Our newest partner is the superb Sofitel Hotel Krabi. From the iVIP Application:

The Sofitel Hotel Krabi is a stunning resort with hospitality from a Thai perspective, near to Ao Nang and to Phi Phi and James Bond Islands.

The hotel comprises 276 Victorian style rooms and suites with spectacular views for families, honeymooners and travellers visiting for Thailand’s largest pool (7000m2), private yachts, golf course, tennis courts, kids club and a spa.

A line up of dining experiences including a Pizzeria, White Lotus with Thai and Indian recipes, and Poda with poolside BBQ’s round off your culinary experience.

There are also in and outdoor spaces, ideal for weddings and events.

iVIP members, as ever, receive unique iVIP Treatment, in this case a complimentary room upgrade (subject to availability).  The rooms are as follows:

Superior – Garden Side:

The classic rooms are 45 sqm with either one large bed or two separate beds. Each bed is a Sofitel MyBed, designed with exclusive materials for your perfect nights sleep. Decorated in a colonial style with special Thai touches and teak furnishings throughout. Your private balcony, with tropical garden or mountain views, offers the perfect space to relax. The large and stylish bathroom has a separate bathtub and a shower room with luxurious amenities.

Superior – Pool & Sea Side:

The superior rooms are 45 sqm with either one large bed or two separate beds. Each bed is a Sofitel MyBed, designed with exclusive materials for your perfect nights sleep. Decorated in a colonial style with special Thai touches and teak furnishings throughout. Your private balcony, with partial views over the Andaman Sea, offers the perfect space to relax. The large and stylish bathroom has a separate bathtub and a shower room with luxurious amenities.

Luxury – Pool & Sea Side:

The luxury rooms are wide and spacious on 54 sqm with either one large bed. Each bed is a Sofitel MyBed, exclusively designed with all the right materials for the perfect nights sleep. Decorated in a colonial style with special Thai touches and teak furnishings throughout. Your private balcony, with partial views over the Andaman Sea, offers the perfect space to relax. The stylish bathroom has a separate bathtub and shower room with luxurious amenities.

If you are an iVIP Member you can contact the hotel to book by emailing, with your membership number, on rsvn@sofitelphokeethrakrabi.com or by calling on +6675627800.

This privilege is also available to iVIP Red members; if you haven’t yet joined iVIP you can download iVIP Red for free by clicking here.

We’ve added some great partners including super cars, hotels and a concierge over the past few weeks, and there are some exciting developments in the year ahead. Read on for more…

Supercars:  D1 Ultimate GT

D1 Ultimate GT host exclusive five star driving events including Super Car Ice Driving and Alpine and Highland Tours. Read more here.

Shopping: Chic Outlet Villages

Chic Outlet Villages are a collection of nine luxurious shopping villages close to Europe’s most important destination cities. iVIP members receive a further 10% off the already incredible designer goods prices, with the offer extended until December 2012. Read more here.

Hotels: The Corinthia London

Augmenting our wealth of fantastic luxury hotels we’ve recently added the Corinthia London, a magnificent and meticulous reconstruction of what was an imposing Victorian-era Grand Hotel.

Hotels: Etnia Club de Mar

We’ve also added the Etnia Club De Mar, five star luxury on the Brazilian beachside.

Events and Experiences: The iVIP Premium Tickethub

The iVIP Premium Tickethub is a ticketing service for sporting events, concerts, and theatre around the world offering a great variety of hard-to-find and premium tickets and hospitality packages. See our 2012 calendar of events here.

Concierge: The iVIP Concierge (Powered by John Paul)

The iVIP concierge is a full category service delivered by John Paul, Europe’s leading luxury concierge company. Membership to the iVIP Concierge starts at £1500 (+ VAT) per year and you can find out how to join from the iVIP Application: the free Red version is downloadable here.

As well as adding a raft of new partners, we’ve been working hard behind the scenes…

iVIP Destination Guides

Travel guides with a difference. iVIP Destination Guides handpick only the places you MUST go. They contain the best of the best, the creme de la creme, in numerous cities and locations across the globe including Amsterdam, Barcelona, Las Vegas, London, Moscow, New York, Rome, and Sao Paolo. You can download the iVIP Destination Guides app for free here.

