Thursday, May 18, 2006
The Razor's Edge
The Razor's Edge
According to unconfirmed reports from my siblings, I missed Mother's Day entirely. With Father's Day looming menacingly on the horizon, I thank my lucky stars that Brave Soldier has commisioned this $149 carbon fiber razor by Razorkraft.
I mean, whose dad is complete without a featherweight, indestructible, space-age, artisanal razor?
And with next year's Mother's Day squarely on my calendar, I'm taking heart in Brave Soldier's assurances that this razor is suitable for use by both men and women. Handcrafted in Silverado, California, each little razor takes the artist over four days to create. I, of course, took exactly nine months to create ... which is why I just may have to pony up $149 for the greatest artist ever: my mom.
According to unconfirmed reports from my siblings, I missed Mother's Day entirely. With Father's Day looming menacingly on the horizon, I thank my lucky stars that Brave Soldier has commisioned this $149 carbon fiber razor by Razorkraft.I mean, whose dad is complete without a featherweight, indestructible, space-age, artisanal razor?
And with next year's Mother's Day squarely on my calendar, I'm taking heart in Brave Soldier's assurances that this razor is suitable for use by both men and women. Handcrafted in Silverado, California, each little razor takes the artist over four days to create. I, of course, took exactly nine months to create ... which is why I just may have to pony up $149 for the greatest artist ever: my mom.
The Merrion Hotel, Dublin
The Merrion Hotel, Dublin
If you wish to join the merry (and slightly intoxicated) thousands on Dublin's O'Connell Street this St. Patrick's Day, why not chose to stay the night at one of Dublin's great hotels, The Merrion. Located across the street from the seat of government, the Merrion is a wonderful 5-star establishment that caters to distinguished travelers. The classical hotel is comprised of several Georgian townhouses and features a lavish Georgian decor complete with one of the most important collections of Irish art in the world. Try and get into the penthouse which has 2 bedrooms and a living and dining room. The penthouse suite totals 2,800 sq ft with an additional 1,000 sq ft rooftop terrace with hot tub. At 2,200 Euros a night, it's great place to rest after too many pints of Guinness.
If you wish to join the merry (and slightly intoxicated) thousands on Dublin's O'Connell Street this St. Patrick's Day, why not chose to stay the night at one of Dublin's great hotels, The Merrion. Located across the street from the seat of government, the Merrion is a wonderful 5-star establishment that caters to distinguished travelers. The classical hotel is comprised of several Georgian townhouses and features a lavish Georgian decor complete with one of the most important collections of Irish art in the world. Try and get into the penthouse which has 2 bedrooms and a living and dining room. The penthouse suite totals 2,800 sq ft with an additional 1,000 sq ft rooftop terrace with hot tub. At 2,200 Euros a night, it's great place to rest after too many pints of Guinness.Luxx Hotel
Luxx Hotel
From the pictures, it looks like a modern boutique hotel in New York or Los Angles but Luxx is a new hotel in Bangkok. The tiny hotel of just 13 rooms offers chic and clean modern design to attract trendy travelers. It opened a few weeks ago and Luxx Hotel general manager, Dusadee Srishevachart says that they will be promoting the hotel to European and American guests. The hotel will also have a bar called Mess and is hosting their launch party on March 29, 2006 . Luxx is located on Decho Road in an area that offers plenty of nightlife, dining and shopping for tourists. They are offering opening specials as low as $70 per night.
From the pictures, it looks like a modern boutique hotel in New York or Los Angles but Luxx is a new hotel in Bangkok. The tiny hotel of just 13 rooms offers chic and clean modern design to attract trendy travelers. It opened a few weeks ago and Luxx Hotel general manager, Dusadee Srishevachart says that they will be promoting the hotel to European and American guests. The hotel will also have a bar called Mess and is hosting their launch party on March 29, 2006 . Luxx is located on Decho Road in an area that offers plenty of nightlife, dining and shopping for tourists. They are offering opening specials as low as $70 per night.Will A Scent Make You Choose A Hotel?
Will A Scent Make You Choose A Hotel?
Scent strips in magazines are nothing new but a scent strip for a hotel? I was reading my New Yorker this morning when I came across the Westin White Tea scent ad. The ads only say "White tea. The calming new scent of Westin." Curious, I opened the strip. In comparison to other scents that come billowing out of those tiny flaps of paper, this one is mild, more like laundry detergent than white tea. According to Brandweek, the ads will pop up in The New Yorker, Wired, Vanity Fair, Real Simple and Gourmet. It's an interesting move away from ads that usually focus on what the hotel looks like rather than what it smells like but I'm not sure that the pallid white tea scent is memorable enough to haunt people into choosing a Westin hotel
Scent strips in magazines are nothing new but a scent strip for a hotel? I was reading my New Yorker this morning when I came across the Westin White Tea scent ad. The ads only say "White tea. The calming new scent of Westin." Curious, I opened the strip. In comparison to other scents that come billowing out of those tiny flaps of paper, this one is mild, more like laundry detergent than white tea. According to Brandweek, the ads will pop up in The New Yorker, Wired, Vanity Fair, Real Simple and Gourmet. It's an interesting move away from ads that usually focus on what the hotel looks like rather than what it smells like but I'm not sure that the pallid white tea scent is memorable enough to haunt people into choosing a Westin hotelMandarin Oriental Joins The Dallas Condo Boom
Mandarin Oriental Joins The Dallas Condo Boom
Dallas seems to be one of the places that is experiencing a massive boom of condos. The latest comes from the Mandarin Oriental which announced that they will build a 43-story tower in the Victory project near downtown Dallas.The Victory Tower will contain a 120-room Mandarin Oriental Hotel, retail space and 90 condominiums which will be priced from $850,000 to more than $6 million.
