Luxury Travel News: El Encanto, Palais Hansen Kempinski, Stairs Bali

©Lake Placid Lodge

• Spring wine series at Lake Placid Lodge.
• Santa Barbara's newly renovated El Encanto opens.
• Nobu plans Chicago hotel.
• River cruise boom continues.
• Google discontinues Frommer's print guidebooks.
• Taj hotels opens 100th property in India, plans to push 200 by 2018.
• Planned tallest building in the southern hemisphere in Melbourne will include luxury hotel.
• Vienna's Palais Hansen Kempinski opens.
• Kit Kemp of Firmdale Hotels confirms new midtown NYC project.
• Pierre Gagnaire returns to Mandarin Oriental, Las Vegas.
• South Africa's Ellerman house launches new website.
• Google flight search goes international.
• Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong partners with Art Basel for inaugural Hong Kong show in May.
• Silversea partners with the Royal Geographical Society.
• Stalled Ritz-Carlton Turks & Caicos project receives new funding.
• Children sail free on 17 Crystal Cruises this year.
• Global luxury brands bullish on India.
• Notable Projects: L'Apogée Courchevel 
• Notable Projects: The Stairs Bali 
• Leading Hotels of the World launches new website.