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Starwood broke ground on their latest five-star resort this week, on the beautiful and serene Bahia Beach, in Puerto Rico.
The development is due to feature a 139-room five-star hotel, with 483 acres and two miles of beach in its vicinities. The residences available include beachfront townhouses and luxury estate homes. New York Mets outfielder Carlos Beltran is said to have already purchased one of these estates.
Currently there is already an 18-hole Robert Trent Jones Jr. golf course available for play.’
Bahia Beach is situated in Puerto Rico’s northeastern coast, “where the Atlantic Ocean blends with the azure waters of the Caribbean Sea.”
The resort also offers 70 acres of “unspoiled lakes” upon which guests and residents may enjoy deep-sea fishing or kayaking, and the general serenity of the tropical environment. There will also be a tropical maritime forest and nature preserve, which will feature many indigenous flora alongside of pleasant nature trails for foot or bicycle.
In total there are five projects currently under construction, and the resort is due for opening in 2010.
For the lover of soccer, contemporary art, and exclusive edition items, this ‘Bucky Ball‘ soccer ball would be the perfect ‘lush’ Christmas present. Designed by artist Ryan McGinness and being sold exclusively on Cerealart, the ball is made of polyurethane, foam, and latex bladder, and has been hand stitched and manufactured in Molten, USA.
Known for this graphic design art, McGinness was recently recognized by Vogue as “a leading pioneer of the new semiotics.” All of McGinness’s works are visually appealing and have a deeper philosophical meaning – usually with commentary on modern society. His most famous work is ‘Flatnessisgod’ which he exhibited in 1999 and consequentially earned himself international acclaim.
The genius with McGinness’s work is that he is able to produce something aesthetically appealing to the masses, yet his entire artistic commentary is about our reconsideration of the power of mass consumerism.
Cerealart is an online boutique of exclusive and limited edition artists’ works.
(Above: Current 'Regal' Collection, Garrard Holdings)
Stephen Webster, of Stephen Webster jewelry, has been appointed the new Creative Director of Garrard Holdings, Ltd, the oldest luxury jeweler house in the world. Webster’s new role will involve designing three new collections for Garrard. One for the ladies, one for the gentlemen, and one exclusive “Georgina Chapman for Garrard” collection.
The new women’s collection will have red, black and white gemstones, and the men’s collectionwill have black, green, brown and golds. The Georgina Chapman collection will debut in the Fall, 2009.
Webster has a more edgy approach in his jewelry design, and his input should serve Garrard well as part of its “strategic next step in evolution within the global luxury market.”
Webster has won numerous awards since his own jewelry company began in 1988, and has many celebrity clients. “The global expansion of his own brand has been tremendously successful and Garrard is thrilled to have such an achieved designer on board,” said Terri Eagle, President and Chief Executive Officer of Garrard Holdings, Ltd.
William Goldberg, the diamond dealers in Manhattan, amongst many other luxury boutiques, are arranging more in-home visits and hosting friendly gatherings amongst its elite clientele, to allow them some reprise from a feeling of “vulgarity” if they are seen shopping in this current economic climate.
With luxury shoppers now feeling embarassed about purchasing more bling, the new ‘in’ activity is to attend invite-only sessions hosted by friends, in a hotel suite, or a private showroom.
“We’re like a little secret that people want to share, but not with just anybody,” said Eve Goldberg, part owner of William Goldberg, to the New York Times.
These little exclusive gatherings are becoming what consumer psychologist Eric Spangenberg calls,” the high-end equivalent of a Tupperware party.” The difference it offers compared to department stores is the social element, usually with people you already know, or – most strategically – with the people you will want to know; all in an intimate, friendly setting.
TAG Heuer products will soon be made available for online purchasing. CEO Jean-Christophe Babin explained that this allows TAG Heuer to reach global customers without distributing the products in more “mass channels” of other franchised jewelry stores.
Babin also explained that the company was exploring more technologically designed items which may be available exclusively through the Internet.
The success of their techno-accessories collections for men may be one of the motivations for the online retail expansion. The accessories have been made with “advanced technology from the TAG Heuer stables” and given the usually smaller sizes of such products, shipping costs should not be a problem. (Nor should they have been in the first place for a genuine ‘luxury consumer.’)
TAG Heuer has a history of 150 years in the watchmaking business, and recently also opened “the first avant-garde 360 degree watchmaking museum” – also available as a virtual museum on their web site.
