Tour-Smart Limited

This event will bring together hotel owners, hotel management companies and many other interested parties in the hotel and hospitality industry. This year’s event is scheduled to kick-off on May 21, 2012 with a tour of some local boutique *hotels and conclude on May 22, 2012 with a speech on the way boutique hotels will look in the future. In between, there will be a full schedule of interesting and informative speeches and roundtable discussions.

          
                         *The Gore Hotel                The Pelham Hotel                         

London is a perfect place to host this type of event. Along with New York, London is one of the original cities where the boutique hotel first came into prominence. These hotels, sometimes referred to as design hotels or lifestyle hotels, started appearing in major cities in the UK and United States in the 1980s. They are unique properties that tend to have more architectural interest and designer décor than chain hotels. Almost every boutique hotel pays special attention to service. Some feature elaborate bars or top-notched restaurants and also include extras such as spas, technologically advanced rooms and perhaps art or cooking classes. A stay in a boutique hotel should be a memorable part of any trip or vacation experience.

Today, boutique hotels have spread to major cities across the world and also infiltrated the tropical resort segment of the hotel industry. Besides New York and London, boutique hotels are showing up in Spain and all across Europe. They are quite popular in Asia in places like Bangkok, Singapore and Hong Kong. Resort Islands from Phuket and the Maldives to Bermuda and the Cayman Islands are also seeing the growth of boutique hotels.

The 2012 Boutique Hotel Summit will have Gordon Campbell Gray, Chairman of Campbell Gray Hotels as its Keynote Speaker. Campbell, who believes that the success of any boutique hotel ultimately rests on service, will share his thoughts on a number of different aspects within the boutique hotel space.

Other topics of discussion will include mobile technology, the importance of hiring a “name chef”, the choice between operating an exclusive versus and inclusive boutique hotel and the entrance of larger players and well known branded hotels into the boutique segment of the hotel and hospitality industry.

Attendees will have an opportunity to meet and greet and exchange contact information during the “Speed Business Card Swap” on the first day of the Summit. Set in Altitude London, guests will enjoy the 2 day session along the Thames River and hopefully come away with some useful ideas and new contacts that revolve around this rapidly growing hotel segment.

For more information click on 2012 Boutique Hotel Summit in London


APRIL UPDATE

Preferred Hotels & Resorts Signs Variety Cruises’ Mega Yacht Variety Voyager To Join Their Iconic Luxury Collection


MY Variety Voyager

NEW YORK (April 3, 2012) – The ink is still fresh on a contract signed between luxury purveyors Preferred Hotels & Resorts and Variety Cruises’ mega yacht, Variety Voyager. This exquisite ship is now a member of Preferred Boutique (small properties) and the first sea-going vessel to become a member.

“This partnership is a reflection of everything we represent here at Variety Cruises,” says Yiannis Vontas, Variety Cruises Senior Partner and Executive Vice President of Development & Marketing. “Preferred Hotels & Resorts shares a passion for travel with their guests, looking for the individualized experience, sophisticated style and superb service. We also celebrate the experiential, luxury vacation, and we’re very proud to have been chosen as their very first nautical ‘property’.”

Lounge Area

The new build 68m/223ft state-of-the-art Variety Voyager Mega Yacht accommodates just 72 passengers in 36 cabins. Built under the latest International “Safety of Life At Sea” (SOLAS 2010) regulations and classified by the American Bureau of Shipping (A.B.S.), the Variety Voyager guarantees guests safety with incomparable comfort and elegance.

Dining Area

The Variety Voyager seduces her passengers with her sleek lines and ample deck space, very much what one expects from a millionaire’s super yacht. Inside, cabins and public areas are finished with warm fabrics, rich marbles, axminster carpeting and soft tones wood panelling. Everywhere, unobstructed views of the ocean and of the ports visited. And above all, the professional service of a crew of 28, always with a smile and a true desire to satisfy.
For more information, please visit www.varietycruises.com.

About Variety Cruises:
With its signature style of small-ship cruising, Variety Cruises continues to be the premier line for life-enriching journeys created especially for inquisitive travelers. The family-owned Variety Cruises is one of today's largest boutique yacht cruise lines in the world with a fleet of 11 fully owned vessels including mega yachts, sail cruisers and private luxury yachts. The company has announced new 2012 itineraries in the Middle East, West Africa, Mediterranean, The Adriatic, as well two new ships; the new build Variety Voyager Mega Yacht and the refurbished two-masted sail cruiser, Panorama II. All Variety Cruises’ ship host a select number of passengers ranging from 12 to 75, providing the intimacy of a private ship that can dock into smaller ports of call in cosmopolitan locales.

