Excellent skiing at Polish resorts

These days Polish Sudetes are excellent for skiing, so whenever you are going to Poland, don’t miss your chance to visit Karpacz and Szklarska Poręba. Plus to this, almost all the tracks are opened at the country’s largest resorts - Kotlina Kłodzka, Zieleniec and Czarna Góra.......All News

Heliopark Group acquired Sosnovaya Roshcha Resort

Heliopark Group acquired Sosnovaya Roshcha Resort in Crimea from TNK-BP. The company will invest over $10mln in the hotel reconstruction. Development will include construction of two new apartment complexes for about 60 thousand sq. meters in 2008-2009. Famous world architects will participate in the project. As a result, the number of rooms will be 40 % bigger, the hotel will also offer a wider choice of services.......All News

New luxurious Westin resort on Kauai

11 April 2008 Starwood Hotels & Resorts will open a new luxurious Westin resort on Kauai Island, Hawaii. The resort will be located on Kauai’s North Shore and decorated with natural materials. The Westin Princeville Ocean Resort Villas will feature a fitness center, three swimming pools, sauna, a golf court, a two-story clubhouse and a restaurant......All News

AirAsia now flies to Laos

AirAsia has become the first low-cost airline which flies to Laos. Starting December 1st, 2007 AirAsia’s aircrafts are making flights from Kuala Lumpur to Vientiane three times a week. Hence, the company operates all around the South-Eastern Asia as well as in several other states. Flight from Kuala Lumpur to Vientiane takes approximately 2,5 hours......All News

Holiday Inn Express Natal

New hotel was recently opened in Natal, Brazil. The property is called Holiday Inn Express Natal and is owned by Praiamar Empreendimentos Turisticos Ltda, under a license agreement with InterContinental Hotels Group. The hotel occupies a 13-story building with a total of 160 rooms, located in the Ponta Negra Beach community of the Natal city – one of the most popular travel destinations in Brazil.......All News

Ski resort in the Tian Shan

First Chinese international-level ski resort, Ping-Tian, is being constructed in the Tian Shan mountains. Construction works take place approximately 100 km from Urumqi, Xinjiang Autonomous Region and are set to finish in November-December 2008. The resort will include 5 lifts, tracks for professionals and beginners (at the foot of the mountain). Tourists will also have a chance to take a rest at the “Alpine” village, which is currently being constructed at the resort. Another option is to live in Urumqi and take shuttle buses for Ping-Tian.......

Christmas carols at Wroclaw buses

A bus trip in Wroclaw, Poland, now means an opportunity not only to get to your destination, but also to hear traditional Christmas carols. Today, December 26, 100 of the 327 city buses will be filled with festive mood and the sounds of Christmas songs.......All News

The Palazzo Las Vegas – new luxurious hotel

Las Vegas, USA, now has another luxurious accommodation spot - The The Palazzo Las Vegas next to the Venetian Resort Casino. Located in the heart of the Las Vegas Strip, the Palazzo hotel offers a total of 3 thousand rooms, different in capacity and category – from standard to five-room suites and even villas with butler services......All News

New funicular at Innsbruck

Tourists to the town of Innsbruck, Austria , can now take advantage of the new ultra-modern funicular, designed by the renowned architect Zaha Hadid. Called Hungerburgbahn, this new funicular gives travelers and skiers a chance to spend only 20 minutes on getting to an altitude of 2,256 metres (7,401 feet) from the city centre......All News

Accor opens Mercure Gallery hotels in Poland

Accor, a large French hotel group which runs several chains of hotels, including the Polish Orbis Group, plans to open new properties under its hotel brand Mercure Gallery in Poland. The brand represents small luxury-class boutique hotels for about 100 rooms each. Mercure Gallery properties will be located in large cities and important travel destinations around Poland........All News

Pontchartrain Detroit opens under Sheraton brand

Pontchartrain hotel in Detroit was reopened for visitors, but under a different name. The property is now called Sheraton Detroit Riverside Hotel. The hotel rooms are already sold out for the 2008 North American International Auto Show, which takes place next January. Hotel owners are assured that the property will be able to compete with other hotels recently opened in the city centre......All News

