The Leading Hotels of the World is pleased to announce that it has accepted the following new member hotels:

Dating back to 1450, Hotel Schloss Fuschl is set on a peninsula in Austria's Lake Fuschl, 20 minutes from Salzburg.  The storybook setting comprises a castle complex, and lakeside cottages, surrounded by manicured lawns.  Its 110 rooms and suites artfully blend period charm with contemporary style and amenities. 

For tempting dining there are several choices – the elegant Imperial restaurant, the more casual Schloss Restaurant serving traditional fare, and the Vinothek with a selection of outstanding wines.  Leisure facilities include a spa, fitness center, and indoor pool. A variety of meeting venues can accommodate groups of up to 450.

Just an hour and a half from Vienna, the Loipersdorf Spa & Conference Hotel is set in a picturesque Austrian landscape dotted with vineyards, fruit orchards and castles.  The 244 rooms and suites offer sweeping views of a countryside which closely resembles Tuscany. 

Two restaurants serve regional specialties and gourmet fare.  A world of rest and relaxation can be found in the spa where guests enjoy a 38-meter indoor pool as well as a full range of health and beauty treatments.   The Thermenland Conference Center can accommodate up to 1,000 people.

Set in the heart of the Piedmont region in Italy, Kempinski Pragelato Village Resort & Spa is nestled at the foot of the Alps, 120 kilometers from Turin Airport. Guest accommodations are in 208 spacious suites, some with fireplaces and fully equipped kitchens. 

Options for dining include the gourmet Pan Beni restaurant; La Tuccia, serving international cuisine; La Taverna, offering regional fare; Il Ritrovo Bar; and Il Bergian cocktail lounge.  For relaxation, there are indoor and outdoor pools and a Daniela Steiner Spa.  Conference facilities can accommodate up to 80 people.

Opened in spring 2007, Grande Real Villa Italia Hotel & Spa in Cascais, Portugal, was built on the site of what was the residence of King Humberto II, the last monarch of Italy.  Most of its 102 rooms and 22 suites offer views of the Atlantic Ocean. 

Guests can enjoy buffet breakfast in Navagantes, afternoon tea in Bar La Terazza, or lunch and dinner in Belvedere, the gourmet restaurant serving Portuguese and Mediterranean cuisine.  In addition to the full-service Real Spa Marine, the hotel features outdoor swimming pools, a game room, library and reading room.  Meetings of up to 400 can be accommodated in 16 multi-purpose function rooms.

Built in 1899, The Landmark London is situated in the fashionable Marleybone area, not far from Oxford Circus, Piccadilly Circus and the theater district.  A recent refurbishment program has brought the classic Victorian hotel comfortably into the 21^st century, with high-speed Internet access in each of the 252 rooms and 47 suites. 

Restaurants include the Winter Garden, serving breakfast, lunch, dinner and afternoon tea; and the relaxed Cellars Bar & Restaurant.  The Landmark Spa & Health Club, relaunched last autumn, offers a gymnasium, swimming pool, and a full range of aesthetic treatments by E'Spa.  Banquet and meeting rooms can accommodate up to 400 people.

Mexico's recently opened Hotel Camino Real Monterrey is situated just a short drive from downtown, in exclusive San Pedro Garza Garcia.  Its 254 rooms and suites, with warm contemporary design, offer the latest technological amenities.  Guests staying in Club Level rooms enjoy private check-in, as well as complimentary continental breakfast and refreshments available in the Club Lounge.

Other dining options for all guests include Bice Bistro, serving Italian and seafood specialties; KYP Grill, offering Asian fusion; Token Coffee Bar and The Blue Bar.  In addition to two swimming pools, a state-of-the-art fitness gym and a spa, the hotel offers banquet and meeting facilities for up to 1,000 people.

Raffles L'Ermitage Beverly Hills, with its 119 rooms and suites, is within walking distance of the shopping and dining of Rodeo Drive.  A discreet haven in this star-struck city, the hotel provides an aura of European sophistication blended with Asian serenity, complemented with all the requisite 21^st-century technology. 

JAAN is the award-winning restaurant serving modern California cuisine, and the Writer's Bar is the perfect venue for enjoying a cocktail by the fireplace.  Raffles Amrita Spa is a sanctuary for relaxation, and the rooftop pool offers impressive views of the city. 

Standing at the base of the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains, The Langham, Huntington Hotel & Spa is just ten miles north of downtown Los Angeles.  Originally opened in 1907, this stately property offers 380 rooms, sites, and cottages, in California-contemporary design with Asian accents. 

The Dining Room serves modern American cuisine, while The Terrace is available for casual al fresco dining and Sunday brunch.  In addition to the 11,000-square-foot Huntington Spa, guests can enjoy a fully equipped fitness center and swimming pool.  The hotel also boasts 30,000 square feet of meeting space.

