Arrividerci Grand Hotel, buongiorno Beauty Clinic
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How to save a Grand Hotel — the (1906) Palace Hotel Meran, South Tyrol, survived after a rejuvenation cure in its own hotel based clinic. Like it or not, there was only one way.
Reading Room
The Savoy London - the making of
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In 2000, Michael Shepherd, General Manager of The Savoy (later GM London Hilton Parklane) invited us to research the history of THE SAVOY in London.
This Concept called ‘Grand Hotel’
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First developed on a private non-profit base, later as a business the history goes back to ancient rituals. In classic Greece, the term Xenia stood for 'guest-friendship', ...
Roosevelt Hotel, (1893), New Orleans, Louisiana
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The original Roosevelt New Orleans Hotel was built in 1893 by Louis Grunewald, a German immigrant, as the Grunewald Hotel. In 1908, it was expanded with a fourteen-story 400-room annex.
George Bernhard Shaw at the Reid’s Palace in Madeira
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On 30 December 1924, Irish Dramatist George Bernhard Shaw arrived on the island of Madeira (Portugal). At the age of 68, he checked into the Reid's Palace Hotel. His new hobby was dancing. His instructor Max Rinder became ‘the only man who ever taught me anything.’
Reid’s Hotel, Madeira: Could I bring my bush pigs with me?
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Yolanda and Boris, my two bush pigs, have been travelling with me for years. Sadly, their brother Edgar died in the sauna at the Mandarin five years ago. Yolanda has a tendency to gain weight if I don't keep an eye on her asparagus intake.
The Rise of the Swiss Grand Hotel (2)
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In the mid of the 19th century, Switzerland had narrowly avoided financial ruin. In the years leading up to 1880, Switzerland was a classic emigration land. Due to the influx of tourism a great emigration could be stopped.
The Vietnamese at the Ritz
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It is one of those "what would have been if ..." footnotes of history. In 1919, Ho Chi Minh, who was then living in Paris and working as a kitchen assistant at the Ritz, sent in a petition asking America for help. America’s President Wilson didn't care to respond.
Kempinski, Hoteliers since 1952
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The use of the name 'Kempinski‘ for a hotel chain by the same name of the former Jewish owners of various Berlin restaurants sparks controversy. In fact the Kempinskis were expropriated, expelled and murdered by the Nazi regime. Today the Kempinski group of hotels drives a dubious PR-campaign...
Breakfast with Michael Shepherd
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Michael Shepherd, General Manager of The London Hilton on Park Lane has breakfast with Andreas Augustin. He explains that a good hotelier may grow up over the years, but he never grows old.
Boldt George C. of the Waldorf
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The Waldorf-Astoria (spelled Waldorf=Astoria these days) for more than a century has been renowned; when established at the end of the nineteenth century it was not merely the largest hotel in the world, but its proprietor George C. Boldt was called “the inventor of the modern hotel.”
Mourby of Rome — Eden
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In October 1889 Francesco Nistelweck achieved his dream of converting a three-storey palazzo on the top of the Pincian Hill into a new 63-bedroom hotel of his own that he called The Eden.
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Mandarin Oriental Savoy Zurich (former Savoy Baur en Ville)
Johannes Baur, born in Austria in 1795, was a visionary entrepreneur who profoundly shaped Zurich’s hospitality industry. In 1837, at the age...Read More
Raffles Hotel
The historic building (top, slide to the right): The "new" Raffles main building in 1899. It opened on 18 November 1899, featuring the all new...Read More
The Mandarin Oriental Bangkok
Since decades “The Oriental”, as it is affectionately known by travellers from all over the globe, leads the lists of most...Read More
Half Moon
In 1952, a group of wealthy individuals including Donald Deskey, the fabled designer (among his works the Radio City Music Hall); Harvey Firestone,...Read More
Mount Kenya Safari Club
You don your safari gear during the day, but you always dress for dinner. Because Mount Kenya Safari Club Nanyuki is an exclusive retreat. High on...Read More