Out with the 2012 dragon, in with the 2013 snake. Chinese believe that dragon is the symbol of Yang, and snake is the symbol of Yin. 2013 is the year of the water snake, according to Feng Shui consultant Marites Allen. It is the best time to start a new life. It has the presence of two wood elements, two water, tow earth, a metal, and a fire. So, this is a complete set of elements. In other words, snake-people like to possess the finer things in life.

Today’s featured Top 10 2013 Awards Winner for the East Coast is Marc-Michaels Interior Design, Inc., a global firm renowned for creating artistic and high end interiors. Based in Winter Park, Florida, the active full-service interior design firm uses an in-depth knowledge of the luxury buyer’s needs and desires to create beautiful interiors in a range of styles.

The Bentley Mulsanne joined the ultra-luxury party in 2010, but its maker is already planning a few updates for the 2014 model year. The updated Mulsanne will keep its old school looks and 6.7-liter V8, but it will gain some extra tech.

The approaching year of the snake on the Chinese calendar will ring in a new era of opulence for DARTZ Mortorz Company, the Latvia-based luxury tank manufacturer. The Black Snake, the company’s first non-armored vehicle, is based on the Mercedes GL 63 AMG and is geared only at the Chinese market with an even more sybaritic model, the Black Falcon, to arrive in the Middle East later this year.

The Peninsula Hotels is targeting Chinese travelers who will be in the United States for their New Year’s celebration with hotel packages and Van Cleef & Arpels shopping experiences at its properties in New York, Chicago and Los Angeles.

Four of the top five international destinations for luxury travelers are in Europe, led by European river cruises, Travel Leaders Group reports in its list of the top luxury travel trends for 2013. The ranking is based on findings from its annual Travel Trends Survey. 

As Jing Daily recently pointed out, China has undoubtedly become a globetrotting nation, with the country’s outbound tourists expected to take over 100 million trips by 2020 and jet-setting to every corner of the world. With this in mind, global luxury brands have been working overtime to think of ways to appeal to and take advantage of an influx of mainland Chinese tourist-shoppers, a group that has, according to KPMG’s recent “The Global Reach of China Luxury” report, shown it is “able — and willing — to pay more.”

British automaker Rolls-Royce Motor Cars is teasing the upcoming release of its new Wraith model March 5 at the Geneva Motor Show by releasing the first shadowed image to the public and hosting an interactive video on its Web site.