Multi Platform Luxury

iVIP Treatment has been accessible via our iPhone and iPad apps for a while now, but we’ve recently made membership available via an online sign up. Exclusivity, luxury and privilege across our range of premium partners is no longer restricted to iOS users. Web sign ups receive a luxurious offline membership card and pack. You can access the web sign up here. What’s more, we’re developing iVIP on Android and Windows, so it will soon be available on all mobile platforms.

That’s enough to be going on with… to stay up to date you can subscribe to email updates on our homepage, follow us on Twitter.com/ivipworld, and connect with us on Facebook.com/ivipworld.

We’re pleased to announce the latest addition to iVIP, Etnia Club de Mar, Brazil:

Inaugurated in 2011, Etnia Clube de Mar has everything you’d expect from a 5-star hotel.

Literally a stone’s throw from the sea, it becomes the second Etnia hotel unit in Trancoso offering the same high quality service and facilities.

Etnia Clube de Mar is located on a private estate, where a renowned bar sat in the 1980′s and 90′s. After years out of business, the premises have been totally refurbished. There is now a small hotel with five unique seashore houses and a delicious restaurant stretching over the sand.

In a charming seaside location, Etnia Clube de Mar offers a bar and gourmet restaurant with selected dishes from international and local cuisine.

At Etnia kindness and good service come together to please our guests.

We are pleased to announce that we received the prize from Guia Quatro Rodas of “Guesthouse of the year – 2012″.

iVIP members receive the following unique privileges; ‘iVIP Treatment’:

• Welcome drink
•  10% discount on purchases at our Boutique Etnia
•  One night’s dinner

Full details and contact information are available inside the iVIP application.

This privilege is also available to iVIP Red members; you can download iVIP Red for free by clicking here.

You can now sign up to iVIP online – simply click here to start the registration process. All versions – Black, Blue, Red (free) and City (London and New York) are all available – you no longer have to be an iPhone or iPad user to experience ‘iVIP Treatment’ and the unique, exclusive privileges and benefits that membership provides.

You will receive a full, glossy membership package outlining the benefits of signing up, and a membership card which will act as your iVIP validation in all our partner venues.

If you join iVIP Red you will be made aware of, and sometimes invited to sample, exciting new additions to the iVIP stable of partners.

The iVIP Web Sign-Up page can be found here: http://ivipworld.com/blog/joinsign-up/

We’ve just launched iVIP Destination Guides, a collection of luxury City Guides. They handpick the very best hotels, restaurants, sights and hidden gems in cities including London, New York, Barcelona, Las Vegas, Sao Paolo, Amsterdam and Moscow, and feature only the places you MUST go (as recommended by the iVIP concierge).

iVIP Destination Guides are designed for the most discerning travellers.

Developed in association with John Paul Concierge, the guides benefit from ‘on the ground’ knowledge and insight, like hotel owners willing to lend you their pass to the yacht club. Each entry in the guides is the concierge’s pick of the bunch and includes detailed information along with gorgeous images.

The Destination Guides app is free and available on iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch. Each City is £2.99 to unlock. The guides can be previewed before any purchase is made.

You can view and download the Destination Guides app in iTunes by clicking here.

The iVIP Premium Tickethub offers a variety of hard-to-find and premium ticket and hospitality packages for sporting events, concerts, and theatre around the world. See below for a 2012 calendar of events; highlights include Paris Fashion Week, The Sundance Film Festival, Six Nations Rugby, NBA All Star Game, Australian Grand Prix, US Masters Golf, Cannes Film Festival, Champions League Final, Henley Regatta, Miss Universe, the Ryder Cup, and more. Contact us on premiumtickethub@ivipworld.com, quoting your iVIP membership number, for further information.

January 2012
*People’s Choice Awards. January 11. Nokia Theatre, LA.
*Milan Fashion Week (Camera Moda. Men’s Fashion). January 14-18. Milan, Italy
*Golden Globe Awards. January 15. Beverly Hilton, Beverly Hills.
* Hong Kong Fashion Week. January 16-19. Hong Kong
*Paris Fashion Week (Mode a Paris. Men’s Fashion). January 18-22. Paris, France
*Sundance Film Festival. January 19-29. Park City, Utah.
*Screen Actors’ Guild Awards (SAG) – January 29. Los Angeles, CA.

