Category: News

  • News: Airbus delivers 100th A380 to Malaysia Airlines

    Malaysia Airlines and Airbus together marked a tremendous achievement earlier, with the hand-over of the 100th A380 to MAS at Airbus’ Henri Ziegler Delivery Centre in Toulouse, France.

    The aircraft is the sixth A380 for MAS.

    “We are delighted that our 100th A380 delivery is to Malaysia Airlines as this offers us an early glimpse into the longer term shape of aviation,” said Fabrice Brégier, Airbus president and chief executive.

    “We see a growing demand from dynamic, competitive airlines which include MAS for larger aircraft, with many markets and routes, and particularly inside the fast developing Asia-Pacific region, being perfectly suited to A380s.”

    Now in its sixth year of industrial service, the A380 is flying with nine world class airlines.

    To date, the global fleet has carried some 36 million passengers in 100,000 flights.

    Previous generation Very Large Aircraft (VLA 400 seats and above) would have required 140,000 flights.

    This reduction in flights brings essential relief to airport-congestion and our surroundings.

    The corresponding saving of five.7 million tonnes of CO2, demonstrates the A380 generates more revenue whilst minimising emissions and noise.

    The A380 fleet performs over 140 flights per day and carries over one and a half million people every month.

    Passengers can hop on board one of many A380s, that are either setting out or landing every six minutes at one of the vital 32 international airports where it operates to this point.

    On top of those, greater than 50 other airports have become prepared to house the A380 and answer the airlines’ need for more A380 destinations.

    Over the subsequent twenty years, greater than 1,700 VLA together with the A380 may have been delivered. Asia Pacific leads demand (45 per cent) for these high capacity aircraft, followed by the center East (23 per cent) and Europe (19 per cent).

    Typically seating 525 passengers in three classes, the aircraft is in a position to flying 8,500 nautical miles or 15,700 kilometres non-stop, carrying more people at lower price and with less impact at the environment.

    The spacious, quiet cabin and smooth ride have made the A380 a company favourite with passengers, leading to higher load factors wherever it flies.

    Since 2006 the A380 has registered repeat orders by satisfied customers per annum, bringing the whole order book thus far to 262 from 20 customers.

  • Hyatt Place debuts in NYC

    The Hyatt Place The big apple/Midtown-South has opened its doors, marking the 1st Hyatt Place property to debut in Ny city. The brand new Midtown Manhattan location represents a move into downtown urban locations for the upscale select service brand, which has grown by nearly 18 percent previously three years.

    The 185-room property features complimentary wifi access, 250 square feet of flexible, high-tech meeting/function space, an intimate Bakery Café featuring specialty coffees, premium beers, wines and cocktails and 24/7 Gallery Menu serving made-to-order entrees and appetizers. Guestrooms feature a 42-inch HDTV, the luxurious Hyatt Grand Bed and a seven-foot sofa.

    “New York is an important and exciting market that represents such a lot of opportunities for us as we glance for meaningful growth across our portfolio of brands,” said Rakesh Sarna, group president – Americas, Hyatt Hotels Corporation.

    “The opening of the city’s first Hyatt Place is an important breakthrough in our goal to become the foremost preferred brand for our guests, and we can’t wait to point out New Yorkers and its many visitors from world wide what Hyatt Place is all about.” Added Sharna.

    Earlier this month, a Hyatt Place hotel opened in downtown Austin, Texas, and other downtown locations are expected to open this year in Chicago’s River North neighborhood; Minneapolis, Minn.; Charlotte, N.C.; Omaha, Neb.; Nashville, Tenn; Panama City, Panama; and Santiago, Chile.

    In 2014, the corporate anticipates additional urban, downtown openings for the emblem in Big apple City’s Times Square and Flushing; Washington D.C.’s NoMa neighborhood, and Lincoln, Neb.; among others.

    “Hyatt Place guests should be conversant in seeing our brand in suburban and airport locations, but we feel there may be also demand in downtown locations for the accessibility, convenience and overall experience the logo provides. Hyatt Place delivers a unbroken experience to fulfill the purposes of our guests’ multi-tasking 24/7 lifestyles, so what better place to showcase that have than The town that Never Sleeps,” said Chris Walker, vice chairman of brands, Hyatt Place and Hyatt House. “We look ahead to introducing a brand new group of shoppers to the Hyatt Place brand.”

  • News: Expedia Affiliate Network inks cope with Air Tahiti Nui

    Expedia Affiliate Network, the personal label arm of the world’s largest online travel company, today announces a longer partnership with Air Tahiti Nui, one of the crucial South Pacific’s leading international airlines.

    The carrier offers daily non-stop service from La International Airport to Tahiti and Paris.

    The deal will see ATN use the most recent version of EAN’s hotel retailing platform, Chameleon, to present the absolute best range of accommodation to customers booking travel both inbound to and outbound from the Pacific islands. 

    The partnership builds at the existing relationship between EAN and ATN, and sees the airline expanding its hotel offering to all points of sale, with key markets including France, Japan, New Zealand and Australia, as well as america and Canada.

