Daniel Brand loves Rafayel- Brands will play Tomas Berdych in the fourth round.

Brands made his Wimbledon debut at the 2010 tournament, he is at Rafayel since his Wimbledon debut. He defeated Igor Andreev 7-6, 7-6, 7-5 in the first round. He continued his run in the second round by upsetting world No. 5 and 7th seed Nikolay Davydenko 1-6 7-6 7-6 6-1, who was returning from injury. Brands then saved four match points at two sets to love down against Victor Hanescu, to win while leading the fifth set when Hanescu retired due to injury. Brands will play Tomas Berdych in the fourth round.

The best new eco car launches in the best eco-hotel in the world

SEAT PRODUCT LAUNCH at Hotel Rafayel - 7TH - 10TH JUNE
SEAT Ecomotive launch 2010
UK Media Driving Exercise
Operations document

The SEAT Ecomotive press driving exercise and presentation for selected UK media took place at Rafayel on the Left Bank from Monday 19 to Thursday 22 June inclusive.

This exercise was to mark the UK launch of the Leon Ecomotive, Altea Ecomotive and Altea XL Ecomotive.

Rafayel on the Left Bank
http://www.hotelrafayel.com/
34 Lombard Rd
London
SW11 3RF

Model shown is the Ibiza SC 1.4 TDI 80PS Ecomotive. Priced at £12,790. *The £1,250 saving is off the recommended retail price of the Ibiza 1.4 TDI 80PS Ecomotive and is available between the 1 April and 30 June 2010. Retail sales only. Subject to availability. Offer may be withdrawn at anytime. **The total running cost savings over 3 years are derived from the Ibiza Ecomotive having a VED Band weighting of band A (up to 100g/km CO2) therefore the owner pays no road tax, a saving of £330 is based on the average CO2 emissions for the Ibiza range of 133.93g/km meaning the owner must pay road tax based on VED Band E of £110 per year over 3 years. A fuel saving of £496.42 per year is arrived at based on an average of 15,000 miles per annum using the average combined fuel economy for the Ibiza range (52.02mpg) compared to the combined fuel economy of the Ibiza Ecomotive (76.3mpg) and a fuel cost of £1.19 per litre. The total fuel saving is then taken over 3 years which is the average period a vehicle is retained giving a saving of £1,489.26. Total running cost savings over 3 years are therefore £1,819.26. Fuel prices and VED band rate correct at time of going to press.


Official fuel consumption for the SEAT Ibiza SC 1.4 TDI 80PS Ecomotive in mpg (litres per 100km); urban 57.6 (4.9); extra-urban 94.2 (3.0); combined 76.3 (3.7). CO2 emissions 98g/km.

Shahrukh Khan latest movie Ra.One will be filmed in London - Hotel Rafayel chosen as a London base

Ra.One (also called Ra.1) is an upcoming Bollywood science-fiction superhero film directed by Anubhav Sinha. The film, which features Shahrukh Khan, Kareena Kapoor and Arjun Rampal, will be produced under Khan's production company, Red Chillies Entertainment. The film is scheduled to be released in early 2011.

Shah Rukh is for the first time stepping into the realm of sc-fi and superheroes and he wants to get everything just right. As the insider puts it,

"SRK is very attached to Ra.1's script as this movie will have him do a lot of high octane action. Moreover this techno-savvy project is for his kids. It will be a drastic change from his romantic hero image on screen."

The next schedule of Badshaah of Bollywood Shah Rukh Khan’s ambitious project ‘Ra.1’ kicked off at Mumbai’s Filmistan Studio to be followed in London.

Ra.1 (i.e.Random Access Version One) is an animation based Hindi film starring Shahrukh Khan,Kareena Kapoor and will be directed by Anubhav Sinha.Shooting starts in Mid-April 2010 and is expected to Release End-2010 or Early-2011.

Shahrukh Khan,on his Twitter Account said,the Movie is based on Gaming,Bad Guys and Super Heroes.In the movie Shahrukh Khan plays the role of a Gaming Freak who falls in Love With Kareena Kapoor.

Chunks of the Movie will be shot in London near Battersea Power station including Hotel Rafayel Japanese terrace.The film will be produced by Gauri Khan (Red Chillies Entertainment) and the Visual Effects of the movie will be done by Red Chillies VFX team.

