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Millennium & Copthorne Hotels Appoints New Chief Operating Officer
Dec 04, 06 2:00 am
Millennium & Copthorne (M&C) Hotels plc is pleased to announce the appointment of Michael Sengol as its Chief Operating Officer.
The announcement comes following the recent release of third quarter and nine months results that posted strong growth for hotel revenue particularly in London, New York and Singapore.
Michael was seconded to his new role from his August 2006 appointment as the M&C Hotels plc’s Executive Vice President for Asia Pacific. As M&C Hotels’ new Chief Operating Officer, he is tasked with the overall accountability of driving business profitability, standards, operations, and the development of M&C brands particularly in Europe and Asia.
Mr Kwek Leng Beng, Chairman of M&C Hotels plc, said, “Michael’s effectiveness at developing relationships with guests and business partners, and his keen understanding of the business and our brands are among the factors that have substantially impacted our decision in appointing him to this key role.”
“With the markets of Europe and Asia exhibiting such exciting momentum, we are confident that Michael is capable of spearheading our hotel business in these regions. Michael’s consistent focus on implementing revenue maximising practices and tapping multiple distribution channels has worked to the benefit of incremental growth in his past and current assignments within the Company. We are certain that his experience will be pivotal for M&C’s continued expansion,” added Mr Kwek, who is also the Executive Chairman of Hong Leong Group Singapore. Hong Leong Group is the parent of City Developments Limited (CDL), which in turn holds a 52% stake in M&C Hotels plc.
An internationally seasoned hotel operator, Michael’s career in the hospitality industry spans more than 30 successful years in Asia Pacific. His dedication to the highest standards in hotel management and operations, and his proven expertise have taken him to key assignments with the world’s most renowned hotel companies, managing hotels and serviced suite properties in countries such as the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Australia, Taipei, Guam, Hong Kong, and China.
Michael’s strengths lie in innovative expense management to enhance revenue opportunities, managing owner relationships, strategic brand management, pre-opening hotels, and people development.
Prior to joining the M&C in August 2005, Michael was Director for Operations for one of the world’s largest hotel companies, driving business results for a cluster of 14 properties. In this capacity, he was recognized in 2004 for his outstanding contribution and was conferred numerous citations including Outstanding Marketing Innovation Award; Best Hotel Leadership of the Year Award; Most Outstanding Achievement in Implementing Core Values; People Development Award – Asia Pacific; and Most Profitable Hotel Award.
Despite his busy work schedule, Michael is also an avid sportsman. Celebrated as one of Singapore's all-time "Walking Greats," Michael held the national record for race walking from 1970 to 1976. As part of the Singapore National Race Walking Team, he participated in the 7th South East Asia Peninsular Games (now SEA Games) in 1973 and broke the national record for the 20-kilometre trek.
About Millennium & Copthorne
Millennium & Copthorne International Limited (a subsidiary of Millennium & Copthorne Hotels plc and member of the Singapore-based Hong Leong Group) owns and operates hotel properties in seven countries in Asia. Globally, the UK-headquartered Millennium & Copthorne Hotels plc owns and operates more than 108 hotels, making it one of the largest owned and managed hotel groups in the world.
The Millennium and Copthorne brands are the principal brands for this worldwide portfolio. Each hotel within the portfolio exhibits its own unique personality but they are all collectively distinguished and recognised for their capacities to provide the best possible business, leisure, incentives, meetings and events experience to all customers worldwide.
The Millennium Hotels portfolio showcases 4-star deluxe and 5-star properties located in international gateway cities throughout the United Kingdom, continental Europe, North America, Asia, New Zealand, North Africa, and the Middle East. The Copthorne Hotels stable - many of which have won a succession of major industry awards, comprises 4-star properties located in major regional business centres around the world.
In Singapore, Millennium & Copthorne International Limited manages the Grand Copthorne Waterfront Hotel, Orchard Hotel, M Hotel, Copthorne King’s Hotel and Copthorne Orchid Hotel. In other Asia-Pacific, it manages The Heritage Hotel Manila in the Philippines, Millennium Hotel Sirih Jakarta in Indonesia, Copthorne Orchid Hotel Penang and The Regent Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia, Millennium Seoul Hilton in Korea, the new Millennium Hongqiao Hotel Shanghai in China, Millennium Sukhumvit Hotel, Bangkok – scheduled to open in last quarter of 2007 and Millennium Beijing - scheduled to open in 2008.
Additionally, Millennium & Copthorne International Ltd owns several other chain-managed hotels including the Grand Hyatt Taipei in Taiwan, the Nikko Hotel and JW Marriott Hotel in Hong Kong, Millennium Hilton Bangkok in Thailand and the new St. Regis Hotel in Singapore.

