Jetsettersblog

From 13th to 16th October 2010 Linthwaite House Hotel, overlooking Lake Windermere, will be offering guests a taste of Thailand when the hotel hosts a culinary extravaganza in conjunction with Koh Samui’s original boutique hotel, The Tongsai Bay.

So whilst guest can enjoy the autumn colours of the Lake District by day, by night they will be transported to the flavours of the Far East as Linthwaite’s head chef Richard Kearsley and his experienced team open up their kitchen to Tongsai Bay’s executive chef Alvin Tan Kian Chee and sous chef Jaturan Ounnahasuwan to fuse the exotic flavours of southern Thailand with the highest quality produce from Cumbria, creating exclusive menus and sharing the knowledge of their respective cuisines.

Both Linthwaite and Tongsai Bay have a long tradition of culinary excellence. At Tongsai Bay, the cuisine was overseen for many years by chef Piengchom Darbanand (known as ‘Chom’), a former chef to the Thai Royal household. Although now she is almost in retirement her standards are strictly maintained and her occasional visits to the hotel are much anticipated.

Linthwaite is also renowned for its imaginative cuisine, using the best local produce; previously of The Waterside Inn, Mallory Court and Lords of the Manor, Richard Kearsley learnt his trade alongside stars of the culinary world.

Both hotels also have a strong connection to the late Keith Floyd, who worked on his legendary ‘Far Flung Floyd’ series with the team at Tongsai Bay, and more recently hosted cookery theatres at Linthwaite.

The chef’s visit will culminate in a series of events at Linthwaite, at which they will present their dishes through cookery demonstrations and exclusive menus.

To celebrate Linthwaite is offering a special two night dinner, bed and breakfast package from £128 per person per night on 13th and 14th or 15th and 16th October.

Cost also includes a special afternoon tea with traditional Thai fruit carving.

To book call Linthwaite House Hotel on 015394 88600

www.linthwaite.com

Hilton Worldwide has entered into a franchise agreement with J.G.J. Proyectistas S.A.C., a real estate developer based in Lima, Peru, to introduce the Hilton Hotels & Resorts brand to the Peruvian market with the 230-room new-build Hilton Lima Miraflores.

The hotel is scheduled to open in the first quarter of 2012.

Already under construction, Hilton Lima Miraflores is located in Miraflores, an upscale area of Lima known for its shopping areas, gardens, flower-filled parks, beaches and fine dining.

The hotel’s close proximity to the MiraCorp Business Corporate Center and a thriving culinary scene makes it ideal for business and leisure travelers.

As both the capital and largest city in Peru, rich in history and culture, Lima is an attractive destination.

Guests will have a choice of accommodations with 173 king or double queen rooms, 39 executive rooms, 17 suites, one Presidential suite, and executive floors with concierge service.

The hotel will provide a great base for events and business travelers, with 10 meeting rooms, a business center and a grand ballroom that accommodates 450 people.

On premises there will also be a restaurant, lobby bar and Pisco bar, as well as a sky terrace with a pool, spa and fitness center.

InterContinental Hotels Group’s upscale boutique brand, continues to aggressively increase global distribution.

In the last year, the brand has signed franchise agreements to open 13 new hotels in key global markets around the world, including London, Madrid, Shanghai, Hong Kong and New York.

As the first global branded boutique, Hotel Indigo has shown rapid growth since it’s inception in 2004 with 36 hotels currently open and 57 hotels in the pipeline.

Hotel Indigo has immediate development plans for properties in the following cities: Europe — Glasgow, Scotland (spring 2011); Liverpool, England (spring 2011); Madrid, Spain (spring 2012); Newcastle, England (summer 2012); and Lisbon, Portugal (spring 2014); Asia Pacific — Shanghai, China (winter 2010); Taipei, China (fall 2011); Bangkok, Thailand (summer 2013); and Hong Kong, China (2016); and Americas — Vancouver, Canada (summer 2011); New Orleans (summer 2011); Mexico City (fall 2012); and New York City Bryant Park (winter 2012).

The brand began its global roll-out with the opening of Hotel Indigo London Paddington in December 2008 and will open its first hotel in Asia Pacific in Shanghai, China, later this year.

