Jetsettersblog

Sugar Bay Resort & Spa in St. Thomas, U.S.V.I., is offering couples who stay six nights or longer an on-site wedding planner to organize a religious or non-denominational ceremony.

The package also includes a cake, the bride’s bouquet and matching boutonniere, wine and cheese, and a wedding portrait.

For more information, visit www.sugarbayresortandspa.com

Tauck is offering recorded foliage updates for New England and other regions beginning on Sept. 15 and continuing through November.

The foliage reports, which will be updated twice-weekly during the season’s peak weeks, will be available through a dedicated toll-free telephone number, 800-214-8209.

Providing the recorded updates will be Scotty Johnston, Tauck’s “foliologist.” Johnston began guiding Tauck fall foliage tours in 1960, and later worked in the company’s sales department. A self-taught foliage expert with over 50 years of study and first-hand experience, Johnston has become a foliage authority for the media who has shared his insights with media outlets ranging from the Travel Channel and the Associated Press to USA Today and New York City’s top-ranked news radio station. In the past several years alone, Johnston has been featured in more than 75 newspapers and magazines with a national readership of more than 14 million.

According to Johnston, the foliage will again be brilliant this year and New England and other areas in the East are ready and eager to welcome travelers, despite the well-publicized effects of recent storms.

“Hurricane Irene and other recent storms certainly generated a lot of television coverage, but I can assure you that the New England states and elsewhere along the East Coast all stand ready to welcome visitors,” said Johnston.

“Tauck has been in touch with our hoteliers and other suppliers in the region, and all are open for business.

Other than some possible rerouting due to temporary road closures, it will be business as usual for Tauck this fall foliage season.”

Tauck offers nine different North American journeys with fall departure dates in regions renowned for foliage.

Along with a number of itineraries in New England, the company also operates fall trips in the mid-Atlantic, Michigan and Mackinac Island, and the Canadian Maritimes.

For more information, call 800-468-2825 or visit

www.tauck.com

Island Routes Caribbean Adventure Tours has a co-branding system allowing travel agents to either make tour booking themselves on Island Routes’ travel agent portal, or by referring clients to the Island Routes website.

When the client clicks through to the Island Routes Tours website from an agent’s website, a bar is displayed with referral information allowing agents to earn commission for any booking within 90 days of that first visit.

Travel agents can also keep track of their clients’ bookings through the portal, by logging in and generating their own report. Island Routes Tours offers more than 200 excursions in five Caribbean destinations and growing — Antigua; Great Exuma, Bahamas; Jamaica; Turks & Caicos; and St. Lucia. For more information, call 877-768-8370 or email info@islandroutestours.com

Celebrating the “spirits” of Scotland, The Gleneagles Hotel, located in the Perthshire countryside one hour from both Edinburgh and Glasgow, has unveiled The Blue Bar, accessed through the recently refurbished Dormy Clubhouse among the property’s three championship golf courses. The Blue Bar presents an alfresco experience, where guests can have fine cigars and whiskies.

Designed as an outdoor/indoor space, the courtyard features a central gazebo and fireplace surrounded by heated brown leather sofas. The whole effect is of an exclusive enclosed outdoor environment that is warm year-round. Capacity is 60 people. Once inside, guests can choose from a range of cigars, including pre-embargo Cuban cigars, savor a dram of fresh and velvety-smooth Johnnie Walker Blue Label, or sample from a range of molecular whisky cocktails, paired with delicious canapés prepared with ingredients from around the world. In addition to leisure lounging, The Blue Bar is available as a venue for corporate events and private functions, thereby growing the hotel’s options for hosting meetings, executive retreats and incentives. For more information, visit www.gleneagles.com

This October, Tribewanted Sierra Leone welcomes travelers to a new kind of African vacation experience with the opportunity to contribute to a cross-cultural eco-tourism community by working at the fishing village near John Obey Beach, 20 miles south of the capital of Freetown, in Sierra Leone in West Africa. Visiting travelers or “tribe members” will experience an authentic village community while participating in the local area development.

John Obey Beach has miles of coastline for swimming, snorkeling and canoe fishing, as well as an abundance of birdlife. Daily activities include hiking, fishing, drumming and the tradition of drinking poyo (local palm wine) by a bonfire at night. Tribe members will dine on an array of fresh local seafood and vegetables as well as local dishes such as rice with cassava leaf, ground nut soup and ginger beer.

