The 85 room hotel, conveniently situated adjacent to Chester’s popular ‘Roodee’ racecourse offers a stylish and contemporary base for visitors to explore the city’s unique mix of Roman ruins, Gothic grandeur of Chester Cathedral as well as fabulous boutiques nested amongst The Rows, the historic two-tier shopping galleries. Located in the centre of the city, ABode Chester also makes an ideal location for trips venturing into the Welsh countryside or nearby cities, Liverpool and Manchester.

ABode Chester is the sixth venue from the ABode stable which provides customers with a choice of accommodation suites from Comfortable through to Fabulous and dining options from Tavern through to Restaurant with price points to suit every budget. Featuring bespoke art collections created by celebrity photographer, Brian Aris, the venue captures modern style with an eclectic mixture of art pieces to make each room unique.

The multimillion pound hotel development is located in Chester’s new HQ complex overlooking the River Dee and now offers visitors to Chester a first class eating and drinking establishment in the heart of the city. Featuring floor to ceiling windows, the fifth floor Michael Caines Champagne Bar and Restaurant at ABode Chester captures breath taking views from the city as far as the Welsh Hills. The 76 seat restaurant offers private dining facilities as well as the opportunity to dine an al fresco on the outside terrace. With a commitment to sourcing local produce guests can choose from à la carte, tasting and ‘grazing’ menus to sample Michael’s award winning British cuisine.

The hotel is ABode’s first new build yet fuses the unique heritage of the Chester site within a modern setting with original Roman remains dating back to 79AD which were discovered on site being showcased at the entrance to HQ. Three sixth floor Fabulous suites are spaciously fitted to offer exceptional comfort with state of the art hand-built beds and oversized baths along with private balconies to give views of the racecourse, piazza and Chester city.

Chef Michael Caines says, “We are delighted to open ABode’s doors to Chester. The city has something for everyone in terms of historical and cultural interest as well as a thriving business community. We hope that ABode’s offering of contemporary accommodation and fine food venues will give visitors luxury that every budget can afford without compromise on quality.”

About ABode

ABode hotels are located in Exeter, Canterbury, Glasgow, Manchester and Chester; a baby ABode is situated in Chelsea, London. Each destination offers guests contemporary accommodation with rooms, suites and dining facilities to suit all budgets.

The ABode hotel group is the result of a collaboration between Michael Caines MBE, one of Britain’s most acclaimed chefs and Andrew Brownsword, owner of The Bath Priory, Sydney House, Chelsea and Gidleigh Park.

About ABode Chester

ABode Chester room rates start at £99 per night. The hotel offers 30 Comfortable, 44 Desirable, 8 Enviable and three fabulous class rooms. In addition to a fifth floor Michael Caines Champagne Bar and Restaurant, the MC Café Bar and Grill offers informal dining and the ABarMC offers a late night lounge.

Abode Chester Hotel, Chester

The Hotel ABode Chester features 85 Comfortable, Desirable, Enviable and Fabulous bedrooms. All bedrooms are fitted to ABode’s high standards and boast magnificent views of Chester and the Welsh hills. The jewel in the crown are the three Fabulous suites, spaciously fitted and designed to the highest levels of comfort and luxury, located on the 6th floor, each with private balcony and views over the city, race course or internal piazza. On the 5th floor of the ABode Chester guests will find the stunning Michael Caines Restaurant together with a Champagne Bar and an outside terrace. The Restaurant serves Michael’s award-winning modern British cuisine using the best local and regional produce. In addition to the à la carte and tasting menus, the Restaurant features the acclaimed Michael Caines dining concept of “grazing menus”, whereby smaller portions of dishes from the à la carte menu can be enjoyed in either the Restaurant or more informally in the Champagne Bar. Private dining will also be available, and the entire 5th floor can be booked for exclusive use for upwards of 240 guests. Located on the ground floor, the MC Café Bar & Grill of the ABode Chester offers informal and delicious food and drink throughout the day and evening, from coffee and homebaked pastries, to full à la carte dining. In the evenings, the BarMC becomes a late night lounge bar.

Boutique Hotels

The sci-fi special: Klapsons

The newest kid on Singapore’s designer boutique hotel scene, fresh from its opening in October 2009, Klapsons is quite out-of-this-world with its contemporary design and layout. Originally a commercial space at Tower 15 in downtown Hoe Chiang Road, interior designer firm Sawaya & Moroni “wanted to set a new standard in hotels in terms of design and functionality.” The result is 17 rooms and suites that are all unique, with individual layouts and custom fittings. The lobby is quite the heart-stopper too, with its massive steel sphere structure and furniture pieces such as the ‘Maxima’ armchair, ‘Leggy Peggy’ chair and the signature Klapsons coffee tables.

