SERGIO HERMAN IS BACK - YES!

The Jane, Antwerp, Belgium

Opening this week in Antwerp, Belgium, The Jane restaurant designed by Piet Boon has all the building blocks of a success. An intriguing building: A chapel of a former military hospital that gives the restaurant the aura of a sacred place mixed with a certain darkness. An interesting location: Antwerp’s ’t Groen Kwartier that with its lofts in restored buildings and green areas designed by famous architects is developing into a trendy area.


A famous chef-owner: Sergio Herman with his young right-hand man Nick Bril running the establishment. A renowned designer: Dutch Piet Boon restaurant who used fantastic collaborators to add customized spunk. The massive lighting fixture (weighing 800 kg) in the middle of the main dining room was created by Beirut, Lebanon-based PSlab and the stained-glass windows by the Antwerp-based Studio Job led by Job Smeets and Nynke Tynagel.



Our favourite aspects of The Jane are the scale of the space - its height, massive arches and large windows, the lovely decaying celling, and the almost complete lack of colour. We like how the interior touches respect the building and echo its history.



In a media release, Nick Bril explains why they named the restaurant The Jane “…Jane is the name of a fictional woman with the same qualities as our restaurant. The Jane will be sensual, exciting and chic. It will have an attractive international air, but also a hint of darkness. It will be tasteful and sophisticated, but also rock-’n’-roll. 

THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL

Wes Anderson's THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL recounts the adventures of Gustave H, a legendary concierge at a famous European hotel between the wars, and Zero Moustafa, the lobby boy who becomes his most trusted friend. See the trailer here and read an early review below.

Movie review by Joel D. Amos of Movie Fanatic

Wes Anderson has a fan base for his films, but there is something about The Grand Budapest Hotel that will simultaneously please them, while it is also uniquely universal.

From Rushmore through his most recent Moonrise Kingdom, one knows when you are watching an Anderson film. The shot framing, the dialogue and that ensemble cast that he possesses that reminds us of an ever-expanding repertory theater company... it all screams "Wes Anderson."

The Grand Budapest Hotel has all of those... and so much more.

Ralph Fiennes, new to the Anderson ensemble, stars as Gustav H. He is a legendary concierge at the titular establishment. His story is central to the film, but it expands much beyond that to cover fascism, romance, war, freedom, family infighting, mentorship, loyalty and delightful confections.

We don't want to give away too much of the plot or even what it entails or how it is told, for fear of denying a viewer the utter joy that is the entire The Grand Budapest Hotel experience. But, there is a murder and Gustav H. is considered a suspect. The elderly woman who owned the hotel was mysteriously poisoned and her family suspects that Gustav did it. See, our world's best concierge has an affinity for rich older ladies and they quite enjoy him as well.

There is also an absolute charm to this picture that arises from a mentorship between Gustav and a lobby boy, played by Tony Revolori... who is a revelation. The mentor takes the mentee under his wing and teaches him everything about pleasing the high-end clientele that frequent their hotel. It is charming to witness as the mentorship evolves over the years into a dear friendship, one that will be challenged not only by the murder charge, but also the winds of World War II that are knocking on Europe's door.

Anderson's regular performers astound in their roles, from Jeff Goldblum and Edward Norton to Bill Murray and Jason Schwartzman. And as can be seen inThe Grand Budapest Hotel trailer, the supremacy of the cast does not stop there. Just a sampling: Jude Law, Harvey Keitel, Willem Dafoe, Tom Wilkinson, Owen Wilson, F. Murray Abraham and Adrien Brody!

The screenplay by Anderson -- based on a story by the helmer and Hugo Guinness -- is nothing short of art. The wordplay between the characters is like watching a ballerina move effortlessly across a stage. It is powerful, whimsical and completely delightful from beginning to end. And the auteur's direction has only gotten tighter, fiercer and frankly funnier. The Grand Budapest Hotel is not short on humor. In fact, it lies around every plot turn.


