Luxury travel news: this month (November 2014) in travel

Friday newsletters always feature luxury travel contests, tips, series, or news.

Today (November 28, 2014): November luxury travel news.

Every last Friday of the month, you can read a news round-up of what’s happening in the world of luxury travel. In this issue:

November’ best travel deal: Qatar Airways’s 2 for 1 promo
Park Hyatt will open an Auckland property in 2017
The Lanesborough London will join Oetker Collection when it reopens next year
InterContinental Sydney Double Bay opens At Sydney’s most exclusive address
One&Only to brand & manage Emirates Wolgan Valley
Rosewood Beijing is now officially open
When Pedregal reopens in January, it won’t be a Capella Resort anymore

1. NOVEMBER’S BEST TRAVEL DEAL: QATAR AIRWAYS 2 FOR 1 PROMO

For a limited time only, Qatar Airways is offering a fantastic and worldwide 2 for 1 promotion on selected destinations on one of the world’s best Business Class cabins: book between now and 1st December 2014 for travel until the end of May 2015 and your companion flies with you for free! Privilege Club members will earn 50%* bonus Qmiles. This is one the best travel deals in the world, and it actually makes travelling Business Class affordable. Blackout dates apply and taxes will apply to the companion ticket. Do not miss out on this offer, as it ends on December 1st and seats are restricted! You can access the promotion here (you may have to change your home country).

2. PARK HYATT WILL OPEN AN AUCKLAND PROPERTY IN 2017

Hyatt Hotels Corporation announced that a Hyatt affiliate has entered into a management agreement with Fu Wah New Zealand for a Park Hyatt hotel in Auckland, New Zealand. Expected to open in 2017, the hotel will be the first Park Hyatt-branded hotel to open in Auckland. “This has been an exciting year for the Park Hyatt brand, and we are honored to collaborate with Fu Wah New Zealand on this landmark luxury development,” said Ratnesh Verma, senior vice president, real estate and development, Asia Pacific, Hyatt. “Fu Wah New Zealand believes in the Park Hyatt brand, having recently purchased Park Hyatt Melbourne, and we are confident Park Hyatt Auckland will provide guests with the luxurious accommodations, culinary expertise and high-quality service for which the Park Hyatt brand is known. We remain committed to growing the brand in culturally rich cities like Auckland.” Park Hyatt Auckland will feature 190 luxurious guestrooms, three restaurants and bars, event spaces, a spa, a 25-meter pool, and a fitness center. Park Hyatt Auckland will be nestled in a prime waterfront location on Auckland Harbour, which is expected to undergo a major revitalization to turn the area into a world-class leisure, entertainment, culture, and dining destination.

3. THE LANESBOROUGH LONDON WILL JOIN OETKER COLLECTION WHEN IT REOPENS NEXT YEAR

The Lanesborough London is currently undergoing a full-scale renovation (including auctioning off all furniture and trinkets from inside the hotel), but in a surprising twist on the road to its reopening next year, it will no longer be a St Regis hotel, but become part of the super-posh Oetker Collection instead. That means a whole range of things: an exit for St. Regis from the London market, Starwood being one property down (Luxury Collection’s Park Tower is a few minutes west, Sheraton Park Lane a few minutes east), and Oetker Collection debuting another major capital property in addition to its Parisian palace Le Bristol (one of the 10 most luxurious hotels in Paris). Along with the announcement, a first glimpse of the Albert Pinto-designed interiors was provided, with a rendering of a suite above. While brand new, the interiors look to stay true to the Regency era the hotel took its design cues from before. The suite brings in red / burgundy tones, while a room rendering below goes for a warm green.

4. INTERCONTINENTAL SYDNEY DOUBLE BAY OPENS AT SYDNEY’S MOST EXCLUSIVE ADDRESS

InterContinental Hotels Group opened its highly-anticipated InterContinental Sydney Double Bay Marking the arrival of the fifth InterContinental Hotels & Resorts property in Australia, InterContinental Sydney Double Bay is the only luxury hotel outside Sydney’s business district. The hotel offers world-class accommodation, unique event spaces, stunning views of Double Bay village and Bay, unparalleled service and an abundance of dedicated amenities. The elegance of its facilities and the personalisation of service will prove popular with the high-calibre of clientele for which the bayside address is renowned. Guests and visitors will be wowed by the stunning architecture and interior of the hotel, characterised by a blend of contemporary design and beautifully-reinstated features, including Italian white marble and grey-green marble fireplace. Each of the 140 guestrooms and suites is exquisitely furnished, with most opening out onto European fashioned balconies.

