Traveller – The News Desk

100 Princes Street hotel opens in Edinburgh – Business Traveller

17Apr

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100 Princes Street hotel opens in Edinburgh – Business Traveller

Edinburgh has welcomed a new boutique hotel in its city centre, with 100 Princes Street opening its doors to guests. 100 Princes Street marks the first Scottish property from family-owned hotel collection, Red Carnation Hotels. The boutique hotel occupies the building which formerly housed the headquarters of the Royal Overseas League, located close to Scotland’s National Gallery and facing Edinburgh Castle. The hotel has been designed by the teams behind Botswana’s Xigera Safari Lodge and Ireland’s Ashford Castle – both of which are Red Carnation Hotels. The team has preserved the architectural heritage of the building, with handpicked antiques and nautical design elements nodding to its history, while also introducing contemporary elements. On display are artworks including bespoke pie...

Air Astana eyes joint venture with Italy’s Neos – Business Traveller

16Apr

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Air Astana eyes joint venture with Italy’s Neos – Business Traveller

Air Astana Group, the largest airline group in Central Asia and the Caucasus regions by revenue and fleet size, has signed a memorandum of understanding with Neos, the second largest airline from Italy and part of the Alpitour group, to enter a strategic partnership. The deal will encompass several areas of cooperation, including a codeshare agreement under which Air Astana will apply its ‘KC’ denominator to Neos-operated flights between Milan Malpensa (MXP) and Almaty (ALA) and vice versa. Moreover, the airlines plan on collaborating on Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner technical and operations performance sharing when Air Astana gets its first 787-9s in 2025, with Neos being a current Dreamliner operator. Furthermore, Air Astana and Neos say are considering and evaluating the formation of a j...

IHG signs agreement to double presence in Germany – Business Traveller

16Apr

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IHG signs agreement to double presence in Germany – Business Traveller

IHG Hotels & Resorts is set to double its presence in Germany to more than 200 hotels in almost 100 cities. The hotel group has signed a 30-year agreement with NOVUM Hospitality, one of Germany’s largest private hotel operators. NOVUM Hospitality operates 111 properties are in Germany, with the remaining eight in Austria, the Netherlands and the UK. The agreement will see 108 of NOVUM’s hotels and an additional 11 under development join IHG’s system by 2028. The conversion of these hotels will begin this year and happen in phases, with the hotel group stating that the majority will take place over the next 24 months. Ultimately, this will increase IHG’s global system size by up to 1.9 per cent. As part of the agreement, IHG’s Holiday Inn will be combined with NOVUM’s ‘the niu’ brand,...

ITC Hotels launch Storii Solan – Business Traveller

16Apr

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ITC Hotels launch Storii Solan – Business Traveller

Storii by ITC Hotels expands its footprint with the inauguration of Storii Solan, nestled in the tranquil village of Kaba amidst the Kasauli hills. Spanning five acres, this boutique property offers luxurious suites and spacious rooms with private balconies, providing panoramic views of the valley and surrounding mountains. Embracing modern comforts and sustainable building practices, Storii Solan exudes a distinctive charm, adorned with lush greenery and vibrant blossoms that reflect the diverse seasons of Solan. Anil Chadha, Chief Executive of ITC Hotels, expresses excitement about Storii Solan’s addition, highlighting its appeal as an all-season destination for those seeking a serene retreat or intimate celebrations. The retreat epitomises natural beauty and cultural heritage, promisi...

Aer Lingus unveils new business class menu and grows IFE library – Business Traveller

16Apr

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Aer Lingus unveils new business class menu and grows IFE library – Business Traveller

Aer Lingus has launched a new business class menu while also expanding its inflight entertainment library by more than a third. The Irish flag carrier updates its menus every three months, with the latest iteration including dishes such as skin-on thyme and parsley chicken supreme, herb-infused roasted pork, pan-fried hake, citrus-marinated salmon and a vegetarian root vegetable and pearl barley stew. The airline will also serve starters of Irish smoked salmon, saffron-poached prawns, and a roast parsnip and seasonal apple soup, while desserts include a choice of lemon cream mousse and a local cheese board. Aer Lingus has also boosted its inflight entertainment library by more than a third, adding up to 48 Irish movies and more than 1,000 TV episodes to screens this year. The carrier rev...

