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August 26, 2005

Lifestyles of the rich, Fri., August 26, 2005, 9:45 AM

Let's see, do I want to be in Cannes on the 14th, or Monaco on the 21st? Or, both?

I've been thinking I need a break. Maybe you agree!

But Katrina-Petrina got me thinking of boats, and my mind started to wander...and the next thing you know, I'm sitting in the south of France, wondering if I can stick it out through the September boat shows.

I've also been thinking that the rich have it tough these days, given that the middle and lower classes have nothing left in the bank, and so manufacturers/retailers have been hitting the upscale market for all its worth.... which my friends in the yacht business tell me is a lot.

Then again, the rich are not travelling much these days if you can believe the plight of the struggling Le Meridien hotel group, which had to sell the management contracts of its 130 international luxury hotel and resort properties. A partnership of Starwood (NYSE: HOT) and investment bankers Lehman Brothers (NYSE: LEH) bought them.

Tough.

Posted by Posted by Bill Cara on August 26, 2005 09:46:05 AM | Category: Yada yada

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