DORCHESTER COLLECTION HOTEL SPECIALS
The Dorchester Collection of luxury hotels has announced special accommodation packages and experiences at selected properties in Europe and the United States.
At Le Richemond in Geneva, for instance, guests are invited to an interactive gemology masterclass with Swiss watch and jewellery house Gubeli, where they stand a chance to win a diamond. Available all year upon request, the Geneva Gem package costs 585 Swiss francs (S$802).
At the Beverly Hills Hotel in California, the Pink Palace package is inspired by the popular 1989 cult film, Troop Beverly Hills. It includes welcome champagne and lavender macaroons and accommodation in the late Hollywood actress Elizabeth Taylor's favourite bungalow, which has a private pool surrounded by lush gardens.
Here, guests can enjoy an exclusive personal photography session, complimentary pyjamas and a signature massage or facial at The Beverly Hills Spa. The package starts at £2,000 (S$3,580) a person and is available for stays until Dec 30.
In Paris, the Le Meurice Break promotion at Le Meurice hotel includes 15 per cent off the best available rate on accommodation for two people and a bottle of champagne on arrival.
For more information, go to dorchestercollection.com.
NEW AMAN HOTEL TO OPEN IN NEW YORK
Aman Resorts has announced plans for a new urban sanctuary in New York City. Scheduled to open in 2020, Aman New York will take up residence in the iconic Crown Building in the heart of Manhattan, at the crossroads of Fifth Avenue and 57th Street overlooking Central Park.
It will be the resort brand's second urban destination, after the much-lauded Aman Tokyo, and Aman's third US property after Amangiri and Amangani.
Guests will enter the hotel via an understated entrance and be led up to the dramatic 10th-floor, double-height Sky Lobby. Excluding the retail space on the first three floors, Aman New York will occupy the entire 26-storey Crown Building.
There will be 83 guest rooms and suites - starting at 70 sq m, each with a private, functioning fireplace - three dining venues, as well as 20 private Aman residences on the upper floors that include a five-storey, park-view penthouse at the building's apex. The hotel will be the first Aman property to feature residences.
It will also house a 2,000 sq m Aman Spa, extending over three storeys that is open exclusively to hotel guests, residents and club members.
Facilities include hot and cold plunge pools and a 25m-long indoor swimming pool surrounded by alcoves of double daybeds and fire pits.
On the 10th floor will be a wraparound garden terrace bar, with panoramic views of Central Park.
Other dining and entertainment venues include a piano bar in the Sky Lobby, two restaurants, a wine library and a subterranean jazz club.
For more information, go to www.aman.com/resorts/aman-new-york.
CHEF RYAN CLIFT OPENS RESTAURANT IN BALI
Fans of Ryan Clift, the award-winning chef of Singapore restaurants Tippling Club and Open Farm Community, can now indulge in his cuisine when they are in Bali.
He has opened a bistro, Grow, in L Hotel, located in the heart of Seminyak.
It serves farm-to-table cuisine, which uses only locally sourced produce and meats. Above the 65-seat restaurant, on the hotel's rooftop, is a stylish new bar called Grow Up, where guests can sip on craft cocktails.
To celebrate its opening, Grow has introduced a two-course lunch menu at 150,000 rupiah (S$15) and three-course lunch menu at 180,000 rupiah. They include signature dishes such as fresh burrata, roasted grouper and cinnamon thyme panna cotta.
For more information, go to www.growbali.com.
Lydia Vasko
