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What's New In Business TravelAirlinesby Walter GlaserAIR TRAFFIC. If you think that the downturn in the travel industry translates into empty planes and better deals for the traveler, think again! Recently we flew around the world using eight different carriers. Every flight was brim-full with hardly an empty seat on the whole aircraft. The reason is that all the international airlines are frantically code-sharing, resulting in one full aircraft carrying the passengers of up to six different airlines. Also, it was very noticeable that each airline was using the smallest available aircraft --- Boeing 767’s and 777’s instead of 747’s and so on. That’s great for the airline but not so good for the passenger. Imagine, for instance, that you book business class on a British Airways flight, expecting to get their excellent stretch-out full-length bed, and finish up on one of the other Global Alliance flights whose business class seats are sardine-can-like by comparison. When this happens to me, I get totally unimpressed by all the Alliance advertising. QANTAS. With all the current turmoil in Argentina, it is not surprising that, as of July, Qantas will be discontinuing its excellent Sydney – Auckland – Buenos Aires 747 service. Instead, the route will be covered by a new Qantas Sydney – Auckland – Santiago service that will be flown by Lan Chile (airbus) leased to Qantas, with on-flights available to BA on Lan Chile. VIRGIN-BLUE, AUSTRALIA. Sir Richard Branson has done it again! With the demise of Ansett, the efficient and cost effective Virgin-Blue is stepping into the breach, filling the holes left in Australia’s domestic skies. New routes, new planes, new terminals, and cheap fares are making Virgin-Blue a winner. HOTELSLas Vegas, USA Recently, we stayed at the Four Seasons Hotel in Las Vegas, an oasis of tranquility and true 5-star style. The Four Seasons Hotel occupies some of the top floors of the Mandalay Casino building, but has its own street entrance and is elegant, quiet and stylish. For those who consider it a blessed relief not to have to go through acres of slot machines in order to get to a hotel lobby, The Four Seasons is a perfect Las Vegas choice. Four Seasons Hotel, Las Vegas Blvd, Las Vegas,
Nevada 89119, USA. Venice, ITALY If budget is no problem, our favorite hotel in Venice is, without doubt, The Cipriani. Accessible via a complimentary luxury launch that runs direct from the landing at St Mark's Square, the Cipriani is just about as elegant as any hotel can get. If you want to meet the world's movers and shakers as well as the rich and famous, the Cipriani is the place to go. The Cip restaurant, overlooking Venice, has become their favorite meeting place. Hotel Cipriani, Guidecca 10, 30133 Venice Italy. For those with a less generous budget, we would recommend the Metropole on the Riva Sciavioni, a member of the Romantik Hotels Group. This offers some of the best cuisine in town, especially the buffets which are in the "not to be missed" category. Romantik Hotel Metropole, 4149 Riva degli Schiavoni, 1-30122 Venice, Italy. SINGAPORE The Singapore hotel scene has a relatively new star in its constellation - The Fullerton. This historical building has previously housed the General Post Office, the Exchange, and The Chamber of Commerce. The Fullerton's architects have added some extra floors and made this into an absolutely outstanding hotel. And it is only a short walk from Boat Quay, one of the most interesting waterfront dining areas in Singapore. The Fullerton Hotel, 1 Fullerton Square, Singapore,
049178 Paris, FRANCE For an outstanding boutique hotel that combines excellent service with a premier position and total comfort, try The Hyatt Regency. This hotel sets new standards for hospitality in the city of light. To start an evening in true Parisian style - have a glass of champagne from the selection on display in ice-buckets at the entrance to the lounge. Hyatt Regency Paris – Madeleine Puerto Vallarta, MEXICO Puerto Vallarta is currently the second biggest tourist attraction in Mexico, and has, in our opinion, more to offer than its rival, Cancun. If you are planning a trip "south of the border", The Westin will make an ideal base for a family holiday in that most interesting city. Facing directly onto the city's beautiful bay and with every imaginable facility, the hotel is sure to maximize the pleasures of your stay. The Westin Regina Resort, Paseo de la Marina Sur
