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| Lifestyles
of the Rich and Shameless |
| The newly refurbished Essex House hotel in midtown Manhattan, right next to Central Park, doesn’t carry a five-star rating. A hotel needs a pool to earn that lofty rating. But this luxury “art deco landmark,” says a Toronto Globe & Mail review, has everything else, from a mahogany lounge to complimentary Mercedes limo service. And the facility, owned by Dubai’s Jumeirah Group, appears to be a bargain to boot. The rack rates run 15 to 25 percent less than rates at nearby high-end hostelries. Two-room suites reach just $1,027 a night. The hotel’s only discordant note: The room mini-bars come “with motion sensors that detect when you've sneaked a soda and tried to replace it before being charged.” November 19, 2007 |
| Listen up, laddies and lassies, Scotland wants you — especially if you happen to own a fine motor car. Scotland's tourist agency last year sent promotions to every Rolls-Royce owner in the world, as part of a campaign to “sell Scotland as a luxury destination.” The campaign seems to be working. Private jet traffic into Edinburgh and Glasgow jumped 26 percent last year. What explains this luxury surge? Scottish tourism entrepreneurs are providing the personal touch. One Scottish “holiday planner,” David Tobin of Dream Escape, flew over to the United States to spend three days going over a vacation itinerary with a client. Dream Escape weekends start at $10,000 per person. The sinking U.S. dollar, says Tobin, hasn’t slowed American luxury travelers one whit: “The exchange rate could be five to one and they'd still come. These people are truly spending out of a different pot.” September 10, 2007 |
 Summer weekends, all around the world, mean seaside parking jams. But you won’t find many jams like the crush on Nantucket, the exclusive island 30 miles off the Massachusetts coast. America’s super-rich — deep pockets like Wayne Huizenga, the Blockbuster billionaire — have lined Nantucket with $20 million homes. The problem: the Nantucket airport doesn’t have enough parking to handle the 250 private jets that drop in every weekend. The jet-set face still another problem in paradise: Beach erosion is toppling mansions that sit atop Nantucket’s glorious bluffs. Wealthy summer residents are now planning to spend $25 million of their own money to pump sand below the bluffs most endangered. Nonwealthy locals are crying foul, on environmental grounds, and charge that the community shouldn't be “sacrificed to protect the summer homes of the affluent few.” July 16, 2007 |
| The realtors at Coldwell Banker Morrison have a travel tip that may keep you from sitting — and sweltering — in traffic this summer on the way to the beach. Just buy your own private island. Coldwell now has 180 ocean pearls available. The priciest, Vatu Vara in the Fiji chain, carries an $80 million price-tag. Need to vacation closer to home? Private Islands Online is offering two little Caribbean gems — a combined 640 acres — for just $48 million. Not every American, of course, can afford a private island. Not every American, notes the Center for Economic and Policy Research, even vacations. A quarter of all U.S. private-sector workers, says a new Center report, get no paid vacation or holiday time whatsoever. Of the world’s 20 top developed nations, only the United States fails to guarantee workers vacation days. In 17 of these nations, all workers — by law — get at least 20 paid days off. May 21, 2007 |
| Sir Richard Branson, the British billionaire known for his airlines and rail lines, has a deal for you. He’s renting out his private Caribbean luxury island. A “favorite with royalty, rock stars, and movie stars,” Branson’s Neckar Island can accommodate just over two dozen visitors and features “cliff-side villas,” jacuzzis, two freshwater pools, and a hefty staff that includes, naturally, a chef “always on standby for your order.” The cost: only $30,000 a night for up to 14 guests, with extra folks charged $1,250 per person per night. October 9, 2006 |
| Stiff
competition for the luxury traveler dollar is now coming from “private-jet
brokers,” wheeler-dealers who match up celebrities and their
entourages with idle private plane capacity. Blue Star Jets, one
undustry pacesetter, is booking 1,000 flights a month, charging
up to $30,000 for a New York-Florida roundtrip. Blue Star has scored
100 percent revenue gains each of the past six years. The company's
CEO, Ricky Sitomer, sees
more good times ahead: “There are more millionaires
around and they're demanding a more personalized luxury. If they
want a massage or flowers for their wife or girlfriend or if they
want lobster or caviar, we'll provide any service on board.” July
10, 2006 |
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