Valentine and wine - the Grand Hôtel de Bordeaux & Spa offers both

If you really loved me...The Royale Suite
at the Grand Hôtel de Bordeaux & Spa

As luxury hotels vie with each other to offer the most distinctive Valentine's, The Grand Hôtel de Bordeaux & Spa, Bordeaux’s prestigious palace hotel, is making the most of its location in the heart of the world’s largest area of fine wine vineyards. With connections to the region’s most majestic Châteaux, the hotel has a Valentine’s experience, which includes:- 

•       Accommodation for two, including breakfast in bed and a VIP welcome

•       Couples’ massage at the hotel’s new NUXE spa ‘Les Bains de Léa’

•       Private speed boat journey along the Garonne river to and from one of the region’s iconic Château

•       Private welcome by the Château’s owner followed by a candle-lit tour

Romantic candle-let dinner à deux at the Château.

The Grand Hôtel de Bordeaux & Spa’s romantic experience starts at €4,100, and is available between 1 and 28 February 2012.  

  Located in France’s South-West region, The Grand Hôtel de Bordeaux & Spa, overseen by Yan Vacher, is situated in the centre of the city, in La Place de La Comédie square overlooking Le Grand Théâtre. The hotel offers its local and international clientele a gastronomic experience in the Michelin-starred ‘Le Pressoir d’Argent’ fine-dining restaurant headed by Pascal Nibaudeau; the ‘Brasserie L’Europe’ restaurant with outdoor terrace; and ‘L’Orangerie’, a buzzing space in the heart of the hotel. Les Bains de Léa spa, offers treatments by acclaimed French beauty brand NUXE. Bathed with natural light throughout, the spa leads out onto a terrace, offering exceptional views across the rooftops of Bordeaux. Originally designed by Victor Louis in the 18^th century, The Grand Hôtel de Bordeaux & Spa re-opened at the end of 2007, after a full redesign overseen by internationally acclaimed interior designer Jacques Garcia. Bordeaux’s Palace hotel, The Grand Hôtel de Bordeaux & Spa, boasts an unparalleled level of luxury and elegance in the city, steeped in cultural heritage.

www.ghbordeaux.com/uk/index.php

  

Customise your champagne bottle with Moët & Chandon

As luxury becomes increasingly about customization, Moët & Chandon, is enabling champagne lovers to become visually creative by inviting them to express their inner graffiti artist and to design their own bottle of champagne.

What's your pleasure? Moët & Chandon
allows you to customise your bottle

  Urban edge meets classic chic in the limited edition Moët & Chandon Rosé Impérial, complete with customisable bottle. “Tag your love, tag your Moët,” the company is urging us.

  In time for Valentines Day and to show-case the exclusive customisable bottle, Moët are hosting a pop-up shop in The Piazza, Covent Garden, London for four days – 11^th-14^th February, 10am-8pm. Visitors lucky enough to catch it will be able to experiment with the Moët & Chandon Rosé Impérial digital experience and purchase a bottle customised with their own message by a professional graffiti artist!

  Also available to buy from Waitrose and Selfridges nationwide, the Graffiti Love Bag includes everything needed for champagne drinkers to personalise their bottles including a white tagging pen to personalise the sleek bottle with their own special touch of graffiti magic. They can use the kit to convey whatever their message is: from “I love you” to “Let’s fly to Paris” or even to pop the question of a lifetime with a pop of the Moët cork – a “Will you marry me?” that can be handed down for generations. 

  Moët is inviting customers to give full reign to their graffiti artist talents and let their imagination run wild. Then, they can take their tags to the next level with Moët & Chandon Rosé Impérial online.  At www.moet.com/rose, they can virtually tag the street of their choice with Google Street View, an exclusive way to add a touch of graffiti chic to the streets, to create their own personalised Valentine’s Day invitations and to match their Moët & Chandon Rosé Impérial bottle.

  Finally, champagne fans can access the Moët & Chandon Rosé Impérial smartphone application via a simple QR code scan from their mobile phones. There, they can locate the nearest hotspots to drink Moët & Chandon Rosé Impérial champagne, discover the secrets of the world’s most loved champagne and share their customised photos with those they love.

  Customisation and hi tech – welcome to new world of luxury. 

