Hotels with an Edge: Burj Al Arab in Dubai

In today’s competitive world, everyone needs a way to stand out from the crowd. Luxury hotels certainly are no different and are always looking for ways to outshine their competitors and attract more visitors. We understand that our travelers look for the best of the best, and we would like to introduce you to our blog series, Hotels with an Edge. We’ll be highlighting and featuring a few hotels we feel truly stand out and offer their guests more than is expected. Be sure to check in with us to explore various hotels that deserve recognition for their supreme levels of luxury.

Today’s featured hotel is the Burj Al Arab located in Dubai. This luxury hotel has received a significant amount of recognition and has quickly become one of the most famous luxury hotels and one of the most photographed structures in the world. Its unique architectural design has caught the eyes of travelers, making it easily distinguished from all other hotel properties. It is designed to resemble a wafting sail; this all-suite luxury hotel soars 321 meters and dominates the Dubai skyline. It is illuminated at night by choreographed lighting representing water and fire, and it has a private beachfront, opportunities to embark on a desert safari, and some rooms offering phenomenal views of the Arabian Sea.

Explore this luxury hotel and make your reservations here! Be sure to keep up with our blog series for a little inspiration on where to stay next!

Art Gallery Opens at the Hotel Palomar San Diego

According to our friends at HotelChatter, the Hotel Palomar San Diego is the first Kimpton hotel to have a dedicated art gallery space! This luxury downtown hotel provides guests with the ultimate urban retreat within easy reach of San Diego’s phenomenal attractions. The Hotel Palomar San Diego is a luxurious and sophisticated boutique hotel surrounded by award-winning theatres, a lively nightlife, and within walking distance from the Gaslamp Quarter. This is certainly the hotel where Art in Motion is alive in every regard, and with the new Art Gallery addition, the Hotel Palomar San Diego is the place to be to experience art, culture, and luxury, all without needing to leave the hotel property! A small section of the lobby has been converted into Salazar Contemporary Art Exhibits which will feature art work of local artists. The art display will rotate roughly once a month and the profits will be donated to a children’s charity that supports the arts. Be sure to explore this incredible hotel and its newly opened art gallery on your next trip to the beautiful San Diego!

Marriott to Take Over Los Angeles in 2014

We at Five Star Alliance are all about the best and most luxurious hotels. We certainly keep up with the happenings in the luxury travel world and take pride in bringing our clients the latest luxury travel news. Keep up with our newest blog series where we’ll be featuring luxury hotels opening in 2012 to stay on top of the trends and make your reservations at the newest hotspots.

The Los Angeles area has over 50 luxury hotels, and it’s about to get a few more come summer of 2014. There will be a new Ritz Carlton property as well as a JW Marriott opening in this Hollywood town. The hotels will be located across from the Staples Center, Grammy Museum, and Nokia Theater. Both luxury hotels will certainly add a new and exciting touch to Los Angeles. If you’re like us and simply can’t wait until 2014 to experience a Ritz Carlton or JW Marriott hotel, then be sure to visit our website and explore the various Marriotts we have to offer in cities all over the world!

Photo of Ritz Carlton Philadelphia

Condé Nast Traveler Gold List 2012: The Wickaninnish Inn

We understand that no one aims to come in second place; there is no recognition for mediocrity. We at Five Star Alliance understand better than anyone the importance of offering the most luxurious resorts in the world, so we notice what’s going on in the industry, and it matters to us, because it matters to you. We work hard to offer you the best in the industry, and we’d like to welcome you to our second blog series where we feature the best and most luxurious resorts in the world. But don’t take our word for it. These resorts have been recognized as the best in the business and have made the prestigious Condé Nast Traveler Gold List 2012.

The Condé Nast Traveler Gold List 2012 is the eighth of their annual lists, and the hotels chosen by their team of editors and experts are the best for service, food, location, rooms, leisure facilities, ambiance and design.

The Wickaninnish Inn in Tofino, Canada is featured on the Gold List 2012: Best for leisure facilities. This luxury hotel is located on Vancouver Island’s beautiful west coast, on a rocky promontory, surrounded by ocean on three sides. Each of its 46 guest rooms and suites provide ocean and beach views, soaking tubs, fireplaces, and private balconies. This beautiful boutique hotel offers a mix of sandy beaches and old growth forests, providing its guests with almost too many things to do! Take advantage of the fishing, whale watching, golfing, hiking, scuba diving, shopping, and a whole lot more. This is a year-round resort where you can witness a beautiful snowfall, a hot summer day, and everything in between. Be sure to explore the photos and room options at the Wickaninnish Inn for a scenic and exciting escape from the norm.

