Category: Industry News

Voco Dubai will open its doors in the first quarter of 2019 as the first Voco hotel in the region, parent company InterContinental Hotels Group announced on Thursday. Located on Shaikh Zayed Road, which is home to most of Dubai’s signature skyscrapers, Voco Dubai will be set in what is currently the Nassima Royal Hotel. Designed for both business and leisure travellers, the rebranded property will have 471 guest rooms that overlook either Sheikh Zayed Road or the beach. Amenities will include a business centre, an outdoor swimming pool, a gymnasium, a spa, three restaurants and more than 10,000 square feet of meeting space.

IHG launched the upscale Voco brand in June, aiming to combine the informality and charm of an individual hotel with the quality and reassurance of a global and respected brand. Properties will showcase a bold, distinctive identity, informal service style and thoughtful touches, with three specific features in each Voco hotel: a “Come On In” welcome experience that includes fast check-in with a locally inspired welcome treat; “Me Time” guest rooms that encourage guests to take a moment for themselves with amenities like plush bedding, rejuvenating aerated showers and Internet-connected smart TVs; and “Voco Life” bar and lounge spaces that infuse Voco hotels with a sociable vibe

Rome now has a convention bureau of its own, formed in conjunction with the surrounding Lazio region, the Roma & Lazio Convention Bureau aims to attract more meeting, incentive, convention and event (MICE) groups to the capital of Italy, and to assist group planners in organizing events. Services range from connecting planners with local partners including venues, destination management companies, and incentive houses to running familiarization trips and connecting planners with agencies from the city government and Italian Ministry of Culture that can help personalize events, gain access, and get questions answered quickly. And, of course, helping manage requests for proposals. The Roma & Lazio Convention Bureau has 117 members, including six major convention centres and venues, and 13 professional conference organizers, destination management companies and incentive houses, as well as 43 hotels of three- to five-star quality and 42 service providers, among others. In total, Rome has 1,014 hotels with nearly 50,000 rooms, including 170 four- and five-star properties with conference facilities that have a total of 70,600 seats. Add in the broader Lazio region and that’s nearly 2,000 hotels and almost 80,000 rooms.

For an entire month, Montreux celebrates Christmas with one of Switzerland’s largest markets. 160 chalets on the lakeside promenades sell typical dishes and handcrafted gifts. Each year, the centre of the market features a guest, with its costumes and traditional cuisine. For three weekends in December, Chillon Castle provides the setting for “Medieval Magic”, which presents activities from different times. Children are of course the kings of the Christmas season: the MOB trains take them and their families up to Rochers-de-Naye to meet Father Christmas at his home! Each night, the bearded old fellow rides down to the lake on his sleigh to wish everyone a Merry Christmas! 

To make visitors’ eyes shine year after year, new activities are regularly added to the programme. The latest ones are the sound and light show in the Magical Garden as well as the Village of the Elves, a children’s paradise.

Montreux the charming Swiss resort city located besides Lake Geneva goes to great lengths to put a magical touch on the Christmas season! Stalls on the lakeside promenades, the Loggers’ Village, Medieval Magic, the Village of the Elves and even the House of Father Christmas: all these activities make sure that Montreux Noël is much more than just a market.

For an entire month, Montreux celebrates Christmas with one of Switzerland’s largest markets. 160 chalets on the lakeside promenades sell typical dishes and handcrafted gifts. Each year, the centre of the market features a guest, with its costumes and traditional cuisine. For three weekends in December, Chillon Castle provides the setting for “Medieval Magic”, which presents activities from different times. Children are of course the kings of the Christmas season: the MOB trains take them and their families up to Rochers-de-Naye to meet Father Christmas at his home! Each night, the bearded old fellow rides down to the lake on his sleigh to wish everyone a Merry Christmas! 

To make visitors’ eyes shine year after year, new activities are regularly added to the programme. The latest ones are the sound and light show in the Magical Garden as well as the Village of the Elves, a children’s paradise.

