Posts tagged travel alerts
[News/Alerts] Starwood Preferred Guest® Announces Redeem & Reward Promotion
Oct 25th
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. (NYSE: HOT) and its award-winning Starwood Preferred Guest® (SPG®) program announced a new promotion where members can save 30%, 40%, or 50% of their Starpoints on Free Night Awards at 21 of the SPG program’s most luxurious resorts in the United States and Canada. Similar to the SPG program’s long-standing Free Night Award policy, there are no blackouts on standard rooms with this promotion. To participate, members simply have to register, complete their Award stay at one of the 21 participating resorts from October 21, 2012 through December 20, 2012, and then will receive a bonus back of up to 50% of the Starpoints redeemed.
“Redeem & Reward is a one-of-a-kind promotion and a first for SPG, giving our members the opportunity to stay at some of our most lavish resorts with the opportunity to save significantly on redemption,” said Chris Holdren Senior Vice President of Starwood Preferred Guest. “We strive to provide members with the best value for their Starpoints, and this promotion gives our members the ability to share a unique experience with those closest to them.”
Whether hitting the slopes or the beach, it’s the perfect time to redeem Starpoints for a late year getaway. Redeem & Reward allows members to receive Starpoint savings at some of the program’s most coveted resorts including; The St. Regis Bal Harbour Resort, The St. Regis Aspen Resort and W South Beach Resort.
Participating resorts and their eligible Free Night Award savings include:
50% Starpoint savings:
- The Phoenician, a Luxury Collection Resort, Scottsdale, AZ, USA
- The St. Regis Aspen Resort, Colorado, USA
- The St. Regis Bahia Beach Resort, Puerto Rico, USA
- The St. Regis Bal Harbour Resort, Florida, USA
- The St Regis Monarch Beach Resort, Dana Point, California, USA
- W South Beach, Miami Beach, Florida, USA
- Westin Diplomat Resort & Spa, Hollywood, Florida, USA
40% Starpoint savings:
- W Retreat & Spa- Vieques, Puerto Rico, USA
- The Westin Trillium House, Blue Mountain, Ontario, Canada
- The Westin St. John Resort & Villas, VI, USA
- The Westin Mission Hills Resort & Spa, Rancho Mirage, CA, USA
- The Westin Grand Cayman Seven Mile Beach Resort & Spa, Cayman Islands
- The Westin Resort & Casino, Aruba
- Sheraton Nassau Beach Resort & Casino, Bahamas
30% Starpoint savings:
- Sheraton Steamboat Resort, Steamboat Springs, CO, USA
- Sheraton Wild horse Pass Ranch Resort & Spa, Chandler, AZ, USA
- The St. Regis Deer Valley, Park City, UT, USA
- The Westin Kierland Resort & Spa, Scottsdale, AZ, USA
- The Westin La Cantera Resort, San Antonio, Texas, USA
- The Westin Savannah Harbor Gold Resort & Spa, Georgia, USA
- The Westin Whistler Resort & Spa, BC, Canada
SPG Redeem & Reward registration is open through November 30, 2012. For more information and to register please visit www.spg.com/r&r.
[News/Alerts] Fiji ranked in top 4 holiday destination
Oct 24th
Fiji has climbed in international popularity as a holiday destination by being named among the top four “Islands in Australia & the Pacific” in the prestigious annual Condé Nast Traveler’s Readers Choice Awards.
It went up two places from number six in last year’s awards to number four in 2012.
[News/Alerts] Bali Update – 22 October 2012
Oct 23rd
Bali’s mangrove forests remain in the news. The governor is meeting growing criticism for granting a private use license on the protected environmental area. Meanwhile, a local environmental group has served formal legal notice on the governor and contractors to halt the Bali Toll Way project because of the damage being done to precious mangrove areas.
Sadly, narcotics remains in the news: A Japanese teenager has been sentenced to an adult prison for 6 months; a Russian man gets 8 years behind bars; and a German chef waits to hear if he’ll get 20 years or 1 year in prison.
Bali Tourism authorities promise to crackdown on illegal tourism businesses, but blame regional autonomy as limiting their ability to get tough on illegal hotels, tour operators and tourist attractions.
[News/Alerts] Skiiers alert… Are you aware of the ski hills
Oct 11th
Over stunning St. Lawrence River Valley atop Québec’s Le Massif Mountain. Its here you get the highest accumulation annually of powdered snow making this area a magnet for those “in-the- know” finest skiing. Cirque-du-Soleil founder, Daniel Gauthier, has pumped his own millions into creating a four season destination. Come ride their unique train along the coast from Quebec City, through the coastline grandeur of ‘tres charmant’ Charlevoix’s quaint rolling hills. Stroll through the amazing art community of Baie-Saint-Paul, and look forward to a great sleep at their new resort, Hotel La Ferme. The original cuisine at Les Labours will have you booking an extra night, as the local artisan farmers provide a delicious supply of fresh fare. This is one of North America’s hidden secrets.
