While the hotel interiors, library and rooms were designed by grand master Jacques Garcia to have Parisian flair (many have a claw foot tub in the room, faux garret-style), it is the restaurant that is getting a lot of early buzz, with rave reviews already coming from the New York Times and top food blogs.

BBC: Openings: Maldives, New York, Edinburgh, Boston

Instead of focusing on sick people or organic chemistry, he kept coming up with moneymaking ideas -- selling T shirts at rave concerts and Filofaxes to fraternities and stationery stores.

FORBES: What the doctor ordered