Jetsettersblog

Moonstone Hotels is offering an ?I Voted? nightly room rate at nine inns in California and Oregon to guests who vote in the Nov. 4 election.

From Nov. 4 through Jan. 31, guests who show their ?I Voted? stickers from the November election at check-in for most Moonstone properties may request a $69 room rate for lodging Sunday through Thursday nights.

The participating properties are the Cambria Pines Lodge and the Sea Otter Inn in Cambria, Calif.; the Monterey Hotel in Monterey, Calif.; the Carmel River Inn in Carmel, Calif.; the Deer Haven Inn in Pacific Grove, Calif.; the Apple Tree Inn in Yosemite, Calif.; the Village Green Resort in Cottage Grove, Ore.; and the Oregon Garden Resort in Silverton, Ore. ?I Voted? rates at Pelican Cove Inn in Cambria, Calif., start at $119. The voter special cannot be applied in conjunction with other promotions, is not available for groups, and is subject to holiday blackout dates. The discount is limited to one ?I Voted? sticker per room.

For more information, call 800-966-6490 or visit www.moonstonehotels.com

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Choice Hotels International, Inc. has announced a new, permanent U.S. Armed Services program as part of its Choice Privileges rewards program. Effective immediately, active duty or reserve military members, retired military, National Guard, U.S. Coast Guard, and eligible spouses and dependents can join the Choice Privileges rewards program at the Elite Gold level, a level that normally requires stays totaling 10 hotel nights per year. As part of the new program, members receive a 10 percent point bonus on qualifying stays at more than 5,000 locations across the 10 Choice Hotels brands, Elite customer service and reservations phone numbers, and Elite member offers.

For more information, visit www.choiceprivileges.com/armedservices

Baobab Expeditions
CONTACT: Richard Pfaeffli
TEL: 303 260 6489
: enquiries@baobabexpeditions.com
www.baobabexpeditions.com

DENVER, Colo.?Skiing season is approaching and Baobab Expeditions, a company that specializes in taking modern-day explorers on expeditions around the world, offers customized skiing and snowboarding vacations for winter sport enthusiasts of all skill levels. In addition to offering hassle-free trip planning with seamless high-end service, Baobab offers private multi-country winter sport journeys that can include private air transportation and luxury accommodation in destinations throughout Europe, Canada, and the US.

These ski expeditions take visitors to some of the most renowned winter sport destinations in Europe, Canada, and the US such as St. Anton, Lech Z?rs, Kitzb?hel, Chamonix, Meg?ve, Alta Badia, Bormio, Cortina, Grindelwald, St. Moritz, Zermatt, Banff, Tremblant, Whistler, Aspen, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge, Keystone, Telluride, and Vail. Visitors can choose from a selection of notable luxury hotels while enjoying the distinctive apr?s-ski cultures. Ideal snow, lots of sunshine, and an extensive selection of terrain make these vacations ideal for both beginners and expert skiers alike. People can also choose from a wide range of activities including ski-tours, parapenting, ski-doos, cross-country skiing, heliskiing, and sky diving. Baobab offers several different types of expeditions: Traditional, Multi-Resort, Guided, Specialist, and Eco-Camp.

Traditional

Seasoned skiers and snowboarders are always on the lookout for new and undiscovered terrain, and the traditional trips give them the opportunity to discover everything from extreme vertical powder, or gentle rolling slopes. Whatever the ability level, there is a traditional ski holiday available.

Multi-Resort

Baobab?s expert guides escort skiers from resort to resort by plane, helicopter, train, or 4×4 people carriers. This option is ideal for vacationers who crave the diversity of visiting several world-renowned ski destinations in a period of a week or two. Baobab ensures that transfers are as comfortable and as speedy as possible, so that visitors can spend more time on the slopes.

Guided

This option insures that an expert guide goes along for the ride to make skiers as comfortable as possible. Not only are the experts on the snow with specific knowledge about skiing in the destinations, but they can tell travelers where to go, eat, sleep, sightsee, and they will even help with equipment rentals.