The conversation piece: The handcrafted five-meter sphere that’s decked out in stainless steel and serves as the reception and check-in point. It’s apparently a breakthrough in civil engineering, which we don’t doubt — it looks like some space-age prop from a sci-fi movie, floating in the middle of the lobby.

15 Hoe Chiang Road, Singapore. tel +65 6521 9030
www.klapsons.com

The cosy comforter: Naumi

More than one of our executives said to us that they wished their own places were just like the Naumi, which is high praise from frequent business travellers. Naumi’s location is great — smack next to Raffles Hotel and steps away from Raffles City and the City Hall MRT station — but its draw is its almost-hideaway feel. The hotel was refurbished from the mid-range Metropole Hotel and what a change it was. The Naumi hotel now sports a very intimate yet ultra-luxe feel, with soft lighting, designer Italian furnishings and your own Naumi aide (think caretaker/concierge/butler) to make your day. But it’s not all touristy either, as the hotel was designed specifically for business types with a full-scale Cisco communications system and in-room Nespresso machines.

The conversation piece: The rooftop pool, complete with cabana recliners and cocoon couches. It’s tiny so you don’t really get a workout doing laps, but the view, oh the view…

41 Seah Street, Singapore, tel +65 6403 6000
www.naumihotel.com

The sultry seductress: The Scarlet

The Scarlet hotel is like a Hollywood set from Moulin Rouge, only you get to sleep in this Chinatown fave. Every inch of the Scarlet — from the floors to the walls to the rooms and the corridors — is clad in flamboyant décor like glittery chandeliers, plump satin cushions, and chairs, while the chic attendants wear scarlet and black horseman coats. The rooms verge on theatrical with S$30,000 beds and gold-plated taps you can see your reflection in. The 80-room hotel prides itself as being Singapore’s ‘first luxury boutique hotel,’ and it’s located in the chic Ann Siang/Maxwell area while bordering on Chinatown — making it quite convenient for both tourists and business execs.

The conversation piece: The dimly lit Bold Bar, with its brazen mix of jet black, matt gold, cardinal reds, Porto Oro Black marble and gray mirror-clad ceilings.

33 Erskine Road, Singapore, tel +65 6511 3333
www.thescarlethotel.com

The mid-century masterpiece: The New Majestic

Lawyer-turned-hotelier, Loh Lik Peng, has what we’d call damn-near-perfect taste when it comes to the interiors of his super modern New Majestic Hotel in Singapore’s Chinatown. Not only is the hotel impeccably put together with its clean lines, sexy whites, and chic furniture scattered throughout, but each of the 30 rooms are custom-designed to give  unparalleled personality to seemingly every single detail. The name alludes to the building itself, which was built in 1928. You can still see hints of the former dwellings from the exposed concrete ceiling.

The conversation piece: Five of the rooms have been designed by Singapore’s top creatives, but the one we like the most is Lee Mei Ling’s concept which features fantasy landscapes.

Hotel Villa d’Estrees

« One day in February 1596, King Henry IV, passing by in a horse-drawn carriage in front of our house, said to his companion, recalling his recent love meeting with Gabrielle d’Estrees: Here lies my heart »… That’s how Yann Chevance, general manager of the hotel La Villa d’Estrées, greets visitors in search of history and romance. Charming hotel with only ten rooms and suites, the Villa d’Estéees hides behind the Place Saint-Michel, between calm and activity. On entering the hotel, you will have the sensation of being in the house of your great uncle, bargain hunters and art lovers.

Empire, Napoleon III style, the hotel, decorated by Yann Descamps, look like a cozy apartment, where the velvet is as ever-present on the striped green and red lobby chairs. Furniture hunted in flea markets or antique shops are a reflection of the owner who joined the designer to create the hotel. Today, his two children, Laetitia and Yann who manage it.

They tell us the tiles of the bathrooms is from Morocco, or that one has the possibility to have breakfast in bed, prepared by the famous Café Latin located just opposite the hotel, which  also belongs to the family. The five double rooms and five suites are spacious, a true luxury considering the area. Each room is declined in different colors: brown, blue, red, green or purple anise. They are decorated with Japanese prints, photographs and paintings. A unique hotel of its kind, where time is suspended as soon as you enter it.

Rates: from 295€ the double room to 325€ the suite.

