Armani helped design his namesake hotel in the Dubai's Burj Khalifa. Diane Von Furstenberg has her own designed suites at Claridge's in London. Missoni opened two hotels - Edinburgh and Kuwait - to help promote the line's home decor. The Verscace legend lives in on at his mansion, now the Villa by Barton G, in Miami Beach. So it was only a matter of time before fashion took over the hospitality industry (or at least took over one hotel).

News from the Middle East is that global satellite network Fashion TV signed a deal with Al Habtoor Group to open the world's first Fashion Hotel in Dubai. Al Habtoor will own and operate the 5-star, 200-room hotel, which will feature a 100-m (328-foot) LED screen on the exterior of the 30-story building broadcasting the latest Fashion TV highlights from around the globe.

Inside the hotel, all 30 of the Fashion TV network's channels will be broadcast in guestrooms, and guests will also have access to a library of 50,000 DVDs related to the history of fashion. There are plans to open restaurants, bars, lounges, nightclubs, spas and cinemas inside the hotel, although details haven't been leaked on what the concepts will be.

What we do know: This won't be the only Fashion Hotel. Al Habtoor Group and Fashion TV said in an interview that plans are to open other Fashion Hotels in high-style locations around the world. We have our bets on Paris, Shanghai, New York, and Milan.

[Source: HOTELSMag.com]

Impulse buyers, hang on to your wallets. The nation's first shopping festival is being held this summer along Chicago's Magnificent Mile, and it's looking to be quite the extravagant affair.

Organized by The Greater North Michigan Avenue Association, In-Fashion: The Magnificent Mile Shopping Festival™ begins on Friday, August 26th with an interactive celebrity event featuring renowned stylist and television star, Carson Kressley (best known for his styling efforts from Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, a regular guest on Oprah Winfrey's shows, and host of the new make-over show Carson-Nation).

The Chicago shopping celebration will also include appearances by top designers (who haven't been announced yet), celebrity chefs and personal stylists. Trunk shows and sample sales will also take place. Note to potential festival goers: if you don't know what trunk shows and sample sales are, please hand your measurements over to someone who does and let them manage the shopping scene.

In-Fashion: The Magnificent Mile Shopping Festival, is taking its cue from other shopping festivals that occur around the world in international cities including Dubai, Singapore, and Cannes. The Chicago festival will also include events by local restaurants and retailers, and there will be a raffle that rewards lucky winners luxury prizes including a 5-night stay at the Fairmont Chicago Millennium Park valued at $20,000.

The event kicks off Aug. 26 and concludes on Sept. 8 with Chicago's version of Fashion's Night Out.

A 10th anniversary has many milestones, most notably a piece of diamond jewelry. For the Ritz-Carlton Key Biscayne, a 10th anniversary means $10 deals (diamonds potentially included).

On July 1, the Five Diamond resort is offering $10 specialty priced meals, Champagne, rums and spa treatments, and room packages for the entire month. These offers are limited so you have to book fast to get the deals. Here's what's in store for the celebrations:

• Ten resort view guestrooms for $10 each are available July 5-7, 10-13, 18, 25, 26. Caveat: Reservations may only be made June 10 from 10 am to 2 pm EST by calling 305-365-4582. Set your calendar now.
• Every Wednesday during the month of July $10 spa treatments including the Key Lime Body Treatment (50 minutes) or Deluxe Sundae Pedicure (45 minutes).
• On July 14, sip $10 glasses of Moet Chandon Ice Imperial Champagne or sink your teeth into $10 Kobe Beef Sliders.
• From July 10-15, sip $10 Diamond Mojitos at the resort's live Latin music venue.
• Also from July 10-15 and July 17-22, indulge in $10 three-course meals at the resort's Italian's restaurant Cioppino. As a bonus, hidden inside one menu each night will be a note that reads, "Celebrate with a complimentary bottle of Champagne!"
• Every Wednesday in July, purchase $10 mango candles from the spa (regularly $20).

And we did promise you diamonds...

During the month of July, 10 overnight Ritz-Carlton guests will find a 14K white gold pendant necklace featuring a half carat of brilliant round-cut diamonds under their pillow.

But there's more...

Travelers are becoming more aggressive today with their hotel amenity "must haves." Everything from free WiFi to in-room coffee machines top the list of essential amenities for hotel guests. To help ease the demand, more hotels are offering these guest requests and some are even designing rooms that include everything from Disney characters to luxury car services.

But what if your hotel stay included a spa and fitness center in your room? What if you didn't have to leave your room to sit in the sauna or get in a quick yoga class? That's the premise behind Trump SoHo's new concept, the 24/7 in-room spa suite.

The luxury New York hotel will unveil three new luxury spa suites on May 1 for the guest who needs some serious pampering. The suites include a private treatment room, hydrotherapy showers, and one suite is equipped with a sauna for two.

Brooklyn is becoming the new hot-spot for New York hotels. Starwood is set to open its 50th Aloft hotel in Brooklyn on June 1, and now comes word that a new boutique hotel, Hotel BPM, will open later this summer.

Hotel BPM, named for the music term "beats per minute," is the brainchild behind hip-hop deejay DJ Bijal. The boutique-style property will feature 75 guest rooms, environmentally-conscious amenities and a DJ Bijal-selected soundtrack that will stream through the hotel's public spaces.

"As a deejay, I've had the opportunity to travel often," says DJ Bijal, Visionary and Founder of Hotel BPM, in a statement. "This hotel is the culmination of the best hotels I visited when I was on the road: BPM will offer great value, great comfort, and great style."

