Celebrity chef David Bouley is about to add another castle to his empire. He has signed a lease for a 10,000-square-foot restaurant at 10 Hudson Square, along Varick Street. Set to open January 2009, it will be a casual dining spot.

Bouley splashed onto the culinary scene in 1987 when he opened his eponymous restaurant, Bouley, in Tribeca. Not only did it earn four stars from The New York Times, but also the James Beard Foundation awards for best restaurant and best chef. In those days, he was one-half of a celebrity couple (with Bernadette Peters), and his restaurant was frequented by the likes of Warren Beatty, Bill Cosby and Woody Allen. In 1994, People magazine selected him as one of its “50 Most Beautiful People.”

Bouley closed in 1996 but since then the chef has opened numerous eateries, including Danube, The Bouley Bakery and Upstairs in New York, and Evolution in South Beach. Having worked at such venerable restaurants as Le Cirque, Le Périgord and La Côte Basque, Bouley has worked with the best in the industry and has garnered many awards and stars, including two Michelin stars. The original Bouley received the number-one Zagat Survey ranking in food and popularity of New York City Restaurants, receiving a 29 out of a possible 30, which no other other restaurant has been able to achieve.

The new restaurant is yet unnamed but is expected to be an asset to the Tribeca community. It will be Bouley’s fourth in New York (currently open) and a fifth, Brushstroke, will open tentatively in the fall of this year, for which he has partnered with Yoshiki Tsuji, president of the largest cooking school in Japan.

As the world goes into Beijing overdrive on the eve of the 2008 Summer Olympics, Mobil Travel Guide, the originator of the star ratings and certifications program, released their first-ever international guide. Mobil Travel Guide: BEIJING is a comprehensive handbook that includes more than 30 star-rated hotels as well as the capital’s top places to sightsee, dine, and shop. There’s a lot to keep up with when it comes to Beijing’s ever-changing hotel picture - it seems that new hotels are announced weekly. So which hotels received four stars (out of a possible five) and were singled out as Beijing’s best?

• Grand Hyatt
• Peninsula Beijing
• Raffles Beijing Hotel
• St. Regis Hotel Beijing
• Shangri-La Hotel Beijing

The guide also notes several hotels that were too new to rate or due to open later this year. Hotels to watch include Fairmont Beijing, JW Marriott Hotel Beijing, Mandarin Oriental, Beijing, The Opposite House, Park Hyatt Beijing, Ritz-Carlton Beijing and the Westin Beijing Chaoyang.
For more information on Mobil Travel Guide: BEIJING, and for a detailed explanation of how Mobil Travel Guide compiles its star ratings, visit www.mobiltravelguide.com.

The fabled US Grant hotel, on the edge of San Diego’s trendy Gaslamp Quarter, has named Douglas Korn as its new general manager. He doesn’t have far to move: Korn has spent the last six years as general manager of the Westin Gaslamp Quarter, San Diego, which is minutes away by foot from The US Grant.

The US Grant emerged from a $56 million renovation in 2006 and is now a member of Starwood’s Luxury Collection. The hotel is a AAA Four-Diamond and Exxon-Mobil Four-Star hotel.

Korn says that his immediate order of business is to generate new sources of business and oversee the ongoing development of a full-service luxury spa at the hotel. The property currently boasts 270 guest rooms, including 47 suites. Of course, anyone staying at the property must eat at the Grant Grill, an institution since 1951 where movers and shakers are said to eat and “where deals get done.”

The US Grant originally opened in 1910 and has been listed on the National Registrar of Historic Places since 1979.

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.

Hotel de Russie (www.roccofortecollection.com) in Rome has created an exclusive dining experience at its al fresco restaurant, Le Jardin de Russie which allows your clients to enjoy an exclusive dinner on a secluded terrace within the restaurant’s gardens, called Le Jardin Prive.

Here’s the scoop: Diners at this special table enjoy the services of their own dedicated maitre d’ and a unique menu designed by the Michelin-starred chef Fulvio Pierangelini. The experience starts with a glass of Dom Perignon, which leads into a nine-course tasting menu, including dishes such as deep-fried courgette flowers and king prawns, ravioli with celery, olives and baby squid, risotto with spring vegetables, john dory with artichokes, grilled tagliata of veal, passion fruit sorbet and wild berries soufflé.

After such an evening, we say there’s nothing better than sinking into one of Rome’s top accommodations, the Nijinsky Suite at Hotel de Russie. This fabulous oasis has a balcony that’s no less than 2,572-square feet in size; we love its views of Piazza del Popolo, Piazza di Spagna and the Villa Borghese.

