Jetsettersblog

The opening of its extended Congress Centre will strengthen the position of Davos as Switzerland’s leading Alpine congress venue.

From now on, 5,000 people will be able to take part in a congress.

Davos has a lengthy tradition as a congress venue.

Specialist physicians have long exchanged medical research findings in the high-altitude health resort.

In 1928, Albert Einstein opened the Davos Academy courses, which brought Europe’s intellectual elite to Davos.

The first medical congresses were held at the end of the 1950s. In 1967, Davosers built a congress building and this has been gradually developed into the Congress Centre.

“In line with this tradition, the opening of the extended Congress Centre marks yet another milestone,” said Hans Peter Michel, mayor of Davos. Congress business has become an important pillar of the economy and, according to a survey conducted by St. Gallen University, secures around 650 jobs and generates an added value of 55 million Swiss francs per year.

The center’s surface area has been increased by one third to 12,000 square meters and 34 rooms are now available to accommodate 20 to 1,800 persons. Up to 5,000 participants can now attend a meeting in the Davos Congress Centre. The contract with the World Economic Forum (WEF) has been extended until 2018. According to André Schneider, managing director of the WEF, “The extended Congress Centre conforms to international standards and the new plenary hall provides us all with an unparalleled presentation platform.”

Congress tourism achieves considerable added value for Davos hotels, gastronomy and local businesses. Last summer, Destination Davos Klosters lost around 20,000 overnight stays because of the closure of the Congress Centre.

Because congress business is of a long-term nature, it reduces dependency on the weather and the economic situation and guarantees a stable occupancy rate.

For more information, visit www.davos.ch  or www.klosters.ch

On Nov. 10, the sister property to the Parisian Pavillon de la Reine, opened its doors to guests.

A classic Haussman townhouse in the 8th arrondissement, the boutique hotel, Le Pavillon des Lettres, features 26 rooms, each devoted to a letter of the alphabet and an international writer corresponding to that letter.

Shakespeare, Baudelaire and Rousseau are among the authors whose quotes are scrawled on the walls en Français.

For English translations, boot up the room’s dedicated iPad, which is stocked with international bestsellers and daily newspapers, as well as jazz and classical music.

The hotel’s library (complete with an Honesty Bar) is stocked with the works of all 26 featured authors, and more.

The hotel’s opening rates start at 300 euros ($409) through Feb. 28 and include breakfast, complimentary champagne from 6 to 8 p.m., and a gift of a caddy of the “2000 ans d’écriture” tea from the exclusive French tea house, Le Thé des Écrivains.

It is a green tea, flavored with cinnamon and honey, accompanied by cardamom pods and cinnamon sticks.

For more information, call 011 33 (0)1 49 24 26 26 or visit www.pavillon-de-la-reine.com.

Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts will open the Shangri-La Hotel Paris in the French capital’s 16th arrondissement on Dec. 17, 2010.

The hotel is the group’s first property in Europe, a unique flagship of smaller scale and historical significance.

The building was constructed in 1896 as the private home of Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte’s grand-nephew, Prince Roland Bonaparte.

The restored landmark retains its residential heritage and offers 81 rooms including 27 suites.

Interior designer Pierre-Yves Rochon crafted each room individually to retain the residential ambience while providing all modern day comforts.

Accommodation includes five duplex suites; the Suite Imperiale, which originally housed Prince Roland’s private rooms; and the penthouse Suite Panoramique, with over 100 square meters (1,076 square feet) of outdoor deck.

Forty percent of the rooms and 60 percent of the suites feature unobstructed views of the Eiffel Tower and the River Seine below.

Nearly half of all rooms offer balconies and terraces that allow guests to take in the sights and sounds of Paris.

Executive Chef Philippe Labbe is in charge of the hotel’s culinary division. La Bauhinia, the all-day dining restaurant and lounge in the center of the building, features a newly uncovered and restored glass cupola modeled after the Eiffel Tower.

The French gourmet restaurant L’Abeille and the city’s first authentic gourmet Cantonese restaurant, Shang Palace, will open in early 2011.

Labbe will also oversee the cuisine for Le Bar and the former residence’s banqueting rooms.

“Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts is honored to have been entrusted the preservation of this significant part of French heritage,” said Alain Borgers, general manager of Shangri-La Hotel Paris.

“Whether for accommodation, dining, entertaining or celebrating special events, we are eager to welcome Parisians and visitors to reveal this Parisian treasure and offer our signature style of hospitality.”

Shangri-La took four years to restore Roland Bonaparte’s Palais Iena to its original splendor, the same amount of time it took to build the original home from 1892 to 1896.

The building is listed with the French heritage institution, Monuments Historiques, to preserve this important Parisian landmark in full. Located on Chaillot Hill, amidst one of the highest concentrations of museums in Europe and a short walk from the famous Trocadero, the hotel offers guests an incomparable mix of culture, from Imperial to modern times.

For more information, visit www.shangri-la.com

The Dorchester Collection will be celebrating Thanksgiving, Christmas and the New Year from London to Paris and Milan to L.A. Paris’ Hôtel Plaza Athénée will unveil the Magic Window from Disneyland Paris.

