The Top 20 Hotels in 2011: #3 La Tremoille

In the final days of 2011, Five Star Alliance is counting down the Top 20 Luxury Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, as decided by our guests.

In the #3 spot we have La Tremoille, located near the center of Paris's Golden Triangle.

Quick facts about La Tremoille:

- The 93 rooms and suites are decorated in 30 different patterns and color schemes, accenting the personalized and unique stay of every guest.

- Renovated for 15 months in 2002, La Tremoille leapfrogged much of its competition as one of the traditional deluxe Paris hotels.

- Rooms feature a special "Hatch" foyer that offers ultimate privacy by separating guest rooms further from the hallway and allowing wait staff to bring room service and amenities without actually entering your room.

- Not only the hotel has been upgraded, the restaurant has been renovated even more recently than the hotel and has reopened under a new name, Le Louis2, offering wonderful French cuisine.

- The suites give a panoramic view of Paris rooftops and offer both living rooms and armchairs so comfortable, you find it hard to get yourself back out of them.

- The spa includes a sauna, hydro-jet shower, two private massage rooms, and beauty care rooms, not to mention the much-coveted jet-lag recovery therapy.

View photos, learn more about the hotel, and check availability at La Tremoille > >

Be sure to keep up with our countdown! Check back to see our top two hotels for the year!

The Top 20 Hotels in 2011: #4 King George Palace

In the final days of 2011, Five Star Alliance is counting down the Top 20 Luxury Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, as decided by our guests.

In the #4 spot we have King George Palace, one of the most famous landmarks in Athens, Greece, ideally located on Constitution Square.

Quick facts about King George Palace:

- Distinguished as the best hotel in Greece, and is ranked among the top 20 best hotels in the Overseas Leisure Hotel Section for Europe.

- Unique, luxury boutique hotel has been home to Kings, Princes, and Presidents since the early 1930s.

- Located steps away from the Greek Parliament, near the historical center.

- Combines the exquisiteness of a historic landmark with modern amenities and personal attention.

- Certain rooms have a breathtaking view of the Acropolis, and the Royal Presidential suite has a private outdoor pool.

- The Tudor Restaurant features an impressive view of Athens and the Acropolis.

View photos, learn more about the hotel, and check availability at the King George Palace.

The Top 20 Hotels in 2011: #10 Majestic Hotel and Spa Barcelona

In the final days of 2011, Five Star Alliance is counting down the Top 20 Luxury Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, as decided by our guests.

In the #10 spot we have the Majestic Hotel and Spa Barcelona, located on Paseo de Gracia, Barcelona’s most exclusive shopping street.

Quick facts about the Majestic Hotel and Spa Barcelona:

- Walking distance from Barcelona’s most exciting landmarks including Las Ramblas, the Plaza de Cataluna, the Gothic Quarter, and Gaudi’s major architectural works.

- Offers 276 rooms and 41 suits, all renovated and new in 2011.

- Rooms use the most up-to-date technology including a Satellite Newspaper kiosk to access 168 international newspapers.

- Offers Smart Roadster Convertible cars with GPS, and this service is free for one day for guests who reserve a suite.

- Business Center features 5 PCs with Windows XP, laser and ink-jet printers, photocopier, fax, scanner, shredder, and office supplies.

- Outdoor, rooftop pool offers guests incredible views of Barcelona.

- The Penthouse is the most exclusive and luxurious room option. It offers the most impressive panoramic view of the city, two private terraces, and 6 plasma screen televisions.

View photos, learn more about the hotel, and check availability at the Majestic Hotel and Spa Barcelona.

W Paris to open on Valentine’s Day

Located in the heart of the city of lights, the W Hotel Paris Opera is set to open on Valentine’s Day, February 14th, 2012. The W Paris will be the first W Hotel in France, and it will be more of a boutique hotel, offering only 91 guestrooms, including 22 suites. This luxury hotel is steps away from the Granier Opera House as well as a short walk from the Rue de la Paix and Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honore, two fashionable shopping streets.

The restaurant at the W Paris provides guests with a culinary experience unlike any other. The chef prepares the menu with extreme attention to detail, highlighting the best ingredients available each season. Be amongst the first to experience the W Paris, and prepare to get swept away by the beauty and romance that comes with the city of love and Valentine’s Day!

The Top 20 Hotels in 2011: #13 The Hotel de Crillon

In the final days of 2011, Five Star Alliance is counting down the Top 20 Luxury Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, as decided by our guests.

In the #13 spot we have the Hotel de Crillon, the exclusive and historic Parisian icon.

Quick facts about the Hotel de Crillon:

- A historical monument in its own right, the luxury hotel is steeped in the culture of 18th century Paris.  Its Louis XV design believes strongly in gold filigree and ornamentation, but never crosses the line into gaudiness.  

- The gourmet restaurant Les Ambassadeurs fills the former ballroom of the Dukes de Crillon and dinner guests can enjoy the world class cuisine in a room that has entertained kings.  

- And speaking of entertaining kings, so many famous guests have called the Hotel de Crillon home, that it almost seems an affront to the others to single any out.  Theodore Roosevelt, King George, Andrew Carnegie, Cary Grant and many more have all called the hotel home, and they even flew the flag of Texas when Lance Armstrong celebrated his Tour de France victory inside their walls.

- Its suites are unparalleled, including the Leonard Bernstein suite, named for the famous composer who frequently called it home which offers a view of the Eiffel tower from your bubblebath.  The other famed American to reside there, Edith Wharton much preferred the Hotel de Crillon to the nearby Ritz, where "the newly rich but uncultivated Americans stayed."   

