Luxury hotel search engine launched - Five Star Alliance

Five Star Alliance, which includes features on hotel general managers and other proprietary information, makes recommendations based on search criteria of the traveler.
www.fivestaralliance.com

June 2005: Half Moon Resort, Jamaica offers discounted fifth night

In celebration of its 50th anniversary, Half Moon Resort in Rose Hall, Jamaica is charging only $50 per night for the fifth night until December 14th, 2005. Food credits and a 50% off a second room for children is also offered. www.halfmoon.com

June 2005: Special tour to Costa Rica & Guatemala

Join a sustainable development tour that provides the opportunity to learn about issues affecting the developing world and the relationship between producers and international consumers. www.puravidacoffee.com/work

June 2005: Design Hotels Group offering additional free nights this summer

Design Hotels, based in Berlin,is an affiliation of 150 independent stylish hotels. Check out any one of 32 participating design hotels this summer and receive complimentary nights. Additionally, each of the hotels will spoil its guests with a gift for example, a 15-minute neck and shoulder massage or a half-day's use of a rental car. Visit www.designhotels.com and click 'Specials'

May 2005: Eco-tour to Nicaragua with philanthropic twist

Terra Icognita Eoctours is launching a 7-day tour of Nicaragua. After 15 years of stable democracy, tourists are starting to explore this large Central American nation. Tours depart in August and November of 2005. For each participant, a donation is made to the sea turtle nesting site in La Flor. www.terra-incognita-ecotours.com/

April 2005: Hotel Caruso in Ravello, Italy to re-open June 21st

On the famed Amalfi Coast, Orient-Express Hotels purchased the Hotel Belvedere Caruso and invested $30 million to restore and upgrade this historic property. Also in its line-up are the Hotel Splendido in Portofino, Hotel Cipriani in Venice, and Villa San Michelle in Florence. hotelcaruso.orient-express.com

March 2005: JetBlue to offer $100 shuttle service between NY and Boston

New service expected to start in one year, after purchase enough planes to serve the route. www.boston.com

March 2005: New Zealand - A private home, Otahuna, opens as a luxury inn

9 rooms within the Queen Anne style lodge. Cocktails are served at 6:30 and dinner thereafter in the formal dining room. Twenty minutes from Christchurch. www.otahuna.co.nz

March 2005: Family Festival at Mohonk Mountain House New York

With its spectacular setting, history and wealth of activities, the Mohonk Mountain House is a wonderful long weekend retreat. Children stay free during the family festival March 25-27th. www.mohonk.com

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March 2005: Sustainable Tourism Awards

Sponsored by Smithsonian Magazine and the Travelers Conservation Foundation awarded Hampton Hotels Save-a-Landmark the award for preservation and Finca Esperanza Verde in Nicaragua the award for conservation.
www.sustainabletourism.com
www.hamptonlandmarks.com
www.fincaesperanzaverde.org

February 2005: New Hotel opening in Boulder, Colorado

The St. Julien Hotel & Spa will welcome guests starting February 21st. A sophisticated 200-room hotel is centrally located in the charming town of Boulder. In addition, some recreational pursuits are across the street and others within an hours drive. www.stjulien.com/index.htm

February 2005: Growth of International Non-stop Flights

It is getting easier to travel to and from the United States. For example, American Airlines will start non-stop service from Chicago and Boston to Ireland in May. Lucky Los Angelenos can fly non-stop to Christchurch on the popular South Island on Air New Zealand. During peak travel seasons, American and United offer non-stop service to popular Carribean destinations in the winter. United is expanding its service to Asia, by increasing its nonstop flights between Chicago and Hong Kong and between San Francisco and China and Japan. They have even added service into Vietnam, as visits grow.

January 2005: Abundant snow in the West will lead to long ski season

If you want to grab Spring skiing and possibly lower rates and lift lines, take advantage of the abundant snowfall. The Sierra Nevada range has 18 feet of snow.

Fall 2004: Hotel Monaco: Venetian hotel renovation

The Bennetton owned Hotel Monaco underwent a two-year transformation. Now offering 130 rooms. The best rooms are suites overlooking the canal. Best of all, the hotel is located between the Grand Canal and St. Mark's basilica. (Website)

December 2004: King Tut's Treasures Tour the U.S. Again

Tutmania returns after 26 years. 70 treasures from Tutankhamen's tomb will visit three location in the U.S. Los Angeles County Museum of Art: June 16 to Nov. 15, 2005; Fort Lauderdale Museum of Art: December 2005; and Chicago's Field Museum: May 2006 (Website)

Winter 2004: Easter Island Festival

If you want to venture far off the beaten path, visit Easter Island off the Coast of Chile. From late January to early February, the islanders of Rapa Nui (Easter Island) honor their Polynesian heritage with a two week festival featuring dancing, chanting, singing, competition in woodcarving and traditional body decoration, fishing and Kai Kai (string figures), and even a parade. (Website)

October 2004:

The Palms, a new 2 and 3 bedroom suite hotel is scheduled to open on Provo in the Turks & Caicos Islands in early 2005. (website posted as it comes available)

October 2004:

The Sheraton Keauhou Resort & Spa, on the Big Island of Hawaii, just re-opened after a $70 million renovation and is offering special introductory rates starting at $169 per night. (Website)

October 2004:

