Business Traveler articles from June 2005

Business Traveler archives from June 2005

This month.
June 1, 2005... Business Traveler has been the must-have reference for, well, business travellers for more than 17 years now. You see it in airport lounges, under the arms of busy executives and in your mailbox every month, each time packaging the most...

Hitting the spot.(Letter of the month)(Letter to the Editor)
June 1, 2005... If you have ever hit the nail on the head, you did it when you published the May issue of Business Traveler magazine. I just read it on my flights to and from Brazil and the articles that you put in this issue were dead on target for a very...

Behind the mask.(Letter of the month)(Letter to the Editor)
June 1, 2005... I am writing to clear up a misconception in a reader's letter in your recent issue (Business Traveler May) regarding the wearing of surgical masks. Contrary to what the author suggests, standard masks are not designed to protect the wearer from...

Banned booty.(Letter of the month)(Letter to the Editor)
June 1, 2005... On a return trip from New York in March, a very nice cigarette lighter I had bought for $10 was confiscated at JFK. I argued (not too much) that the FAA website said it was still permitted and said I would empty the gas, thus making it useless...

Nowhere to shower.(Letter of the month)(Letter to the Editor)
June 1, 2005... While waiting for a flight to Sydney at Los Angeles International Airport, I decided to relax and freshen up at the United Airlines first class lounge. But when I arrived, the lady on duty told me there were no showers available. However, she...

French hub develops.(AIRPORTS)
June 1, 2005... WE'D ALL LIKE THE USE OF a modern, spacious, convenient, 24-hour airport--one that is close to home and yet offers worldwide connections with minimal transit times and has its own high-speed train station. Charles de Gaulle (CDG) in Paris is...

KLM fights back.(AIRLINES)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... KLM IS RESPONDING TO competition from UK-based budget airlines by simplifying its prices and making promotional fares available year-round. In recent years the Dutch airline, which offers convenient transfer flights via Amsterdam, has lost...

Killing time while we travel.(STATISTICS CORNER)(airport shopping)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... Most international air travellers spend over an hour at the airport and three out of 10 spend over two hours (the average is 85 minutes). Airport shopping is the favourite way of passing the time, according to a survey by International Air...

New Heathrow Connect link.(TRAINS)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... A NEW STOPPING SERVICE between Paddington and London Heathrow starts this month. Train companies BAA Rail and First Group have spent 11.5 million [pounds sterling] ($21 million) on developing the new Heathrow Connect link, which will start on...

Portugal's heaven.(What's New? BUSINESS LEISURE FLIGHTS AIRPORT SHOPPING HOTELS RESORTS)(Penha Longa Hotel and Golf Resort )(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... Situated in the magical region around the Unesco town of Sintra and only 30 minutes from Lisbon, the Penha Longa Hotel and Golf Resort is reopening after a $20 million renovation, under the management of Ritz-Carlton. The resort is set within a...

Monte-Carlo gets modern.(Travel updates)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... Opening in October, the Monte-Carlo Bay Hotel & Resort is the Principality's high-budget bid for a younger market. Set in four hectares of tropical gardens with water attractions, the 334 bedrooms and suites have access to Europe's first...

Chill out.(Travel updates)
June 1, 2005... Perfect for warm evenings, the new way of serving Remy Martin VSOP is "Sub-Zero". It's a nice twist on drinking COgnac. Freezing extremely Fine Champagne Cognac might seem a little severe, but because the alcohol prevents the cognac from...

New Pier 6 for London Gatwick airport.(Travel updates)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... Having to be transferred by bus is now a thing of the past for several million passengers flying with British Airways from or through London Gatwick, now that the airport's North Terminal has opened "the largest passenger bridge in the world"....

Meeting spaces of Grandeur.(Travel updates)(Palais Coburg)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... There are many extraordinary histories behind hotels, but the Palais Coburg is something special. Built between 1840 and 1845 by Ferdinand yon Sachsen-Coburg-Gotha above the foundations of Vienna's fortifications dating to the 16th century, it...

Japanese nights.(Travel updates)(Conrad Tokyo )(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... Tokyo has a new opening to look forward to in July. The Conrad Tokyo is within walking distance of Ginza and 15 minutes by car from Tokyo Station. The 290 rooms, including 68 suites, occupy the top 10 floors of the 37-storey Tokyo Shiodome...

