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  • News: Border staff to stroll out on strike in dispute over public sector cuts

    Members of the general public & Commercial Services Union have confirmed they’re going to walk out on strike next weekend, potentially disrupting border checks across the UK.

    The move is a part of a much broader ‘weekend of action’ from the union, that is protesting against changes to pay, pensions and dealing conditions within the public sector.

    As many as 12,000 members of the united kingdom Border Agency could walk out for twenty-four-hours as element of the economic action, disrupting the journeys of thousands of passengers as they return from Easter holidays.

    “These walkouts are the following steps in our three-month programme of commercial action and protests, which began with a countrywide strike on budget day on March 20th,” explained a press release from the union.

    Around 55,000 workers at HMRC also will join picket lines at the morning of April 8th.

    Members within the Identity & Passport service and the UKBA public enquiry office may also perform a half day strike from 13:00 on Friday.

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  • Marriott’s Autograph Collection makes UK debut

    The Autograph Collection, Marriott International’s portfolio of upscale, independent hotels is expanding in Europe with the introduction of 2 new travel experiences this spring. Threadneedles, within the heart of London’s financial district, and The Glasshouse in central Edinburgh, Scotland, will represent the Autograph Collection’s first hotels inside the Uk.

    The additions are set to expand the exclusive portfolio of upscale, independent lifestyle hotels to incorporate greater than 40 hotel experiences within the Country, Europe, Caribbean, and South America.

    “This is an exhilarating time for the Autograph Collection in Europe as we add experiences in two of the United Kingdom’s most vital destinations,” said Amy McPherson, president and managing director for Marriott International in Europe. “Autograph Collection offers an enviable range of artistic, culinary and cultural adventures for our guests and these two iconic hotels would be valuable additions. “

    The Autograph Collection currently offers numerous passionately independent hotel experiences throughout Europe, including the spectacular Fontecruz Lisboa Hotel in Portugal, Hotel De Bourgtheroulde within the historic city of Rouen and the Hotel L’Hermitage Gantois in Lille. Last month, the Autograph Collection revealed its entree into Germany with the hole later this year of the Hotel am Steinplatz, routinely recognized as considered one of Berlin’s most iconic gathering places.

    The vision behind the Autograph Collection is to present an evolving group of independent, upscale hotels that every fall under distinct categories of travel experience including Culinary Delight, Artistic Getaway, Historic Exploration or Sporting Adventure.

    Each independent hotel is thoughtfully chosen for its quality, originality, bold character and capacity to give guests a number of unique and unexpected experiences suited for their individual sense of favor and adventure.

  • WTTC to supply ground-breaking report on Serbia

    The World Travel & Tourism Council has signed an agreement with the govt. of the Republic of Serbia to provide a large-ranging study so one can demonstrate the tourism potential of the rustic.

    The deal was signed with the ministry of finance & economy, in the course of the National Tourism Organisation of Serbia.

    The study have been commissioned to completely assess both the industrial impact of tourism at the Republic of Serbia, in addition to outline current and future policy recommendations for the rustic.

    This is a proactive technique to enhance the present efforts of the NTO and the Ministry and is a primary such relationship with WTTC.

    WTTC president David Scowsill launched the commission for this study at his address to the UNWTO Executive Council Meeting in Belgrade.

    Scowsill said: “In order to stimulate investment income from the non-public and public sector, countries require reliable, robust data on tourism.

    “As the forum for business leaders within the tourism industry, WTTC is healthier placed to comprehend and advise upon the necessities of personal-sector investors.”

    A full policy review would be conducted together with a piece on global and the country’s tourism trends. 

    Combined with the detailed the industrial impact assessment, the trends and policy review will guide the recommendations for policy measures that might best enable tourism to realize its economic potential, and function a foundation for the construction of the Republic of Serbia’s National Tourism Strategy.

    The report could be prepared in the course of the second half 2013 and should be presented to the National Tourism Organisation and Ministry in late 2013.

    NTO chief executive Gordana Plamenac commented: “We are experiencing significant year on year growth from lots of our important markets, but we’re also accustomed to the will for accurate independent analyses so that you can further boost confidence from foreign investors and help our country to maximise returns from tourism and to accomplish better exposure internationally.”

  • News: Hilton Hotels makes play for LGBT market

    As cities from San Francisco and Toronto to London and Amsterdam prepare for the beginning of Pride season, Hilton Hotels & Resorts offers added value at greater than 460 participating Hilton and Hilton Grand Vacations properties in top gay travel destinations with its new ‘Stay Hilton. Exit.’ package.

    Travellers attending LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) events or planning their very own vacations will enjoy complimentary high-speed Internet, a one-year digital subscription to OUT magazine, two welcome beverages and late checkout, where and when available at value rates by booking the offer.

    Available throughout 2013, the package continues the worldwide LGBT traveller program by Hilton Worldwide’s flagship brand.

    “Whether travelling solo, with friends, as a pair or with family, we’re proud to present LGBT guests and friends this value-added package and other resources to utilize their travel through our ‘Stay Hilton. Exit.’ program,” said Rob Palleschi, global head, Hilton Hotels & Resorts.

    Hilton Hotels & Resorts welcomes LGBT travellers and friends as a sponsor of top events in 2013, including San Francisco Pride, Capital Pride in Washington, DC and Northalsted Market Days in Chicago.

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  • InterContinental Hotels tap into China

    InterContinental Hotels Group has begun adding its entire portfolio of four,600 properties all over the world to China travel retailer Ctrip.com International via a reservations system connection designed and implemented by DerbySoft.

    “We are happy to have a successful reference to IHG through DerbySoft, and Chinese customers can easily reserve more global hotels through Ctrip,” said Maria Maohua Sun, Ctrip’s Senior Vp and Head of Hotel Business Division. Online travel bookings in China overall are expected to achieve nearly $14.4 billion this year, in keeping with PhocusWright. 

    With 160 operating properties and 30% of its global pipeline in China, IHG recognized the necessity to directly connect its central reservations system (CRS) to China’s largest travel portal allowing online booking of its properties for both outbound and inbound Chinese travelers.  End result of the DerbySoft connection to IHG’s CRS, Ctrip users would be in a position to view real time availability and receive an instant booking confirmation.

    “Having worked with DerbySoft since 2007 on quite a lot of technology projects, we were extremely confident of their ability to assist us with this complex direct connection,” said IHG Vice chairman of Distribution and Intermediary Sales Andrew Rubinacci. DerbySoft was the primary technology provider to attach an international hotel company’s CRS to Booking.com, the Amsterdam-based division of Priceline.com Inc. (PCLN), when it connected IHG to Booking.com in 2008. 

    The XML-based connection between IHG and Ctrip, facilitated by DerbySoft, went live this week. Over the subsequent several weeks, DerbySoft will continue rolling out IHG’s 4,600 properties onto the Ctrip system. “We are proud to have created this new reservations connection between these two major industry players,” said DerbySoft Vice chairman of Connectivity Keith Cotton. “Our distributed technology platform, which gives extremely flexible and unique solutions to deal with the various business rules of both partners, includes servers strategically positioned all over the world to offer reduced latency and exceptional system response times for both Ctrip and IHG..” 

      DerbySoft builds highly customized electronic “pipelines” that transmit accurate room availability, rates, and inventory (ARI) from the hotel companies’ CRSs to 3rd-party online booking channels, and in turn deliver the reservations made at the travel booking websites back to the hotel companies’ central reservations systems.