Travel Agent - January 5, 2009 - (Page 46) NEWS IMPACT Hawaii Flexes Its Luxe Muscles Mark Rogers As with most of the Hawaiian islands, Waikiki will see significant hotel growth in 2009 A PHRASE I OFTEN HEAR WHEN TALK TURNS TO THE ECONOMIC DOWNTURN IS THAT “luxury travel is bullet-proof.” The general feeling is that the highest end of the market will continue to travel as usual. Witness the recent announcement by Dubai’s yet-to-open Palazzo Versace Hotel that the property will “refrigerate” the beach sand directly outside the hotel so their guests won’t have to hot-foot it down to the water. This is hardly the action of a hotelier worrying about his occupancy rates. Hawaii has had a challenging year, and instead of responding as Dubai’s Palazzo Versace Hotel has, the Islands have reached out to potential visitors with an impressive array of promotions. But even CONNECTING YOU For more information developments in Hawaii, visit www.travelagentcentral. com/usa-hawaii while promoting the affordability of a Hawaiian vacation, luxury products continue to come online, with several appealing recent additions guaranteed to lure the “bullet-proof” luxury traveler. The big news last month was the reopening of The Mauna Kea Beach Hotel (www.maunakea preview.com), the flagship property in the Prince Hotels and Resorts international portfolio. The reopening had been widely anticipated by the agent community ever since the 43-year-old resort suffered structural damage during the October 2006 earthquake on Hawaii’s Big Island. Perhaps the biggest change is the size of the rooms; the total room and suite count has been reduced from 310 to 258 as a result of rooms being enlarged in the main building. Some nice features include ocean views from the guest bathrooms, and a new spa. They’re still getting the kinks out, and the official grand opening will be in March. One of Hawaii’s recent noteworthy moments is the stir caused by Halekulani’s (www.halekulani. com) ultra-stylish Vera Wang Suite. The property isn’t content to rest on its laurels, and last month debuted The Orchid Suite at Halekulani, which is going for an impressive $7,000 a night. Set apart from Halekulani’s historic Main Building, the Orchid Suite faces the Pacific Ocean with doors opening onto a private lawn with panoramic views of Waikiki Beach. The master suite affords guests a view of Diamond Head while the en-suite master bath provides private views of the garden. The 2,365-square-foot Orchid Suite features an exclusive Sea of Life Wellness Program designed by award-winning SpaHalekulani. The suite has a full-service Sub-Zero Wolf kitchen serviced with daily market deliveries. All suites in the Premier Collection (rounded out by the newly redesigned Royal Suite) feature complimentary butler service, customized culinary programs and personal concierge. Later this month, Maui will see the opening of the all-suite Honua Kai Resort & Spa (www.honua kaimaui.com). The 38-acre resort on Kaanapali’s North Beach has accommodations in two U-shaped buildings with ocean and mountain views. The one-, two- and three-bedroom guest suites are fully equipped with luxury resort services, including Blu-ray DVD player, Wi-Fi and BOSCH kitchen appliances. The resort will open with 318 guest suites and add an additional 310 suites in 2010. Down the line, Hawaii will see additional developments in its luxury offerings. The Princeville Resort on Kauai is being rebranded as a St. Regis and will reopen early this year, and as of press time, the Royal Hawaiian in Waikiki is set to reopen after a six-month, $110 million refurbishment. It remains to be seen whether promoting Hawaii with valueadded offers or showcasing its luxury product will prove more successful. Either way, the traveler is bound to benefit from the Islands’ strong showing at either end of the spectrum. —MARK ROGERS 46 | TravelAgent January 5, 2009 http://www.honuakaimaui.com http://www.honuakaimaui.com http://www.halekulani.com http://www.halekulani.com http://www.maunakeapreview.com http://www.maunakeapreview.com http://www.travelagentcentral.com/usa-hawaii http://www.travelagentcentral.com/usa-hawaii
Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Travel Agent - January 5, 2009 Travel Agent - January 5, 2009 Reality Check Online Now Contents From the Editor Europe: Copenhagen is Replete with Designer-Savvy Digs Pacific Asia: Krabi, Thailand, is a Serene and Beautiful Province Along the Andaman Coast Canada: Great Slopes and Rooms in Western Canada Las Vegas: The Luxor Reinvents and Redefines Itself Central & South America Caribbean, The Bahamas & Bermuda: St. Lucia Had an Exciting Year Anguilla Has Numerous Properties Awaiting Visitors Cruises: Increasing Cruise Sales with Enrichment Programs Cover Story: 2009 Survival Guide Agenda CLIA Puts a Keen Eye on Training and Education for 2009 Hawaii's Luxury Offerings Clients Continue Demanding Exotic and Experiential Trips News from the Caribbean and Mexico Classified Marketplace In the Spotlight Agent Access Editorial Index Advertising Index Travel Agent - January 5, 2009 Travel Agent - January 5, 2009 - Travel Agent - January 5, 2009 (Page Cover1) Travel Agent - January 5, 2009 - Travel Agent - January 5, 2009 (Page Cover2) Travel Agent - January 5, 2009 - Reality Check (Page 1) Travel Agent - January 5, 2009 - Online Now (Page 2) Travel Agent - January 5, 2009 - Online Now (Page 3) Travel Agent - January 5, 2009 - Online Now (Page 4) Travel Agent - January 5, 2009 - Online Now (Page 5) Travel Agent - January 5, 2009 - Contents (Page 6) Travel Agent - January 5, 2009 - Contents (Page 7) Travel Agent - January 5, 2009 - Contents (Page 8) Travel Agent - January 5, 2009 - Contents (Page 9) Travel Agent - January 5, 2009 - From the Editor (Page 10) Travel Agent - January 5, 2009 - From the Editor (Page 11) Travel Agent - January 5, 2009 - From the Editor (Page 12) Travel Agent - January 5, 2009 - From the Editor (Page 13) Travel Agent - January 5, 2009 - From the Editor (Page 14) Travel Agent - January 5, 2009 - From the Editor (Page 15) Travel Agent - January 5, 2009 - Europe: Copenhagen is Replete with Designer-Savvy Digs (Page 16) Travel Agent - January 5, 2009 - Europe: Copenhagen is Replete with Designer-Savvy Digs (Page 17) Travel Agent - January 5, 2009 - Europe: Copenhagen is Replete with Designer-Savvy Digs (Page 18) Travel Agent - January 5, 2009 - Europe: Copenhagen is Replete with Designer-Savvy Digs (Page 19) Travel Agent - January 5, 2009 - Pacific Asia: Krabi, Thailand, is a Serene and Beautiful Province Along the Andaman Coast (Page 20) Travel Agent - January 5, 2009 - Pacific Asia: Krabi, Thailand, is a Serene and Beautiful Province Along the Andaman Coast (Page 21) Travel Agent - January 5, 2009 - Canada: Great Slopes and Rooms in Western Canada (Page 22) Travel Agent - January 5, 2009 - Canada: Great Slopes and Rooms in Western Canada (Page 23) Travel Agent - January 5, 2009 - Canada: Great Slopes and Rooms in Western Canada (Page 24) Travel Agent - January 5, 2009 - Canada: Great Slopes and Rooms in Western Canada (Page 25) Travel Agent - January 5, 2009 - Las Vegas: The Luxor Reinvents and Redefines Itself (Page 26) Travel Agent - January 5, 2009 - Las Vegas: The Luxor Reinvents and Redefines Itself (Page 27) Travel Agent - January 5, 2009 - Central & South America (Page 28) Travel Agent - January 5, 2009 - Central & South America (Page 29) Travel Agent - January 5, 2009 - Caribbean, The Bahamas & Bermuda: St. Lucia Had an Exciting Year (Page 30) Travel Agent - January 5, 2009 - Caribbean, The Bahamas & Bermuda: St. Lucia Had an Exciting Year (Page 31) Travel Agent - January 5, 2009 - Caribbean, The Bahamas & Bermuda: St. Lucia Had an Exciting Year (Page 32) Travel Agent - January 5, 2009 - Caribbean, The Bahamas & Bermuda: St. Lucia Had an Exciting Year (Page 33) Travel Agent - January 5, 2009 - Anguilla Has Numerous Properties Awaiting Visitors (Page 34) Travel Agent - January 5, 2009 - Cruises: Increasing Cruise Sales with Enrichment Programs (Page 35) Travel Agent - January 5, 2009 - Cruises: Increasing Cruise Sales with Enrichment Programs (Page 36) Travel Agent - January 5, 2009 - Cruises: Increasing Cruise Sales with Enrichment Programs (Page 37) Travel Agent - January 5, 2009 - Cover Story: 2009 Survival Guide (Page 38) Travel Agent - January 5, 2009 - Cover Story: 2009 Survival Guide (Page 39) Travel Agent - January 5, 2009 - Cover Story: 2009 Survival Guide (Page 40) Travel Agent - January 5, 2009 - Cover Story: 2009 Survival Guide (Page 41) Travel Agent - January 5, 2009 - Cover Story: 2009 Survival Guide (Page 42) Travel Agent - January 5, 2009 - Cover Story: 2009 Survival Guide (Page 43) Travel Agent - January 5, 2009 - Agenda (Page 44) Travel Agent - January 5, 2009 - CLIA Puts a Keen Eye on Training and Education for 2009 (Page 45) Travel Agent - January 5, 2009 - Hawaii's Luxury Offerings (Page 46) Travel Agent - January 5, 2009 - Clients Continue Demanding Exotic and Experiential Trips (Page 47) Travel Agent - January 5, 2009 - Classified Marketplace (Page 48) Travel Agent - January 5, 2009 - In the Spotlight (Page 49) Travel Agent - January 5, 2009 - Agent Access (Page 50) Travel Agent - January 5, 2009 - Agent Access (Page 51) Travel Agent - January 5, 2009 - Agent Access (Page 52) Travel Agent - January 5, 2009 - Agent Access (Page 53) Travel Agent - January 5, 2009 - Agent Access (Page 54) Travel Agent - January 5, 2009 - Editorial Index (Page 55) Travel Agent - January 5, 2009 - Advertising Index (Page 56) Travel Agent - January 5, 2009 - Advertising Index (Page Cover3) Travel Agent - January 5, 2009 - Advertising Index (Page Cover4)
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