Visiting “tribe members” are free to engage in as many community projects as they wish. Some of the activities tribe members can participate in include village construction and maintenance projects, perma-culture, water harvesting, cooking, assisting at the local school and sustainability workshops. Thirty full-time experienced earth-builders, carpenters, cooks, farmers, gardeners, managers and guides lead the project, all of them locals from John Obey. During the launch year, tribe members and the local community built Cal-Earth “super adobe” huts, traditional wood bungalows on the lagoon where visitors now sleep, a 1,200-watt solar tower, a fresh water well, beach kitchen and perma-culture gardens.

Tribewanted places a strong emphasis on education with experts such as marine biologist Mariah Boyle returning for her second visit in November to lead fish ID surveys to assist the local community in making their livelihoods more sustainable. The organization will also welcome The Collective, a group of graduate volunteers from universities in the United Kingdom. Tribe members are encouraged to participate and lead on projects in which they have an interest or expertise.

Tribewanted was founded by Ben Keene on the Fijian Island of Vorovoro in 2006. The development injected more than $1 million into the local economy by setting up an online tribal community of more than 10,000 people. More than 1,300 people have visited the two projects. Keene, Tribewanted founder and author of the book with the same name, said of the project, “John Obey is an ideal destination to experience the best of Sierra Leone and the new Africa. It’s a beautiful pristine beach where you can sunbathe, swim, play beach football, drum around a bonfire, eat fabulous seafood and make great friends. Visitors live alongside the local community while connecting with a global network of like-minded people. Tribewanted Sierra Leone offers the visitors a chance to play a part in contributing to this vibrant country’s economic development. It has been an amazing adventure so far.”

Tribewanted Sierra Leone is open for its second season October through June. Visitors can book their trip to John Obey Beach online at www.Tribewanted.com for a cost of $450 a week for basic accommodations. Beach bungalows and earth-dome style accommodations run $550 to $750 a week per person or $900 to $1,200 for a couple. Rates include accommodations, all meals and a contribution to the community development. Seventy percent of all revenues are invested directly in the sustainable development of John Obey. A minimum one-week stay is required.

Flights from the U.S to Freetown can be booked via Kevin McPhillips Travel at 410-705-8020. For visas, contact www.Visitsierraleone.org. Escorted transfers to and from Lungi International Airport in Freetown are provided at an additional cost. Tribewanted Sierra Leone has formed a partnership with the government, landowners and the local John Obey community in Sierra Leone to create an eco-village community over the coming years to support sustainable development in the area. Shine On Sierra Leone (www.shineonsierraleone.org) has worked in the region successfully for five years, in education, computer literacy, healthcare and microfinance. For more information, visit http://sierraleone.tribewanted.com

SkyTeam, the global airline alliance, has launched a new, self-service Round the World Planner for its customers. The online application has been designed to allow customers to create their own SkyTeam Round the World itineraries, using the extensive networks of all 14 SkyTeam member airlines.

Two versions of the Round the World planner have been developed. Both enable customers to build tailor made itineraries in compliance with SkyTeam’s Round the World fare products, terms and conditions. Customers access the application via the recently refreshed skyteam.com, while a customized version for travel agents can be accessed via the newly created dedicated skyteam.biz website. For more information, visit www.skyteam.com

The DoubleTree by Hilton Querétaro, which will be operated under a management agreement with Hilton Worldwide, is situated within walking distance of the Querétaro Convention Center and the La Correigidora football stadium. The Industrial Park El Marquez, Industrial Park Bernardo Quintana, Downtown and Cerro de las Campanas are all within a 10-minute drive.

DoubleTree by Hilton Querétaro offers guest rooms and suites featuring the brand’s signature Sweet Dreams by DoubleTree sleep experience; high-speed Internet access; 42-inch, flat-panel, LCD televisions with international channels; laptop safes; work desks; pampering bath amenities; and in-room tea and coffee making services. Additional on-site amenities include in-room dining, valet and laundry services, concierge and travel desk services.

