Best Holiday Lettings

Category: News

  • News: IHG opens fourth Crowne Plaza in Oman

    IHG (InterContinental Hotels Group) is continuous to enhance its presence in Oman with the outlet of Crowne Plaza Duqm today. The recent hotel will join IHG’s three existing Crowne Plaza hotels in Oman’s major cities – Muscat, Sohar and Salalah – in addition to InterContinental Muscat.

    The beachfront hotel is found near the rapidly expanding port and dry dock at Duqm.  With the launch of activity at Duqm Commercial Port earlier this month and the predicted opening of Duqm International Airport in 2014, the hotel is ready to capture the growing corporate travel market.

    Crowne Plaza Duqm’s 213 spacious rooms including 21 suites all offer direct sea views. Guests can benefit from the hotel’s outdoor pool area, fully equipped fitness centre and five restaurants and lounges. There’s plenty to do outside the hotel, too, because of its picturesque location on Duqm beachfront; explore beautiful natural beaches, wander down Duqm Corniche, or discover the geological rock gardens, all within the nearby area.

    In addition to the hotel’s leisure facilities, Crowne Plaza Duqm offers state-of-the-art business and meeting facilities including a 780 m2 Event Centre, consisting of two ballrooms and one boardroom. The development Centre also comprises a business centre and 4 separate meeting rooms.

    Crowne Plaza Duqm presents a lot of cuisines to fit every palate. Souq is the hotel’s all-day-dining restaurant, while Frontier will cater to the sports fan seeking to make amends for all of the latest sporting action. Gastronomic delights await diners at Al Safi, which treats guests to a spectacular seafood dining experience. At Splash, the poolside snack bar, guests can enjoy a refreshing drink from the relief in their sun lounger.

    Ali Salih, General Manager of Crowne Plaza Duqm, commented: “Duqm is fast becoming a hotspot for travel and business within Oman.  With the hotel’s location at the beachfront combined with its premium business facilities we’re confident that Crowne Plaza Duqm is a fantastic offering for business and leisure guests alike. We glance forward to a successful opening period.”

    Pascal Gauvin, Chief Operating Office, India, Middle East and Africa for IHG, added: “Thanks to its discuss growing its travel tourism industry, Oman is still crucial marketplace for us within the Middle East.  With the brand new opening of Crowne Plaza Duqm, we now operate hotels spanning from Muscat all the way down to Salalah.  We’re delighted to now be open in Duqm because it continues its exciting expansion.”

    IHG opened InterContinental Muscat in 1997, the city’s first five-star hotel.  The gang also now operates four Crowne Plaza hotels in Duqm, Muscat, Sohar and Salalah, with InterContinental Muscat Hills and Holiday Inn Muscat Airport inside the development pipeline.

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  • News: &Beyond appoints Wheeler as new regional managing director

    &Beyond has announced the appointment of Mark Wheeler as regional managing director – East Africa and South Asia.

    He will assume the role from May 1st 2013 and may be based inside the Nairobi office.

    He is tasked with accelerating the expansion of &Beyond’s business, presence and capabilities in these regions.

    After a lengthy period of consolidation and detailed planning, &Beyond is now able to grow its brand in East Africa and South Asia to its full potential – across both lodging and touring.

    Wheeler can be working with the teams in Kenya, Tanzania, India, Bhutan and Sri Lanka to fulfil the ambitious growth objectives specified by a 3 year strategic plan.

    He left A&K in late 2012 and launched into some travels including an overland trip through East and Southern Africa along with his wife and two youngsters.

    “Once I had made the choice to come to tourism, out of the numerous options i used to be lucky enough to be presented with, i used to be attracted to &Beyond because I felt it can offer me the private challenge i used to be searching for and where I felt my experience may be best utilised,” explained Wheeler.

    “It was the strong service ethic, the over-riding conviction in conservation, and the unrivalled lodge and camp offering across East Africa which attracted me to &Beyond.

    “It also presents me with a chance to advertise and produce my service vision to new, exciting destinations consisting of India, Sri Lanka and Bhutan.

    “&Beyond’s guest and guide focused ethos, coupled with the vision and leadership of Joss Kent were an unbeatable combination, and i’m both honoured to be able to work at such an inspiring company as &Beyond, in addition to excited to come to the superb world of tourism after a protracted break.”

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  • Holiday Inn Express opens in Indianapolis

    The Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites Indianapolis North – Carmel opened its doors this week. Located at 9797 N. Michigan Rd., Carmel, just minutes from downtown Indianapolis, and shut to four major interstate highways, the 66-room hotel includes a sort of amenities and gives an enhanced guest experience at a fantastic value.

    “Holiday Inn Express hotels are designed to be the smart choice for value-conscious business and leisure travelers,” said Heather Balsley, senior vice chairman, Brand Management, Holiday Inn brand family, The Americas, IHG. 