Hôtel Villa d’Estrées
17, rue Gît le Cœur
75006 Paris
France
T. : +(33).01.55.42.71.11
F. : +(33).01.55.42.71.00
resa@villadestrees.com

For more information, please visit the following website: http://news-e.hoosta.com

Stoke Place

Destined to receive many compliments of the season will be Dhillon Group’s portfolio of extraordinary properties. Suffused with period charm but with a modern twist, offering fabulous fare produced using locally sourced ingredients and boasting exemplary service, Stoke Place, The Crown Inn and The Olde Bell offer the ideal setting for any Yuletide celebration, whether it’s a festive party, Christmas Day lunch or a New Year’s Eve extravaganza.

For anyone desiring seasonal style without pretension and luxury without fuss, Stoke Place more than fits the bill. Located in Stoke Poges, Buckinghamshire, this stunningly restored 17^th century mansion is set within 26 acres of landscaped gardens designed by the legendary Capability Brown. The archetypal rural house, its considerable charms belie its location, which is only 30 minutes from the centre of London.

A visit might begin with a glass of punch or chilled Champagne served in the elegant Drawing Room, once the formal lounge of Stoke Place. Guests could then have the option of heading off to the Vyse Room, with its relaxed, stripped-back décor, for a seasonal menu featuring the best in contemporary British food.

For a more private celebration, there are seven individually designed rooms, which can seat from 14 to 200. Or for a festive event without equal, the entire house and its 29 bedrooms are available to hire.

Christmas Day lunch is a real highlight, while Stoke Place is also the perfect place in which to see in the New Year, complete with Champagne reception, five course meal and dancing.

Meanwhile The Olde Bell in Hurley provides a wonderful backdrop for an authentically traditional festive celebration. Parts of the building date back to 1135, and the open log fires and timber beams are the epitome of a quintessential English Christmas.

Overseen by the most welcoming of innkeepers, The Olde Bell functions almost like a village in itself, with the main building for individuals or smaller parties staying overnight, dinner guests and locals and the auxiliary buildings for larger gatherings.

This flexible arrangement makes the inn ideal for any type of Christmas celebration. Inside the main building the restaurant and bar are open throughout the period for lunch, dinner and drinks, while the beautifully appointed Norman Room is available for tables of up to 12. On the opposite side of the lane is an awe-inspiring 16^th century timber-framed Tithe Barn that can seat up to 120 people.

Meanwhile, the adjacent Malt House, a gorgeous Victorian building with hints of the arts and crafts style, has five individually designed reception rooms, 14 bedrooms (including 5 suites) and its own private garden, all of which can cater for between 10 and 40 guests.

No visit to the Malt House is complete without sampling the famous Roast Goose Menu. Served in the oak panelled dining room, this gourmet’s delight includes Ballontine of Foie Gras, Brandy Prune and Brioche Toast; Roast Goose with all the Trimmings; Waterloo Cheese and Home-made Oatcakes and Prune and Almond Tart with Crème Fraîche.

When it comes to foodies, the most discerning of palates will find favour with The Olde Bell’s festive menus. Lunch is served on both Christmas Day and Boxing Day, while a gastronomic feast on New Year’s Eve helps guests bid a fond farewell to 2009.

Those who cannot tear themselves away from the delights of The Olde Bell can stay in one of the inn’s lovely bedrooms, including the suites recently refurbished by the legendary Ilse Crawford of Soho House and Babington House fame.

The final festive port of call can be found in the historic market town of Old Amersham. Here you will find The Crown Inn with its Elizabethan half-timbered frontage and classic coach yard ringed by crooked buildings and bay windows. You can almost hear those chestnuts roasting on the open fire as the innkeeper welcomes friends, family and colleagues to soak up the atmosphere.

With its open beams and inglenook fireplace, The Back Room at The Crown is a wonderful space for gatherings of up to 40 people.

Whether it’s a company Christmas party or a traditional Christmas Day or Boxing Day lunch, the inn provides locally sourced food, served simply. Light bites are also a speciality, with favourites such as fruit cake served with Cashel Blue cheese impossible to resist.

Christmas Eve dinner, Christmas Day and Boxing Day lunches and a New Year’s Eve three course feast are also available.

For guests who wish to extend their stay, The Crown Inn has 37 rooms, including a number redesigned by Ilse Crawford. All the rooms vary in size but all provide the same creature comforts of decent mattresses, pure cotton sheets and Jakob’s wool blankets.

Stoke Place, Stoke Green, Stoke Poges, Bucks, SL2 4HT

The Olde Bell, High Street, Hurley, Berks, SL6 5LX

The Crown, 16 High Street, Amersham, Bucks, HP7 0DH

For information, menus and prices, please see:

www.coachinginn.co.uk and www.stokeplace.co.uk

For further information, please contact:

Caru @ Jori White PR on 020 7734 7001

caru@joriwhitepr.co.uk

(Hong Kong, 8 October, 2009) – Following the highly acclaimed opening of The Putman in 2007, luxury developer, National Properties Holdings Limited is this month unveiling Le Rivage. This newly-built boutique hotel apartment is National Properties’ second collaboration in Hong Kong with legendary French designer Andrée Putman.