This development is just part of a huge amount of construction in the area. We've profiled the W Hotel in Dallas and Starck's project before but there are 13 projects under construction and nearly 30 planned total. Given recent condo fallout in Miami and Las Vegas, it will be interesting to see what becomes of all these Dallas projects.
Dallas seems to be one of the places that is experiencing a massive boom of condos. The latest comes from the Mandarin Oriental which announced that they will build a 43-story tower in the Victory project near downtown Dallas.The Victory Tower will contain a 120-room Mandarin Oriental Hotel, retail space and 90 condominiums which will be priced from $850,000 to more than $6 million. This development is just part of a huge amount of construction in the area. We've profiled the W Hotel in Dallas and Starck's project before but there are 13 projects under construction and nearly 30 planned total. Given recent condo fallout in Miami and Las Vegas, it will be interesting to see what becomes of all these Dallas projects.
Monday, May 15, 2006
Which Hotel Will Move Into Kinmel Hall?
Which Hotel Will Move Into Kinmel Hall?
It's about as prime a setting for a luxury hotel as you could wish for, a stately manor tucked into the Welsh countryside. Kinmel Hall near Abergele in Wales has been dubbed the "Welsh Versailles." The 19th century mansion house is need of a new tenant who can turn the beautiful but bedraggled estate into a five-star hotel. Derbyshire Investments, the current owners of the hotel, say that several hotel chains are interested and that plans to convert the home to a hotel will be reviewed by the Conwy County Council. Currently the building can only be used as a Christian conference center since it was bought for this purpose in 1975.If the council changes that then the hoteliers can start bidding on the the opportunity to lease the estate. One potential problem is that the hall is in need of space to build a golf course but the Festherstonhaugh family, which owns the surrounding land, is not interested in selling since they already own a golf course nearby.
The article doesn't list the names of the hotel chains involved but I would guess that Ritz-Carlton and Four Seasons are high on the list. Which hotel chain would you like to see take over this property?
It's about as prime a setting for a luxury hotel as you could wish for, a stately manor tucked into the Welsh countryside. Kinmel Hall near Abergele in Wales has been dubbed the "Welsh Versailles." The 19th century mansion house is need of a new tenant who can turn the beautiful but bedraggled estate into a five-star hotel. Derbyshire Investments, the current owners of the hotel, say that several hotel chains are interested and that plans to convert the home to a hotel will be reviewed by the Conwy County Council. Currently the building can only be used as a Christian conference center since it was bought for this purpose in 1975.If the council changes that then the hoteliers can start bidding on the the opportunity to lease the estate. One potential problem is that the hall is in need of space to build a golf course but the Festherstonhaugh family, which owns the surrounding land, is not interested in selling since they already own a golf course nearby. The article doesn't list the names of the hotel chains involved but I would guess that Ritz-Carlton and Four Seasons are high on the list. Which hotel chain would you like to see take over this property?
Hearst Tower New York, NY
Hearst Tower New York, NY
Publishing giant Hearst Corp is upgrading their New York City offices to the tune of a 46 story tower designed by the amazing Lord Norman Foster. The new tower is an iconic design of diamond grid sitting atop the original 6 story art deco base built in 1928. The tower will be home to around 2,000 employees with the most popular magazines occupying the uppermost floors. After the executive suites on the 43rd floor, Cosmopolitan will claim the 38th floor and O, the Oprah mag, will have its offices on the 36th. Hearst Tower is made even more remarkable through its "green" designation, the first in NYC. The special design of its exterior enabled the construction to use 2,000 pounds less steel in the tower and a rainwater collection system irrigates plantings and provides water to a interior water feature in the lobby. Don't we all wish we could work in a place like this?
Publishing giant Hearst Corp is upgrading their New York City offices to the tune of a 46 story tower designed by the amazing Lord Norman Foster. The new tower is an iconic design of diamond grid sitting atop the original 6 story art deco base built in 1928. The tower will be home to around 2,000 employees with the most popular magazines occupying the uppermost floors. After the executive suites on the 43rd floor, Cosmopolitan will claim the 38th floor and O, the Oprah mag, will have its offices on the 36th. Hearst Tower is made even more remarkable through its "green" designation, the first in NYC. The special design of its exterior enabled the construction to use 2,000 pounds less steel in the tower and a rainwater collection system irrigates plantings and provides water to a interior water feature in the lobby. Don't we all wish we could work in a place like this?
