CNBC (April 25, 2023) – Americans are collectively spending nearly $65 billion on sneaky fees, according to the White House. “It really seems like companies have become addicted to junk fees,” Lina Khan, chair of the Federal Trade Commission, told CNBC.
Junk fees are making companies billions of dollars richer. Watch the video above to learn more about where junk fees hide, details of proposed changes, where policy may fall short and whether increased regulatory oversight may be enough to squash junk fees once and for all. Chapters: 0:00 Introduction 1:26 Defining ‘junk’ fees 5:34 Squashing fees 7:52 Policy problems 10:02 The future of fees
CBS Sunday Morning – Since opening its doors in 1884, New York City’s Chelsea Hotel has welcomed artists, writers and cutting-edge thinkers who shaped America’s cultural landscape. Today, the storied landmark is being developed into a luxury boutique hotel.
Correspondent Alina Cho talks with residents, and with “Inside the Dream Palace” author Sherill Tippins, about the Chelsea’s unique history; and with developer Sean MacPherson about his determination to approach the Hotel Chelsea’s restoration with reverence.
In the Swiss canton of Tessin, a young family is transforming an entire village into a hotel. The abandoned houses of Corippo are being turned into guest rooms, the narrow lanes are becoming the hotel’s corridors. More and more villages in the Alps are dying out, young people are choosing to move to the cities.
At the northern end of artificial lake Lago di Vogorno, Corippo is about 12 kilometers from Locarno. You’ll probably see Corippo on the way to Lavertezzo. Italy is only 20 kilometers away.
— Condé Nast Traveller (@cntraveller) May 15, 2022
May 15, 2022 – Seville is ready for a true return to form. The city whose splendour has inspired countless works of music, art and poetry is in the beating heart of Andalucía, with its enchanting streets lined with orange trees and Moorish highlights. It’s a flavour that infuses the city’s architecture, which is also full of colonial influences due to the wealthy merchants that traded across the Spanish Empire. Saturated with various styles and cultures, many of the city’s age-old properties have been carefully converted into cool places to stay, while remaining steeped in heritage. Whether you’re in search of a rooftop pool to dip into or classic Moorish architecture, this is your ultimate guide to the best hotels in Seville.
Alfonso XIII For a taste of truly regal extravagance, look no further. Built specially for Seville’s 1929 Expo, this majestic establishment was commissioned by the then king of Spain, who gave it his own name. Look out for the monarch’s mahogany and bronze throne: this was originally used in the royal office of the premises, which is where the restaurant Ena now sits. Here, executive chef Brian Deegan had just launched a new menu including grilled Iberian pork with escalivada and scallops with cauliflower foam. The hotel’s 148 rooms alternate Andalusian, Castilian and Moorish decorative styles; with grand stairways, sweeping corridors and ornamental patterns everywhere the eye can see.
Located on an uninhabited five-island cluster in the Noonu Atoll, Soneva Jani features 51 enormous overwater pool villas that come with retractable roofs and water slides. The villas are spread along two jetties that curve into a 5.6 km (3,4 mi) magnificent lagoon of crystal clear waters.
Known as Chapter One and Chapter Tow, both jetties are connected to the Maldives’ largest resort island, a tropical paradise fringed by pristine beaches and blanketed with lush tropical greenery.
Flowering mountain slopes and traditional meadows. Icy glaciers and majestic summits. With their untouched nature and raw beauty, the Alps have always been a source of fascination. Angelika Taschen presents the best accommodation for Alpinists – historic inns, guesthouses, monasteries, mountain huts, chalets, palazzi, design hotels, even a youth hostel.
A Mountain Tour of the Alps
The Alps are Europe’s biggest and greatest mountain range. Formed millions of years ago, they became a popular destination for travelers in the late eighteenth century – first for adventurers and explorers, then for artists and writers, and finally for everyone who wanted to spend summer in the fresh air of this wonderful scenery or take part in winter sports. Angelika Taschen has followed in their footsteps and collected the finest hotels in the Alpine nations of Germany, Austria, Switzerland, France, and Italy.
They include the Kranzbach near Garmisch-Partenkirchen, built for a British aristocrat, Gasthof Hirschen in the Bregenzerwald, where art-loving visitors have been welcomed since 1755, and the Seehof near Salzburg with its emphasis on contemporary art and fine cuisine. The journey goes to Waldhaus Sils in Sils Maria, where many creative guests have found inspiration, to the Schatzalp in Davos, which Thomas Mann immortalized in literature in “The Magic Mountain”, and to picturesque bed & breakfasts with a personal touch such as Brücke49 in Vals and Maison Bergdorf in Interlaken.
High above Chamonix, mountaineers have stayed overnight for more than 140 years at Refuge du Montenvers with its view of the Mer de Glace, the largest glacier in France. In the exclusive Megève, too, which Baroness Noémie de Rothschild put on the tourist map, travelers experience the Alps à la française in the chalet hotel L’Alpaga; and a bit of Italian dolce vita is provided by stunning addresses in the South Tyrol such as the Ottmangut in Merano, Villa Arnica in Lana with its nostalgic atmosphere, and Pension Briol near Barbiano, constructed in 1928 in the Bauhaus style and extended in 2021 with the addition of two extremely modern buildings.
This opulent book of photographs presents the Alpine range and accommodation in large-format images, short texts, and useful details on prices and how to get there. Walkers, skiers, gourmets, and lovers of good living will find valuable tips and very special accommodation: former monasteries where guests still find peace and seclusion, a mountain hut at the heart of the Dolomites, and a youth hostel occupying what was once a sanatorium, a rare example of modern architecture in Switzerland that was declared a heritage monument in 2002.
The opulence of old-world safari is alive and well at Zannier Hotels Sonop, a luxury tented camp set in the wilds of Namibia’s southeastern corner.
Conjuring up an image of rugged explorers, the word ‘safari’ is one of the most evocative in the history of travel. Zannier Hotels Sonop effortlessly captures this old-world charm with opulent tents, separate cocktail and cigar lounge, open-air cinema and gastronomic restaurant.
The 10 spacious tents are constructed on top of boulders, reflecting the life of yesteryear’s wealthy explorers. Furnished with antiques, colorful carpets and precious wood, these lavish accommodations capture the look and feel of a bygone era. Panoramic views look out onto otherworldly desert landscapes, while in-tent telescopes invite dreamy stargazing moments.
Cap Maison, an iconic boutique hotel on the North of the Caribbean island of Saint Lucia, is a perfect example.
Quietly understated with staff so full of joy, it was hard not to be swept along with the wonderful atmosphere, as you soak up jaw-dropping views out to sea and bask in the sound of waves that are audible — and visible — from the vast beds, fitted with cloud-like bedding.
Perhaps best known as the Bernese Oberland’s winter paradise, Gstaad Palace has presided since 1913 over the tiny village Gstaad (one of the world’s most glamorous ski resorts). This video includes ski fun in the mountains around Gstaad, winter hiking, and a visit to the spectacular Glacier 3000 area.
Hacienda Na Xamena, a hotel on the Spanish island of Ibiza. Enjoying magnificent views, the bohemian style property is suspended on coastal cliffs, 180 m (600 ft) high over the sea level, in the heart of a preserved natural park.
Ibiza is one of the Balearic islands, an archipelago of Spain in the Mediterranean Sea. It’s well known for the lively nightlife in Ibiza Town and Sant Antoni, where major European nightclubs have summer outposts. It’s also home to quiet villages, yoga retreats and beaches, from Platja d’en Bossa, lined with hotels, bars and shops, to quieter sandy coves backed by pine-clad hills found all around the coast.
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