Ritz-Carlton Hong Kong

The Ritz-Carlton Hong Kong hotel is being billed as the tallest hotel in the world.

Ritz-Carlton which stands at at 490 metres opened this week in Hong Kong on floors 102 to 118 of the International Commerce Centre has 312 guest rooms all offering birds-eye views of Victoria harbour and the city.

The International Commerce Centre is the city’s highest skyscraper at 490 metres and the Ritz Carlton occupies the ICC’s pinnacle with over three hundred spacious, luxuriously-appointed rooms and suites featuring the latest in technological enhancements and fine design elements, and panoramic views of the Hong Kong skyline.

A head for heights

Thrill seekers from Europe can book airline tickets with international carriers such as British Airways and fly direct to Hong Kong to experience the high life themselves by staying in the highest hotel rooms in the world at the Ritz Carlton.

Highest Infinity Pool

On the hotel’s top floor, there is an indoor infinity pool with a 28 metre wide LED screen on the ceiling that can display images and videos as well as a contemporary restaurant, Ozone, serving Asian tapas and cocktails. On floor 116, there is an ESPA spa with nine treatment rooms and two couple’s suites with floor to ceiling windows.

Hervé Humler, president and chief operations officer of The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company said:

“The opening of this landmark hotel in Hong Kong is the culmination of many years of hard work and dedication to delivering the very best product, facilities and service in this great city.

Partnering with Hong Kong’s premier developer, Sung Hung Kai Properties, we have been able to create truly spectacular so we can welcome our guests not just to the tallest hotel in the world, but also to one of the very best hotels in the world. We are taking luxury to new heights in every sense.”

However, purists will argue that the hotel is not truly the tallest, since it only occupies a small part of the overall building claiming that the hotel should commprise of at least 90% of the building. This criteria would put Dubai’s Rose Tower at the top, with a height of 333 metres.

Christmas in London City -  What to See and Do

London is one of the most interesting cities in the world and it is home to a huge collection of unique London Hotels, historic attractions, famous landmarks and endless things to do and see – even in the winter! Many people associate England with cold weather but the endless list of things to do in London include numerous activities that can be enjoyed regardless of the rain, snow and chilly winds…

London attracts a whopping 15 million visitors from overseas every year and with so many tourists to entertain; London hotels cater to vast amounts of guests every night of the week, even in the wintertime.

Check out these ideas for what you can do if you choose to come to stay in London Hotels during the winter:

Things to See

Ice skating – every November to January fun on the ice can be had all over the city and the rinks are popular with families as well as couples with many rinks found close to the most famous London Hotels.   One of the biggest ice rinks can be found at Somerset House.

See the English National Ballet – every December, The Nutcracker returns to London while Romeo and Juliet can be enjoyed in January. Festive pantomimes may prove more popular with children and of course London Fashion Week is a joyous event that marks the beginning of winter for designers.

Christmas Pudding Race – yes, you guessed it! December welcomes around 200 people dressed in festive costumes to Covent Garden when the Cancer Research charity benefits from money raised in the annual Christmas pudding race! Fun for all the family if a little messy…

West End Christmas Lights – festive fans may want to check out the lights that decorate busy shopping roads such as Oxford Street and Regent Street during the Christmas season.

Trafalgar Square Christmas tree – December also welcomes the decorating of a huge Christmas tree in Trafalgar Square that is donated to the UK from Norway.

Things to Do

For all those who wish to steer clear of the festive fun in London during the winter, fear not -  there are plenty of other activities to enjoy! Madame Tussauds, the London Dungeons, the London Aquarium and the Natural History Museum can all be explored during wintertime and these are all ideal attractions for visiting families. Other galleries and museums that provide warm indoor fun in London include The Tate Modern, The British Museum, the Science Museum and The National Gallery and London hotels are a great source of information…

The London Eye, Tower of London, Big Ben, London Bridge, London Zoo and the open top bus rides are also all enjoyable in the winter but wrap up warm as these are all outdoor activities that can get chilly if you leave your gloves and hat behind!  Taking a trip around famous areas such as Trafalgar Square, The Mall for Buckingham Palace, Kensington and Knightsbridge for shopping,  or the Royal Academy for exhibitions. Sports fans may wish to catch a local Premier League football game with teams such as Chelsea, Arsenal, West Ham, Fulham and Tottenham offering the best choices.

London hotels are on hand to offer advice on how to get around these attractions. London in the winter time can be just as much fun to visit as the summer!

The Jane – from $99 a night

The Jane is a hot hotel in a hot district, and the bar was so hot that it reportedly had to close because the neighbours complained about the noise. Nevermind though, there are plenty of fashionable watering holes in the West Village and bordering Meatpacking District.

The hotel opened after an imaginative refurbishment in July 2009 and bills itself as a “200-room micro hotel for young travellers with more dash than cash”. The budget bit means you’ll save money on accommodation, but the cheapest rooms require that you share a bathroom, albeit a modern clean, spacious bathroom with rainsoak showerheads and huge sinks.

The bedrooms are wonderful – inspired by luxury train cabins, with lots of storage on period-style rails and hooks and tucked under the beds, which stretch wall to wall with sheets tucked neatly around comfortable mattresses. Rooms also have televisions, air conditioning, large mirrors, windows that open, fans, ipod docks and free wifi.

The lobby is where the theatrical experience starts – a former ballroom, its is divided by huge columns and crowned with elegant plasterwork and a marble fountain.

The adjoining Cafe Gitane does a wonderful North African-inspired breakfast and will soon be open for dinner and evening drinks. The hotel owners also plan to restore a hand-tiled swimming pool and sauna in the basement.

Rooms start at $99 a night for shared bathroom.

113 Jane Street, New York, NY 10014

www.thejanenyc.com

Abu Dhabi Grand Prix

The 2009 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix will be the first race ever held at Yas Marina Circuit and also the final race of the Formula One season. Due to be held October/Novemeber the final touches are being made to the worlds newest Formula 1 racetrack which will run across desert, sea and even through the exclusive hotel resorts.

The inaugural Abu Dhabi Grand Prix will take place on the newly constructed Yas Marina Circuit and promises to be an incredible experience with the race running during day and night – the first day/night formula 1 race.

Flights to Abu Dhabi

The Abu Dhabi grand Prix is sponsored by the UAE national airline Etihad who fly to Abu Dhabi International Airport from all over the world.  The airport is 15 minutes drive from Yas Marina (the race venue) and Etihad are taking advance bookings for flights to Abu Dhabi.

Etihad operates one of youngest and most environmentally efficient fleets in the world – doing their bit for the climate and global warming. Etihad recently placed huge orders at for the latest state of the art planes at the Farnborough airshow and it is hoped these will be joining the fleet to bring visitors to the Grand Prix.

It is worth checking if there are any package deals to include your flight to Abu Dhabi, tickets to the Grand Prix and accomodation – you never know you might even get to stay in one of the most remarkable hotels to be ever built – the Yas Hotel

Yas hotel

The Yas Hotel is like no other hotel built.

Individuality and excitement are the cornerstones of everything.  No expense has been spared to make this spectacular building one of the world’s most desirable destinations for business and leisure

Within the Marina Circuit development are many luxury hotels – demostrating the long term commitment to making this one of the premier resort destinations in the middle east.  Yas hotel straddles the race track – stay in one of the 500 five star rooms and see what throwing $35 billion at a new hotel build can achieve.

Latest News on the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix

Reports continue to be made  that neither the Yas Hotel nor the Marina Circuit will be ready in time for the 2009 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

See the progress here on Abu Dhabi webcam updates