Holiday Homes, rentals, bed and breakfast, accommodation, villas, condos, motels in the USA - Advertise now your property for FREE

Holiday Homes, rentals, bed and breakfast, accommodation, villas, condos, motels in the USA - Advertise now your property for FREE

An early look at the Hotel of Tomorrow
Dec 04, 06 2:02 am
Welcome to the room of the future — just don’t lose your keyBy Rob Lovitt, MSNBC
Travel enough and even the latest and greatest amenity will eventually go from hip to humdrum. In-room iPod dock? Yawn. Wall-to-wall WiFi? I should hope so. Flat-screen TV? Yeah, been there, watched that.
No, real innovation comes from imagining amenities that haven’t been invented yet. At least that’s the idea behind the Hotel of Tomorrow (HOT) project, an industry-spanning initiative put together by Hospitality Design (HD) magazine and Gettys, a Chicago-based design firm. Unveiling their ideas earlier this fall, the group effort offered intriguing ideas on everything from checking in to conking out.
A touch-screen unit that lets you pick hotel rooms the way you choose airline seats. Nano-painted walls that provide on-demand electricity without cords or cables. Biometric monitors that adjust lighting, temperature, and humidity based on your health needs and personal preferences. Given the rate of technological change these days — dial-up, anyone? — they’re not as far-fetched as they sound.
In fact, the project participants based their ideas on developments already underway. Looking at both the latest macrotrends (nanotechnology, connectivity, etc.) and guest demographics (neo-greens to Gen Y teens), they came up with an array of amenities designed to boost consumer choice and a more personalized experience.
That’s a great thing, although I can see a potential problem, i.e., living through the learning curve that always comes with new technology. As a guy who can get flummoxed by the extra buttons on his new TV remote, I’m not exactly a technophobe, but I can sure be technofeeble at times, and I suspect there may be a few bumps along the way to this brave new world.
Check it outAnyone who has used a touch screen to pre-select an airline seat will appreciate a similar service for choosing hotel rooms. Bring up an image of a hotel (online or in the lobby), touch a particular room, and voilà, you can see a picture, list of amenities, perhaps even the view out the window.
Imagine the detail, the flexibility, the mind-boggling potential to be completely paralyzed by the wealth of choices. If you’ve ever circled a parking lot bypassing empty spots in pursuit of a better one, you know exactly what I mean. I can already hear my wife muttering, “Just…pick…one…wouldja?”
Or, how about a handheld unit that works as a room key, mobile phone, and control unit for lights, window blinds, and air conditioning? Pretty cool, huh? Add in a video screen and more software, and suddenly, you’ve got a combination PDA, GPS unit, and direct link to the hotel concierge.

