Archive for June, 2008

30
Jun

Atlantis Resorts & Spa on The Palm to launch in September

By admin 0 Comments
Categories: Announcements and Spa

The Atlantis resort and spa on The Palm Jumeirah in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, will open on 24 September. It will be the first, and flagship, development on the artificial island. 

Covering a 46 hectare site, facilities will include a spa, a marine habitat, fresh and saltwater swimming pools, a beach and restaurants, including Nobuyuki Matsuhisa’s Nobu, in partnership with actor Robert De Niro.

The spa was co-created with Raison d’Etre and will be located in the Royal Towers.

The two-storey, 20,451sq ft (1,900sq m) luxury spa will have interior walls that appear to be made of water.

Facilities will include 27 treatment rooms as well as a sauna and a relaxation room. Skincare brands will include Danielle de Winter and Naturopathica.

Located at the top the crescent of The Palm Jumeirah, Atlantis has been created by developer and operator Kerzner International Holdings. Details: atlantisthepalm.com

29
Jun

Ceylon Realty offer golf plots at Victoria Golf in Sri Lanka

By admin 0 Comments
Categories: Announcements and Golf Resort

Please contact Ceylon Realty www.ceylonrealty.com and ask for Mr Ikram ikram@ceylonrealty.com

29
Jun

Spa Finder online resource for the Spa Industry

By admin 0 Comments
Categories: Announcements and Spa

SpaFinder’s mission is to empower people to find their perfect well-being experiences.

SpaFinder is a 360-degree media company dedicated to the global spa marketplace. We promote well-being experiences through vertical search, magazines/directories, reservation technology and gift programs. We stimulate industry growth by connecting consumers and providers everywhere, everyday. 

For more information on Spa Finder please go to www.spafinder.com

28
Jun

Royal Ascot attendance down in 2008

By admin 0 Comments
Categories: Announcements and Horse Racing Clubs

ASCOT (Reuters) - Royal Ascot officials have played down a large drop in attendance on the first two days of the meeting.The 40,000 crowd on Tuesday was more than 14,000 down on 2006 and on Wednesday there was a 9,000 drop compared with the previous year.

 

But Thursday, traditionally Ladies’ Day when the Gold Cup is run, has long been a 70,000 sell-out and the course executive hopes figures for the final two days on Friday and Saturday will remain robust.Course spokesman Nick Smith told the Racing Post that ticket sales overall were down but it was not a shock.

 

He said: “We have been saying they are going to be down for ages but the disappointment was over a long time ago and financially it balances out better than people expect because of the amount of additional catering we are doing and the amount of additional spend racegoers pass over because they are enjoying themselves.”

 

Ascot now has 263 private boxes, ranging from 10 to 40 seats, with the most expensive on Gold Cup day costing about 50,000 pounds — excluding catering.Total attendance of over 312,000 was high in 2006 when people came to see the new Ascot after a 200 million pounds redevelopment.

 

But there were complaints about overcrowding and officials had to spend another 10 million pounds, especially on restoring sight-lines from the lower levels of the stands.Suggestions have been made in the media that this time round some race fans, disappointed in 2006, may be voting with their feet and watching on TV which covers all five days.

27
Jun

Glorious Gokarna Golf Resort in Nepal

By admin 0 Comments
Categories: Announcements and Golf Resort

The ONLY truly international course in NEPAL is Gokarna Golf Resort www.gokarna.com .

It has the layout and conditions of some of the best courses in the world. And the Resort is simply incredible. If you have ever wanted to escape for a week or two and play some fantastic golf, kick back in a 5-Star Zen Resort, and help yourself to amazing spa treatment, this is your destination.

The resort has a beautiful indoor swimming area, spa (possibly the best in all of NEPAL), and great golf. People travel from all over Asia to play this venue. The golf course is placed in what was formally the king’s private hunting reserve and still maintains its natural character, as only 15 acres were actually cleared to design the course.

Ohhh, and the best of all, the same golf course architect that designed Bandon Dunes in Oregon (top 50 course in the United States), designed Gokarna. You are sure to see small barking dear, monkeys and other natural wildlife and you only have to travel twenty minutes from the airport.

The resort has a restaurant with three master chefs preparing foods from India, Nepal and the West. All through-out the resort are comfortable seating areas, cocktail areas and sculpture. This is a rare treat for any traveler. The modern Zen design is present through the architecture, room layouts, and corridors. The Owner has done an amazing job on the development of this project, and it shines through the staff that gratefully comforts all visitors.

26
Jun

UK Casinos bet on Experian ID verification

By admin 1 Comment
Categories: Announcements, Casinos and Technology

Three UK casino groups have signed up to an age ID verification service from Experian to comply with gambling regulations.

