Marriott signs Courtyard Hotel in Bucharest
Posted July 14, 2009 , add a commentMarriott has signed a management agreement for
its first Courtyard branded hotel in Romania.
The 187-room Courtyard by Marriott Bucharest,
scheduled to open in 2011, will be located in the city center
within walking distance of the JW Marriott Hotel Bucharest.
Courtyard by
Marriott hotel guest rooms feature high definition, flat
screen television; high-speed internet access; large work desk and
ergonomic chair; in-room refrigerator; remotely accessible voice
mail; data port for computer modem hook-up and coffee makers in
each room.
For dining and entertainment, the Courtyard by Marriott Bucharest will have a casual restaurant
serving three meals daily and a lobby lounge and bar.
For
recreation, the hotel will have a fitness center. Business
services will be available adjacent to the front desk and The
Market, a “grab and go” kiosk, will provide various sundry items
and mini-snacks and sandwiches for those in-a-hurry.
For
social events and conferences, the hotel will have 2,890 square
feet of space comprised of a 2,430-square foot main meeting room
which will be divisible into two sections and two separate meeting
rooms in varying configurations.
“We are delighted to introduce our highly-acclaimed Courtyard
hotel brand in Bucharest,” said Amy McPherson, President &
Managing Director, European Lodging, “Our Courtyard hotels appeal
to business and leisure travelers who want a refreshing
environment that helps them stay connected and productive while
enabling them to take time for themselves. With its growing
tourism base, we are confident that Bucharest will be the perfect
setting for this future Courtyard hotel.”
India’s Jet Airways launches Domestic Flights Promotion
Posted , add a commentIndia’s Jet Airways, its new all-economy service
Jet Airways Konnect, and JetLite, have launched special 5-day base
apex fares between INR 150-900++ on several key routes across
India.
These special fares are applicable only on flights
departing between 1230 hrs to 1630 hrs and 2030 hrs to 0700 hrs on
sectors indicated below, and are now available for sale until 27th July 2009. Travel on these fares is
open until 31 March
2010.
Jet Airways, Jet Airways Konnect and JetLite offer a
special base fare of INR 150++ on routes including the
Srinagar-Jammu, Guwahati-Imphal, Bhubaneshwar-Kolkata,
Delhi-Lucknow, Indore-Mumbai, Kochi-Hyderabad, Kolkata-Dibrugarh
and Mumbai-Raipur sectors, among others.
On routes
including the Mumbai-Chennai, Delhi-Mumbai/Pune,
Kolkata-Hyderabad, Hyderabad-Delhi and Delhi-Kolkata sectors, the
airlines offer a special base of INR 400++.
On the Guwahati-Delhi,
Mumbai-Kolkata, Bengaluru/Chennai-Delhi and Delhi-Kochi sector,
the airline will offer a special base fare of INR 900++.
Turnberry Golf Resort in Scotland Re-Opens as Member of Starwood’s Luxury Collection
Posted , add a commentThe historic Turnberry golf resort in Scotland
has re-opened as part of Starwood’s Luxury Collection brand at The
Open Championship 2009 following a $65 million renovation by owner Leisurecorp, a division of Dubai World company Nakheel.
Following the $65 million refurbishment, which
has focused on the iconic resort’s public spaces and 40 of its 211
luxuriously appointed guest rooms, Turnberry will host the word’s
oldest golf championship, on its renowned Ailsa golf course from
July 16 – 19, 2009.
Located on Scotland’s picturesque Ayrshire
coast, Turnberry, a Luxury Collection Resort, is the newest
addition to The Luxury Collection which includes other impressive hotels and resorts
such as The Grande Bretagne,
Athens, Greece; Hotel Marqu?s de Riscal, Elciego, Spain; Mystique,
Santorni, Greece; Hotel Danieli, Venice, Italy; The U.S. Grant,
San Diego and The Joule, Dallas.
This year’s Open Championship will host the
world’s leading golfers who will compete on Turnberry’s Ailsa
Course, widely viewed as one of the best links courses in the
world. The historic golf resort has previously played host to the
world’s oldest major golf championship in 1977, 1986 and 1994.
Turnberry, a Luxury Collection Resort, boasts
two 18-hole Championship courses including the Ailsa Course and
the Kintyre Course. In addition, the resort has a 9-hole Arran
Course and renowned Colin Montgomerie Links Golf Academy.
“It is an incredible honour for Turnberry to once again host The
Open Championship. The upgrade of the golf course and the
completion of an extensive hotel restoration programme has been a
key deliverable for 2009 and we have worked closely with heritage
consultants to ensure that the building’s history is preserved
while delivering beautifully designed hotel rooms and facilities,”
said Joe Sita, Chief Executive Officer, Nakheel Hotels, the parent
company of Leisurecorp. “We have dedicated close to $65 million to
restore the hotel to its rightful place as the premier property in
the West of Scotland.”
Redesigned by Mary Fox Linton, founder of Fox Linton
Associates, Turnberry’s restored accommodations include subtle
interior colours which give each room a soft, calming air inspired
by the resort’s majestic coastal setting.
Floor to ceiling windows
flood the resort with natural light and offer breathtaking views
of the Turnberry Lighthouse, Ailsa Craig and the lush links golf
courses.
