WORDS MOLLY DYSON
INFORM
IHG HEADS NORTH WITH KIMPTON BRAND
INTERCONTINENTAL HOTELS GROUP has opened its second Kimpton property in the UK and its first in Scotland with the launch of the Kimpton Charlotte Square. Last year, IHG and Covivio entered an
agreement to acquire and rebrand 12 hotels and one pipeline property operating under the Principal and De Vere brands. The Principal Charlotte Square is the second of these properties to enter the Kimpton brand after the Kimpton Fitzroy London. Kimpton Charlotte Square (pictured) is
located in Edinburgh’s Georgian New Town, and has 184 rooms and 15 suites. The property also features the BABA Bar, a recently refurbished gym and a spa. IHG plans to open additional Kimpton
hotels in Glasgow and Manchester, along with an InterContinental Hotels & Resorts opening in Edinburgh this year. The group currently operates 345 hotels under eight brands in the UK.
Virgin Atlantic reveals new Upper Class suite
VIRGIN ATLANTIC HAS UNVEILED its new Upper Class suite, which will debut on its Airbus 350-1000 aircraft this summer. The new cabin will be laid out in a 1-2-1 configuration with seats facing outward towards the windows (as opposed to the current inward-facing herringbone layout). New features include a 44-inch seat pitch with seats that convert into 82-inch fully-flat beds and an 18.5-inch entertainment screen. Passengers will be able to control the in-flight entertainment (IFE) system with their personal devices. Reports say there will be 44 Upper Class suites on the A350 and an onboard social space, The Loft, featuring a 32-inch TV screen that connects to individual headsets via Bluetooth. Virgin Atlantic will initially deploy the new A350 on the
Heathrow-JFK route from August. Four of its six daily flights on the route will be operated by the new aircraft by the end of 2019. The carrier will take delivery of four A350s this year and a total of eight are due to arrive by 2021.
buyingbusinesstravel.com
$30BN OF EXPENSE VAT UNCLAIMED
NEW RESEARCH SUGGESTS companies may be failing to claim US$30 billion each year in VAT recovery from travel expenditure. A study conducted by Taxback
International revealed businesses could be leaving VAT unclaimed because of a lack of knowledge, resources and the technology required to reclaim it successfully from worldwide authorities. Taxback International said VAT
reclaim on business travel and expense was particularly slow, complex and cumbersome when done manually. Barry Noonan, chief technology
officer at Taxback International, said globally companies were also likely “to be missing out on up to US$10 billion being incorrectly claimed, leaving companies open to severe penalties”.
2019 MAY/JUNE 19
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