Specialist

More travelers are looking to fulfill dreams and experience the remoteness and beauty of the mountains; coupled with the thrill of carving out original tracks across fresh, virgin expanses of mountainside. Baobab offers exhilarating heliskiing, freeride/backcountry, ski touring, or snowshoeing expeditions. There is nothing more exciting than pushing past personal boundaries.

Eco-Camp

Winner of the 2005 Responsible Tourism Awards for Innovation, the eco-camp Whitepod is not just another hotel, but an unforgettable mountain experience. These distinctive pods are pitched around a central chalet, offering all of the services of a hotel in an unprecedented atmosphere. Far from the crowds and boasting the highest standard of style, comfort, and service, Whitepod offers a truly unique accommodation experience. Inspired by the desire to create a haven of beauty and tranquillity, Whitepod is ideal for those seeking to restore tired bodies and jaded spirits. Dine on delicious, yet traditional foods carefully prepared by the resident chef; playfully engage in the myriad activities on offer with the experienced guides; luxuriate to a deep tissue massage at the on-site Spa; and rejuvenate with a peaceful night’s sleep in your very own white pod.

For more information about Baobab Expeditions ski vacations, visit the website at www.baobabexpeditions,com ?or contact Richard Pfaeffli at 303 260 6489.

HOTEL VERTIGO MAKES CINEMATIC HISTORY

Personality Hotels Opens Hotel Vertigo In Conjunction with 50th Anniversary of Famous Hitchcock Thriller ?Vertigo?

SAN FRANCISCO, CA ? In celebration of the 50th anniversary of Alfred Hitchcock?s 1958 classic masterpiece Vertigo, Personality Hotels will debut the stylishly chic Hotel Vertigo this December. Frequently listed as one of the greatest films ever made, Vertigo stars James Stewart and Kim Novak, and Novak?s character Judy lived in the hotel during the last half of the film (then called the Empire Hotel). Paying homage to its rich history, Hotel Vertigo will set a vibrant cinematic stage featuring a brilliant blend of colors and bold patterns designed to evoke a playful, yet sophisticated eclecticism.

?In the film Vertigo, the character Gavin Elster says ?The things that spell San Francisco to me are disappearing fast?color, excitement, power, freedom.? Hotel Vertigo, with its expressive, whimsical design and electrifying vibe will definitely put that myth to rest,? says Personality Hotels President and CEO Yvonne Lembi-Detert.

Designed by the award-winning, leading design firm Thomas Schoos Design, Inc. (renowned for some of the country?s foremost restaurants and nightclubs including Koi, Citizen Smith, O-bar and TAO), the 97-room hotel will delight guests with its imaginative style, playfulness and sophisticated references to the Vertigo film. Guests will get their first dizzying effect as they enter the lobby and see Vertigo shown on the gleaming white Carerra marble floors. After being welcomed at the front desk with ?Madeline? cookies, guests hit the ?Vertigo Up? elevator button and are whisked to their guestrooms, styled in glowing orange and crisp white. For those that wish to refresh their recollection of Vertigo (or see it for the first time) complimentary in-room showings are available 24-hours per day. The adventuresome can hit the streets of San Francisco to discover the best places to get Vertigo with a list of select locations provided by the hotel.

Hitchcock buffs will delight in the books readings and movie showings of the famous author (starting in 2009).

Custom-designed guestroom elements include high wing back chairs in vibrant orange glossy leather stitched with the word ?Vertigo? on the seat and contemporary original wall art that reflects the ?swirl? symbol in the film. The second floor meeting room, aptly named the ?The Ledge,? will be outfitted with state of the art technology and boast expansive glass windows overlooking the lobby.

