Celebrity Life

Bienvenidos a Miami! The coastal city boasts the third-largest skyline in the U.S. leading to unprecedented views of the Atlantic Ocean and beyond. Beyond its stretches of pristine beaches and luxury shopping – and of course, the nightlife – Miami is home to a number of swanky hotels beckoning the discerning traveler to be enveloped […]

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Mondrian Doha – A Luxury Hospitality Design Project By Marcel Wanders – Hotel Mondrian Doha, which opened in October 2017 in the city’s West Bay Lagoon neighborhood, brings the up-all-night intensity, energy, and Sunset Strip vibe of the original Hollywood Mondrian to the West Bay Lagoon neighborhood of Doha, the capital city of Qatar. In collaboration with Marcel Wanders, the interior design project of this luxury hotel is a mesmerizing place that will be indifferent to none.

Continue reading Mondrian Doha – A Luxury Hospitality Design Project By Marcel Wanders at Luxxu Blog.

With vaccinated travel lanes about to open, you might need some hospitality inspiration.

The post Discover our favourite hotels in Europe that accept travellers from Singapore appeared first on The Peak Magazine.

With vaccinated travel lanes about to open, you might need some hospitality inspiration.

For more stories like this, visit www.thepeakmagazine.com.sg.

With an estimated net worth of US$186.3 billion, chairman and CEO of the luxury goods conglomerate Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy (LVMH) Bernard Arnault joined the centi-billionaires club in May 2021, according to Forbes. The French fashion mogul is one of the richest people in the world and a force to reckon with.

Bernard Arnault net worth & expensive collections -

Luxury purchases portfolio 

He started his journey to the top in the 1980s when he first ventured into fashion with US$15 million from his father’s construction business. He got the rest of US$65 million financed from Lazard to buy the then-parent company of Christian Dior – in 1985. 

Since then, Arnault has been acquiring luxury brands and earned nicknames like "wolf in the cashmere coat" in the French media. In 1987, the conglomerate LVMH came into existence with the merger of Moët & Chandon and Hennessy, the world’s largest champagne and cognac producers, respectively. 

Bernard Arnault then went on to conquer leading European luxury brands, including couture-brand Givenchy (1988), French perfume, makeup and skincare giant Guerlain (1994), French leather luxury goods brand Céline (1996), the Italian jewellery brand Bvlgari (2011), Paris-based couture house Christian Dior (2017), American luxury jewellery and accessory brand Tiffany & Co. (2020) and Italian luxury label Off-White (2021), bringing the total to 75 stellar brands.  

Apart from luxury brands, Bernard Arnault has taken the helm of other pursuits such as hotels, artwork, yachts and culture.

Superyachts

The luxury yacht named Symphony, owned by Arnault, is among the world’s top 100 superyachts and the largest Feadship. Symphony can accommodate 36 passengers and is the first Feadship to cross the 100-metre mark and measures 101.5 metres or about 333 feet. Designed by Tim Heywood Design, Symphony is an eco-friendly yacht featuring six decks, an aluminium structure, has a gross tonnage of near 3,000 GT and a helicopter pad.  

The interior of the yacht, by Zuretti Interior Design, exudes luxury with a jacuzzi, sauna, lounge and dining area to accommodate 20 people. One of the decks includes a private office and study, beach club, cinema, golf area and wellness centre.  

The French yacht enthusiast also owned Amadeus, a superyacht built in 1969, which was given a luxury makeover to host many prominent personalities such as former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair and renowned rockstar Bono. It was later sold in 2015.  

Wines and spirits

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LVMH’s 23 houses strive together to craft high-end cognacs, wines and champagnes around the world. The key brands include Moët & Chandon, Hennessy, Krug and Château d’Yquem. 

Private Island 

Bernard Arnault reportedly owns Indigo Island, a 135-acre private island located in the Bahamas that offers retreats for the affluent at a whopping price of approximately US$300,000 per week. 

Artwork 

Known for his collection of world-class artworks, the French entrepreneur’s extensive collection of contemporary artwork includes paintings by Picasso, Andy Warhol and Henry Moore. His proximity to art and culture can be established by the fact that LVMH has ventured into many artistic pursuits, including the inception of the idea of the Foundation Louis Vuitton in 2001— which opened for the public in 2014.  

According to Bloomberg, Arnault keeps the collection of most famous artists in his Paris house.  

