NEW YORK — After years of perfectly respectable placements on the prestigious Condé Nast Traveler’s Readers Choice Awards list, Vietnam has now won the No. 1 spot on a list of the Top Hotels in Southeast Asia. Announced in New York on Oct. 20, the results of Conde Nast Traveler’s 27th annual survey placed five...
LUANG PRABANG, Laos — After more than a year on the edge of the archaeological wonderland that is Bagan, Jon Bourbaud has relocated to one of Southeast Asia’s most alluring destinations — Luang Prabang — where he’ll take charge of the Apple Tree Group’s properties in Laos. As an area general manager, Bourbaud’s responsibilities will...
BANGKOK — If Bangkok’s hippest rooftop restaurant and bar-lounge didn’t already feel like a Parisian penthouse apartment where sophisticated young professionals go to hang out, it does now. Last month, L’Appart at Sofitel Bangkok Sukhumvit began serving up French-inspired gourmet dishes designed to share, making for a dining concept that syncs with the venue’s social...
HANOI, Vietnam — Vietnam’s first seaplane service launched last month, cutting the travel time from Hanoi to Halong Bay to 30 minutes wheels up to pontoons down. To inaugurate the new, long-sought alternative to the four-hour, overland haul, Hai Au Aviation has launched a joint promotion with Emeraude Classic Cruises through Dec. 31. The planes...
HANOI, Vietnam – One of Hanoi’s most distinguished fine-dining establishments is getting a boost of fresh talent this summer, as the Press Club and Emeraude Classic Cruises welcome Guillaume Guertin as its newest executive chef. The 35-year-old French native, who has more than 15 years of culinary experience, took the helm of the 86-seat Press...
HANOI, Vietnam — Nearly 20 years after its Hanoi debut, and five years since its most recent makeover, the landmark Vietnamese restaurant at the Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi, Spices Garden, has re-emerged from a three-month renovation with a live cooking station, a redesigned floor plan, more seating and a new menu. The refurbished restaurant can...
HANOI — Fodor’s, the world’s largest publisher of travel guides, hailed the Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi as one of the World’s Best Hotels on the Fodor’s 100 list, made public last Wednesday. The Metropole was the only hotel in Vietnam to be recognized on the list. The 1901-built property was celebrated as an ‘Enduring Classic,’...
HUE, Vietnam — La Residence Hotel & Spa implemented the first phase of a green energy initiative this month when the acclaimed riverfront property turned the valve on a rooftop hot water system that continuously heats 4,000 liters of water, serving 39 rooms. The hotel expects to save as much as 60% on electrical consumption...
SINGAPORE — Long renowned as havens for honeymoons, hotels operated by GHM are now wooing women who are moving toward another great milestone — motherhood. This month, the acclaimed Nam Hai Hoi An on Vietnam’s Central Coast debuted pregnancy massage beds that accommodate blossoming bellies with an opening from chest to hips, and elastic webbing...
TAIPEI, Taiwan — Two hundred forty employees of the Grand Hyatt Taipei came together in a flash-mob boogie last week as part of the hotel’s 24th anniversary celebration. Chefs, housekeepers, bookkeepers, engineers, and even the hotel manager got down to a medley that included “Happy” and “Party Rock,” drawing guests from rooms and lobby-side restaurants...