Authenticate Pro is being used by Genting Stanley, Grosvenor Casinos and London Clubs Management to make sure punters are of legal age when they enter their establishments.

 

The service searches and cross-references customer information from 12 data sources, by name, address or date of birth. It produces a result within three to 10 seconds, according to Genting Stanley compliance director Theo Dawson - as much time as it takes the cashier to remind the customer of the casino’s rules and facilities.

Once the check is made, the system will advise the cashier of a green, amber or red result, based on the level of verification obtained. Dawson said if the check came up amber or red, it was up to the manager to make a decision about whether the punter was who they claimed to be.

The system is integrated into the standard casino office membership system, Progressive Gaming International.

The move is in line with gambling law which came into force last year, which while opening up the opportunity for establishing gambling premises also tightens rules on where gambling can take place and who may take part.

Dawson said: “There are two alternatives to this method, which don’t really solve the problem quite as well. We could ask for ID documents but these are not naturally carried by people in the UK. Or, we could ask for ID only when the customer reaches the £1,000 threshold [£1,000 below the current limit of £2,000 when the regulations state ID must be obtained]. If we do that and the customer can’t produce satisfactory ID, we have the onerous task of preventing them from gambling any further.”

Dawson said information is retained securely in accordance with the Data Protection Act to demonstrate to gambling regulators that the gambling law is being observed.

Genting Stanley rolled the system out to its 46 casinos at the end of March.

Dawson said: “The system means that we can get customers through the doors more easily than before the 2007 regulations came into force.”

25
Jun

Victoria Racing Club announce increase in Prize money for Melbourne Cup 2008

By admin 0 Comments
Categories: Announcements and Horse Racing Clubs

The Chief Executive of the Victoria Racing Club, Mr. Dale Monteith, today announced the following increases in prize money and trophy values for the 2008 Emirates Melbourne Cup:

Prize Money

• An increase of $500,000 (10%) on the 2007 race value, to $5,500,000. This maintains the Cup as the 2nd richest turf race in the world behind the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe

• A first prize of $3,300,000 (a 10% increase)

• Prizes for 2nd – 10th have been adjusted upwards in a percentage formula commensurate with the various placings

• The Emirates Melbourne Cup was first run as a $5,000,000 race in 2005.  (In 2004, the first year of the Emirates Airline sponsorship of the Emirates Melbourne Cup, it was run for $4,500,000)

Trophies

• The total advertised value of the 2008 Emirates Melbourne Cup trophies has been increased by 50% to $150,000

• The winning owner’s Emirates Melbourne Cup trophy made by Stuart Bishop of Hardy Brothers Jewellers and formerly valued at $80,000, is now valued at $125,000.  With 1,650 grams of 18 carat gold contained in the Cup, the sustained higher price of gold has led to this revised trophy value figure, which, yet, remains “conservative”

• Values of the trainer, rider, strapper & breeder trophies, which are gold plated, have been adjusted upward, but at a lesser rate than for the main trophy

Mr. Monteith said:

“The VRC Board is committed to providing appropriate prizemoney for the Emirates Melbourne Cup, recognising its position as Australia’s greatest race, and, as one of the most important in world racing.

An increase of 10% for the prizemoney will ensure that the 2008 Emirates Melbourne Cup maintains its relativity amongst the leading races of the world, providing an appropriate reward for those who take up the challenge to win “The Race That Stops A Nation”, particularly international entrants, who do so without any financial assistance from the VRC.

The higher values ascribed for the Emirates Melbourne Cup trophies reflect their current inherent cost, but of course, to the eventual recipients they will, as always, be “priceless”.

The challenge for all race Clubs is to incentivise Owners across the broad spectrum of races conducted.  In this regard, the VRC, apart from this increase to prize money for the 2008 Emirates Melbourne Cup, has, since 2005, increased Saturday/Public Holiday standard race prize money by 25%, and Group and Listed Races (excluding the Emirates Melbourne Cup) by 9.4% on average.

The VRC remains committed to the principle that increases in Industry Distributions should be applied in accordance with the minimum prizemoney objectives of RVL.  The VRC’s capacity to solely fund this increase is a reflection of the ongoing commercial success of the Melbourne Cup Carnival and the pivotal role that the Cup itself plays in that success.”

24
Jun

Virgin rumoured to be buying Esporta

By admin 0 Comments
Categories: Announcements
SIR Richard Branson’s Virgin Active business is being linked to a possible offer to buy parts of fitness club chain Esporta. It is believed the group has submitted a proposal for the clubs that do not overlap with its gym estate.
Investment bank Greenhill is thought to have a shortlist of bidders, also including David Lloyd Leisure Group and LA Fitness.

