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  • News: Adelman Travel announces partnership with TravelText

    Adelman Travel and TravelText kicked off the Concur Fusion 2013 conference by announcing a brand new partnership on the way to provide corporate customers of Adelman Travel having the ability to complete expense reports in Concur Expense in a question of seconds via texting technology.

    “This technology will provide our Concur Expense customers with an absolutely integrated solution that permits them to quickly and simply complete an expense report while at the road,” said Ivan Imana , Chief Information Officer of Adelman Travel. “For example, immediately after dinner a traveler can begin a Concur expense report via a text message.  Then, with a couple of strokes on their phone, they’ll submit the expenses for dinner with attendees along with a picture of the receipt, in a question of seconds.”

    The TravelText texting service is currently available only within the U.S. for purchasers and users of Concur Expense Systems, but will expand to Asia Pacific and other English-speaking countries inside the near future.  Adelman Travel is the 1st travel management company to partner with TravelText and sell their expense report texting solution, that’s immediately available for purchase by Adelman’s customers.

    “We’re really inquisitive about the partnership with Adelman. Their innovative solution to the market and speed during which they adapt their business to it was a nice surprise,” said Jarl-Gunnar Lier, CEO of TravelText.

  • Hotel Indigo announced for downtown Chicago

    Hotel Indigo®, IHG’s (InterContinental Hotels Group) upscale boutique brand, is constant its expansion in major U.S. cities with plans for its third hotel inside the Chicago market. The hotel, with the intention to be located within the historic downtown area’s Atlantic Bank Building, is predicted to open in spring 2014.

    The Hotel Indigo Chicago-Millennium Park hotel, located at 168 N. Michigan Ave., will undergo an estimated $20 million renovation by the ownership and could occupy a 101-year-old building that first opened in 1912 because the Federal Life Building. The 156-room hotel will feature design elements that reflect its local neighborhood just north of Millennium Park within Chicago’s central business district.

    As a part of the extensive renovations, the hotel will add four floors to the building—bringing the entire to 16 stories – housing a rooftop bar, and a cafe managed by celebrity chef David Burke. The hotel will maintain lots of its historic features, including the unique white enamel terra cotta exterior, while including the advantages and amenities guests expect from staying with a brand from one of many world’s largest global hotel companies.

    “The Hotel Indigo brand is uniquely designed to mirror the culture, character and history of the neighborhoods where our hotels can be found,” said Mary Winslow, director, Brand Management, Hotel Indigo, the Americas, IHG. “This hotel will occupy a native landmark on famed Michigan Avenue, probably the most storied neighborhoods in Chicago. The expansion of the Hotel Indigo brand in top-tier markets like Chicago, Long island and New Orleans proves that guests value the boutique, local neighborhood experience that our hotels provide.”

    Set inside the heart of Chicago’s vibrant business district, and within walking distance to a lot of Chicago’s best restaurants, shopping and theater districts, the Hotel Indigo Chicago-Millennium Park hotel can be conveniently located just steps from the Jay Pritzker Pavilion and Millennium Park. The hotel can also be in close proximity to the Magnificent Mile, Grant Park, the Art Institute of Chicago and various corporate offices. Within a mile of Interstates 90, 94 and 290, in addition U.S. Highway 41, the Hotel Indigo Chicago-Millennium Park hotel could be served by several bus and train stops and may be near the Chicago Cultural Center, among the city’s finest sites for fundraisers, concerts and other special events.

    “We are excited to be involved with bringing the Hotel Indigo brand to downtown Chicago,” said Musa P. Tadros, president, Crown Series 168 North Michigan Avenue LLC, a Frankfort, Ill. based company. “Chicago is a thriving business and travel destination that gives unique local flavors not found anywhere else within the U.S. We glance forward to welcoming both business and leisure guests and sharing our neighborhood story with them.”

    The Hotel Indigo brand, the world’s first global branded boutique hotel brand, has grown rapidly since launching in 2004. The Hotel Indigo brand is still a powerful growth vehicle for IHG with its strategy curious about growing in top-tier priority markets and gateway cities. With a high quality global pipeline of nearly 50 hotels, the Hotel Indigo estate is anticipated to double in size to 100 properties inside the next three to 5 years.

    The Hotel Indigo Chicago-Millennium Park hotel is among the Hotel Indigo properties expected to open in key cities within the U.S. inside the following couple of years, including Ny city, Philadelphia, Newark, N.J., Savannah, Ga. and Pittsburgh. The emblem has recently seen growth in top U.S. markets with the 2012 openings of the Hotel Indigo Brooklyn and Hotel Indigo New Orleans Garden District hotels. The Hotel Indigo brand has also seen strong international growth, with the hot opening of the Hotel Indigo Barcelona – Plaza Catalunya hotel, and the approaching opening of the Hotel Indigo Hong Kong Island hotel, anticipated to open by mid-year.

    The Hotel Indigo Chicago-Millennium Park hotel, owned by Crown Series 168 North Michigan LLC and managed by First Hospitality Group, is franchised by an affiliate of IHG.

