In each of his hotels (Madrid, Barcelona, London and Paris), he puts emphasis on pieces from his collection to provide the place with a unique character. One can find anything from African sculptures, to jewels, contemporary paintings, works of art dating back to Ancient Egypt, India, the Greco‐Roman Empire, Papua New Guinea… He is a true art enthusiast (antique culture), especially everything related to Ancient Egypt. His private collection of Egyptian art consists of more than 1,000 pieces.

Each floor of Hotel Banke is host to part of Mr Jordi Clos’ private jewel collection. This collection will be exhibited for clients of the hotel, the restaurant and the bar. Please see the pictures below.

About Hotel Banke

Superior four‐star boutique hotel in the centre of Paris, ideal for your stay whether you are on a business trip or holidaying with your partner, with friends or with your family. This superior four‐star hotel is located in the Opera district, in the very heart of Paris, and a stone’s throw from Boulevard Haussmann and the Galeries Lafayette. Hotel Banke occupies a building from the turn of the 20th century designed by architects Paul Friesse and Cassien Bernard, and the stately building sits at the junction of Boulevard La Fayette and Rue Pillet Will.

Location:

The Hotel Banke is located in the heart of the Opera district, in the 9th arrondissement of Paris, near the Grands Boulevards and the international boutiques, just a few steps away from Place Vendôme and ten minutes from the Louvre. The closest train stations are Gare Saint-Lazare (1,5 km) and Gare de l’Est (1,8 km), while Gare du Nord, Gare Montparnasse, Gare de Lyoon and Gare d’Austerlitz are all a few minute drive away. The closest Metro stations are Chaussée-d’Antin (150 metres) or Notre-Dame-de-Lorette (450 metres). You’ll find several bus stops nearby the Hotel.The Paris-Orly Airport lies 23 km away from the Hotel, while the Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport is 28 km away.

Deals for Banke Hotel, Paris

• View Deal | Book DealMINIMUM 2 NIGHTS
• View Deal | Book DealSpecial Promotion 10% off

Become our fan on facebook!

Epoque Hotels and Genre Hotels have agreed on a strategic alliance in which member hotels of both collections will benefit from their mutual marketing efforts.

Boutique, or “genre”, hotels are enjoying popularity among travelers because they often provide quirky details and smaller prices without sacrificing plush amenities and world-class service. Genre Hotels strive to meet these expectations with stellar design, green practices and affordability for both business and leisure travelers. The same drive fuels Epoque Hotels, thus the alliance emerged naturally.

“We are very happy to be collaborating with Kerry Flowers and the team of Genre Hotels,” says Juan Palmada Vice President of Epoque Hotels. “We love their work ethics and attitude and I am sure that both parties will benefit from this alliance.”

About Genre Hotels

Genre Hotels represents 18 properties in eleven US cities plus London and Cabo San Lucas, with a goal of 45 total members worldwide. The collection consists 4 and 5 star hotels. Contemporary or classic in styling, they are all modern hotels with all of the amenities to cater to both business and leisure travelers.

About Epoque Hotels

Epoque Hotels is a collection of worldwide avant-garde, trendy-chic, and luxury-classic boutique hotels based in over 100 destinations. With its 350 hotels in its portfolio, divided in two lines: Avantgarde Line and Epoque Classic, it is rapidly establishing itself as the leading reference in the segment of Boutique Hotels.

The 85 room hotel, conveniently situated adjacent to Chester’s popular ‘Roodee’ racecourse offers a stylish and contemporary base for visitors to explore the city’s unique mix of Roman ruins, Gothic grandeur of Chester Cathedral as well as fabulous boutiques nested amongst The Rows, the historic two-tier shopping galleries.  Located in the centre of the city, ABode Chester also makes an ideal location for trips venturing into the Welsh countryside or nearby cities, Liverpool and Manchester.