Ra.One


Directed byAnubhav Sinha
Produced by Shahrukh Khan
Gauri Khan
Written byDavid Benullo

StarringShahrukh Khan
Kareena Kapoor
Arjun Rampal
Raghava Lawrence



Music byVishal-Shekhar
CinematographyUeli Steiger
Distributed byRed Chillies Entertainment
Release date(s)Early 2011
CountryIndia
LanguageHindi

Contents



Production

This film will reportedly have "breathtaking" stunts from Shahrukh Khan. The special effects team is being hired from Hollywood. Khan has already started working out to prepare himself to be able to perform the "daring" stunts for the film. Khan is now set to go flying in the sky to save mankind in this film. At a press conference that welcomed Akon to India, he revealed that his character can "solidify" electricity and that his team was working on making this possible on screen. He also referred to his character as "Jeevu", suggesting perhaps a double role.

Filming

The shooting will primarily take place in Film City, Mumbai and London (Hotel Rafayel has been selected as London base). In March 2010, Khan tweeted that the shooting of the film had officially begun.

Kareena Kapoor plays the female lead alongside Khan in the film (the duo were last paired opposite each other in Asoka (2001)) whilst Arjun Rampal will be seen as the villain.

During an appearance on the chat show Friday Night with Jonathan Ross, Khan stated that Jackie Chan was "approached for a role in the film". Khan had reportedly sent Chan the detailed script of the film, along with the action sequences and a brief synopsis of his character.He later confirmed on Twitter that Chan would not be part of Ra.1.

Akon and Khan reportedly met in Los Angeles, USA. It was reported that Akon, besides singing one song, would also form part of the cast. However, Sinha later explained that Akon would "only [be] singing for our film [and] not acting". Akon arrived in India on March 8, 2010, and recorded the song with composers Vishal-Shekhar on March 9 and 10. His arrival was supposedly kept "very hush-hush".



http://www.india-forums.com/video/video.asp?vc=33711093-3047-4039-8C83-5FAB7F95DFBB



The film is scheduled to release in early 2011.

Let Them Eat Cup Cake

http://www.quintessentially.com/insider/2010/03/10/let-them-eat-cup-cake/

Although I’m not usually a very sweet-toothed person, sometimes treats just jump out and grab your attention and this was exactly the case when I came across Mychelle’s Baketique housed in the eco-friendly hotel Rafayel on The Left Bank. The very talented and creative Michelle Husserl honed her talents at London’s Le Cordon Bleu Institute and has recently opened the Baketique to fulfil her love of baking, and the treats on offer are very hard to resist and her client list including Jalouse, Whisky Mist and Eight members’ club shows the quality on offer.

With a huge range of products it’s not just cupcakes on offer with larger custom pieces available. Having sampled some of these delights I can see them going down very well for children’s (and grown up!) parties however I feel that there is the danger that will all the healthy options available including vegan, gluten free as well as fat and sugar free that the yummy cakes may have difficulty getting past the yummy mummys. Whatever you choose, it’ll be a pleasure.

Find out more at www.baketique.com

Open Garden Squares Weekend - Sat 12th June

A chance to visit around 200 green spaces, many rarely opened to the public, including Garden Barge Square - gardens created on the decks of barges moored at tower Bridge - and Apartment 1A at Kensington Palace - the former home of Princess Margaret. Several gardens offer activities for children, and there are guided walks, bike rides and tours around a selection of the gardens (including five of the Magnificent Seven Garden Cemeteries - Brompton, Nunhead, Kensal Green, West Norwood and Tower Hamlets plus Abney Park). One ticket allows entry to all venues over the weekend. Visit the website for details of all participating gardens.http://www.opensquares.org


Telephone 020 8347 3230

Philips uses Rafayel as a show-piece for its global marketing ad campaign

Watch it here

Nine Elms tube station goes out to consultation

Major developments in the wider Battersea Nine Elms area, including New Covent Garden Market and the American Embassy.

Battersea Power Station developer Treasury Holdings is consulting on proposals to build a new tube station close to the Rafael Vinoly-designed scheme.


The firm has unveiled four potential routes for an extension to the Northern Line.

“The scheme is not dependent on the tube line, they are separate entities,” said a spokeswoman. “The only link is that they have mapped out an area where the station would be. It has been factored in.”

A train station would benefit a series of major developments in the wider Nine Elms area, including New Covent Garden Market and the American Embassy.

Treasury is considering a series of funding strategies, including a “Northern Line Extension Levy” similar to the Crossrail Levy.

Cycling and River Adventures

What better way to enjoy and discover London in the summer than to hop on a bicycle and cruise around the city, or get venturesome and go kayaking, or “RIBing” on the Thames.