Art, luxury and philanthropy meet at the Visible Award 2011

What’s the connection between luxury and the arts? Creativity, workmanship and aesthetics are three qualities that come to mind. Whatever the link, with the recent opening of a stunning art gallery belonging to Francois Pinault, boss of PPR and the ambitions of Bernard Arnault of LVMH to create something even more spectacular, art and luxury are increasingly closely connected.

  Already well established in this area is Ermenegildo Zegna and last week saw the 2011 winner announced of the Visible Award, a joint commitment of this luxury menswear house and the artist Michelangelo Pistoletto.

  "Especially in the last 20 years visual arts has inspired fashion," said Anna Zegna, Image Director of Ermenegildo Zegna. "But our collaboration with Michelangelo goes a bit further because he has always been participating in an artistic movement that has an impact on civil society. Zegna has always believed that there is a big impact that you have on society by improving living conditions, by educating and inspiring people and also by protecting the environment. Back in the forties my grandfather was one of the first to become involved in this patronage."

The Serpentine Gallery

  The winner of the award, announced at the Serpentine Gallery, was Helena Producciones, a festival conceived and run by local artists in the town of Cali, Columbia. The judges, who included Ute Meta Bauer, Associate Professor and Director of the Visual Arts Program at MIT (Cambridge) and Andrea Zegna of the philanthropic Fondazione Zegna, were impressed by the combination of artistic practices and involvement of the local community in this project.

  The Visible collaboration was born of out the common commitment of Cittadellarte-Fondazione Pistoletto and the Fondazione Zegna to amass a wealth of experience and information from artistic practices that work “for responsible change.”

  As luxury companies seek to put something back into society and to brush up their CSR credentials as well as demonstrating their commitments to the arts, the Visible Award offers an excellent opportunity to do both – as the people of Cali, would no doubt agree.

Luxury hotels and spas are creating their own signature fragrances

As luxury hotels and spa increasingly develop their own signature scents, Las Ventanas al Paraíso is the latest to join the movement. It has just introduced a signature scent created by Ajne Organic Perfume & Scent Systems.

And relax: the Treatment Cabin at
Las Ventanas

  Las Ventanas, A Rosewood Resort, introduced a dramatic new spa in December 2011, an indoor-outdoor “desert oasis,” the signature scent is an integral component of this new facility. Las Ventanas turned to Ajne, a leading developer of organic scents, to concoct an original, indigenous fragrance that evokes the resort and its dual landscapes – on one side a multi-coloured desert of saguaro cactus and sand dunes, and on the other one of the richest marine environments in the world encompassing both the Pacific Ocean and the Sea of Cortez.

  “To blend the resort’s signature scent we had to capture the feeling of both landscapes,” says Ajne Founder Jane Hendler.  “Using natural oils from native plants, we created ‘Las Ventanas Coastal Citrus,’ an uplifting blend of tropical citrus and desert spices that’s as unique as the resort it’s named after.”

  The citrus component of the fragrance reflects the citrus fruit trees found in abundance in the coastal areas of Mexico. The key notes of Mexican lime, grapefruit, orange and lemon make Las Ventanas Coastal Citrus joyful and refreshing, and reminiscent of the sea. Among the other ingredients are the slimming and fortifying oils of cypress and juniper, the uplifting spices of ginger and cardamom, and a hint of rosewood that acts to help steady the nerves and protect the heart.  

Las Ventanas Coastal Citrus will inspire feelings of joy and well-being for guests while enjoying services at the spa. Afterwards, they will carry with them “scent memories” of their idyllic experience at the resort. The signature scent will be available in the spa retail shop – enabling guests, with just one whiff, wherever they are, to bring back the wonderful memories of their stay at Las Ventanas. Fragrances are associated with the right side of the brain, which is also the side associated with memory and emotion. The signature scent also will be diffused throughout the resort’s open-air lobby.
 
Carmel, California-based Ajne (www.ajne.com) is a truly authentic organic perfume house and apothecary making its own skincare and fragrance products. The oils used to blend the sophisticated natural fragrances come from organic farmers in exotic locations worldwide. All of Ajne’s products are paraben, phthalate, and synthetic free; they are vegan, and packaged entirely in glass. Ajne products are available at the company’s flagship store in Carmel, fine boutiques and spas around the world, and online.

