Category Archives: Luxury Travel

Luxury Travel Fair, London, 4-7 November

Posted on by By Vivienne DuBourdieu
Colour and excitement at the Luxury Travel Fair, Olympia, Kensington

Colour and excitement at the Luxury Travel Fair, Olympia, Kensington

This year’s Luxury Travel Fair is fast approaching and looks set to be a hot destination for travel lovers.

Over 95 companies will exhibit at Olympia, Kensington, and many exhibitors offer exclusive travel deals – only available to those visiting the fair.

At the Meet the Experts theatre, you can get inside travel tips from speakers such as Josceline Dimbleby, Carol Drinkwater and Marcus Wareing.

Highlights

  • Seven nights for the price of five from ITC Classics at One & Only, Le Saint Geran, Mauritius.
  • Free return flight offers to Australia for the Kimberley Cruise on the Orion with Mundy Cruising.
  • 30% discount off winter room rates at The Greenbrier Resort in West Virginia.
  • Complimentary ski guiding and, for that special après-ski treat, a complimentary massage in Verbier, Switzerland, when you go with ITC Classics.
  • And for those who have yet to decide on their next travel destination, Mr & Mrs Smith are offering 50% off their guidebooks.
Image from Conde-Nast Johansens

Image from Conde-Nast Johansens

Celebrity speakers

Thursday 4 November – Michelin Star chef Marcus Wareing; 2009 Masterchef Champion Matt Follas and  Raj Joshi, the expert expedition guide for Comic Relief Trek.

Friday 5 November - History and wildlife presenter Miranda Krestovnikoff and food and travel writer Josceline Dimbleby.

Saturday 6 November – Olympic skier and Ski Sunday presenter Graham Bell and explorer and TV presenter Paul Rose.

Sunday 7 November – BBC presenter Dan Cruickshank and actress Carol Drinkwater.

Best known for her role as Helen Herriot in BBC Television’s All Creatures Great and Small (for which she was awarded The Variety Club Television Personality of the Year Award), Carol Drinkwater has enjoyed a long and distinguished career both as an actress and a writer.

Carol is also the author of series of bestselling memoirs, including The Olive Tree (shortlisted for Travel Book of the Year, Travel Press Awards, 2009). She is currently working on a ten-hour documentary film series based on The Olive Route and The Olive Tree.

France. Image by Bailey Robinson.

France. Image by Bailey Robinson.

Her latest book Return to the Olive Farm has been published in hardback by Weidenfeld & Nicolson.

Tickets for The Luxury Travel Fair can be booked here.

You want the National Hall, Olympia, Hammersmith Road, West Kensington. The best way to get here is by taking a No. 9, 27, 10 or 28 bus from the bus station at Hammersmith Underground towards High Street Kensington or from Stop F at that end towards Hammersmith.

Behind the Scenes at The Dorchester

Posted on by By Vivienne DuBourdieu
The Penthouse at The Dorchester, London

The Penthouse at The Dorchester, London

Your Chance to See Behind the Scenes at The Dorchester
Sunday 19 September

Open House London encourages buildings that aren’t usually open to the public to open their doors free of charge to Londoners.

When the Dorchester Hotel participates in Open House London, you could be one of the few people to get a ticket for a guided tour around the hotel.

Going behind the scenes at the Dorchester is a fascinating experience. I did it several years ago: all the way from the Penthouse Suite to peeking into kitchen cupboards.

A Grade II listed building; it has spectacular interior designs that range over the last eight decades.

Not only is it enjoyable looking into the many corners of a great hotel, it’s an education to see how the staff work to meet the whims of their customers.

For the second year running, 20 lucky people will be given a private tour of The Dorchester. The private tour will include a visit to its award-winning restaurants and the newly decorated spa.

Roland Fasel, General Manager of The Dorchester talks about “the extraordinary effort that goes into creating this magical world.” He assures visitors that “it will be a great pleasure to provide a second opportunity for people to share in (this).”

Hotel exterior, The Dorchester, London

Hotel exterior, The Dorchester, London

Over the decades, The Dorchester has employed the finest interior designers to update rooms. The hotel’s first consultant designer was Oliver Ford, who decorated the Queen Mother’s homes at Royal Lodge, Windsor, and Clarence House in St. James.

In May 2009, The Dorchester Spa was redesigned by Fox Linton Associates; they drew upon the art deco movement of the 1930s to complement the original mood of the hotel.

More recently, the Park Suite received a refurbishment, also by Fox Linton. It has been redecorated in earthy tones to give it a fresh, neutral feel, but retains the original painting that was present when Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, held his stag party in that very room.

The lucky few to be guided around The Dorchester will learn more about its unique design, and be privy to the traditional rituals and personal attention that create a ‘perfect guest experience’.

To be in with a chance for the ballot for the Open House Tour, sign up to The Dorchester’s diary, a monthly oracle of news and seasonal offers. You can apply via their email address:

Diary.dorchester@dorchestercollection.com

The draw will take place on 6 September 2010.

If you want to make sure you get an inside view at The Dorchester, a superior double room during Open House London – based on two-people sharing and excluding VAT and breakfast – will cost £305.

The Dorchester Hotel.