Continental compromises

In the compelling paper that launches the “Industry Perspectives” series, Barbara Talbott , Executive Vice President, Marketing at Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts , reflects on the evolution of service, and offers critical analysis for today’s hospitality industry.
Talbott explains how company founder Isadore Sharp redefined hospitality service in 1971, when he opened the company’s first hotel in London. Quoting Sharp, Talbott recalls the insight that led Four Seasons to focus on the needs of the high end traveler: “When we looked closely, it became clear that the greatest luxury for our customers was time, and service could help them make the most of that.” Thus was born the 24-hour hotel, offering services and amenities tailored to the continually evolving needs of the most discerning business and leisure travelers.
Far from simply a history lesson, Talbott’s white paper explains how Four Seasons has continued to develop its unique service culture even as it has expanded worldwide, notably by carefully selecting and nurturing employees. The result has been industry-leading room revenues and profitability, and a reputation that competitors aspire to.
“The Four Seasons story shows how paying specific attention to meeting customers’ needs can result in a company’s success,” noted Mark Lomanno, president, Smith Travel Service. “I’m pleased that Barbara Talbott has taken the time to share her analysis of how that process was created.” Both Lomanno and Talbott are members of the Center’s Advisory Board. Future white papers will address other companies and areas of the hospitality industry. “Barbara Talbott’s paper sets an excellent example of the level of material we expect to publish in this series,” commented David Sherwyn, academic director of the Center for Hospitality Research. “I welcome queries from other industry leaders who would like to participate in this forum.”

http://www.holidayhomesthestates.com/rentals/East_Coast_USA-Holidays/

Holidays are one of the reasons we all work

China emerges as fourth largest business travel market in the world after US
Nov 03, 06 1:58 am
Corporations in China spent US$7.41 billion on air travel in 2005, making China the fourth biggest business travel market in the world, according to the results of American Express Business Travel’s China Business Travel Survey (The Barometer). Released during the second American Express China Business Travel Forum (CBTF) in Shanghai, findings of the Barometer revealed that T&E has become the second largest controllable costs for organizations accounting for 24% of total controllable expenses.Findings of the Barometer provided organizations, vendors and suppliers with the latest information of the Travel & Entertainment (T&E) management practices and outlook of the market for 2007 in China. This is the third business travel survey conducted by American Express in China. The last two surveys were announced in 2003 and 2005."The Barometer and CBTF demonstrate American Express’ long term commitment to the China market. As business activities increase, companies operating in China look for opportunities to optimize their T&E expenses, an investment that can improve the bottom line of their business. American Express is well positioned to capitalize on this growth opportunity and assist companies with world class business travel management solutions," said Charles Petruccelli, President of American Express Global Travel Services.T&E market highlights from this year’s survey included:
Corporations in China spent US$7.41 billion on air travel in 2005, making China the fourth biggest business travel market in the world after United States, Japan and Germany.
Among different industries, manufacturing reported the largest business travel spending and growth in 2006.
The business travel growth is largely driven by the domestic market - 28% of the surveyed organizations reported an increase in their T&E expenditure and 87% of these expenses occurred in mainland China and Hong Kong.
According to the Barometer, T&E has become the second largest controllable costs for organizations accounting for 24% of the total controllable expenses, with the first one being salaries (51%) and the third being Information Technology (15%).
Meals and entertainment remained the largest expense category accounting for 42% of total T& E expenditure, followed by Air Travel (24%).
T&E is considered an investment by companies to acquire new clients (53%) or maintain existing business relationships (47%).
Travel management practices highlights from this year’s Barometer included:
Business travel management is gaining momentum in China. According to the survey, there are more negotiated rates with suppliers, up 20% since 2004.
70% of the organizations have a T&E policy, up 15% from 2005. Traceability, efficiency and cost are the driving forces of the T&E policies
Compliance is low. According to the survey, only 28% of the organizations comply with more than 50% of the T&E policy. Over half of the organizations surveyed have no control in place.
According to the survey, about one-third of organizations use a travel agency for their business travel requirements.
Use of the internet for business travel is not high. Only 37% of organizations reported internet usage. However, over 50% of both the Chinese and foreign owned companies are not considering the implementation of an online tool.
Payment method evolved slowly. Reimbursement on cash receipts remains the main method of expense payment, with 73% of surveyed companies using this payment method and over half of the respondents had temporary cash advances.
2007 outlook highlights from this year’s Barometer included:
Almost a third of organizations expect further growth in their T&E expenditure for the coming 12 months - 33% of manufacturing organizations as well as 31% of the service industry expect their business travel budget to increase over the next 12 months
The domestic market will continue to drive the growth in T&E expenditure, with 41% of organizations citing continued business development in China as the reason for the expected increase in T&E expenditure in the next 12 months.
"Our survey indicates the strong growth momentum of the business travel market. The findings provide valuable information and insights for corporations, suppliers and vendors to review and enhance their current practices that will help enhance the development of the industry. American Express will capitalize on the knowledge and build on our success in the market. We have the core values which corporations are looking for in a travel agency as indicated by the Barometer: global coverage, reliability and quality customer services," said Petruccelli. The Barometer survey was conducted by Research International from May to September 2006, interviewing 200 Chinese and foreign owned organizations with 100 and more employees in five key industry sectors in Shanghai, Beijing and Guangzhou.

