Business Traveller Middle East articles from January 2011

Business Traveller Middle East archives from January 2011

Am I missing something, Emirates?(LETTERS)(Letter to the editor)
January 1, 2011... I work overseas and am currently located in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. I travel approximately 50,000-]00,000 miles a year on a mix of medium and long-haul flights. I believe strongly in customer loyalty and research airlines that will meet my needs...

Make our lives easier.(LETTERS)(Letter to the editor)
January 1, 2011... Your Top travel tips feature in the previous issue was a great read and kept me amused while waiting for a flight recently. I enjoyed that while some of them were real gems, others were a little tongue-in-cheek. It got me thinking about what...

Ritz-Carlton DIFC adds sparkle to the business mix.(Ritz-Carlton Dubai International Financial Centre)
January 1, 2011... It's a case of 'ring in the new' for Dubai's top-end business hotel market with the Ritz-Carlton Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) opening on January 12. The 341-room hotel is a curious mix, classical yet modern, with abundant...

Corporates scramble for lucrative Qatar 2022 World Cup contracts.
January 1, 2011... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] External and intra-regional business travel to Qatar is set to boom as executives look to secure lucrative contracts asssociated with Qatar's hosting of the 2022 World Cup. The travel industry will be rubbing its...

Upscale duo for Bahrain.(Brief article)
January 1, 2011... The four-star K Hotel Bahrain, located close to main shopping areas and offering a panoramic view of the Mina Salman, is due to open in January. A member of the Gulf Hotels Group, the 237-room property claims to offer five-star services and...

Rooms race into Bur Dubai.
January 1, 2011... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Two hotels have opened in Bur Dubai, swelling the central district's inventory by a sizeable 1,083 rooms. The 392-room Park Regis Kris Kin, the first Middle East property from Australian-based Staywell Hospitality...

Countdown to GIBTM.(Upfront)
January 1, 2011... The fifth Gulf Incentives, Business Travel and Meetings Exhibition (GIBTM) is set to attract 250 exhibitors, 300 hosted buyers and 2,000 professionals through ADNEC's doors between March 28-30. Exhibition Manager Lloyd Kenyon said the...

New goals for Etihad in Manchester Airport.(Upfront)
January 1, 2011... Etihad Airways has opened a 318sqm lounge for Pearl Business Class guests in Manchester, featuring international food, a modern business centre, family room, relaxation area, bath and shower facilities and prayer room. The move follows...

One&Only The Palm sets sail into luxury waters.(Upfront)(Brief article)
January 1, 2011... Tucked away on the western edge of Palm Jumeirah, corporates are unlikely to be flocking in their droves to One&Only The Palm especially as the luxury 90room property only has one reception hall for relatively small-scale conferences. But...

HK calling for Abu Dhabi.(Upfront)(Brief article)
January 1, 2011... Cathay Pacific is set to open up the Hong Kong-Abu Dhabi business travel market--in the absence of any Etihad services thus far--when it starts four-a-week services on June 2. The services, operated on Airbus A330-300s, will provide another...

Maintain healthy balance at fitness-minded Westin.(Upfront)
January 1, 2011... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Westin Hotels & Resorts has teamed up with New Balance to encourage corporates to stay fit and healthy away from home. Guests can borrow the brand's running shoes and range of apparel and make use of fitness program...

Saudi in for the long haul.(Upfront)
January 1, 2011... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Saudi Arabian Airlines has sealed an order for 12 Boeing 777-300ER planes with an option for 10 more, valued at $3.3bn at average list prices, as well as eight Boeing 787 Dreamliners, which the carrier believes will...

Origami look at JAL hotel.(Upfront)(Brief article)
January 1, 2011... Meeting planners looking for something beyond the standard hotel offering can now book an origami-shaped conference room at the recently opened Hotel JAL Tower Dubai. Located on the ground floor, the structure makes a bold visual and...

Meet you at The Ivy.(Upfront)(Brief article)
January 1, 2011... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] One of London's best-known restaurants is coming to Dubai, with the Gulf offshoot of The Ivy aiming to recreate the same standards of food, ambience and service when it opens in The Boulevard, Jumeirah Emirates Towers,...

New luxury hotel in NYC.(Upfront)
January 1, 2011... The 157-room Setai Fifth Avenue, a Capella-managed hotel, recently opened its doors in the heart of New York City, just two blocks north of the Empire State Building. The luxury property features Italian-custom furniture, floor-to-ceiling rain...

Passenger operations delayed at new airport.(Upfront)
January 1, 2011... The start of passenger operations at Al Maktoum International Airport is to be put back to later in the year. Paul Griffiths, chief executive of Dubai Airports said it is reviewing the passenger terminal capacity and state of construction "in...