Guests of Hotel BPM will find environmentally-friendly amenities including Gilchrist & Soames BeeKind bath products. Each room has 40-inch HDTVs; laptop-size safes; personal Keurig coffeemakers and free Wi-Fi. A lounge off the lobby area will serve lite-bites and cocktails, and there is also guest parking and a fitness center for use.

The price for a room at Hotel BPM start at $160 per night for a King room and $180 per night for Doubles. In comparison, the new Starwood Aloft Brooklyn offers room rates from $195 this summer.

The verdict: New York travelers wanting a bit of cost savings without compromising room quality and comfort might consider trekking it over the bridge to trendy Brooklyn for a night.

The Middle East is set to get a little more glitz and lot more glamour. The Ritz-Carlton just announced an agreement with Abu Dhabi National Hotels (ADNH) for a waterfront hotel in Abu Dhabi, and Gadling got a sneak peak at some of the hotel designs.

The Ritz-Carlton Abu Dhabi, Grand Canal will have 447 guestrooms and suites, as well as 85 villas. The Venetian-inspired hotel is set in a crescent shape across 54 acres and has its own private beach overlooking the Grand Canal. A highlight for guests of the hotel will be the villas, which range in size from 968 to 1,400 square feet, and come complete with outdoor terraces that overlook the Grand Canal and personalized butler service.

"We are delighted to be bringing The Ritz-Carlton renowned levels of hospitality to the power capital of the United Arab Emirates," said Herve Humler, president and chief operations officer of the Ritz-Carlton, in a statement. "The Ritz-Carlton Abu Dhabi, Grand Canal hotel will be a welcome landmark, and together with the owning company Abu Dhabi National Hotels, we will create a prestigious luxury hotel that will be the highlight of the new waterfront development."

Some hotel guests take the mini soaps and shampoos from hotel bathrooms, others leave the pint-sized amenities behind - which option is better for the environment?

Did you know your unused hotel toiletries could be put toward recycling efforts to help people in need?

That's the premise behind Clean the World, a social enterprise working with hotels around the world in an effort to help improve lives and protect our planet.

In an effort to give back, Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. inked an agreement with Clean the World on Earth Day to collect and recycle hotel soaps, shampoos, conditioners, lotions and gels to help fight the global spread of preventable diseases. The deal would include around 500 Starwood hotels in North America (Starwood's brands include St. Regis®, The Luxury Collection®, W®, Westin®, Le Méridien®, Sheraton®, Four Points® by Sheraton, Aloft®, and Element).

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You're probably used to booking a hotel room based on price, distance from the city center or local landmarks. You likely look at room size, what amenities are offered and whether or not there are any upgrades or promotions available. But, what if you could take that booking process one step further and add a bit of "you" into your hotel search? That's the latest premise behind CheckYourRoom.com's new booking tool, "What Room Are You?"

CheckYourRoom.com, a Paris-based travel startup that launched in beta earlier this year, wants to give travelers the opportunity to book a specific luxury or boutique hotel room with all the essentials like price and location, but throw ina little human touch, too. The recently launched quiz "What Room Are You?" on the booking site takes travelers through a series of lifestyle-related questions, then recommends hotels around the world based on their preferences.

Intrigued, I got a sneak peak of the new quiz and took the personality test for a spin.

You can run, but you run far enough to get the music of the 1980s out of your head. True 1980s music fans wouldn't even try and there's good news for them: your favorite artists of the 80s (and a few who started in the 1970s) are taking the stage at the annual Live at Sunset concert at Dolder Grand in Switzerland.

This year's concert takes place from July 13 - 24 and features John Mellencamp, TOTO, Chicago, Joe Cocker, Tom Jones and others. While you try to get "Rosana" out of your head, here's a breakdown of the Dolder Grand's special package for the event:

• 1 night stay including Garden Restaurant breakfast
• 3-course pre-concert dinner in the Garden Restaurant (beverages excluded)
• Premium seat concert tickets
• Late checkout until 4:00pm (for those music lovers who go overboard)

The price to relive those precious moments of the 1980s starts at approximately $804 for a single occupancy room and $1,146 for double occupancy. Lighters, acid-washed jeans and aerosol hairspray not included.

Have a few extra Euros to spend? The Lanesborough Hotel in London can help put those extra pence to good use. In May, London's luxe hotel will open its 4,000-square-foot Lanesborough Suite for a cool £14,000 (approximately $20,000 USD) a night (plus VAT).

The signature suite makes use of Lanesborough's Michelin-starred restaurant, personal butler service, and offers some of the best views of Hyde Park, but is it worth $20k? You decide.

The suite has four bedrooms, two living rooms, five bathrooms, a kitchen and a dining room. The decor aims to "blend 19th century elegance and 21st century opulence," according to ehotelier.com, who received artist renderings of the London hotel suite. In an interesting twist of typical hotel layout plans, the suite will be located on the hotel's first floor and have floor to ceiling windows. (We like the concept of feeling like you're walking into your own home with a suite on the first floor, but we're a little weary about the lack of privacy this might invite.) Guests will have access to 24-hour butler service, a chauffeur-driver Rolls Royce and its own personal bar.

The Lanesborough Suite is scheduled to open at the beginning of May, so if you aren't U.K.-bound for the Royal Wedding, or have a few extra to spare after buying the new couple's wedding gift, we suggest you head over to the Lanesborough and live it up luxe-style for the night.

[For artist rendering photos of the massive suite, click here]