Holly Maguire from Escapio.com visited The Ring Hotel and reports at the escapio blog:

“In the cultural heart of Vienna, Austria, The Ring – Vienna’s Casual Luxury Hotel bucks the trend of traditional 5 star hotels, with a smiley, helpful concierge team who are genuinely friendly and discrete. Just 2 years old, the property retains the atmosphere of a boutique hotel with stylish chocolate browns, greens and rusty orange décor, enormous cuddle-up beds and shiny plasma televisions. [Read more …] “

1. Who are you?
I’m Michael Quester, the owner and designer of CASSIDA luxury fashion (www.cassidashop.com) and have launched my first independent fashion line in 2008. The design background is the powerful and decadent roman empire with all it’s luxury and glamour. I’m austrian and our headquarter is located close to Vienna.

2. What do you like about what you do?
I love the creative part of my job and the satisfaction seeing people on the street wearing my designs. As all designs are made by myself with a lot of passion and dedication it’s simply a great feeling when people appreciate your style.

3. What don’t you like about what you do?
Everything that has to do with uncreative issues like administration …

4. Please tell us about your company Cassida and your future goals?
CASSIDA stands for „metal helmet“ in Latin and is the number one Newcomer Label in the Luxury fashion business. The background and inspiration of the designs is the glory and glamour of the ancient roman empire. The excellent unique style and a perfect combination of multiple colors, extravagant prints, applications and glitters satify already a wide range of several celebrities as Johnny Depp, Rihanna, Elle MacPherson, Samantha Ronson, Jessica Alba, Sabrina Setlur and Eva K. Anderson.
My future goal is to establish Cassida as a leading fashion company in the worldwide luxury fashion business. Further I’d like to open Cassida flagship stores in Los Angeles, New York and Milano. Concerning the flagship store for Vienna we are already negotiating with possible partners.

5. Are you working with blogs and if yes, what is your favourite blog?
Actually we support several fashion blog writers of whom we think that they are doing a professional job. One of them is: www.iloveteedesign.com
Of course we are running our own blog as well at: www.myspace.com/cassidafashion
Outside the fashion business we appreciate the Celebrity blogger Perez Hilton www.perezhilton.com

6. Your experiences with the overall fashion industry?
So far it’s a 100% positive experience. Most of the people involved are doing a very professional job and the majority is very open minded. The only negative thing I’m experiencing is that most labels are only interested in maximising their profits by following trends and gathering inspirations from other designers. From my point of view it’s essential to set trends, not to follow them. In that case you will be always be second and to be honest I hate it to be second…;-)

7. Tell us about your favourite fashion articles or designers
Actually I know several designers personally, but I have to admit that I’m not looking at their collections in order to avoid any influences on my personal style. Considering the Top designers my absolute favourite is Tom Ford, as he is the only designer who created really timeless collections.

8. Any comments you want to share with us?
First of all I want to thank all readers of your Blog for reading this interview and I wish all of them, that they can live their dreams like I live mine. Further I can only say, that we have started to book the “The Ring” for all our international customers coming to Vienna as your hotel is the number one place to stay in Vienna.

1. Who are you?
Daniel Pereira, General Manager of The Scotsman Hotel and The Glasshouse Hotel. Two of the finest boutique hotels in the heart of the historic city of Edinburgh.

2. What do you like about what you do?
My job is a way of life! I love the challenging elements of my day to day, the sense of satisfaction that one gets from delivering seamless service to our guests and attaining our targets. I would not want to do anything else.

3. What don’t you like about what you do?
I would describe myself as a workaholic and unfortunately my job indulges that side of my personality.

4. Please tell us about your hotel and your aims with it?
The Scotsman is a bit of an institution in Edinburgh.  The building dates back to 1901 and was the residence of the Scotsman Newspaper until 2001 when it was converted into the Scotsman Hotel. The Scotsman is a unique combination of hotel, award winning Brasserie, Health Club and Spa, each part a distinctive and exclusive venture offering modern service with classic values.

The Glasshouse opened in June 2003 and has quickly established itself as the leading boutique Hotel in the city.  Behind the façade of the 150 year old Lady Glenorchy church, you’ll find the clean, modern lines of The Glasshouse.  Boasting the largest roof garden in Europe and floor to celing windows in all bedrooms, The Glasshouse offers a unique experience in terms of design, decor and service.

We constantly aim to achieve high standards of care in the service that we provide to our guests and to deliver our targets to the board of directors.

