5 star luxury hotel in Dubai - Sofitel Dubai Jumeirah Beach

The Sofitel Dubai Jumeirah Beach, luxury beachfront hotel infused with French elegance, is located in Jumeirah Beach Residence on "The Walk" adjoining to Dubai Marina. 
"The Walk", seafront promenade reminiscent of the French Riviera, offers a choice of 200 shops, restaurants, cafes in a splendid open-air pedestrian setting along the beach. The new hub of Dubai is the place to be and to be seen. 

All with breathtaking sea views over the Persian Gulf and private balcony, the 438 beautifully appointed rooms offer the ultimate sleeping experience with MyBed® concept. 
Five restaurants and bars invite you to meet people and celebrate food with French touch.
The InspiredMeeting® floor includes a pre-function area, a ballroom and 4 meeting rooms. 

Paris Luxury Hotels

Watch the video of Paris's luxury hotels like Ritz Carlton, Four Seasons etc. These hotels are no less than palaces and will make you feel like Royalty itself...

The decor, the ambience, the service, everything about these hotels spells LUXURY in bold. Visit them once and yo will never want to come back. Perfect for honeymooners

Top 10 luxury destinations in Europe

You can find luxury across the continent, if you know where to look, but if you are new to luxury European getaways then these are some of the most popular spots with other holidaymakers.

French Riviera

1. French Riviera

Sitting pretty on the Mediterranean coast, the French Riviera has long been associated with luxury and opulence. Resorts such as Nice and Cannes are favourite haunts of the elite Hollywood and the accommodation on offer caters to high-class tastes. Enjoy the beautiful beaches or watch the world go by from the pavement cafes.

2.  Monte Carlo

The capital of the principality of Monaco is well known as a resort that caters to luxury tastes. Think fine dining, evenings in the casino or luxury yacht charters. Five star hotels are abound, with spa facilities on tap.

3. Switzerland

The Swiss Alps have long been a draw for those seeking to restore balance and harmony, so it is no surprise that this region is home to some amazing spa retreats. Alpine air, stunning scenery and five-star service are readily found here.

Greek Islands

4. Greek Islands

With their stunning seascapes and tradition of hospitality it is no surprise that the Greek Islands are a great place to find a luxury break. Choose from remote mountain hotels with all services or all-inclusive beachside complexes.

5.  Balearics

The Spanish Island group may be popular with those seeking a traditional beach break, but they are also home to some more high spec holiday destinations. Ibiza offers great alternative spa resorts, while Majorca has a superb selection of luxury hotels.

6. Sardinia

The Italian Island offers some of the Med’s most beautiful beaches and its recent rise in popularity with holidaymakers has seen the emergence of some great luxury accommodations. Choose from stunning villas finished to high spec or full service hotels ready to cater to your every need.

Neapolitan Riviera

7. Neapolitan Riviera

Arguably the most stunning coastline in Italy. A wide range of exclusive hotels is available in the area, offering access to such delights as Sorrento and the island of Capri. Rental cars are a great option for those wanting to drive the wonderful winding coast roads to enjoy amazing sea views or head to nearby Pompeii and Mount Vesuvius.

8. Croatia Dalmation Coast

Since the Balkan states opened up in the 1990s more and more travellers have been discovering the delights of the Dalmation Coast. This stretch of Croatian shore is a luxury traveller’s paradise, with popular holiday choices including crewed yacht charters allowing visitors to enjoy intimacy and autonomy while they explore the many islands in the area.

Iceland

9. Iceland

If you prefer your luxury destinations a little more natural, then Iceland is where it is at. With its high cost of living, many Icelandic resorts fall in the luxury bracket by default – but this isn’t to say they don’t belong here. Reykjavik boasts a great array of luxury boutique hotels, while those seeking seclusion

10. Scotland

With some of the most stunning landscapes in Europe Scotland is the well-kept secret of luxury travel. Highland retreats and hunting lodges offer five star service – this is also the perfect destination for connoisseurs of malt whisky.

