Hotel Girl

Legendary photographer Annie Leibovitz, famed for taking the last-ever photograph of John Lennon, has put together a series of black and white photographs chronicling key moments behind the scenes of The Peninsula Hotels chain in "Portraits of Peninsula".

In the photos, Leibovitz moves away from her usual intimate celebrity portraiture, to focus on the pageboys, housekeepers and bellmen behind the Peninsula Hotel brand.

Leibovitz was given free rein of the hotels, both their public spaces and back-of-house areas, shooting whichever scenes or staff members that she believed best represented the hotels.

Of the shoots Leibovitz said: "After shooting at four Peninsula hotels for this campaign, I truly understand the significance of what we are shooting - the real stars of The Peninsula Hotels - the wonderful caring staff.

"It was really moving photographing them, and by the time I had finished, I felt that I had a real insight into the people who work for the Pen and the pride they take in their work. I have been looking for stories like that for years"

And Hotel Girl thinks the results are quite lovely.

Sandals has come to the rescue of the Four Seasons Great Exuma in the Bahamas, which closed in May. The hotel was forced to shut up shop after it went into receivership. 

Now the 500-acre property will begin a new life as Sandals Emerald Bay.

No prizes for guessing what changes the holiday giant will make. Sandals' guests will find a new swim-up bar and a choice of six restaurants.

Founder Butch Stewart is predicting a January 2010 opening for the resort.

It's good to hear this lovely property won't be going to waste for too long.  

Guest post from TW reporter Edward Robertson...

A recent wedding necessitated an overnight stay in Dorchester where I was reminded of one of my favourite novels, Thomas Hardy's The Mayor of Casterbridge.

 Casterbridge is of course Dorchester and my hotel, the Kings Arms Hotel, features regularly in the novel, although without the Best Western prefix it now enjoys.

While Thomas Hardy focuses on the novel's narrative, this is done at the expense of the hotel as no mention is made of its quality breakfast offering.

The buffet concept always pleases a hung over man, especially when space must be found on your plate for both decent sausages and black pudding.

The only sadness was the wedding I attended was not my own while I left the hotel as alone as I was when I arrived.

However, given The Mayor of Casterbridge starts with a drunken man - the future mayor - selling his wife to buy more drink (hey, we've all been there) perhaps this was no bad thing.

Planning a visit to Layana Resort and Spa on  Koh Lanta Island, Thailand and worried about dodgy weather? Well, no need.

The hotel is offering guests money back for each full day of rain. If it pours non-stop between 10am and 5pm,  the resort will credit THB 1,000  per room per day.

Unfortunately that only works out at £18 -  just about enough to cover your first couple of cocktails.

But who am I to turn down the chance to drool over some gorgeous hotel pics? 

Following on from yesterday's post, it looks like Saturday's X Factor has given Dubai and Marrakech a welcome boost.

Maretta Moriarty from accommodation-only provider HotelConnect said there has been a 100% increase in searches for Dubai in the last week and a 61% jump in searches for Marrakech.

Simon Cowell's luxury pad (pictured) prompted a 76% increase in searches for Los Angeles.

However Lake Como, where the groups category auditioned for Louis Walsh, didn't do so well. As Maretta suggests, perhaps  Louis should have stuck to his traditional Irish retreat..

Maretta also said she spotted the contestants having a spot of lunch in Golders Green in North London. Apparently the blonde twins popped in to Sainsburys and were mobbed by young girls and one old lady. No accounting for taste I suppose..

Thistle has transformed its slightly fusty Bloomsbury hotel into the modern new Kingsley. The group, which is the middle of renovating and rebranding all its UK properties, has pumped £10 million into the hotel.

The chintzy old fashioned rooms now have clean, simple dector, plasma televisions and rain showers.

Thistle has retained some of the hotel's Edwardian features, including a wrought iron staircase and chandeliers, which give it a touch of character. 

One word of warning: the restaurant still seems to be having major teething problems. On my visit service was hopeless and the food tasted like it had been sitting in the fridge since the hotel reopened in May.

Far and away the best thing about the hotel is its location - just a few minutes walk from Covent Garden - making it perfect for a London shopping or theatre break. Just check out some good local resturants before you go.. 

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So what has really changed the hotel sector in the last ten years? If this is a question that keeps you up at night, check out Uberoom.com's 14 most influential game changes of the decade.

Rightly, top of the list is in-room Wifi. Just a few years ago Wifi were just two funny-sounding syllables - now it's one of the first things many of us check when choosing where to rest our weary legs for the night. Since some of the top hotel chains are still charging ridiculous rates for Wifi,  (I'm looking at you Four Seasons) here are some alternative uses for your laptop.