Ensuring that Turnberry’s historical charm was preserved,
Fox Linton Associates collaborated closely with Historic Scotland
during the restoration of the 103-year-old resort.
“Being
privileged to work on an iconic building in such a beautiful
coastal setting lent inspiration to the new concept,” said Mary
Fox Linton. “We wanted to pay tribute to the original design by
James Miller and bring it up to date to create an ambience of
contemporary luxury using a colour palate and textures that
reflect the hotel’s location looking out over the Irish Sea.”
Dining at Turnberry indulges the senses with a diverse menu of
sophisticated and distinct culinary options.
Offering spectacular
views of the resort’s golf courses and the Irish Sea, original
architect James Miller’s Grand Tea Lounge has been redesigned to
its original splendor.
1906, open for breakfast and dinner, offers
guests a casual dining experience, featuring classic brassiere
inspired dishes such as eggs Benedict, ouefs en cocotte, lobster
Thermidor and more.
Turnberry’s Duel in the Sun bar, offering a
range of specialty draft and bottled beers, wine, spirits and
snacks, is an ideal setting to relax after a game of golf or to
enjoy the latest sporting event on the bar’s multiple plasma
screens.
The History of
Turnberry
Located in Ayrshire, Scottland Turnberry, a Luxury Collection
Resort first opened in 1906 and quickly established itself as the
premier destination for social and sporting events.
Converted into
an airfield during both world wars, the Ailsa course, designed by
Mackenzie Ross, reopened to the public in 1951. The course emerged
from acres of runway, foundations of brick huts, hangars and
transformer houses left over from the Second World War and has
been established as one of the world’s most renowned golf courses.
The Spa at Turnberry was added in 1991 and the new Golf Clubhouse
June 1993. The Colin Montgomerie Links Golf Academy, the first of
its kind in the world, opened in 2000, offering a unique teaching
environment with state-of-the art facilities. This was followed
with the opening of the Kintyre course in 2001.
With its
spectacular setting, challenging golf holes and awe-inspiring
views, each course is world renowned. The Onsite Outdoor Activity
Centre offers guests a variety of distinguished outdoor activities
including, quad biking, horse-riding, fishing, off-road driving
and more.
The Arran course, a par 3 and 4 course, opened in 2002
as the ideal venue for on-course lessons for novices and offer
expert players a warm up round prior to their game on the Ailsa or
Kintyre.
In 2001 Turnberry greatly expanded its accommodation
options by building nine two-bedroom luxury cottages, ideal for
couples and families, as well as twelve luxury lodges with either
six or eight ensuite bedrooms, adjacent to the hotel with
breathtaking views across the golf courses and sea.
Travelport GDS appoints Linda Kelly-Smith as Product Manager
Posted , add a commentTravelport GDS has appointed Linda Kelly-Smith
to the role of Product Manager – Mid-Back Office Solutions.
Linda, who was most recently employed as
Sabre Pacific’s online manager, will be responsible for driving
the ongoing development of Travelport’s suite of mid-back office
products.
In addition to sales, product and marketing
strategy for the online channel, Linda also possesses a broad
range of experience in the travel technology sector. She has held
senior roles in product development, sales and business
development at various companies, including Tramada Systems.
With a particular focus on agency workflow and
the mid-back office space, Linda will help to drive the
development of Travelport’s mid-back office suite of products –
including its CrossCheck Travel Enterprise solution, which has
evolved to become one of the most widely used mid-back office
systems in Australia and New Zealand, with over 900 agency users.
Linda will take the lead in the product
team in identifying new market opportunities, meeting user
requirements and delivering increased value to customers.
Linda will commence her new role at Travelport
GDS in mid-August 2009.
Belinda de Rome to join Etihad as Senior Vice President Corporate Communications
Posted , add a commentEtihad Airways has appointed Belinda de Rome as
its new senior vice president to lead its award-winning corporate
communications team.
Ms de Rome will be based at Etihad’s
headquarters in Abu Dhabi and report to James Hogan, the airline’s
chief executive.
Ms de Rome, 48, previously held the position of
head of corporate communications at Qantas Airways in Australia.
She joined Qantas in July 1995 and held a number of
positions within the communications team before becoming head in
April 2005.
Prior to her time with Qantas, Ms de Rome worked in
public relations and corporate affairs at the Commonwealth Bank of
Australia for eight years.
Mr Hogan said, “To be the best airline in the world it is vital that Etihad
recruits the best staff and we are delighted to welcome Belinda to
the airline. Her experience and expertise in the field of
communications are set to make a significant contribution in Etihad’s growth.”
Ms de Rome has extensive
experience in crisis communication, internal communication and
event management. Among many achievements at Qantas was Ms de
Rome’s communications strategy for the delivery of its first
Airbus A380 aircraft.
Ms de Rome will take up her new
role on Sunday 16 August. She will lead a team of team of nine PR,
media relations and internal communications professionals in the
department.
The Etihad Airways corporate
communications team recently won the prestigious SABRE award for
“Best Corporate Media Relations” campaign. Announced in May at a
ceremony in Stockholm the award recognised the department’s many
achievements which include generating an average of more than
1,000 positive articles around the world each month.