Hotel Girl

Legendary photographer Annie Leibovitz, famed for taking the last-ever photograph of John Lennon, has put together a series of black and white photographs chronicling key moments behind the scenes of The Peninsula Hotels chain in "Portraits of Peninsula".

In the photos, Leibovitz moves away from her usual intimate celebrity portraiture, to focus on the pageboys, housekeepers and bellmen behind the Peninsula Hotel brand.

Leibovitz was given free rein of the hotels, both their public spaces and back-of-house areas, shooting whichever scenes or staff members that she believed best represented the hotels.

Of the shoots Leibovitz said: "After shooting at four Peninsula hotels for this campaign, I truly understand the significance of what we are shooting - the real stars of The Peninsula Hotels - the wonderful caring staff.

"It was really moving photographing them, and by the time I had finished, I felt that I had a real insight into the people who work for the Pen and the pride they take in their work. I have been looking for stories like that for years"

And Hotel Girl thinks the results are quite lovely.

Sandals has come to the rescue of the Four Seasons Great Exuma in the Bahamas, which closed in May. The hotel was forced to shut up shop after it went into receivership. 

Now the 500-acre property will begin a new life as Sandals Emerald Bay.

No prizes for guessing what changes the holiday giant will make. Sandals' guests will find a new swim-up bar and a choice of six restaurants.

Founder Butch Stewart is predicting a January 2010 opening for the resort.

It's good to hear this lovely property won't be going to waste for too long.  

Guest post from TW reporter Edward Robertson...

A recent wedding necessitated an overnight stay in Dorchester where I was reminded of one of my favourite novels, Thomas Hardy's The Mayor of Casterbridge.

 Casterbridge is of course Dorchester and my hotel, the Kings Arms Hotel, features regularly in the novel, although without the Best Western prefix it now enjoys.

While Thomas Hardy focuses on the novel's narrative, this is done at the expense of the hotel as no mention is made of its quality breakfast offering.

The buffet concept always pleases a hung over man, especially when space must be found on your plate for both decent sausages and black pudding.

The only sadness was the wedding I attended was not my own while I left the hotel as alone as I was when I arrived.

However, given The Mayor of Casterbridge starts with a drunken man - the future mayor - selling his wife to buy more drink (hey, we've all been there) perhaps this was no bad thing.

Planning a visit to Layana Resort and Spa on  Koh Lanta Island, Thailand and worried about dodgy weather? Well, no need.

The hotel is offering guests money back for each full day of rain. If it pours non-stop between 10am and 5pm,  the resort will credit THB 1,000  per room per day.

Unfortunately that only works out at £18 -  just about enough to cover your first couple of cocktails.

But who am I to turn down the chance to drool over some gorgeous hotel pics? 

Following on from yesterday's post, it looks like Saturday's X Factor has given Dubai and Marrakech a welcome boost.

Maretta Moriarty from accommodation-only provider HotelConnect said there has been a 100% increase in searches for Dubai in the last week and a 61% jump in searches for Marrakech.

Simon Cowell's luxury pad (pictured) prompted a 76% increase in searches for Los Angeles.

However Lake Como, where the groups category auditioned for Louis Walsh, didn't do so well. As Maretta suggests, perhaps  Louis should have stuck to his traditional Irish retreat..

Maretta also said she spotted the contestants having a spot of lunch in Golders Green in North London. Apparently the blonde twins popped in to Sainsburys and were mobbed by young girls and one old lady. No accounting for taste I suppose..

Thistle has transformed its slightly fusty Bloomsbury hotel into the modern new Kingsley. The group, which is the middle of renovating and rebranding all its UK properties, has pumped £10 million into the hotel.

The chintzy old fashioned rooms now have clean, simple dector, plasma televisions and rain showers.

Thistle has retained some of the hotel's Edwardian features, including a wrought iron staircase and chandeliers, which give it a touch of character. 

One word of warning: the restaurant still seems to be having major teething problems. On my visit service was hopeless and the food tasted like it had been sitting in the fridge since the hotel reopened in May.

Far and away the best thing about the hotel is its location - just a few minutes walk from Covent Garden - making it perfect for a London shopping or theatre break. Just check out some good local resturants before you go.. 

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So what has really changed the hotel sector in the last ten years? If this is a question that keeps you up at night, check out Uberoom.com's 14 most influential game changes of the decade.

Rightly, top of the list is in-room Wifi. Just a few years ago Wifi were just two funny-sounding syllables - now it's one of the first things many of us check when choosing where to rest our weary legs for the night. Since some of the top hotel chains are still charging ridiculous rates for Wifi,  (I'm looking at you Four Seasons) here are some alternative uses for your laptop.

The United States has agreed to sell its embassy building in Grosvenor Square, Mayfair to Qatari Diar, a real estate investment company.

It hasn't been confirmed, but the group is expected to turn the building into a luxury hotel and apartments.

The building is Grade 2 listed so they will have to keep the facade, which includes the famous 35ft gilded aluminium eagle above the main entrance.

The Times predicts that this quirky look might fit Starwood's W brand or Rezidor's Missoni. The area's already packed with luxury hotels, from Claridges to the Dorchester, so whoever takes this project on will have a lot to live up to..

(pic: The Times)

I popped out of Travel Weekly towers today to check out the new Park Plaza Westminster Bridge. 

Builders were rushing around frantically to get the hotel ready in time for its soft launch on February 4. All the structural work is done and they're now ready to add the furniture in the public areas.

With 1,021 bedrooms, the hotel is truly vast. Lots of work is being to make sure guests can check in, move around the hotel and check out quickly and easily.

The huge reception desk has nine check in points and there are separate check in-desks for groups and suites/apartments.

Decorated in burnt orange and browns, rooms are more stylish and spacious than your average London business hotel.  Lots of important little details have been attended to, such as a little fridge space next to the mini bar, a power block suitable for overseas plugs and cute rubber ducks by all the baths.

Built on a site previously dubbed the "ugliest building in Britian", the hotel has a great location overlooking Westminster. And there will be plenty of reasons to stay in to eat, with the UK's first Illy Espressamente coffee bar, a sushi bar and a restaurant by Joel Antunes. 

Clients who want a taste of iconic London will love this new landmark property, so it's worth getting on to one of the fam trips being planned for March so you can give them the inside track.