But, the star of the film has to be the production design. It is like watching the most extraordinarily crafted wedding cake with colors that subtly pop, lush backgrounds and scenery that explode with the minutest of details. Our The Grand Budapest Hotel cannot recommend enough checking in to Anderson's latest.



It is, in fact, one of our 11 films that could win the 2015 Oscar Best Picture!

GOURMET TREND ON WHEELS

THE GOURMET TREND IN SOUTH AFRICA

On par with the trend in the USA and Europe, South Africa has seen a proliferation of food trucksof late. Serving gourmet meals at lunchtime, snacks throughout the day, and those that cater for weddings and parties, a mobile food service makes sense. It is estimated that globally, 2.5 billion people eat street food every day. Bringing the concept to city centers, office-dense spaces and favored weekend hangouts, is a practical solution to meet the demand for good, fairly inexpensive food.


The food truck movement as we currently know it evolved from a direct response to the recession around 2007 in the US, where restaurants had to downscale operations and patrons had less cash to spend on lunch. Fully kitted, well-designed trucks contain small but operational kitchens, and food safety is strictly monitored by city health officials. The food truck movement may seem trendy and modern, but it has its roots in 1886 America. A rancher, Charles Goodnight fitted a surplus US Army wagon with kitchen amenities to create the first kitchen on wheels. Wagons like these were known as ‘chuck’ (or ‘chow’) wagons.


While growth in South Africa has been slow, as opposed to the mushroom-effect in the United States, there is a constant trickle of new trucks as the word spreads. Luca Castiglione runs the now famousLimoncello food truck in Cape Town and heads the informal Food Truck Association which serves as an agency for food trucks regionally. The association assists with all aspects of the business from design to marketing. A location for the trucks to park is a contentious issue, as there is no formal legislation that makes provision for them. The Cape Town Informal Trading by-law acknowledges the need to recognize and assist informal traders, mostly street vendors, but much is left to the private sector, says Paul Williamson, from the Cape Town city council.


Chef Bertus Basson of Overture, who owns Die Wors Rol truck, that caters gourmet hotdogs at events, feels that the South African public is ready for the concept, evident in the number of trucks popping up. Consequently, food trucks now face competition for space and market share, especially from restaurants that have recognized the opportunity and developed their own. Like it was for the wildly famous Korean Kogi truck in Los Angeles, social media has played a huge role in the popularity of the trucks and knowing where to find them. Castiglione does no advertising, apart from Twitter and Facebook posts. “Word of mouth on social media keeps bringing us new customers,” he says.

While curbside vendors in South Africa, selling made to order fried snacks like sheep liver and beef steaks grilled over the coals, are common, especially in the townships, we’re yet to see the true kasi (or township) cuisine hop onto the food truck bandwagon. Costs involved may make the venture prohibitive initially, but this could be a solution for providing local township foods in the heart of the metropolis, where city workers are craving a taste of home. Pretty soon, food trucks may be roving the streets of Cape Town and Johannesburg, selling the classics loved by South Africans. Biltong (a traditional dried, spiced meat), braaivleis (meat made on the barbeque), pap en wors (stiff white maize and thick grilled sausages), bunny chow (curry in a hollowed out white quarter loaf) and koeksisters (a plaited deep-fried crisp doughnut drenched in sugar syrup) – there certainly is a market for it.

JOHANNESBURG

Long Tom
Burgers, pregos, boerie rolls, lamb on the spit.
Website

Balkan Burger Bus
Specialist burgers with a red pepper sauce served in ‘somun’ bread buns.
Website

DURBAN

Afro’s Braai’d Chick’n
Braai’d chicken served in various forms
Website

CAPE TOWN

Limoncello
Calzone, risotto, sandwiches and doughnuts
Website

Durban’s finest curry
Curries, bunny chows, spicy burgers
Twitter

Die Wors Rol
Gourmet hotdogs and chips
Website

MARCH TRAVEL PICK

ParkRoyal on Pickering, Singapore

It's a city with ample green spaces, but even in Singapore you probably wouldn't expect a building to sprout so much greenery from its façade. Tiers inspired by rice paddies dominate the lower levels of the 16-storey ParkRoyal on Pickering, and foliage spills out at regular intervals from ever-higher terraces. 

