THE ROOM REPORT ➔
ACTE UPDATE Pullman eyes up UK locations
oriented brand, and senior staff at Pullman have indicated it is high on the group's wish-list. “The UK is our number one priority in Europe,” says Charlie Langlais, Accor’s COO EMEA, “and we’d be stupid not to say that we’d like to be in London in time for the Olympic Games.” Langlais says Accor would be searching out management contracts at London hotels but conceded that time is running out to have a Pullman up and running in the capital by July next year. The Pullman line was launched
THE Accor hotel group’s Pullman brand is going from strength to strength, but there remain no concrete plans to enter the UK market according to senior man- agement at the French hotel group. The upscale, non-standardised Accor brand is strongest at home in France where there are 13 properties, with other European markets including Spain, Germany, Belgium, Italy and
SERVICED APARTMENTS' RISING STAR
THE serviced apartment industry continues to go from strength to strength, with demand from corporates continuing to rise in 2010. Figures from the Association of Serviced Apartment Providers (ASAP) show London occu- pancy at a record high of 89 per cent, with an average weekly rate of £907, up from £843 in 2009. Occupancy nationwide was posted at 76 per cent, up four per cent on 2009. The average net weekly rental for the regions rose to £594, up from £538. The Association says its members continue to expand their apartment portfolios into many secondary cities across the country, with recent openings in locations such as Windsor, Nottingham, Farnborough, Bournemouth, Norwich, Salisbury and Swansea.
Romania. The brand is also strong in Asia, with properties in China, India, Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia, and there are further Pullman properties in Argentina, Morocco, Ivory Coast, Senegal and Australia. Last year saw the opening of its first hotel in the Middle East, the Pullman Dubai Mall of the Emirates. The UK would appear to be the next obvious step for the business-
in 2007 following the repositioning of sister brand Sofitel as a top-end luxury offering. The Pullman brand is expected to enter five new markets this year and has a goal of 150 properties worldwide within five years. In January the Méridien Montparnasse was rebranded as the Pullman Paris Montparnasse. It has over 950 guestrooms and conference facilities for up to 2,000 delegates.
CITIZEN M MAKES ITS MARK
RON DILEO EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, ASSOCIATION OF CORPORATE TRAVEL EXECUTIVES (ACTE)
INNOVATION – I hear this word thrown around a lot in the business travel industry. Yet, far too often, innovation is simply being used as a substitute for status-quo, rather than for something that is truly new, unique, and game changing. When I began my career in this industry, organisations had a certain way of procuring travel, managing their travellers, and understanding their travel data. Some 25 years later, little has changed. Yes, there is technology that has helped reshape business travel, but most of these were driven by advancements in the leisure travel space. At ACTE we are trying to change all
that. When we look back at the end of the next decade, I want the years between now and then defined by true innovation driven from within the industry itself. That’s why, throughout 2011, ACTE will launch several initiatives to do just that. ACTE’s first programme, launched
CITIZENM Hotels has revealed details of two new London properties as part of a 1,100 room expansion project, both scheduled to open before next year’s Olympics Games in the capital city. Based in Amsterdam where it has
two hotels, the citizenM group has confirmed it will open a new property on London’s South Bank, close to the Tate Modern, by the end of this year, with another due to open at Tower Hill before next summer’s Games. Glasgow became the location for the group’s third hotel and its first foray into foreign
territory last autumn, while two hotels are also lined up in New York. China, Hong Kong, Paris, Milan and Zurich are among further potential destinations for citizenM. The Glasgow property is located
on the corner of Hope and Renfrew streets, with its 198 guestrooms featuring king-size beds, Philips ‘mood pads’, flatscreen TVs, power showers, wall-to-wall windows, dark wood flooring and red Vitra furniture. There’s a bar and lounge area, plus canteenM, a kiosk-style cafeteria open around the clock. Rates are from £49 to £139 a night.
last December, was the '3 under 33' programme, which will identify the newest and brightest thinkers touching our industry. Nominees will be around or under the age of 33, and will have implemented a new idea, fresh approach, or new product or service in support of business travel over the previous 12 months. To nominate – or just see what it's all about – visit
www.3under33.com. Our second programme is the Angel Investors Lounge, a place where entrepreneurs looking for funding can meet with venture capitalists looking to invest in unique travel start-ups. And thirdly, in an effort to attract new talent to business travel, ACTE is launching the Around the World in 80 Hours programme. Beginning in late summer in Singapore, this will provide travel professionals and university students with a certified, hands-on, global immersion learning programme focused exclusively on corporate travel management. These are just a few of the things
we are doing to help redefine the future of corporate travel. By bringing an influx of young talent into the industry and by recognising the best talent already within it, we hope to reshape how we do business and the world around us. See
www.acte.org for more information.
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