Luxury Hotels: Prices and Demand Soar

A recent New York Times article exposed two of the toughest challenges facing luxury travelers in the coming year: rising prices and rising demand.

There have been significant price increases for almost every popular destination around the world, most noticeably in the luxury hotel sector. Business travelers and leisure travelers are competing for the limited luxury rooms which now come at an even higher premium rate. Popular business and travel destinations such as India, China (extra increases due to the Olympics), London, Paris and New York City are all seeing prices rise in double digit percentages, somewhere between 15 and 40 percent.

These extreme numbers are mainly due to the supply not being able to meet the demand. Luxury travelers are exploring their world in greater frequency, and doing so in the most luxurious of conditions, which all too often leaves not enough 4- and 5-star hotels to go around. While the major hotel chains all seem to have multiple international projects planned in these new luxury hot-spots, the supply is already so far behind the demand that the luxury hotels currently in these cities are able to charge hugely inflated rates, and maintain very high occupancy levels.

Help, however, is on the way. Many of the planned luxury hotels around the world should be completed within the year. This is especially important in China, where the Olympics are rapidly approaching, and places such as New York City where luxury travelers are expanding past Manhattan to the outlying burroughs for hotel space. But until the extra supply can supplement the growing demand, luxury business travelers and leisure travelers alike will continue to compete for the best hotels at premium prices. But you can’t put a price on happiness, especially when finding it thousands of miles away from home, right?

Source : http://www.perfectescapes.com/

THE FAIRMONT TURNBERRY ISLE RESORT & CLUB

A soothing retreat atmosphere draws guests from all over the world to The Fairmont Turnberry Isle Resort & Club, situated in the heart of South Florida. Secluded on 300 tropical acres is a stunning Mediterranean-style hotel with 392 newly renovated ultra-luxurious oversized rooms and suites featuring spectacular views, upscale amenities and personalized service from our international staff.

The Fabulous Final Touches Are Complete!

We’re excited to announce that we recently put the finishing touches on our amazing $100 million resort transformation. Now, as a guest, you’ll experience South Florida’s premier luxury resort like never before. Here’s what’s waiting for you!

* Extraordinary new renovated guest rooms and suites that offer a rare blend of classic Mediterranean elegance with a sophisticated, modern flair.

* Two brand-new golf courses and driving range are now open for play. Completely redesigned by World Golf Hall of Fame recipient Raymond Floyd, these striking 36 holes exemplify the best of Florida golf, featuring lush, tropical grounds accentuated with a variety of elevation changes, contoured fairways and sharp changes within holes. Brilliant hues of colorful flora and trees indigenous to Florida's tropical climate create an oasis-like feel throughout the courses with more than $100,000 in landscaping spent on each hole of play. A spectacular 64-foot waterfall, one of several waterfalls throughout both courses, greets guests at the finishing hole on the Soffer course’s Island Green. It’s already being heralded as a new landmark in South Florida golf. These brand new courses are hosts to the 2007 ADT Golf Skills Challenge airing on NBC December 29-30 and the 2008 Stanford International Pro Am, an official LPGA tour event, on April 24-27.

* A new Golf Pro Shop featuring the finest in apparel and equipment and newly redesigned men's and ladies’ locker rooms.

* A newly renovated Willow Stream Spa with an exciting and varied menu featuring the finest in techno-Gym equipment, a Pilates Studio and a variety of fitness classes.

* BOURBON Steak, a Michael Mina restaurant, is now accepting reservations. The legendary restaurateur and winner of two distinct James Beard awards brings his contemporary American steakhouse to South Florida for the first time.

* A refurbished conference center featuring 40,000 square feet of flexible indoor and outdoor meeting and function space featuring an expanded Magnolia Courtyard, overlooking the golf course and spectacular waterfall.

* A remodeled resort pool.

* A redesigned resort entrance featuring a spectacular koi pond.

* Cascata Grille Restaurant & Bar features authentically local cuisine and Southeast regional fare under the direction of Executive Chef Hubert Des Marais, named one of America's Ten Best New Chefs by Food & Wine Magazine.

This resort is conveniently located between the two major international airports and seaports of Miami and Fort Lauderdale. It also features elite shopping venues, exciting nightlife and a multitude of both cultural and sporting events.

The Fairmont Turnberry Isle Resort & Club is a member of 'Leading Hotels of the World'.

Source : http://www.fairmont.com/turnberryisle/

Niceville to get third chain hotel

NICEVILLE — Construction of a new hotel on John Sims Parkway is entering its final phases.

Niceville building official Don Baccadutre said the three-story building will be a Comfort Inn and Suites, and feature 75 rooms, a pool and a lounge.

“It’s going to be pretty nice,” he said.

Wright and Associates, a Niceville business, is listed with the city as the owner. No one at the business would comment or give any information about the hotel until it is complete.

