Monthly Archives: June 2011

lady gaga forbes

Lady Gaga tops Forbes list of “young & rich”

lady gaga forbes

Lady Gaga, 25 years old, recently dethroned Oprah off the top of Forbes magazine‘s Most Powerful Celebrities list and now the pop star, with $90 million, has booted Beyoncé off the top spot on the annual Best-Paid Celebrities-Under-30 list.

In second, teen heartthrob singer Justin Bieber debuted on the strike-it-rich-quick list: the 17-year-old raked in $53 million.

Miami Heat basketball star LeBron James, 26, came in third with $48 million, though his team lost the NBA Finals on June 12 to the Dallas Mavericks.
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Spelling mansion

Petra Ecclestone to buy $150M Spelling mansion

 

The 57,000-square foot Los Angeles mansion built by the late TV producer Aaron Spelling has sold to 22-year-old Formula One heiress Petra Ecclestone.

The home on five acres of property in Holmby Hills has a bowling alley, beauty salon, several gift-wrapping rooms and parking for 100 cars.

The French chateau-style Spelling mansion, dubbed “The Manor,” had a list price of $150 million. The sales price was not disclosed.
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Trouble the Dog

World’s richest dog dies

Trouble the Dog

Leona Helmsley’s pampered pooch “Trouble,” who inherited $12 million from the real estate mogul, has died at the age of 12.

Helmsley bought the beloved pet for comfort after the death of her husband, billionaire hotelier Harry Helmsley.

The pampered pooch had led a life of luxury after her owner purchased her at a New York City pet shop and chauffeured her around in a stretch limo.
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London Grosvenor House

JW Marriott Teams Up with Leading Luxury Brands

London Grosvenor House

Premium hotel group JW Marriott is to team up with a host of top-end brands to boost its services for luxury-loving guests, it has announced.

The new partnerships with nutrition, culinary, art, culture, accessories and wellness brands were designed to deliver a deeper luxury guest experience said JW Marriott.

Among the names will be leading auction house Christie’s, which is to provide “What Not to Miss Guides” at some of the hotels, as well as curating new exhibitions inside properties, beginning with an exclusive preview of unseen photos of the Beatles at the London Grosvenor House hotel on June 10.
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Warren Buffett photo

Lunch with Warren Buffett Costs $2.6 Million

Warren Buffett photo

The winning bidder for a private lunch with billionaire Warren Buffett has set a new record for the cost of dining with the investor, after pledging $2,626,411 for the meal.

The winning bid at the annual charity auction broke the record set last year by a little more than $100.

The opening bid started at $25,000. When the charity lunch began in 2000, this was the price of the winning bid!
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Best Friends Pet Care

Luxury limousine for pets from new airport hotel

Best Friends Pet Care

Pets are set to be able to stay in style in a new Melbourne airport hotel, which is promising limousine transfers for travelers’ four-legged friends.

The new Hanrob Pet Hotel is set to open July 1 at Melbourne International Airport’s Tullamarine terminal, an AU$4 million project which has taken five years to complete.

The hotel, which is the second in the Hanrob chain following an opening at Sydney airport, promises a limousine service to collect passengers, their luggage and their pets, dropping humans off at departures and pets at the Hanrob to begin their stay.
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LV workshop

LVMH plans behind-the-scenes days this fall

LV workshop

Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy has announced open days at their European artisan workshops, ateliers, and vineyards for two days in October.

WWD reports that on the 15th and 16th of the month, the public will be able to experience what happens behind the doors of the luxury conglomerate’s brands that include fashion houses Louis Vuitton, Givenchy, and Dior, jewelry maker De Beers, and champagne labels Moët & Chandon, Veuve Clicquot, and Dom Pérignon.

Bernard Arnault told the paper: “Products are one thing, but how they’re made, who makes them, and where is also of interest to the public.”
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glassware orrefors

Karl Lagerfeld glassware collection for Orrefors

glassware orrefors

Karl Lagerfeld has collaborated with Orrefors, the Swedish glass makers to create a collection of crystal including bowls, vases; wine, water and liqueur glasses and, naturally, champagne flutes.

The Orrefors brand is known for gracing the tables at the Swedish Royal Palace.

The glasses are hand-blown and Lagerfeld’s line will come in black, milky white and clear crystal, some engraved with the designer’s initials.
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Mercedes M-Class ML 350

Mercedes-Benz unveils latest fuel-efficient SUV

Mercedes M-Class ML 350

Mercedes-Benz has unveiled its latest SUV, the M-Class ML 350, a fuel-efficient model designed to help it overtake rival BMW.

The new Mercedes-Benz M-Class promises to cut fuel consumption by 25 percent compared to the previous model, and is described as a “quantum leap”.

It could enable Mercedes to gain a lead on BMW‘s rival, the X5 SUV, with analysts predicting that there could be a sales difference of as little as 1,000 by 2013.
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Gresso iphone4

Gresso Unveils $6,000 iPhone 4 Time Machine

Gresso iphone4

Luxury mobile phone manufacturer Gresso, unveiled its new exclusive project, the iPhone4 Time, “designed specifically for people living in the rhythm of world time”.

