TRAVELWATCHER
Insider news & notes from your business travel authority
|
|
JANUARY 2016 ~ HAPPY & HEALTHY NEW YEAR!
|
|
|
UP IN THE AIR
Airlines boost ancillary revenue
 | Airlines this year will collect $59.2 billion in ancillary revenue globally, an increase of 18.8 percent year over year. Of that total, $36.7 billion will come from such services as checked baggage, premium seats and on-board dining, with the remainder generated from activities including selling frequent-flyer miles and commissions from car rentals, hotels and other travel services. Since the research project began in 2010, airlines' global ancillary revenue has increased 163%.
As a top Preferred Partner with all major airlines, your Protravel agent can often reduce these fees for you. |
|
Carrying several passports? Not just for 007
Dual passports are no longer the sole province of people who grew up in more than one country. Millions of American citizens potentially qualify for various reasons - ethnic heritage, religion, country of birth or where their spouse was born. Read the full article: |
United States & Mexico Remove Route Limits
The United States and Mexico will allow unlimited routes between the two countries, U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx announced. Pending "internal ratification procedures" in Mexico, the air transport agreement "eliminates government interference in commercial aviation decisions," so U.S. carriers can serve any location in Mexico from any location in the United States, he said. Under a previous agreement, only a limited number of U.S. carriers, usually two or three, could operate between each city pair. The agreement also is a key component of Delta Air Lines' plans to increase its stake in Aeroméxico.
|
Skift--Throughout the last year Oneworld Alliance member Cathay Pacific has been working on a subtle yet significant brand overhaul that has touched everything from its livery to its lounges. - Business-Class Seats: The CEO sleep tests business class seats in one of the airline's cabin development centers, in a cabin mock-up outfitted with final prototypes.
- Lounges: Cathay has invested heavily in its lounges because lounges are more critical to improving the passenger experience now than they ever were. Starting at Tokyo Haneda airport, they are implementing a new lounge template in Manila, Taipei, London, Vancouver and Bangkok, culminating in the Pier first class in Hong Kong.
|
How hotels are elevating the business center
Interestingly, virtual reality (VR), which has already begun transforming travel, may be the future of the business center. While Skype and Facetime have helped connect remote workers with their offices and families, Endri Tolka, COO of YouVisit, notes VR breaks down the "fourth wall" of these communication platforms. He says: "VR stations in the business center will not only help the hotels differentiate themselves from their competition but also provide an additional revenue stream with minimal investment. Visitors could come to your L.A.-based hotel with the purpose of attending meetings physically nearby for the morning, but then have the ability to check in on a job site in Chicago and attend a meeting in NYC, all before having dinner with a new partner back in L.A." A couple of hotels we like that have taken the business center to the next level: Taj Mahal New Delhi, India: one of the world's most unique business centers, offering everything from video conferencing and fax machines to secretary services to a comprehensive legal library. The Gramercy Park Hotel, NYC: 24-hour, multilingual secretarial staffing and enough equipment to support a modest business titan in a pinch, including video-conferencing, AV equipment, conference facilities for up to 50 people and available in-room Wi-Fi. The Ritz-Carlton Battery Park, NYC: In addition to the hotel's striking views of the New York Harbor and Statue of Liberty, they have a cadre of technology butlers, conference concierges and state-of-the-art lighting, audio, video, and staging services. Four Seasons Las Vegas: Instead of blackjack and slot machines, guests get a quiet, uncluttered lobby, fresh flowers at every turn and functional amenities such as a check-in kiosk for major airlines, access to translation and transcription services and a business center manned around the clock. If you do want to celebrate that new contract with a splurge, the bustling Mandalay Bay and its casino occupy the same building . The Peninsula Beverly Hills: Los Angeles has hotels to fit every conceivable niche of the entertainment business, from the Chateau Marmont to the SLS, but the Peninsula remains the industry's hub. The reason is a commitment to business services that borders on the obsessive: faxes with private numbers in every room, an airport concierge to choreograph arrivals and departures (all guests who use the hotel's airport concierge service have use of airline first-class lounges, even if they aren't traveling first class), specialized private trainers and a baggage-shipping service that lets jet-setters have their business clothes pressed and waiting on arrival. The complimentary Rolls-Royce for excursions doesn't hurt, either.
