Move Over Armani; Missoni Set to Enter the Hotel Biz

Following the trend of fashion labels moving into the hotel sector (Armani, Versace and Bulgari), Missoni is creating a new line of hotels. Set to open in 2007, the brand will be all about contemporary Italian life and style. (Will the rooms be decked out in that trademark psychedelic pattern?) Via the International Herald Tribune

Get Ready for Viceroy Miami

Miami's getting hotter, with a new Viceroy hotel planned for 2008. The Kor Hotel group's hotel-residence project combines their famous luxury boutique concept with condominiums. Who's designing the Viceroy Icon Brickell? Rumor has it that it's the architecture firm Arquitectonica and legendary designer Phillipe Starck... Talk about a dream team.

Special Offers: Casa Del Mar Beach Golf and Spa Resort, Los Cabos

Think Mexico for pre- or post-holiday recuperation! With 56 ocean view rooms, Casa del Mar is a hacienda-style resort set in lush gardens overlooking the Sea of Cortez. Play a round of golf at the Robert Trent Jones II designed championship course. Head to the spa for an outstanding signature treatment like the Tropical Exfoliation, where the skin is buffed with fine milled coffee and dried coconut, and then massaged with coconut massage oil. In the evening, dine under a poolside palapa. With the Relax 33 special package, save 33% off regular rates, starting as low as $269 a night for a Deluxe Oceanview Room. Offer good December 1-20, 2005, and January 2-15, 2006. Minimum 2 night stay required.

Announcing the Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman

Scheduled to open on December 15, the new Ritz-Carlton is the most talked-about news of the season. This resort is destined to set new standards for luxury hotels, with an all-star cast contributing to the resort's conception: Greg Norman designed golf course, Tennis by Nick Bollettieri, two restaurants by Eric Ripert of Le Bernardin, NYC, the world's first spa inspired by La Prairie's Silver Rain (did I mention that this is one of the Caribbean's largest?!), and an aquatic education program run by Jean-Michel Cousteau. The best part? There is still availability for December holidays! But hurry; book those rooms fast!

The Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman, Official Site

The Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman, Five Star Alliance

The Best of Hong Kong

Check out these truly superb Top 10 lists-- best restaurants, walking tours, highlights, hotels-- from The Financial Times and Eyewitness Travel Guides. Their teaser: "Prepare to experience one of the most dramatic urban environments ever conceived."

More Yuletide Escapes: The Breakers Palm Beach

The big daddy of prime Florida real estate… The Breakers is as mammoth in legend as is its luxury experience. The Italian Renaissance style hotel consists of 560 oceanfront rooms, on 140 acres smack in the middle of a private beach. Founded in 1896 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places, The Breakers has got it all. Beach club, oceanfront spa, 36 holes of championship golf, 10 tennis courts, kids' programs, four oceanside pools, excellent restaurants. The icing on the cake? Truly superlative service.

PS A $15 million makeover has utterly transformed the beachfront, including ultra-lux bungalows available for daytime rental.

The Breakers, Official Site

The Breakers, Five Star Alliance

Mozart 2006 in Austria

2006 marks Wolfgang's 250th birthday, and Austria is celebrating in style with an extensive calendar of events. The musical genius will be honored with new museums, operatic performances, extraordinary concert series, festivals and galas, expos and special exhibitions, all across the country. In Vienna--for example-- Mozart's big day will be marked by an open party for the whole city on January 27-29. He will be celebrated all over the city with music, films and readings on a variety of themes-- arranged in to five different tours (Mozart. Friends and Enemies; Mozart. Viennese and Cosmopolitan; Mozart. Art and Love; Mozart. Life and Death; and Mozart. Yesterday and Today). On each tour, visitors experience four different events and a special children's program. My favorite event? The Vienna Boys' Choir will give a concert in St. Stephen's Cathedral on January 27, featuring Mozart's most beautiful works of sacred music.

The Bar and Living Room at the Little Nell, Aspen

After a recent redesign, the legendary apres-ski scene at the Little Nell is hotter than ever. Savor the delicacies from the fresh seafood bar, followed by some fondue, and of course there's drinks all night at the Bar. Thaw by a roaring fire in the Living Room, or "ski-watch" the day away.

The Little Nell, Official Site

The Little Nell, Five Star Alliance

Tokyo’s Luxury Pet Hotel

The luxury traveler in Tokyo who has it all can now drop Fido at the airport before jetting off to Phuket. The Pet Inn Royal opens this Thursday with 170 "rooms" and a full-time staff.

"Enjoy your travel overseas knowing that your pet is in good hands," Pet Inn Royal says in a statement on Narita's Web site, noting that it can also accommodate rabbits, hamsters and ferrets.

Price-fixing Schemes at Parisian Luxury Hotels?

Whoa, check this out. TravelPost.com Blog reports that six luxury hotels (George V, Hotel Meurice, Hotel Bristol, Crillon, Hotel Ritz and Plaza-Athenee) have been fined by the French government after an investigation into their price-fixing strategies.