The DoubleTree by Hilton Querétaro features a 24-hour business center and flexible meeting and conference space that can accommodate up to 75 guests for business meetings, conferences, training seminars or social events. Hotel guests may also take advantage of leisure recreation facilities including a fitness center and an indoor swimming pool. Restaurante de Los Cedros at the DoubleTree by Hilton Querétaro serves local specialties and international favorites for breakfast, lunch and dinner daily. Complimentary coffee or tea is available throughout the day and refreshing beverages and light snacks are available in the evening, in the inviting lobby lounge. For more information, visit www.doubletreebyhilton.com

Labngham Hospitality Group is calling on planners to kick-start their group meetings for 2012 with a reward-filled early bird offer. “Double The Extra Mile” can be booked from Sept. 15 to Dec. 31, 2011, for meetings taking place between Jan. 1 and Aug. 31, 2012.

All Langham properties across the gloe will be offering qualified group and event planners double Takethelead reward points or double Asia Miles. The minimum revenue to qualify is $6,500.

Any group booking at The Langham, Langham Place, Eaton Luxe or Eaton Smart will be entitled to any two additional benefits from the following choices: one complimentary room per 30 room-nights, one complimentary upgrade per 30 room-nights, complimentary Internet access for all guestrooms, 30-minute cocktail reception, and one themed refreshment break enhancement. All participating properties will also offer extra benefits for signing additional contracts, hosting multiple year events or achieving spend levels. More details on each participating property’s offer can be found at www.langhamhotels.com/doubletheextramile

For more information on Takethelead rewards, visit http://meeting.langhamhotels.com

Six Senses Resorts & Spas will host Six Senses Water/Wo/Men, the Maldives’ first gathering of water sports icons, world’s leading water conservationists such as Fabien Cousteau and celebrity activists including actress Daryl Hannah, Foo Fighters’ Rami Jaffee and singer Beth Orton from Sept. 30 to Oct. 4 at the company’s newest resort, Six Senses Laamu.

Global industrial growth, most of it very far away, has brought the Maldives to the frontline in the battle against rising sea levels. What happens to the Maldives and its 400,000 inhabitants may foretell the future of coastal regions around the globe, and for 15 years, the resort company has led the effort to protect the 1,190 islands of the Maldives. DuringWater/Wo/Men, Sonu Shivdasani, founder and CEO, Six Senses Resorts & Spas, and ocean conservationists will lead dialogues and debates on the most pressing marine and drinking water issues facing the planet today.

One of Hollywood’s leading film actresses, Hannah, noted for her mermaid role in Ron Howard’s “Splash” and her environmental activism, is dedicated to ecological sustainability and will also participate in the panels. Surfers and divers will offer clinics to guests while musicians jam on the sandbanks. Award-winning chefs will keep guests sustained with ethically sourced gourmet food, best enjoyed with biodynamic wines from Australia’s Margaret River. For more information, visit www.sixsenseswaterwomen.com

Austrian Airlines Vacation Center created a vacation package for Vienna that showcases its Coffee, Culture and Klimt, priced from $1,259 per person from New York or Newark. Coffee houses have been part of Vienna’s cityscape since the 1800s, offering a home away from home for Europe’s artists, writers, composers, politicians and thinkers, including 19th and 20th century cultural icons like Johann Strauss, Sigmund Freud, Leo Trotzki and Gustav Klimt.

Between now and the end of 2012, Vienna will celebrate the 150th birthday of art nouveau’s master painter Gustav Klimt (“The Kiss”) with a series of special events and exhibits. Vienna has more than 1,600 coffeehouses, and U.S. travelers are invited to visit some of the most spectacular ones using this three-night, four-day package that’s available from New York, Newark, Washington, Atlanta, Miami, Los Angeles or Chicago.

The Coffee, Culture and Klimt vacation package includes roundtrip air transportation on Austrian Air, economy class, between New York, Newark, Washington, Atlanta, Miami, Chicago or Los Angeles and Vienna, Austria; three nights hotel accommodation in Vienna’s NH Belvedere, a four-star property; daily buffet breakfast; hotel service charges and hotel taxes; coffee and a slice of the Original Sacher-Torte at Hotel Sacher with a dollop of fresh unsweetened whipped cream, and coffee and cake of your choice at Café Central; a half-day historical city sightseeing tour, and combination entrance ticket to the Belvedere Palace and admission to the Gustav Klimt/Josef Hoffmann: Pioneers of Modernism exhibit from Oct. 25 to March 4, 2012. The package is available for travel between now and Dec. 14 and again Jan. 8 to March 28, 2012. For more information, call 800-790-4682, or visit www.austrianair-vacations.com