Luxury hotel spas are looking to their locality for inspiration

Down time abbey: the Six Senses Sap at
Kempinski Hotel Barbaros Bay Bodrum

With this in mind the Six Senses Spa at Kempinski Hotel Barbaros Bay Bodrum has designed a new gentle cleansing programme, Sense of Detox, to stimulate the body’s natural healing pathways in order to improve overall wellbeing.  According to the hotel, giving your body an MOT, will help you emerge re-energised and with improved strength and vitality to tackle your daily life.

  There are 3, 5 and 7 day programmes available to guests wishing to look and feel their best for the festive season, fulfil their New Year resolutions or simply kick-start a healthier lifestyle in the months ahead.

   Using only natural products, including a brand new organic skincare range - Anika, the programmes combine a variety of detoxifying treatments with optional wellness activities and healthy cuisine to help you regain your glow, nourish the body and clear your mind.

   For luxury hotels spas are not so much an add-on these days as a key part of the customer offering. Every decent luxury hotel needs a luxury spa to match and choosing the right spa partner and the right product supplier is key.

  At the Six Senses Spa purifying seaweed and mineral mud are the key ingredients in the body wraps as they assist in unlocking and releasing trapped toxins, draining excess fluids and restoring the skin’s balance, leaving it properly hydrated and deeply nourished. The

A bigger splash? The indoor pool

Shape Detox Body Wrap can reduce the appearance of cellulite, tone the skin and decrease body measurements in treated areas. 

  The detoxifying facials start with a soothing foot bath and a stress-relieving back massage to evoke a deep sense of relaxation.  Special massage techniques are then used to stimulate the blood flow to your face thus increasing the skin’s strength and elasticity.

   Natural ingredients are another key selling point for luxury hotel spas and at the Six Senses Spa complementary treatments such as the Hammam with Sea Salt & Olive Oil Scrub are intended to further enhance the body’s cleansing process while optional wellness activities such as Yoga, Pilates and stretching will calm the mind. Luxury spa hotels like other top end establishments are increasingly keen to anchor themselves in their locality and to incorporate local traditions and activities, hence the hammam here is a perfect choice.

  For more information and reservations please contact Kempinski Hotel Barbaros Bay Bodrum, Turkey on Tel: +90 (252) 311 0303 or visit www.kempinski.com/bodrum

Champagne Assembly - learn more about this wonderful drink

Just in case you didn’t have enough champagne over Christmas and the New Year, here’s a chance to quaff a little more.

Sparkling St Pancras: the G. H. Mumm and
Perrier-Jouët Champagne Assembly

  The second G.H. Mumm and Perrier-Jouët Champagne Assembly takes place at the St. Pancras Renaissance Hotel on Friday 27 January, featuring a series of expert lectures, workshops and tastings which lend a fresh perspective to Champagne and the wider world of luxury.

  Attending will be sommeliers, wine buyers, chefs, hoteliers and restaurateurs as well as wine and champagne journalists. There is an all-day walk-in tasting (no booking required) and a diverse programme of tastings, lectures, and workshops. This year’s theme is ‘Champagne in Black and White’, evoking the Pinot Noir of G.H. Mumm and the Chardonnay of Perrier-Jouët.

  Workshops include the longevity of Chardonnay. Here Perrier-Jouët Chef de Cave Hervé Deschamps looks at the ageing potential of Chardonnay and how it might vary with bottle format. He hosts a remarkable vertical tasting of magnums spanning nearly two decades from 1985, 1989, 1990, 1995, 1998 and 2002.

  In the Power of Pinot Noir: G.H. Mumm Chef de Cave Didier Marotti discusses the importance of Pinot Noir with a unique tasting of wines from the key Grand Cru villages including Bouzy, Ambonnay and Verzenay.

  The Luxury Lecture explores the very relevant idea of luxury in a fast moving consumer society. With Perrier-Jouët: the best things come to those who wait but we live in a fast food society where gratification is immediate. So, do true craftsmen have a place in the future of luxury goods, products and retail? Speakers Peter Cross (business partner of Mary Portas at Yellow Door) and James Amos (MD Boodles UK).

