ACTE UPDATE IN BRIEF
• ABU DHABI-based Rotana hotels has opened its fi rst property in Bahrain, the Majestic Arjaan by Rotana. The 128-suite hotel is located in the Busaiteen District, opposite King Hamad University Hospital and close to both Bahrain International Airport, the Bahrain World Trade Centre and Bahrain Financial Harbour. The property features studio, one, two and three-bedroom apartments, plus a range of meeting rooms, outdoor pool, fi tness centre, and three restaurants: Ginger, for all-day buffet dining; Ginger Lounge lobby café; and Aquarius for casual pool-side dining.
• LONDON'S Threadneedles hotel and The Glasshouse in Edinburgh have joined the ranks of Marriott’s exclusive upscale brand, The Autograph Collection. The hotels are the fi rst in the UK to be incorporated in The Autograph Collection of independent properties which now numbers over 40 across the US, Europe, South America and Caribbean. The Threadneedles hotel – a former Victorian banking hall – is located in the City of London, close to the Bank of England and St Paul’s Cathedral. Edinburgh’s The Glasshouse is one of the city’s best-known boutique hotels and is built into the 150-year-old façade of the Lady Glenorchy church. Some guestrooms open onto the hotel’s rooftop gardens.
• MEMBERS of the world’s largest hotel loyalty programme will soon be entitled to free wifi access at over 4,600 Intercontinental Hotel Group properties worldwide. IHG, which operates nine different hotel brands, is remodelling its loyalty programme in July, changing its name from Priority Club Rewards to IHG Rewards Club. 'Elite' members of the 71 million-strong loyalty programme can enjoy free wifi access at IHG properties from July – whether staying the night or dropping in for a drink – a benefi t that will be rolled out to all members in 2014.
• Z HOTELS has opened its third property in Liverpool, joining its London locations in Soho and Victoria. Z Liverpool is located on the corner of North John Stree and Dale Street and has 92 guest rooms featuring 40-inch fl atscreen TVs, power showers and free wifi . Claiming to offer ‘the quintessential urbanite stay’, rates start from £40 plus VAT. A ground fl oor Z Cafe is open throughout the day.
DOUBLETREE by Hilton will open three new hotels this year as part of a rapid expansion project in the UK. The brand, which made its UK debut in 2008, has added 11 hotels in the last two years and will number 25 across the country by the year’s end. The latest additions include three new franchise agreements on sites in Bristol, Edinburgh and Nottingham. Hilton Worldwide’s Patrick
Fitzgibbon says, “Since launching DoubleTree in the UK, the brand
has built overwhelming momentum, particularly as a conversion proposition for existing properties.” In Edinburgh, the former Point
Hotel will convert to a DoubleTree by Hilton this summer; the DoubleTree by Hilton Bristol City Centre opens this spring under a franchise agreement with Focus Hotels; and the DoubleTree by Hilton Nottingham Gateway – formerly the Nottingham Gateway Hotel – will open later in the year after a major refurbishment.
XENIA READY TO DO BUSINESS Hilton's UK growth
terrorist act to the United States. But it could have happened anywhere there was a crowd. What made the Boston situation so significant was the subsequent lockdown and temporary termin- ation of transportation options during a manhunt and not an actual attack. A huge hub was brought to a standstill four days after the actual attack. While it could be assumed that the suspect was armed, extremely dangerous, and desperate, the resulting action temporarily eliminated taxis, municipal transportation, and rail transportation in a major US city. If you were planning to depart one of the city’s hotels for the airport, you could not have caught a cab, bus, subway or ferry to the airport. While the airport remained open, intercity rail service – one of the most viable transportation options on the northeast coast – was cancelled. Basically, you were stuck. Some people will be critical of the
R
delays and the inconvenience. Others will say the responsive was out of proportion to the problem. Not me. There is only a limited playbook for circumstances like these. A lot of it is learn as you go. Business travel managers will now
A NEW boutique hotel is due to open for business in South Kensington, London, this May. Xenia is a 99-guestroom property
set in a restored Victorian building and will open for business complete with a restaurant, bar and outdoor terrace, private dining facilities and meeting and event spaces. Interiors will feature bold prints from Cole & Son which ‘complement muted metallic backdrops and modern yet comfortable furnishings’.
There will be 77 superior guest
rooms, 21 executive rooms and one luxury suite, plus the Evoluzione restaurant, a bar and cigar humidor, and a private room for formal and informal gatherings. The hotel is located on Cromwell Road, close to Earls Court tube station. General manager Mario Ovsenjak
says, “With an increasing number of new hotel rooms in the city it is as important as ever that we stand out from the competition.”
have to consider that transportation connections within any global city may be severed not only during a potential crisis situation, but even during a search for the alleged criminals/terrorists. On this particular occasion, most business travellers were told to stay put until developments became clearer. It does not take much of a stretch of the imagination to conceive of a situation that may have run longer. In the next few weeks, the
Association of Corporate Travel Executives will be working with members to determine how travel policies have been adjusted to deal with this contingency. The study will be ongoing with results announced as they become available. Additional changes may include contractual text citing delays or cancellations due to activity of this type.
www.acte.org
GREELEY KOCH Executive Director, Association of Corporate Travel Executives (ACTE)
ecent events that transpired in Boston have once again brought the reality of a
THE BUSINESS TRAVEL MAGAZINE 55
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