
[
	{
		"post_id": "368", 
		"post_category_id": "2", 
		"post_title": "Shangri-La Melbourne slated to open in 1Q2024 - not long to wait", 
		"post_content_short": "<strong>60-storey luxury Shangri-La Melbourne arriving&nbsp;in less than 12 months<\/strong><br \/>\n<br \/>\nPart of the Sapphire by the Gardens development in the Melbourne CBD,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/app.tophotelprojects.com\/hotels\/25195?lp=https:\/\/tophotel.news\/lp-free-trial-projects\">Shangri-La\nHotel Melbourne CBD<\/a>&nbsp;will\ntake up residence in <strong>one of two 60-storey-plus skyscrapers<\/strong> when it opens in <strong>Q1 2024.<\/strong><br \/>\n<br \/>\nThe five star hotel will occupy the taller 62-floor tower, spread across approximately 57,114 sq m gross floor area. The other tower will\nhouse 325 luxury apartments.&nbsp;The two towers overlook Melbourne’s World Heritage-listed Carlton Gardens and will be connected by a Sky\nLounge two-thirds of the way up.<br \/>\n<br \/>\nUpon completion, Shangri-La Melbourne will incorporate an impressive range of luxury accommodation choices, including approximately 500\nspacious guestrooms which will have a <strong>50sq m average size<\/strong> and&nbsp;a couple of the bigger penthouses being about “six bays”\n– equating to about six guestrooms in size each. &nbsp;Some of the well-appointed guestrooms, will have exquisite family rooms – the first\nof its kind in Australia – with Horizon Club guestrooms, Premier and Presidential Suites on the&nbsp;upper levels.<br \/>\n<br \/>\nShangri-La Hotel Melbourne will feature a striking façade embellished with champagne gold fins. The facility will also deliver the largest\nballroom space in the city’s CBD with elegant six-metre-high ceilings. Other amenities will include restaurants, a lounge and bar, spa,\nfitness centre with gym and yoga space, as well as both a roof garden pool and indoor heated swimming pool.<br \/>\n<br \/>\n<em>Shangri-La is one of my favourite brands for city stays. &nbsp;Shangri-La's newest Australian property is eagerly awaited.<\/em>", 
		"post_icon": "https:\/\/www.pointsnplaces.com\/media\/website_posts\/368\/Shangri-la-logo.png", 
		"post_content_type": "none", 
		"post_content_url": null, 
		"post_date": "2023-04-07 06:00:00"
	}, 
	{
		"post_id": "286", 
		"post_category_id": "2", 
		"post_title": "T+L World's Best Awards 2022", 
		"post_content_short": "Each year <em>Travel + Leisure&nbsp;<\/em>magazine taps into its readership and invites thousands to complete a survey that rates airlines,\nspas, hotels, islands and more on many factors. The detailed survey evaluation results in its readers' rankings of the best hospitality has\nto offer from around the world.<br \/>\n<br \/>\nParticipants in the survey collected data from late October 2021 through to the end of February 2022. They rated (with a maximum score\nof&nbsp;100) hotels, airlines, cruise lines, tour operators, etc on numerous characteristics, with the option of rating excellent, above\naverage, average, below average and poor. A minimum number of responses was necessary for a candidate to be eligible for&nbsp;<em>Travel +\nLeisure<\/em>‘s\nWorld’s Best Awards.<br \/>\n<br \/>\nThis year’s results spanned a whopping 120 categories among hotels, resorts and hospitality brands in cities, countries and regions\nglobally; to spas, favourite global cities, and best islands, cruise lines, tour operators, safari outfitters, airlines, car rental\ncompanies and National Parks.