   There is also a Food Workshop in which the UK’s youngest Michelin-starred chefs Jonray & Peter Sanchez-Iglesias from Casamia in Bristol and Professor Peter Barham, Professor of Molecular Gastronomy at the University of Copenhagen talk about their collaboration to produce a series of 'temperature controlled' canapes matched to G. H. Mumm Champagnes designed to enhance the eating experience.

You know it makes scents:
A tasting session from last year

  The Champagne Lecture looks at the past, present and future of Champagne. Following Perrier-Jouët’s bicentenary in 2011, the company looks back on the last 200 years to the social and economic factors that have shaped the Champagne landscape and look to the future with trends and predictions. Speakers including Champagne expert Giles Fallowfield, historian Dan Jones, the Champagne Information Bureau’s Francoise Peretti and Spiros Malandrakis (Euromonitor International).

 There will also be a wine workshop.

 The event will take place in the Hansom Hall at St. Pancras Renaissance Hotel, Euston Road London, NW1 2AR / www.stpancrasrenaissance.com

Montblanc reveals its latest collection of pens - now there's no excuse not to write those thank you letters

Have you written your Christmas thank you letters yet? No, neither have I? Perhaps it’s because I’m lacking something to write them with. After all, a biro just doesn’t seem right and an email looks very cursory and off hand. As for a text…

  Anyway, help is, quite literally, at hand with a new collection of luxury fountains pens from Mont Blanc.

White it down: Tribute the Mont Blanc

  Montblanc pens are known as some of the finest writing implements in the world. Now the company has just released three special pens to inspire anyone to write thank-you letters, shopping lists, or that great novel that’s lurking inside all of us.

 The Tribute to the Montblanc, is a unique interpretation of the iconic Meisterstuck Writing Instrument transformed from its distinctive black to a pure white lacquer. A tribute to Europe’s highest peak, the Montblanc emblem at the top of the cap has been crafted from snow crystal to reflect the glaciers of the Montblanc Massif and the platinum plated forefront of the writing instrument is delicately engraved with the impressive panorama of the Montblanc Massif, with each peak named.

All write now: the Meisterstuck Montblanc Diamond

Fit for a princess: the Princess Grace
de Monaco Special

  The Meisterstuck Montblanc Diamond is also a good choice for Valentine’s Day. This subtle variation of the iconic Meisterstuck pen has been enhanced with the addition of a precious stone. As if suspended in mid air, the unique Montblanc Diamond, in its entire splendour, is prominently featured in the dome of the writing instrument.

  The Princesse Grace de Monaco Special Edition writing instrument is a tribute to one of the most stylish icons of all time: the legendary Grace Kelly. Crafted from a deep purple precious resin, creating a dramatic contrast with the champagne-toned gold fittings, everything about this Edition is majestic: from its feminine neckline design, to the lavish addition of a drop-cut pink topaz on the clip. Reflecting Princess Grace’s warm spirit and the love she shared with her family, the fountain pen’s 18K gold nib is decorated with a heart-shaped hole.

  Tribute to the Mont Blanc writing instrument: £725.00 (incl VAT)

  Meisterstück Montblanc Diamond writing instrument: £820.00 (incl VAT)

  Princesse Grace de Monaco Special Edition fountain pen: £630.00 (incl VAT)

A new member of the leaning tower club - the Hyatt Capital Gate luxury hotel in Abu Dhabi

Pisa might be home to the world’s most famous leaning tower but a new contender has just joined this very select group – and in this case, the non-perpendicular angle is intentional.

  The Hyatt Capital Gate Abu Dhabi as just opened in the city’s premium business address, on the top floors of the iconic Capital Gate building, which leans a record-breaking 18 degrees. As luxury hotels look to more striking architecture and design as part of their efforts to develop their individual look in a crowded market place, the Hyatt Capital Gate has created something quite unique.

Leaning over backwards to help luxury hotel guest:
the Hyatt Capital Gate, Abu Dhabi

  The hotel is strategically situated opposite the thriving Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre, within walking distance of the upmarket Embassy District and only 15 minutes from the international airport.