Luxury hotels  

Cheval Blanc and Belmond Hotel are owned by LVMH, which offer extravagance like no other. Cheval Blanc is a luxury hotel with 72 rooms and suites. The hotel also features on-site LV and Dior boutiques for luxury shopping. LVMH has over 46 Belmond hotel properties across 24 countries and counting.  

Saint-Tropez mansion 

Arnault owns a massive chateau-style waterfront mansion in Saint-Tropez, France, featuring multiple bedrooms an outdoor swimming pool, tennis court, movie theatre and separate quarters for staff. 

Private Jets

https://www.instagram.com/p/CRZON-0ta46/

Bernard Arnault reportedly splashed US$40 million on his private jet, Dassault Falcon 7X. Previously, he owned a Bombardier Global Express 6000. He also owns an ultra-long-range business jet Bombardier Global 7500 which can accommodate up to 19 passengers. 

(Hero and Featured Image credit: Eric Piermont/AFP)

This story originally appeared on Lifestyle Asia KL.

The post The Expensive Things LVMH CEO Bernard Arnault Bought With his Billions appeared first on Prestige Online - Hong Kong.

Prolific Bangkok-based architect and interior designer Bill Bensley is going full steam ahead with a railway- themed resort that will see abandoned train carriages upcycled into luxury suites. We talk to the mastermind behind the unique project currently under construction in Thailand.

With more than 200 hotels in his portfolio – including The Siam on the banks of the Chao Phraya River and the recently opened, opera-themed Capella Hanoi – Bill Bensley has earned a reputation for his unconventional style, with generous doses of extravagance, eclecticism and storytelling always deeply entwined in his design narrative. He’s also reputed to be very sensitive towards local communities, and maintains a profound commitment to minimising the environmental footprint of the projects he works on.

Just over two hours from Bangkok and slated for opening towards the end of the year, InterContinental Khao Yai National Park, Thailand is set on an arboreal, 40-hectare site with views over seven lakes. Among the resort’s 61-unit inventory will be 16 suites repurposed from salvaged railway carriages, the first time in Asia that an international hospitality brand has been involved in an upcycling undertaking such as this. For Bensley, it’s a dream project, especially as the owner, Rena Udomkunnatum, is a previous client and close friend, the pair having worked together on her Rosewood Luang Prabang resort.

How did this project come about?

My client was working on a project in Khao Yai, and asked me to come aboard. It’s a beautiful part of the country with mountains and cooler weather – a novelty for Thais who travel there, many from Bangkok, hoping to get their annual dose of greenery, a chance to wear a sweater, and be transported elsewhere for a while. As with all of our projects, this needed to have a really unique story that would make this a destination in and of itself.

Why the railway carriages, and how did you find them?

I’ve always been a fan of upcycling and recycling, so repurposing train carriages was a dream come true. We found them all over Thailand. A couple of them had been sitting in a field for perhaps 50 years and, like Angkor Wat, ficus trees had taken root on the roofs and almost completely enveloped the carriages. While we had to remove much of the trees to pry the trains out of the fields, I’m keeping some of the huge root systems as there’s a certain beauty that comes with the idea of returning to Mother Earth.

What were some of the biggest challenges you were faced with converting these carriages into fully functional luxury suites?

Well, fully functional luxury suites are about space for the most part, and these carriages are only 2.5 metres wide. So, our best suites are 2.5 x 30 metres. That’s a challenge!

What’s your favourite aspect of this project?

The fact that we’re breathing new life into garbage to create magic.

What came first: the location in Khao Yai, or the train carriages?

The location – a stunning piece of land on the edge of Thailand’s most important forested national park. As a nature lover and a conservationist, it’s always a thrill to work on sites like this, and a responsibility to do as little damage as possible. We’d actually designed a complete hotel after I was inspired by the architecture of an early-20th-century railway station nearby. I scrapped what we had and redesigned the whole thing, bringing in the idea of upcycling railway carriages to really tell the story of an old station in Khao Yai.

What makes this particular location so ideal for the project?

Khao Yai has always been a prized getaway for wealthy Thais, a hill station of sorts where many have large country estates. It’s just two hours away from Bangkok, and the cool climate and forested mountains make it an idyllic escape from the heat of the city. There are buckets of things to do there – activities, cultural experiences and nature – so it’s very special. And with a name like InterContinental behind us, we can reveal this destination to the larger world of travellers. Khao Yai has always been overlooked by international luxury travellers, who instead headed to Chiang Mai. As the latter has grown into Thailand’s second largest city, with traffic jams and some high rises, Khao Yai has a chance to become the next great nature destination in Thailand.

Did it take some work to convince the owner, or was she on board from the outset?

