Get ready, hotel fans. Orient-Express is heating things up this summer in South America with the June 15 opening of the Palacio Nazarenas– the brand’s most ambitious project to date. As we reported last year, “The inauguration of Orient-Express’ sixth property in Peru will be the culmination of a three-year restoration project carried out under [...]

FOOD & WINE Magazine and the St. Regis Aspen Resort are teaming up to create Chefs Club, a new restaurant concept debuting alongside the 30th annual FOOD & WINE Classic in June. Some of FOOD & WINE’s signature “Best New Chefs,” including George Mendes (2011), James Lewis (2011), Alex Seidel (2010), and Sue Zemanick (2008) [...]

Big news from Maui, where we hear the Grand Wailea, part of Hilton‘s Waldorf-Astoria brand, is undergoing a $250 million project to renovate and expand the resort.   According to the Maui News, the hotel’s existing Molokini Wing will get a two- and four-story extension (with the four-story expansion from the 150-foot to the 300-foot [...]

The Viceroy Hotel Group is on a roll—with new hotel openings in the works including a property in Istanbul and Bodrum, Turkey. The latest addition to the portfolio is the “uber-luxe” Viceroy Maldives, which opened on April 2 on the private island of Vagaru in Shaviyani Atoll, less than an hour’s flight from the capital [...]

The lobby of the new Hilton Bogota. Some popular hotel chains are gearing up for a major international expansion this year.   Renaissance, a Marriott brand, will open nine new properties this year in key international destinations. They will include: Abu Dhabi, Barcelona, Shanghai, Rome, Warsaw, Amsterdam, Huizhou, Shenzhen and Istanbul.   A couple of [...]

Ritz-Carlton is on track to opening an exclusive oceanfront resort in Aruba by October 2013. The 320-room resort will sit on Aruba’s Palm Beach, and will be the seventh property of the brand to open in the Caribbean.   Amenities will include several restaurants, a spa, two swimming pools and a 24-hour casino. The Ritz-Carlton [...]

The Gaylord Palms Resort in Kissimmee, Fla., near Orlando is finishing up a $50 million renovation.   The Gaylord Palms Resort in Kissimmee, Fla., is in the final stages of a $50 million renovation that includes revamped guest rooms, a new sports bar and a water park that’s grand enough to rival those at neighboring [...]

    Adare Manor is one of western Ireland’s most exclusive, Five Star Gothic castles resorts and also one of the Emerald Isle’s most enchanting holiday destinations. Adjacent to the castle at Adare Manor, just beyond the entrance gates, is charming Adare Village, with thatched roof houses and specialty shops, quaint streetscapes, 19th century churches [...]

  Hotel rates in key European cities are rising in part due to an increase in Chinese visitors, Starwood Property Trust CEO Barry Sternlicht recently told Wall Street analysts.   His comments – made during the company’s fourth-quarter earnings call on Feb. 29 – are only the latest sign that China’s emerging middle class is [...]

For the past five years, The Ritz-Carlton Amelia Island has undergone a $65 million renovation project that added a spa, more ballroom space, a sports bar, and new kids programs. The building’s exterior also got a makeover, and dining venues were updated. To cap off the investment, the resort recently put the finishing touches on [...]