ABode Chester is the sixth venue from the ABode stable which provides customers with a choice of accommodation suites from Comfortable through to Fabulous and dining options from Tavern through to Restaurant with price points to suit every budget.  Featuring bespoke art collections created by celebrity photographer, Brian Aris, the venue captures modern style with an eclectic mixture of art pieces to make each room unique.

The multimillion pound hotel development is located in Chester’s new HQ complex overlooking the River Dee and now offers visitors to Chester a first class eating and drinking establishment in the heart of the city.  Featuring floor to ceiling windows, the fifth floor Michael Caines Champagne Bar and Restaurant at ABode Chester captures breath taking views from the city as far as the Welsh Hills.  The 76 seat restaurant offers private dining facilities as well as the opportunity to dine an al fresco on the outside terrace.  With a commitment to sourcing local produce guests can choose from à la carte, tasting and ‘grazing’ menus to sample Michael’s award winning British cuisine.

The hotel is ABode’s first new build yet fuses the unique heritage of the Chester site within a  modern setting with original Roman remains dating back to 79AD which were discovered on site being showcased at the entrance to HQ.  Three sixth floor Fabulous suites are spaciously fitted to offer exceptional comfort with state of the art hand-built beds and oversized baths along with private balconies to give views of the racecourse, piazza and Chester city.

Chef Michael Caines says, “We are delighted to open ABode’s doors to Chester.  The city has something for everyone in terms of historical and cultural interest as well as a thriving business community.  We hope that ABode’s offering of contemporary accommodation and fine food venues will give visitors luxury that every budget can afford without compromise on quality.”

About ABode

ABode hotels are located in Exeter, Canterbury, Glasgow, Manchester and Chester; a baby ABode is situated in Chelsea, London.  Each destination offers guests contemporary accommodation with rooms, suites and dining facilities to suit all budgets.

The ABode hotel group is the result of a collaboration between Michael Caines MBE, one of Britain’s most acclaimed chefs and Andrew Brownsword, owner of The Bath Priory, Sydney House, Chelsea and Gidleigh Park.

About ABode Chester

ABode Chester room rates start at £99 per night.  The hotel offers 30 Comfortable, 44 Desirable, 8 Enviable and three fabulous class rooms.  In addition to a fifth floor Michael Caines Champagne Bar and Restaurant, the MC Café Bar and Grill offers informal dining and the ABarMC offers a late night lounge.

Abode Chester Hotel, Chester

The Hotel ABode Chester features 85 Comfortable, Desirable, Enviable and Fabulous bedrooms. All bedrooms are fitted to ABode’s high standards and boast magnificent views of Chester and the Welsh hills. The jewel in the crown are the three Fabulous suites, spaciously fitted and designed to the highest levels of comfort and luxury, located on the 6th floor, each with private balcony and views over the city, race course or internal piazza. On the 5th floor of the ABode Chester guests will find the stunning Michael Caines Restaurant together with a Champagne Bar and an outside terrace. The Restaurant serves Michael’s award-winning modern British cuisine using the best local and regional produce. In addition to the à la carte and tasting menus, the Restaurant features the acclaimed Michael Caines dining concept of “grazing menus”, whereby smaller portions of dishes from the à la carte menu can be enjoyed in either the Restaurant or more informally in the Champagne Bar. Private dining will also be available, and the entire 5th floor can be booked for exclusive use for upwards of 240 guests. Located on the ground floor, the MC Café Bar & Grill of the ABode Chester offers informal and delicious food and drink throughout the day and evening, from coffee and homebaked pastries, to full à la carte dining. In the evenings, the BarMC becomes a late night lounge bar.

When: April 10^th –  May 23^rd

The Shroud of Turin (Sacra Sindone), which usually goes on display once every 25 years, is programmed to go on display again in April 2010, just 10 years after its last public viewing. It will be just the 6th time in the past hundred years that the sacred relic will be seen in public.

It’s also the first time the devout, the curious and the incredulous will have the opportunity to see the Shroud since it underwent major restoration in 2002.