#205, Vienna, AUSTRIA If you are interested in experiencing just how the Austrian aristocracy lived in Vienna, then stay in what was, until comparatively recently, one of their palaces. It is the im Palais Schwarzenberg, set in part of the palace buildings and overlooking one of Vienna's most glorious gardens. The hotel is about as good as it gets and within walking distance of the inner central business district. It is equally suitable for business or pleasure travel and is well worth discovering. Hotel im Palais Schwarzenberg, Schwarzenbergplatz 9,
A-1030 Wein, Austria. RESTAURANTSCharleston, South Carolina, USA If you are heading for that southern city and want the very finest in dining or entertaining, head for Charleston Place, an outstanding venue owned and operated by the famous Orient Express Hotels Group. People in that city are saying that Charleston Place sets new dining standards for Charleston, a city that is already well regarded by American gourmets. Charleston Place, 205 Meeting Street, Charleston,
South Carolina, USA Dining Deliciously in Singapore Lovers of Chinese food seeking an elegant, delicious Chinese meal in the best tradition, should try the Shang Palace at Singapore's Shangri-La Hotel. Service is attentive and staff are friendly, while the food there is absolutely delicious and surprisingly well-priced. The Shang Palace, 22 Orange Grove Road, Singapore,
258350. Melbourne, AUSTRALIA For excellent, innovative Italian food, dine at the restaurant where the President of Italy can be found when he visits Melbourne. Scusa Mi is located in Melbourne's Southbank complex and would, if in Europe, probably rate a Michelin star or two. Mamma Mia ! Scusa Mi Ristorante and Bar, Southgate Galleria Mid
Level, 2 Southgate, South Melbourne, Australia. London, UK Conveniently situated in Mayfair, Mirabelle excels with risotto and seafoods. Popular with the trendier set, if you are a dedicated people-watcher you may spot all sorts of famous people who live and visit London. Make the most of fine weather in this city by sitting at the garden tables here. Mirabelle, 56 Curzon St, W1, London, UK. Tel: (44) 0207 488 4636 (Cost: around £56) WORTH NOTINGLAPTOPS: More and more international carriers are now installing power points for computers on their aircraft. About time, too!! But it won’t help you unless you buy the correct cable that links your laptop to their seat. How’s that for insuring customer loyalty? Many airlines are making a point of their power-points being different to those of other carriers. It will pay you to phone and check if The flight you plan to go on has seats with laptop power (bear in mind that with code-sharing the airline you book may not be the airline you get), and if the cable you have, will fit their seats. PHONE CARDS: When traveling to a foreign country, keep an eye out for inexpensive telephone-cards. These are mainly sold at newspaper kiosks, internet cafes, and video rental stores. Recently, in Australia, we bought a Ezy-com card that was easy to use and on which calls to U.S.A and Britain cost under US$0.03 per minute, instead of my hotel’s rate of US$0.50 per minute. Inexpensive phone-cards are available in most countries. WORD OF WARNINGCHECK YOUR FLIGHT DETAILS: Even though you have booked and ticketed your flight, it is almost imperative to check, a day or two before departure, to make sure that it is still operating at that time. Airlines are changing flight numbers, destinations, and departure times more frequently than chorus-girls change their underwear. More and more routes that were cancelled after September 11 are now being reinstated, and on others bigger aircraft and greater frequencies are being put in place because passenger numbers have been increasing again dramatically. So don’t assume that the flight that you have booked is the flight that you will get. Check it out! RIP-OFF HOTEL PRICES: If you don’t want to pay more than you need to, check the hotels that your travel agent gives you against prices on the web. Many of the “rack-rate” hotel prices have recently increased to rip-off levels, but specials are often available on the web that your travel agent may not know about. When you find them, tell your travel agent who can generally get them matched. And ALWAYS ask your travel agent to get you the hotel’s confirmation number in writing. A favorite trick of unscrupulous hotels is to oversell rooms and then pretend that they have never heard of you when you turn up. Only a written confirmation can keep such hotels honest. |
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