Author: Shawon Hannan

The Edwardian Group, a UK-based hotel management company, has recently rebranded its properties as Radisson Blu Edwardian Hotels. Radisson Blu Edwardian Hotels is a collection of luxury hotels in central London, Heathrow, Guildford and Manchester, in UK, with the Radisson Blu Edwardian, London becoming the first hotel to commence operations after the rebrand. The Edwardian Group has recently entered into an agreement with Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group, owner of the Radisson Blu Edwardian, Radisson, and Radisson Blu brands worldwide. Commenting on the joint venture and the re-branding, Paul Mansi, the chief operating officer of Edwardian Group, said, ‘Edwardian London captures…

Aer Lingus Regionals, a service offered by Irish regional airline, Aer Arann, under a franchise agreement with Aer Lingus, an Ireland-based airline, is currently offering a new service from Ireland West Airport Knock, in Ireland, to Birmingham, England. Aer Lingus Regional is offering a daily flight from Ireland West Airport Knock to Birmingham, with connectivity for business and leisure travellers to the second largest city in Great Britain. Flight bookings are available on the airline’s website. The interim chief executive officer for Aer Arann, Sean Brogan, said, ‘We are delighted to commence our Aer Lingus Regional Ireland West Airport Knock…

London Gatwick Airport has registered increased passenger footfall and increased revenues, for the year ended March 31, 2012. The airport has registered a turnover increase of 8.6 percent, to £517.4 million for the financial year ending in March 2012, with passenger traffic increasing by 6.9 percent, to 33.8 million over the year, compared to the same period a year earlier. Stewart Wingate, the chief executive officer of Gatwick Airport, said, ‘This has been a successful year for Gatwick. Despite the difficult economic conditions, we have delivered a strong financial performance on the back of growing our passenger traffic by an…

Hotel prices for rooms in London for the period of the 2012 Olympic games are registering a slow fall, following a recent high peak. Recent research by Hotels.com, an online travel company, suggested that average room rates have fallen by 5 percent in London, while on-line hotel searches have increased by around 50 percent for the 2012 Olympic period, as an expected rise in bookings is still yet to happen. Alison Couper, the company global expert in online travel, said, ‘On top of that, searches for London on our Hotels.com UK site for the Olympic period for the last three…

Holiday Inn, a brand of hotels that is part of British-based InterContinental Hotels Group, has opened its new Holiday Inn Express Maceio Ponta Verde, located in the Ponta Verde beach area of Maceio, Brazil. The 160-room hotel is decorated with artwork and folk-art themed crafts made by local artisans, which are blended with the cultural heritage of the area in a contemporary and elegant style. The property features amenities, including free high-speed wireless Internet connectivity; four meeting rooms, totalling 1,614 square feet of event space; an outdoor pool; a fitness centre; and a business centre. Alvaro Diago, the chief operations…

Aeroports de Paris, an airport authority in France, will be opening a new boarding satellite at Terminal 2E of Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport in France. The new S4 boarding satellite building will include a lounge as well as other facilities, and will be accessible to passengers flying with Air France and its SkyTeam partner airlines. The boarding satellite opens on June 28, 2012, and will provide 6,000 sq m of retail space, consisting of boutiques, bars and restaurants, and 25,000 sq m of dedicated area for boarding lounges. Pierre Graff, the chairman of Aeroports de Paris, said, ‘By investing 580…

British travellers are all set to holiday abroad this summer, as incessant rain at home and the a weak euro further encourage them to take a leisure trip to a sunny overseas destination during the 2012 Olympics Games. A recent research survey by tour companies and travel agents has highlighted the fact that millions of British people are set to take a vacation abroad, in spite of the government encouraging them to stay in the UK and support team GB during the games. Lastminute.com, an online travel agent in the UK, has reported a 207 percent increase in bookings for…

New luxury accommodation is now on offer in Hawaii, US, with the Courtyard Maui Kahului Airport hotel opening this month. The new hotel is located on the scenic island of Maui, and it is the fourth hotel from the Marriott International-owned, Courtyard by Marriott brand, to be based in Hawaii. The 128-room, 10-suite hotel is owned by RD Olson Development, and is located close to the Maui Kahului Airport. The hotel features the brand’s signature, Refreshing Business lobby, which offers flexible private and public space and seating, along with media pods, and a free Wi-Fi service. The guestrooms include functional…

The London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) has launched an auction website to generate income from all kinds of superfluous Olympic memorabilia. With the world economy in a recession many organisations and corporations are seeking new ways to generate additional income, and LOCOG is no exception. The 2010 Winter Olympics saw the launch of the first auction of memorabilia from the games, with equipment, podiums, seats, and all sorts of Olympic-oriented bric-a-brac that is traditionally thrown away once the games are over, put up for auction instead. The Canadian Olympic Committee generated over $6 million in…

Ever since the recession, holidaying in the UK has become increasingly popular, with people choosing to stay at home rather than going abroad. And why wouldn’t you? Beautiful rolling hills in the Lake District and cities such as Leeds and Newcastle offering the perfect balance of culture and shopping, there’s certainly something for everyone. However, some people don’t see UK holidays as luxury. People fear being packed into a car surrounded by suitcases with no space to spread out, can’t afford the extortionate costs of fuel or don’t want to deal with the dreaded chorus of ‘are we there yet?’…