February 2012
*Six Nations Rugby Tournament. February 2-March 17. Various venues.
*Superbowl. February 5. Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis.
*Mercedes Benz New York Fashion Week. February 9-16. New York City
*Berlinale (Berlin Film Festival). Februrary 9-19. Berlin, Germany.
*Grammy’s. February 12. Staples Center, LA.
*Brit Awards. February 15. 02 Arena, London.
*Vienna Opera Ball. February 16, 2012. Vienna Opera House, Vienna, Austria.
*Rio Carnival. February 17-21. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
*London Fashion Week. February 17-24. London, UK
*Milan Fashion Week. (Camera Moda. Moda Donna (Women’s). February 22-28. Milan, Italy
*NBA All Star Game. February 26. Orlando, FL
*Academy Awards (Oscar’s). February 26. Nokia Theatre, LA.
*Paris Fashion Week. (Mode a Paris. Ready to Wear). February 28- March 7. Paris, France

March 2012
*Los Angeles Fashion Week. March 12-19. Los Angeles, CA
*Australian Grand Prix. March 15-18. Grand Park, Melbourne, Australia.
*Sony Ericsson Tennis Open. March 19-April 1. Miami, FL.
*Malaysian Formula One Grand Prix. March 23-25. Kuala Lumpur
*Dubai World Cup (Equestrian Race). March 24. Dubai, UAE

April 2012
*U.S. Masters (Golf). April 2-8. Augusta, Georgia
*UBS Chinese Grand Prix. April 13-15. Shanghai, China
*Rolex Tennis Open. April 16-22. Monte Carlo, Monaco.
*Tribeca Film Festival. April 18-29. New York City, New York
*Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix. April 20-22. Sakhir, Bahrain
*El Clasico (FC Barcelona vs. Real Madrid). April 21/22. Barcelona, Spain.

May 2012
*Kentucky Derby. May 5. Louisville, Kentucky
*FA Cup Final (Football/Soccer). May 5. London, UK
*Royal Windsor Horse Show. May 9-13. Windsor Castle, UK
*Formula One Gran Premio de Espana. May 11-13. Catalunya, Spain
*Italian Open Tennis Championships. May 13-20. Rome, Italy.
*Cannes Film Festival. May 16-27. Cannes, France
*UEFA Champions’ League Final (Soccer). May 19. Munich, Germany
*Monaco Grand Prix. May 24-27. Monaco.
*French Tennis Open. May 27-June 10. Paris, France.

June 2012
*Tony Awards. June. Beacon Theatre, New York City, NY
*Euro 2012 (Football/Soccer). June 8-July 1. Poland and Ukraine
*Grand Prix du Canada (Formula One). June 8-10. Montreal, Quebec, Canada
*US Open Championship. (Golf). June 11-17. San Francisco, CA
*Art Basel. June 13-17. Basel, Switzerland.
*Le Mans 24 Hour (Motorcar Race). June 16-17. Le Mans, France
*Royal Ascot (Equestrian Races and Society Event). June 19-23. Ascot, UK.
*Grand Prix of Europe-Valencia Street Circuit. June 22-24. Valencia, Spain
*The White Tie and Tiara Ball. Elton John and David Furnish’s Old Windsor Estate, UK
*Milan Fashion Week (Camera Moda. Men’s Fashion). June 23-27. Milan, Italy
*Wimbledon Tennis Open. June 25-July 2. London, England.

