p16 Comment Oct23 21/10/09 18:16 Page 16
news comment
ttglive.com
Derek Jones Kuoni
“Like anyone with perishable
goods to sell, the Dorchester
will offer up a discount
to stimulate demand”
A
t the Travel Convention a few weeks Google revealed that in May this year at a
ago the very likeable Micky Arison, select committee hearing into the effects of
chairman and chief executive of alcohol on behaviour, a government-appointed
Carnival Corporation and one of the professor reported a fight he had witnessed at
most powerful men in the cruise industry, looked – wait for it – the Dorchester Hotel.
befuddled as Jeremy Vine persisted with an And on the Dorchester website you’ll find
unusual line of questioning. discounted rooms are indeed available: book to
I paraphrase, but essentially he asked stay in the first two weeks of January and you’ll
this: the global credit crunch means cruise save £110 per night on a standard room.
companies are struggling to fill cabins so prices And fighting on cruise ships? There was the
have been lowered to stimulate demand. This widely reported “chav cruise” at Christmas but
has led to fights breaking out onboard involving otherwise, the only other incident wasn’t on a
some of Carnival’s customers. This is clearly ship, it was on the island of Antigua. A family
caused by people who shouldn’t be able to from Brooklyn had a disagreement with a taxi
afford a cruise. Will the economic driver over the fare. He decided to take them to
downturn inevitably lead to the the local police station where tempers flared.
ruination of our holidays as the riff So onboard fighting doesn’t seem to be
raff sweep in, get drunk, fight and the issue it was made out to be, and people
generally spoil it for the rest of us? who can afford to stay at the Dorchester do
We were then presented with occasionally fight. And like anyone else with
further cast-iron proof that only perishable goods to sell, the Dorchester will
the affluent can be trusted not offer up a discount to stimulate demand.
to sort out their differences It was left to Micky to bring the debate to
with their fists: the Dorchester a close.
Hotel, we were told, never “Fighting isn’t just something that hap-
reduces rates to fill its rooms pens to people on low incomes,” he said.
and guess what? There’s never “Whether you earn 10p or £100,000 a
been a fight at the Dorchester. week, it often comes down to how much
Poor Micky tried his best beer you’ve drunk or the circumstances
to go with the flow but it you’re in.
was clear from his expres- “It’s like road rage, it doesn’t matter
sion this was not the precise if you’re driving a Mercedes or a Fiat.”
line of intelligent questioning Well said, Mr Arison.
he had anticipated.
So, on his behalf, I decided to put this
nonsense to the test. A quick shimmy through Derek Jones, distribution director, Kuoni
16 23.10.2009
Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68