The iPhone4 Time Machine houses six independent mechanical Swiss watches behind the smartphone’s case protected by a mineral glass with diamond coating.

The 6 clocks display time zones of the world’s business hubs: Tokyo, Moscow, Paris, London, New York and Hong Kong.
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InterContinental New York Times Square hotel

TOP 10 Largest Hotel Groups in the World

InterContinental New York Times Square hotel

InterContinental has retained its grip as the world’s largest hotel chain, according to the annual ranking of hotels by accommodation analyst MKG Hospitality.

The British company, which operates brands including Holiday Inn, Crowne Plaze and InterContinental, offers a whopping 647,161 rooms around the world, more than any other hotel chain despite growing slowly over the past year.

In second place in the listing released this week is Wyndham Hotels, which offers 612,735 rooms but is gaining quickly (adding 2.5% more rooms in the last year).
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Tesla Model S Sedan

Leo Motors Will Debut Electric Super Car This Year

Tesla Model S Sedan

A Korean firm is to debut a new electric super car later this year, promising performance which will exceed that of the current market leader Tesla.

Leo Motors, a little known manufacturer based in Korea, said this week that its LZ-1 supercar is being readied for a debut in 2011, having been perfected during the five-year development process.

Built from carbon fibre and aluminium alloy, it promises impressive performance — speeds of up to 161 miles per hour (259 km/h) and a 0-60 mph (0-97 km/h) speed of 2.9 seconds, making it one of the fastest EVs — and indeed cars — on the planet.
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Ian Pearson

A look inside the hotel room of the future

Ian Pearson

A renowned futurologist has predicted that by 2030, our hotel rooms will be able to change themselves to match our preferences for a perfect night’s sleep.

Ian Pearson made the predictions in Travelodge’s Future of Sleep report, a six-month project looking at the way hotels and travel are going to change in the future.

A highlight of the report was the concept of the “dream management system”, which would allow people to control the content of their dreams.
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MINI Coupe

New MINI Coupé unveiled

MINI Coupe

MINI has revealed the first two-seater in its model range, promising the “ultimate in go-kart feeling.”

The MINI Coupé is the latest variant in the rapidly-expanding Mini range and daringly introduces some premium racing features into the brand’s familiar shell.

Most noticeable among these is the flattened roof form, which MINI says has improved the aerodynamics of the vehicle, and an active rear spoiler which extends automatically at speeds of over 80km/h.
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Mandarin Oriental Paris opening

Mandarin Oriental to open Paris hotel June 28

Mandarin Oriental Paris opening

Hotel chain Mandarin Oriental will open its first Paris branch on June 28, the latest of several Asian firms to enter the competitive French luxury hospitality market.

The 138-room hotel is in the Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honore in central Paris, not far from traditional French rivals such as the Meurice and the Ritz.

French tourism authorities last month launched a rare new hotel classification, crowning eight of the most chic with “palace” status, which goes beyond five stars to reward what they call “French-style excellence.”
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DVF

Diane von Furstenberg designs range for Gap Kids

DVF

Confirming earlier rumors, Women’s Wear Daily reports that US retail chain the Gap has indeed teamed up with the ‘first lady of American fashion’ for a kids’ range.

Following its partnership with British designer Stella McCartney, the new collection — equally designed for babies and girls aged two to 14 — will become available in stores in close to 30 countries and online in 75 countries starting next March.

Gap’s president for America, Art Peck, said of the collection that it would make use of Von Furstenberg‘s “signature approach to print, optimistic color and femininity, mixed with our expertise in great quality premium children’s clothing at accessible prices.”
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Rosebery Pearl and Diamond Tiara

Rothschild tiara sells for over £1 million in London

Rosebery Pearl and Diamond Tiara

A dazzling pearl and diamond tiara once owned by a celebrated member of Britain’s de Rothschild empire on Wednesday sold at a London auction for £1,161,250.

The bejewelled item belonged to Hannah de Rothschild, whom was at one time the richest woman in Britain and whom went on to marry dashing aristocrat and future prime minister the Earl of Rosebery.

Three pieces of jewellery owned by the countess of Rosebery were sold at Wednesday’s “Important Jewel Sale” at Christie’s auction house.
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Robert Parker

US wine critic finds Bordeaux prices hard to swallow

Robert Parker

Robert Parker – one of the world’s most influential wine critics – is alarmed by the high price of Bordeaux wine, saying the region risks hurting itself by focusing so much on the East Asian market.

“Bordeaux is the epicenter of the greatest wines,” he said. “I hate to see the image damaged by the fact people tend to think it’s too expensive.”

“Bordeaux is focused too much on the wealthy Asian market,” Parker said. “Despite the fact that China has so many wealthy people, it’s a very dangerous game if they raise prices, because the world economy is very, very fragile.”
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