

Opening at IMAX cinemas in Sydney and Melbourne from February 19, Ultimate Wave Tahiti 3D sees the world’s most famous surfer set out to conquer the world’s most dangerous wave, Teahupoo on Tahiti Iti (little Tahiti).

Slater teams up with Tahitian big wave surfer Raimana Van Bastolaer to depict the power, majesty and danger of waves reaching their crescendo, providing viewers with a mix of thrills and intense beauty never before seen on the giant screen.

Directed by award-winning IMAX filmmaker Stephen Low, Ultimate Wave Tahiti 3D uses extreme surfing to explain where waves come from, their essential make-up and their effect on the ecology and culture of island life.

Tahiti Tourisme Regional Director Robert Thompson said Ultimate Wave Tahiti 3D was the first full-length IMAX film to feature the islands and culture of Tahiti.

“Experiencing Tahiti in 3D on an IMAX giant screen is the closest experience to actually holidaying in Tahiti and her beautiful islands,” he said.

“Australians already know Tahiti is one of the world’s most stunning and romantic holiday destinations but we hope Ultimate Wave Tahiti 3D will show moviegoers that islands like Bora Bora, Rangiroa and Tahiti itself have so much more to offer as holiday destinations.”

Kelly Slater said filming Ultimate Wave Tahiti 3D while surfing Teahupoo was an amazing experience, using new photographic techniques to take the viewer into the very heart of the giant wave.

“The technology used to create this film is going to help audiences understand the incredible power behind waves and will further educate future generations to protect the world’s oceans,” he said.

For more information on Tahiti and her islands, contact Tahiti Tourisme on 1300 655 563 or visit www.tahitinow.com.au. To see more about the movie, go to www.ultimatewavetahiti.com

MeadowView Marriott Conference Resort & Convention Center, nestled along the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Kingsport, Tenn., wrapped up a remarkable multimillion-dollar guest room renovation and expansion.

The construction of 110 additional guest rooms coincided with the existing 195 room renovation project and garnered the resort 305 accommodations.

Two new 55-room towers now grace the resort’s grounds.

All newly appointed guest rooms are decked out with rich furnishings, carpeting, wall covering, LCD TVs complete with Marriott’s new plug-in technology, refrigerators and topped off with Marriott’s Revive Bedding package.

The transformation moved outdoors with the addition of a new indoor swimming pool, outdoor sun deck, hydrotherapy pool and fitness center boasting the latest cardio theater equipment.

The resort is also home to the Cattails at MeadowView championship golf course, a Certified Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary.

The MeadowView Marriott Conference Resort & Convention Center offers 66,000 square feet of function space all under one roof and more space on the way.

By November 2010, the resort will boast more than 87,000 square feet, including three amphitheatres, three ballrooms, numerous board rooms and conference rooms, and a reception area overlooking the golf course.

Additional onsite amenities include the Meadows Restaurant and Starbucks.

For group reservations or more information, call 800-820-5055 or visit www.meadowviewresort.com

Hilton Worldwide signed a multi-year management agreement with Consorcio Hotelero S.A. de C.V. for a Doubletree by Hilton full-service hotel in Mexico.

Construction of the Doubletree by Hilton, Merida is expected to begin this month with a scheduled completion in March 2011.

This latest announcement reinforces the continued growth of Hilton Worldwide in the region, and the further development success of the upscale, full-service Doubletree by Hilton brand across Latin America.

Strategically located in Merida’s hotel zone and business district, the Doubletree by Hilton, Merida offers convenient access to the city’s most important points and proximity to restaurants, shopping and more.

Just 10 minutes from Merida International Airport, the new Doubletree by Hilton, Merida will offer 100 guest rooms and suites, 3,000 square feet of meeting space, a full-service restaurant, lobby bar, pool and fitness center.

Hilton Worldwide currently has a portfolio of 22 hotels and resorts in Mexico across a number of brands including resort areas such as Cancun and Los Cabos, to the most recent addition which debuted in December 2009: Hilton Mexico City Reforma.

The company has a Hilton Garden Inn property under development in Tuxtla Gutierrez, Chiapas and is actively pursuing additional growth opportunities in Mexico.

The Mark Boulevard Hotel Bangalore signed with Luxe Worldwide Hotels for sales and marketing representation.

The Mark Boulevard Bangalore is the first property in India to join the Luxe Worldwide Hotels collection of independently owned hotels located around the globe. According to Efrem Harkham, CEO and founder of Luxe Worldwide Hotels, “We are thrilled to be entering the Indian market as we see the tremendous potential it offers both in terms of outbound travelers and inbound guests as well.

” Luxe Worldwide Hotels also operates a regional office in Mumbai to promote member hotels to India’s burgeoning travel audience and to develop new membership and branding opportunities for hotels within the country.

The Mark Boulevard Bangalore Hotel is a boutique business hotel that offers the finest in luxury and services for business travelers to Bangalore.

The hotel has 76 rooms including 15 extra-large club rooms equipped with the latest amenities for the modern professional.

Meeting facilities include a Board Room and Banquet Halls that can accommodate from six to 125 guests.

For more information, call 866-LUXE-411 or visit www.luxehotels.com

Harrah’s Cherokee Casino & Hotel announced its partnership with Paula Deen Enterprises and the opening in late 2010 of Paula Deen’s Kitchen, the property’s first new restaurant to be introduced as part of a $633 million, three-year expansion program.

Created as a full-service, 404-seat restaurant, Paula Deen’s Kitchen at Harrah’s Cherokee will serve a la carte breakfast, lunch and dinner, and will be reminiscent of the decor and ambiance of her legendary home and kitchen in Savannah.

The a la carte aspect of the restaurant is a first for Paula Deen in the Harrah’s brand, as her restaurant at Harrah’s Tunica Casino is a traditional buffet. Adjacent to the restaurant will be a 1,800-square-foot Paula Deen retail shop offering Deen’s cookbooks, spices and food items, cookware, logo wear and gifts.

The expansion of Harrah’s Cherokee is currently the largest hospitality expansion project underway in the Southeast and one of the largest in the United States, offering the greatest number of hotel accommodations in the Carolinas.

Upon completion in 2012, the 56-acre property will have added a third hotel tower incorporating accommodations and suites, a 3,000-seat events center, entertainment and VIP lounges, 18,000-square-foot spa, all new digital poker room, Asian gaming room, a variety of new restaurant and retail outlets, and new hotel and casino parking garages.

Harrah’s Cherokee is also renovating its current casino facilities and doubling the size of its casino floor to 195,000 square feet while increasing video and table game capacity.

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