InterContinental Hotels Group has developed virtual plans for what could be the world’s first ever 100% ecologically-friendly hotel.

The solar powered ‘Innovation Hotel’ outlines the latest technology in energy and water conservation and recycling.

Among the ‘green’ features of the futuristic hotel:

– The forwarding of all unused non-perishable food to charities or food banks
– Solar panels on the roof to heat water
– A rainwater harvesting system to supply water to toilets
– A roof garden rich in shrubbery to provide extra insulation
– Windpower to generate electricity for the hotel
– Recycled glass windows
– Furniture and fittings made entirely from recycled materials
– And household waste to provide heat and power Continue Reading

The latest foreign firm to expand in China amid the country’s economic boom is luxury hotel group, Marriott International Inc. It hopes to open 24 more hotels in China over the next three years.

Marriott Hotels which launched its first hotel in China in 1989, says with the pending Olympic Games, it will add over 1000 rooms in Beijing. The U.S hotel group also has its eye on the MICE (meeting, incentive, conference and exhibition) market, which is rapidly growing across China.

Three new hotels trading under the names of Marriott, Renaissance and Courtyard by Marriott will be opened in the capital this year.

As local gaming industry continues to prosper, Macao registered a substantial GDP growth of 31.6 percent year-on-year for the first quarter of 2008, according to the figures released Friday by the city’s Statistics and Census Service(DSEC).

The figures indicated that major GDP components, private consumption expenditure in the period increased by 9.6 percent, but lower than the 9.7 percent growth in the fourth quarter of 2007.

Meanwhile, the city’s gross gaming revenue (GGR) for the period(excluding gratuities) surged by 61.8 percent in nominal terms compared with the same quarter of last year, and total visitor spending (excluding gaming expenses) rose slightly by 4.3 percent, according to the DSEC.

Despite the Special Administrative Region (SAR) government’s earlier decision to freeze the expansion of Macao’s gaming industry, Globalysis Ltd, a Nevada-based leisure industry consultancy, still predicted in its latest report that Macao’s GGRfor this year will experience approximately 28.8 percent growth to13.5 billion U.S. dollars. Continue Reading

Changes are coming … this out-of-the-way place is not so out-of-the-way anymore.

1) New International Airport (Costa Rica’s third) is being built in Palmar Norte

2) New 80,000 square foot Hospital is currently under construction

3) Costanera Highway (Pacific Coast Highway) is in the final stages of road improvement.

Costa Rica has been the buzzword for those seeking a tropical Disneyland-like eco-tourism experience. A place where monkeys, birds, and butterflies playfully share their piece of paradise. A country known by biologists as having the richest biodiversity in the world.

Nature truly smiled on this small country of only 52,100 square kilometers, with the geography and climate making it an ideal location for tourism and real estate appreciation. Property values have increase nearly 34% annually since 1998, with an even higher return on land with a home.

This appreciation has been primarily reflected in the Northwest region of Costa Rica, the Province of Guanacaste. This is where Costa Rica’s second International Airport was built and new infrastructure made this primarily arid region the area of choice for both investors and those seeking a retirement/vacation home. Continue Reading

The solid-state lighting product from Act One provides a warm and inviting atmosphere for Starlight Casino in New Westminster near Vancouver, Canada. The alluring lighting effect is generated by dispersing the color light from 200 LED lighting tubes for a total length of 700 feet over the draped mesh-screen curtains.

The Starlight Casino located in the Greater Vancouver area is a brand new $110-million gaming and entertainment facility completed last December. The 100,000-square-foot facility has 850 slot machines and 45 gaming tables plus restaurants and bars, drawing as many as 15,000 customers a day. For the casino to provide a theme of warm and inviting atmosphere for its customers, the interior designer worked with the solid-state lighting manufacturer Act One to come up with a distinct lighting design that fulfilled the need of the casino.

The alluring lighting effect is created by using Act One’s LED lighting tubes mounted on the ceiling to disperse downward light evenly over the mesh screen curtains. With four lighted screens forming a fan-shape section and a total of 9 sections spread over the casino, this interior lighting design provides the kind of visual attraction the casino wanted. As said by the casino Marketing Director Maury Kask: “I kind of describe it as a very powerful, sexy interior design. … (The lighting) is a very distinct element. It’s a really unique design feature.” Continue Reading

Ha Long bay is very picturesque with many magnificent landscapes and seascapes. Nowadays it sparkles even more with the appearance of big sea sails printed with the letters Indochina Sails.

In the immense atmosphere permeated with sunlight and wind, one suddenly feels lonely. In the distance, ranges of mountains emerge from the sea.

The Indochina Sails cruise ship moves gently towards Bai Tu Long Bay.

In the luxurious dining room, every one looks out through the big windows. The European and Asian dishes are delicious, prepared by outstanding chefs and served up by a professional staff. The cruise ship moves out towards the centre of the bay. Hon Trong Mai (Male and Female Chicken island) appears before us. This island attracts a great number of visitors and is the pre-eminent symbol of Vietnamese tourism.

Vung Vieng fishing village is more beautiful in the weak sunlight of dusk. The Indochina Sails cruise ship drops anchor so that tourists can visit the village. The sunlight gleaming on the sea looks like an oil painting, but is formed entirely by the hand of nature. Continue Reading

A fifteen minute flight from Antigua, island trekkers can be cruising on Barbuda’s Pink Sand Beach.

