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Grand Hyatt New York, a leading Midtown New York hotel, announces the appointment of Christian Ragano, former chef de cuisine of Park Hyatt Chicago’s award-winning NoMI, who will helm the New York City luxury hotel’s new restaurant, New York Central, perched above 42nd Street on the second floor. Opening this fall, New York Central will bring a new level of quality and creativity to the culinary landscape of the Grand Central neighborhood. The restaurant will offer a diverse menu inspired by the flavors of Western Europe including house-made pastas, locally-sourced products, and homemade charcuterie.

New York Central will occupy the space that was formerly the Manhattan Sky Restaurant. This innovative dining experience will eventually replace the hotel’s current restaurant, Commodore Grill. With a sleek metropolitan presence, the venue will be a place to see and be seen. More details about the Midtown New York hotel restaurant’s concept, design, and signature dishes will be announced in the coming weeks.

Chef Ragano’s move is a homecoming for the Queens, New York native who has spent more than ten years at some of the best Chicago restaurants, including a stint at the Mobil Four-Star TRU before his nine-year tenure working his way through the ranks at NoMI. A graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, Chef Ragano has an eclectic style that blends classic French training with Italian and Spanish influences.

“We are excited to welcome Chef Ragano to the Grand Hyatt New York team. We know that he will bring the inventive culinary experience for which he is known,” said Matthew Adams, Vice President and anaging Director. “As progress rapidly continues on this new venue, we look forward to announcing more details about the restaurant.”

About Grand Hyatt New York
With a premier location on 42nd Street between Park and Lexington Avenues, Grand Hyatt New York lies in the heart of mid-town Manhattan. Attached to the legendary Grand Central Terminal, the Grand Hyatt is just steps away from the city’s best culture and attractions, including Times Square, Broadway, art, culinary experiences and world-class shopping.

The hotel has 1,311 guest rooms including 51 suites. The suites range in size from 600 to more than 3,500 square feet. The guest rooms feature the Hyatt “Grand Bed” and have large workspaces. The Grand Club provides added luxury offering elevator key access, complimentary breakfast, afternoon snacks and evening hors d’oeuvres and drinks. Grand Hyatt New York is perfect for groups of any size. Boasting over 50 meeting rooms and 55,000 square feet of meeting space, the hotel can accommodate groups from 10 to 1,500 people. For more information please visit www.grandhyattnewyork.com .

Remote Lands, the New York and Bangkok-based ultra-luxe Asia private tour operator, is now offering customized trips to the ultimate travel frontier – the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) – where currently the Mass Games, which eclipse the Beijing Olympic ceremonies in size and spectacle, are taking place through October 10, 2010.

In the past year, Remote Lands’ co-founders Jay Tindall and Catherine Heald have made multiple tourism reconnaissance missions to DPRK. “Visiting North Korea, which is the ne plus ultra for the über-well traveled, is a completely mind-blowing experience,” said CEO Heald. “Our trips are not in any way an endorsement of the country’s government, but a unique experience that can shed light on a seemingly impenetrable land.” COO Tindall added, “Traveling to North Korea is safe, it’s easy and it’s surreal – and it’s also seamless with Remote Lands.”

No other country has cut itself of quite so completely from the international community as DPRK; its isolation also makes it one of the world’s most fascinating destinations. From the grand spectacle of the Mass Games to the mind-boggling tomb of the Great Leader, Kim Il Sung, to whom citizens show total devotion, it is an extreme contrast in cultures that exceptionally few outsiders ever have the chance to experience. While anti-Western propaganda is prevalent, it is directed not at ordinary citizens but rather government policies. North Koreans are generally rather warm to visitors, and the country is absolutely safe, clean and surprisingly beautiful.

Atop Remote Lands’ must-see itinerary highlights in our North Korea tours is a performance of the Mass Games, the larger-than-life extravaganza featuring more than 100,000 performers in synchronized gymnastics, acrobatics, dance, and folk songs, which runs until October 10 this year. The performers’ backdrop, which at first appears to be a giant LCD screen, is in fact 20,000 children flawlessly changing colored cards every 15 to 30 seconds to create different scenes. The two-hour show is performed in the 150,000-capacity May Day stadium, the world’s largest.

The Kumsusan Memorial Palace, more commonly known as the mausoleum of Kim Il Sung, is a surreal experience of the people’s reverence for the Great Leader and a must-do on any trip to Pyongyang. After a rigorous entry procedure that involves donning sanitary slippers and passing through a “clean room” to remove dust off you, an elaborate procession leads you through enormous palatial halls until finally you approach the transparent sarcophagus. You will be required to bow on three sides of his body – it is advisable not to visit DPRK if you are not willing to obey their strict rules.

