Top-end hotel chain to publish travel guides

(Luxury Collection)

Starwood-owned luxury hotel chain The Luxury Collection has launched its own series of travel guides, becoming the latest brand to launch a guide for well-heeled travelers.

The Luxury Collection will publish six travel guides to cover Italy, Argentina, India, Spain, Greece and the United States in association with top-end publisher Assouline.

The guides feature personal commentary from star chefs in each region (including Mario Batali for Italy, Francis Mallman for Argentina, José Andrés for Spain, and Charlie Palmer for the USA), and photography from Andrea Fazzari, who has contributed to Vanity Fair and GQ magazines.

The set of six will be available in rooms at The Luxury Collection properties, in Assouline boutiques in Las Vegas, Los Angeles and New York, and online and in other stores for $140 (€102).

Luxury travel guides have proved a popular counterpart to budget travel publications such as Rough Guides, with a variety of names competing in a competitive market.

LUXE, which first published its City Guides in 2002, is still one of the largest names in the business and its path has been the mirror image of The Luxury Collection - guests can now book properties that are featured in the guides using the brand's website.

Even eponymous fashion brand Louis Vuitton publishes its own set of guides, designed for those who are very much not on a budget and available for eight global cities or as a city pack covering 31 destinations.

http://w ww.theluxurycollection.com