Jetsettersblog

Eleven restaurants at the MGM Grand have received 2010 Wine Spectator’s Restaurant Wine List Awards — more than at any other single property worldwide.

The restaurants are Tom Colicchio’s Craftsteak, Nobhill Tavern, L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon, Seablue, Diego, Pearl, Shibuya, Emeril’s New Orleans Fish House, Wolfgang Puck’s Bar & Grill and Fiamma Trattoria.

Joël Robuchon’s wine program received top honors and “three glasses” with The Grand Award.

In total, MGM Grand restaurants amassed 19 glasses this year.

To qualify for an award, each restaurant’s wine list must follow strict standards and provide information including vintages and appellations for all bottles and wines by the glass.

Everything from complete producer names and correct spellings to overall presentation are considered.

If they are selected, restaurants are granted one of three awards — The Grand Award (“three glasses”), The Best of Award of Excellence (“two glasses”) or the Award of Excellence (“one glass”).

Approximately 52,000 bottles of wine are housed within the MGM Grand, representing 4,710 wine labels and 156 selections available by the glass.

For more information, call 877-880-0880 or visit www.mgmgrand.com

W Hotels Worldwide announced the opening of W New York-Downtown and The Residences at W New York-Downtown.

Located in New York City’s Financial District on the corner of Washington and Albany Streets, W New York-Downtown is located in a 58 floor building developed by The Moinian Group.

“The opening of W New York-Downtown, which expands our hometown footprint, marks a milestone for the W brand,” said Eva Ziegler, global brand leader, W Hotels Worldwide and Le Méridien.

“Built from the ground up, our latest hotel will bring innovative design, modern style, and a pulse of new energy to this historic neighborhood.”

“The opening of this hotel and residential tower is the culmination of a five year labor of love,” says Joe Moinian of The Moinian Group.

“From the time we purchased the property in 2005 to the selection of the building’s designers and W Hotels as a brand partner, our goal was always to deliver a world-class destination location that would help re-shape life and lifestyle in Lower Manhattan.

When people discuss a turning point in the dynamics of the FiDi residential and hospitality market, this project will be recognized as that turning point.”

Designed by lead architect Gwathmey Siegel and Associates, W New York-Downtown Hotel & Residences features 217 guest rooms and 223 W-branded residences, offering city views of the Statue of Liberty, Empire State Building, Hudson River and Battery Park.

The glass tower sits on a five-story, limestone and glass podium.

Upon arrival at W New York-Downtown, guests and residents will experience a spectacular light shower installation by UK light sculptor Bruce Munro, renowned for his adventurous sculptural light works and installations, including the famous “Field of Light” project at UK’s greenhouse Eden Project.

Suspended from the second floor ceiling and reaching down to the street lobby, the massive light installation is comprised of 1,260 individually hung clear tear drop diffusers, illuminated via fiber-optic projectors with the ability to reprogram colorations at any time.

Located on the fifth floor of the hotel, the Living Room Bar & Terrace features a dramatic Lamella curtain draped concept that features thousands of programmed, choreographed linear feet of LED lighting recessed within the structure. The Living Room Bar & Terrace, which features floor-to-ceiling window views of New York City, serves specialty cocktails from resident mixologist Charlotte Voisey and light bites provided by BLT Bar & Grill, the hotel’s signature restaurant.

BLT debuts its first ever Bar & Grill concept at W New York-Downtown, featuring modern selections that are ideal for everyday dining without departing from signature BLT style and service.

In addition to the 23 seats at the bar, the ground level of the restaurant accommodates an additional 148 guests indoors and 30 patrons on the outdoor patio.

The second floor dining room features a larger menu of fresh salads, grilled meats, market-driven pastas, pizzas, sandwiches, signature sides and desserts. The second floor features a private dining room for 20 guests.

The W New York-Downtown’s 217 guestrooms include 16 Studio Suites, one WOW and two Extreme WOW Suites (W’s reinterpretation of the traditional Presidential Suite). Guestrooms and suites feature W signature feather-top mattresses, 350 thread count Egyptian cotton sheets, goose down comforters and pillows, state-of-the-art in-room entertainment and a fully stocked Munchie Box.

