The winners of the 2009 AsiaSpa Awards were announced at a glamorous gala awards ceremony held at Armani Bar Hong Kong last Thursday.

The majority of Asia’s spa destinations won an award, including properties in, Thailand, The Philippines, The Maldives, China, Cambodia and Hong Kong.

Our friends at LP Luxury Properties Magazine celebrated their third anniversary in HongKong recently and it seems they have now something else to celebrate : )

After just three years in print, they have won a Silver Medal ranking in Marketing Magazine Media Ranking Survey 2009, falling second to Times but edging past Forbes in the Property category.

Marketing’s “Magazine of the Year” survey looks at which titles have maintained their dominance amidst increasing pressure.

The French Chamber presented its second SME Awards during the Chamber’s Annual Gala dinner which took place on May 22, at the Grand Hyatt.

Originally created by Christine Lagarde, French Minister for the Economy, Industry and Employment, the SME Awards aim to encourage the entrepreneurial spirit and development of SMEs created by French entrepreneurs in HongKong.

The French Chamber awarded two prizes this year: the “Excellence SME Award” and the “Start-up SME Award”.

Hurun Report, renowned for its annual “China Rich List” of tycoons, has recently hosted Shanghai’s Best Presidential Suites Awards.

The awards ceremony was held on 15 June, timed to coincide with the opening of the Asia Luxury Travel Market, the region’s leading showcase for the luxury travel industry.

“Before now China’s luxury consumers have had little idea of Shanghai’s top suites and executive club lounges, despite the fact that hotels spend so much money on them,” says Rupert Hoogewerf, founder of Hurun Report.

Singapore was crowned Asia’s Maritime Capital at the fifth edition of the Asia Boating Awards, held at the prestigious Le Royal Meridien Hotel in Shanghai.

This is the second time the Lion City has been awarded the sought-after accolade – last year’s prize went to Qingdao, China.

The award recognises the tremendous effort that has been put into turning that city into a sailing and boating hub.

On March 23rd, online jewelry retailer Bidz.com will auction off a gold and diamond tiara designed by the late Gianni Versace to benefit the Aid for AIDS charity, with an opening bid of $699,000 US Dollars.

The one-of-a-kind tiara, which contains over 1,200 diamonds and is worth an estimated $3 million, has been worn by celebrities including Madonna, Amber Valletta and Donatella Versace.

The Versace Tiara, also known as the Tiara, won the prestigious De Beers Diamonds International Award in 1995.