JET-SET TREND:
BOEING BUSINESS JET

New in jet-set trends is the Boeing Business Jet (otherwise known as the BBJ). Boeing recently released it. It's a 747-8, their largest plane to date and the longest commercial jet in the world. Boeing Business Jets are spiffed up jets for people with money. The 747-8 Intercontinental is the latest, and most expensive corporate jet in the world. The cost: $300 million but if you really want it fit to your needs it could be more like $500 million. Boeing won’t say exactly who buys these jets but most are private orders and one third go to the Middle East. The largest engine is now called the MAX. The range for these planes: over 17 thousand kilometers.

The plane seats between 25-50 passengers and brings luxury to another level. It includes a master bedroom, washroom with showers, a conference room, dining area and a living room. The BBJ is a partnership between Boeing Commercial Airplanes and General Electric.

REAL ESTATE TREND:
LONG TERM HOUSING OWNERSHIP

Long Term Home Ownership is becoming the norm in real estate. Home buyers are thinking more long term with purchases.
During the boom homeowners were buying houses like candy and expected to turn around in a couple years, in 2011 home buyers are much more cautious as you have witnessed. 

This trend is causing buyers to become more picky and thoughtful about the homes they purchase and now the real estate agent is still in vogue.

Elizabeth Marquart is a top Remax agent in Los Angeles. She admits the agents have to do twice as much work this year to stay on top of it.

If you're a seller, you'll need to do more than ever to get your home sold.  It must be in great condition and priced perfectly to compete for 2011's more cautious homebuyer.

TRAVEL OPPORTUNITY:
JOIN STING IN TUSCANY

Want to party with celebrities? How about in Tuscany in a couple of months? Trend setting companies are now putting together trips to intriguing destinations with iconic hosts. The trips deal with wine, sports, entertainment and global culture.So how about partying with Sting in Tuscany? AuthentEscapes has a vacation vineyard wine trip June 2 - June 6 at his villa in Italy.

Travel designer with national travel agency, The Travel Network, Eirini Demetlin says 300 people can go. Yes, Sting can have 300 people in his backyard at his villa. The trip is called Vino Paradiso.

Here's what you get to do:

Day 1: Opening night concert with famous violist Joshua Bell, followed by a dinner at the Four Seasons.

Day 2: Gala dinner at a palace in Florence, Palazzo Orsini

Day 3: Tutored Tuscany winemaking class and wine tasting.

Day 4: Country lunch hosted by Sting and his wife TrudieStyler at their private estate.

To book, you could contact Eirini directly at 514.789.2146, or toll free at 1.800.731.2226. You could also contact her by email at eirinid@thetravelnetwork.com

HOTEL TRENDS:
FOUR SEASONS AT BEVERLY HILLS 'SUITE DRIVE'

Four Seasons Hotels, Inc., the luxury hotel management company continues to offer clients the best of the best and at Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles at Beverly Hills they keep outdoing themselves. This hotel is still the place to be when in Los Angeles. Now you can enjoy a Suite Drive with Four Seasons Hotel at Beverly Hills', exciting new program that includes access to ultra-luxurious cars for suite guests in the City of Angels.

I sat down recently in a suite overlooking Beverly Hills with its elegant General Manager Mehdi Eftekari, in charge of one of the region's elite hotels. This Four Seasons serves business and leisure travelers but it's the magnet for show-biz types working in movies, television and music. The majority of press junket interviews are conducted there and I have spent much of my 15 years working and doing celebrity interviews at this hotel. It has been a home away from home and I have loved every minute of the serenity and superior service I have received upon every single visit. It’s truly amazing the standards that never waiver.

Hotel staff are taught to protect celebrities from intrusions and not ask for autographs, photos or otherwise fuss over the famous.

"We train our people to be friendly, not familiar" says Eftekari

The hotel is now setting trends with its new luxury car program called the “Suite Drive.” It gives guests exclusive access to ultra-luxurious vehicles such as a Bentley, Ferrari, Rolls Royce Phantom and Lamborghini during their hotel stays. When guests book one of the hotels 36 newly renovated suites, they can choose form a selection of exotic and luxury cars, depending on the suite category at no cost, other than fuel and insurance.

