The Economy Grinds Vancouver's Ritz-Carlton Tower Construction To A Hault.

I learned about the Ritz-Carlton Vancouver while courting the folks at Avenue Road for a job. Avenue Road is a sister company of Yabu-Pushelberg who is responsible for the interior design of the Vancouver Ritz-Carlton among many other hotels. The economy is terrible, so it is not terribly surprising to hear of this happening, but I hope the construction folks find some new work!

Construction has stopped at the site for the 58-story Ritz-Carlton tower in Vancouver. The real estate developer, the Holborn Group, says that the work stoppage is not due to the economic crisis but that they are looking at design changes to the structure and attached parkade. The $500 million project is currently just a hole in the ground. Workers have been sent home and the signs announcing the building were removed. The sales office is now only open by appointment. So far 50% of the condo project has been sold (20 stories are planned for the hotel and 38 for the condo units). No word yeti on when the project will resume. The luxury condos have been priced between $2.5 million and $10 million, with the penthouse priced at $28 million.

Props to Luxist. You can read more here.

The Freshest Water Ever!

Tasmanian Rain, the premium bottled rainwater from Tasmania, is now available for home delivery and at certain luxury hotels here in advance of its official U.S. launch next year.

The remote Australian island where it originates has the cleanest air on the planet according to the World Meteorological Organization, which is important since Tasmanian Rain never touches the ground.

The company says that gives it an edge in purity over any spring water, which can contain contaminants as a result of human byproducts that cannot be completely filtered out. Furthermore, Tasmanian Rain is a carbon neutral company, and only bottles their water in 100% recyclable glass.

So far it's been picked by several Ritz-Carlton hotels for their VIP suites, the Trump International in Chicago and Las Vegas, the Tides and The Biltmore hotels in Miami and the Four Seasons in Jackson Hole.

Tasmanian Rain is also about to launch in Dubai at the Jumeirah Hotel Group. Home delivery prices are $60 for a case of 12 750 ml bottles and $75 for a case of 24 375 ml bottles, available for order here.

Via Luxist

275K Champagne...imagine what it would cost in the club!

Some vintage 1907 Heidsieck champagne that's been sitting on the bottom of the ocean for the past 80 years is being sold for $275,000 a bottle at the Ritz-Carlton in Moscow.

Over 200 bottles of the long-lost, perfectly-preserved bubbly were salvaged from a shipwreck off the coast of Finland, Russian newspaper Komersant reports. At the time of the accident in 1916 the wine was on its way to the Russian Imperial family.

The Ritz-Carlton, where top suites go for upwards of $15,000 a night, is now offering them at $275,000 a bottle, making it the world's most expensive champagne. Sounds like the perfect drink for all those oligarchs.

Via Luxist