Luxury News from InsideLux – The Daily Luxury News Authority

Du Parc Kempinski Private Residences rest atop Mont-Pélerin within the vineyards of the Lavaux region, complete with a pristine view of the Alps as well as Lake Geneva. The three penthouse and 21 apartment building was born from the 140 room Hotel du Parc (formerly the Pélerin Palace Hotel) built in 1906. The historic hotel has housed guests such as New York socialite Gertrude Normand Smith, writer Victor Hugo, and designer Coco Chanel.

Du Parc’s restorations marry a classically beautiful hotel with a modern luxurious way of living. Condensing the 140-suite hotel into just 21 apartments and three penthouses leaves each private residence with an excess of luxurious space as well as endless accommodations. The penthouses will measure to approximately 6,500 square feet with the other 21 apartments ranging from 1,950- 2,600 square feet. Residents will simply have to pick between a modern or classic style and leave the decoration work to BBG-BBGM interior design firm.

Amenities go above and beyond the norm with both an indoor and outdoor pool, Givenchy private spa, Davidoff cigar lounge, dance studio, private cinema, Turkish bath, fitness room, putting green and a lifelong membership to the Lavaux 18-hole golf course, conveniently located 20 minutes away. Along with these in-house activities, Quintessentially provides an international concierge service and a local concierge service will be run by Le Mirador Kempinksi.

Price tags range from 4.7 million to 23 million Swiss francs and are projected to be ready for occupancy in early 2012.

Have you ever wished you could be Christie Brinkley?  Well, not all wishes come true, but you can attempt to live her luxurious lifestyle by renting out her home.  Her beautiful beachfront villa sits on more than an acre of secluded property on the private island of Turks and Caicos.  A neighbor to Brinkley, Bruce Willis, rents out his 5 bedroom main residence and two 3 bedroom guest villas, decked with all the newest hip furniture, and a colossal pool for all to enjoy.  To really feel like royalty, try renting out Rolling Stones leading man, Mick Jagger’s “Stargrove” estate located in East End, Newbury, England.  If you get approved through the application process, you can enjoy the property including a private cook, gardener, and housekeeper starting at $15,000 per week.

Many would wonder why these well known megastars would open their homes to complete strangers.  Due to the sudden and dramatic changes in our economy, some celebrities are being forced to lend their beachfront properties for weeks at a time at a hefty fine.  Others, like Willis, just like to share their wealth.  Money may not be able to buy you love, but it certainly can buy you a taste of stardom and luxury during your vacation.

The 1920’s are often referred to as the Golden Age of Hollywood. This swank mansion, built by Columbia Pictures founder Harry Cohn, features a lot of gold and decorative elements characteristic of the roaring 20s and the excessive styles that accompanied it.

Located at 716 North Palm Drive in Beverly Hills, it is listed for $8,995,000 by Coldwell Banker Previews International. This luxurious palace features four bedroom suites, recessed ceilings, decorative molding and colorful tiles.

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London’s elite property, the St. James’s Hotel and Club has just been listed for a cool $88.6 million dollars. Placed on the market by the Landesberg and Rosenberg families and currently part of the Althoff group of hotels, the building was purchased for $29.5 million dollars five years ago and has undergone extensive renovations.

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Tiger economies, Dragon economies and now we have Pig economies (Portugal, Italy and Greece).  Greece facing a close to economical collapse has come under immense pressure to sell off its prized assets which include some of its famous islands.  With a German bailout on the cards, the German press playfully ran headlines to the tune that German’s would “buy” a piece of Greece, but in reality only private investors will have the chance to snap up one of the islands.  One of the Onasis islands is currently up for sale at $300m, potential buyers include Bill Gates and Madonna, but this is just one of 600 or so that could be sold.  Brokers suggest a figure closer to $2m for a small sized island with potential to build a holiday complex or at least an extravagant villa.

While Tiger Woods lies low and stays out of the limelight, his wife Elin Nordegren has been spotted in the French Alps.   An $8,000 a night chalet was booked to allow the golf icon’s wife to relax in privacy as the world’s press speculate on an upcoming divorce and child custody proceedings.

African Homesteads offers luxury villas in a private game reserve on the fringe of KwaZulu Natal’s

Savour the luxury of Africa’s wide open spaces with the sky and savanna theme of The Homestead at &Beyond Phinda. Breathtakingly stylish and sophisticated yet refreshingly simple, The Homestead provides the ideal venue to reconnect with friends and family.

With the warm, friendly faces and helping hands of a full complement of staff ready to welcome you on arrival, you will instantly feel as though this is your second home.

Inviting rooms designed around retro trinkets, Zulu crafts and sleek, contemporary touches reinforce the impression that this private safari villa is designed for comfort and ease.

Some of the biggest luxury hotel operators in the world are putting pressure on the government of Hong Kong to release more land for development.

The move by Starwood Hotels and Resorts and other luxury hotel chains has been prompted by the fact that over the last few years high-end luxury hotels in Hong Kong have been demolished rather than built.

Stephen Ho, Vice president of aquisitions in Asia for Starwood Hotels, told the South China Morning Post “We obviously want to get into Hong Kong island but unfortunately it has limited land supply. Hopefully with reclamation there we could bring the Westin and St Regis brands to Hong Kong.”

In the heart of Hong Kong’s business district, a host of big luxury hotels have stopped operating as developers and real estate agents realise that turning these plush buildings into luxury office space will earn them much more money in rents.

Considering Hong Kong is one of the business capitals of the world there are actually very few hotel rooms available. In the whole of Hong Kong island there are 60,000 hotel rooms and 14,700 of them are luxury hotel rooms in hotels like Hong Kong’s CDB.

Back in 1995 the Hilton was the first major luxury hotel to bow out of the market, leaving Hong Kong with 750 less hotel rooms. In 2001 the Furama Hotel which was bang smack in the middle of Hong Kong closed too, along with it’s 517 rooms. Just last year the Ritz-Carlton hotel also closed and that lost Hong Kong another 216 rooms.

With the Hong Kong tourism board keen to lure more business to the island it’s likely that the government will be pleased to hear of the big luxury hotel chains’ interest in building in the city. According to the tourism board business travelers stay longer in Hong Kong and their luxury lifestyles mean they spend more than leisure tourists.

According to established Estate Agents Savills, the cost of purchasing a luxury london home has risen by 4% in the last 3 months. Savills say the price rise is due to more buyers fighting over less available luxury property.

Camilla Dell who is managing partner of luxury estate agents Black Brick Property Solutions has said “There isn’t enough property on the market in prime areas and priced attractively to satisfy demand.”
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The price of renting retail space on the most expensive shopping streets around the world has seen the biggest drop in 24 years.

According to real estate brokers Cushman & Wakefield Inc. rental prices haven’t gone down to such a low level since 1985. Their report also found that Fifth Avenue in Manhattan, a haven for luxury shoppers, has retained it’s title as the priciest retail address for the eighth year in a row.
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