The 4.4 × 1.1m rectangular linen cloth is believed by many to be the authentic burial shroud of Jesus Christ, as the cloth displays a faint image of an individual who appears to have endured physical trauma in a manner consistent with crucifixion.

More than one million tickets have already been ordered, say officials at the Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist (Turin Cathedral), where the Shroud will be on display from April 10^th through to May 23^rd.

One extraordinary visitor scheduled to pay homage to the Shroud will be Pope Benedict XVI who is expected to visit Turin on May 2^nd. He’s certainly one who won’t be limited to the standard maximum viewing time like the everyday visitor . Visitors can stay just five minutes before the Turin Shroud, which will be showcased in a bulletproof and climate-controlled case.

But is it “really” the burial shroud of Jesus Christ? The authenticity of the Shroud has been hotly debated for decades. And it continues to stir controversy.

In 1988, the Holy See agreed to allow six centers to carry out independently radiocarbon dating on portions taken from a corner of the shroud. Finally only three research centers were allowed  to perform the analysis. The chosen laboratories at the University of Oxford, the University of Arizona, and the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, produced results indicating that the analyzed portion of the shroud dated from the XIIIth to XIVth Centuries (1260–1390).

In April 2009 it was reported that an original Shroud investigator acknowledged that the radio carbon dating performed in 1988 was faulty. (See article in The Daily Telegraph ).

The sample used for dating may have been taken from a piece damaged by fire and mended in the XVIth  century, which would not supply an estimate for the original material, so the mystery still lingers.

Turin is about 2 hours by train from Milan and from Genoa, a trip that is worth making not only for the shroud but also only to visit this incredible city.

City of Arts and Science in Valencia

This futuristic “city within a city” is one of the world’s most electrifying and imaginative millennium projects. The entire compound, designed as a celebration of the 21st century, looks as though it was beamed down to earth from another planet.

Santiago Calatrava, who designed most of this complex, comments: ” I am proud of the fact that people can walk through and around the main buildings without paying. It is a city to be discovered by promenading.”

You can walk for more than 7 km around the City of Science  thanks to the vision of this internationally acclaimed architect, artist and engineer.

Many locals admit to having visited the arts and science city many times without ever having bought an entrance ticket to any of its four star turns: the “Hemesferic”, Planetarium, the Principe Felipe Science Museum, the Oceanarium and the Reina Sofia Arts Palace.

L’Hemisferic

Mon-Fri 11am-2pm and 4-8pm, Sat-Sun 11am-2pm and 4-9pm.

Museo de las Ciencias Príncipe Felipe

Mon-Fri and Sun 10am-6pm, Sat 10am-8pm

L’Oceanografic

Mon-Fri and Sun 10am-6pm, Sat 10am-8pm

Getting there by bus:

From Valencia city take buses 13, 14, or 15 to Centro Comercio de Saler

Hospes Palau de la Mar Valencia is housed in a heritage-listed 19th century stately home which symbolizes the values of the city’s inhabitants and their seafaring spirit. Standing in one of the most attractive streets in downtown Valencia, this majestic and stimulating mansion is a wonderful example of elegance, art and design combined to lead us in any direction down the paths of history to discover the reality of the mysteries of the past.

Scheduled to open on Monday 22nd February 2010, Bistrot Bruno Loubet is an 85-seat restaurant, with a small lounge area, that will be open daily for breakfast, lunch and dinner. The menus will feature Loubet’s characteristic cooking technique of modern bistrot food, and will include the trademark style of his previous significant London establishments – including Bistrot Bruno and L’Odéon.

Loubet has spent the past eight years in Australia, working at three separate sites in Queensland – two in Brisbane (Bruno’s Tables and Baguette) and one in Noosa on the Sunshine Coast (Berardo’s). Upon his return to the UK in summer 2009, he has collaborated with chef Pierre Koffmann on the hugely successful pop-up restaurant at Selfridges.