    “With greater than 2,100 properties worldwide and 450 more within the pipeline, the vacation Inn Express portfolio continues to supply our guests with an enhanced-stay experience at a high-quality value.  We’re proud to welcome this hotel into the vacation Inn family with the emblem-new sign and everything it represents.” Added Heather.

    The new addition to IHG’s portfolio of Indianapolis hotels is designed according to the vacation Inn brand family’s $1 billion global brand relaunch, the most important project of its kind in hospitality history.

    The relaunch continues to drive increased quality and consistency around the global portfolio. The hotel includes a contemporary image with emphasis on arrival and welcome services, guestroom and guest bath comfort and a redesigned logo and signage.

    “This is our first Holiday Inn Express hotel and we’re thrilled to hitch the vacation Inn brand family,” said Kari James, general manager. “Indianapolis has loads to give both business and leisure travelers, and we glance forward to providing all of our guests with excellent service.”

    The 66-room hotel, which include 25-suites with refrigerators and microwave ovens, incorporates a 24-hour business center, gymnasium and complimentary parking. High speed wireless internet can be free and available during the hotel and in all rooms. 

    The complimentary Express Start breakfast bar incorporates a full range of breakfast items including a rotation of egg and meat selections, biscuits, yogurt, fruit and the brand’s proprietary cinnamon roll and Smart Roast coffee. 

    Guest bathrooms feature the SimplySmart shower, which includes a proprietary Stay Smart™ Kohler showerhead and a signature shower curtain with curved rod. Upgraded 100% cotton terry towels and Bath & Body Works White Citrus bath products also are included.  Guests will benefit from the SimplySmart™ bedding collection, where they’re going to find crisp fresh bedding that includes a fantastic decorative throw, a medium-weight duvet blanket and soft, 200 thread-count sheets.

    Close to I-65, I-69 and that i-70, the hotel is half-hour from Indianapolis International Airport and quarter-hour from downtown Indianapolis. The valuables is usually in close proximity to several corporations in addition Butler University. Nearby attractions include the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the Indianapolis Zoo.

  • News: Air Seychelles launches codeshare handle South Africa Airways

    Air Seychelles has announced it has entered right into a codeshare agreement with South African Airways, the national airline of the Republic of South Africa.

    The first phase of the agreement will see South African Airways place its “SA” code on Air Seychelles’ non-stop flights between Johannesburg and Seychelles.

    South African Airways can even place its code on flights between the 2 largest islands of Seychelles, Mahé and Praslin, subject to approvals.

    Subsequent to the launch of the partnership between Air Seychelles and SAA, the airlines will look at expanding the agreement to incorporate Air Seychelles placing its ‘HM’ code on South African Airways’ non-stop flights between Johannesburg and destinations across South Africa.

    Ticket sales are set to open on April 29th, for travel from April 30th.

    The deal follows a strategic move by Air Seychelles to extend its connectivity throughout South Africa and continental Africa.

    In March 2013, Air Seychelles introduced an enhanced schedule and extra weekly service on its Johannesburg route, bringing the flights to 3 return services a week with daytime departures and arrivals.

    The new schedule greatly enhances leisure and business travellers’ ability to glue seamlessly on both airlines across Africa and South Africa, particularly to Cape Town and Durban.

    Cramer Ball, Air Seychelles chief executive officer, said: “Our flights to Johannesburg had been incredibly successful, reflecting increasingly more travellers popping out of South Africa to the Seychelles for leisure, business and sport.

    “Traffic from South Africa has grown at a gradual pace of eleven per cent every year for the past decade.

    “In the primary quarter of this year alone, traffic is up 13 per cent.

    “With this codeshare agreement, guests would be capable of purchase flights from South African Airways destinations onwards to the Seychelles on one ticket, making for a less complicated and seamless journey.

    “We have also established a foundation for twin-centre tourism products which combine a safari in Africa with a Seychelles beach holiday.

    “SAA Holidays can also be adding Seychelles to their holiday program, providing a brand new channel for selling travel to our island nation and supporting the extremely important tourism industry.”

    Subject to regulatory approval, the airlines plan to expand the scope of this agreement to incorporate frequent flyer program reciprocity and more codeshare destinations on their respective networks.

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  • News: World Travel Awards reveals Caribbean & North America nominees

    Online voting has now opened sooner than the arena Travel Awards Caribbean & North America Gala Ceremony, scheduled to happen in Antigua later this year.

    The organisers of the awards are encouraging both members of the travel trade and consumers to submit their votes on the way to discover which organisations truly excel in travel, tourism and hospitality within the region.

    World Travel Awards is celebrating a landmark 20th year because the ‘Oscars of the travel industry’ in 2013, with events occurring all over the world.

    The ceremonies are widely thought to be one of the best networking opportunities within the travel industry, attended by government and industry leaders, luminaries and international media.

    For the Caribbean & North America Gala Ceremony, travel, tourism and hospitality organisations from 22 countries will compete for these prestigious top accolades culminating in a glittering presentation.

    The 2013 Caribbean & North America nominees were published here.

    Votes might be cast here.

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