Yesterday, when Raffles Tianjin opened its doors, the city welcomed its first luxury penthouse hotel.

Last week, Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts opened their latest retreat in Guilin. The hotel offers a number of firsts for the city.

The internationally renowned Atul Kochhar, the first Indian chef to be awarded a Michelin star, is kicking off a season of guest celebrity cooking at the luxury Maldives resort, Soneva Gili.

The Mandarin Oriental, Macau will open in the middle of 2010. It will be the only non-gaming, five-star hotel on the Macau Peninsula.

A luxurious, boutique hotel called Hotel Éclat has opened in Taipei. Located in a quiet part of the fashionable Da-An district, the 60-room hotel is owned and conceived by Hong Kong entrepreneur George Wong.

Last week Boucheron hosted a private jewellery viewing of the highest order at the Landmark Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong.

The legendary designer, Diane von Furstenberg, will design several rooms and suites at the legendary hotel, Claridge's.

The Ritz-Carlton, Kuala Lumpur, has announced an extravagant Formula 1 package that would make for a spectacular weekend

Shangri-La's Golden Sands Resort, Penang, has just completed a year-long RM50 million ($14 million) redevelopment programme.

The opening of the Marina Bay Sands in April this year comes at a time when the Singapore property market is looking extremely robust. As a result, everyone will be looking with baited breath to see the impact of the spectacular resort.