Nothing Evil about the Villingili Resort and Spa Maldives

The Maldives are well-known for being one of the few places in the world you can find overwater bungalows, largely because the water is calm and pristine enough to support the fragile construction they require.  But in the land of floating villas, the Shangri-La Villingili Resort and Spa Maldives is looking to make a name for itself in another way.  Rather than send their villas out into the water, they've taken to the foliage, their tree house villas nestled in the beachfront palm fronds that every child learns to draw at the age of 5 as foreshadowing of their future desire to stay at a place like this.  

The resort plays home to all the features that the luxury traveler has come to expect.  Khazaanaaga, a divided, on-site restaurants give you options from the South China Sea, Arabian Gulf, and Indian Ocean, and Javvu gives you the more Western choice and cafe-style dining during the day.  CHI, the Spa at Shangri-La offers every treatment you could ever want while relaxing on a sandy beachfront and is inspired by traditional Chinese and Himalayan spiritual and physical wellness.  A children's adventure zone, two tennis courts, and an Eco centre that allows you to explore the local flora and fauna even after you've come back from any of 25 dive sites, including a British shipwreck.  The Shangri-La Villingili Resort and Spa is just about everything I'm looking for in a beachfront property. 

Take a Break and Head to the Breakers in Palm Beach

There are two things I love: One is a beautiful Renaissance-style Mediterranean hotel.  The other is the spaciousness of Florida beaches. Actually, I'm pretty sure there's more than that, but these two seemed the most appropriate for the moment because I'm about to tell you about The Breakers in Palm Beach, FL.  One thing about American hotels is that they have a style all of their own, and it's rare to see European sensibilities packed up and smuggled over international waters to find a home in good ole US of A.  However, the breakers is a lovely exception to that rule.  I'm not sure how they snuck it through customs, but The Breakers brings the Italian Renaissance to Palm Beach, and its 140 acres give that style the room to breathe that it has a little more trouble finding in its native Italy.

On the property, you can find 36 holes of championship golf, 10 tennis courts, a beach club, and an extensive children's club. All this has been registered as a National Historic Place, thanks to its 100+ year history in the hotel business.  Fine dining, four oceanfront pools, and a full-service spa are all just an arm's reach away.  Not only that, for the family-minded, the hotel can connect up to five rooms together, so you can be perfectly flexible finding the arrangement that works best for your party.  As if that weren't enough, take to the seas and the skies with organized water sports, hot-air ballooning, or an air boat tour.  It's almost too much take in in just one trip.  So maybe you'll have to stay at The Breakers in Palm Beach twice.

Romantic Getaway Ideas: Le Meridien Tahiti

Whether you’re planning a wedding, honeymoon, or simply a lovely weekend with your loved one, we certainly have a few romantic getaway ideas for you to consider. With over 3,000 luxury hotels on our site, we have something for everyone. So whether you’re searching for an all-inclusive resort, an exciting hotel with outdoor activities, or a snowy paradise, we have you covered. Check in with our blog series for ideas and inspiration on where to ignite your passion next!

Today’s feature is Le Meridien Tahiti. This beautiful luxury resort is located in proximity to many of Tahiti’s local attractions, with excursions available to the Caves of Maraa, Gauguin Museum, and the Seashell Museum. This is the perfect hotel if you’re looking for the best of both worlds: beautiful beaches to lounge on and opportunities to horseback ride, partake in waterfall and canyon adventures, and take trips on the lagoon. Le Meridien Tahiti has 138 lagoon view bedrooms and suites as well as 12 overwater bungalows designed with an emphasis on natural materials and fresh colors. Some of the bungalows feature a private panoramic view balcony, perfect for a more secluded romantic adventure. Take a dip in the hotel’s beautiful swimming pool (the largest pool in the South Pacific), enjoy in room-massages, sip exotic cocktails, and enjoy the beauty and wonder of this miraculous location at Le Meridien Tahiti.

Check in with us often to explore other luxury hotel recommendations perfect for a romantic escape!

