Dubai hotel group Jumeirah is to launch a “contemporary lifestyle” brand globally later this year, the company announced April 28.
The new brand, to be named VENU Hotels, will be launched later in 2010, with Jumeirah saying that it is in “advanced stages of negotiations” with developers about properties in the Middle East, Northern Africa, Europe and Asia-Pacific.
VENU hotels will be five-star hotels with strong local roots, says Jumeirah, designed for “for those who seek a sophisticated immersion in the destination.” Continue reading →
American Express has entered the private-sale travel market with a new website aimed at luxury travelers.
The new Vacationist.com is an invitation-only website featuring private sales and exclusive rates to members only.
The site launched on April 26 and is a partnership between Travel + Leisure magazine, an American Express publication, and Luxury Link, a luxury hotel website. Continue reading →
Lufthansa is to join British Airways and Air France in revamping its first class cabins ahead of the World Cup in May, according to Bloomberg.
The new first class package will debut in May, ahead of the airline’s inaugural A380 flight to Johannesburg, carrying the German World Cup team.
The new first and business class menus will be designed by Michelin-starred chef Holger Stromberg, the chef to Germany’s national football team. Continue reading →
Continuing in its tradition of striking brand imagery, Italy’s most famous red spirit, has launched three inspired reinterpretations of its label.
To celebrate its 150th birthday, Campari enlisted three contemporary artists (avaf, Tobias Rehberger and Vanessa Beecroft) for its Art Label Project: an initiative to highlight the cocktail’s long-standing love affair with the art world.
Using Campari’s notorious red hue as a muse of sorts, the three artists (one of which was a collective) took up the task of designing some knock-out new tags. Continue reading →
The newest Lexus is certainly a hybrid but not the kind that you would except.
The Hybrid Bicycle is a “design concept the captures the fundamental engineering and design values of the brand, but with two wheels rather than four.â€
Power comes from the pedal of the rider increased by help of the front wheel with a 240W electric motor, kept running by a 25.9V lithium-ion battery. Continue reading →
France’s gastronomic establishment on Wednesday reacted with outrage to an upmarket British restaurant guide that excluded French eateries from its top10 list
The list by the magazine Restaurant, published on Monday, named the 50 top tables in the world chosen by 800 international critics, and included the Parisian bistro Chateaubriand plus several other eateries of French chefs.
According to a study compiled by market research firm Millward Brown Optimor, the most valuable brand is Louis Vuitton with a brand value of $19.8 billion.
Hermes, with a brand value of $8.45 billion, landed in the second spot, followed by Gucci ($7.58 billion), Chanel ($5.54 billion) and Hennessy ($5.36 billion).
Brands that focused on heritage and history instead of high fashion did better. Continue reading →
According to a survey published April 27 by New York’s independent Luxury Institute, Blancpain, Vacheron Constantin, and Breguet are considered the three most prestigious watch brands by ‘high net-worth consumers.’
Despite not being widely known outside of timepiece connoisseurs, Swiss manufacturer Blancpain stood out as the most luxurious brand of the 33 featured in this study, with the highest ratings for all four measures.
They were defined as ‘consistently superior quality,’ ‘uniqueness and exclusivity,’ ‘making the customer feel special across the entire experience,’ and ‘being consumed by people who are admired and respected.’ Continue reading →
With suites costing up to 11,000 dollars for one night, Italian designer Giorgio Armani on Tuesday opened his first signature hotel in the world’s tallest tower in the Gulf emirate of Dubai.
“Yesterday I saw this hotel come to life and I felt very emotional. It was marvellous to see this come to life,” Armani, wearing a black T-shirt and beige trousers, told reporters at a news conference in the hotel in the Burj Khalifa.
He said his reaction when he was asked to design the hotel was one of surprise.
“Are you really sure you want me?” he said he asked Mohammed Alabbar, the chairman of Dubai’s giant property developer, Emaar.
Famed Spanish restaurant elBulli lost its crown as the world’s best in an international poll Monday after four years at the top, beaten to the number one spot by rising star Noma in Copenhagen.
ElBulli’s defeat in the S.Pellegrino World’s Best 50 Restaurants list is another blow for the eatery and its trailblazing chef, Ferran Adria, after he announced in January the venue would close for two years from 2012.
The 47-year-old chef put the decision to shut the restaurant on Spain’s northeastern Catalan coast down to fatigue and a need to plan for the future. Continue reading →
Concerns are growing in some wine industry circles that a few rogue Chinese wine traders may be mounting a wine scam, just as the 2009 Bordeaux futures sales are poised to begin, experts fear.
Fine wine merchant Bordeaux Index alleged that unscrupulous traders in Shanghai had hoodwinked private customers into ordering and paying for the 2009 vintage of legendary wines. Continue reading →
BMW, Ford and Volkswagen have joined General Motors, Mercedes-Benz and other leading Western brands in unveiling concept vehicles for the Chinese market at the Auto China 2010 motor show in Beijing.
The concept, intended to combine the “exclusivity of a Gran Turismo with the fascination of a high-performance sports car,” sits some ten centimeters lower than the BMW 5 Series, with a sleek roof that tails off towards the rear. Continue reading →
Singapore threw open the doors of its second casino on Tuesday as part of a $US5.5 billion complex built by US gaming giant LasVegas Sands.
The Marina Bay Sands is the world’s second most expensive casino after MGM Mirage’s CityCenter in LasVegas and is expected to generate as much $US1 billion in annual profit.
Singapore gave the green light for casino gambling in 2005, setting off a flurry of construction that went ahead despite the city-state slipping into recession in 2008. Continue reading →
Chen Jinmiao, a car mechanic from Chenzhou City, China, took a year to build a Lamborghini lookalike from miscellaneous car parts.
Mr Jinmaio had always dreamed of owning a Lamborghini, but knew he would never be able to afford one, so he downloaded drawings from the internet and bought materials from markets.
The DIY Lamborghini has an engine at the rear, can be driven up to 145km/h and only cost Mr Jinmiao US$3,000. Continue reading →
Seems as if even Hermes is not recession-proof: according to shopping blog shefinds.com, a previously almost unattainable Hermes Birkin bag can now be bought by anyone — if you’re ready to spend $6,500 or more, that is.
The Birkin, one of the best-known statement bags, can cost up to six digits and is frequently worn by Hollywood A-listers.
“Then we called around to Hermès, and found out there is no more silly waiting list — they told us we could walk right in and get one today.” Continue reading →
Designer denim used to be the go-to strategy of luxury labels to lure in new customers, but now it seems as if trainers are the new jeans.
While brands like Dior, Hugo Boss, and LV have long been in the market of men’s designer trainers – with the latter’s collaboration with rapper Kanye West selling out in no time last year – women’s counterparts are just now gaining momentum.
Lanvin and Pierre Hardy launched successful ranges, Gucci inuagurated its Icon Temporary pop-up store in London last week to promote its new line of sneakers designed by hip music producer Mark Ronson. Continue reading →
The LP670-4 China Edition is no different than normal models in term of technicalities, but it comes with a bespoke black and orange stripe and can be had with a special grey color.
The interior continues the theme with a variety of orange accents including stitching. The racing stripe is supposedly made to represent a volcano eruption. Continue reading →
High-end French vodka label Grey Goose has collaborated with Swiss high end jewelry brand Chopard on a special redesign of their bottle.
The magnum is adorned with a brilliant, glittering globe atop which sits a goose.
Presented on preview at Cannes, the bottle will be available at major grocery stores in Paris until the end of September 2010 for a whopping 350 euros.