July 2012
*Paris Fashion Week – Men’s. July 2-5. Paris, France
*Santander British Grand Prix. July 6. Silverstone, UK
*British Open Championship (Golf). July 19-22. Lancashire, UK
*Grosser Preis Santander von Deutschland (Santander German Grand Prix). July 20-22. Hockenheim, Germany
*2012 Olympics in London – July 25 – August 12, 2012. Opening Ceremony, July 27.
*ESPY Awards. Los Angeles, CA
*Henley Royal Regatta. July 27-August 1. London, UK.
Formula 1 Eni Magyar Nagydij (Hungarian Grand Prix). July 27-29. Budapest, Hungary

August 2012
*Red Cross Gala Ball. Monte Carlo, Monaco
*Lakme India Fashion Week (IMG). August 14-19. Mumbai, India
*US Tennis Open. August 27-September 9. New York City.
*Miss Universe Pageant. August 27. Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas, NV.
*Venice Film Festival. August 29-September 8. Venice, Italy
*Belgian Grand Prix. August 31-September 2. Spa-Francorchamps Belgium

September 2012
*Gran Premio Santander d’ Italia (Santander Italian Grand Prix). September 7-9. Monza, Italy
*Toronto Film Festival. September 8-13. Toronto, Ontario, Canada
*MTV Video Music Awards (VMA’s). September 9. Los Angeles, CA
*Mercedes Benz New York Fashion Week. September 13-20. New York City
*Milan Fashion Week (Camera Moda. Moda Donna (Women’s). September 19-25. Milan, Italy.
*London Fashion Week. September 21-28. London, UK.
*Singapore Grand Prix. September 21-23. Singapore
*Primetime Emmy Awards. September 23. Los Angeles, CA
*Paris Fashion Week. September 25. Paris, France.
*Ryder Cup (Golf). Sept 25-30. Medinah, IL

October 2012
*Japanese Grand Prix. October 5-7. Suzuka, Japan
*Korean Grand Prix. October 12-14. Yeongam, South Korea
*Los Angeles Fashion Week. October 15-22. Los Angeles, CA
*Indian Grand Prix. October 26-28. New Delhi, India

November 2012
*Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. November 2-4. Abu Dhabi, UAE
*Barclay’s ATP Tennis Finals. November 5-12. London, England.
*Austin Grand Prix. November 16-18. Austin, TX
*Grande Premio do Brasil (Brazilian Grand Prix). November 23-25. Sao Paulo, Brasil

December 2012
*FIFA Club World Cup 2011 (Soccer). December 6-16. Toyko, Japan
*Art Basel Miami Beach. December 6-9. Miami Beach, FL

The latest addition to the exclusive iVIP stable of partners is the Corinthia Hotel London. More about The Corinthia:

The newly opened Corinthia Hotel London is the result of a meticulous reconstruction of what was an imposing Victorian-era Grand Hotel.  Now reborn to a new standard of craftsmanship and service, the hotel features 294 intricately designed rooms and suites, two distinctive restaurants and a destination bar. ESPA has raised the bar on spa excellence with a pioneering, next-generation spa which is unsurpassed for its never-before-seen, fully integrative lifestyle solutions and luxury treatments.

As ever, all iVIP members booking with The Corinthia benefit from exclusive iVIP Treatment:

• iVIP members receive an upgrade to the next highest room category, subject to availability on arrival. 
• Upgrades valid up to and including River Suites. 
• Quote your iVIP Membership Number when calling or emailing to benefit from this exclusive privilege.

And all bookings benefit from a range of privileges as standard:

• Flexible check-in and check-out times so your room will be ready no matter what time you arrive (just give us the timings before arrival).
• Complimentary access to ESPA Life at Corinthia including our thermal floor with pool, sauna, steam room, vitality pool etc.
• Complimentary 24 hour gym
• Complimentary Wifi
• Nespresso coffee machines in every room

The Corinthia Hotel is now available to contact directly through the iVIP Application.

iVIP are delighted to announce a new partnership with D1 Ultimate-GT:

D1 Ultimate-GT events are exclusive five star driving events. D1 Ultimate-GT’s mission is to unite man and his ultimate machine in ways you have never experienced before. D1 Ultimate-GT trips are carefully planned high end events, where everything will be taken care of so you can enjoy the driving and the stunning luxury destinations. Our trips include luxury details to members such as personal luggage service, car valeting, personal assistance, private jets, group hostess and driving instruction from world famous WRC rally and F1 legends. We lead the tours in our Lamborghini Gallardo providing our clients a hassle free trip and a challenge of keeping up with the lead car! Our grand touring trips are designed to cater for small groups and car clubs but also for the individual driver. On our exclusive trips we take a maximum of 14 cars per trip and up to 200 cars on supercar events.