Architects WOHA and landscape specialists Tierra Design have continued the natural theme inside too: the lobby features a living wall of mosses and plants; the infinity pool on the fifth-floor terrace is backed by a two-storey waterfall draped in greenery; and pale green hues and wood dominate the hotel's 367 rooms. 

Apart from enchanting visitors, the thick vegetation acts as insulation, shade, and allows natural ventilation. So innovative is the design it has won the Green Mark Platinum Award, the highest rating for green buildings in Singapore. 

The hotel, located close to Raffles Place, between Hong Lim Park and Chinatown, also features a great rooftop bar.



3 Upper Pickering Street, Singapore; Tel: 65.6809 8888; 

www.parkroyalhotels.com

LOFTS @ SOHO HOUSE BERLIN

THE LOFT



The Berlin Lofts are a series of vast modern spaces available to hire for short to long term lets, as well as private parties and tailor-made events.



Each Berlin Loft benefits from an open-plan living and dining area that features a, 5.1 Cinema system, 75” TV, high-spec Kitchen, a dining table for 12 guests and either a grand piano or fussball table.



With a fully stocked Bar and Eat- in Kitchen, vintage DJ decks and speakers, and enough space to throw a Party, the Lofts are the perfect base for those wishing to lodge, live and entertain in Berlin. All four lofts will be serviced by a 24-hour Concierge and daily Housekeeping service. Guests will also have the option of private dining, including a personal Chef, Bartender and Waiter service.


The Berlin Lofts are available in two different categories:

FLOOR 1 & 2 (253 sqm): These Lofts feature three bedrooms, each with adjoining shower or bathrooms.

FLOOR 3 & 4 (253 sqm): These Lofts feature two bedrooms, each with adjoining bathrooms (one of which has a steam shower), a large living and dining area, and access to three private balconies.

Soho House Berlin

Torstraße 1
10119 Berlin, Germany
T +49 (0)30 40 50 440
Soho House Berlin Loft

WHAT GUESTS TAKE AND WHAT THEY LEAVE BEHIND?

TAKE AWAY - LOST & FOUND

Ask a hotel worker what all guests have in common and the answer may well be - they steal.

Whether staying in a 2-star motel or a 5-star luxury hotel, guests will steal whatever is not fixed, nailed, glued or screwed down. They steal bathrobes, towels, hangers, glasses, ashtrays, TV sets, and even artwork from the walls.

A few years ago, the Mayflower Hotel in Washington DC announced it was launching a no-questions-asked amnesty program for return of items pilfered throughout its eight-decade existence. This initiative came about when Keith McClinsey, the hotel's then sales manager, spotted a sliver champagne bucket for sale on eBay that had been filched by the seller's father during a long-ago party at the hotel.

At least one guest of the Peabody Hotel, New York, found the guilt of stealing from the hotel difficult to live with. The Peabody's manager received a $30 check with a heartfelt note signed "An Anonymous War Bride of 1943"from an 81 year-old making amends for a bathmat taken as a honeymoon souvenir.

On the flip side - guests leave all sorts of things behind when they check out of hotels. The most common items are dirty underwear and magazines, followed by regrettable souvenirs. Books are often abandoned too. About 7000 books are left behind annually in Travellodges alone.

The lost and found department of any luxury hotel is a treasure trove of the unusual and inappropriate. Here's a list of just some of the strange things reported as left behind by guests:


Monk's habit

Wedding dress
Artificial leg

False eye

Blow-up sheep

Keys to a Ferrari

Portable poker table
Whips

Inflatable sumo wrestler

A mini fridge filled with pickled asparagus

Have you heard of other weird things left behind? Let us know at

LUXURIOUS "COCOON TENT"

This Luxurious “Cocoon” Tent Lets You “Nest” Among Trees in a Stunning Setting

A tree house is cool, but the Cocoon Tree tent is wildly awesome.