The Leading Small Hotels of the World has added the following properties to its roster:

Poised on a cliff side on the western edge of Greece's Santorini Island overlooking the Mediterranean, Katikies is an intimate retreat, with just 6 rooms and 21 suites.  All guest accommodations have private verandas and magnificent sea views.  Romantic dinners are served in the gourmet restaurant, while Kirini offers lunch and dinner at poolside.  Other on-site amenities include two infinity-edge swimming pools, a sunbathing deck with open-air Jacuzzi, and a library with Internet access.

Built in 1894, Hotel Helvetia & Bristol stands in the heart of Florence, between the Piazza della Repubblica and Via Tornabuoni. Its 52 rooms and 15 suites combine a sense of refined charm with up-to-date conveniences including WiFi and flat-screen televisions.  Hostaria Bebendum offers gourmet dining, either indoors or out on the spacious terrace.  Three banquet and meeting rooms can accommodate groups of up to 60 people.

The Carlton Hotel St. Moritz recently reopened after an extensive renovation.  Set in the heart of the Swiss Alps, with spectacular views of the mountains and lake, it features 60 suites and junior suites.  Interiors blend traditional style with contemporary touches and technology.  The Romanoff Restaurant serves buffet breakfast with regional specialties, and in the evening, guests can choose between a set four-course meal, or the à la carte menu.  Tschiné Bar and Restaurant is the relaxed venue for all-day dining. For recreation there are indoor and outdoor pools, a fitness center, and the Carlton Spa, as well as a host of summer and winter sports. Meeting and banquet rooms can accommodate up to 200 people.

Situated on the west coast of the Caribbean island of St. Lucia, Discovery at Marigot Bay offers guests 57 suites and 35 rooms, with spacious verandahs affording dramatic views over the bay below.   Set into a lush tropical hillside, all units can be configured as one-, two-, or three-bedroom suites.   Boudreau Restaurant is the setting for breakfast, lunch and elegant dinners.  In addition to the Lapli Spa and fitness center, the resort offers two outdoor pools, sailing, kayaking, scuba diving and snorkeling for relaxation.  The Great Hall can accommodate up to 100 for meetings and banquets, while the Palm Pavilion is ideal for receptions for up to 200.

More Suites and a Bigger Spa at Les Airelles

Hotel de Charme Les Airelles in Courchevel, France, has completed a EUR 20 million renovation program that has reconfigured the rooms inventory to offer more suites.  The spa has also been expanded and upgraded, and now boasts new water falls, indoor and outdoor whirlpool baths, a snow cave, scented jet shower, a fruit juice and herb tea bar.  A new restaurant is under the talented supervision of Pierre Gagnaire.

Seeing Stars

The renowned Ciel Bleu restaurant at Hotel Okura in Amsterdam has been awarded two Michelin stars – the only restaurant in the city to be so honored.  The hotel also has the distinction of having a second Michelin-starred restaurant under its roof – the Yamazato, which has one.  And its Camelia restaurant has received a "bib gourmand."

The Principe Cerami Restaurant at San Domenico Palace Hotel in Taormina, Sicily, has also received one Michelin star.

Opening Doors

Hotel Botánico on Tenerife in Spain's Canary Islands has opened a new restaurant serving à la carte spa cuisine for the growing number of guests who seek exquisite dining experiences, but want to eat healthily.  With menus designed by the in-house team of chefs and dieticians, it perfectly complements the focus on well-being in the hotel´s award-winning Oriental Spa Garden.

The Landau restaurant at The Langham, London, has opened recently.  Adjacent to the Artesian bar, acclaimed designers David Collins Studio created a dramatic oval-shaped room, accessed through a vaulted wine corridor displaying the restaurant's extensive wine collection. The menu is contemporary European with the best British ingredients and a few surprising twists.

Only the Name has Changed...

On January 1, 2008, the Eliseev Palace Hotel in St. Petersburg, Russia, changed its name to the Taleon Imperial Hotel.

Achieving Leading Spas Qualification

• Adriana Hvar Marinoa Hotel & Spa, Hvar, Croatia
• Espace Payot, Paris, France (day spa)
• Villa Rothschild Hotel & Restaurant, Koenigstein, Germany (day spa)
• Grande Real Villa Italia Hotel & Spa, Cascais, Portugal
• The Whiteface Lodge, Lake Placid, New York

Congratulations

Elisabeth Gürtler, the owner of the Sacher Hotels in Vienna and Salzburg, has been officially appointed as head of Austria's world-renowned Spanish Riding School.  This is the first time in its 430-year history that this venerable institution will be headed by a woman.  An avid and accomplished rider, Mrs. Gürlter began her equestrian training at the School.