For more information, visit the Indigo banner at right

American Airlines is outfitting its Admirals Club and Flagship Lounge facilities with brand-new HP personal computers to offer members and guests the latest technology for their professional and personal needs.

Upon completion of the installation rollout, Admirals Club Business Centers and Children’s Rooms will be updated with HP Compaq 8000 Elite Business PCs, designed with the needs of business people in mind, and allowing customers to check email and conduct business on a highly secure, stable and efficient device.

The Cyber Cafes will also include HP TouchSmart PCs, boasting built-for-touch applications that allow customers to experience music, photos, games and video in a visually engaging manner beyond what a mouse or keyboard can do.

To view a demonstration of the new HP PCs available inside American’s lounges visit

www.youtube.com/watch?v=pt-EMvTKJ9o

For more information, visit

www.aa.com/admiralsclub

Enterprise Rent-A-Car has just received one of the nation’s first Nissan LEAF electric vehicles (EVs). Enterprise will use this initial vehicle to generate awareness of EVs and educate customers and employees about EV rentals and the infrastructure that will support them.

Following the delivery of this first “demo” vehicle, Enterprise expects to receive 500 Nissan LEAFs, starting in December.

The EVs initially will be available to customers across seven markets where the infrastructure exists to support the vehicles, including Phoenix; Nashville, Tenn.; San Diego; Los Angeles; San Francisco; Portland, Ore.; and Seattle. Enterprise Rent-A-Car customers will then be able to specifically request an EV when making a reservation. In addition, Enterprise will be adding some of the EVs to its WeCar car-sharing programs.

With more than 5,000 offices located within 15 miles of 90 percent of the U.S. population, Enterprise will be able to give customers an opportunity for extended EV “test-drives,” as well as a chance to learn more about the charging process.

And, in the coming weeks, Enterprise will be bringing the demo vehicle to some of the markets where EVs will be available for rental, to educate employees and customers about the new technology.

EVs can be charged using a standard 110-volt home outlet, a 220-volt home or public charger or 480-volt commercial “fast” charging station. Most EVs can travel about 100 miles on a single charge, accommodating the travel habits of the daily commuter, who drives an average of approximately 40 miles a day.

Ski Lake Tahoe, in conjunction with One to One Travel, a digital marketing practice of One to One Interactive, has relaunched www.SkiLakeTahoe.com

The new website design and architecture is more user-focused and makes booking a ski or snowboard vacation easier and more engaging by including social media integration, video and photography, enhanced ski resort pages, and extensive search engine optimization, measurement and analytics.

Every page on the site can be shared, liked, tweeted or emailed. Resort pages feature Yelp reviews, Facebook, Twitter, Flickr feeds as well as videos.

And the Tahoe Chatter area features all of the above and more. Resort and other partners now have detailed content pages within the website featuring original content, syndicated content from social platforms and blogs as well as resort statistics and snow reports.

The pages also feature Yelp reviews and provide direct access to trail maps, ticket purchases and booking lodging.

Content found in the partner deals section is rolled into a summary page allowing users to browse all special offers available in one convenient location.

Table chatter is a new section devoted to highlighting local buzz and events found on YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, Flickr and area blogs.

The Ski Lake Tahoe Six-Pack Ticket is available for secure purchase in the updated shopping area of the website. The new cart is easy to use and compliant with all of the latest web-design standards.

Surrounding North America’s largest alpine lake, the seven resorts that make up Ski Lake Tahoe are Alpine Meadows, Heavenly, Kirkwood, Mt. Rose-Ski Tahoe, Northstar-at-Tahoe Resort, Sierra-at-Tahoe Resort and Squaw Valley USA.

Lake Tahoe boasts over 300 days of sunshine a year, and the region has some of the highest annual snowfall amounts in North America.

The seven resorts, all offering unparalleled scenic vistas of panoramic mountain and lake views, are located less than an hour from the Reno-Tahoe International Airport.

For more information, visit

www.SkiLakeTahoe.com

Choice Hotels International, Inc. continues to grow with the announcement of 31 newly opened franchised properties during the month of August.

The openings include hotels in 20 states and three additional countries, adding more than 2,500 rooms to the company’s existing 490,000-plus rooms.