Residences at W New York-Downtown are the first ever W branded residences in Manhattan. They feature 223 modern condominiums, including 64 fully furnished units and 159 unfurnished, designer-ready apartments. Residents have full access to all hotel amenities.

W New York-Downtown’s SWEAT state-of-the-art fitness facility provides hotel guests with iPod and LCD TV cardiovascular equipment, including treadmills, elliptical machines, stationary bikes and cardio calorie busters as well as an assortment of Yoga and Pilates equipment, all designed to fulfill the needs of modern living while on the road. The property is located at 123 Washington Street, New York, NY.

For more information or reservations, call 877-822-0000 or visit www.whotels.com/newyorkdowntown

Hilton Worldwide will offer complimentary high-speed Internet access to all Gold and Diamond Hilton HHonors members beginning Sept. 1, 2010.

Elite-tier members will receive this benefit during stays at any of the more than 3,600 hotels within the company’s global portfolio of 10 hotel brands, which include Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts, Conrad Hotels & Resorts, Hilton, Doubletree, Embassy Suites Hotels, Hilton Garden Inn, Hampton Hotels, Homewood Suites by Hilton, Home2 Suites by Hilton and Hilton Grand Vacations.

In addition to the new complimentary high-speed Internet access, Hilton HHonors’ Gold and Diamond members receive additional exclusive benefits.

These include complimentary room upgrades, breakfast and access to the Executive Floor lounges where available and to a special 48-hour advance mobile check-in feature through Hilton Worldwide’s Hilton, Doubletree, Embassy Suites, Hilton Garden Inn and Hampton Hotels iPhone applications.

For more information or to enroll, call 800-HHONORS or visit www.HHonors.com

Tiara Air expanded its air service between Bonaire and Aruba, adding non-stop morning departures to the current schedule of afternoon flights each Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

The morning flights will create better schedules for connections in Aruba to the U.S., and allow travelers in Aruba to take day trips to Bonaire.

Under the new schedule, Bonaire-bound flights depart at 9:10 a.m. and 7 p.m.; Aruba-bound flights leave at 10:20 a.m. and 8:15 p.m. Tiara also launched a Sunday Aruba-bound flight departing Bonaire at 8:25 p.m.

Tiara will also add twice-weekly Aruba-Bonaire-Aruba rotations on Saturdays that follow the Monday/Wednesday/Friday departure schedule.

Tiara Air is utilizing Shorts 360 aircraft with a maximum passenger capacity of 36 persons.

The aircraft is operated by a crew of two pilots and one flight attendant.

For more information, visit www.tiara-air.com

Avis Rent A Car has introduced Avis Blast, a new Sirius XM Radio service available at more than 70 Avis locations in the United States. Compatible with almost all Avis vehicles, the service features the easy-to-use XM onyX satellite radio, with a high-resolution color display, easy-to-use controls and more than 170 channels of programming from Sirius XM.

Avis Blast is being offered at major airports and select Avis off-airport locations, including Albuquerque, Atlanta, Baltimore, Boise, Boston, Chicago, Colorado Springs, Dallas/Fort Worth, Denver, Detroit, Houston, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Orlando, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Portland, Ore., Salt Lake City, Seattle, St. Louis and Washington, D.C.

Avis Blast offers renters the “XM Everything” package, including commercial-free music in every genre, featuring a broad array of 24/7 artist-branded music channels such as The Grateful Dead Channel, Eminem’s Shade 45, Jimmy Buffett’s Radio Margaritaville, “Little Steven” Van Zandt’s Underground Garage and Outlaw Country channels, B.B. King’s Bluesville, Willie Nelson’s Willie’s Place, Elvis Radio and Siriusly Sinatra;

every Major League Baseball game, play-by-play from the NHL and NBA, PGA Tour events, auto racing, college sports and more; the biggest names in entertainment, including Oprah Winfrey, Rosie O’Donnell, Barbara Walters, Jamie Foxx, Bob Edwards and Opie & Anthony;

news from Fox News, CNN, CNBC and the BBC;

comedy and kids’ programming; and traffic and weather information.