The United States has agreed to sell its embassy building in Grosvenor Square, Mayfair to Qatari Diar, a real estate investment company.

It hasn't been confirmed, but the group is expected to turn the building into a luxury hotel and apartments.

The building is Grade 2 listed so they will have to keep the facade, which includes the famous 35ft gilded aluminium eagle above the main entrance.

The Times predicts that this quirky look might fit Starwood's W brand or Rezidor's Missoni. The area's already packed with luxury hotels, from Claridges to the Dorchester, so whoever takes this project on will have a lot to live up to..

(pic: The Times)

I popped out of Travel Weekly towers today to check out the new Park Plaza Westminster Bridge. 

Builders were rushing around frantically to get the hotel ready in time for its soft launch on February 4. All the structural work is done and they're now ready to add the furniture in the public areas.

With 1,021 bedrooms, the hotel is truly vast. Lots of work is being to make sure guests can check in, move around the hotel and check out quickly and easily.

The huge reception desk has nine check in points and there are separate check in-desks for groups and suites/apartments.

Decorated in burnt orange and browns, rooms are more stylish and spacious than your average London business hotel.  Lots of important little details have been attended to, such as a little fridge space next to the mini bar, a power block suitable for overseas plugs and cute rubber ducks by all the baths.

Built on a site previously dubbed the "ugliest building in Britian", the hotel has a great location overlooking Westminster. And there will be plenty of reasons to stay in to eat, with the UK's first Illy Espressamente coffee bar, a sushi bar and a restaurant by Joel Antunes. 

Clients who want a taste of iconic London will love this new landmark property, so it's worth getting on to one of the fam trips being planned for March so you can give them the inside track.

Maltese luxury brand Corinthia Hotels has released further details about its £270m five-star luxury hotel in central London, which is expected to open early next year.

The 294-room hotel will be in the site of the former Metropole Hotel from the 1880s, near Trafalgar Square. It will have all you'd expect from a luxury hotel:  two restaurants, a concept cocktail bar, boardroom meeting facilities and a refurbished grand ballroom.

But i'm getting most excited about the spa. The 10 Whitehall Place property next door will be redeveloped to include a luxury spa operated by ESPA.

The press release promises it will be the "first of its kind" - laid on four levels with "pioneering" design and treatments.

The hotel is set to be one of the highest profile openings in London for 2011 ahead of the Olympics. Other newbies include the W in Leicester Square and Shangri-La in the city.

LOCATION:  One&Only has chosen a vibrant location for its first city property. The hotel is a couple of minutes walk from the atmospheric Victoria and Albert waterfront, where clowns, jugglers, mime artists and street musicians entertain the throngs. The city centre, with its museums and shopping at Greenmarket Square, is a short taxi ride away.

FIRST IMPRESSION: The One&Only is a large and lavish hotel and makes a first impression to match. As you walk into the lobby, your eyes are drawn to a three storey picture window framing a breathtaking view of Table Mountain, with the hotel's glamourous cocktail bar in the foreground. At either end of the vast lobby are the hotel's restaurants: the first African branch of Nobu and Reuben's, which opened in October after Gordon Ramsey was forced to close his Maze outpost.

THE FACTS: Flamboyant gambling and hotel magnate Sol Kerzner opened the hotel in 2009 in one of the most expensive hotel developments South Africa has ever seen. Mariah Carey sang to Nelson Mandela at his no-expense-spared opening party.

The resort is comprised of Marina Rise, a crescent shaped block of 91 rooms and suites, and a separate Villa Island with 40 suites. Our entry-level room was very spacious, at least 63 sq metres, and decorated in understated shades of orange and brown. The bathroom was the ultimate in luxury with his and hers Perspex basins, a free standing bathtub and rain shower.

The swimming pool area, built around a man-made island, is a blissful place to wind down after a busy morning exploring Cape Town. Friendly staff bring complimentary fruit skewers and smoothies.

WHO'S IT FOR: Couples looking for a sophisticated retreat that's still close to the buzz of Cape Town.  Families are also welcome: the hotel has a fully supervised KidsOnly programme.

A GOOD BASE FOR: The V&A is a convenient starting point for exploring the city. The ferry to Robben Island, where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned during the Apartheid era, departs from here three times a day. A ten minute taxi will take you to the immaculate beaches of Camps Bay and Clifton.

WOW: The chic Island Spa, the largest spa in Cape Town, is set on its own lushly landscaped island and offers heavenly ESPA treatments.

HOW MUCH: £396 per room, per night, including breakfast