If you ascend the shaded trails of Victoria Peak on Hong Kong Island, you will eventually find yourself gazing into the distance, eye-level with the third-highest roof in the world.Dominating the relatively sedate West Kowloon skyline, on the opposite side of Victoria Harbour, is the tallest building inHong Kong, the 1,588-foot International Commerce Centre, which finished construction in 2010.
For the complementary perspective, looking south, you'll have to visit the ICC's new rooftop bar at the brand new Ritz-Carlton Hong Kong, scheduled to open March 29.Last week, as an army of construction and hospitality workers buzzed about, excitedly focused on opening day, Regional Vice President and General Manager Mark DeCocinis offered ABCNews.com a tour of the luxury hotel, which occupies the top 16 floors of the 118-story tower.

"With the amazing hardware in place," DeCocinis said, "what is happening from now till the opening would be training, training and training."

Indeed, during the tour, test meals were being prepared and served, and groups of workers huddled together in strategy sessions, pausing to cheerfully proffer a "good afternoon" to DeCocinis as we strode past, dodging vacuum cords and wet paint.

DeCocinis mirrored the chipper eagerness of his staff, beaming like a proud father as he showed off the design touches in the hotel's fine dining facilities, which include Chinese Restaurant Tin Lung Heen, Italian restaurant Tosca and a chocolate-themed lounge named the Chocolate Library.

But the venue with the most buzz, DeCocinis said, is the rooftop bar OZONE, featuring Asian tapas, sushi and an open-air lounge.

"Our friends in the offices below us are waiting for this to open," he said with a laugh.

As ITB Berlin opens, Emirates Palace is presenting its spring and summer holiday packages with the intent of attracting an influx of high-end vacationers to Abu Dhabi.

The property – voted the World’s Leading Meetings & Conference Hotel by the World Travel Awards - will use the event to present its offering to more than 180,000 visitors.

A further 10,000 exhibitors from 180 countries will also be on hand, making ITB a great B2B-Platform to offer opulent services and products.

Janet Abrahams, executive director of marketing and public relations, Emirates Palace, said the hotel’s engagement in the ITB Berlin would contribute to stimulating tourism sector in Abu Dhabi.

She went on to affirm the vital importance of cooperation with the ADTA, the tourism sector regulator, which is striving to promote Abu Dhabi as a destination of choice in Germany, Europe’s largest outbound tourism market.

“The Emirates Palace is always keen to communicate and interact with major travel tour operators and agencies to familiarise them with Abu Dhabi’s historic culture, and wealth of fascinating tourism attractions and landmarks,” she added.

The Emirates Palace team, she continued: “Would hold a series of events and meetings with European and international travel, tourism and hospitality agencies and media partners during the four-day ITB to promote luxury services and products the Emirates Palace offers to global travelers.

NEW DELHI: International hospitality chain Best Western today said it plans to operate 100 hotels in India by 2017, up from the current count of 18 properties in the country. "The long term plan is that in the next seven years we want to operate 100 hotels in India aggregating to about 10,000 rooms," Best Western India President and COO Sudhir Sinha told PTI. Out of the total 100 hotels planned, 50 per cent will be in the budget segment while remaining would be a mix of mid and premium segment properties, Sinha added. 
The company is also in process of launching its third brand -- Best Western Plus -- in India, to add to the two existing brands Best Western and Best Western Premier. 
While the Best Western Plus will cater to the mid-segment, Best Western is in the budget segment and Best Western Premier taps the upper end of the spectrum. 
Across the three brands, the average room rate varies between Rs 2,500 per room per night to Rs 25,000 per room per night.