For more information, visit www.avis.com/xmblast

Marriott International, Inc. officially opened the company’s first JW Marriott luxury hotel in Bogota, Colombia.

On-hand for the celebration were President Alvaro Uribe of Colombia; Rob Steigerwald, chief operations officer for the Southern region of the Americas for Marriott International; and Ricardo Poma, president of Real Hotels & Resorts and Grupo Poma. The 264-room JW Marriott Bogota is operated under a franchise agreement with Real Hotels & Resorts of El Salvador.

The JW Marriott Bogota is located in the financial district of the city, approximately 30 minutes from Bogota International Airport. For dining and entertainment, the hotel offers distinct options including Monet Brasserie, and La Mina Steak & Lobster, which presents guests with a wide selection of prime cuts of beef and fresh seafood.

The lobby lounge offers handcrafted cocktails and provides ambience where guests can relax while overlooking the hotel lobby area.

Recreational amenities include a swimming pool and a state-of-the-art fitness center.

For conferences and social events, the hotel offers 550 square meters of flexible function space.

Marriott International and Real Hotels & Resorts celebrated the opening of the first Marriott International-flagged hotel in the country last fall, the 239-room Bogota Marriott Hotel.

For more information, visit the banner below.

The Plaza Hotel in New York City announced the launch of the one-of-a-kind Eloise Suite, designed by fashion designer Betsey Johnson. Channeling the spirit of “Eloise,” the fictional heroine of Kay Thompson’s classic book, Johnson has designed an exclusive Eloise Suite, located on the 18th floor and comprised of two rooms — one intended for kids and the other for their parents.

The suite is rendered in an Eloise-approved palette of pink and black, and a signature Plaza chandelier fitted with pink bulbs.

Wall panels are candy striped with pink and white and outlined with gold leaf molding, providing a striking contrast to the black and white zebra-print carpet.

A king-size bed made up with custom-designed bedding features a bedspread sprigged with scenes drawn by “Eloise” illustrator, Hilary Knight, depicting the heroine scampering around The Plaza, a print that makes an appearance on the bow-tied curtains, too.

Accent pillows are sheathed in shams patterned with custom “Betseyville Rose” and “Betsey Rosebud” prints.

The padded pink headboard sparkles with “trinkles” (as does a matching nearby ottoman), and is surmounted by the crowning touch — Eloise’s name scrawled in neon lights and affixed to the wall above, which is absolutely the way it should be.

The suite also features a wall-mounted flat-screen TV and DVD player, Eloise DVDs and books, a tea set and Eloise and Weenie dolls to share it with, and Eloise robes and towels complete with appliqués of Weenie and Skipperdee.

The Plaza has appointed a dedicated Eloise Ambassador to assist guests in booking a stay in the Eloise Suite.

Contact the Eloise Ambassador directly at eloiseattheplaza@fairmont.com  or call 646-599-8365.

Upon arrival, the Eloise Ambassador will escort guests to the suite, where they will sign the official guest book and have their photo taken.

The photo will be framed and given to the guest at turndown. Rates for the Eloise Suite start at $995 per night and include a monogrammed Eloise bathrobe, a $100 gift card to the Eloise shop, an Eloise camera, a framed photo of the guest in the suite and an Eloise book.

Guests also have the option to book an adjoining ‘grown-up’ Edwardian Suite, which includes both champagne and truffles. Rates start at $2,045 per night for this two-bedroom option.

For more information, call 888-240-7775 or visit www.fairmont.com/theplaza  or www.theplaza.com

Pleasure Beach, Blackpool, is delighted to announce the launch of Nickelodeon Land which will open at Britain’s favourite tourist attraction in April 2011. Nickelodeon Land represents an investment of £10.3m.

