April 26, 2007

Europe | Switzerland | Geneva

Get a Lifestyle

By Mark Jolly

If your avocational interests are as diverse as your hedge fund, the Mandarin Oriental has a weekend retreat just for you.

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For some jet-setters, it’s not quite enough to live the globorati lifestyle. They need an institute for it. On May 26, Mandarin Oriental Hôtel du Rhône in Geneva launches the first in a series of quarterly pow-wows called The Lifestyle Institute. The philosophy of the weekend retreat is rooted in mixing relaxation with intellectual stimulation (think: social intercourse coupled with crash-courses in watchmaking, cooking, interior design and the like). The inaugural program is dedicated to “wealth management” and features an interactive presentation by a private banking specialist. If that’s not enough to excite, you can tailor your weekend package with yoga, spa sessions, wine-country tours, and a night at the opera (Donizetti’s Don Pasquale at Geneva’s Grand Théâtre). The two-night package starts from SFr 580 ($482) per person or SFr 710 ($590) per couple. And yes, the art-deco styled five-star is perched right on the river, close to both Geneva’s historic quarter and business district. But for Lifestyle Institute participants that might not be enough: Mandarin Oriental doesn’t just want you to leave relaxed, dammit. They want you to leave enriched.