InterContinental is to become the first chain in the industry to pilot technology that allows guests to open their guestroom with a smartphone. The group will roll out the technology, designed by OpenWays, to two US Holiday Inn properties, gathering feedback from the first guests to use the system.
Travelers staying at the Holiday Inn & Suites Chicago O’Hare Rosemont and the Holiday Inn Express Houston Downtown will have the option to enroll in the program prior to their check-in date. They will be sent a text message with their room …

Every year, the marketing powerhouse known as Interbrand publishes a list of the top 100 global brands. These are the companies at the head of the international pack that shape the way the world does business. The best performers have solid balance sheets, strong future prospects, and the respect of consumers far and wide. Interbrand just released its list for 2010 and there are some interesting results.
We are particularly curious at the Lifestyle, IT and Automotive Brands in the Top 100.
Before we present the list, you may be curious as …

To celebrate the 25th anniversary of its Beluga collection, Ebel has released three limited edition interpretations, themed around delicious and inviting chocolate. The new line includes Beluga white chocolate, Beluga milk chocolate and Beluga black chocolate.
Offering a sensorial discovery of time and an invitation to savor the passing hours, these tasty new timepieces are tempting by essence. The dials succumb to the delights of chocolate squares, while black, brown or white diamonds gently caress the softly rounded cases.

Time is relished all the way through to the perfectly matching satin strap …

A penthouse in Monaco has been sold for €240M (US$304) in one of the most expensive residential property sales to date.
La Belle Epoque, a property occupied by Christian and his brother Nick Candy, has been bought by an unnamed Middle Eastern investor.
Each suite in the penthouse, the top two floors of a block of flats, has its own cinema, kitchen, dressing room and two bathrooms, and it has a spa, library and gardens.
The historic building is one of the best known in the principality, dating back to the pre-war glory …

Forbes has unveiled a list of highest-paid tennis players in the world. Half of the top 10 are men and the half women.
Roger Federer tops the list with whole year’s income of 43 million U.S. dollars while Russia’s Maria Sharapova follows him with earning of 24.5 million U.S. dollars.
The rankings are based on players’ prize money, endorsements, exhibitions and appearance fees over the past 12 months without taxes or agent’s fees deducted.

Below are the highest paid tennis stars and their respective annual earnings. The list also includes a few big …

Dunhill’s Biometric Wallet is a sleek, lightweight carbon fiber-wrapped vault that opens via a biometric swipe of your finger. The high-tech materials used to produce these wallets provide a virtually-indestructible architecture in a feather-weight form.
The system can also be hooked up to your mobile phone via Bluetooth to alert you if the wallet becomes too far from you and your cell. This special wallet will set you back US$700