just to clarify

interesting >
http://twitter.com/Gallivanters/status/15319335876
http://www.quintessentiallypropertie.../show?id=87543
http://www.luxuryresortvillasthailand.com/
15BR from $1560 (some rooms available for $100?)
1500m2 on 3 acres, 2 hours from BKK
"recently voted one of Thailand�s top 10" = ?
incl half board, airport transfers, wireless internet
12 staff incl driver and 2 cars
also incl access to semi-private beach within thai naval officer's compound >
http://web.archive.org/web/200806222...ult.asp?page=5
document from 2008 mentions FS BKK discount >
http://www.luxuryresortvillasthailan...n_tamarind.pdf

new in ramatuelle
http://www.muse-hotels.com/
14 suites (7 with pool from �350)

under http://www.ytlhotels.com/
looks like they own/manage chedi phuket and will be renaming surin

as well as villa tassana, a 3BR with access to trisara from ~$1500

recent article on company http://findarticles.com/p/articles/m.../ai_n50379014/

Does anyone know much about the new GM at Raffles in Singapore? The last time I stayed there, I didn't have the opportunity to meet him but I did notice some new policies: no more Friday evening cocktail reception for guests in the upper lobby in the main building and swimming pool no longer 24/7 access. How sad!

ouch. presumably decision by new owner.. (qatar, also bought 40% stake in management company)

(GM jochem appointed nov 2008, hotel sold apr 2010)

or not, my bad - oct 29 2009 >

Thanks Kagehitokiri,interesting stuff. YTL have IMO a chequered history with hotels, Pangkor Laut being an example (The Estate at Pangkor aside).
I'm not sure about The Muse hotel Provence as it looks like one of those 'lots of style,no substance' hotels with 'cool' music piped at the pool. I hope I'm wrong though!

Pierre Jochem was GM of Imperial Delhi for several years. Before that he was GM at The Oberoi Mumbai.Tends to keep his distance.

ramifications for chiang mai properties >
http://business.asiaone.com/Business...18-222767.html

then again occupancy has dropped so low..


michelin starred restaurants @ LHW
http://www.lhw.com/download_s/314.pdf

Isadore Sharp will step down from Four Seasons next week - a true end of an era. Will Jim FitzGibbon retain the vision?

Indeed, an end of an era.

The two that come to mind for me:

Death of Princess Diana - Four Seasons Nevis

Death of Michael Jackson - St. Regis Singapore. Actually, we were in a car coming from the airport and the radio was playing Michael Jackson song after Michael Jackson song and I thought..."they really like Michael Jackson here."

I have for some reason always been at home when such things has happened, but I have been disappointed during winter olympics to see that several SE Asian hotels do not think that offering a channel where I can see the games are important.

I was at the Swisshotel in Beijing, back in the day when that was probably the most luxurious hotel in town. However the Peoples Press didn't report on Diana's death til a day or two later, so I was one of the last Westerners to find out. Diana eventually warranted a paragraph in the local paper as the "Peoples Princess". I had already booked a flight to London several days later, connecting via CPH on BA, which was fortunate as all flights into London were sold out for the funeral. And I had booked a room at the Savoy well in advance. So I guess I have two luxury hotels for that event.

On the night of 9/11 I also flew to London, this time staying at the Sheraton Belgravia, which was fairly luxurious. They kindly let me extend my stay in an upgraded suite for several days as flights back to the USA were of course cancelled.

I had a trip to NYC scheduled for the end of September 2001 -- exactly 2 weeks after 9/11. I still went to show my support for the city.

I was at the FS LAS watching the Opening Ceremonies of the Vancouver Olympics on NBC -- darned tape delay!!

Once I stayed in The Ritz in Bali (which is Bvlgari now and absolutely extremely expensive) and that was together with the nearby Intercontinental hotel one of the nicest hotels I�ve been so far. I also like the Intercontinental in Hong Kong and the recently opened Intercon in Hua Hin (Thailand). I can really recommend these hotels.