True luxury car aficionados who book the Royal Suite or one of the two Presidential Suites will be rock stars for the night with an exotic ride in a Rolls Royce Phantom, Ferrari F430, Ferrari California, Bentley Flying Spur, Maserati, Bentley GTC, Porsche Cayenne Turbo, Lamborghini Gallardo, Mercedes-Benz SLS, Mercedes-Benz
S600 or Porsche 997.

Guests who book a One-Bedroom Suite, Luxury Suite, Premier Suite or Grand Luxury Suite will receive car options including a Cadillac, Mini Cooper, Mercedes-Benz, Audi and Volvo.

Four Seasons can also arrange for guests to receive their cars at the airport at no additional cost, and valet parking is included throughout their stay.

Mehdi says that Four Seasons service is more than a philosophy, it’s a culture. It’s what they do in their 84 hotels in 34 countries. The company recently celebrated its 50th birthday. It is constantly thinking about the guests and how they could please them thus creating loyalty.

Travel + Leisure magazine and Zagat Survey rank their properties among the top luxury hotels worldwide and the company has been named one of the "100 Best Companies to Work For" by Fortune every year since the survey's inception in 1998.

Presidential Suite West

Highlights of the 2,398-square-foot (223-square-metre) Presidential Suite West at five-star Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles include a black marble foyer, spacious living and dining rooms and an adjacent bedroom. The six step-out balconies offer views of Beverly Hills and the Bel Air hills.

1. The living area boasts a baby grand piano, a fireplace and a dining area.

2. Host a private dinner party for eight using the dining-room table and adjoining state-of-the-art kitchen.

3. Watch TV in the living area or the master bedroom on the 60-inch (152-centimetre) plasma-screen TV with home theatre surround-sound system, and enjoy a movie using the DVD player or NXTV system, which provides 50 television channels, pay-per-view movies and video games.

4. High-speed Internet is accessible through the phone or the NXTV system.

5. In the master bedroom's marble bathroom, enjoy the privacy of the walk-in closet, separate dressing area, large vanity, deep tub, shower, telephone and flat-screen TV.

6. A marble bathroom adjoins the second bedroom, and a guest powder room with shower is adjacent to the living area.

7. Take advantage of our exciting new Suite Drive with Four Seasons programme, which provides guests staying in one of our 36 newly renovated suites with access to ultra-luxurious vehicles during their stay – for no rental fee. Certain conditions apply. This offer is subject to availability and standard-rate bookings.

 

 

To reserve this room:
- Contact the worldwide reservations office
- Call the hotel reservations department at 1 (310) 786-2227

*Photographs are an example of room quality only. Some items may have been rearranged or added, and views may differ. Please refer to the written descriptions for specific physical details and views.

NEW LUXURY CAR:
ROLL-ROYCE 'GHOST'

Rolls-Royce launched its new more affordable model: the Rolls-Royce Ghost. You know the luxury car market has changed when even Rolls-Royce decides to go this route.

The Ghost starts off at $246,500. It can go up to $320,000 depending on the specifications. Their original model, the Phantom, will cost you about $500,000. Adam Rumsey is product specialist with Rolls Royce North America.

The Ghost is a much less formal car than the original Phantom – a more everyday driving car. It is for the person who is looking for everything that a Rolls Royce has without making the statement that a Phantom makes. The Ghost was designed as more of an "everyday" Rolls – in comparison to the Rolls Royce Phantom. The Phantom is a more occasional car. You could compare the Phantom to a tuxedo and the Ghost to a well-dressed business suit that you could wear every single day without feeling out of place.

The car is the result of consumer demand and they wanted to introduce a new demographic to the Rolls brand. The demographic with the phantom is a lot older. With the Ghost they are targeting the 40-55 year old.
The four door sedan can seat five people and can accelerate from zero-60 mps (zero-160 kph) in just over 4.5 seconds.Top speed is 155 mph (248 kph)

The car has a tremendous amount of new technology. It has everything from night vision to active cruise control and every type of new navigation feature. It is very function on demand meaning if you want it, the technology is there for you, if you don’t it’s not.

CELEBRITY REHAB:
PROMISES IN MALIBU - WHERE THE CELEBS GO

Now turning to celebrity rehab and one of the hot trends these days when it comes to a diagnosis - sex addiction.