Boutique heaven.(Travel updates)
June 1, 2005... A new brand for a newlybranded hotel group: The Preferred Hotel Group. Already well known to business travellers from the Preferred Hotels & Resorts, Summit Hotels & Resorts and Sterling Hotels brands, the new group will be joined by Boutique...

Room with a view.
June 1, 2005... At the end of this month, the five-star Plaza on the River club and Residence make its debut. Billed as "London's most exclusive five-star all-suite residence hotel", it certainly has views to boast about from its location on the south bank of...

Krug in Wales.(Travel updates)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... The first ever Krug champagne bar in Wales has opened at the St David's Hotel and Spa in Cardiff. The Tides Bar and Grill is now serving Krug Grande Cuvee, Krug Rose, KrugVintage 1990 and Krug Clos du Mesnil 1992. For more details, visit...

Mastercard and Singapore Airlines.(Deals)
June 1, 2005... Mastercard and Singapore Airlines are offering a discount of up to $1,000 per ticket when two or more passengers purchase a full fare Raffles class (business class) ticket on their Mastercard. The discount is valid on roundtrip tickets to...

Continental and Singapore Airlines.(Deals)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... Continental and Singapore Airlines are offering a round-the-world (RTW) fare which allows business travellers to make huge savings on international business class tickets without one of the usual major restrictions imposed on such fares. The...

Aer Lingus.(Deals)(airlines)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... Aer Lingus is currently offering outstanding transatlantic fares starting at $124 one-way in economy between New York or Boston and Ireland, and $1,115 each way in business from New York or Boston (and $1,515 from Chicago) to Ireland. These are...

Turkish Airways.(Deals)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... Turkish Airways is offering good deals on flights from New York to Tashkent in Uzbekistan. While British Airways and Air France charge $6,564 and $5,585 respectively for a return in business class, Turkish Airways--a three-star airline...

Intercontinental Hotels & Resorts'.(Deals)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... Intercontinental Hotels & Resorts' Luxury Escapes programme is offering reductions at more than 100 properties, with rates including breakfast and late checkout. The special rates require only a five-day advance booking and one night deposit,...

JW Marriott.(Deals)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... JW Marriott is offering reduced room rates at its Desert Ridge Resort & Spa in Phoenix, Arizona. For stays before June 15, guests can enjoy room rates as low as $139 per night (after June 15, rates begin at $159 per night based on availability...

Rewarding excellence in the Middle East.(Business Traveller Middle East Awards)
June 1, 2005... THE BUSINESS TRAVELLER MIDDLE East Awards took place on Monday May 2, 2005 with 400 guests attending at the Godolphin Ballroom, Emirates Towers Hotel in Dubai. Voted for by readers of Business Traveller Middle East, the award categories covered...

Japan Airlines business class.(FLIGHT CHECK: TOKYO LONDON)
June 1, 2005... FIRST IMPRESSIONS All international flights leave from Terminal 2 at Narita Airport. Check-in for my 1200 departure was straightforward and, although I had a lot of hand luggage, I was not over the 10kg limit. My flight was from Gate C, which...

Air India economy class.(FLIGHT CHECK: LONDON-DELHI)
June 1, 2005... FIRST IMPRESSIONS Braced for what I expected to be a lengthy wait at Air India's economy check-in at London Heathrow's Terminal 3, I was pleasantly surprised to be ushered straight to a desk for my 0945 flight. I had arrived two hours early...

Ritz-Carlton.(HOTEL CHECK: DOHA, QATAR)
June 1, 2005... WHAT'S IT LIKE? A 23-storey tower built on a man-made island, the Ritz-Carlton opened in 2001 but still feels very new. Its most arresting feature is the 7.5m Viennese Baakowitz chandelier beneath the central atrium in the marble-floored lobby,...

Four Seasons Hotel.(HOTEL CHECK: DOHA, QATAR)
June 1, 2005... WHAT'S IT LIKE? Opened in April, the Four Seasons is the newest hotel in Doha and is a touch less ostentatious than the Ritz-Carlton. Instead of all things gold and gaudy the decor is toned down to a more personal, elegant finish--more mansion...

Mallory Court.(HOTEL CHECK: WARWICKSHIRE, UK)
June 1, 2005... WHAT'S IT LIKE? This traditional country house hotel, a member of Relais & Chateaux, is well known for its award-winning food, but has also recently added a conference centre and new brasserie to capture conference and meeting traffic from the...