This collaboration between Pleasure Beach, Blackpool and Nickelodeon, the number one entertainment brand for kids, will see a 6 acre area of Pleasure Beach transformed into Nickelodeon Land, which will feature 14 rides, 9 are brand new and 5 are extensively re-themed existing rides.

Nickelodeon Land also includes themed retail and catering outlets.

New rides include SpongeBob’s Splash Bash, which is an interactive ride where riders have the opportunity to turn the jets onto their friends and blast pesky jellyfish with jets of water for a splashing time.

Avatar Airbender allows riders to join Aang on an amazing adventure, spinning and soaring through the air on a giant disk. The Rugrat’s Lost River is a rollicking flume ride where you join the Rugrats on their quest to find the mythical Temple of Spoon.

Amanda Thompson, Managing Director of Pleasure Beach, Blackpool, comments, “We are delighted to welcome Nickelodeon to Pleasure Beach.

Both of our brands represent fantastic family fun and Nickelodeon Land will combine Pleasure Beach’s reputation for amazing rides and attractions with Nickelodeon’s favourite fun characters to produce a wonderful attraction, which will wow visitors to the park.”

“Pleasure Beach is a first-class amusement park and popular destination for families in the U.K.” said Gerald Raines, Senior Director, Nickelodeon Theme Parks and Attractions. “This is an ideal location for Nickelodeon and a great opportunity to expand our global presence. We look forward to offering Pleasure Beach patrons experiences that are unique to Nickelodeon and based on fan favourites like SpongeBob SquarePants and Dora the Explorer.”

Work on Nickelodeon Land will commence in the Autumn of 2010 and is scheduled to open in April 2011.

Perfect peace is promised at a Tuscan village house with breathtaking country views. Appropriately named Casa Pace (House of Peace), it is one of several character holiday homes newly available from Invitation to Tuscany with weeks free during the summer/early autumn (020-8444 9500; www.invitationtotuscany.com).

Sleeping up to six, Casa Pace is on a quiet street in the sleepy little village of Monteguidi, in central Tuscany and just half an hour from Siena and San Gimignano.

The subject of a new, high-quality renovation programme, it opens onto a back garden with a small pool, a table and chairs under fruit trees, barbecue and never-ending views of a classic Tuscan landscape.

A useful grocery store is a few yards away and the friendly village stages several open-air feasts and harvest celebrations in late summer, to which visitors are welcome. Weekly rental until the end of August is £1,020, then £884 in September and £748 in October.
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Only a ten-minute drive from Siena, and also new, is the generous-sized ground floor of an old farmhouse on a huge private country estate – complete with splendid old villa, medieval towers and 14th-century chapel.

Called Tinozza and sleeping up to four, it has a comfy sitting room with traditional open fireplace and country antiques, and a well-equipped kitchen leading onto a furnished terrace.

Guests share a large swimming pool that is the setting for a weekly dinner organised by the estate’s owners who can also arrange guided tours and wine-tastings. Weekly rental is £1,821 year-round.
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Chestnut-beamed ceilings, terracotta-tiled floors, sunshine-coloured walls, country antique furniture and many charming decorative features make Querceto Bianco a delightful rustic retreat.

The large, carefully-restored old house stands on a wooded hillside facing a picturesque Etruscan hill village. It sleeps eight people, plus two more in an adjacent cottage, and has a private swimming pool (illuminated for night-time swimming), an outdoor Jacuzzi and impressive stone-built barbecue.

Good restaurants are close by, Siena and San Gimignano are under an hour’s drive, and horse-riding, wine-tasting and cookery classes can be arranged.

The cost is £5,442 (for up to ten people) until the end of August, £4,081 in September and £2,721 in October.

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Premier Cottages is now offering wedding packages via selected properties in its portfolio.

The company, which specialises in luxury four and five star holiday cottages, features a selection of stunning properties that cater for special and intimate wedding days, offering a unique alternative to traditional venues.

The properties that offer wedding services can take care of everything from arranging the ceremony and catering through to looking after the guests for extended stays after the wedding.

