Double Bay Revival

It should be the shot in the arm the village of Double Bay needs. In November the new Intercontinental Hotel will open in the old premises of the Ritz Carlton Hotel. In it's brief history from the 1980s to the late 1990s , the Ritz was a terrific boost to the fortunes of Double Bay and became the hotel of choice for visiting celebrities like Madonna, presidents Bill Clinton and George Bush Snr, Princess Diana and Bob Dylan.The new Intercontinental promises to be a 5 start venue with a ballroom, top restaurants and a new nightclub which along with the thriving Casablanca just across the road will revive the Bay's nightlife.

TV Tonight

All eyes will be glued to the box tonight for 2 locally made tele-movies. On the 7 Network the INXS Never Tear Us Apart premieres while on the 9 Network the film about Shappelle Corby screens.

Pictured here is our exclusive photo of Michale Hutchence and girlfriend Paula Yates with a baby Tiger Lilly, at the first public appearance. Our other exclusive pic was taken at INXS's Tim Farris' 40th birthday party at a Kings Cross nightclub. A surprise guest and avid INXS fan popped in- Mike Myers of Austin Powers' fame.

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We must congratulate the MailOnline for finally catching up to thesocialshuttle and publishing our snaps of a 15 year old Tiger Lilly. It's only taken 2 years !

exclusive : Tiger Lilly Grows Up

Michael & Paula with Tiger Lilly in 1996

She's been protected from the public gaze by her sisters Pixie & Peaches and step-father Bob Geldorf but now 17 year old Tiger Lilly, the child of the late Michael Hutchence and Paula Yates has posted  some pictures of herself on Twitter.

Pixie Geldorf & Tiger Lilly

 Michael died in Double Bay's Ritz Carlton Hotel in 1997 ( the Shuttle shared a drink with him in the bar the night before) and Paula died from a drug overdose in 2000.

Rats Invade Ritzy Hotel

There is plague of rodents in the uber smart suburb of Double Bay according to 'Mr Double Bay' Graeme Goldberg the owner of the popular restaurant  Dee Bees.



Ritz Carlton Double Bay



Writing in the latest copy of Latte Life where he has a regular column, Goldberg says he and fellow business owners signed a petition asking the Woollahra Council to hire a pest controller. The matter was raised in a council meeting by councillor Andrew Petrie but apparently a Greens councillor nipped it in the bud claiming it was a problem for local business owners.



Diana at The Ritz



Graeme Goldberg



Says Goldberg "Mate you gotta be joking. they're coming out of the drains and last time I checked the Pied Piper of Hamlin didn't own a property in Double Bay. I suggest the council send the experts to the old cinema and the closed down Stanford Hotel"

The Stanford is a sorry sight at present. It closed nearly two years ago and in a previous life it was one of the chicest 5 star hotels in Sydney- The Ritz Carlton.



Bob'n'Blanche Hawke



As the Ritz it enjoyed an illustrious clientele including most visiting celebrities like Tom Jones, Whoopi Goldberg and Bob Dylan. Two US presidents stayed there -George Bush Sr and Bill Clinton and it was a home away from home for the late Princess Diana on her very last visit to Australia. Former Prime Minister Bob Hawke lived there for a year when he left office and was married there to wife Blanche and the late singer Michael Hutchence died in a first floor suite on a Saturday morning in 1997.



As the Standford Hotel the inn gradually declined in favour and a new owner plans to turn the site into luxury apartments but is having problems with local council height restrictions. At present the building remains empty and uninhabited like the suburb's former cinema in New South Head Road.

Goldberg and others want action and believe the problem will escalate fast : "The Bay has always had rats but they wear suits and sip Chardonnay. If there is vermin breeding you don't have to be Einstein to know where to start looking"