    As well as providing access to approximately 160,000 hotels worldwide, EAN’s Chameleon platform may help ATN to present an enhanced user experience, including targeted offers on hotel and flight purchases.

    For example, from today until March 31st, ATN is offering a 10 percent discount across all hotel accommodation purchased through its websites.

    The partnership also allows travellers to profit from phone support for sales and inquiries, in addition to user-generated content from TripAdvisor, a good way to use others’ experiences to tell their booking decisions.

    Etienne Howan, chief executive of Air Tahiti Nui commented: “Our extended partnership with EAN considerably strengthens our distribution strategy, adding to our direct sales platform.

    “We’re confident the deal can assist us towards our goal of improving our customer support and making travel easier, if you want to entice more travellers from world wide to enjoy Tahiti and the South Pacific.”

  • Sofitel Philippine Plaza in wellness focus

    With medical tourism at the rise throughout Southeast Asia, Sofitel Philippine Plaza has jettisoned the normal spa playbook, teamed with among the many country’s most famous wellness experts and opened the doors on a health and aesthetic institute, the 1st inside a hotel in Asia.

    “Manila is an enormous destination for international travelers who want cost-effective aesthetic treatments,” said Goran Aleks, general manager of Sofitel Philippine Plaza. “They stick with us forever. Watching them exit the hotel for wellness clinics (downtown) sparked a concept: Why not take it to the following level, and develop an idea that goes beyond the fast fix to full-on behavior modification”

    Called Vietura, the hot facility offers an array of customizable programs designed to assist clients look better and live healthier.

    Services range from weight-management tools akin to Calloblock — which naturally binds carbs and fats within the food you consume and quickens the calorie-burning process — to anti-aging procedures that involve the administration of medicine directly into the fattiest layer of skin.

    Vietura also has tried-and-tested remedies for complexion problems and digestive disorders.

    All solutions are non-invasive and start with an entire-body assessment — step one in Vietura’s three-step ‘Measure, Mentor and Monitor’ philosophy.

    “Vietura isn’t your typical medical spa; it’s a life-style experience,” Aleks said. “It’s for the individual that understands that the trail to bigger confidence isn’t dramatic change. It’s a protracted-term holistic approach that leads to a more natural glow and prompts friends to invite, ‘Where did you go on vacation’ other than ‘What surgeon did you only see’” 

    Vietura’s concept was developed by its chief practitioner, Dr. Mary Jane Torres, a Filipina who spent years studying mesotherapy methods in Europe and is a tough-core believer in non-invasive, non-surgical solutions.

    For face contouring, she employs Platelet-Rich Plasma technology, which harnesses the healing powers of platelets present in the blood.

    For body sculpting, she uses Italian-made resonance machines, which produce electrodes that speed fat dissolving and skin tightening.

    During the process any treatment, she runs tests to ensure every move is the correct move.

    “Evidence is everything,” said Torres, who has treated one of the crucial Philippines’ biggest celebrities throughout the Zen Institute, a medical spa she founded in 2006.

    In addition to Torres, Vietura’s staff includes 12 registered nurses, a dietician and a way of life coach.

    Their workplace is a set of 20 treatment rooms located in a strategic and discreet corner of Manila’s only bayside hotel.

    The facility’s position means it may be accessed via the back of the valuables — a feature Aleks expects will entice local business.

    “It’s a really private setting so guests can also be assured of anonymity,” Aleks said. “That’s a huge deal to a couple people, especially those within the public eye.”

    There isn’t any common waiting area, either.

    When a guest enters, they’re escorted on to a consultation room, where soothing, ambient music is but one component to the consultation experience.

    Another is the design itself, which was imagined by Gruppo Espazio, a prolific, Manila-based interior design firm that still conceived the fashionable LeSpa at Sofitel Philippine Plaza.

    In Vietura, Gruppo Espazio devised an area this is sleek yet natural, thanks largely to warm lighting and a live, vertical garden feature in each consultation room.

    “It’s anything but clinical,” Aleks added. “Vie means life and tura means nature. We needed to construct off that, and create something people would find calming and comfy and compatible with what Sofitel stands for in addition. i believe we’ve accomplished that.”

    Vietura’s launch comes at the heels of another debut at Sofitel Philippine Plaza.

    On Nov. 8, the hotel officially reopened Spiral restaurant after a year-long, US $11 million renovation.

    The culinary marvel now features 21 dining ateliers helmed by Eric Costille, the regional executive chef for Sofitel Asia-Pacific.

    Built in 1976 with input from former President Ferdinand Marcos and primary Lady Imelda, Sofitel Philippine Plaza has long been the address of choice for guests of the country’s capital.

    The only 5-star hotel with a resort setting in Manila is adjacent to the long-lasting Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) and within quarter-hour of the international airport, Mall of Asia and historic Spanish walled city of Intramuros.

    At 609 rooms, the valuables is the most important in Sofitel’s portfolio and, in true Sofitel spirit, exudes a mixture of French savoir faire and authentic local touches.