Amongst those which offer this service are:

• Wolfen Mill a charismatic 300 year old country mill which nestles in a tree-lined fold beneath the stunning views of ‘Parlick Pike’ and ‘Wolf Fell’. Small intimate weddings can be catered for in the beautiful grounds.

Couples can opt to have a marquee erected in the courtyard accommodating up to 50 seated guests. Set amidst a brook, waterfall and lake the backdrop of Wolfen Mill provides a perfect setting for a romantic wedding – not to mention stunning pictures.

With a total of 10 cottages making up Wolfen Mill, the entire complex can sleep up to 28 guests and as many of the individual cottages sleep just two people there is still plenty of opportunities for privacy.

All properties are fully equipped with TV’s, hand built kitchens with granite worktops, dishwashers, bathrobes and exquisite bathrooms.

A stunning lakeside lounge can be used by all guests. Accommodation prices start from £390 for the two person cottages and £770 for the six person cottages per week mid season. Wedding packages are fully tailored to individual’s requirements and will be quoted accordingly. www.premiercottages.com, 01995 61574.

• If a celebrity style cliffside wedding is more your style then Trevigue in north Cornwall is the perfect setting. Nestling on the spectacular North Cornwall coast in a hollow high on the cliffs this 16th Century farmstead offers excellent facilities for a wedding ceremony and reception catering for up to 45 guests.

A beautifully converted building with magnificent vaulted beamed ceiling and flagstone slate floor is tailor-made for the ceremony.

Commemorate the special day with photographs taken in the courtyard or against the stunning coastal scenery. All properties have fully equipped kitchens, large sitting and dining rooms, gas barbeques and garden furniture to relax in the evening.

Trevigue farm has three miles of rugged coastline to enjoy or walk along the beautiful Strangles beach where Thomas Hardy and his wife used to stroll a century ago. In total, Trevigue can accommodate up to 15 guests overnight in two separate houses. A mid season week break starts at £875 for the four person Cornish stone cottage or £1550 for the eight person Mediterranean style villa.

Details of the wedding package can be found via www.premiercottages.com  01840 230418.

• Set in glorious rural countryside, The Olde Rectory offers the luxury of a boutique hotel with the space and privacy of your own cottage. Whilst staying at this unique wedding venue guests can arrange the ceremony in a quaint 12th Century village church directly across the quiet village lane.

The honeymoon couple have a choice of two idyllic cottages with a further four properties available for guests.

A marquee in the adjacent walnut and apple orchard accommodates up to 120 guests for the reception.

Properties come equipped with Sky television, DVD players, real fires and fully equipped kitchens thoughtfully designed for the 16th Century barns.

Really relax and indulge with a spa treatment, a pampering party or have a concierge service take care of all your whims.

A week’s mid season accommodation starts at £700 for a two person cottage or £2100 for an eight person property.

Two night breaks are also available. www.premiercottages.com , 01886 822000.

• ‘One of the most romantic places in Europe’, quoted by Empress Elizabeth of Austria, Combermere Abbey Cottages is ideal for a wedding.

Ceremonies are held in the Glasshouse with seating for up to 120 guests whilst surrounded by gardens and views to the world’s only fruit tree maze.

Wedding breakfasts are held in the Glasshouse for winter weddings otherwise in the Walled Garden Pavilion.

Accommodation is provided in six cottages next to the wedding venue catering for up to 27 members of the bridal party and close friends.

Each cottage is individually decorated and properties come with real fires, LCD TV’s, DVD players, WiFi with locally sourced hampers or home-cooked meals on request.

To cut each visitor’s carbon footprint the owners can arrange to have an oak tree planted in the individual’s name.

Prices for a weeks stay mid season start at £705 for a four person cottage or £1040 for a six person cottage. Assistance with the wedding planning can be provided including catering, bar services and fireworks at the individual’s request. www.premiercottages.com , 01948 662876.

Please note all prices are quoted for the mid season. All properties are from Premier Cottages (www.premiercottages.com).