<br \/>\n<br \/>\n<strong><u>Some key observations:<\/u><\/strong>\n<br \/><br \/>\n\tThe <strong>overall winner<\/strong> was the super-luxury <em><strong>Rosewood Castiglion del Bosco, Montalcino<\/strong>. <\/em>Rosewood also had 2 other properties in the top 100.&nbsp;<br \/>\n\t<br \/>\n\tAuberge and Shangri-La also both had 3 properties in the top 100.<br \/>\n\t<br \/>\n\tThe groups with the most properties in the top 100 both have Indian roots - <strong>Oberoi and Taj both had 6<\/strong> properties in the\n\tlist of&nbsp;top 100 hotels.&nbsp;<br \/>\n\t<br \/>\n\tWhile <strong>Preferred Hotels<\/strong> owns&nbsp;no hotels of its own, it markets (and offers a loyalty program) for <strong>5 of the top\n\t100<\/strong> hotels (Pendry Chicago #25, Riggs Washington D.C. #31, Finca Cortesín Hotel Golf &amp; Spa, Málaga #44, Grand Hotel Tremezzo – Lake Como,\n#53 and Rancho Santana – Tola, Nicaragua, #56).&nbsp;<br \/>\n<br \/>\nMulti-brand Marriott had 4 properties, while Capella, Hilton, Six Senses (IHG), Rocco Forte and Mandarin Oriental each had 2 properties\nrated in the top 100.<br \/>\n<br \/>\n<br \/>\nIn terms of the <strong>Best 25 Hotel Brands in the World<\/strong>, the Accor stable rated very well, with 3 of its brands rated in the top\n25&nbsp;(<strong>Raffles #4, Sofitel Legend #6 and Banyan Tree #11<\/strong>). Global Hotels Alliance (GHA) also had&nbsp;3 of its brands\nrated in the top 25 (<strong>Viceroy #10, Anantara #14 and Capella #<\/strong>17). &nbsp;<br \/>\n<br \/>\nOf the major, multi-brand chains, IHG (Six Senses #19), Hilton (St Regis #24) and&nbsp;Marriott (Luxury Collection #25) each had 1 brand in\nthe top 25.<br \/>\n<br \/>\nIf you'd like to know more about any of the hotels or brands, <a href=\"\/travel-agency\/\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>our associated Travel Agency<\/strong><\/a> is a specialist advisor for <strong>Langham<\/strong>, <strong>Shangri-La. Rosewood,&nbsp;Four Seasons, Waldorf Astoria, Raffles, Preferred\nHotels, Hyatt, IHG, Conrad&nbsp;and St Regis - able to offer<\/strong>\n<strong>free perks like room upgrades and property credits when you book.<\/strong><br \/>\n<br \/>\n<br \/>\n<em>Our congratulations to Rosewood <strong>Castiglion del Bosco <\/strong>and all category winners<\/em>. Far too many to list here entirely,\nso we list below a selection&nbsp;of the results:<br \/>\n<br \/>\n<strong><u>100 Best Hotels in the World<\/u><\/strong><br \/>\n<br \/>\nRosewood Castiglion del Bosco (99.25),<br \/>\nGrace Hotel, Auberge Resorts Collection (99.22),<br \/>\nWaldorf Astoria Maldives Ithaafushi (99.11),<br \/>\nPickering House Inn, Wolfeboro (98.95) and<br \/>\nOne&amp;Only Reethi Rah (98.93).<br \/>\n<br \/>\n<br \/>\n<strong><u>25 Best Hotel Brands of&nbsp;the World<\/u><\/strong><br \/>\n<br \/>\nOberoi Hotels &amp; Resorts (97.50),<br \/>\nOne&amp;Only Resorts (96.20),<br \/>\nOetker Collection (96.15),<br \/>\nRaffles Hotels &amp; Resorts (95.5) and<br \/>\nRed Carnation Hotel Collection (95.32).<br \/>\n<br \/>\n<br \/>\n<strong><u>5 Best Resorts - South Pacific<\/u><\/strong><br \/>\n<br \/>\nNamale Resort &amp; Spa, Savusavu, Fiji,<br \/>\nConrad Bora Bora Nui,<br \/>\nSt. Regis Bora Bora Resort,<br \/>\nFour Seasons Resort Bora Bora,<br \/>\nInterContinental Tahiti Resort &amp; Spa.