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HAPPY & HEALTHY HOLIDAYS ! DECEMBER 2013
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TRAVELWATCHER
Insider news & notes from your business travel authority
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Flying with your gadgets
The Federal Aviation Administration will allow airlines to expand passengers' use of portable electronic devices during all phases of flight, but cell phone calls will still be prohib ited. Implementation will vary among airlines due to differences among fleets and operations. But the agency expects many carriers to show that their planes allow passengers to safely use their devices in airplane mode, gate-to-gate, by the end of the year. In a statement, the FAA said it reached its decision after consulting a group of experts that included representatives from the airlines, aviation manufacturers, passengers, pilots, flight attendants and the mobile technology industry. Devices must be held or put in the seat-back pocket during the actual takeoff and landing. Cell phones should be in airplane mode or with cellular service disabled and cannot be used for voice communications due to FCC regulations that prohibit any airborne calls using cell phones, the agency said. If an air carrier provides Wi-Fi service during flight, passengers may use it. Short-range Bluetooth accessories, like wireless keyboards, can also be used.
HOTELNEWS 2013 Hotel survey: Four Seasons, Kimpton triumph
Four Seasons this year returned to the top of the Business Travel News 2013 Hotel Chain Survey's luxury tier, while boutique chain Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants bested numerous brands with much wider distribution to become travel buyer respondents' highest-rated upper upscale brand. Besides Four Seasons, only two other luxury brands did not experience a drop in overall score compared with last year: JW Marriott and Fairmont Hotels & Resorts. Several other brands also were new to the list: Loews and Sofitel, returning to the survey for the first time since 2010; Shangri-La, Conrad and Peninsula, each of which has not been on the survey for about a decade; and Grand Hyatt and the Trump Hotel Collection, both making their chain survey debuts.
Business travelers are Four Seasons' "most frequent and most demanding guests," according to Four Seasons vice president of corporate and travel industry sales in the Americas Don Jones, and the brand's performance--even in the age of budget belt-tightening--stems from its experience tailoring service to them. Though memories of the stigma of luxury travel from the 2008 economic downturn are fresh, those brands seek to counter the idea that luxury service and amenities are frivolous expenses. Having listened to Four Seasons' corporate customers, mostly executives, speak at a recent forum, Jones said he was struck at how busy most were, to the point that even standing in a line was an intolerable waste of time. As such, recent service innovations include such time-savers as check-in from cars via an app and offering room service orders to go for flights.
Among the other top brands in the tier, Shangri-La, a Hong Kong-based luxury brand with a large presence in Asia but no U.S. properties, received top marks for its in-room business amenities and was ranked second overall. Buyers named Marriott's Ritz-Carlton brand, ranked third, for best service and overall value.
See the whole survey here: 2013 Hotel Chain Survey
Rocco Forte hotels now offering free wi-fi 
And remember: Protravel International is a member of Sir Rocco Forte's Knights agency recognition program, which entitles our clients to EXCLUSIVE VIP amenities at all Rocco Forte hotels.
InterContinental helps your kids develop worldly palette
InterContinental Hotels & Resorts will launch a new children's menu in 2014 designed to take kids on an educational voyage around the world. Jointly developed by Theo Randall, chef at the InterContinental London Park Lane, and children's food expert and author Annabel Karmel, the menu promises meals that are both enjoyable and nutritionally balanced. The new menu will be available in all InterContinental properties globally by the end of June 2014. "Children are naturally inquisitive, and grown-ups are often surprised by the flavors they enjoy," Karmel said. "Sometimes it takes a little encouragement, and a holiday with the family can be a great opportunity to explore new and exciting foods..."
More hotels offering goodies to go
Hotel guests have long been able to buy plush robes that are hanging in their rooms. After the launch of Westin's Heavenly Bed, beds and bedding also became big sellers, with brands like W Hotels opening online "stores". And now hotels are selling food products to guests who enjoy the gourmet goodies during their stays. Among those that have begun to sell food and beverage items that reflect what they are best known for:
- Langham Hospitality Group sells four tea blends at its hotels to reflect that their hotels have been serving tea for more than 140 years.
- The CasaMagna Marriott Puerto Vallarta Resort and Spa on Mexico's west coast makes and sells its own tequila using the blue agave grown on site.
- The Waldorf-Astoria Grand Wailea Maui makes and sells its own honey, produced in beehives on the roof of the ballroom at the property.
- The Hotel Monaco Denver sells its own breads and tapenade, made in house.
- The Social Club at the Surfcomber in Miami Beach sells its own fresh-pressed juices.
London hotel bars drown Winter blues
Here are four London hotel bars we recommend at fine hotels where your Protravel agent can score you some lovely perks to boot:
The Beaufort Bar at The Savoy: Live music six nights of the week (pictured above)
The Bar at Rosewood: Having only just opened in October, after a $100+ million renovation of this 1914 Edwardian building on High Holborn. Check out the fireplace.
The Blue Boar Bar at InterContinental Westminster: Off St. James's Park. Political cartoons and on-site charcoal and smoke ovens.
The Donovan Bar at Rocco Forte Brown's Hotel: Down a quiet street in Mayfair, with live jazz six nights of the week after 9pm.
The Bar at Rosewood
The Donovan Bar
Don Draper's New York
"Mad Men," the AMC series that Rolling Stone called "the greatest TV drama of all time," is soon back for a new season. Although it's filmed primarily in Los Angeles, the show is set in New York, and notable locations across the city turn up in the script. Here are some of spots ad exec Don Draper's and his cohorts at Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce hang out. You'll have to wait for Spring for the final season to begin, but entertain clients in NYC anytime!
Grand Central Oyster Bar & Restaurant: 100-year-old seafood establishment on the lower level of Grand Central Station, 89 E. 42nd Street (Don't miss the smoked brook trout) Sardi's: A favorite with the Broadway crowd for more than 85 years (the Tony Awards were invented there), 234 W. 44th Street Madison Club Lounge at The Roosevelt Hotel: 45 E. 45th Street P.J. Clarke's: One of the oldest bars in New York. 915 Third Avenue The Pierre hotel: Overlooks Central Park, 2 E. 61st Street
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Virtuoso island getaways
Now is a perfect time to browse for your next vacation. Read it and dream: Island Getaways
Rosewood Jumby Bay, two miles off the coast of Antigua in the West Indies. Book with Protravel International and get exclusive amenities such as room upgrades and early check-in/late checkout based on availability, plus daily full breakfast for up to two in-room guests and a $100 spa services credit to be used during stay.
Need a last-minute gift? We have just the thing...
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