bLavish

Luxury Yotel Hotel Coming To New York This June

April 13, 2011 | Posted by bLavish as Estate of the Day, Tid Bits & News at 7:55 am | Comments off

The first Yotel Hotel this side of the Atlantic is heading to New York this June and you don’t want to miss a chance to peek at this luxury hotel.

Yotel specializes in smaller luxury rooms, or cabins as Yotel calls them, for traveling executives who tire of all the wasted square footage of suites.  The new Hotel will be located in the new 60-story LEED-certified glass tower Middle of Manhattan, which is just a few blocks from Times Square.

Each of Yotel’s nearly 700 rooms will offer visitors all the comfort of a luxury hotel in New York at a much smaller scale – rooms, or “cabins” as they are called, only occupy about ten by seventeen feet of space. It’s enough for a sumptuous bed, a super-compact bathroom, and an ultraluxe “techno wall” featuring a state-of-the-art flat screen television and music station. Check-in will be fully automated, airport style, and luggage will be handled and stored by the luxury hotel’s friendly Yo-bots. Meanwhile, downstairs Yotel plans to go big with a super-hip Japanese inspired restaurant called Dohyo and a swank lounge worthy of the city.

Sounds like just what the busy executive traveler needs, and we can’t wait for our already-booked NYC trip to try this new Yotel out.

Ritz Carlton Hong Kong Opens Tuesday

March 29, 2011 | Posted by bLavish as Estate of the Day at 9:04 am | Comments off

Luxury has a new benchmark, in Hong Kong that is.  The 116-floor Ritz Carlton Hong Kong will be opening their doors Tuesday and offering luxury beyond compare.

Occupying floors 102-118 of the nearly 1,600-foot-tall International Commercial Centre, the Ritz Carlton will be one of the few to call home in Hong Kong’s tallest building.

The Ritz will join financial giants and neighbors Morgan Stanley, Credit Suisse and Deutsche Bank, as well as residential space, 100th floor observation deck, a shopping mall and a transportation center.

The 118th floor features an infinity pool with panoramic views of the harbor as well as a rooftop restaurant and lounge.

Located in Kowloon, the hotel sits along Victoria Harbor, offering spectacular views of the harbor, Hong Kong Island and the New Territories.

Spectacular views of the city are complemented by a well-designed interior. Several big-name designers were hired for the project, including Singapore’s LTW Designworks, which also did work for the Mandarin Oriental Sanya on Hainan Island.

The 312-guestroom hotel will be the flagship property for the Ritz Carlton in Asia. A one-night grand opening package is currently on offer for just under 5,000 Hong Kong dollars.

The Ultimate In Cartoon Luxury: Hello Kitty House

March 22, 2011 | Posted by bLavish as Estate of the Day at 5:43 pm | Comments off

I love luxury when it’s truly luxurious, but I have to admit that I might love it more when it’s ridiculous. And while I would never criticize anyone’s desire to build their dream home, this one is a bit over-the-top. This house, located in Shanghai, is called the Hello Kitty Villa. Fans of the quirky Japanese cartoon will immediately recognize the aesthetic, but for those not in the know, it must look truly bizarre.

It’s not just the outside of the home that’s decorated in this think pink style. The whole interior of the house is decorated in shades of Hello Kitty pink, from the furnishings to the window treatments. All the furniture was custom-made to go into the home, and is embellished with plushy bows. Seriously, this is the most insanely pink thing I’ve ever seen.

Luckily, it’s not actually a home. That is, no one seems to live there. But even though it went up in 2009, no one seems to know exactly what purpose, if any, the building serves. Tourist guides have it listed as both a hotel and as a museum, and it could also be both. If anyone has any relevant info about this fantastic bit of frippery, please let us know.

Star Island Estate For Sale: Villa Stella

March 10, 2011 | Posted by bLavish as Estate of the Day at 8:00 pm | Comments off

Miami’s Star Island is one of the most covetable neighborhoods anywhere. A secluded enclave just minutes from South Beach, notables from Gloria Estefan to Madonna have called it home at one time or another. The island is small, so when real estate comes on the market, it’s big news. Like this gorgeous Villa Stella.

The tw0-story waterfront home has a beautiful view of South Beach, not to mention a boat dock. The four bedroom home has grand 30-foot ceilings and a formal arrival court that can hold up to 15 cars. which makes it an excellent place to throw fabulous get togethers.

If you want some along time, you can head to the estate’s keyhole-shaped pool or to the rooftop observatory. The gourmet kitchen has two sub-zero refrigerators, two dishwashers, and a Viking gas stove. Villa Stella is a little bit of paradise located conveniently smack dab in the middle of paradise.

Justin Bieber Celebrates 17th Birthday With Luxury

March 2, 2011 | Posted by bLavish as Estate of the Day, Tid Bits & News at 8:43 am | Comments off

Teen singing sensation Justin Bieber celebrated his 17th birthday in style and luxury with girlfriend Selena Gomez.

To ring in his new year, Bieber and Gomez spared no expense by spending his birthday weekend at the St. Regis Monarch Beach hotel in Dana Point, California, where his room ran $6000 per night.