  • UK holiday spending higher inside the north than the south

    People within the north of britain are spending almost £200 greater than their southern counterparts on their holiday this year – consistent with research* released today by lastminute.com. With house prices within the south of britain up greater than twice that of the united kingdom as an entire, and typical London house values hitting an all-time high of £318,214, the price of southerners’ homes could be affecting their time away.

    The research revealed that 2013 holiday spending within the north of the rustic is up by an ordinary of £118 per person in comparison with 2012, and nearly a 3rd (29%) of northerners who will go on holiday this summer plan to spend over £1,000 per person this summer. Over the border, 30% of Scottish holidaymakers also plan to splash out no less than a grand per person, but only one in 5 southern holidaymakers are prepared to do an identical.

    When it involves gender splits amongst holiday-goers, men were found to be the most important holiday spenders, allocating £918 each on average – in comparison to women who were set to spend a regular of £831 this year.

    Mark Maddock, Managing Director of lastminute.com UK and Ireland said, “Our findings have highlighted a north-south divide we’re not used to seeing, and it can be that the price of housing is starting to impact southerners’ purchasing power. However, people should get maximum value from their hard-earned holiday budgets and at lastminute.com we will guarantee fantastic getaways for reasonable prices.”

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  • News: Kenya to host World Travel Awards Africa Gala Ceremony

    Kenya’s profile as a popular tourist destination has received a lift with the Kenya Tourism Board winning the bid to host this year’s World Travel Awards Africa Gala Ceremony.

    The event will occur on October 16th.

    The WTA nominations will recognise excellence within the travel, tourism and hospitality industry, thus encouraging nominees to uphold constant improvement in products and delivery of service.

    The decision to host the development in Kenya comes hot at the heels of KTB’s award as Africa’s Leading Tourism Board by WTA in December last year.

    “World Travel Awards is coming to Kenya on the right time after a successful and peaceful general election under a brand new constitution.

    “This has further raised the country’s profile as a secure destination,” said KTB managing director Muriithi Ndegwa.

    “That WTA has chosen Kenya for the African region ceremony as portion of the arena grand tour, is an endorsement of the rustic as a popular tourism destination on the earth.”

    Kenya is found in East Africa and boasts white sandy beaches bathed by the Indian Ocean in addition to the majestic snow-capped Mount Kenya.

    It is increasingly emerging as an Adventure destination offering activities from hot air ballooning, to authentic cultural interactions with the local ethnic communities, in addition to visits to the area renowned Masai Mara, with breath taking safaris and wildebeest migrations, supported by a miscellany of unique superior class accommodation.

    WTA president Graham Cooke added:  “The number of our hosts is key to the success of our awards programme, and Kenya as a nation has your entire ingredients to rise to the challenge of hosting our Africa Ceremony – a warm, vibrant and progressive nation, brimming with enthusiasm and creativity.

    “Tourism is important to Kenya’s economy, contributing 12 per cent to its GDP and sustaining one in ten jobs.

    “The future is bright for Kenya, given the nation’s overwhelming natural resources, its unrivalled wildlife experiences and pristine beaches.”

    For further details, including entry forms and shutting deadlines for nominations, visit the official website.

    The ceremonies are widely considered as possibly the most effective networking opportunities inside the travel industry, attended by government and industry leaders, luminaries, and international print and broadcast media.

    The 2012 WTA Grand Tour ceremonies were attended by greater than 3,000 guests from 92 countries, in addition to media from 194 TV channels and publications.

  • Free trial offer as Ecompter announces compatibility with HCMI

    Ecompter’s Sustainability Service for hotels, that comes with continuous CO2 management reporting and a web CO2 calculator for the hotel guests, is the 1st service to be in response to the recent hotel industry agreed common method for measuring and communicating carbon emissions – the Hotel Carbon Measurement Initiative (HCMI 1.0).

    The HCMI 1.0 methodology was developed by the sector Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) and the International Tourism Partnership (ITP), in consultation with 23 leading hotel groups and KPMG.  Ecompter was among the companies consulted at the methodology during its second phase of development.

    To support the adoption of the HCMI standard and to enable the hotel community to start with a uniform way of CO2 reporting, Ecompter is offering a brand new free 6 month trial of the service.

    Ecompter’s sustainability service also features a simple-to-digest summary of the hotel’s environmental initiatives and results, plus an interactive image of the hotel room to turn guests how they could cut their energy use during their stay (eg simply by the room’s shower in place of bath).

    Mr. Ville Valorinta, Managing Director of Ecompter says; ”Through Ecompter we wish to help raise awareness and understanding of ways unbiased and standardized CO2 reporting and inter-active communication may be used to control and monitor the environmental initiatives and have interaction both staff and guests to concentrate on the consumption.”

    Fran Hughes, Head of Programmes at ITP say; “We are working hard to embed the methodology and accomplish maximum soak up. We are hoping to extend the ‘supply’ of data by reaching out to other hotel groups about HCMI, in addition to to travel management companies and global distribution systems to make sure they’re aware that carbon footprint information is on the market and guaranteeing it usually is provided to the shopper within the simplest format.”