The exclusive collection of five Hitchcock Suites includes The Gavin, The Scottie, The Carlotta, The Midge and The Madeline, each distinctively created around the specific movie character. A mysterious ?Suite 13? will feature 13 discreet nods to Hitchcock?s masterpiece that only those most familiar with the movie will be able to uncover.

In early 2009, Hotel Vertigo will welcome another ?star? - Tyler Florence ? when he opens his first-ever restaurant Bar Florence. Florence is a prominent chef, the charismatic star of three Food Network shows (How to Boil Water, Food 911 and Tyler?s Ultimate) and acclaimed author of five cookbooks including Tyler Florence?s Real Kitchen, Eat This Book: Cooking with Global Fresh Flavors, Tyler?s Ultimate and the brand new Dinner at My Place and Stirring the Pot. One of America?s hottest culinary stars, Florence was named ?Sexiest Chef Alive? by People Magazine, is regular on NBC’s The Today Show and has appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show, The View, Good Morning America, The Tonight Show, E!, and Access Hollywood.

A chic neighborhood abode, Hotel Vertigo offers the best of both worlds ? ideally nestled in a charming residential pocket of lower Nob Hill just off bustling Union Square and the downtown theater district. World-class shopping, theaters, art galleries, renowned restaurants and the nightlife are just a short walking distance from the hotel.

Established in 1982 as San Francisco?s first boutique hotel company, Personality Hotels is the largest privately-owned boutique hotel operator in The City. From a quaint European-style suite to a zenful night’s sleep amid sounds of a tropical rain forest, Personality Hotels can oblige. Celebrating the unique personality in all of us, Personality Hotels consists of an eclectic collection of seven San Francisco boutique properties including SEXY Hotel Diva, GRAND Kensington Park Hotel, AUTHENTIC Hotel Union Square, VIVID Hotel Metropolis, TIMELESS Steinhart Hotel, WHIMSICAL Hotel Vertigo (coming December 2008) and BOLD Hotel Frank (coming early 2009).

Located in the center of the action, all Personality Hotels are within walking distance of Union Square shopping, theatres and restaurants. For more information and to book reservations, call 800.553.1900 or visit www.personalityhotels.com

Clients will save up to 35 percent when they book a 2009 winter getaway with Spirit Vacations to a Couples Resort in Jamaica. Clients enjoy free value-added inclusions such as off-site excursions, scuba diving, glass-bottom boat tours and more. Sample deals to the all-inclusive Couples Resorts with Spirit Vacations include Couples Tower Isle, where guests receive 35 percent off all-inclusive rates in a deluxe garden room on Monday departures, March 16 through 30. A three-night stay is priced at $991 from Fort Lauderdale; $1,009 from Orlando or Tampa; and $1,048 from Atlanta, Atlantic City, Boston, Chicago, Detroit, Myrtle Beach, New York/LaGuardia or Washington, D.C./Reagan National.

Couples Negril guests will get 25 percent off in a deluxe garden room on Monday departures, Jan. 5 through Feb. 9 and Feb 23 through March 30, on three-night stays of $1,016 from Ft. Lauderdale; $1,034 from Orlando or Tampa; $1,073 from Atlanta, Atlantic City, Boston, Chicago, Detroit, Myrtle Beach, New York/LaGuardia or Washington, D.C./Reagan National.

At Couples Sans Souci, guests will receive 25 percent off an ocean suite on Monday departures, Jan. 5 through Feb. 9 and Feb. 23 through March 30, on three-night stays: $1,046 from Ft. Lauderdale; $1,064 from Orlando or Tampa; $1,099 from Atlanta, Atlantic City, Boston, Chicago, Detroit, Myrtle Beach, New York/LaGuardia or Washington, D.C./Reagan National. At Couples Swept Away, guests will receive 20 percent off a garden suite on Monday departures, Jan. 5 through Feb. 9 and Feb. 23 through March 30, on three-night stays: $1,098 from Ft. Lauderdale; $1,116 from Orlando or Tampa; $1,155 from Atlanta, Atlantic City, Boston, Chicago, Detroit, Myrtle Beach, New York/LaGuardia or Washington, D.C./Reagan National.