She and I had previously worked together to create Rosewood Luang Prabang, which melded storytelling with restoration and building in a way that preserves nature. She understands Bensley Design and we have a wonderful friendship. As soon as I showed her the new plans for a railway-inspired hotel, she was truly on board! It’s great to work with clients that are also friends, as we have a lot of fun dreaming up ideas, visiting the mock-up trains, and collecting rare items for this special project.

Tell us about the design theme and inspiration.

The railway-carriage suites, and every room, tell the tale of a train conductor called Somsak who grew up near Khao Yai. Since childhood his passion was trains; he was a ticket collector, a conductor, a station master – all the time collecting railway memorabilia. One day he found out there were plans to build an extension of the line going through to Khao Yai. He gathered his savings, bought a plot of land and commissioned a local architect to design a station and ticket office in the style of the old architecture he’d come to love, and a small dwelling that he filled with his railway collection.

While working, Somsak saved every penny to experience the most incredible train journeys on Earth. They took him to Sri Lanka and India, and then closer to home: Hanoi, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Yangon, Luang Prabang, Saigon, Phnom Penh, and Chiang Rai, Khon Kaen, Song Kla, Sukhothai or and even Chanthaburi. These journeys, which he could have taken the train to from Khao Yai, became the inspiration for the railway carriages. They’re all uniquely designed to reflect each journey and will transport guests to the glamorous golden age of rail travel, complete with boarding passes and special luggage tags. The presidential suites will have private, standalone pools, and even guests in the main hotel guestrooms have rooms which feel just like a train, complete with station signboards, luggage racks, bunk beds for some and private outdoor bathtubs for others.

Bensley Design projects are typically characterised by elements of nature, conservation, sustainability, storytelling and unique destination experiences. How does this new project tick these boxes?

This is a unique destination, as Khao Yai is just coming into itself and beginning to attract people from beyond our borders. In terms of storytelling, we loved coming up with the tale of Somsak the train conductor and developing his story through every part of the hotel. As always, it’s the DNA of our project and guides all of our design choices, so that guests are transported to a world of our own creation, while still being rooted in reality. As for sustainability and conservation, we always build using the sustainable principles outlined in my published white paper, and also consider how best to build so that we wouldn’t do harm to this natural, beautifully wooded site. We also brought in colossal 100-year-old trees which were seeking homes, and planted them here. Another aspect of sustainability is the railway carriages themselves – the truest form of recycling and upcycling.

Is this kind of upcycling a trend we’re going to see in hospitality design, especially with regard to big brands?

I hope so. This is the first time a big hotel brand backs upcycling on such a big scale. I hope more will follow suit – follow the less-treaded path of major upcycling and recycling, as it brings huge appeal to any project and so much character. I’d love to see an upcycled plane hotel, a grounded ship, or – and this is something I’ve been pitching for years – a 100 percent recycled hotel.

Safari on Wheels

Known as “the train on the bridge”, Kruger Shalati opened in September last year, offering a one-of-a-kind South African safari experience. Positioned on a bridge above the Sabie River in the Kruger National Park and ideal for wildlife viewing, this boutique hotel resides in repurposed railway carriages that have been exquisitely fitted out. Offering 31 rooms, consisting of 24 carriage rooms and 7 Bridge House rooms, all of which provide a deeply visceral experience and tailored for immersive comfort, the style of the train is a celebration of African design in collaboration with local art and crafting skills. High above the riverbanks, aligned with the floor level of the train, lies a pool deck, offering a swimming experience unlike any other — with crocodiles, hippos, buffaloes and elephants greeting guests just metres below.

The post Architect Bill Bensley on Turning Abandoned Train Carriages Into Luxury Suites appeared first on Prestige Online - Hong Kong.

A selection of multi-grape blends from single vintages -- all lending credence to every wine snob's favourite theory that Champagne is predisposed to "ageing gracefully".

For all the information that accompanies widespread internet access and the omnipresent, somewhat dogged spectre of social media, a huge chunk of drinkers remain oblivious to the decisive role lees ageing plays in the production of sparkling wine. Ditto whenever you pop a bottle of Champagne: that famously coveted regionality of bubbly, that benefits from anywhere between 2-3 years of ageing sur lie for even the most pedestrian of non-vintages.

In contrast to the EU's wider wine-producing industry (where the minimum statutory requirement is 90 days), in Champagne sufficient time spent on fermentation of flavour is deemed indispensable to the overall process. Away from the predations of light, in a CO²-rich environ that's deep underground, the wines of the Champenoise achieve a kind of miraculous metamorphosis: ageing, evolving, revealing complexities of character.