About Preferred Hotel Group™:
With a global reach of more than 850 best-in-class hotels and resorts in 70 countries, Preferred Hotel Group™ represents six distinctive brands: Preferred Hotels® & Resorts, Preferred Boutique™, Summit Hotels & Resorts™, Sterling Hotels™, Sterling Design and Preferred Residences™, a membership-based exchange program for luxury shared ownership resorts. Preferred Hotel Group also offers I Prefer™, a complimentary global guest benefit program that provides members with exclusive offers and rewards, as well as Preferred Golf™, a membership-based program that grants access to 100 of the world’s most renowned golf resorts. For more information, visit us on the web at www.PreferredHotelGroup.com,

THE MORE YOU STAY THE LESS YOU PAY AT FOUR PILLARS HOTELS IN JANUARY

Dinner, Bed & Breakfast from just £31.20 per night, Plus Kids Stay & Eat Free 

Four Pillars Hotels has prices to warm your heart this winter, with some great value short winter breaks and half term escapes from just £31.20 per person, per night (and children stay & eat for free!*).

For the first two weeks of January, guests save more money the longer they stay with up to 20% off mid-week breaks of 3 nights or more, bringing prices down to just £31.20 per person, per night for dinner, bed and breakfast! Plus, during February Half Term, prices start from just £39 per person, per night (including dinner, bed and breakfast) and kids under 12 stay and eat for free!*

With hotels in Oxfordshire, Gloucestershire and the Cotswolds, Four Pillars' hotels are perfectly positioned for the perfect winter break. So it’s easy to enjoy an affordable break to some of the most beautiful parts of England, with breaks from as little as £62.40 per night, for a family of four (including dinner, bed and breakfast)*.

For full details and conditions for the Four Pillars Winter Offers, or to book, visit: www.four-winter.co.uk or call 0800 374 692.


DECEMBER UPDATE



UNITED KINGDOM

It may seem a little unusual to feature a Yorkshire Bed & Breakfast guest house in our World-wide Hotel news BUT when you discover a little gem you just have to tell everyone about it.
 

Front view of Carlton House
 

Carlton House is situated on the main Keighley Road, just a few minutes walk from the bustling historical market town of Skipton and all amenities. The town is noted for its medieval castle which is one of the most complete and extensively well preserved castles in England. Large department stores and tiny craft shops thrive happily amongst an open air market which operates on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday.
 

The canal at Skipton
 

Other possible activities include hiring a luxury narrow boat, an organised cruise along the waterway or just watching the world go by along the marina, eating fish and chips from the famous Bizzy Lizzy's. Skipton is known as the gateway to the Dales and boasts easy access to many other Dales attractions including:

• Bolton Abbey
• Haworth (Bronte Country)
• Ingleton - the finest waterfall walks in England
• White Scar Caves
• Malham Tarn
• Embsay Steam Railway
• Many more places of outstanding beauty and interest

Carlton House is an elegant Victorian town house that has been tastefully furnished and coordinated for your comfort and pleasure. It is centrally heated throughout.
 

Breakfast Room
 

All rooms have tea and coffee making facilities, remote controlled colour televisions, easy chairs and a vanity area. Room service, towels and Welcome trays are replenished daily. Hairdryer and alarm clock available on request.
Carlton House holds a full Fire Certificate and a Royal Institute of Public Health and Hygiene Certificate.
 

One of the double bedrooms
 

Tariff

They have two en-suite double rooms, one ensuite twin room and one double with private bathroom

Double Occupancy Room - from £25 per person per night

Single Occupancy - in double room - from £35 per night

Single Room - £25 per night
(only if booked alongside the double room with private bathroom)
 

They are open all year round and are ready to welcome you to their Yorkshire 'home from home'. Please note that smoking is NOT allowed in the house.

For more information and to make a booking contact the owners Ann & David Harding at:

46 Keighley Road, Skipton, Yorkshire BD23 2NB, U.K.
Tel & Fax: (+44) (0)1756 700921 
E-mail: carltonhouse@rapidial.co.uk
 
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INDIA