Conversion of Holiday Inn Denver International Airport

Holiday Inn Denver International Airport, a hotel owned by Atrium Hotels, will be converted and opened in 2008 as Crowne Plaza Denver International Airport. Conveniently located only ten miles from Denver, USA, and close to Denver International Airport......All News

New hotels in India under aloft brand

Starwood announced opening of several new hotels in India under its new lifestyle brand, aloftSM hotels. For this the company will cooperate with Urbanedge Hotels Private Limited. First aloft hotels to be opened in India are: aloft Bangalore, Whitefield and aloft Chennai - Sholinganallur......All News

The Norfolk Hotel in Nairobi will be rebranded

Fairmont Hotels & Resorts announces the rebranding of The
Norfolk Hotel in Nairobi, Kenya . After a multi million dollar renovation program it will be opened under its new name - Fairmont The Norfolk. The completion of the works is scheduled for July 2008......All News

France celebrates the opening of the winter season

This weekend marked the beginning of the alpine skiing season in France. There hasn’t been so much snow since 1996. On the height of 2500 meters the layer of snow is about 2 meters and meteorologists predict “snowy Christmas”......All News

Sunscape The Beach Punta Cana reopens

Sunscape The Beach Punta Cana resort in the Dominican Republic reopens after renovation. Since the resort now belongs to Dreams Resorts & Spas, its name was changed into Dreams Punta Cana Resort & Spa.

New property owners guarantee unlimited luxury service. For instance, one of hotel’s highlights is a swimming pool – one of the largest in the Caribbean - with waterfalls, swim-up bar and other entertainment venues. The list of hotel facilities also includes private Vichy and Swiss showers, Jacuzzi, private massage and seven themed restaurants – from Mexican El Patio to adults-only French Bordeaux.....All News

Samarkand B&Bs suspend business

Local authorities of Samarkand, Uzbekistan, ordered that all private B&B hotels in the city must suspend their business by January 5th, 2008. Now B&Bs will have to turn over their reservations to the state-owned Afrosiab and President Palace hotels.......All News

Smoking outlawed at Hamburg airport

From January 1st, 2008 smoking will be outlawed in all the public areas at terminals of Hamburg airport. The law for liquidation of smoking areas takes effect not only in the city airport, but also in its bars and restaurants......All News

Hyatt Key West - the first Green Resort in Key West

Hyatt
Key West Resort & Spa is proclaimed the first ’Green Certified’ resort complex on Key
West island. The Florida Green Lodging Program gave the hotel the One Palm designation. The award came after a recently completed $11 million renovation.......All News

Spa center at the airport – new standard of comfort

JetQuay – VIP terminal of Changi airport in Singapore – now offers spa services. You no longer need to wait in a discomfort – now you can receive massage, face and body treatments and much more while expecting your flight.....All News

320 new year charters will be made from Sheremetjevo

On 18-th of December Sheremetjevo airport (Moscow, Russia) opens New Year charter program. Flights will start from a new terminal on 25-th of December and will last till 14-th January 2008. Besides regular flights, 320 charter flight are planned, which will be made by big carriers of Russia and Europe - Air France, Aeroflot, Aeroflot-Don, Aeroflot-Nord, Bulgaria Air, CSA Czech Airlines, Malev Hungarian Airlines, Europe Airpost.......

The best places to celebrate New Year

The editors of one of the resources devoted to travel and tourism, ProfessionalTravelGuide, have chosen the best places to celebrate New Year. The choice is enormous – from sandy beaches to snow peaks, from Australia to Europe.