The lightweight floating sphere (132-pounds) allows travelers to “nest” among the trees in the most pristine settings. The tent, which is made of high density aluminium tubes covered by a strong canvas, connects to surrounding trees with ropes, creating a suspended room with a view.

It takes about two hours to get things set up, but once all is in place, there’s nothing left to do but wave to neighboring birds and soak in the quiet scenery. A large round bed (3 meters in diameter), mosquito nets and optional heating and air-conditioning ensure a comfortable night’s rest if you can deal with the sounds of nature echoing through the night air.

The Cocoon Tree ranges from $5,000 to $14,000 and is currently available for purchase.

Photos via Cocoon Tree

WHY TO RESPOND REVIEWS

It's not all negative: why you should respond to good and bad reviews

If you did a web search for responding to negative reviews on TripAdvisor, you would get pages and pages of results with articles talking about how important it is. While I agree with these articles, just responding to only negative reviews should only be one part of your TripAdvisor strategy.

One of the most commonly overlooked parts of a TripAdvisor strategy for hotels is responding to ALL reviews. Just as with negative reviews, you need to take great care in crafting each response to ensure that you do not come across canned. You want your responses to be genuine and authentic.

Back in 2010, I took over an internationally branded franchise hotel which was performing extremely well, financially anyway. The hotel struggled with service and cleanliness and this was translating to a horrific online reputation. It was clear, before I even arrived, that the hotel needed some serious help.

Of course, I started immediately fixing the issues within the hotels, however at the same time I started pounding away on the keyboard responding to all the old TripAdvisor reviews from before I arrived, good and bad. Now, a lot of people will tell you this is a big mistake as it opens old wounds. I counter that by saying it is an opportunity to show past dissatisfied guests that there is new leadership and that you want to make things right. It also shows new guests that are evaluating your hotel that you are owning the issues and trying to make it right.

A couple weeks after I started, I received a hand written letter in the mail from a guest that said she had a reservation coming up and she was worried about having a bad stay. She told me in the letter that she had read the reviews and even had a friend tell her how bad the hotel was. She went on to tell me that she was impressed that a manager at the hotel was now engaged on TripAdvisor and because of that, she was going to give us a try.

I was excited that this guest was going to give us a chance and boy did we roll out the red carpet for her! She had an amazing stay with us and later posted a new review on TripAdvisor telling the world how impressed she was. But wait, there's more! A few months later she contacted me about bringing a group to the hotel with guest rooms, meeting space rental, and banquet revenue! Responding to all reviews (good and bad) ended up generating almost $10k in revenue from just this one guest!

The moral of this story is that responding to all guest reviews not only shows the traveling public that you are engaged and care, it will help to build loyalty among your more loyal guests and even build bridges to guests who may not have had a positive experience. It doesn't take a lot of time and the return on your time is immeasurable.

WORLD'S MOST EXCLUSIVE SUITES

The world's most exclusive hotel suites

With Valentine’s Day just two days away, Wealth-X, the world’s leading ultra high net worth intelligence and prospecting firm, reveals the world’s most exclusive hotel suites for lovers with deep pockets.

“For the world’s most demanding ultra wealthy individuals, only the best will do, regardless of cost,” said Tara Loader Wilkinson, editor in chief at Wealth-X and editor at large at sister publication Billionaire. “With the help of travel consultants Kiwi Collection and Elite Travel International, we have ranked these hotel suites top in taste, opulence and amenities.”


