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Conde Nast Traveler's 13th annual May "Hot List" issue is the ultimate insider's guide to the newest and hottest hotels, restaurants, spas, and nightclubs opened all over the world in the past year. The editors scoured the globe to check out hundreds of new properties, rigorously evaluating each one on a standard set of criteria. The result is a definitive guide to the world's most exciting new establishments destined to become instant classics.

The 2009 Hot List features 140 new hotels and resorts, 50 new restaurants, 35 new nightclubs, and 50 new spas, whose design, service, and amenities transcend industry standards.

The hotel findings range in size from a three-pavilion hideaway outside of Sydney to a 2,034-room high-rise on the Vegas Strip, and in price from $89 at a Palm Springs hot spot to $2,050 for a sprawling safari tent in northern Botswana. Hot and trendy doesn't have to mean pricey -- check into 43 of the hottest hotels for under $250-per-night. The 140 hotels and resorts on this year's Hot List span 53 countries and include new-to-the-list destinations Israel, Mongolia, Peru, Slovenia, and Zimbabwe.

    U.S. properties named to the list include:
    InterContinental Montelucia Resort & Spa, Paradise Valley, Ariz.
    Montage Beverly Hills, Beverly Hills, Calif.
    London West Hollywood, Los Angeles, Calif.
    SLS Hotel at Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, Calif.
    Resort at Pelican Hill, Newport Beach, Calif.
    Ace Hotel & Swim Club, Palm Springs, Calif.
    Se San Diego, San Diego, Calif.
    Cavallo Point, Sausalito, Calif.
    Bardessono, Yountville, Calif.
    Westin Riverfront Resort & Spa, Avon, Colo.
    Capella Telluride, Telluride, Colo.
    The Regent, Bal Harbour, Fla.
    Viceroy, Miami, Fla.
    Fontainebleau, Miami Beach, Fla.
    Mondrian South Beach, Miami Beach, Fla.
    Mansion on Peachtree, Atlanta, Ga.
    Avia, Savannah, Ga.
    Royal Hawaiian Hotel, Honolulu, Hawaii
    The Blackstone, Chicago, Ill.
    Dana Hotel and Spa, Chicago, Ill.
    Hidden Pond, Kennebunkport, Me.
    Mandarin Oriental, Boston, Mass.
    Hotel Ivy, Minneapolis, Minn.
    Encore Wynn, Las Vegas, Nev.
    Encantado, Santa Fe, N.M.
    Greenwich Hotel, New York, N.Y.
    Thompson LES, New York, N.Y.
    The Nines, Portland, Ore.
    Hotel Saint Cecilia, Austin, Tex.
    Stoneleigh Hotel & Spa, Dallas, Tex.
    Arctic Club Hotel, Seattle, Wash.
    Four Seasons Hotel, Seattle, Wash.
    Donovan House, Washington, D.C.
    Iron Horse Hotel, Milwaukee, Wis.

When we travel we still need -- and love -- to eat out. The most sought-after reservations are for gussied up gastropubs with stellar cocktails or pocket-sized restaurants with just a handful of tables. From a $25 prix fixe lunch at Maison Boulud in Beijing to a $59 four-course dinner at Convivio in New York, our list of 50 restaurants has amazing values abound.

    U.S. restaurants on the Hot Tables List include:
    California: Palate Food & Wine, Glendale; Kogi BBQ, Los Angeles;
     Zinnia, San Francisco
    Florida: Sra. Martinez, Miami
    Georgia: Holeman & Finch, Atlanta
    Illinois: L2O, Chicago
    Louisiana: Cochon Butcher, New Orleans
    Massachusetts: Hungry Mother, Cambridge
    Nevada: Wazuzu, Las Vegas
    New York: Convivio, Corton, John Dory, L'Artusi, New York
    Oregon: Lincoln, Portland
    Pennsylvania: Zahav, Philadelphia
    Washington: Poppy, Seattle

    *Hungry for more? Go online to cntraveler.com/hotlist for 65 additional
    tables

A little R&R is just what the doctor ordered, and as luck would have it, this past year delivered a bumper crop of superlative spas from Macau to Mexico. Our reviewers left no hot stone unturned in their effort to identify the 50 transcendent spots for head-to-toe pampering.