- One of only six palace hotels in Paris, you're guaranteed to get the royal treatment

- It houses seven palatial meeting and reception rooms that can house up to 350 people.  

View photos, learn more about the hotel, and check availability at the Hotel de Crillon >>

Be sure to keep up with our countdown! In case you missed it, here are our previously featured hotels:

#20 – The St. Regis Resort Aspen

#19 – The Fullerton Hotel, Singapore

#18 – The Peninsula Chicago

#17 - The Tower Club at Lebua

#16 - Auberge du Soleil

#15 - The Mount Nelson Hotel

#14 - The One and Only Maldives at Reethi Rah

Suite Temptation: Mandarin Oriental Paris Opens Doors of New Suites

The Mandarin Oriental Paris is one of the hotels that's constantly driving things forward, looking to stay one step ahead of the competition.  And with the unveiling of 37 new suites, they're certainly prepared to bring hotel accommodations in Paris up a notch.  All of the suites offer the most modern technologies including 32"-40" LCD TVs, iPads, and even Playstation 3's, not to mention a mirror tv.  The top-floor Atelier suites overlook Paris for a romantic view of Montmartre that will be sure to inspire your love ballads.

The flagship suite is definitely the Royal Mandarin Suite, nearly 4,000 sq. ft. in size, occupying two different floors, and having a bathtub with a view of the Eiffel Tower.  I'm sure you could count on one hand the number of bathtubs in the world that could rival that vista.  

If you're in the market to try out some of the premiere new suites in Paris, make sure to check out the Mandarin Oriental.

The Cake is Not a Lie: Queen Cake at Hotel Le Meurice

It's cake time! The Hotel Le Meurice in Paris is offering a special cake to bring in 2012 with style.  The Galette des Reines, as the cake is called, is a rich and decadent chocolate cake with a special surprise in it.  Evoking the spirit of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, one of the slices hides a Tiffany & Co charm in the shape of a golden key.  The charm is further incentive to savor ever bite of your dessert, which comes in it an exclusive 14 euros a slice.  Only ten cakes will be made over a 20-day period, so it's worth jumping on this one early, since they could easily run out.  In our mind, it's certainly worth it after a meal by three-star Michelin Chef Yannick Alleno.

And staying in the hotel itself, opposite the Teuleries garden, is an experience in itself.  With a storied history back to 1835, the hotel has been called home by a number of greats, including Salvador Dali, whom the new restaurant, Le Dali, is named for.  If you're looking to stay in Paris this January, the Le Meurice is certainly one to look at, with its signature Queen's Cake and chance at a Tiffany Charm.  

Tip via HotelChatter

A Gifted Gondola: Hotel Cipriani Offers Massage on Venetian Canals

The Hotel Cipriani officially has the most atmospheric massage spa I've ever seen.  And that's because the spa is Venice!  That's right, the Hotel Cipriani offers its patented Gondola Massage, a massage spa treatment on a boat drifting through the world's most iconic canals.  It's relaxing, revitalizing, and certainly rare.  The next time I head back to Venice, I'll be sure to make my boat ride the one that works out all the tension from my flight with deft hands and a centuries-old backdrop.  The 15th century hotel itself overlooks the Piazza San Marco and the two ancient palazzos that make up the hotel offer only the finest in cuisine, not to mention a private butler.  That's service I could make a trip to the Hotel Cipriani for.

Hotel de Charme les Airelles is A Buzz-Worthy Hotel

Aside from being right on the edge of the slopes in Courchevel, France, the Hotel de Charme les Airelles provides access to the biggest skiing area in the world, Les 3 Vallées, providing guests with the luxury of leaving and returning to the resort with skis on. This luxury hotel also has a beautiful library and fireplace in its lounge, creating an inviting environment to unwind and warm up after a day on the slopes.

The Hotel de Charme les Airelles is not only a skier’s paradise. This hotel has embraced the utility of honey and has 5 beehives as a resource for the Spa Valmont. The hotel’s spa offers anti-aging solutions that have “honey, nectar, royal jelly, and Alpine bee pollen,” preserved from the resort’s beehives. For a limited time, the Spa Valmont is offering a “Bee Beautiful” treatment, which starts with a wildflower pollen exfoliator and ends with a jelly rub down. This treatment leaves skin looking vibrant, refreshed, and rejuvenated, and it is available from December 14 – mid April for 240 Euros. It’s the perfect dry skin treatment after a day in the snow!

Wannabe There: The St. Pancras Renaissance London Hotel

It can be somewhat of a rarity in the hotel world to find a hotel that focuses as much on defining an architectural niche for itself as it does the comfort of its patrons. The St. Pancras Renaissance London Hotel has certainly managed to do both in striking style, its stark, striking gothic exterior evoking the romanticism of early rail travel. Saved from demolition by a series of protests in the 60s by a Poet Laureate, the architectural wonder of the station has transformed from travel to hospitality, abandoning its railway roots in favor of a fresh redesign that takes advantage of its spacious interior. The red-brick exterior seems to be stretching skyward, following the sharp lines of its gothic spires.

Ever at the forefront of affluent equality, the St. Pancras offered the first Ladies Smoking Room in all of Europe and ushering a formerly sequestered activity into the public eye. And if you’re a stargazer (and I don’t mean those in the sky), it’s worth a trip for its staircase alone which has been featured in films and videos as widely known as the Spice Girls debut single, “Wannabe.”

So next time you’re passing by London, make sure to check out the St. Pancras. Whether you’re a railway enthusiast or a movie buff, or just a weary traveler looking for some extra-fluffed pillows to melt into, you’re going to love the St. Pancras Renaissance London Hotel.