5. Are you working with blogs and if yes, what is your favourite blog?
Our PR and marketing is handled by our head office so I don’t really have the opportunity to put my blogging skills to the test.

6. Your TOP 3 hotel experiences
That is easy! Threadneedles Hotel (London), Inverlochy Castle (Highlands), Park Hyatt (Tokyo)

7. Your TOP 3 destination experiences
Tokyo, Washington DC, Zurich

8. Your TOP 3 food and/or beverage experiences
The Ivy (London), Andrew Fairlie (Perthshire) and The Kitchin (Edinburgh)

9. Can you offer possible readers 3 things they absolutely need to do/visit/see when visiting your city?
Stay at the Scotsman or the Glasshouse, visit Edinburgh Castle and have a wee dram of whisky at the North Bridge Brasserie Bar!

10. Any comments you want to share with us?
Enjoy each day.

A Finnish Hospitality Management graduate group from Turku University of Applied Sciences got a once in a lifetime experience to enjoy casual luxury in The Ring Hotel in March 15th as a part of our strategic management studies. The study trip included visiting exciting hotels and meeting interesting tourism persons, including Assistant General Manager of The Ring and Grand Hotel Wien, Mr. Carl-Peter Echtermeijer.

He kindly welcomed us for a tour in Grand Hotel Wien to show some of the everyday life of this beautiful, legendary hotel and opened a door for the world of leading five star hotels in Vienna. We also got a chance to interview Mr. Echtermeijer to better understand some of the operational issues in hotel marketing and management.

We want to thank Mr. Echtermeijer and the whole hotel staff for making our stay unforgettable, both professionally and as a lovely getaway from ordinary life. The heartwarming attitude towards the future hotel industry professionals and meeting Mr. Echtermeijer gave us motivation and many new ideas to bring back to Finland. We hope we can someday welcome you to Finland as our guests and return the joy we got from our stay in The Ring. Only thing we disagree is that it wasn’t casual, it was pure luxury.

With kind regards,
Hospitality Management students
Turku University of Applied Sciences
Finland

1. Who are you?
My name is Anton Rigel, I´m owner of Evolution Entertainment, based in Germany. It’s a creative event and artist agency specialized in female DJs, musicians, dancers and other unique artists in the world.

2. What do you like about your work?
I like to work with young and talented women from Europe and Latin America to see how they grow international, being idols for many other young girls. I like travelling around the world, visiting new countries, meeting interested people with many ideas and much energy. It is always fantastic to see, how our artists entertain the people with their skills and talent.

3. What don’t you like about what you do?
That I haven’t got enough time to do make all my ideas come through, travelling with the artists and meeting my clients personally. I hate all the greed, envy and ignorance of some people in the music business. Promoter and club owner trying to earn the “big money” in a short time, not taking care of any new talents and local scene, also greedy people, making cheap and low budget drinking parties.

4. Please tell us about Evolution Music and your future goals?
We are one of the leading agencies specialized in female DJs, performing in the coolest clubs/parties worldwide. With female orchestral musicians playing Saxophone, Violin or Percussion, we offer our clients something new and different since 2009. They are playing the best of Lounge, Buddha-Art, World Music, Latin, Jazz, Party, Dance and Electronic Music. Our variable teams are perfect for every kind of event. Our brand “God is a DJane” is a very high quality product, designed to be performed in the best clubs and most important cities around the world. So far we had over 50 parties around the world the last 12 months. In August 2008 we had our first compilation “God is a DJane” Vol. 1. In April we will release our first single under G.I.A.D. and planning the next Mix House Compilation.

5. Are you working with other blogs and if yes, what is your favourite blog?
We are not working with other blogs. We as an agency are not really interested in fans and friends. We are present in networks like Myspace (www.myspace.com/evolutionagency) or Facebook. We have got a special kind of market and clients, they are informed by newsletters and other communication.

6. Your experiences with the overall music/DJ industry?
In the actual economic situation the competitions are becoming higher class, clubs owners are booking names and event brands, trying to get the maximum of guests and consumption. Publicity is getting more and more important, that’s why we started with the brand “God is a DJane” supporting talented and beautiful women.

7. What are your most favourite music labels?
Ministry of Sound, they are the leading music label for electronic music having one of the biggest distribution worldwide. With brands like Hedkandi or Ministry of Sound they are also the biggest event company in the world with big influence in the music industry, since more than 20 years.