“Our company is passionate about offering world-class architecture and design to Hong Kong,” said Loewe Lee, Managing Director of National Properties. “Le Rivage is a testament to our vision in providing this new concept to all the developments that we create.”

Le Rivage occupies a glamorous waterfront location in the Western District of Hong Kong with unobstructed Victoria Harbour views. Each of the 50 bespoke suites offer guests a relaxing oasis in the bustling metropolis with understated luxury and uncompromising comfort.

Le Rivage captures the essence of Andrée Putman’s signature style with a sense of warmth and comfort. The use of blues and whites pay homage to the breathtaking harbour views seen through the large picture windows, and each meticulously designed suite presents a timeless and elegant environment.

The generous 1,000 square foot apartments at Le Rivage each have a private lift lobby and entrance. In addition, two apartments on the third floor of the building have their own private terrace and garden area.

Inside the apartments is an open plan living space with high ceilings and a chic neutral décor. The suites come fitted with state-of-the-art gadgets and furnishings including a Toshiba 42” Full HD LCD television and DVD player and a Sony hi-fi system with iPod docking as well as a versatile kitchen, perfect for dining alone or for entertaining.

The expansive bathroom features a spacious rain shower, Italian Bisazza mosaic tiles, plush Frette towels and L’Occitane toiletries. Sumptuous Frette sheets and white goose down pillows and duvets cover each Simmons mattress.

Thoughtful design solutions are found throughout the suites, from a work desk with concealed drawers and compartments to storage cabinets underneath the bed.

Guests can enjoy complimentary wireless and fixed line broadband internet connections, local TV, Now TV and Cable TV channels. Services and amenities include a 24-hour concierge service, daily housekeeping service Mondays through Saturdays (excluding public holidays) with bed linens and towels changed twice weekly, and a dedicated guest laundry room. In addition, Le Rivage offers guests a fully equipped gym with Life Fitness machines and free weights, a business centre and a spacious rooftop sundeck with barbecue facilities that is available for private parties.

Le Rivage is conveniently located close to the Shun Tak Macau Ferry Terminal and minutes away from the Central business district, Airport Express and the city’s main nightlife centres of Soho and Lan Kwai Fong. A complimentary shuttle service will be offered between Le Rivage and International Finance Centre (IFC) in Central from 7:30 a.m. to 10 a.m. Monday to Friday (except public holidays).

Prices for the suites will start from HK$27,500 per month. Daily rates are available upon request.

Le Rivage

Address: 138 Connaught Road West, Hong Kong

Tel: (852) 3607 3333

Enquiry: (852) 3607 3388

Email: info@lerivage.hk

Website: www.lerivage.hk

Distributed on behalf of Le Rivage by Grebstad Hicks Communications.

For more information and interview opportunities, please contact:

Grebstad Hicks Communications

Catherine Yuen or Bonnie Sie

Tel: (852) 2810 0532

Email: catherine.yuen@ghcasia.com or bonnie.sie@ghcasia.com

Epoque Hotels Miami is going to move to a new office. They are now located at South Beach, but in about three weeks they will be situated in Wynwood Miami. This building will have a beautiful view of the bay and the office is about 2300 square feet.

Wynwood is famous for its art galleries, historical and centrally located neighborhood. It is a part of the Miami Design District. A diversity of skyscrapers, industrial chic lofts makes this district cultural and commercial. It is at the north of Downtown, with approximately 15,149 residents.

The Wynwood Arts District is going to a rapid cultural change; the art galleries, studios, workshops, rehearsal, performance and recording spaces have been changed into a really art district instead of the industrial district what it used to be. This district will be visited by thousands of locals and international guests during the Art Basel festivities.

Epoque Hotels Miami is proud to move to an area that also fits into the style of the hotels, which is trendy, avant-garde, and chic.

The new address will be: 350 NE 24th street, Miami FL  33137 (Biscayne Boulevard and 24th Street).

Epoque Hotels is a collection of over 350 avant-garde, trendy-chic and luxury-classic boutique hotels in over 100 destinations worldwide. Established in 2002 and headquartered in Miami, Florida the company also has sales offices in Italy, The United Kingdom, Spain and China. For reservations or more information visit Epoque Hotels or call (305) 538-9697 or (866) 376-7831.

