Recommend October 2012 - (Page 10)

hoteldesk sofitel luxury hotels showcase the french art de vivre carla hunt Sofitel Legend Old Cataract Aswan along the Nile River in Egypt. n , Sofitel surveyed its family of hotels, found many of them lac ing in uality of the e pected guest e perience, and set out to etter identify the chain and reposition the ofitel rand. Et voila ive years later, ofitel presents itself as the only rench lu ury hospitality rand with a presence on five continents, now represent ing hotels and resorts in almost countries. t was time to ring the company to the ne t lu ury level, ierre ouis enou, general manager of Sofitel Washington DC Lafayette Sq u a re, says, and in the last five years we moved rapidly and creatively to trim the num er of hotels, eeping those in just the right destinations, with just the right locations and occupying the proper uildings. y downsi ing the num er of hotels and upscaling with e tensive refur ishments, ofitel can now send a clear message of guaranteed top uality at every single hotel address, he adds. losely involved in the new ofitel approach, enou says that plans for the immediate future include ofitel e panding to properties y . This year alone the Sofitel Luxury rand has een ursting out all over, most recently with its first hotel in ndia now open in um ai, and a second ew ealand lu ury property just opened on iaduct ar or in Auc land. ome ecem er, ofi tel will de ut in the capital of ruguay with the Sofitel Montevideo Casino Carrasco & Spa, overloo ing the io de la lata estuary. enou seems particularly delighted with the part of the ofitel master plan that created three new ofitel la els Sofitel Luxury the la el that applies to the majority of prop erties focuses on delivering the genuine e perience of rench el egance, com ined with the est of local culture, whether the hotel has an ur an locale such as aris, ew or or hanghai, or is set in e otic landscapes in orocco, gypt, or Thailand. art of the new approach finds ofitel e ecutives wor ing more closely with well nown architects and designers from ean ouvel to hristian acroi and lu ury rench rands such as ermes and l’ ccitaine. Sofitel Legend the company’s treasured properties occupying historic sites and uildings. They’re distinguished y rich interiors and surroundings, top ran ed chefs in charge of fine dining restau rants, iconic spas and e ceptional suites. The rench colonial style H otel M etrop ole in anoi was the first to de ut as a egend , followed y the historic and eautifully renovated Sofitel Legend The Grand Amsterdam and the Sofitel Legend Old Cataract Aswan, occupying a ictorian style palace along the ile iver in upper gypt. Sofitel Santa Clara, uilt within a th cen tury convent in artagena, olom ia, ecomes a egend property this year, and other ofitel hotels preparing to join this group include 10 october 2012 the P a la i s J a m a i in e , the Wi n ter P a la c e in u or, and the H u a H i n R esort in Thailand. Sofitel So is the design centric, outi ue vision of ofitel, star ring chic, contemporary hotels. Architect e unnag and en o Tada a, a noted fashion designer from apan, wor ed on the Sofitel So M a u ri ti u s, a suite and villa resort on the south coast of the island and the first hotel in the o group, while the Sofitel So B a n g kok, designed y award winning architect mith ayawat, is lin ed to elegance y hristian acroi . And although Sofitel So Si n g a p ore will not open until uly , the property is already ma ing waves since it received the prestigious reen ar latinum Award for its championing of green technology when it turned an year old, neo classical landmar into a lu urious and hip hotel. enou is also pleased that the . . travel community has een so receptive to ofitel’s new loo , designed to woo the savvy, lu ury minded traveler. any of the most enthusiastic comments of all to ofitel’s more upscale direction come from the mem ers of our Travel Agent Advisory oard here in the . ., he says. ofitel has always had e cellent loyalty from the many travel agent consortiums we wor with, and mem ers of the travel agent community wel come our strict policy of paying commissions immediately. Agents have access to all things ofitel on the site’s travel agents lin , with information on the Sofitel Travel Agent Rates program, STAR, offering e clusive rates at ofitel hotels, answers to fre uently as ed uestions, and commission information. ooh la la This year, ofitel’s nine orth American hotels ew or , ashing ton, . ., hicago, A, hiladelphia, an rancisco, iami, in neapolis and ontreal added a wellness gastronomy program, the rench inspired De-Light menus, designed to provide gastronomic adventures in healthy eating. And this fall, chefs will offer guests a series of De-Light coo ing demonstrations. ou need go no further than ierre ouis enou’s own domain, ofitel ashington afayette uare, located a loc from the hite ouse, to catch on uic ly to the hotel chain’s trademar of sharing its rench roots reception greets guests with onjour cheese and wine selection are ta en seriously rench press coffee and tea are served daily and ci r an istro offers a contemporary twist on rench istro cuisine. This is ofitel’s l’art de vivre the art of living well. ● contact information Sofitel: T sofitel.com or sofitel.com g travel agency inde .shtml recommend.com http://www.sofitel.com http://sofitel.com/gb/travel-agency/index.shtml http://www.recommend.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Recommend October 2012

Editor's Notes
Hotel Desk: Sofitel Luxury Hotels
Tour Talk: Travcoa
A Villa Vacation in Europe
Napa Valley Revisited
Gateway Canyons Resort, Colorado
Vintage Palm Beach
The Surrey, New York City
The Best of India at ITC Hotels
St. Regis Offers City Sophistication & Barefoot Luxury in Mexico
Mexico Boutique Hotels' Stellar Collection
Four World-Class Private Island Resorts
Update: More on Luxury Private Island Resorts
In Santa Catarina, Brazil, the Surf's Up for Luxury Travel
Indigo Bay Island Resort & Spa, Mozambique
New Offerings on Luxe Cruise Lines

Recommend October 2012