Baccadutre could not say when it will be finished, but said most of the wiring and mechanical work is finished and workers are putting up Sheetrock.

The hotel is being built on the site of a former auto and tire store just east of Hardee’s.

The new establishment will be the third major chain hotel in Niceville. It joins a Holiday Inn Express and a Comfort Inn.

The Comfort Inn and the Comfort Inn and Suites are in the same chain.
Calls to Comfort Inn’s general manager were not returned Friday.

Baccadutre said the owners obviously felt there is a need for the new hotel, possibly because of predicted growth at Eglin Air Force Base.

“I was kind of surprised that this came in at this time when everything seems to be down,” he said.

Source : http://www.nwfdailynews.com/

Hotel Victor

LAST FEBRUARY, PARIS DESIGNER JACQUES GARCIA remodeled the 68-year-old Hotel Victor, in the heart of South Beach's Art Deco District, to the tune of $60 million, a remake that produced a luxurious assault on the senses: purple and green nouveau-retro furnishings, a custom soundtrack of acoustic "vibe" music, whiffs of Bimbi or Festa (the hotel's "signature scents"), and a six-foot-wide moon jellyfish tank. With a covetable view of turquoise Atlantic waters, the infamous Versace mansion next door, and easy access to the hot nightlife, you'll feel like a VIP—minus the paparazzi.

ROOM & BOARD: Ninety-one rooms and suites are situated around an infinity pool overlooking South Beach's thumping main drag and the ocean beyond. Rooms are swanked out with top-shelf minibars and beds framed by elaborate silk-wrapped headboards. A hard run on the beach will prepare you for Vix, the hotel's restaurant, serving a mojito beef salad and salmon ceviche, marinated in yuzu, miso, and sake and served with caviar. Book the Moroccan lava-clay massage at the spa; afterwards, a body rinse and a scalp-and-foot massage will render you clean and cuddly in the confines of your own private steam room.

OUT THE BACK DOOR: Your stay includes a personal "vibe manager," who will arrange anything you want to do in Florida: salsa classes in Little Havana, surfing lessons on South Beach, afternoon outings by seaplane to the Florida Keys. Psst: Everglades and Biscayne national parks are easy day trips.

Source : http://away.com/tripideas/miami-florida-344762.html

Reviews Of Top Florida Hotels

Beaches, theme parks, glorious sunshine and sexily tanned bodies are the first things that come to mind when the state of Florida is mentioned. From the spring break escape of Fort Lauderdale to the mysterious southern swamps of the Everglades, there's never a dull moment in the "Sunshine State." Along with impressive attractions and near perfect weather, Florida is also home to cutting edge restaurants and spectacular hotels. When you're not braving a roller coaster at one of the numerous parks or sitting down to a scrumptious dinner, chances are you will be relaxing in your hotel room. Therefore, it certainly pays to read the reviews of top Florida hotels before you decide where you're going to stay in Florida.

Florida's Top Hotels and Their Reviews

Florida is separated into four regions which include North, Central and South Florida and the Panhandle. The Northern region of Florida is home to Jacksonville, Saint Augustine and Gainesville. The Central region has Orlando, Tampa and the majority of the state's theme parks. South Florida is where Fort Lauderdale, Key West and West Palm Beach can be found and the Panhandle is home to Tallahassee, Pensacola and Panama City.

Each of Florida's regions offer something different for the state's visitors to enjoy and they each are home to their own spectacular hotels. For example, in the city of Orlando, Florida, the Floridays Resort is 20 acres of uncompromised splendor. With 370 rooms featuring full two or three bedroom suites, it's the ideal accommodations for vacationing family. The rooms start around $166 per night and you're only minutes away from many of the famous theme parks like Walt Disney World and others.

The Ponte Vedra Inn & Club in Jacksonville offers 250 oceanfront rooms, 36 holes of golf and 15 tennis courts. A veritable world-class resort in its own right, the Ponte Vedra Inn & Club will have you only a short drive away from the shopping of St. Augustine’s premium outlets and World Golf Village. The rooms start at $200 a night and the hotel includes seven delicious restaurants and four cocktail lounges. This is the golfer's dream vacation!

The Westin Resort is one of Key West's finest appointed hotels and the glorious beach is only yards away! There's nothing quite like enjoying a dinner on the veranda as the setting sun casts its golden glow across the bows of the ever-present sailboats at sea. Lushly decorated and impressively adorned, the Westin combines grace, class and elegance for an enchanting visit to Florida's southern tip. The Westin offers 178 rooms starting around $209 per night.

The Florida Panhandle offers some great accommodations at a tremendous value. The Edgewater Beach Resort in Panama City presents four-star quality in each of their 520 rooms and the price is perfect, starting around $88 per night. The Edgewater sits serenely on 110 acres of beachside property and each of their luxurious rooms have a full-sized kitchen and numerous amenities.

Source : http://travel.aol.com/