SIX DESIGN HOTELS™ MEMBERS ON THE SHORTLIST OF WALLPAPER* AND FORTUNE MAGAZINE'S BEST BUSINESS HOTELS 2010

Wallpaper* teamed up with Fortune Magazine to celebrate the best new business hotels. Six members of Design Hotels™ are shortlisted: Boca Chica in Acapulco, Crosby Street Hotel in New York City, Louis Hotel in Munich, Palazzina Grassi in Venice, Mamilla Hotel in Jerusalem, and The PuLi Hotel & Spa in Shanghai. Congratulations to the nominees and fingers crossed for your wins in December!

USEFUL LINKS:


• WALLPAPER* SHORTLIST

WELCOME TO OUR NEW MEMBERS: ASIA IS CALLING!

Please join us in extending a warm welcome to our newest members Alila Luang Prabang, Alila Bangalore Hotel & Residence, Raas, and The Mira Hong Kong! All four properties are uniquely located and offer everything from calm serenity to a business traveller’s dream come true.



Alila Luang Prabang (23 rooms, opening fall 2010): Alila Luang Prabang is a luxurious oasis situated in a scenic river valley that was once the royal capital of Laos. It offers a spectrum of authentic cultural experiences: spiritual stimulation and holistic renewal within a historically vibrant and architecturally elegant retreat.

Alila Luang Prabang


Alila Bangalore Hotel & Residence (122 rooms, opening winter 2010): With its tranquil suburban location, the Alila Bangalore Hotel & Residence is a luxurious business and lifestyle resort. It brings together sophisticated spaces for work and pleasure, infusing contemporary design with traditional Indian décor.

Alila Bangalore Hotel & Residence


Raas (39 rooms): The hotel interweaves the trappings of nobility with a localized, earthy luxury in a setting that offers repose from Jodhpur’s hustle and bustle.
Raas

The Mira Hong Kong (492 rooms): The award-winning Mira Hong Kong blends experimental, pared-down design with modern technology and the best in Asian hospitality. By adopting this original, holistic approach, its designers have created a space where you can be seen, re-energize and unwind in the heart of downtown Hong Kong.
The Mira Hong Kong

SENSING SUCCESS: TAPPING THE SENSES TO SELL LUXURY TRAVEL

By Karen W. Escalera
www.ehotelier.com

Our lagging recovery from recession appears endless as this roller-coaster business year slows to an uncertain finale around the globe. Where is the luxury travel sector bound? Headlines such as "World's Rich Are Hoarding $10 Trillion in Cash" (Wall Street Journal, 7/13/10) imply a cloudy view of tomorrow. This we see clearly: Motivating the affluent to spend amid so many question marks will require uncommonly sharp strategies.

Impulse buying of extravagant commodities is out. Softer selling is now in. We're seeing the use of more sophisticated, layered approaches. The best, strategic approaches combine sound reasoning with emotional lures to motivate indulging in "guilty" pleasures.

OTA MERCHANT MODEL CONTINUES TO DRAIN HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY

By Max Starkov
www.hotelmarketing.com

Revenue “leaked” from the hotel industry to the OTAs in the form of abnormally high merchant commissions of 25% and higher will reach $5.4 billion in 2010, according to Hospitality eBusiness Strategies. Yet hoteliers do not have many options when considering non-OTA distribution channels.