Business Traveler articles from August 2001

Business Traveler archives from August 2001

Editor's letter.
August 1, 2001... While hijackings and terrorism might be the headline-grabbing stuff that blockbuster movies are made of, it's far more common for international business travelers to be caught up in a country experiencing political or civil unrest. And...

Bad behavior. (Letter Of The Month).
August 1, 2001... I am a doctor and vice president of marketing and sales for a high-tech company with offices in Israel, Washington, D.C., and in a number of European capitals. During the year 2000, I traveled 130,000 miles on Swissair, 45,000 miles on...

Fit to print. (Letter Of The Month).
August 1, 2001... I enjoyed your article regarding staying fit while traveling in your May 2001 issue. As a frequent domestic business traveler--flying 60,000 miles per year--and a fitness fanatic, I have employed many of the suggestions Mubarak Dahir wrote...

London falling. (Letter Of The Month).
August 1, 2001... On a recent trip starting in Houston, we flew to London via Continental, where we were to connect to Hamburg, Germany, via British Airways. The Continental flight, which left Houston at 7 p.m. Monday evening, March 19, was uneventful and landed...

American resolution. (Letter Of The Month).
August 1, 2001... I travel on business to Latin America quite often. Recently, on a return trip from El Salvador to Miami, the American Airlines plane had some mechanical problems, and the replacement part was not available in El Salvador. Consequently, American...

On track. (Rail).(Rail Europe travel options)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2001... IF STRANGERS ON A TRAIN and Murder on the Orient Express are among your favorite films, consider starring in your own railway adventure on your next trip to Europe. Rail Europe offers new "Excelsior" and "Comfort" options on night trains...

Venezuelan spice. (Hotels).(Four Seasons Hotel Caracas, Venezuela)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2001... FOUR SEASONS has chosen the mountain-fringed metropolis of Caracas, Venezuela, as the site of its first South American hotel. The 212-room hotel evokes the spirit of this Spanish colonial city with locally crafted furniture and Venezuelan food...

Pull up your stockings. (Health).(preventing blood clots while flying)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2001... WHILE THE DEBATE about "Economy Class Syndrome" rages, business travelers have chosen a variety of methods to combat the malady. Look toward the galley on your next flight to Bangkok, and you'll see panicky CEOs doing leg lifts and jumping...

Stormy weather. (Airports).(limited use of the Integrated Terminal Weather System at airports)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2001... WAITING for another delayed flight? Recent FAA tests show the new Integrated Terminal Weather System can give up to 60 minutes of advance warning to avoid bad weather in flight, shaving hours off delay time. At JFK, Newark and La Guardia, over...

Runways: more models needed? (Airlines).(runway expansion may not reduce delays if improperly designed)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2001... THE ANNOUNCEMENT comes over the PA, as inevitable as death and taxes. "We regret to inform you that flight XX is delayed/canceled/overbooked." Could the lack of adequate runways make a difference in this all too familiar scenario? Virginia...

King of Siam. (Hotels).(The Regent Bangkok, Bangkok, Thailand)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2001... FREQUENT TRAVELERS TO BANGKOK are familiar with the graceful courtesy typical of Thai hospitality. Guests at Bangkok's Regent Bangkok hotel can look forward to the hotel's legendary silken glove service, as well as the completion of a new $4...

The new Millennium. (Hotels).(remodeled Millennium Hotels in New York, New York and Los Angeles, California)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2001... THE MILLENNIUM HOTEL group is acquiring gems. In New York, the Regal U.N. Plaza Hotel and, in Los Angeles, the Regal Biltmore have undergone a sea change and become flagship hotels of the chain. The newly renamed Millennium Hotel, U.N., New...

Captain Bligh, CEO. (Cruises).(Bounty Cruises in Sydney, Australia)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2001... IF YOU'VE EVER called your boss Captain Bligh under your breath, you just might want to recommend a corporate incentive meeting in Sydney, Australia. Moored in one of the city's oldest bays is the replica of the HMS Bounty, which starred in the...

Correction.
August 1, 2001... In the June 2001 issue of Business Traveler, in the Airline Deals section, we incorrectly listed Air Europa's one-way restricted coach fare from JFK to Madrid at $46. The fare should have been listed as $465. Business Traveler regrets the...

Guests at the Swissotel Atlanta can enjoy rates of $139 a night plus specials from the property's Palm Restaurant. (United States And Canada).(Brief Article)
August 1, 2001... Guests at the Swissotel Atlanta can enjoy rates of $139 a night plus specials from the property's Palm Restaurant. This deal is available until September 3. Call 888-73-SWISS for information and reservations.

Park Hyatt Hotels is offering weekend packages at its North American properties until October 31. (United States And Canada).(Brief Article)
August 1, 2001... Park Hyatt Hotels is offering weekend packages at its North American properties until October 31. Guests at Park Hyatt properties in New York, Philadelphia, Washington, Toronto, Chicago, San Francisco, Carmel and Los Angeles can take advantage...

