If you are anywhere near Hollywood or Beverly Hills the last few days, you know that Academy Awards season is in full effect. Not only have billboards and advertisements reminded you for weeks about the Oscars, the luxury hotels are now swelling with celebrities.
The Waldorf Astoria was packed yesterday with celebrities excited to visit Rafi Anteby’s expansive gift lounge. It is one of several gifting lounges around town. Rafi not only gets his fashion designs exposed to trend-setting celebrities, but he is paid thousands of dollars for other brands to present their offerings.
Rafi’s Gift Lounge, Waldorf Astoria, Beverly Hills
There was an eclectic array of goodies available, ranging from fashionable “PoopyCute” dog walking accessories from Fydelity Bags to Ugandan luxury safari trips. I spoke with Christine Mwinkie, Managing Director of Crystal Safaris about their unique “Tailormade Safaris.” She said that the gifting lounging
“Gives us a chance to open the door to Uganda to people who might only consider visiting either end of the continent. We are so different than Morocco or South Africa.”
She described the trip’s visit to the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, Queen Elizabeth National Forest and the Kibale Forest, which includes game viewing as well as chimpanzee tracking. Undoubtedly many guests at Rafi’s Gift Lounge will be enjoying jaw dropping vistas in Uganda in the coming months.
Crystal Safaris
Crystal Safaris
Other trips on offer include an excursion to Bali and especially intriguing retreat in Costa Rica. The latter is a trip to Rythmia, which features herbal medicine treatments and transformational organic food. The resort’s founder Gerard Armond Powell was distributing his book about the transformational journey.
Rythmia
Source Naturals
Fydelity Bags
Among the mimosa and other snacks provided at the gifting lounge, other health and beauty purveyors were providing generous samples. Source Naturals gifted a box stuffed with their award winning nutritional supplements. Gloria Hincapie gave three “Body Contour Art” sessions in their Beverly Hills offices.
There were several CBD products on offer, a growing trend for those seeking a natural solution to pain and stress.
Greta Van Fleet
The range of stars invited to Rafi’s Lounge was wide and deep: Esai Morales, Billy Zane, Annie Starke, Edward James Olmos, Paul Oakenfold, Spike Lee, Greta Van Fleet, Jared Haibon, Peter Farrell, Chadwick Boseman, Gerard Butler, among many others.
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