World's Most Exclusive Hotels

Pascale Le Draoulec, Forbes.com

A massage in your private suite? Been there, done that.

How about getting a hot stone treatment in your own private gazebo, that's perched on a cliff, while watching breaching whales behind crashing Atlantic rollers?

World's Most Exclusive Hotels

Luxury At Sea

In Pictures: Europe's Most Luxurious Hotels

In Pictures: Hong Kong's Hot New Hotels

Icy Hot Spots

The stakes are high in the luxury travel world: Hotels at the top tier are opening at rapid-fire pace, and, according to Jan Freitag, a consultant at Smith Travel Research, luxe resorts like the above-mentioned whale-friendly Twelve Apostles Hotel and Spa, near Capetown, South Africa, are "in a constant arms race" to woo rich, jaded travelers.

Knowing this, the architect-owner of the Jade Mountain resort on St. Lucia decided to one-up the "room with a view" concept by doing away with the fourth wall in select suites, thereby offering guests a dramatic viewing of the island's twin Pitons. The rooms quite literally open up on to the bay, while still allowing for complete privacy.

These are the kinds of unique experiences today's premiere traveler is seeking, says Matthew Brace, author of Heaven's Gate: Confessions of a Luxury Hotel Addict.

"They want something that's personal, authentic and, the more remote, the better," he says. "The travel herd moves on very quickly, and yesterday's beautiful paradise could become tomorrow's mass-market travel destination."

Expert Opinion Brace, a travel writer, is one of many luxury travel experts we tapped to draw up a list of the 11 Most Exclusive Hotels in the world. Our picks were deemed exclusive by virtue of their price point, their uniqueness and/or remoteness.

We also sought input from the Leading Hotels of the World, Ltd., a global grouping of 450 hotels cherry-picked for the discerning traveler (three of the groups properties made this list). The 81-year-old organization seeks out iconic getaways that offer travelers a peerless, authentic and elegant experience and where value trumps gimmickry.

Few hotels are more iconic than longtime member The Ritz, in Paris. For more than a century, the Ritz, designed by the architect of the Versailles Palace, has dazzled guests--from Marcel Proust to Coco Chanel--with its legendary service (three staff members for every lucky guest), and with such finery as rococo solid gold faucets in its opulent bathrooms.

Brian Stacey, director of Tauck World Discovery, which specializes in luxury escorted travel, says while gold faucets may appeal to one kind of luxury traveler, another type of luxury traveler "wants to blend into the environment. They want a hotel to appeal to all their senses."

Mission accomplished at the Clayoquot Wilderness Camp & Spa in Tofino, B.C.--a remote wilderness destination that offers all the pampering luxuries of a five-star urban hotel in the middle of, well, bear country. Ultra-chic white canvas tents boast ample fireplaces, Persian rugs and four-poster beds with feather duvets--all perfect for relaxing after a day of river kayaking and surfing.

Service Sells Whether they are in Paris or Punta Mita, what these premiere hotels have in common, says Brace, is that they are returning to "a golden age of service."

Many first-class hotels are realizing that where they can make a difference is not with larger plunge pools, but by increasing the staff-to-guest ratio. At the The Oberoi Udaivilas in Udaipur, India, for example, suite guests have their own personal butler.

"The best butlers are the ones who know how to advance and retreat like the tide," says Brace, who has encountered quite a few in his travels. "They let you know that everything you could possibly desire is just a phone call away, but they are not in your face."

Many heavy hitters keep returning to Curtain Bluff in Antigua, an intimate all-inclusive, precisely for its personal touch: The resort has been owned by the same couple for over 45 years. Though Howard Mulford passed away earlier this year, his wife, Michelle, carries on the couple's tradition of inviting all resort guests up to her bluff-top terrace for cocktails on Friday nights. Most of the staff have been there for decades.

It feels like family and, for many well-heeled guests, that personal touch means more than Vichy jets.

Source:http://in.news.yahoo.com

Worn out at work?

Back-to-back meetings, endless brainstorming and missed deadlines. Is there time for much else, you wonder?

Well, you couldn't be further from the truth, if authors Jim Loehr and Tony Shwartz are to be believed. In their book, The Power of Full Engagement: Managing Energy, Not Time is the Key to High Performance and Personal Renewal, they emphasise the basic premise that performance, health and happiness are grounded in the skillful management of energy. The number of hours in a day is fixed, but the energy waiting to be tapped upon is not. And fuelling the fire requires physical fitness.

"It's imperative for people to stick to regular fitness routines. And it's not always about an hour," says Vikram Bhatia, Managing Director, Fitness First. As the MD of this global chain of health clubs, Bhatia's work involves frequent travelling, too, but there's no missing the daily workout. "I didn't have much time to spare today, but I just got done with a 22-minutes Cross Fit Marine workout. Can people not spare 22 minutes in a day?"

Bhatia goes on to say that both the benefits and ill-effects of workouts are often underestimated. "Consistency is important. Try to be regular with your workouts, but it doesn't have to be time-specific. The important point is not missing it." If you're regular with exercises, you're bound to get more results in the same time.