8. Any comments you want to share with us?
“Music is the unique universal language, but women have the better vibes to mediate this feeling.!”

1. Who are you?
Ilonka B. Molijn–van Ginkel, business owner of BabyMoon luxury pre-birth getaways and responsible for Sales & Marketing in Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA).

2. What do you like about what you do?
Interacting with clients from different parts of the world. Each with its own creative ideas and knowledge about its hotel and destination. New targeting challenges when a new Babymoon Package and destination is introduced.

3. What don’t you like about what you do?
There is no single thing I don’t like, but what I prefer less is the preparation of the annual tax administration.

4. Please tell us about Baby-moon and your future goals?
BabyMoon promotes the Babymoon travel trend and represents extraordinary and memorable Babymoon Packages offered by the most luxurious and finest hotels in the world. Starting with our 3rd year in the babymoon business, our goals were and will be creating awareness of the babymoon trend at luxurious hotels and resorts worldwide and seeking for media opportunities at high quality media around the world.

Up to now we enjoyed a global media coverage in North America, South America, Europe and the Middle East. With more participating five star hotels in Asia Pacific in 2009, we hope to achieve in an extensive media coverage in Asia Pacific as well.

5. Are you working with other blogs and if yes, what is your favourite blog?
My favourite blog is our own blog, BabyMoon the blog, www.babymoonblog.com
At BabyMoon the blog we feature 6 topics : babymoon, beauty, destinations, shop, spa and travel. With this extension of our website, we are able to write more details about Babymoon Packages at the participating hotels and other newsworthy features at hotels . Our editor also loves to write about must haves for Moms to Be like the Sweet Cake baby bath, chic maternity wear, Lacoste and Burberry strollers and travel equipment for your baby,

6. Your experiences with the overall ‘babymoon’ industry?
Nothing but good, the babymoon concept is very positive. It is about taking the time
as an expecting couple to celebrate your special time together.
A vacation itself is important because it is a great way to improve your health : reducing stress and recharge your batteries and to reconnect with your friends, partner or family.When you are pregnant these benefits are even more important because of the changes physically and emotionally. A relaxing pregnancy is good for yourself, your unborn baby and your partner!

BabyMoon luxury pre-birth getaways launched its website at the beginning of January 2007. During this period there were hardly any Babymoon Packages outside the United States and Canada. The company started because of the passion for this great positive concept and the lack of hardly any Babymoon Packages in Europe.

We are excited to see the coverage in Europe right now, and are looking forward to more coverage of extraordinary babymoon packages in other parts of the world as well.

7. What are your most favourite ‘babymoon-hotels’?
The Ring in Vienna: the Luxury before Birth Package is very creative and captured exactly how a Babymoon should be. With an ‘Energy Welcome Kick’, Spa Treatments for both, Presents from the famous Belly Button and a guided city tour through Vienna with a limousine to avoid too much walking, it’s the perfect mix for the ultimate Babymoon!

Hotel Dorf Grüner Baum in Bad Gastein (Austria): The perfect romantic Babymoon with a daily yoga class, baby and parent magazines, Spa treatments for both with more than 3 hours of treatments for the future mama, a horse drawn carriage ride with dinner in a beautiful chalet, a good night kiss with Häagen Dazs ice cream and a Polo Ralph Lauren baby present.

8. Any comments you want to share with us?
Celebrate your Pregnancy!

1. Who are you?
Enzo IACONIS General Manager of the Hotel de Vigny, a charming Boutique Hotel of 27 rooms & 11 suites just off the Champs Elysées in Paris- Member of the “Relais & Châteaux” Association.

2. What do you like about what you do?
Creativity, availability to listen, meet guests and make them feel at home – Make sure they are always satisfied during their stay and become regular guests – anticipate their requirements – that’s where dedicated team work plays an important key role.
Travelling throughout the world to find potential guests and extending the business.

3. What don’t you like about what you do?

• When we cannot satisfy a specific guest’s requirement,
• That I cannot always be personally available at all times with my staff to attend all the Hotel operations,
• When we cannot take a booking at the restaurant because it is full.