Dr. David Sack of Promises Addiction Treatment Center in Malibu says celebrities are in and out. When celebrities decide to undergo treatment, it is often a difficult decision to make and the media chasing them down makes the process that much harder. 

Dr. Sack says the decision for whether a celebrity should or shouldn’t go public about their treatment is highly individual. For some celebrities it is less intrusive to make an announcement because it decreases the frenzy that goes on when people start to speculate about where they are.

After the recent sex scandal with golf superstar Tiger Woods, there was speculation that he was suffering sex addiction. Does such a condition really exist? Or is it merely an excuse for unethical behavior?

Dr. Sack explains that experts in the field are beginning to recognize that compulsive sexual activity has many things in common with others kinds of addiction. He sees Tiger Woods as someone who has always been very private and has been very careful in managing is public image. He says that the mere fact that he continued his inappropriate sexual behavior in spite of all the problems it could cause in his life shows that compulsive sexual behavior is a lot like other substance addictions. Neurologists are seeing that there is the same kind of brain chemistry in sex addiction as there is with every other kind of addiction. Drugs used for Parkinson patients raise the level of dopamine in the brain. We know that drugs that reward people, that is the drugs that people abuse, all raise brain dopamine. Not surprisingly, in their Parkinson patients they are seeing all these impulsive behaviors: impulsive spending, impulsive drug use and impulsive sexual behavior. All these things we associate with increased dopamine seem to be true for compulsive sexual behavior.

 

Promises Addiction Treatment Center is located in a gorgeous setting atom the cliffs in Malibu overlooking the Pacific ocean.  He says that being in a beautiful setting helps on several levels. For one, generally the patients that are treated at Promises are successful or come from successful families who are used to living in these kinds of environments. He wants the entire focus of their stay at Promises to be on their recovery and growth, and not be distracted by things like bad food and a hard bed. He says he wants to give patients every reason not to fight the treatment.

BILLIONAIRES
HOW THEY DO IT

Do you have what it takes to be a millionaire/billionaire?

According to Forbes latest list - the richest man in the world is Brazilian telecom tycoon Carlos Slim Helu. What exactly does it take to amass that kind of wealth? Do you have it?

Here’s what the experts say is the secret and the common denominator of all of those who have gathered huge masses of money.

"People who are very successful have an incredible sense of optimism, unbounded optimism. They have an insatiable need to win. They don't have the sense of limitations that most people have. There's no limit to their capacity to achieve and keep going. Age and family commitments don't deter them."

They say: It takes serious guts to abandon the comforts of an office, a two-week paycheck and a decent health care package to start a small business, let alone build an empire. 

Billionaires have a confidence bordering on arrogance that checks their fear and doubt - even as the bets grow larger and more complicated. 

Put another way, they have an uncanny ability to shrug off "failure". Highly successful entrepreneurs view failure as a way to gather data. That's how they learn. It's part of the process instead of being the end of road.

TRAVEL:
NEW FIRST-CLASS FLYING FEATURES

When it comes to first class luxury, airlines are now offering new luxuries to recapture first class fliers.

Delta Airlines and American Airlines, the world's two largest carriers, are counting on lie-flat seats and Tahitian crab soup to win back profitable customers

With the easing of an 18-month global slump in first- and business-class travel, Delta's seats that recline 180 degrees into beds and American's Asian-fusion appetizers are lures for the corporate passengers - whose ranks dwindled when the global recession ravaged budgets for international flying.

Filling the premium seats at the front of airplane cabins is pivotal to U.S. airlines' efforts to return to profit in 2010 after weak demand forced them into discounting to woo vacationers.

Hotel Trends:
Todd Avery Lenahan

We now take a look at some of the most luxurious hotels in the world and the trendsetting global leader in hotel design and creating spectacular spaces.



Next time you enjoy a hotel room or bask in the beauty of a restaurant’s decor, there's a good chance this man had something to do with it. He takes you to places you've never been.

