Savannah native Richard C. Kessler realized a dream last week when he opened the upscale Mansion on Forsyth Park in his hometown.

"I have been looking to build a luxury hotel in Savannah for the past seven years and I finally found the perfect location," says Kessler, an Orlando-based hotel developer and president and CEO of Kessler Enterprise/Kessler Collection.

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A showcase for art and music, the 126-room property was built onto an 18,000-square-foot Victorian-Romanesque mansion that dates to 1888.

More than 400 pieces of European and American artwork — hand-selected by Kessler — is showcased throughout the hotel, restaurant and in each guest room. The collection includes oil and watercolor paintings, bronze sculptures, art glass and marble pieces in addition to antique mirrors and crystal chandeliers.

The lobby features Lalique doorknobs on the main glass doors, a white onyx reception desk, hardwood walnut floors, Versace furnishings, 200-year-old pink Verona columns and a rare antique chandelier.

The Mansion is believed to be the only hotel in America known to have three Bösendorfer pianos. To complete the ambience, classical and contemporary music plays throughout the hotel on a Bose sound system.

The Mansion also is home to 700 Drayton, a restaurant which offers nouvelle American cuisine with Savannah flair for breakfast, lunch and dinner; 700 Kitchen Cooking School, with daily and weekend packages; Carriage Wine Cellar; and Casimir's Lounge, which features a balcony overlooking Forsyth Park.

The restaurant's design includes seven fireplaces, 15-foot ceilings, original oak millwork, mahogany and teak paneling and moldings, hardwood floors and a grand staircase.

The full-service Poseidon Spa features one wet and three dry treatment rooms, five manicure and pedicure stations, women's and men's locker rooms, a steam shower and a 24-hour fitness center which offers tai chi and yoga classes.

The hotel — a member of Preferred Hotels and Resorts Worldwide — is in the Historic District, within walking distance of the city's shopping, museums, galleries and dining. The beach is a 20-minute drive.

Information: 1-888-711-5114, http://www.mansiononforsythpark.com.

Booking bonus

Atlantans who book a beach vacation at a ResortQuest property through September will get a $100 gift certificate from Simon Malls for summer shopping.

ResortQuest vacation specialists will be at six metro area Simon Malls (Lenox Square, Phipps Plaza, the Mall of Georgia, Gwinnett Place, Northlake Mall and Town Center at Cobb) to help vacationers choose the right destination and the right accommodations for summer fun. The dates are Friday-April 24; April 29-May 1; and May 13-15. However, you don't have to book your vacation on those dates or at a mall to benefit from the promotion.

In the Southeast, ResortQuest offers vacation rental homes and condominiums throughout Florida's Gulf Coast beaches; St. Simons Island; Hilton Head Island, S.C.; North Carolina's Outer Banks; Gulf Shores, Ala.; and Seabrook Island, Isle of Palm, Wild Dunes, Kiawah Island and Sullivan's Island — all near Charleston, S.C.

Reservations: 1-800-467-3529, http://www.resortquest.com.

End for an inn

Speaking of ResortQuest, one property the company handled is no longer in business: the Henderson Park Inn on the beach in Destin, Fla.

ResortQuest reports the inn has been sold and will be torn down to make way for a condominium development.

Garden tour

Atlantans Barbara Allen and Michael Smith will host their annual garden tour to Great Britain this summer — at the same price as last year. The Gardens of Southwest England, July 6-12, is $2,700 excluding airfare; $550 single supplement.

"We visit gardens designed by great English garden designers and private gardens not generally open to the public, where we actually meet the owners," Allen says. "We will visit a small village flower show and have an optional helicopter tour to Tresco Abbey on the Isle of Scilly.

"Our best asset is our tour guide who knows all hotels, gardens and historic towns. We do not limit ourselves to only three-star hotels. In the past, we have stayed at two- and three-star hotels with little differences except the price. Our tour guide has come up with some great two-star hotels that are typically English. And why go to England and stay in an American cookie-cutter hotel?"

The accommodations tend to be historic country inns and quaint hunting lodges in small villages with great food.

Information: 770-393-3451.

Deals for Europe

Expedia travel expert Kari Swartz offers these summertime strategies to help Americans experience their dream European vacation in spite of the weak U.S. dollar:

• Packages, packages, packages. Booking your flight and hotel together often provides great savings, in addition to convenience. Expedia is offering trips to many popular destinations from $845 for four nights, from May through August (http://www.expedia.com/daily/promos/vacations/Europe-Spring-Sale-2005/default.asp?rfrr=-23183).

• Skip the euro. Several countries that don't use the euro can help you get more for your dollar while offering a cultural experience. Check out the Czech Republic and Sweden for the best buys. Expedia is offering up to 10 percent savings for hotels in Prague if you stay at least four nights, from May through August.

• Beat the summer crowds. Take a last-minute trip before June and you can score a great deal while avoiding the peak season crowds. The Villa Luxembourg in Paris has rates from $108 through April 30. The NH Grand Hotel Krasnapolsky in Amsterdam, Netherlands, has rates from $211 through May 31. Check out these sales at http://www.expedia.com/daily/deals/lastminute_deals/hoteldeals.asp?rfrr=-16149.

• Book activities in advance. If you are visiting a traditional hot spot like Paris or London, purchase your activities in U.S. dollars and avoid the long lines at popular sights and attractions. A Paris Museum and Monument Pass starts at $25.50 per person for one day and gives you access to the Louvre, Musée d'Orsay, the Arc de Triomphe and more. View all the activities that Expedia offers at http://www.expedia.com/activities.

Stay and shop

W Hotels Worldwide is luring shopaholics to its properties through May with Whirlwind Weekends. The promotion includes shopping incentives and goodies from exclusive retailers.

Shoppers will receive a limited edition navy Italian lambskin wallet created exclusively for W by designer Matt Murphey. Inside are specials including 15 percent off at Armani Exchange stores, 25 percent of purchases at Assouline, $100 toward a purchase at a David Yurman retail store and deals from Bliss, Bloomingdale's, Matt Murphey, Sirius and W Hotels the Store.

Each regional market will tuck in offers from local retailers, such as Gucci from W Seoul, Kenneth Cole from W New York, Hugo Boss from W Los Angeles and Ted Baker from W San Francisco.

Rates vary by location; to book a hotel, http://www.whotels.com.