Monthly Archives: September 2011

Radisson BLU Aqua Hotel Chicago

Radisson Blu Aqua Hotel Chicago

Radisson BLU Aqua Hotel Chicago

The Radisson Blu Aqua hotel in Chicago‘s soaring Aqua skyscraper is to open November 1, the company’s parent Carlson has announced.

Radisson Blu‘s Chicago property, which will be the brand’s first in the US, will feature 334 rooms and suites on the first 18 floors of the 81-storey Aqua Tower.

The hotel marks something of a landmark for Radisson Blu, which is well established in Europe but yet to crack the US market, dominated by upscale competitors such as Hilton and Crowne Plaza.
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Zhongguozun

Construction of Beijing’s tallest building starts

Zhongguozun

Construction has started on Beijing‘s tallest skyscraper, set to rise 500 metres and shaped like a vase, the state-owned CITIC group said Tuesday.

The building is the latest in a surge of ambitious construction projects in the Chinese capital, which along with other cities in China is attracting cutting-edge international architects keen to push design boundaries.

A groundbreaking ceremony on the planned 500-metre tall China Zun tower, named after a type of traditional Chinese wine vessel, took place in Beijing Monday.
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Gordon Murray unveils new electric sports car

Teewave AR1

Legendary Formula 1 designer Gordon Murray has unveiled a new prototype electric sports car to join his fold of futuristic small vehicle designs.

The TEEWAVE AR1 was designed in collaboration with Toray Industries and is designed partially as proof of concept for a production mechanism that can see a car processed in less than ten minutes.

Constructed from carbon fiber, the AR1 is remarkably light, weighing in at just 850 kilograms. That makes it considerably lighter than the Tesla Roadster.
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store opening Longchamp Shanghai

Shanghai’s young high rollers splurge on luxury

store opening Longchamp Shanghai

Thousands of rich Shanghai residents have turned China’s most cosmopolitan city into the luxury capital of a country that is expected to become the world’s largest market for the sector between 2012 and 2015.

Shanghai topped China’s luxury market in 2010-11 with 18% of overall sales, ahead of Beijing’s 16% and the eastern city of Hangzhou, with its 13% share.

Second and third-tier cities in the country are still far behind, despite boasting a growing number of wealthy people, according to the World Luxury Association.
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milan station luxury handbags

Old luxury handbags get new life in Hong Kong

milan station luxury handbags

Byron Yiu has made his fortune by turning traditional shopping habits around and re-selling rich women’s luxury handbags in Hong Kong.

Yiu’s Milan Station retail chain buys trendy bags — luxury tote or shoulder bags to evening clutch — from the ladies who lunch in Hong Kong’s upscale neighbourhoods.

Locally known as “tai tais”, the small and often thrifty demographic, rarely seen without Prada, Chanel or Gucci on their arm, provides the retailer with a steady flow of bags which are later authenticated by Yiu’s team.
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Aulani Resort beach

Aulani Disney Resort and Spa in Hawaii

Aulani Resort beach

Disney has taken its first leap into the hotel industry proper with the opening of a standalone resort and spa in Hawaii.

Aulani, which opened this week in Ko Olina close to the Marriott Ko Olina, is the entertainment behemoth’s first hotel outside of its famous theme parks and is designed as an alternative family vacation experience.

On the coast of Oahu island, the resort and spa stretches across 21 acres and will eventually contain some 840 rooms split across a hotel and villas.
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grape harvest vineyards chateau Haut-Brion

Booming China is number one Bordeaux importer

grape harvest vineyards chateau Haut-Brion

The booming Chinese mainland is now the largest importer of Bordeaux by volume, driving a jump in exports of the French wine, an industry body said.

Exports from the French winegrowing region rose 34 percent in value and 23 percent in volume between July 2010 and June 2011.

The boom was driven in part by iconic great estates, but the bulk came from little chateaux selling wines for less than 4.50 euros.
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chanel fall winter 2011

Chanel Files Internet Counterfeit Lawsuit

chanel fall winter 2011

Luxury retailer Chanel Inc. recently filed a “cyber-piracy” lawsuit against 399 websites, charging them with infringement on it’s trademark and selling counterfeit Chanel items, on the Internet.

The counterfeit items infringed upon include; handbags, shoes, wallets, jewelry, scarfs, sunglasses and clothing bearing the Chanel name.

The suit claims that the websites, specifically, use SEO strategies, using keywords that will more than likely show up in search engines like Google and Yahoo.
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Ikepod Hourglass Only Watch 2011

The Ikepod Hourglass for Only Watch 2011

Ikepod Hourglass Only Watch 2011

This one-of-a-kind Hourglass by Marc Newson will be auctioned off at Only Watch 2011 in Monaco tonight.

Technically, there are no difference between this and the traditional hourglass from Basel 2010 , but the red tinted glass is absolutely beautiful.

Needless to say, the Ikepod Hourglass is one of those items that would be such a thrill to be able to display on one’s desk, coffee table etc.
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BELL ROSS PW1

Bell & Ross Vintage PW1 & WW1

BELL ROSS PW1

In September Bell & Ross will be releasing the PW1 and WW1 style as part of their vintage collection.

