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New beds on the block: A four-star hotel will open in early autumn on the former site of the Xinhua news agency in Wan Chai. Entertainment is being flagged as the overriding theme, with plasma screen televisions, live music in public areas and family shows on weekends and public holidays. Dining options will include Cosmo Cafe, 3T Bar and a Cantonese restaurant, Yan. The hotel will operate 'service guarantees', promising a maximum five-minute check-in, delivery of luggage in eight minutes and a guaranteed 24-hour stay. Double rooms will start at $1,600 and suites from $3,800 (387-397 Queen's Road East, tel: 3552 1111, www.cosmopolitanhotel.com.hk).
Money talks: A survey of 'extremely wealthy guests', conducted by the Small Luxury Hotels of the World (SLH) group, has revealed their top hotel bugbears. These include: having to wait for anything; hearing the word 'no' after special requests; being identified by staff as exceptionally rich; being disturbed; and not receiving value for money. Top of the preferences are inconspicuous service and having their favourite foods, drinks and other indulgences remembered and anticipated.
Latest Luxe: The latest destination to be covered in the sassy Luxe guide series is the Lion City. In its inimitable and succinct style, Luxe Singapore focuses solely on the hotels, restaurants, bars, spas and services it deems worthy in the glam stakes. Worth the $60 cover price alone are the shopping itineraries, which steer you away from the malls and straight for the quirky boutiques that only those in the know frequent. Second editions of Ho Chi Minh and Hanoi and a fourth edition of Bangkok have also just been released. Available at all good bookshops or online at www.luxecityguides.com.
Night life: Heading for Sydney to visit friends or family? Purchase at least two Night Cat Tour tickets for A$65 (HK$360) each and you can bring along a Sydney resident for free. Operating on Tuesdays and Fridays, the four-hour tour takes you to hip local spots, such as Newtown, Glebe, Surry Hills and Balmain, that most visitors don't see, concluding with a walking tour through the back streets of King's Cross. The itinerary includes a Tiger Pie from the famous Harry's Cafe de Wheels at Woolloomooloo. For more details, call [61] 241 054 5117 or visit www.nightcattours.com.
Coming to your senses: Six Senses Resorts & Spas, which manages the Evason resorts in Thailand and owns the award-winning Soneva resorts in the Maldives, is to open the Sila Evason Hideaway in Koh Samui next month. Located on a headland on the northern tip of the Thai island, and only 6km from the airport, the resort will comprise 66 split-level villas ranging from 1,400sqft to 3,200sqft. All have private gardens, sundecks, open-style bathrooms, outdoor showers and dining areas, and most have pools. Facilities will include a water sports centre, spa, gym and two restaurants (the self-explanatory Dining on the Hill and Dining on the Rocks). Until the end of July, villas from 4,291 baht (HK$823) can be booked on the internet - less than a quarter of what the price will be this time next year (tel: [66] 77 245 678, www.sixsenses.com).
Send travel news to Tinja Tsang (tinja.tsang@scmp.com)
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