As ever iVIP members receive special ‘iVIP Treatment’ when booking with D1:

Supercar Ice Driving
As an iVIP member you can add one of these amazing experiences to your itinerary:
• For a non driver guest Rally Taxi experience with Juha Kankkunen. Juha will take you for a spin in a WRC works prepared Subaru rally car down small Finnish country roads in speeds that are truly mind blowing!
• Husky safari for 2 people

Alpine Tour
As an iVIP member you can add 2 of these amazing experiences to your tour itinerary:
• Helicopter ride for 2 people in the Alps (St.Moritz)
• Afternoon at the spa for her (St.Moritz)
• Car valet (St.Moritz)

Highlands Tour
As An iVIP member your partner will receive a spa pampering at the hotel.

To find out more please download the iVIP Application here: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/ivip-red/id321970617?mt=8

For a limited time only, in the run-up to Christmas, iVIP Red members can benefit from our exclusive partnership with Chic Outlet Shopping®, the leading luxury outlet shopping experience, European style. There are nine Chic Outlet Shopping® Villages, located close to Europe’s most important destination cities.

All iVIP members now receive an additional 10% saving in all nine Villages with a VIP invitation, available from the iVIP application. You can redeem your invitation at the Tourist Information Centre at any one of the nine Chic Outlet Shopping® Villages on the day of your visit.

Furthermore, when booking your Shopping Express coach tickets online, iVIP members may enter the promo code “iVIP Express” to receive 2 for 1 tickets.

This offer is valid until 31st December 2011 for all Villages, is exclusive to iVIP Members and is only available online.

For more information you can visit the Chic Outlet Shopping website by clicking here.

You can download the iVIP application here.

More information on Chic Outlets and the iVIP Partnership…

Discover Chic Outlet Shopping®, the nine luxury brand outlet Villages offering the authentic previous seasons’ collections of leading designer fashion and lifestyle brands with savings of up to 60%, and sometimes more, on the recommended retail price, all year round.

Make a trip to a Chic Outlet Shopping® Village part of your itinerary.

Set in beautiful countryside, and within easy reach of Europe’s destination cities, the nine Villages provide a perfect complement to visiting London; Dublin; Paris; Barcelona; Madrid; Milan and Bologna; Brussels, Antwerp and Cologne; Frankfurt, Munich and the surrounding regions.

A tax refund service is available in all the Villages, as well as a selection of five-star services that can include personal shoppers and stylists, hands-free shopping, valet parking, restaurants and cafés serving local cuisine, officially designated Tourist Information Centres, art galleries, seasonal events, multilingual welcome hosts, recreational facilities for children, ample free parking for customers arriving by car and tour groups arriving by coach.

OFFER

To receive an additional 10% savings in all nine Villages, click here to download your VIP invitation. You can redeem your invitation at the Tourist Information Centre at any one of the nine Chic Outlet Shopping® Villages on the day of your visit.

900 boutiques

Anne Fontaine, Antik Batik, Anya Hindmarch, Bally, Belstaff, Brooks Brothers, Cacharel, Calvin Klein Collection, Cath Kidston, Diesel, Diane von Furstenberg, Ermenegildo Zegna, Escada, Guess, Jack Wills, Marni, Matthew Williamson, Missoni, Paul Smith, Roberto Cavalli, Smythson, Temperley London, Tod’s, Tumi, Versace, Vivienne Westwood, Yves Saint Laurent… and many more in nine Villages throughout Europe.

Travelling to the Chic Outlet Shopping® Villages is simple and quick. Arrive in style with the Shopping Express, a regular luxury coach service taking you from main European cities directly to the Villages seven days a week, all year round.

Spending summer in Europe or taking a city break? With late night shopping throughout the summer months, Chic Outlet Shopping® has become even easier.

OFFER

Book your tickets online at http://www.ChicOutletShopping.com
/shoppingexpress. Enter the promo code “iVIP Express” to receive 2 FOR 1 tickets. This offer is valid until 31st December 2011 for all Villages, exclusive to iVIP Members and only available online.