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Richard Branson Confirms Virgin Group to Launch New Cruise Line Based in South Florida
December 5, 2014
Dec. 05--With interests already in airlines, space tourism, hotels and trains, billionaire entrepreneur Richard Branson confirmed Thursday that his Virgin Group also has its sights set on the sea. The Branson family's investment group announced that it is partnering with investment firm Bain Capital to form Virgin Cruises, a South Florida-based company that plans to operate two ships. News about a possible cruise venture for Virgin had been floating around since March, when Branson told a newspaper in Abu Dhabi that he was seeking investors for a $1.7 billion ocean cruise project. A representative for Virgin Group would not comment on f
Multiple Hotels in Idaho’s Treasure Valley Resume Renovations with Improved Economic Conditions
December 5, 2014
Dec. 05--The recession hit the hotel industry hard, including in the Treasure Valley. Occupancy and revenues plummeted, especially at higher-end hotels and those catering to business travelers. Hotels couldn't afford scheduled room updates and property renovations, said Pat Rice, Greater Boise Auditorium District executive director. But business has improved. Ada County's hotel occupancy rate increased to 66 percent in 2013 after being just 51 percent in 2009, and revenues increased 40 percent from 2008 to 2013. With cash flowing again, hotels are catching up on property fixes and room updates. "(The year) 2006 was the last time anybody
Special Series: Top 100 Wines: The Best of the West Coast in 2014
December 5, 2014
Dec. 05--I've sung the praises of American wine in a lot of places this year. But the moment when I was finally assured of our communal progress happened far from this coast. It was in London, at a tasting of California's newest and brightest, during a chat with Steven Spurrier. In 1976, Spurrier organized the Judgment of Paris tasting that made clear to the world that California wine was as good as French. Now, nearly 40 years later, he was encountering another collection of wines that displayed the same quality and ebullience as those that had so pleased him the first time around. It was a thrilling moment. Our wine promise was again
Special Series: Top 100 Wines: Zinfandel and Other Reds
December 5, 2014
Dec. 05--Zinfandel, Carignane, Petite Sirah, Peloursin, Sangiovese, Gamay. Read through the varieties here and it might sound like another era: 1886, perhaps, or 1966, or 1986. Point being that a full diversity in the field is being embraced today as never before. That might manifest itself with very young vines, as with the new raft of Gamay Noir in Oregon and California. Or perhaps with very old vines; it's no coincidence that not one but two wines from Sonoma's Bedrock vineyard appear here (and several more were in contention). That site, dating to the 1880s, remains a source for wines that match all the complexity of old field blend
David Sugarman of Mirach Capital Group One Step Closer to Goal of Owning New York’s The Plaza Hotel
December 5, 2014
Dec. 05--MARLBORO -- A township man just took another step toward his goal of assuming ownership of The Plaza Hotel in Manhattan. David Sugarman, 38, a managing member of the Mirach Capital Group, says that the company recently agreed to lend $1.55 billion to refinance another company's debt backed by the hotel, as well as Dream Downtown, also in Manhattan, and the Grosvenor House in London. "I'm from New Jersey and New York," Sugarman said. "It's a trophy aspect. I got involved with my team when I saw the Sultan of Brunei was interested in getting involved in the transaction and I was going to do everything in my power to prevent that
David Zisser, Son of Financially Troubled Motti Zisser, Embarks on His Own Amsterdam Hotel Deal
December 5, 2014
Dec. 05--Businessman Motti Zisser owes over NIS 1 billon to the banks and other creditors, and his receiver is busy selling his home in Petah Tikva in order to repay a small part of his enormous debt. Meanwhile, however, members of his immediate family are doing business in the tens of millions of shekels around the world. Sources inform "Globes" that David Zisser, one of Zisser's sons, recently initiated and began to carry out an huge deal in Amsterdam, capital of the Netherlands. In the framework of the deal, David Zisser has joined forces with the Radisson hotel chain for the construction of a hotel, office, entertainment, and restau
Special Series: Top 100 Wines: Rhone-Style Reds
December 5, 2014
Dec. 05--It's a great time to drink outstanding Syrah, Grenache and more on the West Coast. Syrah's rebound has been happening for several years, and the best 2012s and 2013s offer an abundance of fruit and spice. Grenache is resplendent as well, everywhere from the Sierra to eastern Washington's arid hills. Yes, murmurs of this great Rhoneish revival have been around for years. Is there something different now? I think so. More than ever, believers in these wines are willing to make them their specialty -- a choice that until recently was a formula for economic mayhem. Which means they no longer have to occupy peripheral vision while C
Special Series: Top 100 Wines: Sparkling Wine, Rosé and Other
December 5, 2014
Dec. 05--Sparkling wine on these shores is in the midst of a sea change not unlike what's happening in France's Champagne, except perhaps earlier on the curve. Less than a decade ago, a handful of well-known labels were making wines mostly in volume. Today, just as with the best Champenois growers, there is a commitment to uniqueness -- to specificity instead of uniformity. (It's why so many of these wines list the dates when they were disgorged: finished and sealed with a cork.) That's true of all the small producers here; a number of other projects like Under the Wire are so young their wines are hard to find on shelves. At the same t