by CNNGo staff
For the past 10 years, the world’s globetrotters have trotted hither, thither and yon with a compact, savvy and at times hilariously bitchy companion in the shape of the Hong Kong-based LUXE City Guides.
With no illustrations or maps and just 24 concertina’d pages small enough to tuck behind an iPad, LUXE propels travelers toward the world’s acupuncture points, spotlighting the hippest shops, restaurants, hotels and the like in happening destinations such as New York, London, Tokyo and Sydney. Printed guides (US$9.99) are now complemented by mobile apps (US$5.99) that come with 12-months’ free updates.
A decade on from launching the first guide (Bangkok), onetime gas station attendant, former thespian and current LUXE Publishing Editor Grant Thatcher (49) traces the long and winding road from zero to 33 destinations and 1.25 million copies sold; though, as he is keen to point out, “that pales into insignificance in comparison to Ms. E. L. James' meaty tomes.”
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