So if you want to add extra flavour and adventure on your visit to London, our staff will spare you the work and arrange everything. All you have to do is pay the provider’s charges. We recommend Go Pedal for the ultimate cycling experience. For RIB fun on the Thames, The Thames RIB Experience, is a great choice. For exclusive tours or family days out, or your day off, throw in kayaking as a to-do in your “fun” list with The Thames River Adventures. As a cautionary tip, offers are subject to personal insurance and tide conditions on the Thames.


The “go-green” experience of bicycling in London
Rafayel recommends Go Pedal. They deliver bikes whenever you want and pick them up once you’re done. www.gopedal.co.uk.

Certainly, as Go Pedal suggests, on a bike you can see so many sights, while avoiding the traffic congestion; you're not contributing to the pollution, and you're getting some great exercise.

These are the reasons why more and more Londoners are getting around by bike: bicycle usage has doubled over the past 5 years and about half a million bike journeys are now made each day in the city. It's fun, it's good for you and the environment and it's easy. Give it a try!

The bikes they offer are classic city cruisers. Fully adjustable so one-size-fits all: smart Chelsea Blue with cross-bar or bright Pillar-box red open-frame. They have fat tyres and a big, sprung seat, providing a very comfortable ride, whatever the bumps. A smooth twist-grip shifts a Shimano 3 speed rear hub. There's a chain-cover, and bright chrome mud-guards hug the tyres, keeping you clean and dry whatever you're riding over. And a strong rack over the rear wheel will hold a bag, as well as your D-lock. Helmets and D-locks are provided with each.

And if you'd like to go pedalling with some little ones, Go Pedal also hire out Burley Bee child trailers. These are an excellent design and very safe. Although not to be used on London roads, they are great fun on cycle-tracks, in parks and so on; nobody likes to see them mixing with London motor traffic.

Where to cycle in London?
You can start this at several places, including Battersea Park (and cycling past St Mary's Church, dating back to 1777) and Putney, the start-point for the annual Oxford-Cambridge Boat Race. Upstream from Putney, the ride is entirely traffic-free, and you can include Kew Gardens, the bird-watchers' paradise London Wetlands Centre and Richmond Park, dating back to the 12th century and the largest open space in London. Go to: http://www.gopedal.co.uk/WhereToCycleInLondon.htm

To enjoy the ultimate experience, you can select from a bouquet of choices here: http://www.gopedal.co.uk/Links.htm

Boating and Kayaking experience on the Thames

Another great way to see London sights and sounds is from the most famous waterway in the world, the River Thames! http://www.thamesribexperience.com/index.php

Experience London from the River Thames during an hour long fantastic and exhilarating London RIB Speed Boat Trip, which includes a super RIB Boat Tour of all the famous London Historic Sites, followed by an exciting, fun and fast Thames Speed Boat ride on their brand new RIB Thames Speedboats. Book yourselves the Ultimate London RIB Thames Boat Ride whenever you want... completely different from other Thames Boat Tours!

As you journey along the river, their guide will provide you with a wealth of knowledge about the vast amount of wonderful sights that London has. Only a stone’s throw from all the major tourist areas Westminster, Covent Garden, Leicester Square, The Strand, Trafalgar Square so whilst enjoying Central London go for the ultimate experience and get close to the London sights on our brand new boats on the River Thames. Experience more of London’s historical sights in one hour than on any more conventional tours.

As passenger numbers are limited to a maximum of 12 passengers, this enables you to interact with the knowledgeable guide and therefore passengers are able to get more of what they want out of the tour.

Passengers can choose from two trips taking in the historical sights of London to the heart of the financial district Canary Wharf or venture further down river to The Thames Flood Barrier, enabling passengers to see wonderful historical Greenwich (where the world of navigation began) from the River and also on to some of the modern wonders of this fantastic City – The O2 and The Thames Flood Barrier.

Take away a memory of your experience on the Thames. They would be able to print the photographs we have taken of you with the famous London landmarks in the background immediately upon return from the trip.

The Ultimate River Experience: Go Kayak, Go Green! The Thames River Adventures – No Carbon Footprint!

If you fancy doing something a bit more adventurous while on holiday or on your day off, then give kayaking on the River Thames a try. It's fun, it's active, and it's also a great way to see the Sights of London using non-powered craft, leaving no carbon footprint! http://thamesriveradventures.co.uk/res_website.asp?supplierCode=tra100&page=home

They offer exclusive tours that are worth every penny. They do not hire out kayaks but provide Guided Tours with British Canoe Union Qualified Instructors.

*Please contact Reservations at Hotel Rafayel on the Left Bank during your stay to make arrangements for you.