Condo, Hotel Unveils Plans for Brooklyn Bridge Park

Brooklyn Bridge Park, New York

The city's biggest developers are competing for the chance to build luxury high-rise condos and hotels on the Brooklyn waterfront. No less than 7 of the city’s biggest developers, including Robert Levine, Toll Brothers, Two Trees Management and Extell Development have already unveiled their plans for almost 180 condo units and a 225-room hotel on the waterfront. 

The plan to build private housing and a hotel is the latest bid to fund the renovations of the park, which have been remodeled and re-opened in sections. Last December residents of the area spoke out against the plan, offering up alternatives for funding, like vendor payments,  vendor payments or taxing local residents. However now some residents who enjoy use of the park believe that without the proper funding, maintenance and the continued renovations will not be able to continue.

According to officials, construction on the high-rise buildings and hotel would begin in 2013 and be finished by 2015.

UAE Hospitality sector to get a big boost

UAE World Expo Pavillion

 If UAE's bid for the World Expo 2020 goes in their favor, it could lead to huge jump for the country's travel industry. The travel and tourism experts believe that if the UAE manages to win the bid, it could open a massive investment gateway for its travel and tourism sector.

The World Expo is one of the largest international events organized for more than 150 years, and takes place every 5 years, lasting up to six months.  Gassan Aridi, CEO of Alpha Tours says,  "The World Expo is the busiest exhibition in the world and is said to attract the largest number of visitors worldwide". He also mentioned that if UAE manages to secure the bid for the 2020 expo, then the exhibition alone is likely to attract more than half a million visitors from across the globe.

Following the orders of His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, a high ranking delegation visited Paris recently to discuss UAE's World Expo 2020 bid with officials and members of the International Bureau of Exhibitions.

The winning bid, for which four other countries — Brazil, Turkey, Russia and Thailand - are also competing, is due to be announced in 2013.

European Tourism challenge the Euro Crisis

Despite the increasing economic turbulence in Europe due to Euro Crisis, European tourism industry figures are rising up. The ITB World Travel Trends Report which is compiled by IPK International and commissioned by ITB Berlin reports that based on year-on-year comparison, trips out of Europe have increased by four per cent. Inspite of the economic uncertainty in European countries, travel spending has not been affected and has infact risen by two per cent.

The forecast for next year is also positive.  Overall, IPK's ‘European Travel Confidence Index' lies at 103 points for 2012, which indicates a 2-3% growth for next year. This would represent solid growth and would mean a new all-time high number of trips, breaking the previous record year of 2008.

Particularly, The Swiss were noted as keen travelers. The number of trips they took grew by nine per cent. They were followed by Sweden (seven per cent) and Belgium (six per cent) respectively. Germans were more restrained. In 2011 the number of trips they took rose by only one per cent.

Among European tourists, the major cities were popular yet again. The most popular trips were City breaks, closely followed by round trips and beach holidays. Bookings by smartphones have made no significant impact in Europe till now. Only 3% of European travelers said they used mobile devices to make their travel reservations while the rest 97% use internet via a PC or laptop. 

The ITB World Travel Trends Report will present the details of European travel trends in early December at www.itb-berlin.com. The report is based on the assessments of 50 tourism experts from 30 countries.

Best Practices for Hotel Websites Analytics

Vizergy and the Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International (HSMAI) teamed up to release a  detailed white paper on "Best Practices for Hotel Website Analytics." With an increase in social media usage across the globe, website analytics is surely becoming an integral part of the hotel marketing team’s decision making processes. Inspite of this, most hoteliers are unsure of how to fully take advantage of this data in order to make the most of their marketing efforts and get an surge in their online business. This white paper was researched and written as a response to many of the questions that hotel marketers have about usage of website analytics.

Veteran e-commerce and marketing expert Tim Peter authored the paper. This paper is based on the latest research, industry survey and direct interviews with marketing and analytics experts. The paper also has an analytics implementation checklist and some real world examples to help hotel marketers understand the concepts and their application better. Some issues that the paper covers are: 

·         Identify which metrics are most important to measure and track

·         Implement best practices that help increase online engagement and revenue

·         Establish analytics based goals

·         Make effective marketing decisions based on data driven intelligence

Hotel marketers can save both time and money by understanding how to identify key metrics and properly use analytic tools, in order to develop future marketing initiatives, as well as optimize their websites.