The hotel façade will light up with a display of visuals and sound and a new Prince and Princess stepping out of the window to greet passers-by each Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. from Dec. 1 to 22. Head Pastry Chef Christophe Michalak’s annual Christmas Log will resemble a sports car, complete with chocolate wheels and bumpers and a sugar windshield.

A special promotion is available in December with rates from 650 euros ($890) for a superior room with upgrade to a deluxe room, based on availability.

For more information, visit www.plaza-athenee-paris.com

The Dorchester, London, from Nov. 20 to Jan. 2, will offer the Family Time package, priced at £345 ($556), plus VAT, which includes a complimentary room for children from Dec. 19 to 29, or the Festive Shopping Rate starting at £255 ($411) plus VAT with breakfast from Dec. 17 to Jan. 9.

For more information, visit www.thedorchester.com

Milan’s Hotel Principe di Savoia’s Christmas Shopping package provides guests with daily complimentary in-town limousine shuttle service to the shops and an exclusive Principe Shopping Card offering 10 percent off purchases at select boutiques in Milan’s Fashion District.

Guests also have access to the Club 10 Fitness and Beauty Center.

Package rates from 300 euros ($411) for a Classic Premium Room, including taxes and breakfast daily.

The offer is valid Dec. 3 to Jan. 5, based on availability. For more information, visit www.hotelprincipedisavoia.com

S7 Airlines became part of oneworld, adding Russia’s leading domestic carrier to the global airline alliance.

S7 subsidiary Globus also joined oneworld at the same time. S7 and Globus now offer oneworld’s full range of services and benefits, joining an alliance that includes American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific Airways, Finnair, Iberia, Japan Airlines, LAN Airlines, Malév Hungarian Airlines, Mexicana, Qantas and Royal Jordanian and almost 20 affiliated airlines.

S7 and Globus between them serve 90 destinations and 28 countries.

They add 55 destinations in Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States to the oneworld schedule, and nine countries, including Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.

This has almost tripled the number of destinations served by oneworld in Russia, the CIS and other parts of Eastern Europe to a total 84 destinations in 26 countries.

S7’s addition expands oneworld’s global coverage to a total of more than 750 destinations in almost 150 countries, served by 8,500 departures a day operated by a combined fleet of some 2,250 aircraft, carrying 300 million passengers a year, with annual revenues of more than $85 billion.

When oneworld member designates airberlin, Europe’s fifth largest airline, and Kingfisher Airlines, India’s leading carrier, join in the next 18 months, the alliance will grow further to some 900 destinations, served by 9,500 daily departures operated by 14 airlines and 20 affiliates, carrying 340 million passengers a year on a combined fleet of 2,500 aircraft, generating annual revenues of $90 billion.

To view more information on S7 joining oneworld, visit www.s7.ru/en/S7oneworldjoining.html

For more information, visit www.oneworld.com  or www.s7.ru/en/index.html

Zürich is undergoing a process of transformation in many different ways. Various hotel projects are in the planning stage or already under construction, whereas others are preparing for their grand opening.

The diversity of hotel choices in Zürich is set to be enriched once again. In the Mobimo Tower, a building that resembles a sculpture and soars above the rooftops in Zürich-West, a hotel is being created in the form of the 300-room Renaissance Zürich Tower Hotel, spread over 11 floors.

On the executive floors (top floors with views of the city and the lake), well-traveled tourists and business travelers will find a “hotel within a hotel.”

The exclusive executive lounge located on the 14th floor is open 24 hours a day and offers a wide array of food items and beverages.

The hotel is scheduled to open in August 2011.

For more information, visit www.marriott.de

The four-star Ramada Hotel Zürich City is centrally located directly opposite the Letzigrund Stadium and 15 minutes by tram from the Main Railway Station. The 159 rooms are divided into the categories of comfort, business and junior suites.

The hotel will open in February. For more information, visit www.ramada.de

In 2012, the first Swiss 25hours Hotel featuring 120 designer rooms is opening in the new Hardturm Park, which is located in the Zürich-West district and right next to the new Zürich University of the Arts.

Thanks to the new tram line, Zürich-West also enjoys optimum connections to the city’s hotspots.

For more information, visit www.25hours-hotels.com/zuerich

The former brewing and machinery building of the old Hürlimann Brewery in Zürich is being turned into a hotel with a thermal spa open to the public.

The four-star B2 Boutique Hotel with 51 designer rooms and nine dual-level suites has direct access to the thermal spa.

The centerpiece of the hotel is formed by the library. Approximately 30,000 books featuring stories from different time periods line the shelves of this library, where guests can have Zürich wines sold by the glass and historic Hürlimann beer at the wine bar, open 24 hours.

Swappas are also served — an interpretation of “Swiss tapas” — accompanied by various cheese and chocolate creations.

The thermal spa is opening in December while the hotel is opening next Spring.