5. ONE&ONLY TO BRAND & MANAGE EMIRATES WOLGAN VALLEY

Emirates has appointed One&Only Resorts, a subsidiary of Kerzner International Holdings Limited, to manage Emirates Wolgan Valley Resort and Spa. This will be One&Only’s second resort in Australia, following the successful rebirth of One&Only Hayman Island in July 2014. “Wolgan Valley is such a special place in Australia,” said Emirates Airline President, Sir Tim Clark. “We are proud of all that the resort has achieved, but now we feel that it is time to work with a partner to expand the Wolgan experience and take the resort to new heights. We are confident that Kerzner International, under the One&Only brand, is the perfect partner for Emirates Wolgan Valley Resort and Spa. I would like to reassure all stakeholders that the conservation and community principles that the resort began with, will stay unchanged..” These two iconic resorts, both featuring on our top 10 list of the most luxurious hotels in Australia are perfect locations for Australians for a short holiday as well as a must for any international visitor.

6. ROSEWOOD BEIJING IS NOW OFFICIALLY OPEN

The Rosewood Beijing is now officially open, signaling the presence of the Rosewood Hotels & Resort ultra-luxury brand in Asia. The 283-room hotel, located at the core of Beijing’s Central Business District of Chaoyang, opposite the iconic CCTV Tower, is a true reflection of Beijing, a city where ancient meets modern. “This hotel was envisioned as an unconventional haven and a distinctively different hotel encounter,” says Sonia Cheng, chief executive officer of Rosewood Hotel Group. “We want to provide sophisticated guests the ease they feel at home, yet also a place where they can create their own journey to experience the authentic and unexpected Beijing.” Guests enter via a soaring, three-storey-high lobby featuring striking art and calligraphy inspired by Chinese poet Bei Dao’s Rose of Time. The artwork throughout the hotel – from ink-brush painting to photography, mixed-media to sculpture – is a reminder that Beijing is the artistic centre of China. The hotel features six restaurants and lounges including Bistrot B and Bistrot B Lounge & Bar, RED BOWL stylish hot pot restaurant, MEI bar, Country Kitchen and The House of Dynasties Chinese restaurant. Meeting and function space, totaling 3,350 square metres, includes a pillar-less ballroom and the Pavilion residential-style event venue. The first Rosewood Sense spa in Asia features an indoor swimming pool, gym and yoga studio. Also debuting is the Manor Club, Rosewood’s sophisticated, exclusive access executive lounge. RED BOWL and Sense will open in December 2014 and MEI in March 2015.

7. WHEN PEDREGAL REOPENS IN JANUARY, IT WON’T BE A CAPELLA RESORT ANYMORE

Here’s a mixed bag of news–The Capella Pedregal Resort in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico is still set to reopen in January, after extensive renovations which were necessary when Hurricane Odile had its way with the resort area in September. However, it will no longer be a Capella Hotel. Instead, the resort will have a new name and identity: The Resort at Pedregal. Already, the Capella Pedregal’s social media presence has been wiped away and The Resort at Pedregal’s branding, complete with a turtle logo, is now in place. The change is shocking especially considering that Capella corporate ponied up a hefty donation to help the employees of the hotel after Hurricane Odile hit. Not changing is the personal assistant program for which the Capella brand is very well-known . To confuse things, a New York Supreme Court Judge has ordered that Capella Hotels and Resorts be reinstated as the management company of the Capella Pedregal, Cabo San Lucas, effective immediately. “We are very pleased with this decision, and look forward to managing the Capella Pedregal on a long term basis,” said Horst Schulze, Chairman and CEO of Capella Hotel Group. This is getting to be an ugly situation with the owner of the resort, Hoteles de Cabos, accusing Capella of major mismanagement including withholding the donated funds for hotel employees affected by Hurricane Odile.

Click here to read our review of Capella Pedregal/The Resort at Pedregal.