Of course, every Chef de Cave ('cellarmaster') has their own philosophy pertaining to the vicissitudes that accompany extended lees-ageing. Perhaps most controversially, Vincent Chaperon, Dom Pérignon's Chef de Cave, has long maintained that Champagne doesn't evolve linearly, but rather through a series of multi-year cycles he described as "windows of opportunity, or plenitudes". At DP, that hypothesis expresses itself in three distinct bottlings: the first comes 7-8 years after the wine has been sur lie (what most consumers will recognise as DP's signature, vintage-specific Champagne), the second requires 12-15 years, and the third when a vintage wine has matured on lees for at least two decades. Amongst the brand's devotees, the intermediate 'window' has always been popular, largely because of its association with the 'P2' label -- the most recent expression of which pivots around the famously "challenging" vintage of 2003.

Put plainly, in 2021, there are no shortage of serious Champagne houses releasing cuvées which bear the unmistakable mark of a long sleep in the cellar. In concert with grapes borne of excellent soil and weather, extended lees-ageing can bolster the cellaring potential of a given vintage 10, 20, occasionally even 30 years. At the very least? The process makes for bubbly that is delicious and eminently drinkable. Amidst the height of the Hong Kong summer, you'll find a few of my personal favourites below.

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Built on the legacy of the Harilela family and inspired by its London counterpart, The Hari Hong Kong opened its door last December on Lockhart Road. Since then, the property has received a lot of attention for its charming interiors, food offerings and unique atmosphere.

There are not many places in the world where the luxury hospitality scene is as diverse and crowded as it is in Hong Kong. The Hari, however, brought to our city something that was definitely missing: a relaxed - and yet elegant - contemporary space that perfectly encapsulates the cosmopolitan urban retreat formula.

Location 8/10

Located between two of Hong Kong's most vibrant neighbourhoods, Wan Chai and Causeway Bay, The Hari is surrounded by countless dining, shopping and leisure options. From the hotel, guests can easily walk to markets, trendy coffee-shops, upscale restaurants and local landmarks, like the Golden Bauhinia Square, Blue House and Hong Kong Arts Centre, to fall in love with this part of the city all over again.

Design 9/10

The property was deigned by Tara Bernerd of Tara Bernerd & Partners, who previously worked with Aaron Harilela to create the London branch of the hotel. The Lounge, located on the first floor, combines the atmosphere of an upscale private library, contemporary tea room and living room in one space. We absolutely love the attention to details, from the special editions of classic literary masterpieces on the shelves, to the impressive artworks on the wall and the carefully curated objects that decorate every corner of the room. This distinctive style shines through the guest rooms and other communal areas of The Hari, which exudes personality and character.

Room: 8/10

We stayed in a Premium Corner Room, a spacious open plan that overlooks the skyscrapers of Wan Chai and Admiralty. Larger than a standard room, the space includes a dressing room, a soothing marble bathroom and a living area by the large windows.

In line with the hotel's identity, each guest room combines luxury and comfort with contemporary design and artistic touches.

Service & Facilities: 8/10

Our stay was elevated by the hotel's friendly, helpful and attentive staff. Facilities include a brand-new gym with world class equipments and room service from the hotel's restaurants.

Food & Drink: 9/10

We've loved the hotel's food concepts, Zoku and Lucciola (you can check out our full review and interviews with chefs here), since the first time we tried them back in December. Both restaurants excel in identity, design, food quality and service. Zoku, a Nobu-esque modern Japanese eatery, never disappoints when it comes to refined and reinterpreted classic pairings. Lucciola, helmed by a Piedmontese chef, offers bold and memorable timeless dishes and regional options. Make sure to check out the outstanding cocktail options by Beverage Manager Sabrina Cantini.

Rating: 8.5/10

Perfect for: An urban escape in the spirit of contemporary luxury, cosmopolitan atmosphere and trendy eateries.

The Hari Hong Kong, 330 Lockhart Rd, Wan Chai; +852 2129 0388

The post Staycation Review: An Urban-Chic Escape at The Hari Hong Kong appeared first on Prestige Online - Hong Kong.

A few years ago, London’s Bloomsbury and Holborn districts, home to some of the world’s greatest intellectuals, writers and artists over the centuries, were collectively rebranded as Midtown by local businesses in an effort to raise their profile and appeal more to tourists; American tourists, specifically. The area, which lies just to the east of […]