Todd-Avery Lenahan, of ABA Design Studio, has an international portfolio of interior design work with luxury hoteliers designing their rooms lobbies and lounges. Whether it be for restaurateurs like Wolfgang Puck or leading hoteliers of the Ritz Carlton Saudi Arabia, Mandarin Oriental, Four Seasons or the Wynn and Encore Hotels, Lenahan delivers exceptional work each and every time. In Las Vegas he designed the most opulent spa in the world at Steve Wynn’s hotel Encore. It is absolutely mesmerizing. You truly have to see it to believe it.

His work has been featured in Architectural Digest, Town and Country, Robb Report, and Forbes.

Prior to ABA’s conception, he spent 10 years working for Walt Disney Imagineering, here in LA, responsible for the business’ master planning, creative development, and project management. He left and opened his own design firm.

His vision is magical and when you enter Todd's imagination, you truly enter another world. When you step into his spaces it's no wonder he was named 'Designer of the Year’ in 2008.

I had a chance to sit down with Todd recently. The conversation was a TV interview and then we continued to speak after the interview was done. I didn't want it to end. His enthusiasm for his work and life were notable and his creativity infectious.

A big part of Todd's business is "building green" as per request - but this is high-end luxury green. He says that guests today really appreciate it and they expect it. He says "It used to be sort of an added value to the guest experience to see something called out as being environmentally sensitive. Discerning travelers and guests today expect it and even if they didn’t expect it, it’s something we’re responsible for doing as good citizens."

He says the essence of the best luxury hotel lies in its ability to access anything you desire. At a five-star hotel, most guests expect to get what they want when they want it, and they expect each hotel to offer a unique experience.

So how does HE feel walking back into his finished beautifully designed space?

"I feel a great connection to it. It feels a little bit like home, but it’s more rewarding to see people in the space and to see them reacting to it than for me to stand in it by myself because the ultimate reward is how it really moves through people and how it excites them and surprises them."

Todd creates hotels, restaurant, offices and private homes.

If you want to check out Todd’s work visit his website www.abalv.com

FITNESS TREND:
'ELITE' GYMS


A big trend right now has regular gyms turning into luxury gyms which center around well-being and fun. These are called elite gyms or ultimate gyms.

One of the hottest elite gyms is Drive 495 in New York City.

People spend $5,000 for a yearly membership at this club designed by the man who did the Ritz Carlton Central Park South.

At Drive 495 one floor is dedicated to fitness and the other is a golfer's paradise, with three-dimensional simulators that take you through 31 golf courses from around the world.

For $25,000, the unlimited membership gives you 365 days of access to golf lessons or personal training sessions.

Then there are the elite gyms that stay on top of the latest fitness trends to keep members happy such as the San Francisco Bay Club and the Houstonian Club in Houston, Texas.

At the 90,000-square-foot San Francisco Bay Club, located near the city's financial district, there's been a shift away from exercise machines that focus on one plane of movement, like a simple leg lift. Instead the majority of the equipment is free-motion equipment - one piece will move you in 12 different directions.

The Houstonian Club, offers 110 classes per week and has a staff of 30 certified personal trainers who create programs to truly challenge members. Enrollment is from $12,000 to $24,000, before an average monthly fee of $200 kicks in.

It's all in the details...
High-end clients tend to expect the best because they know what's available, with many belonging to multiple facilities due to their hectic schedules and a need for convenience.

At the world's most luxurious gyms you can now find private televisions that display dozens of virtual courses and simulates an outdoor ride. The bike is equipped with handlebars that turn left and right, and you can even choose to compete against the person next to you. You could log on to a Web site afterward and you can gauge your progress or see if you made the leader board.

It's also common now to find exercise equipment fit for pro athletes as well as diagnostic medical tests and endless varieties of spa treatments specially designed to pamper your body.

Luxury gyms are thriving in cities by finding new ways to cater to their busy, health-oriented and often wealthy clientele.

Health clubs are growing their revenues and membership retention by offering more opportunities for people to pay for non-dues-related programs, such as personal training, pro shops, spa services and food and beverages. Clubs drew close to $1 out of every $3 in revenue from non-dues sources.

Now, gyms are more than just a big room filled with fitness equipment. They are upscale, luxurious, very all-inclusive with coffee bars and pools. There's definitely an entertainment value, and you certainly get what you pay for. You really feel taken care of.