[News/Alerts] Luxe Hotel Palacio Astoreca opens in Valparaiso, Chile
Oct 9th
The Hotel Palacio Astoreca formally opened October 1, 2012, following a masterful two-year renovation of one of Valparaiso’s most iconic national monuments, the Astoreca Palace, located in the heart of fashionable Cerro Alegre. The design-driven, 23-room hotel de charme offers luxe accommodations, a chic spa, a gourmet restaurant, superlative personalized service, and utterly breathtaking views of the city’s “amphitheater” of eclectic urban landscapes and the Valparaiso Bay — all within close distance of some of the city’s best attractions.
[News/Alerts] Raffles Hotel Singapore Best Luxury Hotel in Asia-Pacific for Tenth Consecutive Year
Oct 9th
Just weeks after hosting the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, and celebrating its 125th year, Raffles Hotel Singapore has been awarded the “Best Luxury Hotel” in the Asia Pacific region for the tenth consecutive year at the TTG Travel Awards.
These prestigious awards honour outstanding hotels and talent in a region renown for its concentration of the world’s most exceptional luxury hotels, and is voted by their readers through an online and print campaig
[News/Alerts] Rijksmuseum Grand Opening April 13, 2013 (open for the public April 14, 2013)
Oct 8th
After almost 10 years of renovation, restoration and alteration, the completely renovated Rijksmuseum will tell the story of the Netherlands from the Middle Ages to the present. A new display of the collection, a renewed building, new public facilities, a revamped garden and a new Asian Pavilion – only Rembrandt’s most celebrated painting The Night Watch will return to its former place. As of 13 April, everything else will be different than it was prior to the renovation work.
365 days
The new Rijksmuseum will be the first national museum in the world that will be open every day of the year, from 9 am to 5 pm.The museum is currently busy moving 8,000 works of art and historical objects to the main building. The last work to be moved will be The Night Watch. Until spring 2013 the masterpieces of the Dutch Golden Age continue to be on view in the Philips Wing.
[News/Alerts] The New Four Seasons Hotel Toronto Opening
Oct 8th
In the city where it all began, Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts now comes full circle with the opening of its new flagship in Toronto, Canada…
“This is a proud moment for everyone at Four Seasons – at the new Hotel, at our corporate offices, and certainly at all our locations around the world,” says Katie Taylor, president and CEO of Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts. “The future is here now, in this new flagship, and in the thousands of employees around the world committed to raising the bar for luxury hospitality.”
The new Four Seasons Hotel Toronto rises above its prime Yorkville Avenue address at the corner of Bay Street. Sweeping into the drive (heated for Canadian winters, of course) past Claude Cormier’s visionary roseless rose garden, guests circle the grand fountain designed exclusively for this space. Alighting on a 12-colour mosaic with a floral overlay from the etched glass canopy above, the urban “carpet” is the creation of Cormier and Hotel interior designer Yabu Pushelberg, inspired by the Persian rugs popular in the Victorian era as a nod to Yorkville’s more traditional architecture.
[News/Alerts] Frankfurt Airport Opens Pier A-Plus as Scheduled
Oct 7th
Frankfurt Airport’s (FRA) new Pier A-Plus – the 2624 feet-long westward expansion of Terminal 1 – opened on schedule after about four years of construction. Flight operations begin on October 10, 2012, at the new pier, allowing Germany’s biggest hub to serve up to six million additional passengers per year – thus a total of approximately 65 million passengers per year. This €700 million terminal complex will be exclusively used by Deutsche Lufthansa AG and its Star Alliance partners. In particular, Pier A-Plus provides more docking positions for serving widebody aircraft like the Airbus A380 superjumbo and the Boeing B747 family.
Pier A-Plus with 1,991,323 square feet of total useable floor space is the largest above-ground construction project at Frankfurt Airport since the opening of Terminal 2 in 1994. It provides seven docking positions for long-haul aircraft: four designed for double-decker jets like the A380 superjumbo served by three passenger bridges (one for the upper deck and two for the main deck); and three more positions with two passenger bridges for aircraft like the Boeing 747-8 and Airbus 340. Alternatively, eleven narrow body jets can be handled simultaneously at Pier A-Plus – ensuring optimum flexibility.
The new pier makes the transfer processes significantly easier and faster at Lufthansa’s biggest hub. In the future, all incoming flights from the U.S. will be handled at Area A of Terminal 1. The minimum connecting for many transfer flights on these routes will be reduced from currently 60 minutes to 45 minutes. Furthermore, the so-called docking rate will increase noticeably. That means that more aircraft can directly dock on the terminal and do not have to be parked at remote apron positions. This is much more comfortable for travellers than having to be transported to the terminal by bus, and it reduces the complexity of operations.
Pier A-Plus features five Lufthansa lounges: one First Class, two Senator and two Business lounges where guests can take a break, work or get refreshed. These facilities expand Lufthansa’s total lounge space at FRA by almost 50 percent to more than 150,695 square feet. Other details in the pier enhance the comfort of passengers: The moving walkways are longer and broader in order to shorten walking distances and to pass other guests who are not in a hurry. Furthermore, the generous waiting areas have seats with integrated power outlets and USB ports for electronic devices.
A new standard is also set in terms of retail concepts at this new expansion of Terminal 1. A total surface area of about 129,167 square feet is dedicated to some 60 shops and restaurants, which are mainly concentrated at two central marketplaces. For the first time at FRA, Duty Free and Travel Value Shops are conceptualized as walk-through shops. Travellers are automatically led through the sales area after passing the security control points.