http://www.holidayhomesthestates.com/resources/links.php

Our little Slice of Heaven

London GMs score with bonuses
Jun 16, 06 1:58 am
By Christopher Mumford, HVS
HVS looks at how London General Manager salary and bonus levels have risen over the past three years.
Towards the end of last year, I reported on the rise in salary levels awarded to hotel executives at four and five star hotels in London. My findings revealed that hotel executive committee salaries in the capital rose by an average of 12% between 2004 and 2005. The biggest winners were Directors of Sales and Marketing who recorded an increase of 17% in base salary but our figures excluded the General Managers. I therefore decided to take a look at how General Managers are faring. Is it just their executive teams that are benefiting from increased earnings from improved hotel performance or are General Managers also reaping the rewards? Our data does not allow direct year-on-year comparison between 2004 and 2005 but does enable us to look at salary levels awarded to General Managers from 2003 and early 2006. Our peer group is five star luxury hotels in central London and, on the face of it, there has not been a great deal of change. Certainly, at the minimum and maximum ends of the range there is very little alteration. Rather it is in the middle of the data range where most movement has been recorded. Indeed, the 50th percentile point in the data range in 2006 is not far off the 75th percentile point from 2003. This is a clear indication that the majority of General Manager salaries have made significant gains over the past couple of years. If we look at the average base salary in 2003 of £123,160 we see that this has risen by 17% to a 2006 level of £143,980. Annualised over two years, this is an average increase in base salary of 8.5% per annum. Interestingly, this increase in General Manager pay is pretty much in line with that of their bosses. A study of the 2003 and 2005 annual reports of UK listed hotel companies reveals that the average annual CEO base salary rose by 19% over the two year time period. In the true fashion of performance-related-pay, General Managers' earning power is closely tied to the financial results of their hotels. Trading conditions in London have continually improved since 2003, in spite of occasional setbacks such as the July 2005 terrorist attacks, and the impact on General Manager remuneration has been most noticeably felt in the bonus arena.While base salary levels make steady annual gains, it is bonus levels which experience the peaks and troughs of a market's cycle and it would appear that 2005 was a good year in London. The average bonus payout to a General Manager of a five star hotel in London last year was £38,344. This represented a hike of 41% over that of 2003. Target bonuses are typically in the 25 - 35% of base salary range and the results for 2006 indicated that, unlike 2003, most General Managers were making target and beyond. The below table illustrates the bonus award as a percentage of annual base salary and shows that General Managers last year successfully hit their bonus targets. The average bonus as a percentage of base salary was 29%. Likewise, the average for executive committee members at five star hotels was 12%. It is apparent therefore that, while General Managers have implemented healthy increases in the base salary levels of their hotel executives, perhaps as a response to the current highly competitive job market, they themselves have received more modest increases in base salary but have made greater gains in bonus awards. As proponents of performance-related-pay, we are pleased to see that hotel owners and operators have their General Managers' personal financial interests closely linked to those of the operating unit. We would encourage them to extend this practice and increase the bonus potential of all managers with P&L responsibility within the hotel.

