Author: Shawon Hannan

Berlin, the capital city of Germany, remains a great tourist attraction for visitors to the country. visitBerlin, the official City State of Berlin agency offering tourist services to its international visitors, has recently said that the city has registered around a 10% increase in international guests during April 2012, in spite of the fact that most of the Europe seems to be on downward slide of economies. Around 922,500 guests have visited the city, more than during the comparative prior year period from Germany and abroad. The Berlin-Brandenburg Statistics Office has reported that around 2.2 million room nights were booked…

Manchester Airport will be seeing more flights from Europe, and more than one European airline is extending its services to the airport. TAP Airline, the national carrier of Portugal, has announced an extension of its services to Manchester Airport from Lisbon, Portugal, for the winter 2012 -2013 season. The airline has been flying to the airport only since last year, and is the only carrier connecting Lisbon with Manchester, and offering five flights per week. The current service to Manchester will feature economy and business class services. The airline UK sales manager, Jose Moreira, said, ‘Having successfully launched our new…

Tune Hotels, a Malaysia-based hospitality company, has opened its new property in London, Tune Hotel Paddington. The a 137-room hotel is located near Paddington station, and is linked with London Heathrow Airport, by means of the Heathrow Express train service. This is the third property from the Tune Hotel brand in the city, after Tune Hotels Westminster and Tune Hotels Liverpool Street. The hotel is to operate under a ‘Pay and Use’ concept, which offers only rooms for the nightly rates, and allows the guests flexibility to add the other amenities and services of the hotels to their expenses as…

Hilton Worldwide, a US-based multi-national hotel corporation, will be opening two new premium hotels in Tangier, in Morocco. The company has entered into an agreement with Inveravante Group to launch two properties, Hilton Tanger City Center Hotel & Residences, and Hilton Garden Inn Tanger City Center, in Tangier. The agreement was signed at a ceremony in the presence of Lahcen Haddad, Minister for Tourism in Morocco. The two new hotels will form part of Tanger City Center, an upscale, mixed-use development area. Patrick Fitzgibbon, the senior vice president, development, Hilton Worldwide, Europe & Africa, said, ‘Tangier is a superb destination…

Four Points by Sheraton brand, a part of the Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide portfolio, has opened its newest hotel in New Orleans, US. The hotel has been rebranded from an earlier The Inn On Bourbon, a Ramada branded property. The new hotel has recently completed a multi-million dollar renovation and is offering 186 guest rooms, around 4,000 square feet of meeting facilities, an outdoor pool, 24 hour fitness centre, complimentary Wi-Fi in public spaces, and free internet access in all guestrooms. Brian McGuinness, the senior vice president, specialty select brands for Starwood Hotels and Resorts, said, ‘We are delighted…

UK-based airline, British Airways, an official sponsor for Team GB and ParalympicsGB, has announced a new offer celebrating its sponsorship of the 2012 London Olympics and Paralympics Games. The Go after the Games Sale prices are at a 25% discount on normal rates and are valid on travel to around 80 worldwide destinations, after September 10, 2012, to encourage travellers to take their annual summer holidays after the Games are completed. Included in the sale are also fares for the new destinations of Tokyo (Japan), Johannesburg (South Africa), Baltimore (US) and Las Vegas (US), the services to which commence on…

A report by Hotel.com, an online travel company, suggested that average room rates have fallen by 25% in London in the last two weeks, as demand for accommodation fails to materialise. With less than a month to go for the commencement of the London 2012 Olympics Games, the average cost of a hotel room for the Games period stands at £160, compared to £202 reported two weeks ago. Although the prices are still 75% up on those compared to the same time last year, falling prices are indeed hinting at excess capacity, as more rooms are becoming available every day.…

Corporate executives are increasingly not checking in with their offices during summer vacations, says a recent survey by Robert Half Management Resources, a consultancy company. 51% of chief financial officers (CFOs) interviewed reported that they don’t check in with their office while on vacation, an increase from a comparable poll in 2010 of 26%, and 21% from a study done in 2005 study. The survey has been conducted over 1,400 CFOs from a stratified random sample of US companies with 20 or more employees. The survey has also showed that around 27% of CFOs plan to keep in touch with…

Last minute holidays may not be actually last minute holidays, and may remain available for quite some time, says a recent survey conducted by Which?, a UK-based product review company. Most travel companies offer limited-time bargain offers to attract customers for their products and services. But what if you have bought one such deal, only to find out that it has been extended beyond its time limit – Would you have bought the deal then? The survey by ‘Which?’ has pointed out that consumers most of times are not getting the best price on booking their vacations in last-minute deals.…

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO), a UK government agency controlling interests of the UK overseas, has announced its checklist for UK travellers going abroad on vacations. Passports and Visa The authorities have urged travellers to check the validity of their passports and visas, before travelling to foreign countries. A certain amount of validity needs to remain in the passport for travellers to be able to make the journeys. Travellers to the US will be required to apply for an Electronic System for Travel Authorisation (ESTA). Travel Insurance Travellers have also been warned against proceeding on travel without required travel…