1. Royal Penthouse Suite at the Hotel President Wilson
Geneva, Switzerland
Average price per night: US$67,000
1,800 square metres



2. Ty Warner Suite, Four Seasons Hotel
New York City, USA
Average price per night: $45,000
400 square metres




3. Hilltop Estate Owner’s Accommodation, Laucala Island Resort
Laucala Island, Fiji,
Average price per night: US$40,000
1,200 square metres



4. Penthouse Suite, Grand Hyatt Cannes Hôtel Martinez
Cannes, France
Average price per night: US$37,500
180 square metres



5. The Royal Villa, Grand Resort Lagonissi
Athens, Greece
Average price per night: US$35,000
410 square metres



6. Royal Suite, Hôtel Plaza Athénée
Paris, France
Average price per night: US$27,000
450 square metres



7. Presidential Suite, Mandarin Oriental
Pudong, Shanghai, China
Average price per night: US$26,450
788 square metres



8. Shangri-La Suite, Shangri-La Bosphorus
Istanbul, Turkey,
Average price per night: US$26,385
366 square metres



9. Presidential Suite, Hotel Cala di Volpe
Porto Cervo, Italy
Average price per night: US$26,000
450 square metres



10. The Apartment at The Connaught Hotel
London, UK
Average price per night: US$23,500
285 square metres

FEBRUARY TRAVEL PICK

Coco Privé Kuda Hithi Island, Maldives

The ever-popular Maldives might not be the world's best kept travel secret, but those in search of a true off-the-radar escape should head to Coco Privé Kuda Hithi, a secluded retreat set within the lush confines of one of the Maldivian atoll's private islands. 

Designed by Singapore-based architect Guz Wilkinson, the sumptuous lodgings sleep a total of 12 people and comprise one master residence and five airy villas with views of the Indian Ocean and beyond. The interiors are clean and classic with neutral modern furnishings set against wood interiors, and among the facilities are a library, cocktail bar, gym and steam room, as well as a personal chef for those out-of-hours cravings.\

Coco Privé is located on Kuda Hithi Island, North Malé Atoll, Maldives; 

www.cocoprive.com

HOTEL WEBSITE MISTAKES

Hotel website mistakes that may cost you bookings!

Your hotel website is the key to being found and the most profitable pathway for room bookings. So why do so many hospitality websites make the same mistakes and turn away booking leads? There are dozens of small issues that appear again and again, but for this article I will focus on these six issues. As with all my posts, the goal is maximizing your booking conversion rate.

Take action to avoid these easy to fix hotel website mistakes.
Frightening your website traffic away



I realize that many hoteliers invest a lot in professionally produced videos of their property and services. This is a sensible and effective way to promote your hotel and showcase its best features. So do not squander your investment by auto-playing videos on your hotel website.

You may think you are doing your visitors a favor by setting auto-play to on. After all they probably want to see your hotel and hear about your luxurious, award-winning, relaxing, active, ... amenities. However the reality is more complicated. Here are the reasons why your hotel web videos should default to paused.

• People may be researching a trip itinerary at the office, perhaps when they are supposed to be working. The sound of your video playing will cause disapproving stares from co-workers. As a result, your target customer will end up closing his or her browser before you had a chance to sell your travel brand.

• Whether at work or at home, many people use headphones to listen to music while they are surfing the Web. Playing your hotel video with its background music or voice over is only going to annoy or perhaps even scare the people who are considering booking a room.

• Speaker volume on home computers is often turned up to full blast, whether as a result of watching a movie or talking with family on Skype. So when your auto-play kicks on without permission, your message gets blasted to someone who is just getting to know your hotel business. Not only are you startling your visitors with an unwanted message, you may be disturbing the baby (or husband) asleep nearby.

For a hilarious take on why NOT to auto-play your hotel sales videos, you must read this Travergence auto-play music on websites blog post (which laughed about an earlier blog post on this subject). Here is a quote:

• Of course the sites that play animal sounds or babbling brook noises or god-awful new age music are still better than the sites that launch videos with voices telling you about the joys of jet-skiing, or some other travel activity... Most of us are conditioned to think if we hear a voice when we open a website we're about five seconds away from unleashing a hideous virus on our system.

Glossing over your Wi-Fi capabilities
Free Wi-Fi has become the most requested hotel amenity (see TripAdvisor Hotel Amenities Travelers Can and Can't Do Without) with 89% of travelers surveyed wanting it. More and more hotels are offering it as part of the room rate, but many are not "going all the way". Not all free WiFi is truly free when it comes to meeting the expectations of your guests. Here's why...