Caribbean Islands work to re-open for the busy season - those damaged include The Bahamas, Cayman Islands, Dominican Republic, Grenada, the Grenadines, and Jamaica. (Website)

October 2004:

A new destination for the well-explored traveler. The Bering Sea Islands. Cruise West will explore half-abandoned Soviet cities, tundra-covered islands, Alaskan fishing towns, coastal wilderness and native subsistence villages rarely visited by outsiders. (Website)

October 2004:

The Palms, a new 2 and 3 bedroom suite hotel is scheduled to open on Provo in the Turks & Caicos Islands in early 2005. (website posted as it comes available)

July 2004: New boutique hotel opens in Paris

Esprit Saint Germain The $7.2 million, 31-room Esprit Saint Germain on Rue Saint Sulpice in the Saint Germain des Pres quarter. Rooms include king-size beds; flat-screen TVs; DVD/CD players; broadband connections and soundproofed windows. Facilities include a library, business center, lounge, and breakfast and fitness rooms. Rates range from about $354 to $915 per night. (Website)

June 2004: New site for researching trips to U.S. National Parks (Website)

Another source for researching the 57 national parks
www.recreation.gov.

Private organizations managing park concessions can be found at www.xanterra.com (e.g., Mt. Rushmore, Grand Canyon, Yellowstone, etc.)
www.delawarenorth.com (e.g., Yosemite)
www.aramarkparks.com (e.g.,Denali, Ellis Island)

June 2004: Four Seasons restores and reopens Hotel Gresham Palace Budapest

The luxury chain's latest property, after a two-year, $110 million restoration. The art nouveau structure houses 179 guest rooms, including 14 suites. (Website)

Two new hotels in Napa Valley, California

The Carneros Inn offers 86 private cottages including 2 bedroom suites. (Website)

The Calistoga Ranch, run by the operators of the acclaimed Auberge du Soleil, in Napa will open May 24th. Introductory rates are good weekdays until August 31st. (Website)

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Washington DC

More than ten years after its authorization, the National WWII Memorial is open. Located at Rainbow Pool site on the central axis of Washington DC's National Mall (between the Washington Monument and the Lincoln Memorial), the $174 million monument, funded mostly through private donations, is proving to be an impressive and unusually emotional attraction. (Website)

London

Orient Express offering gourmet railcar dinners out of London (Webite)

Cuba

Bush tightening ability for Americans to travel to Cuba (Website)

Nicaragua

A well-regarded tour operator, Lindblad Expeditions, wants to reintroduce travelers to Nicaragua which has changed greatly since its civil war in the 1980s. (Website)

Machu Picchu exhibit travels the US

(Website)

Sonesta Bermuda changing hands and upgrading.

Scheduled to reopen on June 3, 2004 as the Wyndham Bermuda.

( Website)

Adventurous Wench is a new tour operator for women travel.

"Get away on an active vacation just for women - outdoor activities by day, with superb food & fine hotels at night."

www.adventurouswench.com

Mandarin Oriental expands - opens Washington DC hotel

Also developing a new hotel on the Riviera Maya to open fall 2005 [more. . . ]

The Blakely opening in New York.

New hotel in New York offering introductory rates starting May 11, 2004 [more. . . ]

Designer hotels:

Fashion big shots like Armani, Bulgari, and Ferragamo bring style to hotels [more. . . ]

Newest Relais & Chateaux Member

Hotel Cap-Est Lagoon Resort & Spa in Martinique is the newest Caribbean member of Relais & Chateaux's 2004 roster of 450 independently owned luxury hotels and restaurants in 50 countries. The other Caribbean properties are: Cobblers Cove, Barbados; Biras Creek Resort, Virgin Gorda, British Virgin Islands; Horned Dorset Primavera, Puerto Rico; and Eden Rock and Le Toiny, both on St. Barts.

www.relaischateaux.com

Four Seasons expanding in Hawaii

The Four Seasons Hotels signed a letter of intent to operate the only two resort hotels on Lanai, The Lodge at Koele and the Manele Bay Hotel.

www.fourseasons.com

In Motion Pictures is growing with 21 airport locations.

Rent a DVD player for your trip…many ways to collect and retrieve the machines and movies.

www.inmotionpictures.com

Best small airports by U.S. region according to Forbes

[more. . . ]

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New York City - February 2004:
AOL Time Warner Center/Mandarin Oriental hotel open.

This mammoth new complex will transform Columbus Circle into a key destination for visitors and New Yorkers alike including the luxurious Mandarin Oriental hotel, Jazz at Lincoln Center, luxury apartments, retail shops and six upscale restaurants. The acclaimed restaurateur of Napa Valley's French Laundry will be opening a new restaurant called Per Se.
(Time Warner Website article)

Ritz Carlton South Beach opened January 2004

The Ritz in South Beach Miami, in the renovated DiLido hotel is now open. Unlike the traditional style at other hotels in the chain, the design of the hotel highlights and improves upon the local art deco design.

Be warned, the neighborhood is seedier than you'd expect from a Ritz Carlton.

Ritz Carlton Website

Barbados - passports required

Barbados will require passports for tourists visiting the country from the U.S. and Canada as of March 1, 2004.

Greece readies itself for the Summer Olympic Games - Feb. 2004

While the international airport and new subway system within Athens are complete, organizers are sprinting to complete event venues and infrastructure projects.

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