Even 30 minutes of exercises three times a week, should suffice. "You look fitter, feel better and energetic and are able to do a lot more. It could be working out at the gym or a walk at the park," he says.

Equally important is setting realistic measurable, goals and routines and sticking to them. What about diet? "Fried, fatty foods are bound to sap you of all your energy and they make you sleepy and lethargic," says Dr Jyoti Arora, Team Leader (Nutrition and Dietics), Artemis Health Institute, Gurgaon.

"Skip high calorie desserts in summer and opt for lemon juice, coconut water and buttermilk to cool down instead." Arora also suggests lighter post-lunch snacks like steamed idlis, dhoklas and pasta salads to keep you going.

"Don't be wary of big brand chains. Most of them maintain stringent quality control measures and it's always advisable to opt for Subway sandwiches and Tetra Pak juices over roadside joints." With some basic dietary and fitness plans in place, managing your energy could be a cinch.

Seven steps to managing your energy

Get up early and broadly plan your entire day.

Set realistic, measurable goals. Create a priority list.

Start your day with regular walks or jogs.

Exercise. Putting in 30 minutes three times a week would suffice, too.

Have a good breakfast. Foods rich in nutrients will see you through the day.

While at work, take a 15-minute walk outside to soak in fresh light and air.

Drink lots of water. Even slight dehydration can slow you down.

Anumeha Chaturvedi

Source: http://in.news.yahoo.com

Saudi to build world's second-tallest building

he Middle-East is in a highly competitive race to grab the global eyeballs on having the tallest buildings in their bailiwick, after having built the Burj Khalifa in Dubai.

An under-construction hotel complex in Saudi Arabia will feature the world's second-tallest building, topped by a clock six times bigger than London's Big Ben, the hotel's general manager said today.

The Mecca Royal Clock Tower will be made up of 662 metres (2,171 feet) of concrete structure and a 155-metre (508-foot) crescent-topped metal spire, Mohammed al-Arkubi said at a press conference in Dubai.

Combined, the two parts of the tower in the Muslim holy city of Mecca would be only roughly 11 metres (36 feet) shorter than Dubai's Burj Khalifa, the world's tallest tower at 828 metres (2,717 feet).

Even the concrete section of the Mecca Royal Clock Tower would be taller than the current second-tallest building in the world, the 508-meter (1,676-foot) Taipei 101 in Taiwan.

"The first part of the hotel will open at the end of June, while the clock will begin operating at the end of July," ahead of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which is expected to begin around August 10, Arkubi said.

The German-made clock, billed as "the largest in the world," will have 45-metre (147-foot) wide and 43-metre (141-foot) tall faces on all four sides of the tower, he said.

Source:http://in.news.yahoo.com

Safeguard yourself from credit card frauds

In recent times, there have been a spate of news items revealing a credit card fraud. In one such item, two youngsters were caught duping credit card holders by offering them new credit cards with higher credit limits by trading in their old credit cards. The youngsters then used the old cards to make their purchases, mostly electronics. This is how they laid the plot.

They would call up credit card holders representing themselves as employees of the credit card company. They would inform these clueless customers about a new scheme about new credit cards with greater purchase limits in exchange of old ones. Then they would also inform customers that the company's representative would soon visit them with the new card, which would be activated as soon as they filled in a form!

This news only reinstates the importance of being a vigilant customer and using credit cards with utmost prudence. Here are a few things one can do:

1. If you lose your credit card, it is necessary to inform your credit card company immediately. This will enable the card issuer to freeze the card with immediate effect and prevent any purchases on the card. The important thing for you is that your liability is limited once you inform the credit card issuer.

2. Destroy your old card completely before you begin using your new card. This is important even if your old card has expired or you are upgrading your card.

3. Keep your card in a safe place and do not allow other people to handle it.

4. Be prudent about signing up for new offers. Double-check the genuineness of the scheme. A simple way to verify genuineness of any scheme is to call up the credit card company and inquiring with them.

5. Change your PIN at regular intervals. Do not use obvious PIN like birth dates.

6. Inform your credit card company immediately if you do not receive your monthly credit statement. It could be a case of identity theft where the fraudster has changed your billing address.

7. Use chip based credit cards. These cards offer better security than credit cards with black magnetic stripes. This is because in a chip based card, all information is stored in the small chip in encrypted format and it also uses a PIN. This makes changing or copying this data extremely difficult.

8. So, the chance of data being misused while swiping the card is very remote. It is the highest level of security that credit card companies can offer at present. Citibank and Kotak Mahindra issue chip based cards to select high range customers. Axis bank's VISA Platinum card is also chip-based. HDFC Bank also has begun issuing these cards.

9. Be careful while shopping online. This is because you are required to give the CVV number for making purchases over the Internet. For this, be sure you shop only from secure websites. Ensure that the website is certified by VeriSign. Look for a yellow lock on the bottom right hand corner of the screen.

10. If you have a large credit limit on your card and use it frequently for several purchases including online and telephone purchases, it is a good idea to get your card insured. You cannot prevent credit card fraud but at least minimize its impact on your financial stability! You can protect yourself from fraudulent charges on your card up to 12 hours before reporting the loss to the credit card issuer.

Source:http://in.finance.yahoo.com