Regardless of whether your Wi-Fi comes with limitations or not, you may be losing bookings if you don't document what is available. Is your Wi-Fi free in public areas only and not available in most rooms? Is it possible to request a room with a strong Wi-Fi signal? Does the internet connection limit the number of connected devices or the number of minutes per day? If there is a cost to in-room Wi-Fi, what is the price and what do you get in terms of speed and sharing with phones and tablets?

Those are the types of questions people are seeking answers about. They will likely be getting those answers from reviews of your hotel on TripAdvisor or Booking.com and those guests may not be telling a complimentary story. Just read the many easy to find reviews for hotels on TripAdvisor that talk about how their "free" Wi-Fi experience was slow, broken, or frustrating to connect. Every minute spent jumping through hoops to access your Wi-Fi network is a negative review in the making.

That is why you must list your Wi-Fi offering in complete detail. By being complete and upfront about your internet services (avoiding surprises), you will get more bookings from people who must stay connected for business or leisure.Hiding behind your hotel brand
This mistake applies mostly to Bed and Breakfast properties, but is also applicable to small, boutique, and independent hotels as well as tour operators. When you run a small business, consumers are often curious about the owner and why they are passionate about what they do.



People stay at a B&B for reasons beyond just a place to sleep and a free breakfast. They want to know the place is run by a real person who cares about delivering a pleasant and memorable stay or travel experience. If something goes wrong, they want to know there is someone (and not an "I just work here" type of person) ready to help. When your travel business is independently owned, put your name and face on the brand.

Therefore it is a best practice to include the name(s) of the owner or property manager plus photo on the "About Us" page. Forgetting to include this information makes your property seem less authentic and could be perceived as possibly misleading. Travelers are seeking a personal experience when they choose to stay at an independent hotel. Welcome first time visitors to your hotel website with real photo of both owner and front desk staff.
Discouraging direct bookings

Your travel marketing goal is to get more bookings, but it is more profitable to get more direct bookings (yes, I know that is obvious but keep reading). That is why you created a professional and optimized hotel website, is it not? So don't stop there and hope that visitors will book direct without a tangible reason.

If people do not feel they are getting the best rate or something extra by booking direct, they will keep on looking. And when they are comparing places to stay on a meta-search hotel booking website (OTA), another hotel may catch their eye and you'll lose out a second time.

Optimizing your website for booking conversions means to convince people to complete a direct booking every time. So it pays to offer a good reason to "Book Now" direct, such as one of the following:

• Guaranteed best rates (don't promise this unless you can ensure it is always true)
• Free breakfast, meal, or drink at the bar voucher
• Complimentary upgrade upon check-in (based on availability of course)
• Early check-in or late check-out options
• A free bottle of wine or other welcome gift waiting in their room
• Other discounts on hotel amenities, parking, or local tours and attractions (talk to your local tourism partners)

Failing to start a book later conversation
Now it is time to get a stark reminder about the effectiveness of the booking conversion funnel. As much as 97% of your website visitors will not make a booking on their first visit. Whether they are likely to return and book later is up to your proactive efforts.

At the same time, email is still the most effective medium on the Internet. Therefore the best way to convert lookers to bookers is to start a booking conversation. How? Ask them to sign up for your hotel email newsletter. Don't have one? Now is the perfect opportunity to publish a monthly newsletter about your hotel or tour business.



Steps to an Email Remarketing Conversion Engine

1. Sign up for an email newsletter account. The free starter option atMailChimp is a very popular and capable choice. For more sophisticated email marketing tools and customer support, select the entry-level option at GetResponse or AWeber. Refer to the BookingCounts article on choosing a travel email service provider for detailed comparison points.
2. Embed your customized email sign-up form in the sidebar template (left or right) so it appears on every page of your hotel site. Don't have a sidebar? Add a link to your sign-up landing page (hosted by your email vendor) from within the website header so it can easily be discovered.
3. Turn on the welcome email feature and write a thank you message. Remind subscribers of the many reasons to book travel services directly on your site (include a link back for when they are ready).
4. Publish a monthly email newsletter to all subscribers which contains the latest happenings and events in your destination (non-promotional) along with a special offer for readers to book now.