Montreux the charming Swiss resort city located besides Lake Geneva goes to great lengths to put a magical touch on the Christmas season! Stalls on the lakeside promenades, the Loggers’ Village, Medieval Magic, the Village of the Elves and even the House of Father Christmas: all these activities make sure that Montreux Noël is much more than just a market.

For an entire month, Montreux celebrates Christmas with one of Switzerland’s largest markets. 160 chalets on the lakeside promenades sell typical dishes and handcrafted gifts. Each year, the centre of the market features a guest, with its costumes and traditional cuisine. For three weekends in December, Chillon Castle provides the setting for “Medieval Magic”, which presents activities from different times. Children are of course the kings of the Christmas season: the MOB trains take them and their families up to Rochers-de-Naye to meet Father Christmas at his home! Each night, the bearded old fellow rides down to the lake on his sleigh to wish everyone a Merry Christmas! 

To make visitors’ eyes shine year after year, new activities are regularly added to the programme. The latest ones are the sound and light show in the Magical Garden as well as the Village of the Elves, a children’s paradise.

Istanbul New Airport, on shores of the Black Sea, will serve 90 million passengers annually in its first phase. At its completion in 10 years, it will occupy nearly 19,000 acres and serve up to 200 million travellers a year with six runways. That’s almost double the traffic at world’s biggest airport currently, Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson. The airport’s interiors nod to Turkish and Islamic designs, and its tulip-shaped air traffic control tower won the 2016 International Architecture Award. It also uses mobile applications and artificial intelligence for customers, is energy efficient and boasts a high-tech security system.

All aviation operations will move there at the end of December when Istanbul’s main international airport, named after Turkey’s founder Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, is closed down. Ataturk Airport now handles 64 million people a year. On the Asian side of the city, Sabiha Gokcen Airport handled 31 million passengers last year. It will remain open.

Tens of thousands of workers have been scrambling to finish the airport to meet Erdogan’s Oct. 29 deadline. Protests in September over poor working conditions and dozens of construction deaths have highlighted the human cost of the project.

Istanbul New Airport, on shores of the Black Sea, will serve 90 million passengers annually in its first phase. At its completion in 10 years, it will occupy nearly 19,000 acres and serve up to 200 million travellers a year with six runways. That’s almost double the traffic at world’s biggest airport currently, Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson. The airport’s interiors nod to Turkish and Islamic designs, and its tulip-shaped air traffic control tower won the 2016 International Architecture Award. It also uses mobile applications and artificial intelligence for customers, is energy efficient and boasts a high-tech security system.

All aviation operations will move there at the end of December when Istanbul’s main international airport, named after Turkey’s founder Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, is closed down. Ataturk Airport now handles 64 million people a year. On the Asian side of the city, Sabiha Gokcen Airport handled 31 million passengers last year. It will remain open.

President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan has unveiled Istanbul New Airport, a mega project that may eventually become the world’s largest air-transport hub on the 95th anniversary of Turkey’s establishment as a republic. It’s a symbolic launch, as only limited flights will begin days later and a full schedule of service won’t take place until the end of the year.

Tens of thousands of workers have been scrambling to finish the airport to meet Erdogan’s Oct. 29 deadline. Protests in September over poor working conditions and dozens of construction deaths have highlighted the human cost of the project.

Istanbul New Airport, on shores of the Black Sea, will serve 90 million passengers annually in its first phase. At its completion in 10 years, it will occupy nearly 19,000 acres and serve up to 200 million travellers a year with six runways. That’s almost double the traffic at world’s biggest airport currently, Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson. The airport’s interiors nod to Turkish and Islamic designs, and its tulip-shaped air traffic control tower won the 2016 International Architecture Award. It also uses mobile applications and artificial intelligence for customers, is energy efficient and boasts a high-tech security system.

All aviation operations will move there at the end of December when Istanbul’s main international airport, named after Turkey’s founder Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, is closed down. Ataturk Airport now handles 64 million people a year. On the Asian side of the city, Sabiha Gokcen Airport handled 31 million passengers last year. It will remain open.

