Newsbytes - August 2009

· NEW OPENING! InterContinental Asiana Saigon opens next month (September 2009), featuring 305 elegantly-appointed rooms, including 19 suites and a stylish Presidential suite, the 21-story hotel is minutes from the Notre Dame Cathedral, Old Saigon Post Office and the esteemed Opera House. With spectacular city views from the floor-to-ceiling windows in every room, an InterContinental Spa, daily yoga classes and two restaurants boasting open kitchens and world renowned cuisine, the InterContinental Asiana Saigon is the perfect choice for a cosmopolitan getaway. www.intercontinental.com/saigon

· Virtuoso Vacations – Procrastinating on taking that vacation time? Productivity increases with less-stress, so pencil in a few days away to hype up the in-office activity... with the family: head to InterContinental Paris LeGrand, where a room for the kidlets (under 19) is 50% off. Virtuoso visitors get complimentary Club Lounge access, breakfasts and late checkout (from EUR 506 per two rooms, per night). At Jamaica’s Half Moon Resort, +4 nights on Montego Bay gets Virtuoso guests get a $150 resort credit per room, breakfast daily and round-trip airport transfers...and, kids stay free. (Virtuoso rates from $250 per night, through 9/1/2009.) Or, get Icy Hot: Holland America sails to Alaska – Glacier Bay + Sunny skies = cool times in hot weather. Virtuoso guests can dine on a complimentary lunch at the onboard Pinnacle Grill and a $25 shipboard credit per person (Oceanview fares from $749 per person – departing through September 13, 2009). In County Clare, Ireland, The Lodge at Doonbeg starts for Virtuoso guests with a bottle of champagne in suite, with breakfast and dinner the following day – in between rounds on the Greg Norman golf course – or, treatments at the White Horse Spa. (Virtuoso rates from $170 per person, per night – through September 30). www.virtuoso.com

· Chic and Sheik - French fashion design team Terre & Ciel Conseil is sewing on the final sequins and buttons on La Mamounia’s tailor-made uniforms – set to clothe all 777 employees in preparation for the highly-anticipated Marrakech landmark re-opening next month. Over 150 different exquisitely detailed uniforms have been hand-made in Europe and embroidered in Morocco for every hotel role, including distinctive designs for airport collection staff, bellmen, concierge, F&B staff, guest services and garden staff uniforms. La Mamounia re-opens its doors on September 29^th after an extensive restoration project led by internationally acclaimed interior designer, Jacques Garcia. www.mamounia.com

· Celebrating the 20^th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall (Nov 9, 1989), in remembrance of this historic occasion, InterContinental Hotel & Resorts has designed a website (www.intercontinental-germany.com/20-jahre-mauerfall/en) on which people can share their special memories. The names of all participants will be written on a piece of wall that will travel through Germany to all six InterContinental Hotels & Resorts. The last station is Berlin, where the wall segment will be one of the 1,000 stones which will symbolize the border that separated the city. Finally, they will be pushed over just like domino stones, reuniting the city once again. All participants have the chance to win a night at the InterContinental Berlin on this historic date. 

· On the French Polynesian atoll of Tetiaroa, construction of The Brando - a luxury eco-resort with 47 deluxe bungalow villas - has been officially authorized by the Tahitian government after several years of studying the impact of construction to the environment, with an anticipated opening date in late 2011. Purchased by Marlon Brando in 1965, the 13-island chain circled by a coral reef is 35 miles from the island of Tahiti, and this resort will be the only located on the atoll – and will feature eco-friendly ideas Brando had to minimize impact to his much-loved island, such as a sea-water air conditioning system (SWAC), pumping deep sea water to chill the hotel’s air. Luxury amenities will include private plunge pools, a spa, fitness center, resort pool and activities including scuba diving and archaeological tours of royal Tahitian sites. www.thebrando.com

· Faberge, Stravinsky, Pavarotti, Dostoevsky are among those who left their mark on St. Petersburg’s Grand Hotel Europe – now, 10 new historic suites on the hotel’s Historic Floor pay homage with an interior design preserving the original 19^th Century features, and adding an individual elements recalling the illustrious figures in Russian history the hotel has played host to. The Pavarotti Suite (No. 105) includes an antique grand piano in the living room – decorated in opera house style, while the Faberge Suite (No. 112) is decorated in jewel tones, with light furniture encrusted with precious stones and patina. The historic suites start from RUB 51,480 (approximately USD$1,677) per room per night. www.grandhoteleurope.com

