VIP Report

The Latest from the World of Luxury

Fernando Alonso wins Singapore Grand Prix Fernando Alonso of Renault Formula One won the Singapore Grand Prix on September 28th, 2008. Kiwi Collection President Philippe Kjellgren was there, at the post-race party at Michael Ma's The Mansion, other guests included TAG Heuer owner Mansour Ojjeh, who has 15 percent of the McLaren team, and its key driver Lewis Hamilton.		Paul Newman honored worldwide The life of Paul Newman (right, with Colin Bell) is being honored worldwide. In 2001, after a trip to Botswana, the movie star and philanthropist - who succumbed to cancer September 26th, 2008, aged 83 - inspired the Children in the Wilderness program that has so far introduced over 2,500 kids in southern Africa to their wildlife heritage.


Orchids bloom at Inkaterra Machu Picchu Searching for orchids at Inkaterra Machu Picchu Hotel, which has 372 species, is one of the many delights there. Jose Koechlin von Stein, President of Lima, Peru-based Inkaterra, has published Inkaterra Machu Picchu Hotel, dedicated to Moises Quispe, chief gardener at the hotel, remembered with the names of two new species which he discovered: Epidendrum sp. nov., and Telipogon sp.		Art in the Park At the opening of Art in the Park in the gardens of Baur au Lac, Zurich, September 17th, 2008, are, center, sculptor James Licini and the exhibition organizer, Gigi Kracht, with friends. Read more about Art in the Park here.


Pepsi's first Global Strategy Meet in India The Pepsi Global Leadership Team, led by CEO Indira Nooyi - seen here with hotel General Manager Kapil Chopra - stayed September 20-25 at the Trident Gurgaon, New Delhi. The team of 25 global leaders run the Pepsi business in 161 countries and were in town for their first "India Global Strategy Meet", www.tridenthotels.com.		Park Hyatt cocktail party in London COO International for Global Hyatt, Rakesh Sharma - seen here with Mary Gostelow - hosted a stylish Park Hyatt cocktail in London on September 16th, 2008. Park Hyatt General Managers from around the world were on hand, and the UK's top luxury travel writer Victoria Mather made a delightful speech. Read about Park Hyatt's Polo Team here.


Sharrow Bay celebrates the founding of the hotel A culinary team from Sharrow Bay - the luxury English country house hotel where sticky toffee pudding was invented - decamped to Harvey Nichols Fifth Floor Restaurant September 25 to October 2nd, 2008, to celebrate the founding of the hotel in 1949 by the legendary Francis Coulson and Brian Sack.		Candy & Candy host sweet fundraiser Christian Candy, 34, (left) and his brother Nick, 35 - Candy & Candy, developing the former Bowater House and Chelsea Barracks - recently hosted a fund-raising dinner for the Royal Parks Foundation. Guests included tailor Ozwald Boateng, jeweler Theo Fennell, environmentalist Zac Goldsmith and entertainers Sting and Trudie Styler.


'Cameron on Cameron' biography launched Cameron on Cameron - Dylan Jones' biography of David Cameron MP, Leader of the Conservative Party in the UK - was launched September 8th, 2008, at the InterContinental London Park Lane. From left, David Cameron, Simon Scoot, Dylan Jones (editor of GQ Magazine).		Bonhams auctions off vintage motorcycles This ex-Roland Martin Brooklands 1927 Zenith 8/45hp Combination bike fetched £177,500 at Bonhams, London, on September 1st, 2008. 27 vintage motorcycles collected by the late Brian R. Verrall were on offer.


Calvin Klein at Mercedes Benz Fashion Week Calvin Klein, designed by Francisco Costa, showed well at the New York Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week, September 2008, also sponsored by American Express, DHL, Moët-Chandon and W Hotels & Resorts. Calvin Klein owner Phillips-Van Heusen expects annual sales to reach $7 billion by 2012.		W Hotel to open in Manchester, UK Donal Muryan (photo), 39, says that apart from golf or horses, the only thing that is left for an Irishman is to drive fast cars (he loves taking classic Ferraris on the track). In between, he is building a W Hotel in Manchester, England. He also has eight acres by the River Thames in London where he will do something 'special'.


International Ernst von Siemens Music Prize winner Anne-Sophie Mutter is this year's recipient of the International Ernst von Siemens Music Prize, which comes with a cash endowment of 200,000 euros. The violinist is donating half of the prize money to the "Anne-Sopie Mutter Foundation", officially recognized by the German government on July 7th, 2008. Read our story on rare violins here.		Global galleries exhibit Showcase Singapore Dubai-based The Third Line - which represents Amna Al Zaabi, photo - was among 23 galleries at Showcase Singapore, September 9-12, 2008. This was organized by Mary Dinaburg and Howard Rutkowski Fortune Cookie Projects, New York, and partners included The Ritz-Carlton Millenia, Singapore.


New partners for Stein Group International Singapore lawyer Ong Chih Ching, together with a fellow director, Leny Suparman, is now 50 percent owner of David Stein's Stein Group International. Her company is KOP Capital, which is part of KOP Group, backed by Emirates Investments Group's Emirates Tarian Capital.