In Europe:
Prague, Czech Republic
Venice, Italy
Zurich, Switzerland
Edinburgh, Scotland
Amsterdam, Netherlands
....All News

Non-alcoholic days in Thailand

Serving and sailing of alcohol at Thai markets, bars and restaurant is prohibited for this week-end. The reason for the prohibition is general elections which take place in Thailand December 23. The Government interdiction on sale of alcohol begins Friday October 14 at 6 pm and remains in force until Sunday night. Also alcohol won’t be sold from 22 December 6 pm until midnight Sunday December 23.....All News

Accor opens 12 new hotels under its Pullman brand

Accor opened 12 upscale non-standardized hotels under its new Pullman brand. By now Pullman hotels were opened in France (Paris, Toulouse and Marseille), Germany (Cologne and Dortmund), Belgium (Brussels), Thailand (Bangkok) and China (Dongguan). By the year 2008 Pullman plans to reach the number or 50 hotels in 23 countries in Europe, Asia-Pacific, the Middle East and Latin America. These hotels will have a total capacity of 13 thousand rooms......All News

Leela Goa completes refurbishment

General Hotel Management Limited completed refurbishment of its Leela Goa hotel in South Goa. The refurbished hotel now offers 125 superior rooms along with 60 suites......All News

Air China and Shanghai Airlines joined Star Alliance

Two Chinese airlines - Air China and Shanghai Airlines – joined the world’s largest airline alliance, Star Alliance. The alliance now operates 17,000 daily flights to 897 destinations in 160 countries.
Now the company has two hub airports – the first is Beijing, the second - Shanghai-Pudong. For both hub airports, terminals are scheduled to open in March 2008......All News

Asias tallest Jesus statue in Indonesia

On of the world’s highest statues of Jesus now stands in Indonesia. The 30m-high statue dominates the town of Manado on North Sulawesi island. Construction of the monument took three years and cost $611 thousand. The initiative to build the statue belongs to local real estate agency – this way it means to attract tourists and pilgrims from all around the world......All News

Savoy will be closed for renovation

The Savoy (London, UK) will close its doors on December 15 for refurbishment. The works will last for 16 months and will cost about 100 million GBP......All News

X2 Kui Buri Resort – the first X2 resort

X2 – is the new brand of design hotels. These new properties will offer completely new experience to its guests. The first of X2 resorts is located in Kui Buri, Thailand . Situated on eight acres of virgin beachfront on the Gulf of Thailand, the X2 Kui Buri is unfussy yet luxurious, down-to-earth, yet upscale....All News

Atlantic City vs. Las Vegas

Everyone who is fond of gambling in style knows where to go: no doubt, it’s Las Vegas. Now Atlantic
City wants to compete with this world known giant. By 2012 the city plans to become one more world gambling center. Some leading companies will invest several billions in city modernization and new casinos construction.....All News

Telegraph Travel Awards results

British magazine Telegraph has presented Telegraph Travel Awards to the best travel agencies, airlines and the most popular hotels, resorts and destinations. The results are based on the votes of the readers of The Daily Telegraph and The Sunday Telegraph. Below is the list of some of the winners....All News

100 years of age is just the beginning

New York legend The
Plaza hotel , celebrates its centenary and puts the finishing touches to its renovation works. The works, that lasted for about two years and cost about 40 million dollars are to be finished by January 2008.....All News

New thermal resort near the Valtice Castle, Czech Republic

Czechs and Austrians will soon enjoy a new thermal resort, which is to be built in the area next to the Valtice Castle in South Moravian Region, Czech Republic. This will probably be one of the best Czech resorts, with several 4- and 3-star hotels for a total of 430 guests, several pools, and other facilities for thermal treatment. The resort will occupy 12 hectares of land and will use Valtice thermal waters......All News

Nordic Hotel Forum opens in Tallinn

This Sunday, 6th December 2007 Nordic Hotel Forum in Tallinn, Estonia, will open its doors to visitors. Situated in the city centre, the hotel will offer 267 rooms, restaurants, bar, business- and conference-centers, and a relaxation center with Finnish bath and a steam bath......All News

GDR-style apartments get popular with Berlin tourists

It is no secret that many tourists are bored with typical luxurious hotels and reserve rooms at unusual and stylish properties. Berlin (Germany) is rich in those.
One modern trend in hotel industry is GDR-style hotels, designed and furnished in a way so that guests could feel the atmosphere of those times. Rooms are furnished with original GDR furniture and decorated with portraits of the East German heads of state. Guests can sit in front of Soviet TV sets and find old-fashioned soaps in their bathrooms......All News

Berlin will get a Ferris Wheel

Berlin prepares for the opening of a new attraction for its citizens and visitors. Great Berlin Wheel GmbH & Co KG plans to construct a Ferris wheel next to Berlin Zoo and has already paid the city €25 million for a plot of land the wheel will be located on. The wheel will be excellent for observation of the city landmarks and, according to the project proposers, will attract about 2 million visitors annually.