Their current vintage collection encompasses watches inspired by military history from the 1940s to date.

This collection draws inspiration from the first watches ever used in the military in the First World War and the 1920s, updated to create tow unique styles for men.
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Private island Skorpios

Sheikh of Qatar Looking to Buy Greek Island Skorpios

Private island Skorpios

Financially troubled Greece has put a ton of state assets up for sale, including some of its famous islands.

One interested buyer is Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, the ruling Emir of Qatar, who wants to acquire two islands in the Ionian Sea, including Skorpios Island.

The private island formerly belonged to famed Greek shipping billionaire Aristotle Onassis and was the site of his wedding to Jackie Kennedy in 1968.
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casino

Resorts World Manila to add 4 hotels by 2016

casino

Philippine casino operator Alliance Global plans to build another 6,500 hotel rooms over the next five years as it ramps up investment in the country’s tourism sector.

The plan includes the launch by year-end of its 2,500-room Resorts World Bayshore project on Manila’s seafront, its chairman Andrew Tan said in a statement.

It also includes a previously launched $345-million project to build a 2,500-hotel room tourism estate called Boracay Newcoast on the central resort island of Boracay.
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Van Cleef Arpels store Beijing

China’s rich are young, single – and mostly male

Van Cleef Arpels store Beijing

They’ve become one of the world’s most influential social groups and now a little more light has been shed on the makeup of China’s rising band of rich.

The HSBC corporation and international research company Nielsen have just released their findings into a survey that attempts to dissect the makeup of the richest 10 percent of the population of eight countries in the Asia-Pacific region.

The countries focused on were mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, India, Indonesia, Malaysia and Australia.
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2012 London Olympic Tickets Most Expensive In History

The price of tickets for the 2012 London Olympics will be the priciest ever sold in the game history, simply because the process of selling tickets is now different.

One of the differences is if you are interested in seeing all of the ceremonies like 2012 opening or closing ceremonies with four A-rated events, then you have to purchase a minimum of 10 tickets (per person) per event.

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Chanel Harrods Brompton Road windows

The World Of Chanel at Harrods

The World Of Chanel at Harrods

Harrods is housing a Chanel takeover. Until September 24th, two pop-up boutiques, the Brompton Road windows and an outstanding installation, will all pay homage to the iconic French brand.

The Brompton road store façade features themed windows, inspired by Lagerfeld’s most recent whimsical Ready-to-Wear collection, with a magical forest theme.

Situated on the Third Floor, the installation encompasses eight rooms dedicated to milestones in Chanel’s history.
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ONLY WATCH Auction Preview

All 40 watches to be auctioned at Only Watch 2011

ONLY WATCH Auction Preview

Only Watch 2011 is just around the corner and here is the video featuring all 40 watches to be auctioned at Only Watch.

For this fourth edition of the world renowned charity watch auction, the world’s most prestigious watchmakers have each created a unique timepiece.

The unique timepieces will be sold by auction house Antiquorum on September 23rd in the Principality of Monaco
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Airbus ACJ318

Airbus to exhibit world’s largest corporate jet cabin

Airbus ACJ318

Airbus displayed an Airbus ACJ318, offered for VVIP charter by Comlux, at the Jet Expo in Moscow which took place 14-16 September.

This Airbus ACJ318 features the comfort and practicality of home and office, plus seating for 19 passengers, which is more than traditional business jets.

“Airbus corporate jets are similar in size to traditional business jets on the outside, but are around twice as big on the inside, allowing them to deliver a more comfortable space in which to travel, as well as the ability to carry more passengers.”
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Resorts World Miami

$3 billion casino resort plan for Miami

Resorts World Miami

Miami is to get a new $3 billion mega-resort next year constructed by the same firm behind Singapore’s massive Resorts World Sentosa destination.

The enormous Resorts World Miami, which will overlook Miami’s prized waterfront, is set to open next year in between Miami International Airport and Miami Beach, Malaysian developer Genting confirmed.

The development will stretch three miles along the bayfront, filling a total of 13.9 acres and containing multiple skyscrapers with a futuristic ocean-inspired design.
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Little Luxe Guides

Luxe travel guides downsize for families

Little Luxe Guides

Top-end travel guide brand Luxe has announced the launch of a mini-guidebook series in a bid to broaden its appeal in the competitive market.

Little Luxe are designed as short travel guides for “families on the go,” focusing on major cities and the family-friendly experiences they offer.

The first guides will focus on Asia, Luxe said, with Little Luxe Hong Kong already available and Little Luxe Singapore to follow in November 2011.
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room luxury hotel Mandarin Oriental

Paris hotel rates on the rise

room luxury hotel Mandarin Oriental

The average price of a double room in Paris hotels has surged above 200 euros per night, making the city of light more expensive than London.

The return of business travellers has fuelled a 26 percent rise in the average price of a Paris hotel room over the past year to 204 euros per night.

According to hotel price comparison website Trivago, the average price of a double room in London is 200 euros.
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