President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan has unveiled Istanbul New Airport, a mega project that may eventually become the world’s largest air-transport hub on the 95th anniversary of Turkey’s establishment as a republic. It’s a symbolic launch, as only limited flights will begin days later and a full schedule of service won’t take place until the end of the year.

Tens of thousands of workers have been scrambling to finish the airport to meet Erdogan’s Oct. 29 deadline. Protests in September over poor working conditions and dozens of construction deaths have highlighted the human cost of the project.

Istanbul New Airport, on shores of the Black Sea, will serve 90 million passengers annually in its first phase. At its completion in 10 years, it will occupy nearly 19,000 acres and serve up to 200 million travellers a year with six runways. That’s almost double the traffic at world’s biggest airport currently, Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson. The airport’s interiors nod to Turkish and Islamic designs, and its tulip-shaped air traffic control tower won the 2016 International Architecture Award. It also uses mobile applications and artificial intelligence for customers, is energy efficient and boasts a high-tech security system.

All aviation operations will move there at the end of December when Istanbul’s main international airport, named after Turkey’s founder Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, is closed down. Ataturk Airport now handles 64 million people a year. On the Asian side of the city, Sabiha Gokcen Airport handled 31 million passengers last year. It will remain open.

The Sofia joins other recent additions to the Unbound Collection by Hyatt, including the newly opened Nish Palas in Istanbul and the iconic Hotel Martinez in Cannes, France. Additional properties expected to open and join the collection in the near future include the Great Scotland Yard Hotel in London, the Párisi Udvar Hotel in Budapest and the Hôtel du Louvre, signalling significant growth for the brand across the region.

The Hotel Sofia in Barcelona, Spain, will join the Unbound Collection by Hyatt, a global portfolio of independent properties. Owned and managed by the Selenta Group, the 465-room hotel became Barcelona’s first five-star property upon opening in 1975. As announced on Monday, a Hyatt affiliate has entered into a franchise agreement with Selenta to allow the Sofia to become a member of the collection. The hotel was named for Princess Sofia of Greece and Denmark, wife to Spain’s former King Juan Carlos I, and served as her home when she visited Barcelona. It is in an upscale neighbourhood on Avenida Diagonal, one of the main thoroughfares in the heart of town, near Camp Nou stadium. On-site are five restaurants, an elegant Mediterranean-inspired spa, a tropical garden pool and a state-of-the-art fitness centre.

The Sofia joins other recent additions to the Unbound Collection by Hyatt, including the newly opened Nish Palas in Istanbul and the iconic Hotel Martinez in Cannes, France. Additional properties expected to open and join the collection in the near future include the Great Scotland Yard Hotel in London, the Párisi Udvar Hotel in Budapest and the Hôtel du Louvre, signalling significant growth for the brand across the region.

The Hotel Sofia in Barcelona, Spain, will join the Unbound Collection by Hyatt, a global portfolio of independent properties. Owned and managed by the Selenta Group, the 465-room hotel became Barcelona’s first five-star property upon opening in 1975. As announced on Monday, a Hyatt affiliate has entered into a franchise agreement with Selenta to allow the Sofia to become a member of the collection. The hotel was named for Princess Sofia of Greece and Denmark, wife to Spain’s former King Juan Carlos I, and served as her home when she visited Barcelona. It is in an upscale neighbourhood on Avenida Diagonal, one of the main thoroughfares in the heart of town, near Camp Nou stadium. On-site are five restaurants, an elegant Mediterranean-inspired spa, a tropical garden pool and a state-of-the-art fitness centre.

The Sofia joins other recent additions to the Unbound Collection by Hyatt, including the newly opened Nish Palas in Istanbul and the iconic Hotel Martinez in Cannes, France. Additional properties expected to open and join the collection in the near future include the Great Scotland Yard Hotel in London, the Párisi Udvar Hotel in Budapest and the Hôtel du Louvre, signalling significant growth for the brand across the region.