New cases for short or long trips from Samsonite.(Upfront)
January 1, 2011... Samsonite Group has launched its Pro-DLX 3 range comprising four compact business cases and three travel cases suitable for short or long trips. The collection offers a wide array of features including a soft padded laptop compartment, which...

Historic Hotels of Egypt.(Hotel news update)
January 1, 2011... The Egyptian General Company for Tourism and Hotels (EGOTH) has created a new brand, Historic Hotels of Egypt, for nine of its most iconic properties as part of an industry-wide upgrade. The state-owned company owns a total of 22 hotels in...

Jumeirah Group.(Brief article)
January 1, 2011... Jumeirah Group has signed a letter of understanding with Souria Holding to manage Jumeirah Abraj Souria, a five-star hotel in the Baramkeh area of central Damascus. Jumeirah Abraj Souria will be part of Abraj Souria, a mixed-use development and...

Premier Inn.(Hotel news update)
January 1, 2011... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Abu Dhabi International Airport Premier Inn--the airport's first branded property--is due to open in two years' time. The AED120m hotel will be located opposite Terminal 3, and linked to Terminals 1 and 3 by a retail...

Sofitel.(Hotel news update)
January 1, 2011... A trio of Sofitel hotels recently opened their doors, the Sofitel Vienna Stephansdom in Austria, Sofitel So Mauritius and Sofitel Phnom Penh Phokeethra in Cambodia.

Hilton Worldwide.(Hotel news update)
January 1, 2011... Hilton Worldwide has signed a management agreement for the newly built 676-room Hilton Makadi Resort 30km south of Hurghada, which is slated to open quarter two 2012.

Best Western.(Hotel news update)
January 1, 2011... Best Western is launching a new brand this year to capture business falling between its Best Western Premier luxury tier and the mid-scale Best Western. Best Western Plus, already launched in the US and Europe, will be launched in Asia with an...

Hyatt.(Hotel news update)
January 1, 2011... Hyatt hotels has announced the opening of its first property in Dusseldorf, a city known for its conferences and events. The 303-room Hyatt Regency Dusseldorf is located in one of two newly-built, 19-floor towers in the city's Media Harbour area.

Four Seasons.(Hotel news update)
January 1, 2011... Construction has started on the Four Seasons Hotel and Spa in the $2.5 billion Bahrain Bay Development. The 43-storey structure, which will contain 260 rooms, 'hi-tech' business centre and multi-use ballroom and banqueting hall, is due to open...

Yotel.(Hotel news update)
January 1, 2011... Yotel hotels is about to embark on a five-year global expansion and is eyeing up two new properties in Abu Dhabi and Dubai.

Rani Resorts.(Hotel news update)
January 1, 2011... Saudi-headquartered Rani Resorts is to start work on a $100m flagship resort on Paradise Island in Mozambique's Bazaruto Archipelago. The island will consist of an 80-room hotel and 50 holiday villas and apartments. Construction is due to begin...

The Address Hotels + Resorts.(Hotel news update)
January 1, 2011... The Address Hotels + Resorts has signed a management contract to operate The Address, The Terrace Bali, a luxury retreat in Pecatu Indah Resort in Bali's Badung Regency.

BAA.(Airline news update)(Brief article)
January 1, 2011... BAA didn't provide much festive cheer for Emirates in the run-up to Christmas after reports that two of its flights took off for London Heathrow from Dubai, only to return as they couldn't land at the snow-laden international hub. The turnaround...

Emirates.(Airline news update)
January 1, 2011... Emirates begins daily flights between Dubai and Geneva on June 1 in response to high demand from the business sector, particularly financial firms. The service, operated by a mix of Boeing 777-200LR and Boeing 777-300ER aircraft, complements...

Lufthansa.(Airline news update)
January 1, 2011... In response to demand from business travellers for additional flights, Lufthansa has increased its Abu Dhabi-Frankfurt schedule to daily services. The late night flight LH619 arrives in Frankfurt in time for connecting early morning departures...

Etihad Airways has struck a codeshare agreement with Asiana Airlines, complementing Etihad's daily service to Seoul which started in December.(Airline news update)
January 1, 2011... Etihad Airways has struck a codeshare agreement with Asiana Airlines, complementing Etihad's daily service to Seoul which started in December. The new co-operative relationship sees flights between Abu Dhabi, Seoul and beyond operating under an...

Royal Jordanian.(Airline news update)
January 1, 2011... Royal Jordanian has added an eighth Embraer aircraft (175) to its fleet, which offers 12 seats in Crown Class and 60 in economy. The airline, which is also renovating its four A340s, receives the first of seven new Airbus A320s in April and 11...

RAK Airways.(Airline news update)
January 1, 2011... RAK Airways started three-a-week services to Cairo in December, and introduced similar schedules to Dhaka and Chittagong, with new routes powered by Boeing 737-800s.