The Zetter hotel London,  member of Epoque Hotels, is located in one of London’s most fashionable neighbourhoods, Clerkenwell, which boasts superb restaurants, excellent pubs, clubs, wine bars, and a number of galleries, theatres. Conveniently situated on the edge of the City Financial District, and a 10 minutes taxi to the West End, the Zetter looks out onto St John’s square right in the heart of this buzzing locale.

The full address of Bistrot Bruno Loubet will be St John’s Square, 86-88 Clerkenwell Road, London EC1M 5RJ.

Due to its overwhelming  excellence, Hotel G has won several important  awards:

Top Boutique Hotels in China, Travel & Leisure China

2009 Best Charm Hotel in China, New Weekly

Short-listed on the  Hot List 2009,  Condé Nast Traveler

Best Design Hotel in Asia, Perspective Magazine

Finalist  of the MIPIM Asia Awards 2009 in Best Hotel Category

Editors Best Recommended Restaurant Award by Modern Weekly for the Scarlett wine bar.

Hotel G boasts 110 generous rooms and suites complete with 3 exciting and distinctive venues for dining, entertainment and relaxation.  Congratulations from Epoque Hotels for these great achievements.

Address: A7 Gongtixilu, Chao Yang District, Beijing

Casco Viejo (Old Quarter)

Take the bright-green tram in front of the Hotel and go explore the old part of town.

Get lost in the labyrinth of streets and re-fuel having some pintxos in the Plaza Nueva.

Museo de Bellas Artes (Fine Arts Museum)

Located at a stone´s throw from the Hotel, it is definitely a must. It is the third most important collection in Spain. If in a hurry, visit the selection of 16 masterworks from the collection. Tuesday to Saturday, 10am-8 pm, Mondays closed.

Getxo

Just 20 minutes outside the city, beautiful seaside town with beaches and beautiful turn of the century houses. Cross the Vizcaya Bridge in the first steel shuttle bridge in the world. http://www.puente-colgante.com/en/principal.html

Hotel Miro | Bilbao

Casco Viejo Bilbao

The Kimberly Hotel is convenient to many of New York City’s famous landmarks.  For this reason, I like to encourage guests to do a short walking tour to get acquainted with the neighborhood. Within just a few blocks, guests can see the Chrysler Building

Chrysler Building | New York

(which can also be enjoyed from our rooftop and some of our suites), and the glorious architecture of Grand Central Station. At the station there are several restaurants for dining, including the world famous Oyster Bar, the marketplace, numerous shops and the Campbell Apartment for a relaxing cocktail.  Holiday fairs and laser shows are also an attraction at various times of the year inside the station.

Grand Central Station | New York

Kimberly Hotel | New York

There are lots of excursions at El Calafate, but I definitely one of the most recommend is the Trekking on the Perito Moreno Glacier.  You have two options: The Minitrekking (available even for children) or The Big Ice Excursion (for the most adventurers). The latter offers to tour around and get way deep into the superb ice mass; this tour of course is suitable only for the most adventurous and, obviously, for those who are in good physical shape, as it involves a long ice trek around a number of rocky areas, as well as the handling of harnesses.

Eating out in El Calafate is also an experience. Besides the Design Restó of Design Suites Calafate and the Ariskaiken Restaurant of Kosten Aike Hotel, a favorite is the Casimiro Buiga Restaurant located downtown in Av Libertador 963. This stylish eatery and vinoteca (wine bar) offers an impressive list of 180 Argentine wines. The chef creates wonderful homemade pastas, risottos, lamb stew and grilled trout, but the top is the grill.

For those who love local handicrafts, the “Pueblo Indio” and “Mercado Artesanal” are what you’re looking for. You can also buy delicious chocolates with the shape of Sheep at Ovejitas de la Patagonia, located downtown as well.

For more information about Calafate, visit www.welcomeargentina.com