The Plaza in Manhattan is offering extra perks until August 31. (United States And Canada).(Brief Article)
August 1, 2001... The Plaza in Manhattan is offering extra perks until August 31. For $345 a night, guests receive accommodations and a meal for two at ONEc.p.s., the property's new restaurant. After two nights, guests will also receive a $100 gift certificate...

Stay at the Miami Beach Ocean Resort for two nights before September 30 and enjoy a slashed rate of $139 a night (includes breakfast). (United States And Canada).(Brief Article)
August 1, 2001... Stay at the Miami Beach Ocean Resort for two nights before September 30 and enjoy a slashed rate of $139 a night (includes breakfast). Rates normally start at $220. Reservations and information at 800-550-0505.

The Melia Cabo Real Beach and Golf Resort in Los Cabos is offering special golf packages until October 14. (Latin America).(Brief Article)
August 1, 2001... The Melia Cabo Real Beach and Golf Resort in Los Cabos is offering special golf packages until October 14. For $368, guests receive four days and three nights at the resort, daily breakfast, one greens fee at the Cabo Real Golf Course and one...

Xara Palace in Mdina, Malta, is offering a three-night deal until August 31. (Europe).(Brief Article)
August 1, 2001... Xara Palace in Mdina, Malta, is offering a three-night deal until August 31. The package is $755 based on double occupancy (includes breakfast), a savings of nearly $200. Reservations at www.xarapalace.com.mt.

SRS-Worldhotels offers various discounts of up to 30 percent at several properties. (Worldwide).(Brief Article)
August 1, 2001... SRS-Worldhotels offers various discounts of up to 30 percent at several properties. A night at the Evergreen Laurel Hotel in Bangkok, for example, is $122, These rates are valid until August 31, and vary by location. Call 800-223-5652 or visit...

Cyber valet. (Sites for Sore Eyes).(Brief Article)
August 1, 2001... Whoever said juggling your career while trekking the globe was easy? Not only do you have to worry about your airline tickets, hotel accommodations, business appointments and other job responsibilities, but try managing your dry cleaning,...

Club date. (Airlines).(full-service lounge opens at the Dallas/Fort Worth Airport)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2001... AMERICAN AIRLINES' new Admiral's Club at Dallas/Fort Worth is aviation's equivalent of the legendary Studio 54. Everyone is trying to get in, and everyone is talking about it. Along with airlines like Virgin, Delta and United, who have all...

Smoke out. (Hotels).(Brief Article)
August 1, 2001... If you're one of the last remaining dyed-in-the-wool smokers of the world, you probably won't want to book a room at New York's Comfort Inn Midtown. This August, it becomes the Big Apple's first completely smoke-free hotel. There are no...

Northwest. (Flight Log).(Brief Article)
August 1, 2001... Northwest will cancel routes between Seattle and Osaka; between Osaka and Kao-hsiung, Taiwan; and between Osaka and Kuala Lumpur.

Virgin Atlantic. (Flight Log).(Brief Article)
August 1, 2001... Virgin Atlantic increases service to London from Las Vegas and San Francisco this summer. Beginning June 19, Las Vegas to London gets three flights weekly. San Francisco gets four flights weekly during the summer. Flights touch down at London's...

Delta. (Flight Log).(adds nonstop flight)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2001... Delta has launched daily nonstop service from JFK to Tel Aviv, starting June. The wide-body Boeing MD-II flight takes the place of the route discontinued by the bankrupted Pan American World Airways, which it canceled five years ago. Delta...

Cathay Pacific. (Flight Log).(adds New York to Hong Kong flight)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2001... Cathay Pacific will inaugurate daily nonstop service from New York to Hong Kong on September 1, joining Continental and United, who currently fly the same nonstop time-saving route over the pole.

Czech Airlines. (Flight Log).(additions to service)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2001... This April, Czech Airlines begins direct flights four times a week from JFK to Prague. The airline's current metropolitan New York flights operate out of Newark. The Newark flights (three per week) will continue while the JFK flights will...

Northwest. (Airline Deals).(Brief Article)
August 1, 2001... NORTHWEST has introduced a new domestic first-class fare called "BIZFIRST." This new first-class fare is similar to a 14-day advance purchase supersaver but with a minimum stay of only one day, not a Saturday night. The maximum stay is 30 days,...

Swissair. (Airline Deals).(Brief Article)
August 1, 2001... SWISSAIR has extended MasterCard Economy "TWO FOR ONE" for travelers departing October 1 through December 31, with all travel completed by February 28, 2002. Travel is blacked out from May through September. The paid ticket must be a 14-day...