Holiday Hotels

Who are your Online Customers? Does Broadband Effect How They Find Your Web Site?
Jun 16, 06 2:01 am
By Neil Salerno & David Hart A Collaborative Article: Neil Salerno & David Hart
The first of these questions is an obvious one to ask, the second not so apparent for hotels operators who are trying to make the most of their marketing budget. This is especially true of the growing number of hoteliers who realize the tremendous opportunities that marketing their hotel on the Internet provides for them.
Changes in home Internet usage in general, and the effect of broadband access on that usage in particular, is a phenomenon that will profoundly impact your Web marketing decisions for years to come. Speed Rules.
How important is the Internet to your customers? For all you techies out there, here’s some recent data. Some of us find these details interesting, even if we’re already convinced of the massive reach and continued growth of the Internet.
By Age: 88% of 18-29 year-olds now go online, 84% of 30-49 year-olds,
71% of 50-64 year-olds, and 32% of those age 65 and older say they use the internet. Usage goes up as age goes down, clearly pointing to increases in older users as young folks age!
By Income: Those in the lowest-income households are considerably less likely to be online. Just 53% of adults living in households with less than $30,000 in annual income go online, versus 80% of those whose income is between $30,000-50,000. 86% of adults living in households with annual income between $50,000 and $75,000 use the internet, compared with 91% of adults living in households earning more than $75,000.
By Education: Education also remains an important indicator for Internet use. While 40% of adults who have less than a high school education use the internet, 64% of adults with a high school degree go online. Among those who have some college education, 84% use the internet, and 91% of adults with a college degree go online.
What is the Impact of High-speed Broadband Connections? Simply put, home broadband (DSL, cable, satellite, etc.) access increases the time that people spend on the Web, for fun, games, information, and, of course, shopping. The more time people spend seeking information about purchases online, the less time and emphasis they will spend on old traditional forms of print advertising and marketing. These trends clearly indicate a continued increase in the role the Internet will play in marketing your hotel.
Studies show that Broadband Matters :
The time each person spends online doubles
They visit 2.5 times more sites
They see more than 3 times the number of pages
Broadband Connections in American homes have now reached 42% (about 84 million), up from 29% (about 59 million) in January 2005. The increased popularity and new affordability of broadband is increasing exponentially. But, as far as we’ve come, we still have a long way to go. As of April 2006, the U.S. ranks 19th among other countries in this category. The true promise of the Internet is yet to come.
Broadband at work : According to Nielsen/NetRatings, as of December 2005, 87.5% of US users at work enjoy a high-speed connection. Since much travel is researched in the workplace, this would explain the dramatic increases we’ve seen in online travel.
You only get one chance to make a good first impression. Excuse the cliché, but it’s true. Research shows that people make an almost instant evaluation of your site based on its look and appeal. This can impact their decision to seek further information. As a result, many site designers go all out on graphic effects and design elements to make sure that your site has visual appeal. Caution, there is a fine line between good visual appeal and an opening page that is over-designed with too many bells and whistles; too slow to load; and confuses search engines with too much flash.
Some experts have said that “broadband is the way the Internet should have been right from the beginning”. The problem is that many websites are being designed as if all users are using broadband now; loading so slowly that non-broadband users get the opposite impression…a poor web site. There are other issues which contribute to poor site design: poor navigation, difficulty of use, and lack of selling text. But that’s another topic.
Research shows that folks only give a page 8-15 seconds to load before annoyance sets-in. If users are arriving from a search result, it’s even more important that your design is within good loading parameters if they are on dial-up. As broadband continues to increase in popularity, this will become less important; but, that’s still in the future. If loading speed is acceptable on dial-up, it’s super fast on broadband.
Does page-loading response time apply only to your home page?
Absolutely not! Assuming your site is optimized for various searches, many of your pages could (and should) be a potential search result, and therefore becoming a ‘landing page’. Many people look for information about their destination before choosing a hotel. Can they find your site while they do these searches? Do you offer information that adequately explains your location in relation to all the attractions and other room generators around you? Are those pages optimized, and will they load fast enough to act as a landing page?
“If your job title has ‘agent’ in it, look for another career.” Perhaps an overstatement, this is more of a paraphrase from a book written by Bill Gates in the 90s, “The Road Ahead”. In this book, he speaks of a world in which businesses are increasingly able to market directly to their customers. Ask yourself what has happened to the travel agency business the last 10 years?