Golfing around Florence: Minty Clinch tees off in the beautiful Tuscan region's most unmissable golf courses, which will challenge both your fitness and your ingenuity.(Golfing around Florence)
June 1, 2005... LE PAVONIERE GOLF AND COUNTRY CLUB Where is it? 15km west of Florence. What's it like? Don't expect to come on Le Pavoniere by chance--or indeed at all unless you get very specific directions through Prato's sprawling commercial...

Get some therapy: business travellers are spending their spare time, and spare change on spa treatments. Lie back, for Business traveler's guide to London's finest ...(Spa special)
June 1, 2005... Perhaps it's the pre-dawn trek to the airport, the crush at the gate, the cramped economy seat, the indignities of immigration or the interminable wait for baggage. Or maybe it's getting lost on the rail shuttle into town, being ripped off by a...

Treatment in transit: the Molton Brown Travel Spas at British Airways lounges offer a respite from life on the go.(Spa special)
June 1, 2005... An airport is a strange place to get undressed. A place of noise, bustle and stress, it makes you want to put on a protective shield rather than relax. You keep your luggage close, compulsively pat down your clothing every few seconds to check...

Private tables: entertaining in Asia Pacific and want to wow your guests? A chef's table has the benefits of a private room plus the drama of the kitchen.(Chef's tables)
June 1, 2005... The idea behind a chef's table is a simple one. Instead of renting a restaurant's private room, you have a room to yourself, but open to the kitchen. It has all the advantages of a private room and its seclusion from the main restaurant, but...

Out of the boardroom: take your staff to a far-flung venue to get their creativity flowing. Margie T Logarta tracks down the world's most exciting meeting places.(Corporate retreats)
June 1, 2005... DUBAI Debating in the dunes Imagine watching falcons soar and swoop at sunrise riding a doughty camel at dusk or spotting the once-endangered Arabian oryx drinking delicately from, a watering hole. It's all possible at the award...

Sound of the city: Salvador, Bahia is where Brazil's African heritage is at its most colourful.(Salvador)
June 1, 2005... Salvador is an assault on the senses. I realise this as I attempt a recovery from my journey on the balcony of my hotel. An aquamarine sea is framed by the island of Itaparica, All Saints Bay is like a computer-generated graphic of perfection,...

Cushioned in comfort: the people of Brunei are content and prosperous but some belt tightening may lie ahead.(Brunei)
June 1, 2005... From my balcony by the South China Sea I can see distant oil rigs. This necklace of lights is a sparkling reminder of tiny Brunei's enormous wealth. Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah rules this Southeast Asian anomaly where a small but pampered...

Hotel Majestic Barcelona.(Privilege club)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... In its position on the Passeig de Gracia, the most prestigious shopping avenue of Barcelona, the Hotel Majestic Barcelona is within walking distance of Plaza de Catalunya and the famous Ramblas. Built in 1918, the Hotel Majestic Barcelona...

Quo Puerta del Sol Hotel Madrid.(Privilege club)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... The hotel is in the cultural and commercial centre of Madrid, within the emblematic triangle formed by Puerto del Sol, Alcala Street and Gran Via. Tourist attractions such as the Prado and Thyssen are just a few minutes' walk away. ...

The Westin Dublin.(Privilege club)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... Magnificently restored to its former splendour of 1863, The Westin Dublin introduces a new level of Irish hospitality, offering quests an atmosphere of sophistication and style. Occupying one of the best locations in the city, overlooking...

4 hours in Tokyo: Lauren Custance gets to grips with Tokyo's complicated metro system to explore the conflicting faces of this vast and powerful city, parts of which served to inspire Ridley Scott's "Blade Runner".
June 1, 2005... (1) Shibuya station The best way to get around Tokyo is to use the metro, but it can be complicated. The main obstacle is that there are two subway systems and separate green JR overground lines and tickets, and one-day passes on these...

Mangrove magic: Jacintha Stephens is bewitched by fireflies and moonlight on a weekend break from Singapore.(Great escape: Bintan, Indonesia)(Advertisement)
June 1, 2005... We're sitting on the edge of the South China Sea, listening to the waves. We watch the sun set over a blood orange horizon, then indulge in a feast of fresh seafood, scooped out from the nets below. At the Kelong Restaurant (a kelong is a...