Egyptair.(Airline news update)
January 1, 2011... Egyptair has taken delivery of its 15th B737-800 which contains 24 business class seats in order to meet the demand on business travel. Seat pitch has been increased to 48 inches and the aircraft features video-on-demand services.

SAS Scandinavian Airlines.(Airline news update)
January 1, 2011... SAS Scandinavian Airlines has started its fourth season of winter operations between Dubai and Copenhagen. The route will be operated four times weekly on Airbus A340-300s, leaving Dubai on Sunday, Monday, Wednesday & Thursday.

Qatar Airways.(Airline news update)
January 1, 2011... Qatar Airways has begun three-a-week services from Doha to Nice (via Milan), operating an Airbus A330-200 in two-class configuration with 24 seats in Business Class, each offering 60-inch pitch. New services include Budapest and Bucharest...

Wataniya Airways.(Airline news update)
January 1, 2011... Wataniya Airways has added Amsterdam, Berlin, Bologna, Graz, Hamburg, Rome Fiumicino, Lyon, Munich, Nice and Venice to its network as part of a recently signed code-share agreement with Austrian Airlines.

Easyjet.(Airline news update)
January 1, 2011... Budget airline Easyjet is planning three-a-week services between London Gatwick and Amman from March 27--a first for the London airport, which has never offered a service to Jordan's largest city before and follows the Middle Eastern country...

New York JFK is set to become Lufthansa's fourth A380 destination with a new twice weekly service launching February 15.(Airline news update)
January 1, 2011... New York JFK is set to become Lufthansa's fourth A380 destination with a new twice weekly service launching February 15. It will be the first time that Lufthansa has served a transatlantic route with the superjumbo. Lufthansa could not confirm...

British Airways.(Airline news update)
January 1, 2011... British Airways is due to launch mobile boarding passes in Hong Kong by the first quarter of this year--the first city in Asia-Pacific to adopt the paperless check-in trend. Passengers can check in via the BA application on their smartphones and...

Park Regis Kris Kin: Dubai.(StayWell Hospitality Group)
January 1, 2011... WHAT'S IT LIKE? Australian-based StayWell Hospitality Group's first hotel in the Middle East is pitched as an upscale four-star hotel and ticks most of the requisite business and leisure boxes. Hoping to score highly on in-bound Australian and...

Metropark Hotel Wanchai: Hong Kong.(TRIED AND TESTED)
January 1, 2011... WHAT'S IT LIKE? Strikingly contemporary with clear ambitions for innovation, this compact and perfectly located hotel has a youthful sense of vibrancy. The lobby is decked out with designer furniture pieces and free coffee and internet counters...

Carlton Hotel Premier Wing: Singapore.(TRIED AND TESTED)
January 1, 2011... BACKGROUND Carlton Hotel, one of Singapore's veteran lodging providers, has been occupied these past two years, sprucing itself up to meet increasing competition. Renovation work culiminated in May with the launch of the Premier wing that added...

Pestana Chelsea Bridge Hotel and Spa: London.(TRIED AND TESTED)
January 1, 2011... BACKGROUND Portuguese group Pestana manages about 40 properties under the Pestana Hotels and Resorts brand in Europe, Africa and South America, along with another 45 "historic hotels" under the Pousadas de Portugal brand. This four-star London...

Beauty and the east: sight-studded Oman is always wary of wholescale development but the Sultanate is now stepping up its infrastructural projects.(Destination Management Middle East and Africa)
January 1, 2011... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] It's hard not to invoke the tortoise and hare analogy when comparing Oman with its next-door neighbour, the UAE. Everyone has seen the UAE's glittering towers rise out of the sands and into the...

Gradual ascent: Corporate jet operators attending the recent Middle East Business Aviation show were neither downbeat nor ecstatic about their sector's outlook.(CORPORATE JETS)
January 1, 2011... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] As one Emirates flight after another soared over the static display of corporate jets at the fourth Middle East Business Aviation (MEBA) show, it seemed an appropriate metaphor for the changing...

ExecuJet Middle East.
January 1, 2011... ExecuJet Middle East wasted no time riding on the back of Qatar's successful World Cup bid, teaming up with AI Faisal Holding to form ExecuJet Qatar, which is due to launch early 2011. ExecuJet Middle East has been operating in Dubai for over 11...

Tag Aviation Asia.
January 1, 2011... Tag Aviation Asia, the Hong Kong affiliate of Tag Aviation Holding, has formed an alliance with the China First Mandarin Group (CFMG) from Shenyang, People's Republic of China, to capitalise on China's expanding business market.

Fujairah International Airport.
January 1, 2011... Fujairah International Airport has sealed an Expression of Interest agreement with Cochin International Airport, which will lead to new flights between the two cities.