Remote Lands also recommends a trip to the DMZ, the 2.5-mile-wide strip dividing the two Koreas and the most heavily fortified border in the world. While Western tourists flock to the South Korean side to spy a glimpse of the North, it is infinitely cooler to experience the DPRK DMZ, looking south toward Seoul. You can chat with North Korean soldiers, some of whom are adept at English and quite friendly.

In DPRK, the seemingly prosaic is in fact mind-boggling. A 30-minute stroll from the Arch of Triumph (taller than Paris’s) to the 65-foot tall Mansudae Grand Monument of Kim Il Sung is a great way to witness daily life in the capital. A visit to a Pyongyang secondary school offers unique insight into North Korean culture and the education of its youth today, while a visit to a propaganda-filled “fun fair,” or amusement park, allows a glimpse at leisure activities for citizens of the capital.

The luxurious Burj Al Arab offers the finest in facilities, location, services, and design. It dominates the Dubai coastline with its unique shape of a sail. Burj Al Arab does not have rooms: it has suites only, each arranged over two floors with floor-to-ceiling windows offering breathtaking views of the Arabian Gulf.

With chauffeur driven Rolls Royce cars, a private reception desk on every floor and highly trained butlers who provide around-the-clock services, you can be assured of a highly personalized experience throughout your stay.

In an interview, Simone Johnson was quoted saying, “DubaiHotelDesk.com already offered a selection of 400 luxury hotels in Dubai, but we are extremely proud to present the most prestigious of them all.

Combined with our upcoming visa and airport pick up services we aim to make a trip to Dubai a memorable experience.” She went on to say that “Besides the all-inclusive hotels and resorts we offer a varied collection of hotels to suit every budget. Because of the high competition in the hotel industry in Dubai it will be worthwhile to check out our last minute offers.”

Those planning a trip to Dubai should take the time to visit DubaiHotelDesk.com and learn about the best offers available, including last minute packages.

View live availability and book hotels in Dubai online and get instant confirmation.

On the Gaslamp Quarter’s waterfront, a combination of family fun, adult nightlife and considerable savings await families at the scenic Manchester Grand Hyatt San Diego. With the downtown San Diego luxury hotel’s “Sunshine on Sale” package, every third night the hotel room is free, everyday two kids eat free and enjoy free outdoor recreation, free indoor board games, and the family pet stays free (usually $30 per day) too. It is available between September 5 and December 31, 2010.

Reservations for the “Sunshine on Sale” rate must be made in advance at (800) 233-1234 or visit www.SunshineOnSale.com . For up to two adults and two children, “Sunshine on Sale” rates are from $149 per night and are based on availability.

Free kid’s meals are served everyday to two kids 12 and under when one regular meal is purchased in the resort’s Lael’s restaurant or in Sally’s Seafood on the Water restaurant.

Award-winning downtown dining and nightlife options at the San Diego California hotel include the award-winning Sally’s Seafood on the Water, the Top of the Hyatt sky-lounge and its unequaled sunset views over the Pacific Ocean, with San Diego Bay and Coronado in the foreground, and Redfield’s Sports Bar, which offers darts and billiards along with food and drink. The Hyatt is only a few-blocks’ stroll from the heart of the Gaslamp Quarter, site of Petco Park and ample shopping and nightlife.

Views and comfortable elegance define the hotel’s 1,625 guest rooms, each a spacious 340-square feet. Every guest room has at least partial water or city views and most offer spectacular water views, including panoramic vistas of the Pacific Ocean. Guests can upgrade to a Deluxe Bay View Room, a corner room providing panoramic views of San Diego Bay and the Pacific Ocean from floor to ceiling windows on two walls. The stylish decor of all these accommodations includes windows that open to capture sea breezes and either one king or two double Grand Beds fitted with luxurious linens and down duvets over pillow-top mattresses and a generous work area.

About Manchester Grand Hyatt
Located on the Gaslamp Quarter’s waterfront, the Manchester Grand Hyatt San Diego overlooks San Diego Bay and many rooms offer spectacular views of the Pacific Ocean too. This urban resort defines San Diego’s skyline and is comprised of two stylish towers, the 33-story Seaport Tower and the 40-story Harbor Tower, the latter of which is 497 feet tall, making it the tallest building on the west coast waterfront. Connecting the two towers is a four-story building that boasts a rooftop pool with a 25,000 square foot deck. The stylish Hyatt includes 95 one-and-two-bedroom suites, Kin Spa with full-service salon with an adults-only pool at adjacent Kin Oasis, tennis courts, bay-view pool and deck, a fitness center and several award-winning restaurants and lounges -most all overlooking the bay. It is adjacent to Seaport Village, near Horton Plaza and convenient to San Diego International Airport, San Diego Zoo and Sea World. For more information, call 619-232-1234 and visit www.ManchesterGrandHyattSanDiego.com . The hotel’s latest news, special offers and information on upcoming events is also found on Facebook and Twitter.