Put on your slippers, slide into the plush robe, turn the TV on and snuggle under the Egyptian cotton sheets, it’s the first Big Fat Hotel Wrap of 2018!

New look guest rooms unveiled at Mercure Penrith hotel

Guests are invited to check-in to Mercure Penrith this month to be amongst the first to experience the hotel’s newly refurbished guest rooms, designed to make each guest feel welcome.

The $5million upgrade, under the creative direction of Mostaghim and Associates and Bespoke Interior Solutions, has seen each guest room optimised in order to deliver the best in functionality and flexibility for guests.

For example, standard beds have been replaced with extra-long beds and ambient lighting solutions have been installed to suit different areas of rooms including warm lighting in bedrooms and backlit mirrors in bathrooms.

Mercure Penrith is a popular choice for business travellers, and to cater to these guests spacious desks, envelope laptop tables and plentiful USB ports are now available in room.

General Manager, Kellie Stapleton, said the hotel’s new look rooms were designed based on guest feedback and have already been well received.

Club Med to Open First Resort in Seychelles

Club Med is proud to announce its continued international expansion with the opening Club Med’s first resort in the Seychelles, due to open in 2020. This announcement follows recent news of three more new Club Med destinations– Sri Lanka, Vietnam and Canada/Québec, all to open within the next four years.

The new 5 Trident Exclusive Collection Resort on Sainte-Anne Island in the Seychelles archipelago will be open all year round to offer families and active couples an exceptional destination at the heart of the Sainte-Anne Marine National Park.

On the announcement, Henri Giscard d’Estaing, President of Club Med says, “I’m particularly happy to see Club Med secure a base in the Seychelles, one of the three most luxurious destinations, alongside the Maldives and Mauritius.

“In association with New Mauritius Hotels, our prestigious partner and respected luxury hotel operator, we will be able to offer our guests a new premium destination that fulfils all their expectations from 2020 onwards.”

Six Senses Zighy Bay Introduces Eco-vehicles

Sustainability lives at the heart of the Six Senses Hotels Resorts Spas brand – and it is an integral part of the resort’s DNA at Six Senses Zighy Bay in Oman, located on the northern Musandam Peninsula.

In its role as an eco-advocate, the resort has purchased its own fleet of seven Nissan Pathfinder SV 4WD Hybrid vehicles, which will transport guests to the resort and take them for out-of-the-ordinary drive experiences in the surrounding region.

The Unique Tourism Collection gets two new appointments

The Unique Tourism Collection has been appointed Australian representative for two luxury boutique hotels in Rome – The Inn at the Spanish Steps and The Inn at The Roman Forum.

Sydney-based, The Unique Tourism Collection, which has been celebrating 25 years of luxury travel and tourism marketing communications representation in 2017, will be responsible for all sales and marketing activity in Australia for the two properties, commencing in January.

The Inn at the Spanish Steps, in Via Dei Condotti 85, is located on Rome’s famed shopping street near Spanish Steps and monuments including the Pantheon and Trevi Fountain.

A member of Small Luxury Hotels of the World, the property is listed as a national monument, having originally been a stately home in the 1800s and now fully renovated with all modern comforts. The 47 rooms, suites and apartments are spread over a few annex buildings, all fully air-conditioned and retaining the flavour of a bygone era with period decor.

Lindenderry at Red Hill, the Mornington Peninsula boutique hotel and 5-star winery

The poet Robert Frost will be forever immortalised for that zinger about the road not taken. And while Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula—all bayside towns, lush orchards and theatrically rugged bushland—is beloved by throngs of foodies and sun-loving tourists, its once-familiar Lindenderry hotel now feels as fresh and undiscovered as Frost’s path less travelled.

Partnering with leading Australian design firm Hecker Guthrie on the multi-million dollar refurbishment, boutique hotel group Lancemore is set to re-launch the ambitious, new-look property in January 2018, featuring 5 Star Halliday Winery, Lindenderry Wines, and a restaurant that will undo all outdated perceptions of regional hotel dining.

A once-sweet, homely space the 40-room boutique hotel – set on 12 stunning hectares of gardens and vineyards – feels like a cool, unstuffy take on the traditional English estate.

Unforgettable Fly-Fishing in the Virgin Flats of Thaa Atoll

Keen anglers and enthusiastic amateurs are heading to COMO Maalifushi to fish the unspoilt sand flats on the fringes of this private island resort in the Maldives’ Thaa Atoll.

In partnership with Fishing Holiday Maldives — who have 30 years’ experience in the country’s marine sports and recreational fishing industry — guests of COMO Maalifushi have access to professional guides and world-class fly-fishing equipment at the resort.

These experienced guides use their local knowledge to help guests find the atoll’s best fishing spots, taking them by flats boat (Hewes 18 Redfisher).

Le Grand Amman – Managed by AccorHotels Opens its Doors in Jordan

AccorHotels, the world’s leading travel & lifestyle group, today announced the rebranding of a prominent landmark hotel in Jordan to Le Grand Amman – Managed by AccorHotels.

The property consisting of 298-rooms and 67 well-appointed serviced apartments was launched in partnership with Iskan Co. for Touristic & Hotel Investments.

Le Grand Amman  is situated in close proximity to the upcoming Abdali Downtown Project, a ground-breaking development that is set to become Amman’s premiere leisure, tourism and business hub.

Catering towards a growing number of business travellers, the hotel is located at the center of the Shmeisani commercial hub close to key ministries like the Ministry of Trade and Ministry of Interior.