The most successful agencies are now online travel aggregators like Expedia, Travelocity, etc. They provide a valuable service to hotels and consumers alike. Sure, they charge a commission, but they can capture new business, unavailable to hotels direct. As hotel suppliers have optimized their sites through web site optimization, booking trends are moving towards supplier sites. Given the opportunity, consumers would prefer to work directly with the supplier.
Leveling the “Playing Field”? If you are an independent hotel operator, you probably recognize that aggressively marketing your hotel on the Internet is the only way you can complete with your franchised neighbors.
Most Franchise hotel companies receive fees that are devoted to marketing your hotel. A good part of this money is targeted towards marketing the brand of the company, not your hotel. The fact is that most franchises do little online marketing of individual hotels within their franchise. There are few sponsored search programs among franchises, and sadly, fewer individual hotels organic search results as well. Will they allow you to create and market your own site? Most will, if you direct booking through their proprietary booking engines. There are many reasons why your hotel should have a separate web site, franchise or independent. Searches are the primary reason.
Years ago, travel consumers booked hotels through travel agents who had access to the airline Global Distribution System (GDS), and access primarily to franchise hotels. Now independent hotels can be represented by third party reservations companies (such as GenaRes.com). Now, all hotels can market themselves directly to the independent travel agent through the GDS.
Many of these third-party GDS link companies also offer an online “booking engine” that integrates into your hotel website so that users can view real-time room availability and rates with the added convenience of giving users the ability to make an online real-time reservation. For independent hotels, this is a must.
Internet Travel Trends There is much research online to help you determine what priority to devote to your hotel’s Internet marketing efforts. The following is only a sample of the current Internet usage research available. Before continuing to spend thousands of dollars each year on traditional media such as print advertising, or many online directories, make sure your online presence is strong.
Travel Industry Association of America (TIA) and USDM.net report, Travelers' Use of the Internet 2005… …shows that the Internet continues to rapidly grow as a dominant channel for both reaching and transacting with today's travel consumers. While results show that the number of Americans using the Internet (120 million adults) appears to have reached a plateau, those who plan and book trips or vacations online continues to climb rapidly. A majority of online travelers (78 percent of respondents, or 79 million Americans) turned to the Internet for travel or destination information in 2005 - much higher than the 65 percent of online travelers in 2004.
The Internet has changed the profile of off-line reservations Most people making voice reservations today have very specific questions and concerns about their hotel reservation. Why? The fact is that even though they may not be booking online, almost everyone researches your hotel on the Internet. Today’s callers have likely visited at least the hotel’s website, and more often, has even checked user-driven hotel rating websites as Tripadvisory.com, and read feedback posted at the online travel agencies such as Expedia and Travelocity.
So, how does broadband effect how customers find your website?
Statistics on web users (as stated earlier) are interesting, but we already know by now that vast numbers of persons are using the web, and those numbers continue to rise. It’s pretty safe to assume that it doesn’t matter to which demographics you market; they are all represented in large numbers.
The biggest impact of more people who are surfing the Web with a broadband connection is that they do spend more time online. No matter how fast someone can download your pages, those pages have to provide useful information; with easy to follow navigation. Anywhere along the line that you frustrate people while viewing your website, you lose them.
The main thing about broadband connections at home is that, on average, it more than doubles household web usage! Rather than using their computer when they feel they have to, users with broadband are much more likely to use it because they want to. With an “always on connection” that seems to respond immediately to your touch when you want to know something (almost anything it seems), it’s no surprise that it would greatly increase the amount of time spent on virtually every Internet pursuit. With home broadband use in the US just passing the 40% threshold in 2006 there’s plenty of room for growth in web usage, even without adding more users, which is, of course happening as well.
Broadband helps people find your website, ultimately because people with fast connections use the Web more as a primary source of information. Studies show that travel shoppers are visiting three or more sites to select a hotel before making a reservation. More and more users are spending more time trying to find you online. Make sure your site is prepared and optimized to get more business.

