NEW YORK — Hoi An has sky-rocketed to the upper echelon of Asia’s most alluring cities, according to the Condé Nast Traveler Readers’ Choice Awards 2013. After cracking the top-10 list for the first time last year, Hoi An now ranks as the second most popular city in the Far East, bested only by Kyoto...
BAGAN, Myanmar — A new face arrives on the scene in Myanmar’s ancient capital this month as Apple Tree Asia welcomes Jon Bourbaud as general manager of Bagan Lodge. Bourbaud brings almost two decades of hospitality industry expertise to the newly opened upscale resort, located just outside the historic Bagan Archaeological Zone. The 85-room boutique...
HANOI — The Lyon-born chef who conquered Paris and Tokyo is making a guest appearance in Hanoi that may prove to be the capital’s culinary opportunity of the year. The Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi is presenting the cuisine of Michelin-starred chef Christophe Paucod in a one-time Foie Gras Rougie Gala Dinner on the evening of...
TOKYO — Across the moat from Japan’s tranquil Imperial Palace gardens, the city's most lauded, new luxury hotel is abuzz with preparations for a New Year celebration that’s equal parts tradition, sophistication and fun. As Japan marks one of its most symbolic and meaningful holidays, Palace Hotel Tokyo hopes to immerse travellers in one of...
SINGAPORE — GHM dropped anchor in the Indian Ocean last month when the luxury hotel group inked a deal to operate its first resort in the Maldives, scheduled to open in 2016. The agreement with the developers was signed six weeks after GHM announced it would launch three hotels in Taiwan, and less than five...
DANANG, Vietnam — The Central Coast of Vietnam's rising profile as a holiday destination won confirmation by three major airlines recently and is aiming for still more validation from Thailand now as tourism officials work on a direct link between Bangkok and Danang. In July, Vietnam Airlines launched service to Danang from both Seoul and...
DALAT, Vietnam — Seventy-five years ago, French entrepreneurs sewed the hillsides of this highland town with one exquisite collection of villas after another. Today, the colons are gone, but the Vietnamese entrepreneurs who have taken their place are no less enamored with the ‘City of Eternal Spring,’ and villas are sprouting again. Le Ngoc Khanh...
QUEENSTOWN, New Zealand — Two years after its grand opening, Hilton Queenstown has expanded its ambitions on the country’s South Island and re-established itself as Hilton Queenstown Resort & Spa. “We felt somewhat confined by the original name, which didn’t quite communicate the expansiveness of the guest experience here,” said Andrew Nisbet, general manager. “As...
LUANG PRABANG, Laos — Though lauded as a land where slow movement is all but a way of life, they’ll be running their hearts out in the one-time royal capital Oct. 5 in a half-marathon aptly dubbed La Procession. Named for the daybreak processions of Buddhist monks, who walk the streets, bowls at the ready,...
HANOI, Vietnam — The bonds between Hanoi and Washington. D.C. just keep getting stronger. In July, the Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi reached halfway around the world to the U.S. capital and the award-winning Sofitel Washington DC Lafayette Square for its new director of food and beverage, Vincent Gernigon. Gernigon succeeds Thibault Souchon who joined the...