    U.S. spas on the Hot Spas List include:
    California: Spa Montage, Beverly Hills; Spa at Pelican Hill, Newport Beach
    Colorado: RockResorts Spa at the Arrabelle, Vail
    Florida: Icon Brickell at Viceroy Miami; Lapis at the Fontainebleau,
     Miami Beach
    Georgia: 29 Spa at the Mansion on Peachtree, Atlanta
    Nevada: Spa at Trump, Las Vegas
    New Mexico: Spa at Encantado, Santa Fe
    New York: Caudalie Spa at the Plaza Hotel; ESPA at the Peninsula; Sense,
     a Rosewood Spa, The Carlyle; Shibui Spa, Greenwich Hotel, New York City
    Texas: Stoneleigh Spa, Dallas

    *For 30 more new spas, go to cntraveler.com/hotlist

Just when we all needed a drink, nightlife got serious. This year, absinthe made a comeback and hotel bars got their glam on. From Beijing to Bogota -- we have 35 of the hippest hangouts in which to get your groove on.

    U.S. nightclubs on the Hot Nights List include:
    California: Bardot Hollywood, Los Angeles; Infusion Lounge, The Press
     Club, San Francisco
    Colorado: Liquid Sky, Snowmass
    Florida Louis, Sunset Lounge, Miami Beach
    Illinois: Vertigo Sky Lounge, Chicago
    Nevada: Frankie's Tiki Room, XS, Las Vegas
    New York: Apotheke, Rose Club, New York City
    Texas: PM at the Joule, Dallas

    *For the runners-up, 10 more bars worth swinging by to see, check out
    cntraveler.com/hotlist

Full reviews of each hotel, restaurant, nightclub and spa can be found in the May issue of Conde Nast Traveler, on newsstands April 21, 2009 or at www.cntraveler.com/hotlist

SOURCE Conde Nast Traveler

Michelin announced today that it will publish in October the MICHELIN guide Kyoto Osaka 2010, offering a selection of the best hotels and restaurants in those two cities. The MICHELIN guide Kyoto Osaka will be available in two languages: Japanese and English. This is the second MICHELIN guide in Japan, following MICHELIN guide Tokyo whose second edition was launched last November.

Jean-Luc Naret, Director of MICHELIN guides commented, "We aim to continue our international development, by publishing the first edition of MICHELIN guide Kyoto Osaka in October 2009. One of the best Japanese gastronomy and the cooking traditions since more than 1,200 years are in Kyoto. As for Osaka, it's the second biggest city in Japan and it has a wide and diverse gastronomic scene."

Bernard Delmas, President of Nihon Michelin Tire expressed, "The first MICHELIN guide was born in 1900, at the dawn of the automotive era, to offer useful information for drivers to make their trip safe and comfortable. The mission of the MICHELIN guide which has always been the same as that of the Michelin group is summed up in its corporate signature 'A better way forward.' As Tokyo edition, MICHELIN guide Kyoto Osaka is made by inspectors and editorial based in Japan. Those guides written originally in Japanese, are aiming firstly the Japanese consumers."

Michelin inspectors have been on the ground in Kyoto and Osaka since the Autumn 2007. Employees of Michelin, who are experienced hospitality industry professionals, the inspectors conduct visits and anonymously dine in restaurants and sleep in hotels to judge the quality and consistency of meals and services as any other customer.

Stars judge only "what's in the plate," meaning the quality of the cooking. The criteria of the stars are the same, whatever the country, whatever the city. In this way, the level of the selection and the value of stars are consistent in all the MICHELIN guides.

The stars have the same meaning:

m: "a very good restaurant in its category"

n: "excellent cooking, worth a detour"

o: "exceptional cuisine, worth a special journey"

A restaurant that receives one or more stars is not only one of the best in its city or country but also one of the best in the world.

Regardless of the country or type of cuisine, five criteria are taken into account to award star(s): product quality, preparation and flavors, the "personality" of the chef's cooking, consistency over time and across the entire menu, and value for money. Decisions to award stars are made collectively. All the inspectors who have evaluated a meal in a given restaurant present and support their opinions, based on their experiences and reports.

Comfort is rated by fork-and-spoon symbols for restaurants. This is completely independent from the number of stars, and assesses the establishment's equipment such as exterior and interior, and service. For hotels, pavilion symbols indicate the comfort.

The first MICHELIN guide France was published in August 1900 to offer practical information to enjoy driving. 109-years later, MICHELIN guide covers 23 countries with 26 titles. MICHELIN guide Kyoto Osaka will be 27th title of the collection.

Source: Michelin