Pixel Hotel in Linz, Austria, earned the competition’s $10,000 grand prize for deconstructing a traditional hotel model, creating guestrooms in six locations across the city’s urban core. The prize was awarded September 15, 2009, at Hospitality Design Boutique Exposition & Conference (HD Boutique) in Miami Beach as the top two juried projects faced a popular vote to determine the winner.

Get the full story at: Hospitality Design

Hotel G Beijing

Hotel G Beijing successfully launched in October 2008 has gained instant recognition within the luxury travel industry due to its funky boutique design and unique service approach.

“Not long ago, while traveling to China, travellers would choose International chain Hotels to ensure the quality of service and accommodation during their stay. Nowadays this custom is changing and guests are looking for an experience and more of a lifestyle when selecting hotels. This combined with the growing demand for personalized services, new Food & Beverage experiences and the development of new technologies has a direct impact on what Hotel G has to offer.” said the General Manager of Hotel G Beijing Mr. Alex Chakrabarti.

In terms of Food & Beverage, the new venue Scarlett Wine Bar & Restaurant boasts over 80 different labels of wines along with 20 different kinds of imported AOC cheeses, cold cuts, tapas and daily specials. After opening its doors to the public four months ago, Scarlett has gained the recognition from Beijing expats and the hip Chinese crowd whom have made the venue their meeting place.

The fitness centre is located on the 6^th floor featuring the latest Technogym equipment. Guests are not only able to use this state of the art equipment but can also be trained on-request by Olympic Games trainers, yoga instructors, and physic therapists.

Hotel G Beijing has also signed up with seven high profile designers to design their Greatest Room allowing the hotel to feature seven different rooms with a unique design approach. This category of rooms will be open to the public early 2010.

The 11^th floor rooftop will be converted into an in and out door lounge space. With two meeting rooms, a bar counter, cigar lounge and terrace, the venue will enable corporate guests to organize meetings and conventions. The space will also be hosting photography and painting exhibitions in order to promote Chinese modern art. The lounge design and modularity will also be a perfect spot to organize product launches and private events.

Hotel G Beijing

About Hotel G Beijing:

The newly opened Hotel G Beijing is a stylish and exciting new addition to Beijing boutique hotel scene.

With a striking entrance and façade which transforms into an explosion of colored lights by night (hotel guests can actually select their own window lighting), the 110-room hotel is located in Gong Ti Xi Lu close to a host of popular eateries and nightspots in the City’s lively Sanlitun district.

A conversion of an existing building, Hotel G Beijing has been designed by talented British architect/designer Mark Lintott (www.mld.tw) who is well known for his daring and innovative interior design projects, notably of leading entertainment venues, in his adopted home in Taiwan.

The 1960’s inspired rooms and suites feature a casual blend of understated glamour and low-key opulence and contemporary Chinese touches. Amenities include high-speed wireless internet, iPod docking station and plasma TV with multi-national channels.

Hotel Palomar Philadelphia

Programmed to open on October 2009, the Kimpton Palomar is going to be Kimpton’s first boutique hotel in Philadelphia. The project is an adaptive re-use of ‘The Architects Building,’ initially designed by an association of key Philadelphia architects in the late 1920’s. It has been used as an office building with ground floor retail and as home to the local chapter of the AIA since opening in 1930.

Situated close to Rittenhouse Square, Hotel Palomar will be achieved and will open its doors exactly 80 years after construction began on the original 1929 structure.

A pioneer in the hospitality industry for adaptive reuse of historic buildings, Kimpton called on Gensler to assist with the refurbishment of the unique 26-story Art Deco building. When completed, the 230-room Hotel Palomar will be Philadelphia’s first highly stylized, upscale boutique hotel, and fill a vacuum.

In 2007, Kimpton acquired the property with plans to renovate it into a four-star boutique hotel alike other well-known properties in their collection.

Hotel Palomar Philadelphia, Kimpton Hotels’ first hotel in Philadelphia, sets in motion a new and exciting level of artful sophistication and style in this most vibrant city.

Just a few short blocks to Philadelphia’s City Hall, Hotel Palomar Philadelphia’s stunning landmark of a building features 231 guest rooms, all of them as luxuriously comfortable as they are effortlessly unique.

Downtown Philadelphia

Ready access to the sights and sounds of downtown Philadelphia along with beautifully designed accommodations and unparalleled amenities expected of a Kimpton Hotel are what await our guests at this Philadelphia boutique hotel. The Boutique Hotel Palomar Philadelphia will be Kimpton’s 11th adaptive reuse development, and 10th Hotel Palomar to be opened or announced in the Kimpton portfolio of boutique hotels.