"Unspeakably hot. The equator is arriving again. We are within eight degrees of it. Ceylon present. Dear me, it is beautiful! And most sumptuously tropical, as to character of foliage and opulence of it. 'What though the spicy breezes blow soft o...
Dear Friends of The Most Famous Hotels in the World, Dear Readers, By Lisa Augustin (for a change) Time flies, only my father takes slow boats and sends letters via surface postal services. Yesterday an envelope arr...
My dear reader, In case you find this Feuilleton Ritz-heavy, you couldn't be more right. Since the early 1880s, the name Ritz is simply the better word for luxury. PUTTING UP THE RITZ … for sale. This time you ...
1939 Dinner menu from The Peninsula Maybe it was the exquisite cheesecake I had for tea this afternoon. At 4.30, to be precise (as you know, formal Afternoon Tea follows strict rules. Five o’clock tea, for example, sta...
Dear Friends, Readers and Fellow Travellers By Andreas Augustin Happy Birthday — The Most Famous Hotels in the World Today, let me lean back and conjure up 28 November 1986. Since earl...
Raffles - Singapore's icon is demolished This news reached all editorial offices in the world. As a travel journalist, I was subscribed to such stories. So I got on the plane. The assignment was clear: one last report on the hotel legend of Sout...
Excerpt of the Minutes of the Meeting of the Jury (London, December 2018) Do we Brexit or not? For 33 years the minutes of our organisation were typed at Pall Mall, London. Last December we held our regular jury meeting at our historical conference ...
By Andreas Augustin Raymond Flower, 2.7.1921–4.3.2015 Bon vivant, traveller, famoushotels author Raymond Flower was a man of great inspiration, lift and boost for my work, for my family and for his friends. We all shall never...
This mail was sent to Le Club Accor Members on 11 December 2015 Dear Member, We are delighted to share with you the announcement of the forthcoming combination of AccorHotels and Fairmont Raffles Hotels International. This unique grou...
Two books by Adrian Mourby should interest all hotel aficionados: Rooms of One's Own — 50 Places That Made Literary History Writers' relationships with their surroundings are seldom straightforward. While some, like Jan...
For 3 years I lived at Raffles in Singapore. First I occupied Suite 114 on the ground floor of the Palm Court. Followed by Room 336. Finally, for over two years, Suite 254. By Andreas Augustin In 1986, Raffles Hotel in Singapore was one of th...
In 2014, project manager Tony Chisholm invited us to Singapore. COME NOW– STOP–DON’T STOP–STOP - was the message. A brand new hotel, but in a historic building. Could we please research the history of the building? Could we gi...
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
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
Since decades “The Oriental”, as it is affectionately known by travellers from all over the globe, leads the lists of most...Read More
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
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
