OH! CALCUTTA!
Once the British Raj’s seat of power, the city of Kolkata in West Bengal has
long since lost its political and economic clout but it retains its chaotic
charm and reputation as a cultural and literary powerhouse. With few
upscale lodgings available, travellers can look forward to the opening late
this year of the nine-room The Penthouse, near the Victoria Memorial.
The Prakash family, owners of Glenburn Tea Estate in Darjeeling, are
transforming the top two floors of a new glass office block into a highly
personalised hotel with a spa, rooftop pool and eatery. Follow a stay here
with a trip to Rajbari Bawali, a stunning 31-room boutique hotel opened
last year in a former palace about 30 kilometres from Kolkata in West
Bengal’s rural hinterland. thepenthousecalcutta.com; therajbari.com>F ROBOT
Though it’s not quite HAL in
2001: A Space Odyssey, online
behemoths such as Skyscanner
and Expedia are deploying robots
to interact with website users.
Using online chat platforms, the
“automated assistants” quiz users
about their travel plans and then
suggest booking options. It’s early
days yet for the technology – the
results from this “conversational
search” differ little from what you’d
find yourself with a few mouse
clicks – but operators are upbeat
because the bots ease pressure on
their search functions.
BOTTLING OUT
Bored with the 750ml bottle, some
winemakers have opted for retro
alternatives. Stuart Proud, of Proud
Primary Produce in the Yarra
Valley, and Jordy Kay of Chèvre,
now in the Otway Ranges, both
favour the flagon for their fresh
whites and very light reds, while
Dudley Brown of Inkwell in
McLaren Vale chose the humble
can for his off-dry, extended
skin-contact sparkling viognier.
Very retro – Sydney wine merchant
Doug Lamb was selling Beaujolais
in cans in the 1960s.RAJBARI BAWALI