For more information, visit www.bookmarkhotels.ch

London’s chic Sanderson Hotel, a Morgans Hotel Group property, is offering a holiday package complete with the property’s famous Mad Hatters Afternoon Christmas Tea.

For rates starting at £265 ($426) per night, the package includes overnight accommodations, Christmas Mad Hatters Afternoon Tea for Two, and a glass of champagne.

The rate, which excludes VAT and is subject to availability, is available Nov. 16 through Jan. 8. Mention rate code PKTEA.

Sanderson head Chef Peter Lloyd has paid further tribute to the much-loved novel “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland” by creating a Christmas version of this much-in-demand Mad Hatters Afternoon tea.

“Drink Me,” an enticing-looking bottle, contains a wonderful potion holding within it a three-course Christmas dinner, featuring parsnip and honey soup, roast turkey and Christmas pudding.

The bizarre concoction will send taste buds hatter crazy with each sip delivering a totally different and contrasting taste experience, as you drink through the layers with a straw.

A lavish “Urban Spa” in the heart of London’s West End, Sanderson is a landmarked 1950s building that has been transformed by Philippe Starck into a surreal Cocteau-like dream world epitomizing a “new luxury.”

Sanderson’s indoor/outdoor lobby is a layered and sophisticated environment that is totally original. Surrounding a landmark Courtyard Garden designed by Philip Hicks, Starck’s visionary style mixes baroque and modern, juxtaposing Salvador Dali’s curvaceous red lips sofa with classic 1960s mosaics and hand-carved African furniture with an oversized Louis XV armoire.

For reservations or more information, call 800-697-1791 or visit www.sandersonlondon.com

The luxury hotel brand Dorchester Collection will introduce the first Wolfgang Puck restaurant in Europe to the London dining scene with the opening of CUT at 45 Park Lane, a modern American steak restaurant.

Scheduled to open in spring 2011, the group will bring the popular, award-winning CUT concept to London featuring innovative cuisine in a contemporary and dynamic environment.

From prime dry and wet aged beef to pan-roasted lobster and sautéed and roasted whole fresh fish, the menu will provide wide appeal. A carefully crafted wine list will complement the menu with distinct international selections.

Located in Mayfair, nearby Dorchester Collection’s iconic hotel,

The Dorchester, 45 Park Lane will have 45 contemporary style rooms and suites, and a penthouse, all with views of Hyde Park. CUT at 45 Park Lane will occupy the ground floor with dining for 76 alongside a separate lounge area.

A destination bar, Bar 45 has seating for about 30 additional guests.

For more information, visit

www.45parklane.com

 or www.wolfgangpuck.com

Maritim has recently introduced its customizable “Maritim à la Carte” conference package, which customers can freely supplement with additional service components according to their individual requirements and budgets. The concept brings conference planning further into line with the customers’ needs and makes pricing more transparent.

“Past experience has shown that customers have very specific expectations when it comes to the set-up and catering services of their events,” said Rene Halla, director of global sales. “These expectations are often different from the pre-determined conference packages that are on offer.

In response, we have introduced a new conference package at very favorable introductory rates, starting from just 42 euros per person.

The package can be supplemented with individual service components to suit the customer’s exact requirements. Early results are showing that the concept is already being very well received.”

The “Maritim à la Carte” package includes basic technical facilities and conference catering as well as a three-course lunch.

Alongside the “Maritim à la Carte” package, the hotel is also offering the enhanced “Maritim Exclusive” conference package, which starts from 65 euros per person and includes numerous components such as technical facilities and catering services as standard.

The Maritim Hotelgesellschaft is Germany’s leading hotel group and the company’s nationwide hotel network is complemented by hotels in seven countries, including Mauritius, Egypt, Turkey, Malta, Spain, China and Latvia. The group’s ongoing expansion continues to strengthen its position within the first-class hotel industry.

For more information, visit www.maritim.com

A display of artwork by Renoir has been brought over from the US and is currently on show in Madrid.

MADRID, SPAIN – A touring exhibition entitled Passion for Renoir will give guests at Madrid hotels the chance to enjoy more of the great painter’s work.

Running until February 6th 2011, the display at the Museo Nacional del Prado features 31 pieces from the Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute in Massachusetts, US.

Pierre-Auguste Renoir is one of the most recognisable names in the history of art and was a leader in the development of Impressionism.

For those who have already seen many paintings by the Frenchman, there is still likely to be plenty of new material to view here, since the works have been shipped across the Atlantic to the Spanish capital.

“Renoir devoted himself to painting with an all-absorbing passion throughout his career, achieving great renown and popularity among his contemporaries,” a representative from the venue remarked.

The Museo Nacional del Prado noted that this is the first monographic exhibition to be held in relation to the artist, with pieces such as The Letter and The Theatre Box.

Travellers interested in attending this stunning show can enter the museum between 09:00 and 20:00 local time every day except Monday, when it is closed.

Admission cost EUR8 (GBP6.95) at the box office or EUR7 if tickets are ordered in advance online, although extra concessions are available.

For more information on this event visit the Museo Nacional del Prado website or contact the venue on +34 902 10 70 77.