Bulgarian Properties for Sale

World's Most Expensive Resorts 2005
Sep 23, 05 2:03 am
By Sophia Banay, Forbes.com
Glorious sunsets, pristine beaches and sweet evening breezes may be naturally free, but they can sure cost a lot of money. The irony attached to many of the world's most beautiful resorts is that they are in places so remote that for centuries they were known primarily to their indigenous people, pirates and castaways. For non-natives, these were places to escape from, not travel to. And certainly, if any unlucky seaman found marooned in the Maldives in the 18th century was told that in the 21st century people would be willing to pay $10,000 to spend the night there, not to mention thousands more to travel there, he would have thought you had been spending too much time at the grog barrel. But that's the nightly high-season rate at Raina, a new luxury resort that launched this September in the Maldives. The five-figure rate entitles guests to several hours of travel daily in the resort's yacht, unlimited treatments at the on-site spa, and all the meals and drinks they care to consume at the two gourmet restaurants. Oh yeah--and for another $750 (each), they can bring their friends along. Planning a visit in April? Great--it's not high season, but you'll still pay $8,000 a night. Or take the newest property from One&Only Resorts, the One&Only Maldives at Reethi Rah, which was developed in conjunction with Kerzner International , a five-star hotel and resort operator. Here, guests enjoy the 109-acre island resort and its 12 private, white-sand beaches, and take their pick of the 130 guest villas. Some are on the beach, some over the water and some have their own pools--but each one comes with a "villa host" available around the clock to make sure the Champagne is properly cooled, or to test the pool water before anyone takes the plunge. Nightly room rates here start at a comparatively reasonable $930 during the holidays. But to avoid the riff-raff entirely, plunk down $1 million, which buys five days of room, board, Champagne, wine, tennis, diving and one spa treatment each for you and your 200 nearest and dearest. Despite the lofty prices charged (and paid) at resorts like this, they account for an absolutely tiny proportion of overall global hotel revenue, according to Sean Hennessey, who runs New York-based hotel consultancy Lodging Investment Advisors. "It's clearly under 5% and probably less, for several reasons," Hennessey says. For one reason, there aren't that many properties charging $10,000 a night. In addition, "the properties that do exist operate with a relatively low number of rooms, meaning they generate less revenue overall," says Hennessy. "Finally, a lot of properties, even if they do have high-room rates, aren't profitable in the end because of the high cost of maintaining them." And while holiday-season rates may look like big Christmas presents to the resorts' owners, there is more to the story than those once-a-year rates, according to Brad Garner, the director of client services at Smith Travel Research, a Tennessee-based travel research firm. "They may get $10,000 a night a few nights out of the year, but when you boil it down to a monthly average, the daily rate is often closer to $500," says Garner. While Raina still hauls in a healthy $8,000 per night during the off-season, its policy of limiting bookings to groups of just nine guests at a time means that there may be long periods when the resort is empty, or only partially booked. The cost of owning and operating a luxury resort like the ones on our list can vary considerably depending on factors such as location, staff-to-guest ratio and the number of rooms, but Hennessey estimates it could cost a minimum of several million dollars a year. While most commercial hotels are able to squeak by with an average of 0.8 or 0.9 employees per guest room, the high-end resorts on our list probably employ closer to three or four people per room, which spikes labor costs upward dramatically.