A source revealed that the couple just wanted to be by themselves for the weekend, saying, “For the most part, Justin and Selena wanted to be left alone. They didn’t have bodyguards or parents with them, but there was an emergency contact list at the front desk with numbers for a bodyguard and some of their people’s info if they needed it in any way.”

The $6K per night Presidential Suite features an on-call butler, two bedrooms, a dining room spacious enough to seat 1o, and a private balcony overlooking the ocean with a hot tub.  Sounds like the perfect way to celebrate your 17th.

Courtney Love’s New New York Townhouse?

February 27, 2011 | Posted by bLavish as celebrities, Estate of the Day at 10:47 pm | Comments off

Okay, I should admit straight off that it is not confirmed that Courtney Love has officially leased this West Village townhome, but it’s so spectacularly gorgeous that I can’t help but spread this rumor around. The Tenth Street townhouse is done in the Greek Revival style of the 1800′s. The 25 foot wide, 4 story home has been on the market since 2009 with an asking price of $28,000 per month.

The home contains a staggering six fireplaces, including one in the reception room, which opens onto a stunning black laquer spiral staircase. The home is fully furnished in a posh contemporary style that showcases the building’s inherent design characteristics, like exposed brick walls and heavy moldings. Unfortunately for the fashion-loving Love, the house is, like so many NYC abodes, light on closet space. Fortunately, a full-sized dressing room has been added to make up for this inadequacy.

Images via S.R. Gambrel

Actuel Dogs, Luxury Parisian Hotel For Your BFF

February 25, 2011 | Posted by bLavish as Estate of the Day, Tid Bits & News at 8:51 am | Comments off

Founded by dog behavior specialist and lifelong dog-lover Devi and Stan Burun, Paris’ new luxury pet hotel is the perfect holiday location for your best friend.

Actuel Dogs is surprisingly France’s first luxury hotel for dogs and if your pooch is lucky enough to get into this lavish hotel, they’re in for many, many treats.

The new doggy hotel features massage therapy for your BFF, along with poolside accommodations, training programs, televisions with their choice of DVDs and a full day’s worth of pampering to go along with it.

Rates are a reasonable 26 to 35 Euros for a full day and when you compare the cost and environment to that of a kennel, Actuel Dogs just might win the hearts of all of France.

Scottie Pippen’s Ft. Lauderdale Mansion

February 23, 2011 | Posted by bLavish as celebrities, Estate of the Day at 11:57 pm | Comments off

Okay, so I’ll be honest. When I wrote about Clay Aiken’s enormous North Carolina estate, I wondered who could possibly need so much space. But Scottie Pippen’s giant Ft. Lauderdale mansion is even bigger. And since it’s located in a more coveted located (not North Carolina), it’s worth significantly more. Say, almost $13 million more. That’s right, Pippen’s Florida home is yours for only $16 million. At 9,782 square feet, that’s $1,635  square foot. So, what’s in all those cubic inches that make them so special?

First of all, there’s six bedroom and 7.5 baths. No big deal. There’s also a state-of-the-art audio-visual system, and some sort of automatic vacuuming system. It also has a private putting green and a lagoon-style swimming pool. Something interesting, and somewhat unusual about the estate is the confusion about the size. The state has the home listed at 9,782 square feet and 4 bedrooms, but some online listings say the size of the home is more like 13,500 square feet. Either way, it’s giant.

LeAnn Rimes Tennessee Mansion Still For Sale

February 23, 2011 | Posted by bLavish as Estate of the Day at 9:38 am | Comments off

On the market since 2009, country music star LeAnn Rimes’ Nashville, Tennessee estate is still collecting dust.

Despite two price cuts last year which saw the original price of $7.45 million be cut to $6,299,000, the country faux English-style mansion has yet to gain any real interest.

Fulled gated in the Avalon community right outside Nashville, Rime’s estate features custom woodwork with hand-distressed wood floors, two kitchen,  spacious exercise studio, guest quarters, amazing master suite and wiring for a music studio, of course.

Now if LeAnn could just find a buyer….

Clay Aiken’s Enormous North Carolina Estate Up For Sale

February 22, 2011 | Posted by bLavish as celebrities, Estate of the Day at 8:42 pm | Comments off

American Idol star Clay Aiken has moved quite a few times in the past few years, as celebrities do. In the past 8 years, Aiken moved from Charlotte, North Carolina (where he was in college) to Los Angeles, and then back to North Carolina. I don’t know where he’s headed to, next, but the singer’s giant estate outside Raleigh is currently on the market.

The 9,392 square foot home has six bedrooms, six full bathrooms, and three half bathrooms. It’s situated on 6.98 acres and includes a private pond with a fountain. Unlike many homes of this magnitude, it does not have a swimming pool or tennis courts. The architectural style of the home is described as “transitional”. I’m not sure what that means, but it looks like sort of a hodge podge of American design.

The home is listed at $2.7 million, a little less than $700,000 more than Aiken paid for the home in 2003.

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