The world’s highest hotel opened fully for business this week. The Park Hyatt Shanghai, which is situated in the heart of the Lujiazui business district in Pudong, occupies floors 79-93 in the 101-floor Shanghai World Financial Centre. The hotel takes the highest hotel honor from the Rose Rotana in Dubai. The hotel’s top floor holds a private dining and function space, capable of holding 250 people for cocktails and 120 people for dining. The hotel has 174 rooms, all of which have views over the Huangpu River and Pudong. The building itself is 492 meters tall, and is currently the tallest in Shanghai.

The hotel will have a rather short-lived reign as the highest hotel once work is completed on the International Commerce center in Kowloon, Hong Kong which is under construction and has plans for a 300 room, 7 Star Ritz Carlton near the top of the structure.

International Commerce Center Kowloon under construction

Park Hyatt Shanghai

Image credits

Our sister blog, Immo-Luxus, Germany picked up on an interesting proposed building in Paris, which prompted me to take a look at some planned luxury real estate around the world. Some of these, thank goodness, will never end up being built, but some of them are already under construction.

Le Projet Triangle by Hertzog & de Meuron

Le Projet Triangle, Paris

Oh deary me, I am not liking this one little bit. After the amount of negative reaction to the pyramid outside the Louvre, I am rather surprised H&M are proposing another glass triangle in the center of Paris. According to their proposal:

“Le Projet Triangle” is primarily perceived on the metropolitan scale of the city of Paris. Its elevated stature will lend major visibility to the Porte de Versailles and the Parc des Expositions site within the overall conurbation. It will also permit its integration in the system of axes and perspectives that constitute the urban fabric of Paris.

Major visibility about sums it up. They are also suggesting that the triangular shape will prevent it from casting shadows over the surrounding areas. Quite how they are proposing to bend the laws of physics to make this happen is beyond me. My favorite comment on this so far is, “As a Parisian I’m sick and tired of living in a city that looks like Disneyland.”

Unobtrusive - Not

Crystal Island, by Foster & Partners, Moscow

Crystal Island Moscow

Glass Pyramids seem to be the way many forward looking designers see the luxury real estate of the future. This design by Foster and Partners was presented to the people of Moscow and the Architectural council back in 2007. Preliminary planning approval has already been given, although I do wonder if there will be any cash left in the kitty after the Russian government has finished bailing out the state-owned banks. And one of the main reasons I can see for permission being given, is that it is bigger than anything else. Although, at a paltry 450 meters in height, Dubai will have them beat for a long time. Many more after the jump. More on Luxury Real Estate of The Future

Mauritius, located off the east coast of Madagascar in the Indian Ocean is an intriguing blend of African, Indian and French influences with a slant towards luxury resorts: who could ask for more.

Relaxing at the Spa, Mauritius

The French have contributed pretty place names such as Petit Sable, Bois des Amourettes and Pinte du Diable. The Indian Ocean supplies turquoise seas and white sand beaches. Sugarcane covers 40% of the countryside but in the north the Pamplemousses Botanical Garden has hundreds of species including palms, spice trees and spectacular giant water lilies.
Conveniently located 8 hours flying time west of Perth, Mauritius is gaining popularity for Australians wanting a tropical stop-over on the way to Europe - with about the same overall flight time through to Europe. From Europe its a long 12 hour flight to Mauritius but at least the jet lag is minimal with Mauritius time only 4 hours ahead of GMT. And you fly straight into summer and tropics from Europe’s winter.

One of the unusual aspects of Mauritius is that all-inclusive nature of many resorts, most of which are at least half board (dinner and breakfast) and include SCUBA diving for qualified divers as well. For example the Shandarani Resort and Spa claims to be the first all-inclusive five-star resort which offers unlimited choice of quality food and beverages, free message, free unlimited diving and a kite-surfing school. Check out some images from Shandarani:

Mauritius is developing a reputation for better than average luxury resorts and one of the best is the Shanti Ananada, the country’s only luxury destination spa. The resort’s name is from the Sanskrit for peance and bliss and that is the philosophy of this property. The focus is on ayurveda treatments: which is an ancient Indian regime which “aims to achieve a holistic balance and overall harmony”.

The Shanti Ananda’s lobby is open sided and elegance and understated luxury greets the visitor. The grounds cover 14ha of lush, tropical gardens with freestanding villas.

Kylie Minogue and Natalie Imbruglia have been past guests,but if you are worried about what to pack for dinner - don’t. The Shanti Ananda gives all guests a pair of Indian cotton Kurta pajamas (think Hindu guru or 60’s flower child) which guests are encouraged to wear at all times - you may want to purchase a couple of extra pairs to take home too.

La Source spa facilities at Shanti Ananada include 2 saunas, 2 hammams, Ayurvedic treatment room, Aqua treatments (balneotherapy and affusion shower), Shiatsu, traditional massages and beauty treatments.

Shanti Ananda describes their spa:

The spa offers guests an experienced team of Ayurvedic physicians, spa therapists & personal trainers - the combined expertise of which provides guidance towards healthier lifestyle changes. The spa also offers a complete range of ESPA body & beauty treatments, a beauty & hair salon, boutique & a salt-water pool for Watsu treatments

Now that’s a relaxing holiday!

This year’s Hatteras Yacht Expo is scheduled for May 30 - June 1 in historic New Bern, North Carolina. The Yacht Expo offers a one-of-a-kind experience for a select few who own a Hatteras or are interested in purchasing one.

The show is built around the debut of the new Hatteras 56 Motor Yacht, and offers the opportunity to be one of the first to tour this amazing new offering from Hatteras - and even take a ride. You’ll also be able to schedule rides aboard other vessels in the Hatteras fleet and meet with key team members in a relaxed, festive atmosphere. Team Hatteras and key vendors will be your captive audience as you have your boating questions answered, see the facility at your own pace, and spend some creative time with their product development team to explore your idea of the perfect yacht.

It look as though they will also make sure that you also have lots of fun: great music, side-splitting comedy, excellent food, and a few surprises to keep you entertained during your stay. With boat handling classes, fishing seminars, fitness sessions, book signings, family caricatures and more it sounds like a great weekend

The 56 Motor Yacht features a pair of 705-hp Cummins QSM11s as standard equipment, installed in a V-drive configuration with the gearbox forward. This positions the engine room as far aft as possible and allows for more living space below. Combined with the boat’s 18-foot 2-inch beam, this configuration gives the 56MY as much interior volume as many yachts in the mid-60-foot range.

Powered by its standard engines, the 56 Motor Yacht is expected to achieve a cruising speed of 18 knots and top end of 21 knots. With her 900-gallon fuel capacity, that provides a usable range of approximately 300 nautical miles. Optional 1,000-hp CAT C18s will push the 56 to a cruise of 26 knots and a top end of 29 knots.

The 56MY features a three-stateroom, two-head arrangement that includes a 130-square-foot full-beam master stateroom amidship, a VIP stateroom forward, and guest bunks to port. An optional arrangement provides for a private crew quarters with discreet access, in lieu of the third guest stateroom.

Full details here - Hatteras 56 Motor Yacht

More interesting Yacht information:

Provisioning a luxury yacht on the French Riviera

Oceanco - Luxury Yacht Maker