Spirit Vacations offers complete vacation packages to destinations throughout the Caribbean, Latin America, Central and South America, Mexico and the United States.

Delta Air Lines customers flying business class between the U.S. and London?s Heathrow Airport will enjoy the comfort of a 180-degree full flat bed on every flight beginning summer 2009. Delta customers also will have the convenience of a third daily nonstop flight between New York?s John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) and London-Heathrow, operated by joint venture partner Air France. The service will complement Delta?s two existing flights between New York and Heathrow and one flight between Atlanta and Heathrow and will give customers the scheduling flexibility of a morning, early evening or late evening departure. ?The introduction of full-flat service onboard the Delta 767 fleet will enhance our position in the highly competitive U.S.-to-Heathrow market,? said Glen Hauenstein, Delta?s executive vice president-network planning and revenue management.

Effective summer 2009, Delta?s flights between the United States and Heathrow will be upgraded to feature Boeing 767-400ER aircraft with 40 new 180-degree full flat beds in the aircraft?s BusinessElite cabin. The seats, designed by Thompson Aerospace and engineered and manufactured by Contour Premium Aircraft Seating, recline to 77-inch-long beds in a one-two-one configuration giving every BusinessElite customer direct aisle access.

Delta is reconfiguring seven of its 767-400 aircraft with the full-flat beds.

In total, Delta and Air France plan to offer customers four daily nonstop flights between the United States and London-Heathrow next summer ? one from Atlanta and three from New York-JFK. Delta also currently offers service between London?s Gatwick Airport and Atlanta twice daily and between London-Gatwick and Cincinnati once daily. Air France has announced that it intends to discontinue service between Los Angeles and Heathrow as it adds the new nonstop Heathrow flight from New York.

American Express Travel is partnering with Royal Caribbean International for the unveiling of the final ?neighborhood? aboard RCI?s Oasis of the Seas, which the cruise line will launch in November 2009. The cruise ship?s design features ?neighborhoods,? which will provide an array of experiences to cater to guests? personal style, preferences or moods. The unveiling of the final neighborhood, available exclusively to American Express cardmembers, customers and travel agents, will take place Oct. 21 from 8:30 to 9:30 p.m. Eastern Time, via a live WebEx webcast.

The webcast will be co-hosted by Adam Goldstein, president and CEO of Royal Caribbean International, and Lynne Biggar, senior vice president and general manager of the American Express Consumer Travel Network. Oasis of the Seas? neighborhoods already announced include Central Park, Boardwalk, Royal Promenade, the Pool and Sports Zone, and the Vitality at Sea Spa and Fitness Center.

?For more information, call 800-297-2977 or visit www.americanexpress.com/travel

Inn Marin is offering two California wine country packages. The one-night Wine Country Tour package is available in conjunction with Pure Luxury Limousine, which provides a chauffeured Town Car for a four-hour wine country tour for two people, with advance reservations. The tour includes three to four winery stops, with all tasting fees included. Continental breakfast also is included. Nightly room rates for the package start at $431. The Vineyard at Roche Winery package includes a 90-minute, guided horseback tour through the heart of the Roche family?s 2,100-acre vineyard estate and operating cattle ranch.

The package also includes a wine tasting at the estate. Nightly room rates start at $289.50.

For more information, call 800-652-656 or visit www.innmarin.com

In all the bars in the world, there are so many amazing bar tenders and quirky cocktails available. Here we have put together five of the best to wet your appetite. Chin chin!

The Landings Affair

The Landings St Lucia, a luxurious five-star RockResorts property, is offering guests The Landings Affair! Situated on 19 spectacular beachfront acres on Rodney Bay, near the northern tip of St Lucia, there is no better way to relax than with this delicious cocktail.