  Occupying floors 18 to 33 of the Capital Gate building, the Hyatt Capital Gate Abu Dhabi offers 189 luxury guestrooms and suites featuring floor-to-ceiling glass windows that offer sweeping, bird’s eye views of the Arabian Gulf and the city.

  “Hyatt Capital Gate Abu Dhabi is unique in its forward-thinking design and well-crafted hospitality approach,” said Peter Fulton, Managing Director, Hyatt International, South West Asia.  “The hotel was designed to cater to the individual traveller seeking indigenous experiences and the property offers many thoughtful features that executive travellers value today.”

  Owned and developed by ADNEC, the Capital Gate tower, has already earned a place in the Guinness Book of World Records for its 18 degree lean - more than four times that of the world-famous Leaning Tower of Pisa.

   The impressive architectural feats that define the Capital Gate building are combined with elegant interior design concepts to create a uniquely refined guest experience. While standing at the outer periphery of a guestroom, guests feel as though they are floating in mid-air, since they cannot see the ground directly below them. The inner atrium provides a view to the sky and draws natural light into the core of the building.

  Designed to be stylish, welcoming, and a calm retreat in the city, each guestroom is unique with its own configuration and size; giving guests the experience of staying in a “new” room each time they check-in to the hotel. Guestrooms have an open plan with seamless living, sleeping and bathing areas, which help to make the room feel spacious and welcoming. The rooms are designed with a careful selection of muted earth tones and natural textures. Rough, natural stone is contrasted with smooth Cappuccino marble from Turkey, while olive Zebrano wood millwork from Africa is combined with grass effect panels in a soft colour palette.  

Rest assured: the outdoor pool area
(© Gerry O'Leary)

  The guestrooms and suites offer features for business travellers, such as high-speed wired and wireless Internet, spacious work areas, easy-to-use clocks, and power outlets at desk level. Rain showers and separate oval bath tubs will make the hectic business day feel a million miles away, while guests who stay in the hotel’s suites can relax and take in the view from luxury infinity baths providing a private, spacious escape.

  The hotel’s signature restaurant, 18˚ (degrees), offers a taste of the Eastern Mediterranean, plus an eagle’s eye views of Abu Dhabi city and its coastline. Using locally sourced produce and simple, fresh flavours, the three show kitchens and interactive counters add to the theatrical “mise en scene” of the restaurant.

   The Lounge guests will find an eclectic spread of premium teas, coffees, fresh pastries and snacks.  On the ground floor, Profiterole caters to the adjacent exhibition centre and the executive office floors located within the Capital Gate building. Profiterole offers a unique à la carte menu that revolves around small baked pastries with sweet or savoury fillings.

  For something more intimate, the sleek, contemporary bar Privé serves premium beverages and gourmet tapas, ideal for the casual meeting or for unwinding after work with business associates.

  Within the hotel, four exclusive state-of-the-art Salons (boardrooms) are available to host private meetings, while Privé can be used as a breakout venue for refreshments or casual light lunches. Floor-to-ceiling windows offer natural daylight, while the latest technology and experienced associates ensure every event is a resounding success. In addition, the adjacent ADNEC offers 19 meeting rooms, two conference rooms, a large banquet hall and 785,000 square feet of interconnected exhibition space.

  Spas and fitness centres are not so much add-ons for luxury hotels these days, as core features which say much about the hotel itself. Rayana Spa, Abu Dhabi’s only “sky spa,” is perched on the 19th floor of the hotel and features unsurpassed views of the city. Rayana Rituals -- holistic treatments designed to instil power, beauty and energy – are offered by experienced therapists in suites filled with natural light.

   Rayana Spa is complemented by a fitness centre equipped with modern cardio and resistance machines, a sun terrace, an outdoor cantilevered swimming pool and a whirlpool.

  Luxury hotels are expanding fast in Abu Dhabi but the Hyatt Capital Gate promises to become a destination hotel for luxury travellers in Abu Dhabi – as well as being a proud member of that leaning tower club.

  Opening Rates & Reservations: Hyatt Capital Gate Abu Dhabi is now open and available for reservations. Rates start from AED 1,050 per night plus applicable tax and gratuities. Reservations may be made by visiting www.hyatt.com, calling +1 800 233 1234 or +971 2 596 1234, or contacting a Hyatt Worldwide Reservations Centre or travel specialist.