Service with a Paddle: The Banyan Tree Kerala

As our friends at Luxury Travel Advisor report, something big is afoot at the upcoming Banyan Tree Kerala.  Set to open on the 1st of December this year, the hotel is redefining what to expect of a secluded resort.  In a scene that I imagine belonging more in the Lord of the Rings than anywhere in real life, arrival to the Banyan Tree Kerala will be heralded by your approach. An approach in a boat, sailed through the tranquil waters and right into the hotel lobby, thus giving them the best boat-to-lobby distance ration (BTL) of any hotel in the world.  We all have to be great at something, right?  Seriously, it's such a novel concept for a resort brand that prides itself on its exclusivity, and I'm a huge fan of non-traditional lobbies.  And what could be more non-traditional than the potent lobby-harbor combination?  As their PR Rep told me, "I heard you like boats, so I put a boat in your lobby, so you can check-in while you boat."*

This is certainly a hotel property to be on the lookout for.  Banyan Tree always seems to deliver on their particular brand of luxury, and they're clearly looking to innovate on their already successful concept.  While you're waiting for the Banyan Tree Kerala to open, check out our other Banyan Tree resorts.

*Not Intended To Be a Factual Statement 

Incredible Packages at the Huntley Hotel Santa Monica

The Huntley Hotel Santa Monica has a few packages that are too good to pass up! Before we dive into the deals and steals, let’s explore the hotel itself. The Huntley Hotel Santa Monica is a unique Southern California urban retreat overlooking the ocean front in the heart of Santa Monica. It is situated one block from the beach and Third Street Promenade, within walking distance from the Pier and incredible dining options, word-renowned galleries, and incredible shopping.

MasterCard Best Offer

With this package, stay 3 nights and get the 4th night free when you pay with a MasterCard. Choose from various room types including a Deluxe City View Room with 1 queen bed or 2 queen beds, or a Premiere Ocean View Room with 1 queen or 2 queen beds.

Suite Dreams Offer

Enjoy the luxurious accommodations of a spacious suite and daily complimentary breakfast for two.

City Breaks Offer

Book a room with this package and receive daily breakfast for 2 and a $15 hotel credit. Choose from various room types including a Deluxe City View Room with 1 queen bed or 2 queen beds, or a Premiere Ocean View Room with 1 queen or 2 queen beds.

Make your reservations and be well on your way to enjoying ocean views, luxurious accommodations, and fun cocktail creations at the Penthouse rooftop restaurant and lounge at the Huntley Hotel Santa Monica!

Mauna Lani Hotel Is Pretty Great. I'm Just Sayin'

Quiet! Do you hear that rustling? What is that there in the leaves?  Ah, ha! Got it! It's the elusive combo hotel, and I'm showing it to you now, live, on national television for the first time.  And what a beauty she is...Look at those greens, those bungalows, I've never seen anything like it.  You can tell from the way she lies there that's she cold-blooded, all that lying around in the sun.  

Now what exactly is a combo hotel? It's an incredibly descriptive term that I've just now invented to explain the incredibly elusive bungalow hotel that is also a golf resort.  Now, normally when you think of bungalows, you get lost in an afternoon of daydreaming, but then you remind yourself that you were actually trying to remember where you might find them, and then you think of the Maldives, the native habitat of the quiet and reserved bungalow hotel.  And then you imagine a golf resort, and it carries you across the world to Scotland, or any of the mainland courses from Kiawah Island to Pebble Beach. The Mauna Lani Bay Hotel and Bungalows is a holy union of these two concepts, bungalow housing with breaktaking ocean views and a golf course that hugs the shores like it loves them more than its own mother.  

For the gender normative family, Mauna Lani's two championship golf courses give the guys a place to play while the children enjoy the Mauna Lani Camp and disinterested spouses relax at one of the "World's Best Spas" according to Travel & Leisure magazine.  A less stereotypical family might send the men to the camp, the women to golf and the children to the spa, but I'm pretty sure that violates some kind of age requirement.  Either way, you're sure to have some fun at the Mauna Lani, and I haven't even mentioned the farm-to-table dining at the Canoehouse, their signature restaurant.  I better stop now before I get carried away.  I've probably already oversold the place, and now they're going to be booked up when I try to reserve.  To get in before I do, just head on over here to check availability and learn even more about the Mauna Lani Bay Hotel and Bungalows.