|
St Regis Dubai opens
The St Regis Dubai is now open on Friday in Al Habtoor City offering 234 rooms, including a $32,673 Royal suite (two-story, 913 sq. meter suite with three bedrooms, private pool and its own elevator.) The Royal is one of 51 suites being offered by the hotel which is the first of three Starwood hotels to open in Al Habtoor City with W Dubai and Westin Dubai to follow. The St Regis will operate with 500 staff, including butlers, drawn from 60 nationalities. Designed in a French neoclassical Beaux-Arts style, it features eight dining outlets, Astor ballroom, a rooftop pool and an Iridum Spa.
|
New hotel checkout time: anytime you want
New York Times--Late risers and those with inconvenient flight times can relax a bit more in their hotel rooms instead of making a beeline for the door as more hotels offer very late checkout times for guests. Peninsula Hotels began a flexible checkout program a few years ago. At the Beverly Hills property, guests are not even restricted to checking out within 24 hours. "You can check in whenever you want, and leave whenever you want," said the property's managing director, Offer Nissenbaum. He said that guests who linger are not charged more. Horst Schulze, the chief executive and president of the Capella hotel group, which also offers 24hour stays, said using a flexible checkout service can be more difficult with an extremely large property, explaining that the traditional check-in and checkout times are for housekeeping reasons. But, he said, rotating cleaning service times have helped hotels free up rooms around the clock. "Not sitting in the lobby or beach with your suitcase and waiting for a flight is the definition of luxury to me," he said. All-inclusive AMResorts (Dreams, Secrets, Zoetry, etc.) also features round-the-clock check-in and checkout.
|
|
TECHNOLOGYCORNER
Mobile app highlight: Expensify
Expensify users now can scan receipts, track mileage and create and submit expense reports from the tool's new Apple iPad mobile application. Apple chose Expensify to be part of its mobility partnership program to work on "innovative mobile solutions" for iOS customers. Expensify also announced integration with cloud enterprise resource planning software company Intaact. Expensify expense reports now can automatically upload into Intaact to be reviewed by finance departments. Download the Expensify app
|
|
YOURLIFE
10 amazing new luxury journeys to experience in 2016
From Cuba to Kenya, Protravel's insider relationships with the top tour operators and on-sites all over the world will get you there--as a VIP
U.S., China agree to expand travel, tourism
HotelsMag--Leaders from the United States and China announced the U.S.-China Tourism Year for 2016, a new initiative that celebrates the recent reciprocal extension of visa validity and supports increased travel and tourism exports. Throughout the year, the U.S. Department of Commerce and the China National Tourism Administration, in collaboration with Brand USA and other partners, will design and execute a year of events and activities that will promote and further open travel between the United States and China, expand market access, and advance initiatives to ensure a quality visitor experience for increasing numbers of travelers to and from both nations. Increased travel and tourism also requires dynamic, modern aviation systems, capable of supporting increased passenger and cargo traffic. Both governments will continue efforts to develop aviation policies, institutions and services to ensure the system adapts to meet the needs for both immediate and long-term growth. China was the number two country for visitor spending to and within the United States in 2014 with an estimated US$23.8 billion spent on travel and tourism. China accounted for 2.9% of total international arrivals in the United States in 2014, with an estimated 2.2 million travelers (a 21% increase over 2013).
|
|
THEGREATESCAPE
AMResortsAMResorts is a collection of luxury resort destinations, each with its own unique personality. Raising all-inclusive to a New Level of Luxury®, every one of their resorts features Endless Privileges®, Unlimited-Luxury® or Unlimited-Fun® offering sun-soaked beaches, elegant accommodations, world-class spas, gourmet dining, unlimited premium drinks, and many other pampering amenities.
|
|
|
