Belmond’s Road to Mandalay
T
he Belmond Company was established in 1976 when American James B. Sherwood purchased the legendary Hotel Cipriani on the island of Giudecca in Venice, northern Italy. Long considered one of the leading luxury hotels of the world, its room rates begin at USD $1,400 per night. Today the Company’s collection is diverse, spanning land and water, adventure and relaxation, combining a strong local presence and international acclaim. The Company owns, partowns and/or manages 37 hotels, including iconic properties such as
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the Belmond Grand Hotel Europe, St. Petersburg; Belmond Copacabana Palace, Rio de Janeiro; Belmond Maroma Resort & Spa, Riviera Maya; and Belmond El Encanto, Santa Barbara.
In Botswana, Belmond operates Safari’s and in New York it owns ‘21’, one of New York’s most storied restaurants whose clientele includes movie stars, Presidents and captains of industry.
The Company’s seven tourist trains include the legendary VSOE in Europe, the Eastern & Oriental Express in Southeast Asia and the Belmond Royal Scotsman in Scotland. The company also co-owns and manages the PeruRail in Peru, which operates, among other routes, the Cusco-Machu Picchu train used by nearly every tourist to Peru.
Belmond also has two river cruise operations, the Belmond Afloat in France, which operates luxury péniche-hôtels (barges) on the inland waterways of France and the Belmond Road to Mandalay on the Ayeyarwady River in Myanmar. With such a glamorous history, one can expect the highest of praise for the