4. Please tell us about your hotel and your aims with it?
The Hotel de Vigny is a Luxury Boutique Hotel centrally located off the Champs Elysées & the most prestigious monuments in the heart of the 8th District. Our aim is an incentive to constantly improve the quality and standards of the hotel to satisfy guests’ requirements – also to promote the Baretto Restaurant which is very popular amongst politicians, business people or show biz who appreciate meeting in a discreet and cosy Art Deco Atmosphere and enjoy Chef Patrick Marteau’s both inventive and traditional food. Promote the musical evenings enchanting guests with the harpist’s magical music. In a word make the Hotel de Vigny: the Relais & Châteaux Hotel to stay in Paris.

5. Are you working with blogs and if yes, what is your favourite blog?
Not at the moment.

6. Your TOP 3 hotel experiences:
Le Plaza Athenee (Paris), The Milestones Hotel (London) and La Posta Vecchia (Italia)

7. Your TOP 3 destination experiences:
New York, Saint Petersburg, Venice

8. Your TOP 3 food and/or beverage experiences:
in Paris: Apicius, Arpege, Hotel Meurice Restaurant, Ducasse Restaurant at the Plaza Athenee

9. Can you offer possible readers 3 things they absolutely need to do/visit/see when visiting your city?
Eiffel Tower, Montmartre – Museums: Louvre, Orsay, Museum of Modern Art, Pompidou Art Galleries, Antique Dealers – exhibitions

10. Any comments you want to share with us?
The Relais & Châteaux is a Worldwide Association but each hotel is unique

The Hôtel de Vigny is part of the prestigious ‘Relais & Chateaux’ chain. It is located in the elegant 8th district of Paris just 50 meters away from the Champs-Elysées and the Arc de Triomphe.

The world’s leading Sensation will come to the Wiener Stadthalle, Vienna. Sensation will present their mind-blowing new show ‘The Ocean of White’, which premiered at the Amsterdam Arena on the 5th of July 2008. The concept of such a unique event was conceived by ID&T, the number one event organiser in the Netherlands. Sensation has now become the flagship event on ID&T’s calendar, celebrating it’s 10th edition this year, and the company is very proud and excited to be coming to Austria in 2009. Duncan Stutterheim, CEO and founder; ‘The Austrians are well known for their party spirit, and we are very happy to finally bring Sensation to Austria.’

Sensation’s inaugural event was held in Amsterdam back in 2000, and this multimedia spectacle now sells 40,000 tickets each year to visitors from across the globe within hours. Innovative staging techniques, lightshows and lasers, video projections and live cameras, not to mention the fact that every single reveller is dressed head-to-toe in white, all help to create an atmosphere that makes Sensation the phenomenon it is. The spectator genuinely becomes part of the strange and alluring dream world, and the only way to fully appreciate the surreal ambience of the event is to experience it first-hand – along with many thousands of others at the Wiener Stadthalle!

Nine years after the world’s leading Sensation debuted in the Amsterdam ArenA, other cities across Europe and the world have discovered the unforgettable experience that is Sensation. In 2007, the event was staged in seven European countries, from Belgium and Germany to Poland and the Czech Republic, and was held in 12 countries worldwide in 2008, including Chile and Australia, to include for the first time in 2009, along with 18 other countries – Vienna, Austria.

You can buy your tickets at http://www.wien-ticket.at, also available in English.

Check out the LINE UP for the upcoming Sensation:

SERGIO FLORES
After many successful years as a producer, remixer and DJ, Sergio Flores has a great reputation for comprehensive musicality and an ability to combine credible coolness with chart-topping success. His original dance productions and pop remixes for the stars, have gained him an ever growing audience and fan-base. Now he’s at the first-ever Sensation in Austria to open the spectacular Ocean of White show.
www.sergioflores.co.uk

ERICK E
DJ/producer Erick E has spent the last decennium at the pinnacle of Dutch house music. Receiving the Best House DJ award 2006 in the Netherlands proves: Erick E rocks the house! Apart from his energetic and danceable mix of grooves, the main reasons for his popularity are his enthusiasm and charisma behind the decks. Erick E truly interacts with his audience. Erick’s career started in 86 and in 95 he landed the Saturday-residency in Amsterdam’s house temple: the legendary RoXY. ErickE doesn’t exactly limit himself to Holland though, and has spun across the globe.
www.ericke.com

FEDDE LE GRAND
Fedde le Grand stands on the edge of global superstardom. His parties had been rocking the Netherlands since 2001; and then in 2006 “Put your hands up for Detroit” happened. The track hit No 1 in the UK, Spain, Russia, Finland and Bulgaria; won Best Underground House Track and Best Breaks/Electro Track at the IMDA 2007, Club Banger Of The Year at the 6th Annual Club Awards in Miami 2008 and secured Fedde the fiercely fought over Best Breakthrough Solo Artist gong at the IMDA 2007.
www.feddelegrand.com

Erick E and Fedde are Sensation residents, both having a vast number of Sensation’s under their belt.

