Space Goddess

Groucho Marx once said, “I don’t want to be a member of a club that would have me as a member!” Well, Groucho, I disagree! Once again, I’ve been included on a panel of travel experts for Forbestraveler.com. Here’s what Jeff Koyen of Forbes Traveler says about the list of the top 400 Hotels in the World and the people who chose them:

The world’s most distinguished travel experts pick the finest hotels

“A once-in-a-lifetime experience that sets a new standard for over-the-top luxurious hotels. This is a masterpiece. If you want to see what living like a billionaire is like—just once in your life—stay here.”

“In 35 years of hotel design and visiting, this is the best hotel experience I have ever had. Such a wonderful location and such wonderful service—it was a magical experience. I was heartbroken to leave.”

“Truly one of the most beautiful spots—and hotels—in the world. What more can I say?”

“These are just three of the many comments we collected from the Forbes Traveler 400 board of travel experts who determined the 2008/2009 list of the world’s top luxury hotels. You’re just dying to know which hotel they’re talking about, right? Well…to paraphrase the Bard, there’s the rub.

When we first published this groundbreaking list two years ago, we broke rank from the other travel magazines and websites that place great emphasis on mathematically ranking the best hotels in the world. Statistically speaking, the only way to make such a claim is to ask several thousand people for their opinions. The world’s best hotels, then, are often ranked by a sea of anonymous web surfers.

Turning to the crowd is good for certain tasks. When you can’t remember the capital of Belarus, ask everyone on the bus. Someone will probably remember it’s Minsk (a fifth-grader, no doubt). But when picking the right hotel means the difference between an unforgettable trip and an unforgiving spouse, shouldn’t you ask people who stay in luxury hotels once or twice a week—not once a year?

So, from a wide variety of industries, we assembled a board of 79  luxury-travel experts. Arianna Huffington is a renowned author, publisher and one-time California gubernatorial candidate; her fellow board member, Todd English, is a celebrity chef and restaurateur. Adam Tihany is a noted interior designer and architect who’s responsible for several high-profile hotels around the world; Tony Wheeler co-founded Lonely Planet, publisher of the eponymous guidebooks.

We were fortunate to have Erik Blachford, current CEO of TerraPass and former CEO of Expedia, opine alongside Peter Greenberg, noted travel writer and The Today Show’s travel editor. And if anyone knows about luxury hotels, it’s Matthew Upchurch, CEO of Virtuoso, a consortium of upscale travel agents, and Aaron Simpson, group CEO of Quintessentially, a global concierge service for discerning travelers.

We asked our board members to rate nearly 800 highly regarded four- and five-star hotels in seven categories. Because new hotels need time to find their rhythm, we omitted properties less than two years old; and, we didn’t include hotels that are undergoing major renovations. Our experts were promised anonymity so they could speak freely, and they had nothing to gain from any of the hotels they praised (or criticized). We then took the top-rated 400 and commissioned reviews from professional travel writers who have first-hand experience with the hotels (and did not receive complimentary stays during their visits).

The result is the Forbes Traveler 400, a rundown of the world’s best hotels, spread across six continents and presented geographically.”

I am honored to be a member of this panel! I hope you click on the link below to see the Forbes 400!

http://www.forbestraveler.com/forbes400/

Meet the other 78 members of this panel!

http://www.forbestraveler.com/forbes400/panel

Travel and change of place impart new vigor to the mind.  ~Seneca

To get away from one’s working environment is, in a sense, to get away from one’s self; and this is often the chief advantage of travel and change.  ~Charles Horton Cooley

The most important trip you may take in life is meeting people halfway.  ~Henry Boye

…by the race for the White House. I’ve always followed Presidential politics, but never as avidly as I have during this election. Since 9/11 our government has used fear as the means to justify attacking other countries, to spy on unsuspecting US citizens, to ignore our Constitution. Need a fact to substantiate a claim? No problem! We’ll create one! Feeling anxious? We’re from the government and we’re here to help—we’ll loosen the regulations on lending so you can get your fix of MORE.

As we’ve become overwhelmed by the “macro” complexities of our world, we’ve sought refuge in the “micro”–Red v. Blue, Black v. White, Straight v. Gay, Pro-Choice v. Pro-Life, Neo-Con v. Leftist. We’ve morphed into a nation of factions and the only thing United is each side’s ardent belief that they hold THE ANSWER. 

We’ve witnessed our country’s slide from respected to scorned: we can’t even help ourselves (Hurricane Katrina); we’ve proved that Free Market strategies have fostered greed and, more recently, severe economic instability; we have abandoned our values (Gitmo, Abu Graib, and Torture).

We are not victims! We’ve participated in most of the disasters of the past 8 years. We’ve allowed ourselves to become distracted by fear, greed, and selfishness. Today we have a chance to set a different course. Please, please, please vote! Look at the issues and the candidates. Try to sort out reality from imagery (there you go again,wink, wink!) and let your voice be heard.   http://www.voteforchange.com/