<br \/>\n<br \/>\n<br \/>\n<strong><u>Best Islands of the World<\/u><\/strong><br \/>\n<br \/>\nIschia, Italy (94.61),<br \/>\nMaldives (94.44),<br \/>\nBali (92.51),<br \/>\nMilos, Greece (92.50) and<br \/>\nFiji Islands (92.38).<br \/>\n<br \/>\n<br \/>\n<strong><u>5 Best International Spas<\/u><\/strong><br \/>\n<br \/>\nRancho La Puerta, Tecate, Mexico (95.76),<br \/>\nSha Wellness Clinic, El Abir, Spain (95.20),<br \/>\nTherme di Saturnia (94.15),<br \/>\nMountain Trek Fitness Retreat &amp; Health Spa (93.26),<br \/>\nChable Maroma, Punta Maroma, Mexico (89.90).<br \/>\n<br \/>\n<br \/>\n<strong><u>25 Best Cities&nbsp;in the World<\/u><\/strong><br \/>\n<br \/>\nOaxaca, Mexico (92.96),<br \/>\nSan Miguel de Allende, Mexico (91.77),<br \/>\nUbud, Indonesia (91.73),<br \/>\nFlorence (91.06) and<br \/>\nIstanbul (90.97).<br \/>\n<br \/>\n<strong><br \/>\n<u>Best City Hotels - Europe<\/u><\/strong><br \/>\n<br \/>\n<strong><u><\/u><\/strong>Hôtel Madame Rêve, Paris (98.73),<br \/>\nRosewood Villa Magna, Madrid (98.67),<br \/>\nPortrait Firenze, Florence (98.25),<br \/>\nRaffles Istanbul (98.25) and<br \/>\nShangri-La at the Shard, London (97.86).<br \/>\n<br \/>\n<strong><br \/>\n<u>Best City Hotels - Australia, New Zealand and the South Pacific<\/u><\/strong><br \/>\n<br \/>\nThe Langham, Melbourne (92.53),<br \/>\nPark Hyatt Sydney (90.40),<br \/>\nFour Seasons Hotel Sydney (88.30),<br \/>\nInterContinental Sydney (87.76) and<br \/>\nShangri-La Sydney (86.40).<br \/>\n<br \/>\n<br \/>\n<strong><u>Best Islands&nbsp;- Australia, New Zealand and the South Pacific<\/u><\/strong><br \/>\n<br \/>\nFiji Islands (92.38),<br \/>\nMoorea, French Polynesia (90.24),<br \/>\nBora Bora, French Polynesia (87.70),<br \/>\nGreat Barrier Reef Islands (86.90) and<br \/>\nTahiti, French Polynesia (83.33).", 
		"post_icon": "https:\/\/www.pointsnplaces.com\/media\/website_posts\/286\/falling_confetti_winner_210715_01.jpg", 
		"post_content_type": "url", 
		"post_content_url": "https:\/\/www.travelandleisure.com\/worlds-best\/worlds-best-2022", 
		"post_date": "2022-07-17 07:00:00"
	}, 
	{
		"post_id": "261", 
		"post_category_id": "2", 
		"post_title": "Shangri-La Circle introduces monthly deals for \"Members Day\" | 6x points on the 6th of each month", 
		"post_content_short": "Further to our note of January 19th, the revamped Shangri-La <em>Circle<\/em> loyalty program changed effective from <strong>28 April 2022<\/strong>&nbsp;to\nhave:\n<ul>\n\t<li>tier status qualification based on either qualifying nights or tier points earned (effectively amount spent).<\/li>\n\t<li>more flexibility to earn points from&nbsp;stays, F&amp;B, Spa, Wellness and Shangri-La merchandise<\/li>\n\t<li>rewards points will have a fixed earning rate and redemption value.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\nA&nbsp;new Polaris invitation-only elite tier was also launched.&nbsp; Benefits include unlimited access to Shangri-La facilities worldwide\n(even without staying overnight), a dedicated global Polaris concierge, Polaris Discovery experiences, and the ability to gift Diamond\nstatus (the highest status tier able to be <em>earned<\/em>).\n\n<br \/><br \/>\n\tShangri-La Circle has now added an additional benefit for all its members. The new <em>Members Day<\/em> will see the release of new offers\n\tthat will <strong>only be available for 48 hours on the 6th day<\/strong> of each month, starting at 9am (Hong Kong Time) on the&nbsp;6th and\n\tending at 9am (Hong Kong Time) on the 8th.