Guests can chill out in The Yacht Haven Restaurant, with spectacular views over the azure blue Caribbean Sea, listening to tunes from a local steel drum band, while sipping The Landings Affair. Influenced by Caribbean ingredients, including blue cuacao, kokonut rum, crystal rum, pineapple juice and orange juice, the contents are shaken together and served in a coconut shell and garnished with a hibiscus flower.

The Gangster Moll

The Purple Palm at the Colony Palms Hotel, in Palm Springs Desert Resorts, was originally the fabled underworld den where nefarious enterprises were conducted by Detroit mobster Al Wertheimer of the notorious Purple Gang during the 1930s Prohibition era, (hence the name of the Purple Palm Restaurant).

The Colony Palms Hotel has recently undergone a USD16 million* (GBP 9,117,660) refurbishment and been resurrected to its vintage Hollywood glam, spun with Spanish and Moroccan influences, and is a glamorous yet understated boutique of 21st century cool with a hip new dining spot ? the Purple Palm Restaurant

The Gangster Moll - created with Champagne and St Germain, and garnished with a strawberry - is served to guests luxuriating at the outdoor bar, where the view of the pool is framed by gorgeous mountain vistas, and captivates with the sheer sensuality of the setting that originally attracted Wertheimer and his cohorts.

Hole in One

Around the globe, the Fairmont name is associated with some of the world?s most thrilling golf experiences. In the Scottish countryside, the Fairmont St Andrews offers guests the toughest challenge on the course and the finest reward to celebrate the great game ? the Hole in One!

The 17th Hole at the Kittocks course, Fairmont St Andrews, is renowned for being a mischievous diablo that starts with a blind tee shot and doesn?t get any easier, forcing golfers to keep their wits about them. With breathtaking views over the sea and golden beaches of St Andrews, the course lays out devilish challenges such as unseen trouble spots and deep bunkers. Inspired by The Devlin?s infamous signature hole, the Hole is One serves up Glenmorangie, one of Scotland?s finest single-malt Scotches, ?on the rocks? (golf balls made of ice) and is the ideal end to a hair-raising round!

Veronica?s Margarita

Las Ventanas al Para?so, A Rosewood Resort in Los Cabos, at the tip of Mexico’s Baja Peninsula, is serving Veronica?s Margarita at its Tequila & Ceviche bar. Named after the talented member of staff who created the cocktail concoction, Veronica?s Margarita is made using the Nopal cactus - an incredible plant, native to the Baja region ? and tequila.

Natives of the region have long used the Nopal cactus, as early Baja healers knew it was a bountiful plant with terrific medicinal qualities. They can be found in Latin food markets throughout Mexico. The Nopal cactus contains 17 amino acids, eight of which are essential in the human diet, fibre, minerals, and vitamins. Nopal can also help control obesity by preventing fat build-up and diminishing cellulite and fluid retention, not to mention it gives an energy boost and elevates your mood and helps detoxify the liver and the body in general.

The other key ingredient in Veronica?s Margarita is tequila. Made from the Blue Agave plant, tequila is native to Mexico and the favourite drink of the country.

High Tea Martini

The Hotel Shangri-La will be serving up the sumptuous High Tea Martini cocktail to guests, created using the ingredients; Bombay Sapphire Gin, Earl Grey Tea, Cointreau and Dundee Marmalade.

The word Shangri-La suggests the imagery of exoticism in the Orient. Hotel Shangri-La, the iconic hotel in Santa Monica, introduces its signature drink, a High Tea Martini that evokes the sights, smells and tastes of the mythical Shangri-La with its combination of Eastern and British ingredients and flavours. The High Tea Martini also complements the nostalgic tone and atmosphere that the Hotel Shangri-La embodies. Guests can feel as if they are visiting the fictional earthly paradise when sipping this orange-hued drink while gazing at a stunning sunset at the Hotel Shangri-La?s rooftop bar, Suite 700, overlooking the picturesque Pacific Ocean.