Hugo Pizzinini, general manager of Rosa Alpina Hotel & Spa (www.rosalpina.it) just visited Luxury Travel Advisor’s Manhattan offices to let us know that the Relais & Chateaux property is adding on nine new suites in time for the next ski season. The Pizzinini family-owned hotel, which is located in northern Italy in the Alta Badia region of the Dolomites, already has 50 guest accommodations, ranging from Deluxe Rooms to a series of suites with fireplaces or tiled stoves. Of the new suites, six will have fireplaces; the new Executive Suite will be a duplex and will become the resort’s top accommodation.

Pizzinini told us that the goal is to phase out the majority of the single rooms at the resort; however, he will retain some for those who want to use them for their nannies or their dog sitters, he said.
In other news, Pizzinini said that the property’s restaurant, St. Hubertus, received its second Michelin star in 2007 and “we are going for our third!” he told us.

The hotel reopens for the summer season on June 20.

Fresh from a $25 million renovation, L’Auberge Del Mar (www.laubergedelmar.com) will re-open its doors on June 6, 2008 outside of San Diego. The historic seaside resort’s 120 rooms have been given a fresh new look, with custom-designed furniture, premium bedding, iPod docking stations, and 42-inch flat screen televisions. We hear that many of the guest rooms now have fireplaces; 14 garden-level rooms have private patios. Additionally, all bathrooms have been completely renovated and now have walk-in showers and marble-topped vanities. The new open-air lobby leads to the chic new Bleu Bar, while a new pool deck features private cabanas.

If you’re sending a group or a bride, take note: A new outdoor terrace features 2,000 square feet of space for weddings and private events. We’re told that in September, Executive Chef Paul McCabe will open a new signature restaurant with market and farm-driven menus. A 4,500 square foot luxury spa will be introduced in December 2008, featuring organic ingredients. Note: Spa services will be available in the property’s existing spa from June to December. The resort is managed by Destination Hotels & Resorts (www.destinationhotels.com).

Trump International Hotel & Tower New York (http://www.trumpintl.com) has a creative program that will appeal to your foody clients: the Jean Georges Culinary Master Course, which can accommodate two to four people.

The world-famous Jean-Georges Vongerichten provides the private, two-hour cooking demonstration himself, enabling clients to learn some of the secrets behind the cuisine of his New York establishments Jean Georges (French), JoJo (Mediterranean), Vong (Japanese), Spice Market (Asian) or Perry Street (New American).

Luxury Travel Advisor can report first hand that this master chef is an affable and patient teacher. Last year we enjoyed an impromptu cooking demonstration while hanging with an elite group at the Trump International just prior to the lunch hour. We found him to be remarkably down to earth and charming, considering his international acclaim.

By the way, the Jean-Georges experience also includes accommodations in an Executive Park View Suite (Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights; maximum two persons per suite), breakfast for two daily at Nougatine, and a three-course dinner for two at Jean Georges with a bottle of Champagne. Clients will also receive a signed copy of Vongerichten’s new book, Asian Flavors of Jean-Georges, featuring beloved recipes from Spice Market, Vong and 66.

The Jean Georges Master Culinary Course is priced at $8,999.

We recently enjoyed a visit from Catherine Hodoul-Baudry, director of sales and marketing at Hôtel Le Bristol (www.lebristolparis.com) in Paris, who told us that the hotel is seeing strong business from the U.S. market, despite the fact that the value of the U.S. dollar is so low against the euro.

“We haven’t seen a real decline in the US market and those who are coming are booking suites,” says Hodoul-Baudry, who recommends the hotel’s Terrace Suites, which “have huge terraces that can hold 12 to 20 people.” Watch for more suites to come; management has bought the building next door so that it can expand its premium offerings. They should be available by the middle of next year. By the way, tell your clients, if they go, to be sure to check out the hotel’s Gastronomic Restaurant, whose chef Eric Frechon has received two Michelin stars and whose cuisine is a favorite of Nicolas Sarkozy, the President of the French Republic, who dines regularly at Le Bristol.

Tip: To help celebrate the newly reopened Anne Semonin Spa, Hôtel Le Bristol Paris has introduced the “Haute Couture Cure” package, which combines beauty, exercise, well-being and dieting. We hear the program was originally created at the request of one wellness-minded guest and that management has now made it available to all.

It works like this: Two weeks prior to their stay, clients complete a questionnaire on expectations and personal goals. Once they’re in Paris, they are provided with a balanced breakfast (think carrot juice, yogurt and cereal); they then enjoy the challenge of a two-hour training session with personal trainer Bruno Fuscien Trasan. After that, it’s spa time, where clients can choose from hot stone massages, anti-cellulite care, herbal detoxifying wraps, firming wraps and aromatherapy and fitness massages. That’s followed by lunch prepared by Chef Frechon. Optional add-on activities include a manicure or pedicure or a makeup session with cosmetics guru Lise Watier.

The “Haute Couture Cure” is available as a three-day package for 3,300 Euros or a five-day packages for 5,550 Euros. Reservations must be made a minimum of three weeks in advance, and can be made by calling 01 53 43 43 25 or by visiting www.lebristolparis.com.