Atlanta tops world’s busiest airports in 2023 – Business Traveller

15Apr

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Atlanta tops world’s busiest airports in 2023 – Business Traveller

Airports Council International (ACI) World has published its preliminary ranking of the world’s busiest airport in 2023, with Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International again topping the list. The airport welcomed more than 104 million passengers last year, significantly ahead of Dubai International which served just under 87 million. Dallas Fort Worth was third with around 82 million passengers, with London Heathrow in fourth place – as previously reported the London hub served 79.2 million passengers in 2023. Tokyo Haneda jumped from 16th place in 2022 to fifth last year, welcoming just under 79 million passengers. In terms of the busiest airports for international passengers, Dubai International took top spot, followed by London Heathrow, Amsterdam Schiphol, Paris CDG and Singapore Chan...

Delta increases Miami lounge capacity by more than 50 per cent – Business Traveller

14Apr

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Delta increases Miami lounge capacity by more than 50 per cent – Business Traveller

Delta will operate 34 peak-day flights to 12 destinations from Miami this summer. The expansion of the Miami space is a continuation of Delta’s programme of upgrading existing facilities and opening new lounges across the US. Last year the carrier unveiled a total of seven new, expanded or reopened Sky Club locations, including a lounge within the new Terminal A at New York’s Newark airport and a nature-inspired Sky Club at Minneapolis-Saint Paul. Delta recently confirmed plans for the much-anticipated debut of its new “premium lounge” concept, with lounges set to open at JFK, Los Angeles and Boston airport this year. Delta to debut premium lounge concept at JFK, Los Angeles and Boston this year Commenting on the news Claude Roussel, vice president – Sky Clubs and lounge experience, sai...

United launches preferred seat type waitlist feature – Business Traveller

14Apr

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United launches preferred seat type waitlist feature – Business Traveller

Ever gone through the seat selection process with an airline only to find your preferred seat type is not available? United Airlines is rolling out a feature which it says will make it easier for its customers to get their desired seat type, “even if their preferred seat isn’t available during booking”. Passengers can now visit the carrier’s mobile app to request their preferred seat type, and will be automatically assigned and notified about their new seat assignment should the requested type become available. The new feature allows customers to select preferences for window or aisle seats, as well as exit rows or bulkhead seats. The complimentary service is available up until 12 hours before the scheduled flight departure, for all customers except those travelling on Basic Economy tick...

Radisson Collection Berlin to reopen with centrepiece ‘Living Tree’ – Business Traveller

14Apr

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Radisson Collection Berlin to reopen with centrepiece ‘Living Tree’ – Business Traveller

The Radisson Collection Hotel Berlin is set to reopen at the end of the year, and will feature a new showpiece installation in its lobby area. So how did we get to this point? The former Radisson Blu Hotel Berlin was reflagged under the group’s Radisson Collection brand in early 2022 following a 12-month renovation programme. The 427-room property retained its centrepiece AquaDom aquarium in the hotel’s lobby, which stood 25 metres tall and housed around 1,500 fish. But early on the morning of 16 December, 2022 the aquarium – which had held the Guinness World Record as the world’s largest cylindrical aquarium – suddenly burst, pouring around a million litres of water into the hotel and the street. The hotel has remained closed since, but in a LinkedIn post Yilmaz Yildirimlar, area senior...

13Apr

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The Biltmore Mayfair is leaving Hilton’s LXR brand – Business Traveller

The Biltmore Mayfair on London’s Grosvenor Square has announced plans to debrand from Hilton’s LXR collection, and will operate independently from 1 May. The 307-room hotel previously operated as the Millennium Hotel London Mayfair until 2019 when it reopened as the Biltmore Mayfair, LXR Hotels & Resorts following an 18-month, £60 million renovation project. It was just the second property to join Hilton’s LXR brand (and the first in Europe), following the rebranding of The St Regis Dubai Al Habtoor City in 2018. Business Traveller reviewed The Biltmore Mayfair shortly after it reopened. Hotel review: The Biltmore Mayfair In a statement the hotel said: “The Biltmore Mayfair announces it will take full ownership of management internally and will operate independently 1st May 2024. Th...