Along with going high-scale, workouts are becoming high-tech. LA fitness trainers say women and men can get any fitness regime now on their iPods too.

LAS VEGAS LUXURY POOLS: CAESARS PALACE 'GARDEN OF THE GODS'


Just got back from Las Vegas two weeks ago and then went again this week, so many stories to shoot, couldn't do it in one visit.

Las Vegas remains No.1 trade show destination in North America, hosting the most shows for the 16th consecutive year. The average Vegas visitor's trip is 3.6 nights. One hotel that now has convention size facilities is Caesars Palace. No need for companies to leave the property anymore. A major renovation has gone on with the expanded 5-acre Garden of the Gods Pool Oasis. There is the gaming pool, the Fortuna pool, rimmed with an 18-foot waterfall, named after the goddess of good fortune. You will see a cigarette and cigar lady making the rounds of the pools, a mojito cart, even swim-up blackjack in the water.

I sat down with Gary Selesner, President of Caesars Palace up at the Bacchus pool overlooking all the other pools. Here, it's reserved for private parties, invited guests and celebrities. Two pools comprise this VVIP area, which overlooks the entire 'Garden of the Gods' complex. There is also a hot tub and several plush cabanas, offering butler service.

The existing pools (Temple, Venus and Neptune) have undergone repairs. Caesars Palace also now has VIP European-themed plush villas reserved for the most VIP of high rollers.

INSIDER INFO: HOW TO BE A MILLIONAIRE/BILLIONAIRE


So do you have what it takes to be a millionaire/billionaire? You're likely very interested in this story. According to Forbes lastest list, the richest man in the world is Brazilian telecom tycoon Carlos Slim Helu. So, What exactly does it take to amass that kind of wealth? Do you have it? There's common denominator of all of those who have gathered huge masses of money. People who are very successful have an incredible sense of optimism, unbounded optimism. They have an insatiable need to win. They don't have the sense of limitations that most people have. There's no limit to their capacity to achieve and keep going. Age and family commitments don't deter them. They say it takes serious guts to abandon the comforts of an office, a two-week paycheck and a decent health care package to start a small business, let alone build an empire. Billionaires have a confidence bordering on arrogance that checks their fear and doubt, even as the bets grow larger and more complicated. Put another way, they have an uncanny ability to shrug off failure. Highly successful entrepreneurs view failure as a way to gather data. That's how they learn. It's part of the process instead of being the end of road.

BIRD DROPPING FACIALS:
HOT HOLLYWOOD TREND


It's the bird dropinng facial masque. At Santa Fe's Ten Thousand Waves spa, the Nightingale Cleansing Mask includes a powder composed of "sanitized droppings" from the tiny wonder-birds. The high nitrogen content draws out bacteria from the skin and breaks down dead skin cells more gently than acid peels. Used for centuries by Geisha in Japan, the facial is "an all-natural way to brighten and smooth the skin."

The Nightingale Cleansing Mask, 55 minutes, $115.

Ten Thousand Waves spa, www.tenthousandwaves.com; Santa Fe, N.M., 505-992-5025

MOST EXPENSIVE KEY CHAIN: MERCEDES BENZ PLATINUM


So you're looking for that special gift.

Want an expensive special gift?

ok how about the most costly key chain in the world.

Go to the Mercedes Benz Canada website and search for item #B6606 0126or description is "luxury key ring, platinum"

Cost? Get ready: $22,239.00 CDN. (no the car is not included)

Ok now if the platinum one is too expensive - you can buy the gold one for just $7,469.99.

Still too much - OK the silver one is a deal! $469.99

The luxurious life


It's always interesting to see how the rich and famous live....so im going to take you to some the mega mansions that have peaked my curiosity.

Tom Cruise has just purchased his 35 million dollars Beverly Hills traditional style home. It wasn't even on the market when he made the offer. Originally built as a 10,000 sq.ft. structure in 1937 - the house has expanded four years ago and now has 7 bedrooms and nine bathrooms.

It sits on 1.3 acre behind gates and a long driveway and has the usual tennis courts and pool.

He used to live right near me - and again it was gated, long driveway - he rented it for years - and he always had his lawn lights shine outward into the street - so it would blind you and you couldn't see in. He used to live steps away from Dr. Phil.