Esporta is being sold less than 18 months after it was bought by Syrian investor Simon Halabi for £476 million. It is estimated to be worth up to £200m.

23
Jun

SJM Launching IPO to raise US$500m

By admin 0 Comments
Categories: Announcements and Casinos

Macau tycoon Stanley Ho’s casino flagship, Sociedade de Jogos de Macau (SJM) Holdings, kicked off pre-marketing to raise about $500-$600 million in a scaled-back Hong Kong initial public offering on Friday, according to a fund manager briefed by the underwriter.

The company, which had hoped to raise $1 billion before withdrawing a planned offering in January, planned to conduct investor education from Friday to Wednesday in Hong Kong before heading to Singapore for meetings on Thursday, according to a sale note sent to fund managers.

The firm had pushed back the launch of its deal in January to address a query made by Hong Kong’s Securities and Futures Commission.

Media have reported that Stanley Ho and his sister, Winnie Ho, have been locked in a legal dispute over the shareholding structure of SJM’s parent firm, the Stanley Ho-controlled Sociedade de Turismo e Diversoes de Macau (STDM).

No formal roadshow schedule had been set, another source said.

The Hang Seng Index has lost 6 percent this week in volatile trade on fears of rising inflation, and is down 18 percent this year, which is expected to curb enthusiasm for upcoming issues.

Almost a dozen companies planning Hong Kong IPOs worth about $8 billion have delayed or cancelled their offerings so far this year due to poor investor sentiment.

Besides the gloomy stock market, SJM’s market share has shrunk due to increased competition following industry liberalisation that has eroded Stanley Ho’s one-time monopoly.

Gaming giants led by U.S.-based Las Vegas Sands and Wynn Resorts Ltd have built glitzy new casino properties in Macau. Ho’s market share stood at 42 percent in January, according to a research report by IPO sponsor Deutsche Bank .

The report predicted that SJM’s net profit last year fell by about 50 percent to HK$1.22 billion ($156.4 million) from HK$2.4 billion in 2006.

Deutsche Bank had expected the company’s price-to-earnings multiple at the time of its IPO to be about 16.4-19.4 times forecast 2008 earnings.

A Deutsche Bank spokesman could not immediately be reached for comment.

23
Jun

Six Senses plans to open Spa in UK

By admin 0 Comments
Categories: Announcements and Spa

Six Senses

Six Senses Spas will open its first UK spa as a key element of Ballymore’s flagship Pan Peninsula residential development overlooking London’s Canary Wharf.

Scheduled to open in early 2009, the Six Senses Spa at Pan Peninsula is an urban sanctuary where Pan Peninsula’s residents and those working in and around Canary Wharf can escape from their hectic lifestyle.

It will also be a welcome haven for the many Londoners who have come to know Six Senses Spas from their travels abroad, where Six Senses currently operates close to thirty spas in their own resorts and in hosting hotels and resorts.

The Six Senses Spa at Pan Peninsula will occupy over 7,000 square feet, or 650 square metres, and will offer a comprehensive range of Six Senses Spa signature treatments and rejuvenating Asian-influenced therapies combined with holistic lifestyle guidance. Treatments are delivered with professional guidance in the hands of internationally trained therapists, using naturally derived and ethically produced spa products that endorse the Six Senses commitment to decreasing environmental impact.

In addition to the Six Senses Spa signature beauty and pampering treatments, a unique urban spa concept has been incorporated into the design to cater for guests who have limited time from their busy schedules. There are separate relaxation rooms with reclining loungers and a circular lounge where express treatments such as de-stress reflexology, Indian head massage and spa influenced manicure and pedicure treatments will be offered. The inner-spa sanctuary comprises eight treatment rooms including two couples treatment rooms equipped for exfoliations, body wraps and traditional Thai treatments complemented by a luxurious bio-thermal circuit with chromotherapy steam cabin, crystal laconium, traditional dry sauna, sensory shower and a hydrotherapy pool.

The Pan Peninsula green initiatives in design and operation include a state-of-the-art community heating system that combines heat and power technology. This allows the Six Senses Spa to generate its own heat and electricity on site, helping to reduce energy bills and significantly minimize its carbon footprint.

The opening of the Six Senses Spa at Pan Peninsula will bring the number of Six Senses Spas in Europe to seven, with several more in planning stages. To ensure an integrated spa experience, each Six Senses Spa provides guests with access to ongoing well-being care through spa treatments, spa products, lifestyle consultations and programmes, plus simple and effective take-home advice.

« Previous Entries