Select properties that opened in August include the Historic Hotel Alex Johnson, an Ascend Collection Hotel, Rapid City, S.D.; Sleep Inn & Suites, Shreveport, La.; Clarion Hotel, Greely, Colo.; and Quality Suites Nantes Atlantique, Nantes, France.

Other Choice brand hotels that opened in August include Comfort Inn, Comfort Inn & Suites and Comfort Hotel — Brooklyn, New York; Fort Worth, Texas; New Buffalo, Mich.; Savannah, Ga.; Stavanger, Norway; and Sylvan Lake, Canada; Comfort Suites — Epernay, France, and Gothenburg, Neb.; Quality Inn and Quality Inn & Suites — Dandridge, Tenn.; Lexington, Va.; Merrilville, Ind.; Union, S.C.; Weatherford, Texas; and Westampton, N.J.; Sleep Inn — Cave City, Ky., and Colby, Kans.; Clarion Inn — Fredericksburg, Va., and Mason City, Iowa; Econo Lodge and Econo Lodge Inn & Suites — Akron, Ohio; Carlisle, Penn.; and Dubuque, Iowa; Rodeway Inn and Rodeway Inn & Suites — Billings, Mont.; Christiansburg, Va.; Elk City, Okla.; Indianapolis, Ind.; and Ontario, Calif.; Ascend Collection — Ascot Suites, an Ascend Collection hotel — Morro Bay, Calif.

Opening in November 2010, Dream South Beach will be the newest addition to South Beach’s Collins Avenue, directly behind the former Versace Mansion.

The fashion-forward boutique hotel offers 108 guestrooms, dining by Michelin-starred Chef Geoffrey Zakarian, an intimate rooftop pool lounge named “Groovedeck” with views of the Atlantic, and a full-service spa.

With a creative concept spearheaded by Michael Czysz’s design house Architropolis and interiors lead Kelly Ogden, Dream South Beach embodies the transformation of two iconic Art Deco South Beach hotels, the Tudor Hotel and Palmer House.

Historically serving as a buffer between the two hotel buildings, the Central Courtyard now serves as the main entrance of Dream South Beach.

The promenade is lined with wall fountains and the pathway is illuminated by a custom in-laid acrylic floor pattern under-lit with atmospheric mood lighting.

Nestled among the bamboo grove sits an 8-foot tall sculpture of Ganesha, the keeper of entrances, custom-designed for Dream by artist Miguel Rodríguez.

The historic Palmer House lobby serves as Dream South Beach’s reception area.

The Tudor lobby has been transformed into Dream South Beach’s restaurant space.

All public areas in the renovated hotel feature custom-crafted furniture and lighting fixtures, elements that assist in evoking a surrealistic “dream state.” With the transformation of two iconic hotels, Dream South Beach combines a mix of design cues ranging from modern Moroccan to late ’70s gloss.

Dream South Beach features 108 guestrooms including the resplendent Sun House Duplex Penthouse, two Duplex Sun Suites, and nine Junior Suites. Upon entering the room, intricately carved, modernized French-Moroccan doors are back-lit by cool blue light to create a mystifying jewel box effect.

Through the doors guests will find the bed perfectly centered with accents of prisms and touches of blue and gold. While the doors serve an aesthetic purpose, they also create an intimate changing area that provides private access to the bathroom and shower.

No attention to detail has been spared as all rooms come fully-equipped with 42-inch Panasonic Plasma TV, Skype- and Bluetooth-enabled smart phones, high-speed broadband Internet access and Wi-Fi, iPod docking system, pre-loaded iPods and DVD players, 380-plus-thread-count Egyptian cotton duvets and sheets, plush terry bathrobes, Etro bath amenities, in-room safes and a fully-stocked private bar. Guests also have full access to Spa’D, the onsite ayurvedic spa at Dream as well as unlimited access to concierge services that include but are not limited to dry cleaning service, same-day laundry, valet service, complimentary shopping services, and daily maid/turndown service.

For more information, visit www.vikramchatwalhotels.com

New York City’s Strand Hotel unveiled The Strand Restaurant, an American bistro, a 115-seat venue with a sophisticated bar and lounge, featuring classic American cuisine at lunch and dinner and sure to shine in the landscape of New York restaurants.

The Strand is located at 33 West 37th Street between 5th and 6th Avenues.