US Airways. (Airline Deals).(Brief Article)
August 1, 2001... US AIRWAYS has extended their shuttle bonus through August 23. Travelers will receive 500 Dividend miles and 500 American Airlines AAdvantage miles simultaneously. For more details call US Airways frequent traveler service center at...

Cathay Pacific. (Airline Deals).(Brief Article)
August 1, 2001... CATHAY PACIFIC is offering a two for one called the "D2AMEX" fare. Travel is in business class using their direct flights 888 and 889 from JFK to Hong Kong and various points beyond. This two for one can be one-way or round-trip, originating in...

Dinah-myte. (Hotels).(Dinah's Garden Hotel)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2001... DINAH'S GARDEN Hotel in Silicon Valley has borrowed the brothel's age-old prescription against boredom: themed rooms. Guests can choose from 22 new international suites, including the Railroad Baron's Suite, the Asian Sunset Suite and the Left...

Lap dance. (Airports).(John F. Kennedy International Airport offers business center)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2001... YOUR COMPANY is cutting corners. You're at JFK, jostled through the crowd at check-in for your economy-class flight to St. Louis, and you have to e-mail a document to the office before you board. The business-class lounge laptop port is not an...

Top of the town.(Bacar, Torch, Masa's and Naha)
August 1, 2001... Chicago RESTAURANT Naha 500 N. Clark St., Chicago, IL 60610, tel. 312-321-6242 The former executive chef of the Four Seasons Los Angeles Beverly Hills, Carrie Nahabedian now serves up some of the best food in the downtown...

Restaurant check Vestibul, Vienna. (News Report).(Vienna, Austria)
August 1, 2001... Vestibul Dr. Karl Lueger-Ring 2, 1010 Vienna, Tel. 01/532-4999, Open Monday through Friday, 11 a.m. to midnight; Saturday, 6 p.m. to midnight Opened within the past six months, this restaurant occupies a lower wing of the...

American Airlines. (Reward Roundup).(Brief Article)
August 1, 2001... AAdvantage Members are being rewarded with 1,000 bonus miles when they sign up for eSummary, the online version of the AAdvantage Summary mailing members currently receive. As a double incentive, American will randomly choose 20 members each...

Continental Airlines. (Reward Roundup).(Brief Article)
August 1, 2001... OnePass Members earn an additional 1,000 miles each time they purchase an e-ticket. Plus, Continental antes up with speed check-in at 57 airports entitling users to a onetime bonus of another 1,000 miles. Until September 1, OnePass Members...

Omission.(Statistical Data Included)
August 1, 2001... The following information was erroneously omitted from Business Traveler's Economy Class Survey in the June 2001 issue. Business Traveler regrets the omission. Airline Layout Pitch Width Free Al. LanChile ...

Bed, bath and way beyond. (Hotels).(Brief Article)
August 1, 2001... WHEN THE WESTIN hotel group decided to create a bath to match the company's trademarked Heavenly Bed, it surveyed its guests on getting wet on the road and came up with some bizarre statistics. "The shower curtain sucking in and touching...

Austrian Airlines grand class. (Flight check: JFK, New York to Vienna).(Brief Article)
August 1, 2001... First Impressions: Upon entering the terminal at JFK, it seemed like a scavenger hunt to find the Austrian Airlines check-in counter. After walking around for at least five minutes trying not to look lost, I sheepishly asked a Lufthansa...

Spot check. (Consumer Checks).(Brief Article)
August 1, 2001... We asked half a dozen hotels in cities around the world how much they charged guests for viewing in-room movies. Here's what we found: W Chicago City Center $9.95-$10.95 per movie Mark Hopkins Inter-Continental,...

Four Seasons Hotel: Toronto. (Hotel Check).(Brief Article)
August 1, 2001... THE FOUR SEASONS is the preferred choice of business travelers to Toronto, for the hotel has no peer when it comes to minimizing the stress of corporate travel. For instance, guests have the option of a "curb-side check-in," which makes for a...

Miami nice: with plummeting crime rates, packed hotels and an ongoing Art Deco district revival, Miami has cleaned up its act and bid good-bye to the days of drug-tainted cash and flash. (HomeFront: Miami).
August 1, 2001... Plagued with tourist killings in the early 90s, Miami's vibrant sunshine state image quickly deteriorated into a gloomy picture. Tourism robberies and crime reached record highs while the city was shattered with drugs, racial tensions and gang...

Four hours in Muscat.(Muscat is the capital of Oman)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2001... Muscat, the capital of Oman, is spread out over three main areas, Mutrah, Muscat and Ruwi. Mutrah, often referred to as the Corniche, and old Muscat are the oldest areas of the city and the best places to walk around, Temperatures in the summer...