&nbsp;\n\n<br \/><br \/>\n\tFor the inaugural Members Day, Shangri-La Circle will debut over 20 “staycation” packages bundled with curated dining and wellness\n\texperiences that allow guests to personalize their journeys. Members will be rewarded with <strong>6&nbsp;times the points<\/strong> when\n\tthey book these offers through the dedicated Members Day website or Shangri-La Circle Mobile App. Additionally, Shangri-La Circle members\n\tin Hong Kong, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur and Taipei will receive six times the points when they shop at the Shangri-La Boutique during the\n\t48-hour Members Day offer.\n\n<br \/><br \/>These points can later be used for their next dining experience, weekend getaway or wellness escape.\n<br \/><br \/>\n\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.shangri-la.com\/en\/corporate\/shangrilacircle\/promotion-subscription-registration\/launch2022\/\" target=\"_blank\">New\n\tmembers signing up<\/a>\n\twill earn 300 bonus points with their first Shangri-La Circle experience and up to 1,500 additional bonus points with continued spending\n\tthrough <strong>July 31, 2022.<\/strong>\n\n<br \/><br \/>T&amp;C's apply, so be sure to read them.", 
		"post_icon": "https:\/\/www.pointsnplaces.com\/media\/website_posts\/261\/Shangri-la-logo.png", 
		"post_content_type": "none", 
		"post_content_url": null, 
		"post_date": "2022-06-07 07:30:00"
	}, 
	{
		"post_id": "187", 
		"post_category_id": "2", 
		"post_title": "Shangri-La revamps loyalty program | 50% off awards stay", 
		"post_content_short": "Shangri-La Hotels has announced a revamp of its loyalty program, which will be renamed from <em>Golden Circle<\/em> to <em>Circle<\/em>.<br \/>\r\n<br \/>\r\nThe style of the program will also change. Rather than being a rewards program, it will become more revenue focussed:\r\n<ul>\r\n\t<li>\r\n\t\ttier status qualification will be based on either qualifying nights (the same number as &nbsp;currently with Golden Circle ) or tier points\r\n\t\tearned (effectively amount spent) replacing the current option of qualification based on number of stays. There will be more flexibility to\r\n\t\tearn points from&nbsp;stays, F&amp;B, Spa, Wellness and Shangri-La merchandise\r\n\t<\/li>\r\n\t<li>\r\n\t\trewards points will have a fixed earning rate (receive 1 point per US$ spent) and redemption value (15 points = US$1 - no more award\r\n\t\ttables), making Circle more similar in nature to Accor ALL and GHA Discovery.\r\n\t<\/li>\r\n\t<li>Golden Circle members' points and tier status will be transferred to the new Circle program<\/li>\r\n\t<li>the new Polaris invitation-only elite tier will be launched.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\nThe changes are to be effective from <strong>28 April 2022<\/strong>.<br \/>\r\n<br \/>\r\nIn the interim, for current Golden Circle members, Shangri-La is holding a <em>Less is More<\/em> promotion for a Standard Room, a Club Room\r\nor an&nbsp;Executive Suite at any of its participating hotels.<br \/>\r\n<br \/>\r\nBook an award stay before&nbsp;<strong>21 April 2022<\/strong> (Hong Kong Time) for stays completed by&nbsp;<strong>22 April 2022<\/strong>,\r\nto receive a <strong>50% reduction<\/strong> in the number of points required.<br \/>\r\n<br \/>\r\nT&amp;C's apply&nbsp;<br \/>", 