MEGAMIX
The time of the night when the DJ’s take a step back, and the people of Sensation become the stars. For thirty glorious minutes the music, performers and the environment fuse together to create a Sensation like no other. Created and perfected by the Sensation creative team in the years before the big night, the Megamix integrates sound and vision with stunning artistry.

SEBASTIAN INGROSSO
It has been an ‘On the Road’ year for Sebastian Ingrosso, 2007 seeing him touring the world – after a slew of releases in 2005 and 2006, as well as the Swedish House Mafia take-over of the Miami scene and of Amnesia’s main stage in Ibiza. Sebastian, already a Sensation resident, has impressed the crowds at Sensation Germany NYE and now will win over the audience immediately.
www.myspace.com/sebastianingrosso
www.refune.com

TOCADISCO
With “Nobody Likes The Records That I Play” the entire world took notice of Tocadisco alias Roman Böer. He surely has to be considered as one of the top electronics acts around at the moment. Learning by doing is certainly this man’s motto, and within an extremely short period of time the studio wizard taught himself how to record and produce tracks, including his highly acclaimed album ‘Solo’, which featured hits such as Better Begin, Street Girls and Morumbi. But it is the interaction with the audience and the buzz of playing live that really gets Tocadisco excited, and he plans to bring this contagious enthusiasm to Hungary.
www.myspace.com/djtocadisco

The Ring Hotel, Vienna´s Casual Luxury Hotel, is hosting the DJs during the Vienna event of www.sensation.com.

Who are you?
Jacqueline Wagar, director of www.ultimatehides.com, an online directory of architectural and designer accommodation.

What do you like about what you do?
I love learning about the properties, how they have come to be, the design process, environmental initiatives and stories behind each one. The conversations I have with owners & property managers can go on for hours! I also love being able to pass on this knowledge to visitors to the site.

What don’t you like about what you do?
Not being able to travel to each and every UH in person, but watch this space!

Please tell us about Ultimate Hides and your future goals!
www.ultimatehides.com is a new website featuring a hand-selected collection of holiday properties that encompass contemporary architectural design, sustainability, privacy, inspirational surrounds and the ultimate escape, whilst also giving credit to the architects, designers and artists involved in their creation. We aim to promote great architecture and design through first hand experience.

Our future goal is to expand the site both in terms of including many more properties, as well as adding greater search facilities and additional features. We intend to ensure Ultimate Hides is the online destination for visitors seeking the best design destinations worldwide.

Are you working with blogs?
Yes we have just started a blog ultimatedesignguide.blogspot.com as a complimentary addition to Ultimate Hides, the blog will feature the latest and greatest in the design world – from wineries, restaurants and bars to museums and galleries that we feel are worth a visit whilst you’re staying in an Ultimate Hide!

Your experiences with the overall travel/ hotel industry?
During the creation of Ultimate Hides, I have dealt with international companies through to architect owners, and my experiences with all have been inspirational, passionate and professional. I have found these experiences extremely motivating.

What are your most favourite hotels?
Always the latest one that I uncover!

Any comments you want to share with us?
Make time to stop and smell the roses!

In cooperation with the luxury hotel „The Ring, VIENNA’S CASUAL LUXURY HOTEL“ Vienna Deluxe Magazine held its second quarterly exclusive “Ladies Lunch”. The motto of the luncheon was “The Russian Contemporary Art” and it was held in one of the hotel’s luxurious suites.
The hosts were Nina Burgesmeir/editor of Vienna Deluxe Magazine and Carl Peter Echtermeijer of The Ring VIENNA’S CASUAL LUXURY HOTEL. Some of the honored guests who joined them were:
Dr. Zuna Kratky/Technisches Museum, Patricia Pállfy/Dorotheum, Mag. Andrea Jungmann/Sotheby’s, Valentina Vassileva/director Ruarts Gallery Moskau, Sabina Orudjeva/Ruarts Gallery Moskau, Mag. Christina Hardegg/MUMOK, Dr. Ingried Brugger/Direktorin des Bank Austria Kunstforums, Mag. Madeleine Hruby/Vienna Deluxe, Mag. Monika Wiltschnigg/Tiffany.