In addition, for properties in remote locations, the cost of importing food and supplies necessary to maintain a certain standard of luxury could easily triple compared to what an urban hotel would pay. While a standard Marriott or Hyatt property operates with profit margins of between 24% to 28% annually, the margin for a small-upscale resort is typically in the mid- to upper teens. "These properties are operated as a labor of love as opposed to an economic option" for the owners, Hennessey concludes. However, the owners aren't all hopeless romantics with stars in their eyes instead of dollar signs. Savvy business ploys, like offering all-inclusive room rates, help to keep their guests on-property during their stay, and paying for incidentals, such as top-shelf liquor or an additional spa treatment, which aren't always included in the package. "It's called incremental revenue," explains Garner. "Keep the guest on the property, spending money on-site, helping out the resort's bottom line." While some resorts, like Turtle Island, in Fiji, include Champagne and spirits in their inclusive rates, others don't. In the end, Garner believes it is a matter of simple economics. "The resort has amenities guests want to consume--excellent weather, sporting activities. Resorts command a higher price by virtue of where they are sitting, so they can charge more for it," he says--up to $10,000 a night, in some cases. In addition to outrageous rates, what did we look for while compiling our list of the World's Most Expensive Resorts? First of all, we excluded urban hotels (even if their service and amenities were top-of-the-line). The Mansion at the MGM Grand, in Las Vegas, where room rates start at $5,000 a night, and which ranked first on our list of the Most Expensive U.S. Hotels , was out because of its city-center location. Then we sampled high-season rates for standard rooms at resorts all over the world. If a resort had a minimum-stay requirement during a particular season, or sold rooms only in weekly blocks, we factored that into our calculation of the nightly cost. Then, to facilitate your trip, whether you hail from New Delhi, Singapore or London, we indicated the prices in a variety of international currencies.* Not coincidentally, the resorts we came up with have a lot more in common than their weighty rate list. Ridiculously attentive personal service (like the staff-to-guest ratio at Altamer, in Anguilla, where a butler, chef and staff of eight come with each villa), stunning scenery (like Eden Rock's cliff-top location, in St. Barts) and fabulous amenities (Laluna, in Grenada, imports its own soaps and lotions from a monastery in the Italian Alps) would set these destination resorts apart, even if their price tags were less noticeable. But if the rates were any less noticeable, would a visit feel somehow less special? As it turns out, you can put a price on luxury, and it's a big one.

http://bulgarianproperties.holidayhomesusa.com

Holiday Chalets in the USA

Dominica whose capital is Roseau is 290-square-miles (750 sq km). It is one of the few Caribbean islands that have very little change since it was discovered 500 years ago by Christopher Columbus.
The Language of the Dominicans is French based Creole patois. However the island is now home of 3000 surviving descendants of the Caribs. Although the Carib language has perished, they live happily together in their own little community.

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Dominica is known as the ‘Nature Island of the Caribbean’. The island has 365 rivers, many of them providing excellent swimming. It has a lush rain forests, volcanic peaks, waterfalls, sulphur springs, pools of bubbling therapeutic and hot mineral streams.
Morne Trois Pitons National Park is a designated World Natural Heritage Site where some of the islands most dramatic sights can be seen in the 17,000-acre (69sq km).
Dominica is a magnet for bird watchers, there are more than 160 bird species, including two endemic but endangered parrots.


The islands forests are rich in ferns, wild orchids, giant flowering trees, home to bats, iguanas, stick insects and blacksmith beetles. There are also five species of snakes of which none is poisonous.


Whale-watching trips are very popular with visitors during the breeding season which is from November to March. Hump back, pilot whales and sperm whales and their calves can be seen in the deep calm offshore waters.