Author: Shawon Hannan
The luxury hotel brand, Sofitel, has opened its Sofitel Auckland Viaduct Harbour location in Auckland, New Zealand. The new hotel is the hotel brand’s first location in Auckland and the second in New Zealand, the first being a hotel in Queenstown. The hotel is located near the city’s waterfront and was formerly an MGallery Lighter Quay hotel. Existing facilities at the location will be upgraded to meet the standards of luxury that the Sofitel brand strives for. The new hotel has rooms and suites that will have private balconies, floor-to-ceiling windows and queen-sized bathrooms, with separate rain showers and deep…
Qatar Airways, a Qatar-based airline, has announced its new acquisition, a Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft, at the international aerospace event, the Farnborough International Air Show, currently being held in Hampshire, UK. The airline will be taking delivery of five 787 Dreamliner aircraft during 2012, and is taking the opportunity to promote the latest inclusion to its fleet. The aircraft has also participated in an aerial display for the first time at the show. The airline chief executive officer, Akbar Al Baker, said, ‘This is a very proud moment for Qatar Airways and my country, the State of Qatar. As an…
Europcar Groupe SA, a France-based car rental company, will be using electric bikes to facilitate the delivery and collection of its hire cars during the London 2012 Olympics. The company has renewed its pledge to cut down on carbon dioxide emissions and, at the same time, reduce traffic congestion and speed up its service, by providing its delivery operatives with electric bikes when delivering and collecting cars from customers. The bikes can be folded and put in the boot of a car when not in use. The service has been developed in collaboration with logistics company, AutoClenz. Ken McCall, the…
UK-based airline, British Airways, the official sponsor for Team GB and ParalympicsGB, has announced film screenings of a number of popular sports films for passengers that fly with the carrier during the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. The films, which were all nominated by athletes from Great Britain’s Olympic and Paralympic teams, include around 30 titles, such as Coach Carter, a basketball film featuring Samuel L Jackson; Any Given Sunday, by Oliver Stone; Rocky, starring Sylvester Stallone; and the recently released Formula One documentary, Senna. Team GB rower, Zac Purchase, said, ‘I don’t think you can get better then…
Sixt, a European car rental company, has recently included a range of high-end luxury vehicles for rental in the UK. The company is offering a new vehicle range that includes the Aston Martin DB9, Ferrari California, Porsche, Land Rover, Rolls Royce and Bentley models, for short term and long term rentals. The models are available from the company’s 20 or so van and car rental locations in London, including those at Heathrow Airport and Stansted Airport. The airport outlets will also be offering last minute deals on car rentals. For those customers outside London, the company will arrange to drop…
British travellers are spending more money on trips carried out due to obligation, than on actual holidays, according to Hotwire, a travel discount site. The survey has reported that British travellers spent around £16 billion during the last twelve months on trips that they felt obliged to take, including weddings and family celebrations. This equates to an average of £466.80 per person on these, so called, obligation trips, which means that from a financial standpoint these trips account for around 25 percent of an individual’s travel budget. The cost of travel and accommodation has decreased for such trips by around…
Trump International Golf Links, a golf company owned by Donald Trump, has opened a new golf course in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. The new golf course, constructed at a cost of £750 million, is on a 500-hectare plot of land on the coast of Aberdeenshire. The 18-hole links golf course is located in the Menie Estate, along with a hotel, a collection of luxury holiday homes, and a residential village. Sarah Malone, the executive vice-president of Trump International Golf Links Scotland, said, ‘We have several days of events and activities planned to mark the opening of Trump International Golf Links Scotland. Hundreds…
Dubai-based real-estate developer, Nakheel is to build a hotel in Dubai. The developer said that the new hotel would be built as an extension to the existing Dragon Mart retail complex, a structure that has been in business for eight years. The 240-room hotel extension will form part of the second phase of the Dragon Mart retail complex. The proposed extension will feature a 10,000 sq/m supermarket, a nine-screen cinema complex, and a two-storey retail mall with food court and outdoor dining options. The proposed extensions are to be completed by the third quarter of next year. Ali Rashid Lootah,…
Germany-based air carrier, Lufthansa and Japan-based air carrier, ANA, are looking to add new members to their existing joint venture to increase service routes between Europe and Japan. Business Traveller said reported that the two firms are seeking antitrust immunity to add Swiss and Austrian, Lufthansa Group carriers, to the existing joint venture. The existing venture was formed after the carriers were granted immunity last summer and the agreement came into full force this April. Now the joint venture is seeking to expand by adding new partners. Making a statement on the development, ANA said that the four carriers would…
US Airways is piloting a bag-fee report that is to be offered to corporate clients. The airline is to offer client-specific data on bag fees. In its monthly reports, the airline will detail the number of bags checked by corporate travellers, the sum of fees paid as well as the number and value of fees that had been waived for frequent flyers. Travel buyers may use the information as key data to enhance business. The airline is following similar initiatives launched last year by Delta Air Lines and United Airlines. A broad rollout of the programme is expected soon and…