One&Only Palmilla in Los Cabos, Mexico, has announced that effective September 1, 2008, the resort’s five-year contract with renowned chef Charlie Trotter will end and, with it, the closing of “C,” the resort’s fine-dining restaurant.

One&Only Palmilla, however, isn’t in dire straits. It has announced that in November 2008, it will debut an original dining concept through a collaboration with another famed chef: Jean-Georges Vongerichten (pictured here), behind such haute eateries as the eponymous Jean Georges inside New York City’s Trump Tower at Columbus Circle.

Aquapura Douro Valley (www.aquapurahotels.com) in Portugal has named Maurizio Romani general manager. Luxury travel advisors will know Romani from his most recent role as general manager for Hotel L’Andana in Tuscany. He’s also had senior positions at Grosvenor House in London, Hotel Danielle in Venice and Forte Village Resort in Sardinia.

Aquapura Douro Valley opened in Portugal’s World Heritage wine region in summer 2007. We’re told that the Aquapura Hotels has plans to expand with additional property openings in Bahia and Fortaleza, Brazil; Alentejo, Portugal; Prague; Italy; Macedonia and Panama.

For more on the Aquapura Douro Valley resort, visit www.luxuryta.com, past issues, December 2007.

Luxury Travel Advisor jetted out to Los Angeles in April for American Express Publishing’s annual Luxury Summit, which was held at the Four Seasons Hotel Westlake Village (http://www.fourseasons.com). Luxury experts, from hoteliers and designers to entrepreneurs and actresses, made the scene to discuss what’s on the minds of high-net-worth individuals (HNWIs) and how best to serve them.

Right away, the tone was set with an address to delegates by keynote speaker Robert Frank, wealth reporter for the Wall Street Journal and author of Richistan: A Journey Through the American Wealth Boom and the Lives of the New Rich. Frank dissected the psyche of today’s newly affluent Americans, describing many of them as uncomfortable in their wealth. Often, Frank said, those individuals who make up the top percentage of America’s rich no longer desire to be the “neighbor on the street with the Hummer in his driveway.” Instead, Frank said, today’s HNWIs yearn for life experiences that set them apart from their peers. To illustrate, Frank told the story of a man he met in his research for Richistan who traveled with his family to Antarctica, where they studied penguin migration for 10 days. Not only did his subject enjoy an extravagant 10-day expedition with his family, but when he returned home to regale friends with tales of his family’s journey, no one knew how much he spent to make it happen. Frank’s point: Sell values, not value.

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Just in time for the summer beach season, the newly redesigned Ritz-Carlton, Palm Beach has debuted its ground-floor oceanfront Lanai Terrace rooms and suites. The rooms’ and suites’ extended terraces are designed for lounging and provide direct access to a pool and the Atlantic Ocean, allowing guests to forego a trek through the hotel lobby. Outside, teak trellises are adorned with bougainvillea, and billowing curtains can be closed for privacy or left agape to allow optimum sunbathing in a cushy chaise lounge. Inside, the 812-square-foot rooms include a master bedroom, living room with sitting area, sleeper sofa and oversized solid stone soaking tub with direct ocean views and multi-jet rain shower. Guests in Lanai Terrace rooms and suites who won’t settle for being stationed anywhere but the sandy shore itself have the option to reserve private oceanfront cabanas that are outfitted with refrigerators, iPod docking stations, telephones, bottled water and chilled towels—they’re supremely romantic for evening oceanside dining. Visit www.ritzcarlton.com