The modern bistro menu is overseen by a three-chef team comprised of veteran Executive Chef Greg Gilbert, Executive Chef Hector Tice of Manhattan’s acclaimed Black Duck Bistro and Chef de Cuisine Kelvin Fernandez.

Chef Gilbert brings years of fine dining experience with him from notable kitchens throughout upstate New York and in New York City.

Voted one of the top eight chefs in Westchester, Gilbert has received top-starred reviews in major media outlets, including The New York Times, as well as high praise from notable food critic Gerry Dawes. Prior to the Strand he was chef de cuisine for Rick Moonen at Manhattan’s Oceana and at Crabtree’s Kittle House in upstate New York, which boasts the third largest wine cellar in the world.

Assisting Chef Gilbert will be Chef Fernandez who joins the Strand team after working with Albert Portale at New York City’s Gotham Bar and Grill.

He also earned the award as the youngest chef from CCAP at the age of 24 while executive chef at Antipasti in White Plains.

Chef Tice, who helms the kitchen of The Strand Restaurant’s sister eatery, Black Duck Bistro, at the Park South Hotel, will act as a consultant on the ever-changing seasonal menus.

Prior to the Black Duck, Chef Tice worked in the kitchen under celebrity Chef Todd English at Manhattan’s Olives.

Menu items will showcase fresh products sourced as locally as possible, both form land and by sea.

Diners will enjoy lunch menus featuring smoked trout, east coast oysters, crisp duck leg confit, fried oysters, golden beet carpaccio, classic lobster rolls and roasted Japanese eggplant, among other items.

Dinner selections include Alaskan king crab, sesame crusted tuna sashimi, mac and cheese, grilled Merquez sausage, seafood risotto, pan roasted chicken, steak frites or ginger marinated tofu.

The interiors of this urban bistro were created by renowned New York City designer Chris Smith whose projects have included Buddakan in Philadelphia, Nobu in Manhattan, and numerous hotels around the country.

Perhaps the most stunning backdrop in the main dining room will be a 6 x 28 foot masterpiece entitled Hemaspora by San Francisco-based artist Rex Ray. A rising star in the world of art, Ray’s work features exuberant, joyful, colorful patterns with a laid back and slightly mischievous vibe.

The Strand hotel, which opened in December 2009, is a member of the Green Hotel Association and is a new, modern tower featuring 20 floors housing 177 deluxe guest rooms and junior suites at 33 W. 37th St. just off Fifth Avenue.

The hotel is the newest addition to Atlantic Stars Hotels & Cruises, which operates boutique hotel and cruising experiences in New York City, Newport, R.I., Martha’s Vineyard, South Beach and the Caribbean. The hotel’s rooftop lounge, Top of the Strand, was recently named Best New Rooftop Lounge in NYC in New York Magazine’s annual Best of New York issue.

For more information or reservations, call 212-584-4000 or visit www.strandamericanbistro.com  or www.thestrandnyc.com.

Connoisseurs Scotland added Scotland’s Braemore Apartments to its league of properties. The collection of self-catering properties (chefs are available) in Edinburgh’s historic New Town provides guests a luxurious experience with the freedom and comfort of home.

The apartments are each a blend of Georgian architecture and contemporary design. Although carefully restored to preserve their traditional grandeur, the apartments are outfitted with modern amenities, such as power showers, Sky television, wireless internet access, DVD players, iPod docking stations, fully equipped kitchens and fully integrated music system controllable from every room.

The prime location of the properties provides guests with easy access to all Edinburgh has to offer, from historical attractions and world-class theatres to stylish boutiques, fine dining — including seven Michelin-starred restaurants — and a vibrant nightlife.

Golf aficionados can head off to test their skills on some of Scotland’s championship courses — from Turnberry in the west to Domoch in the north and St. Andrews in the east. Braemore’s golf specialist, whose possesses extensive knowledge of the golfing landscape, can make the arrangements as well as suggest several nearby distilleries, an important aspect of the post-golf routine.

For information, visit www.braemoreshortlets.co.uk.

Connoisseurs Scotland’s 25 members encompass four of the world’s finest golf resorts, including:

Gleneagles, Turnberry and Old Course;

and Inverlochy Castle, voted the best hotel in Europe several times.

For information, visit

www.luxuryscotland.co.uk