		"post_icon": "https:\/\/www.pointsnplaces.com\/media\/website_posts\/187\/Shangri-la-logo.png", 
		"post_content_type": "url", 
		"post_content_url": "https:\/\/www.shangri-la.com\/en\/landing\/lessismore\/", 
		"post_date": "2022-01-19 04:30:00"
	}, 
	{
		"post_id": "65", 
		"post_category_id": "2", 
		"post_title": "Shangri-La extends status of its Diamond & Jade members until end of 2022 !", 
		"post_content_short": "Shangri-La's Golden Circle has extended tier status for all of its Diamond and Jade members globally. With this extension, all Golden Circle\r\nDiamond and Jade members will maintain their current tier status and benefits until <strong>31 December 2022.<br \/>\r\n<br \/><\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/theshutterwhale.com\/r\/platinum\"><\/a>American\r\nExpress Platinum (multiple jurisdictions) members had the Golden Circle Jade status benefit discontinued on 31 March 2021, so this tier\r\nextension is definitely welcome news. Golden Circle members typically need the following stays and nights to qualify or maintain their\r\nstatus in the year ahead - <strong>Diamond:<\/strong> 50 Nights or 25 Stays or <strong>Jade:<\/strong> 20 Nights or 10 Stays.<br \/>\r\n<br \/>\r\nBut the Shangri-La status does not just have benefits by itself, but also, it has many associated perks which come with it, including:<br \/>\r\n<br \/>\r\n1. <strong>Short-cut to Star Alliance Gold status - <\/strong>Shangri-La Jade-tier and Diamond-tier members receive instant KrisFlyer Silver\r\nstatus once they join up their Shangri-La Golden Circle and Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer accounts. After that, Shangri-La <strong>Jade\r\nMembers need to take 3<\/strong>\r\n<strong>flights<\/strong> on Singapore Airlines, or <strong>just 1 flight as a Diamond member<\/strong> to receive KrisFlyer Gold status.<br \/>\r\n<br \/>\r\nOnce you have KrisFlyer Gold status, you have the equivalent of <strong>Star Alliance Gold status<\/strong>, which means you unlock the\r\nassociated benefits on flights on Star Alliance members across the globe.<br \/>\r\n<br \/>\r\n2. <strong>Enjoy Taj InnerCircle Gold status - <\/strong>Under the terms of a strategic alliance between Shangri-La Golden Circle and Taj\r\nInner Circle, there is an automatic status match between the tiers of the programmes.&nbsp; Golden Circle Jade members match to InnerCircle\r\nGold and Golden Circle Diamond members match to InnerCircle Platinum (and vice-versa).<br \/>\r\n<br \/>\r\nWhile Taj InnerCircle is mostly an Indian hotel company’s loyalty programme, Taj also has hotels in various countries worldwide, such as the\r\nUS, UAE and UK.<br \/>\r\n<br \/>\r\nShangri-La will also <strong>waive the cancellation charges<\/strong> regardless of booking channel for all guests, if cancelled more than 24\r\nhours prior to arrival date. The hotels reserve the right to contact all inbound international guests at least 30 days prior to their\r\narrival dates to confirm or cancel their reservations.<br \/>\r\n<br \/>\r\nThese changes are part of the <em>Shangri-La Cares<\/em> program.&nbsp;", 
		"post_icon": "https:\/\/www.pointsnplaces.com\/media\/website_posts\/65\/golden-circle-logo-dark.jpg", 
		"post_content_type": "none", 
		"post_content_url": null, 
		"post_date": "2021-10-04 01:30:00"
	}
]