Called Der Tagesspiegel, the ferris wheel will have a total height of 175 meters – which means it will be 25 meters higher than the wheel in Nanchang, China, and 50 meters higher than the world-known London Eye in London. However, in 2008 Beijing will open a higher attraction, Great Beijing Wheel, 200 meters high.....All News

Ancient city in North Korea will be opened for tourists

One of the most isolated countries in the world, North Korea, now welcomes tourists to Kaesong – an ancient capital, located close to the border that divides North and South Korea. When buying package tours travelers will have to process necessary documents and a payment of $195. Then tourists will take a bus from South Korea to Kaesong to observe local attractions – those are Buddhist temples, waterfalls and some objects connected with the history of the city......All News

Hyatt launches its new brand Andaz

Hyatt Hotels and Resorts announced the launch of its new brand, Andaz, focused on individual approach and innovative design which would reflect the city individuality. To achieve this goal, Global Hyatt Corp. worked with top architects and designers.

Much attention will also be paid to environmental issues. The hotels will serve organic food and beverages, use fully biodegradable products and focuse on energy efficiency – this way the brand will be as environmentally friendly as possible.....All News

Ride in festive style at the Hotel Plaza Athenee

This December Hotel
Plaza Athénée (Paris, France ) offers its guests a unique opportunity to discover Paris – a walk in an elegant, horse-drawn carriage.....All News

32 hotels to be built in the Spanish desert

Los Monegros desert situated on the east of Spain (between Madrid and Barcelona) will soon have Las Vegas style “entertainment city”. The project has received a name Gran Escala, which means “scaled”. With its area of 2,000 hectares it’s really “scaled”......All News

International Luxury Travel Market 2007 has begun in Cannes

Luxury travel is a special segment in travel industry. 6 or even 7-star hotels, VIP tours – all these and other luxury services will be represented on ILTM - International Luxury Travel Market 2007. On the 3rd December ILTM will open the doors of Le Palais des Festivals et des Congrès in Cannes and welcome guests to their distinguished Conference in association with Departures magazine......All News

Ice hotel in Norway has opened its doors

Hotels made of ice have become a tradition in some northern countries. Now ice hotel in Norwegian winter park Hunderfossen is ready to meet its guests......All News

Christmas celebrations in Le Meridien Al Aqah

Le
Méridien Al Aqah (Al
Fujairah, UAE ) has prepared a special program for Christmas and New Year.
The celebrations will commence on Friday, 21 December, when the lobby of the hotel will be decorated with Fujairah’s largest gingerbread house and New Year tree.....All News

New treatments in Sacher Spa

For the festive season, Sacher Spa in Hotel
Sacher Wien (Vienna, Austria) offers some great Christmas treatments for its clients. Today Sacher Spa gives a little more reason to celebrate this Christmas with its special new recipe, the Tiramisu Body Treatment.....All News

4,000.000th tourist for Beijing

Beijing celebrates a new record – its 4,000,000th tourist in 2007. The previous record was registered in 2002 when Beijing received 3,000,000 tourists. According to the official data, the income from international and domestic tourism has increased to 26,5 billion dollars.....All News

EMAAR Hotels & Resorts LLC signs an agreement with Giorgio Armani S.p.A

Giorgio Armani S.p.A., a fashion company from Italy, singed a contractual agreement with EMAAR Hotel & Resorts, under the terms of which there will be new luxury hotels and resorts opened under the “Armani Hotels and Resorts” collection.....All News