Barbuda Bike Tours offers bicycle, tent & canopy rentals on the gorgeous beaches of Barbuda. They also offer guided mountain bike tours. Twenty-eight miles north of Antigua lies Barbuda, an island of sixty-two square miles of unexplored beaches and wilderness.

The terrain is completely flat and the elevation is close to or at sea level. This makes for easy yet exciting beach exploring and bird watching throughout the island. Barbuda is host to one of the largest frigate bird sanctuaries in the world. Barbuda is known for it’s lobster its number one export. Visitors to Barbuda can enjoy the biggest, freshest & lobster in the Caribbean.

Barbuda is a very dry island and presents an entirely opposite image of Antigua. You will find a more level landscape and shrubby vegetation. The population adds up to less than a couple thousand people and Barbuda’s main attraction are the wonderful sand beaches and the colorful underwater world. Around Barbuda you will find over 150 ship wrecks under water! Continue Reading

Zen Resort launches an integrated wellness deal for yoga group leaders and teachers to hold their training workshops in combination with the resort’s programs of pranayama, meditation, ayurveda and cultural and recreational activities for living in harmony with one’s inner self as well as the outer world of society and nature.

Zen Resort is a luxury boutique hotel and holistic wellness destination Spa, situated in a peaceful location, surrounded by rice fields, vineyards and natural forest and with wide open sea views in north Bali. The holistic design of the resort, blending in a beautiful natural and landscaped environment, and the integrated wellness facilities to practice yoga, experience ayurvedic treatments, reside in luxury accommodation with Zen simplicity, consume healthy food and participate in a wide range of cultural and eco-recreational activities all amount to an ideal environment not only to relax and rejuvenate from the stresses and stains of modern lifestyles but also to think of the changes in one’s way of life for a healthier, sustainable, satisfying and happy future. Continue Reading

AquaCity Resort, Slovakia has become the first destination in the world to achieve `Live Earth’ certification, a global accreditation that offers an internationally recognised certification of sustainability; encompassing environmental, social, cultural and economic factors.

Over four million people have visited AquaCity since it was constructed four years ago.

Reg Easy, Director of Live Earth, said: “AquaCity Resort has achieved standards of sustainability to which all tourism destinations should aspire. Live Earth recognised that the Resort is making responsible use of energy and materials, staff are being trained in best environmental practise and waste materials are being disposed of responsibly. This is exactly the benchmark that we are looking for from our Live Earth certificated members.”

AquaCity is built above vast subterranean sources of geothermal water, which is utilised both in its waterpark and spa, and to heat and power the resort, supplemented by solar power generated by photo-cells in the façade of one of the indoor pool complexes. Continue Reading

Tuscany Fine Rentals offers villas in Tuscany, now allows customers to book car rental too. As a result of cooperation between Tuscany Fine Rentals and ReservaCar Dublin Airport, holiday makers can book their holiday accommodation in Tuscany and car rental on www.tuscanyfinerentals.com/villas.php

Staying in a villa in Tuscany is great, because it gives holidaymakers the freedom and independence to come and go, just as and when it suits them. People are not tied to strict meal times and that means they can start and finish their day whenever they please.

“All of our villas in Tuscany have fully equipped kitchens for our guest’s catering needs. All accommodations are professionally prepared and cleaned prior to their arrival. We try to be as flexible as we can with booking dates. We offer bookings starting either on weekends or mid-week when available.”-said Gary Upton from Tuscany Fine Rentals. Continue Reading

The outstanding Chicago jet charter company known as Planemasters provides conventional air charter services to all area residents. Individuals book a plane, specify their exact wishes, and a qualified pilot brings them to their destination on a comfortable and safe aircraft. Planemasters, however, provides other services as well. In addition to chartering an aircraft, customers can also take advantage of the Chicago jet charter company’s aircraft management service.

For many people, the last words that come to mind when they think about air travel are “convenient” and “enjoyable.” Thanks to the growing number of hassles associated with traveling on conventional airlines and the safety concerns that many air travelers now have, companies like Planemasters are securing more business than ever before. Located in West Chicago, Planemasters is a leading provider of Chicago air charter services. Those who travel frequently for business often choose a Chicago jet charter company like Planemasters. The reasons for choosing a Chicago air charter company are clear. A company like Planemasters works around the schedules of their clients. Continue Reading

Mandarin Oriental Riviera Maya; Posada de Mike Rapu, Explora en Rapa Nui, Easter Island; J.K. Place Capri; and Banyan Tree Maldives Madivaru are among the 30 properties named to Travel + Leisure’s It List 2008 of best new hotels around the globe, chosen by the magazine’s editors.

From stylish beach resorts to newly redone city hideaways to eco-friendly retreats, T+L’s It List covers six continents with hotels ranging in price from $155/night to $4,600/night. This highly selective third annual list is featured in Travel + Leisure’s June issue and online at www.travelandleisure.com/itlist .

North America
+ El Silencio Lodge & Spa, Bajos del Toro, Costa Rica
+ Mandarin Oriental Riviera Maya, Riviera Maya, Mexico
+ La Purificadora, Puebla, Mexico
+ Regent Bal Harbour, Bal Harbour, Florida
+ Hotel Terra, Jackson Hole, Wyoming
+ The Plaza, New York, New York Continue Reading