· Yabu Pushelberg will be the driving force behind the restoration of Printemps, the iconic Parisian department store (dating back to 1865) located on Boulevard Haussman. With past credits including the renovation of Bergdorf Goodman in New York and the Lane Crawford Home store in Hong Kong's Pacific Place mall among other retail projects, Yabu Pushelberg’s role in the Printemps store relaunch includes architectural design of the store fronts and shop in the departments of prestigious brands of luxury goods - jewelry, luxury leather goods, watches and luxury gadgets, accessories and trendy products on Level 0 and +1. Initial renovations began in August 2008 and YP expects the entire renovation to be completed by Spring 2010. Currently, level -1 is complete under a soft opening and will be officially launched with an in-store event this fall. In November, the opening of half the ground floor and half the 1st floor will be showcased through a series of Christmas events and window displays. Yabu Pushelberg combines traditional Parisian chic with a fresh contemporary environment for the historic Printemps Department Store, with the overall store plan to replace the “department store” aspect with freshness and energy in subtle, elegant design. www.yabupushelberg.com

· Getting in touch with the hunter-gatherer inside of us all is fun and fast-paced during morning crabbing excursions on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. Available through October 1^st, guests of the Inn at Perry Cabin can hop aboard the “Fun4U,” a 25-foot sport boat, for a 3.5-hour long crabbing excursion. Running a trotline and dipping for crabs, a Chesapeake delicacy, is a truly quintessential Maryland experience. Cruises departing from The Inn’s own dock are $125 per person for a minimum of two people or $450 total for a maximum of 6 people. Guests may also request a Miles River Crab Feast to enjoy their catch. The Inn a Perry Cabin will prepare and serve the crabs in the traditional Eastern Shore manner, an outdoor crab feast complete with all the fixings – corn on the cob, potato salad, cole slaw, local micro brews, etc. – to complete the Maryland culinary experience ($110 per person plus taxes and gratuity).www.perrycabin.com  

· In the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, the heart of Virginia’s wine country, Keswick Hall Sommelier Richard Hewitt and his staff turned10 months, 2 tons of grapes and French Oak barrels into 50 cases of custom-made, private-label Chardonnay and Petit Verdot available exclusively at Fossett’s Restaurant at Keswick. Plans are made to expand the custom cellar wines next year with further varietals. The name, Edith’s Chardonnay and Edith’s Petit Verdot, pays tribute to Edith Fossett, Thomas Jefferson’s chief cook at Monticello during his retirement years. www.keswick.com

· Riviera Maya Rates: At Mexico’s Banyan Tree Mayakoba, Riviera Maya’s newest property in the ecologically sound resort development, and the only all pool villa resort, book a Garden Pool Villa online before September 30 for travel before December 18, 2009 (no minimum stay required) and receive 50% off rack rates (starting rack rates from USD $655), along with a complimentary 90-minute spa treatment for one when staying three nights, and a full breakfast buffet at Oriente restaurant for two. Fusing the Asian spa and wellness philosophy with a beach club, Banyan Tree Mayakoba also offers a Greg Norman-designed golf course, signature restaurants and the privacy of freestanding villas with the lagoons, canals, flora and fauna of the Riviera Maya. http://banyantree.com/en/mayakoba/index.html

THE BARBADOS BEAT:

· The Best of Barbados package has been extended, to book through August 15, 2009 for travel from September 1 – December 18, 2009. Best of Barbados offers visitors incredible advantages: Air credits of up to US $300 per person; complimentary first hotel nights; Complimentary breakfasts; Receive half off a second ground activity when one is purchased; a US$25 Oistins Fish Fry voucher per booking; the Barbados Gourmet Card – 25% off at restaurants per booking: a US$100 pre-loaded debit card for spending in Barbados per booking. (7-night minimum stay, 5-night minimum stay at all-inclusive hotels). www.visitbarbados.org

· Wondering where to find exclusive deals on the best Barbados experiences? Guests can access exclusive deals via social media – from discounts at top hotels, airfare alerts and spa and restaurant additions, The Barbados Beat page on Facebook (http://tinyurl.com/BarbadosBeat) and Twitter (http://Twitter.com/BarbadosTourism) give up-to-the-minute reports on where to stay, what to eat and when to spa on island.

· JetBlue will begin service to Barbados this fall with daily nonstop flights between Grantley Adams International Airport in Bridgetown and New York's JFK on Oct. 1 with the150-seat A320 serving the route. Book now at www.jetblue.com. Also on Oct 1, US Airways resumes nonstop service to Barbados from Philadelphia four times a week, increasing to daily service from Dec. 19 through Apr. 7, 2010. Book now, via www.usairways.com.