Comlux Aviation Group.
January 1, 2011... Comlux Aviation Group bought two Bombardier Global 7000 business aircraft, in a deal worth $130 million at list prices, and Bombardier received a firm order for five mid-size Learjet 85s and two large-cabin Challenger 605 jets from Jet Air Flug...

Al Jaber Aviation.
January 1, 2011... Al Jaber Aviation promoted its new Airbus 318 Elite, claiming it is a more viable option than traditional business jets as it can fly larger groups (up to 19 passengers). Internet, audio and video on-demand are among the on-board services.

Rizon Jet.
January 1, 2011... Rizon Jet from Doha is among the new operators of the Airbus Corporate Jetliner which it will manage on behalf of a new Gulf customer. Rizon Jet will also open a new FBO and MRO facility at Doha International Airport in January.

Nasair.
January 1, 2011... Nasair has started new services between Dubai and Saudi Arabia (10 flights a week), evenly split between Riyadh and Jeddah, and aims to operate 18 flights per week from Riyadh, Jeddah and AI Dammam to Dubai this year, as well as at least three...

328 Support Services.
January 1, 2011... 328 Support Services of Germany launched its 328DBJ, which replaces the Envoy version of the 328 and will be the standard for all future VIP conversions. IFE can be tailored to passengers' needs.

Dassault Falcon.
January 1, 2011... Dassault Falcon sold 14 aircraft in the Middle East in the last two years and has a backlog of 15 additional aircraft to be delivered to regional buyers by 2013. Dassault's current regional fleet size of about 60 business jets is expected to...

A whole new Rome: the Italian capital may best be known for its extraordinary history, but it is now taking great steps to present a more modern front.(Italian Contemporary Art Prize)
January 1, 2011... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Rome's skyline is changing. Long associated with the classical architecture of the 2,000year-old Colosseum, a futuristic new city is emerging alongside the venerable ruins. Two striking,...

Kick back in Kuala Lumpur: the Malaysian capital is much more than a hub for business--there's plenty to do if you have spare time too. Tamara Thiessen makes some suggestions.(KUALA LUMPUR)
January 1, 2011... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Kuala Lumpur's soaring silver-and-glass skyline mirror Malaysia's remarkable transformation over the past two decades into a manufacturing powerhouse and South East Asia's third-largest economy. But alongside the...

New world order: the rapidly expanding route networks of the Gulf carriers are putting Europe's hubs under threat.(AVIATION TRENDS)
January 1, 2011... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Every morning a bank of nonstop flights carrying thousands of passengers departs the Gulf for North America. This is a recent development, and Europe's airlines and airports are the losers. Why? Because a couple of...

Take your tablet: the tablet computer has become the latest must-have device to take on the road. Mark Prigg asks whether any of the new breed can rival the iPad.(TECHNOLOGY)
January 1, 2011... The tablet market owes its entire existence to one product--Apple's iPad. Although several firms had previously tried to launch large touchscreen gadgets--most notably Microsoft--a lack of software and fiddly interfaces doomed them all. However,...

Apps to avoid flaps: new mobile functions are designed to reduce travel dramas.(ESSENTIALS)
January 1, 2011... $735 BLACKBERRY CHECK IN WITH SWISS BLACKBERRY.COM BlackBerry-owning SWISS passengers can now access a free app through BlackBerry App World which enables them to make reservations, check in and select seats, among other services. The...

Ask Alex: Alex McWhirter answers your travel queries.
January 1, 2011... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] QUESTION: A colleague and I were delayed for seven hours at London Heathrow T5 because of a missed connection when travelling between Chicago and Lyon with British Airways. There was an hour to change planes. We started...

Astana: Nick Cooper explores one of Central Asia's newest and most idiosyncratic capitals.
January 1, 2011... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] KHAN SHATYR ENTERTAINMENT CENTRE Designed by eminent British architect Sir Norman Foster and built by Turkish...

Take aim in Abu Dhabi: Minty Clinch discovers lush fairways, tricky lagoons and a whole lot of sand in the emirate.
January 1, 2011... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Yas Links Where? 25km east of Abu Dhabi What's it like? The first links course in the Middle East, Yas Links (pictured left) opened on Yes Island in March, adding a new dimension to Emirati golf. Californian...

Win a two-night stay in Suite Novotel Mall of the Emirates.(COMPETITION)
January 1, 2011... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Suite Novotel Mall of the Emirates presents the comfort of modern rooms mixed with a vibrant and trendy atmosphere. Breaking away from the traditional hotel concept, Suite Novotel nurtures an offbeat ambience that...

Peaceful paddling: it's possible to escape to the country in the heart of Abu Dhabi.
January 1, 2011... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] When was the last time you experienced peace in the Emirates? Not quiet--although that can be a precious enough commodity these days--but deep, soothing, disruption-free silence? In a world of unremitting,...