Pals Victoria Beckham and David Backham live in their multi-million dollars house only 2 minutes away now from his new place...but Toms 35 million dollar pad is nothing compared to David Geffen's 100 room Beverly Hills mansion or Bill Gates 66 thousand sq.ft home on the edge of Lake Washington near Seattle that has a 60 foot pool with an underwater music system.

Oprahs place in gorgeous Montecito right next to Santa Barbara, California for 50 million in 2001 is now appraised at 85 million dollars.

She calls it "Promised Land" and is a 23 thousand sq.ft Georgian style home.

She's very strict about privacy on the 43 areas.

At Barack Obama's fundraiser last year, guests were strictly prohibited from entering the house and cameras were off limits to all. Meantime - then there's the issue of selling a home when you're a billionaire. Here's how they do it.

They like under-the radar arrangements. Some just aren't sure they want to sell...so they tell their friends that if they could get such and such a price they would then sell it. Word then is sent out, Prospective buyers see the house 6 to 9 months before it's formally listed.

BTW - Unlike normal people housing market spikes in spring and summer - trophy properties as they're called take off in December (that's also when bonus money comes in for big wigs)

PRIVATE AVIATION


Some interesting stats now on millionaires and the things they do.

The millionaire population grew much faster in emerging markets than in North America last year. The number of millionaires in countries such as India, Brazil, Russia,and China grew 19% compared with only 3.7% in North America but the US still dominates the world with more than 3,000,000 financial millionaires....and when it comes to flying...let's turn to their private aviation.

A private jet aircraft can range in cost from as little as $1800 an hour to as much as $5000 an hour.

It will based on your requirements. You will be in the lap of luxury with an attendant to wait on you hand and foot.

Many of these rentals will take care of your entire trip ensuring your hotel is booked and your rental car awaits. Many times they can even clear your luggage at customs. What if you want to do it?

Well, then there's the idea of you buying a "share" of a plane, with the price pro-rated from the market price of a full aircraft. According to Forbes, as a fractional owner, you have guaranteed access (50–400 hours annually, depending on your share size) to that plane with as little as four hours' notice. Fractional owners pay a monthly maintenance fee and an "occupied" hourly operating fee. The latter is charged only when you or your guest is in the plane, not when the plane is flying to pick you up, or returning to base after dropping you off. You have access to the full fleet of planes and may upgrade or downgrade for specific flights.

At the end of your five-year term, you sell your share back to the company for fair-market value, less a re-marketing fee. A variety of factors may effect the fair market value calculation, and your bottom- line cost is highly dependent on the sell-back process.

Top 10 Benefits of Flying Private:

• Flexibility in destinations
• Avoid crowded commercial terminals
• Flexibility in scheduling and flying
• Streamlined airport process
• Time savings & in-flight productivity
• Business entertaining
• Special cargo handling
• Security

The Carlyle: "Paparazzi Proof" Exclusive Condo


Now from luxury hotels to luxury housing and one of the best in the world is going up right now. It's described as the most exclusive and forward thinking real estate development in the world.

It's being built in LA on the prestigious Wilshire corridor.

A condominium high-rise that is reportedly 'paparazzi proof' - with Isreali VIP trained security guards.

With all the weekly headlines - stars in LA are feeling so threatened, and rightly so, that there was real need for such a building because in Los Angeles, overall, there is a high demand for luxury living and apartments.

The ultra exclusive and luxurious Carlyle Residences is for the celebrity or person who needs privacy, safety and the ultimate luxury.

I was give a tour recently and it's stunning.

They've thought of everything.

Developer Elad Properties and Fendi Casa are joining forces. So here's what you get...

Condos at the Carlyle sell for between 3 and 15 million apiece.

All decorated by Fendi Casa. Words can not explain.

Units are 25 hundred to 5 thousand square feet each.

They have private elevators to each apartment with private back entrance. There are only 78 units.

The 24-storey crescent shaped building allows for even more security due to its design.

24 white glove concierge service is at your disposal and the entire 2nd floor is filled with studio units for your assistants, your own security, your staff..allowing them to be in the same address as you but without being with you. It's all just perfectly thought out.

The Carlyle opens its doors this spring.