Hotels

For couples seeking the privacy of a luxury retreat with the facilities of an award-winning hotel, the Miss Potter Suite at Holbeck Ghyll Country House Hotel has all the right ingredients.

January 2009 will see Washington D.C become the ultimate “see and be seen” destination as it welcomes in the new President. Kimpton Hotels are inviting guests to take the stress out of getting ready for the celebrations with its Ba‘Rock’ Star Treatment Package. From professional makeup applications to relaxing massages, guests will be pampered from head-to-toe in the comfort of their room, in order to look their best for a celebratory night on the town.

A hidden hand-built lodge on the dazzling Mozambique shores of Lake Niassa, Nkwichi Lodge offers its visitors a rare chance to savour and support an unspoilt corner of real Africa. Explore on foot, by canoe, in sailing dhows. Laze in a hammock above a secluded cove. See for yourself how responsible tourism supports local people and helps them preserve their surroundings.

Edinburgh’s most welcoming and discreet 5-star hotel, The Howard, has put together an exclusive luxury romantic break to wow your loved one. As a city Edinburgh, Scotland's ancient capital, always retains a constant, inexplicable air of romance and an atmosphere that will entice you to return time and again. It therefore remains one of the world’s most desirable cities for spending a lost weekend with your Valentine.

The Landings St. Lucia, a RockResort, will unveil its second phase this December 2008, featuring new accommodation, an additional restaurant, pools, tennis courts and other amenities, as well as announcing its new managing director, Richard Lyon who will take the helm of this luxury Caribbean resort, which is based around a private yacht harbour.

Savvy holidaymakers will be grinning all the way to their favourite winter sun escape this Christmas by skipping the traffic jams, saving money and gliding smoothly into their holidays with Park Plaza Victoria London.

Set in the heart of Bournemouth in beautiful Westcliff, the 3 star hotel is the newest member of the world’s largest hotel group Best Western. The newly named Best Western Montague Hotel first opened in 1925 and was then known for its modern and very British leisure activities. Such activities as croquet, clock golf and billiards attracted many from afar.

Half Moon, the luxury resort in Montego Bay, Jamaica, has been declared the Golf Resort of the Year in the Rest of World category at the annual International Association of Golf Tour Operators Awards.

Swinton Park, the luxury castle hotel in North Yorkshire, has announced that it has launched a Chef’s Table dining experience, one of the first of its kind in the North East, available for both guests and non-residents.

Christmas has come early to those looking to book a festive hotel break on Hotelopia (hotelopia.co.uk). The online booking specialist is offering a massive 50% discount on standard rates at one of London’s finest five star hotels – Plaza on The River Club and Residence, as well as free nights and special offers in destinations including Amsterdam, Krakow, Berlin and Warsaw.

Friends of Nespresso don’t have to abstain from their favorite coffee anymore when traveling around the globe and staying with Swissôtel Hotels & Resorts. The international hotel chain has chosen Nespresso, the worldwide pioneer and market leader in premium portioned coffee, as their preferred supplier of coffee and coffee machines.

Its was a double celebration for Mark Cribb and his team last Thursday (27th November 2008) as the Urban Beach picked up not one but two awards at the prestigious Bournemouth Tourism Awards.

British brides seeking an intimate, friends and family-focused wedding, will be queuing up to say ‘I do’ thanks to a new bridal experience package launched by much talked-about boutique hotel, the Fallen Angel, in Durham. Britain’s most opulently themed hotel, which opened its doors in October 2008, is enticing couples with an offer of an exquisite bridal penthouse suite as accommodation and a fabulously indulgent suite of wedding services.

Blair Castle has been awarded the Gold standard under the Green Tourism Business Scheme (GTBS). Currently at the Gold level, Blair Castle’s team have worked hard to implement new measures from the new Green Tourism Business Scheme criteria and are very enthusiastic about greening the operation at Blair Castle. The business is working with Perth Council to reduce waste and to ensure that as much waste as possible is recycled.

La Manga Club is offering guests the chance to escape the grey skies, and cold, wet UK winter with its new Extended Stay package, for breaks of 30 days or more. At La Manga Club on Spain’s sunny South-East coast, the sun shines for more than 300 days a year which is the perfect reason to escape the UK winter and enjoy a relaxing extended break in Europe’s top golf and leisure resort.

As leading physiotherapist, Diane Hunter MSc BSc (Hons) MCSP, identifies a new condition, laptop shoulder, research from Crowne Plaza Hotels & Resorts reveals sixty-three per cent of laptop users suffer from severe pain and discomfort while travelling on business.

Lowther Castle & Gardens is set to be developed as a major tourism attraction for Cumbria, following a £7 million investment by the Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA) and a further £2 million from the Northwest European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).

As the US prepares to inaugurate the new commander-in-chief, Kimpton Hotels is inviting UK guests a taste of presidential life with a countrywide “Suite Sale.” For the month of January, guests will enjoy 20 percent off the best available rate for all hotel suites at more than 30 participating Kimpton hotels.

Due to popular demand and current trends, St Lucia’s award winning boutique hotel, Coco Palm, has launched a single rate of £75 inclusive of Continental Breakfast and local taxes per night for travel up to 22 December and for most dates in January.

Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park, London has announced that Chris Staines, Head Chef of signature restaurant Foliage, is the first UK Chef to be chosen by Lufthansa for their Star Chef programme since it began in 1998.

The stress of redundancy, red reminder bills, repossession and Christmas is causing 23% of Brits to sleepwalk on more than one occasion each week; according to the 2008 Travelodge Sleepwalking audit. These findings reflect a three-fold* increase on the hotel chain’s 2007 results.

InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) has announced the signing of an agreement with Abu Dhabi-based Seba Properties for the development of the InterContinental Fujairah Resort, a new beachfront property in one of the United Arab Emirates’ (UAE) most attractive tourist destinations.

Ramada Jarvis has today announced the completion of the £27 million Ramada London Heathrow Hotel. Located on the Bath Road, close to all London Heathrow terminals and the M4 and M25 motorways, the brand new 200 bedroom hotel will open to the public on Wednesday 1st October.

Hotel TerraVina in the New Forest was awarded a much coveted César for 'Newcomer of the Year' by the Good Hotel Guide.

A new lunchtime dining experience has arrived on the Queenstown scene promising fine contemporary cuisine in the privacy of one of the oldest parlour rooms in town. Locals and visitors can now exclusively book The Parlour at Eichardt’s Private Hotel for private lunches prepared by award winning Head Chef Varick Nielson.

Golfers at Queenstown’s Millbrook Resort are polishing up their drivers and working on their short game in anticipation of the long-awaited opening of four new holes at the five-star resort.

Business executives are being offered a complete change of scenery and pace for corporate retreats at an exclusive high country property in Central Otago. Corporate groups staying at Queenstown’s Eichardt’s Private Hotel this summer can also experience the iconic hotel’s stunning high country property during a full day adventure featuring a range of activities, complemented by a superb gourmet lunch prepared by award winning Head Chef Varick Neilson.

The new look Novotel Queenstown Lakeside has continued its winning form with a commercial architecture award for its stylish, contemporary design. Designed by Dalman Architecture, the project has been awarded a New Zealand Institute of Architectures (NZIA) Southern Architecture Awards in the Commercial category.

Crowne Plaza Hotels & Resorts has announced the next contributor to its Crowne Plaza Think Tank campaign – interior designer, Gilian Schrofer. As his innovation, Gilian has created a bespoke ‘Think Space’ installation, which has gone into Crowne Plaza hotels in Belgium, Germany, the Middle East and the UK today.