Ritz Carlton

I visited these three spots recently and think they all offer something distinctly different, but equally fabulous for everyone's lifestyle and budget.

Thanksgiving has come and gone, your relatives have returned home and the madness of Black Friday and Cyber Monday has subsided. That means it's time to get down to some serious holiday shopping.

Whether you are a royal looking for an authentic Southwest experience or a commoner looking for a royal experience, here are 11 better reasons to love the American Southwest.

The air is crisp, leaves are turning, pumpkin spice lattes are back at Starbucks and Halloween is right around the corner: It's time for a fall famil...

The building, the fourth tallest on earth, is half a kilometer tall. The Ritz-Carlton Hong Kong occupies floors 102 through 118. Let's put it this way: The views aren't bad.

The suits that adorn the patrons of cafes, restaurants and sidewalks on Wall Street and in Battery Park City now mingle with tourists donning "I LOVE NY" t-shirts.

The Ritz-Carlton Powerscourt was buzzing with excitement a few weeks ago. The resort, which has only been open three years, was at full capacity the day Gordon Ramsay arrived and it's no surprise: the man's got serious skills.

In many ways, the past week of countdown has been an introspective experience. I've been on the inside as one of the world's most watched hotels comes to life, from the opening of restaurants to the uncovering of art. I watched the trainers, who were brought in from Ritz-Carlton's around the world to work with the new employees of this hotel, guide scenarios to ensure successful outcomes. Today I watched as those trainers quite literally stepped back, and handed the hotel over to its employees.

I could go on about the facial itself and talk about the soothing scents used to massage and exfoliate my skin, the jade stones' cooling effects and the short amount of time it took for me to drift off to sleep during the scalp massage, but the real gem in treatment room 7 had little to do with the products and everything to do with Sandy.

Let's break that down for a moment: Six restaurants, all serving breakfast, all-day menu items, dinner and dessert menus, including one bar featuring two kitchens and a Club Lounge. Each menu consists of at least two dozen items to choose from at any given seating, and this doesn't include the tea service or specialty cocktails that must also be prepped and tested.

On Tuesday night in Hong Kong, OZONE opened up to hotel employees (and yours truly) for a reception celebrating the pending opening of the hotel. The novelty of being one of the first people to sip a cocktail at the highest bar in world still hasn't worn off, but I can assure you a trip to this new height will be worth the elevator ride.

View of Hong Kong from the front doors of the Ritz-Carlton Hong Kong The first guests officially walked into the Ritz-Carlton Hong Kong today: its e...

Effective today, the biggest hotel event of 2011 is officially underway. Just nine days before the opening, employees are buzzing around floors 102-118 of the ICC, prepping guest rooms, preparing food trials and setting up spa treatment rooms. The Hospitality Suite - a meeting place for the 520-plus employees and over 80 trainers - is filled with food and drink, friendly banter and catch-up conversations.

The major hotels reward their most loyal guests with some fantastic perks, but how do these programs compare? Which ones offer the best rewards, suite...

*SEE PHOTOS BELOW* Waking up to an orange sunrise over the South China Sea is a sight that's hard to forget. In Sanya, it's a daily occurrence. ...

*EXCLUSIVE VIDEO AND PHOTOS BELOW* It took exactly 52 seconds to get from the ground to the top of the tallest hotel in the world. I was unusually ca...