Tiffany shareholders have approved the company's sale to LVMH for $16.2 billion and the deal is expected to close mid-year, subject to regulatory approval. Not surprisingly, LVMH's patriarch Bernard Arnault says 'Tiffany will be an outstanding addition to our unique portfolio of luxury brands'. Questions? Which of his children will M. Arnault put in charge [...]
Category: Food, drink, entertainment and activities
Staying there: Equinox Hotel, New York
Chris Norton joined Related’s Equinox to set up and run its Equinox Hotel brand. A fitness freak himself, he knew no-one else could copy this concept, which started with brand awareness and nearly 400,000 members of Equinox fitness clubs worldwide. The first hotel, in Hudson’s Yards at 11th Avenue and 34th Street, New York City, [...]
Put blackwater diving on your list, now
The blackwater diving experience is different from a typical day or night dive. It takes place in the open ocean, with divers drifting with the current in mid-water. Divers are guided by a string of LED lights attached to a vertical rope tethered to a surface-floating buoy. The lights also attract the deep dwelling, often [...]
Danish hospitality in Scotland, and beyond
Anders Holch Povlsen inherited his family's clothing company, Bestseller, when he was 28 - Forbes says he is now worth some $8 billion (the sum has been boosted by his largest-share in online fashion retailer ASOS). He and his family are passionate about Scotland, and so far they own 220,000 acres there, through their conservation [...]
Read more: Ted Turner’s unique Vermejo ranch
Vermejo Park Ranch is 40 miles west of Raton, NM, USA - it is four hours' drive south of Denver and four hours' drive north of Albuquerque. The 600,000-acre ranch, bought by Ted Turner, is home to 1,400 bison, plus antelope,1,400 bison, deer, elk, mountain lion, 180 species of birds. There is memorable fishing, Orvis-endorsed, on [...]
Fly-fishing, and more, at Huka Lodge
Huka Lodge, outside Taupo, New Zealand, is 20 years old. The Huka Lodge Fly Fishing Event, with Al Brown, was such a success last year, and everyone had such an amazing time that it will take place again, in 2020, from 10-13 September. With Al Brown joining in on all the action on-and-off the water, along with Land Rover, [...]
Staying there: Setai Miami Beach
Why is The Setai Miami Beach so special? This is the hotel that is obviously packed out not only for Art Basel Miami but for other special events: for Super Bowl 2020, this coming Sunday, 2 February, it has sold its Penthouse for five nights, for $50,000 a night.... GM Alex Furrer can cope with anything. [...]
Havana hotels update
On 1st June 2017 highly-experienced hotelier Xavier Destribats, from Bordeaux, opened Gran Hotel Manzana Kempinski La Habana, which has, despite US feelings towards Cuba, proved highly popular with discerning luxury travellers. It is a new-build, in an 1894-vintage shell, and of the 246 rooms, even a starter room, say #493, offers 40 sq. m of space [...]
Australia Day in Dubai
Yesterday, Sunday 26 January 2020, was Australia Day, the official national day of Australia. It marks the anniversary of the 1788 arrival of English ships at Port Jackson NSW: unofficially, it has also been variously named "Anniversary Day", "Foundation Day", "Invasion Day" and "National Day of Mourning". It was not until 1935 that all Australian states and [...]
Pretty Woman turns 30
The movie Pretty Woman was released 23 March 1990 and, like Casablanca and The Sound of Music, its popularity strengthens the whole time. (Interestingly one youngster was so inspired by the actor playing the hotel manager that he switched ambition from becoming a stage name, himself, to aspirations in the hotel industry. He, Daniel Szelényi, [...]