In harm's way: executive kidnapping has become a lucrative cottage industry in some parts of the world. But that's just one of the risks facing business travelers as they touch down in more countries than ever before.(ensuring personal safety)
August 1, 2001... AS BULLETS DRUBBED AGAINST the concrete exterior of the Holiday Inn in downtown Port au Prince, Haiti, Tamara Shetler lay on her belly, pressed between the wall and the bed, shivering with fear. Lying there in disbelief, she could hear the...

Latin hospitality. (Special Advertising Section).(hotels in Latin America)(Directory)
August 1, 2001... AS MADE FRUSTRATINGLY CLEAR by the onslaught of people flooding flights to Chile, Mexico, Argentina and beyond, business in Latin America is booming. The growing number of hotels cropping up throughout the region that cater to local and...

Einstein's getaway: Rugen, Germany's historic resort island is back in form. (Great escape: Rugen).(Brief Article)
August 1, 2001... STROLLING THE STRANDPROMENADE in Binz, on Rugen Island just off Germany's Baltic coast, it's easy to feel transported back to the 1890s. This boardwalk is fronted by stately, whitewashed villas in the Baderarkitektur (spa architecture) style,...

Finland wins double awards in Skytrax survey.(Finnair Oy and Helsinki-Vantaa International Airport selected as best by travellers)
August 1, 2001... Finnair: Best Airline in Scandinavia 2001. Finnair has been recognized as the "Best Airline in Scandinavia 2001" by global travelers, according to Skytrax, a leading industry research firm based in the UK. The survey was the largest...

Taster's choice 2001 Cellars in the Sky awards.(wines served by airlines)(Buyers Guide)
August 1, 2001... YOU'VE MADE IT FROM YOUR OFFICE through the late afternoon traffic to the airport. You've run the check-in/security decathlon and have gotten to your gate on time. You find your seat, sit back and wait to hear those golden words, "A glass of...

French connections: as competition in the world wine market heats up, Bordeaux can no longer afford to be complacent about its place in the scheme of things. An urban renewal project and efforts to promote this ancient city's history as a trading capital are underway. (Focus: Bordeaux).(Bordeaux region of France)
August 1, 2001... IF BORDEAUX WAS A PERSON, she'd be a grand old 19th-century lady, dressed in wide skirts, and chasing at her heels would be some upstart teenagers on rollerblades. And, like most old ladies, Bordeaux has plenty of stories to tell. Her history...

The Middle East: no longer for business only. (Special Advertising Section).
August 1, 2001... ONCE SEEN AS DRY AND BARREN--and inhabited mostly by Bedouins and their camels, the Middle East is emerging as a Mecca for leisure travelers who have discovered its charms and a growing list of comfortable amenities. Overlooked by all but...

West of the rest: closer to Singapore than Sydney, Perth is capital of an engine driving much of Australia's export-dependent economy. This sprawling port city means business, but leisure is big business too. (Focus: Perth).(Perth, Australia)
August 1, 2001... PERTH IS EASY. Clean, green and serene, the Western Australian state capital is an uncrowded city that works. What's more, life out on the lonely western edge is unhurried and easygoing. But, make no mistake, "dubya-A" means business. This...

Beijing open for business: Jill Dunning reports that Beijing is quickly transforming from a closed enigma to a modern hub on par with other Asian cities, as an emerging middle class feeds its appetite for consumer goods. (Insider's guide: Beijing).(Beijing, China)
August 1, 2001... ANYONE RETURNING TO BEIJING after a few years' break will see a massive change in the Chinese capital. Within a decade, it has transformed itself from being a rather disjointed, closed city that was something of an enigma to the outside world,...

Offer of the month: 40% off in Latin America compliments of NH-Hoteles. (Hotels).(Brief Article)
August 1, 2001... The NH-Hoteles Group is a European-style hotel chain that offers personalized service and fine cuisine, and concentrates in meeting all the needs of the discriminating business traveler to the last detail. The company, which is a market...

A breathtaking getaway, compliments of Fairmont. (Privilege Club).(Fairmont Le Manoir Richelieu)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2001... For over a century, Fairmont Le Manoir Richelieu has welcomed an elite clientele from around the world to lavish in its storybook setting of spectacular vistas and enchanting beauty. The magnificent landscapes seen from this property have...

Special offer from Renaissance Harbour View Hotel, Hong Kong. (Privilege Club).(Brief Article)
August 1, 2001... This superior, first-class hotel has a superb location on top of the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, placing it on the Wanchai waterfront and near major shopping and tourist areas, the famous Star Ferry and the Wanchai Metro...

Unlimited golf and upgrades from Starwood Hotels and Resorts. (New Hotel Offers).(Phoenix, Arizona)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2001... Four of Phoenix's finest golf resorts are teaming up to offer Privilege Club members the best Unlimited Golf package available. This package includes one-night accommodations in a guest room and all the golf two people can play. Until September...