Telling the world you don't care how you look

This last mistake is probably the most common, so unfortunately travel marketers still require a regular reminder to spell-check their website. People planning a trip to a foreign country realize that English may not be your first language. In these situations, you will be forgiven for at least a few spelling mistakes. However if your operation is in an English-speaking country, there is no excuse for not fixing those visible spelling errors.

Your website is your public image and it is your choice to look sloppy and disheveled or to look neat and polished. Too many glaring errors on a hotel website can raise concerns about the attention to detail (or lack of) at your property. If a spelling mistake is easy to spot on your home page, what are people to believe about your ability to deliver quality hospitality services?

With all the automated spell-checking tools at your disposal (grammar too!), you can quickly resolve this problem right away.Summary
There are many more mistakes that hotels make which are sure to appear in future posts on BookingCounts.com. In fact these same mistakes appear on all types of websites including tour operators and independent travel agents. While you may not have a website design budget like the big names in the travel industry, you can still look like a pro by avoiding all six of these common mistakes.

PEAK SEASON

LEAPrus 3912, Mount Elbrus, Russia

Close to the Georgian border, in a remote part of southern Russia, runs the formidable span of the Caucasus Mountains. In the centre of the range, topping nearly 6,000m is Mount Elbrus, Europe’s highest peak. The fifth member of the Seven Summits (the highest mountains in each of the continents), it is notorious for its extreme climatic conditions. 

Yet, perched atop the southern side of this peak, is a new eco-hotel. Determined on minimal environmental impact, the North Caucasus Mountain Club (NCMC) enlisted Italian architects LEAPfactory, who specialise in high-altitude design solutions, for this project. 

The result includes a purification system that uses melted snow to supply the bathroom areas with water. Fashioned from resin and fibreglass, the three cylinder-shaped units house communal bedrooms, a restaurant, lounge areas, a reception point and staff accommodation, while the remaining building houses the toilets, showers and biological depurifiers.

www.caucasus.ru

CONDOR WILL BE BACK?

New jet to bring back supersonic travel

Traveller's who lament the passing of Concorde - the aircraft was grounded for good in October 2003 and British Airways has given no indication it will take to the skies again - may yet have an opportunity to experience a transatlantic supersonic flight.

The Boston-based engineering firm Spike Aerospace has unveiled plans to develop Spike S-512, a 12-18 seater supersonic private jet designed for commercial use and supposedly capable of flying from New York to London in under four hours - that's about half the time taken by current commercial flights. Those aircraft typically fly at Mach 0.85 (about 900 km/h); sound travels at a speed of about 1234 km/h at sea level, and Spike S-512 is predicted to reach speeds of Mach 1.6-1.8 (1700-1900 km/h).

There are impediments to be overcome - not least a ruling from America's Federal Aviation Administration that prohibits supersonic flight over land in its jurisdiction and the estimated cost of up to $US80 million ($A91 million) per private jet - but the developers have spent years honing their design and believe the aircraft could take off by late 2018. 

Spike Aerospace is not the only company committing itself to offering supersonic flights, however. The Nevada-based company Aerion Corporation has submitted plans for the development of a private jet that could reach speeds of Mach 1.6, potentially carrying its first passengers by the end of the decade. HyperMach Aerospace Ltd, meanwhile, has proposed the development of SonicStar, a jet the company claims would reach Mach 4 (about 4200 km/h and approximately twice the speed of Concorde) and could speed from London to Sydney in an afternoon or from New York to London in about an hour. The firm estimates it could enter production in the 2020s.

Such claims might seem fanciful but supersonic travel, albeit on a rather grander scale, is set to become a reality for select members of the paying public in 2014. From its Foster + Partners-designed "spaceport" in the New Mexico desert, Virgin Galactic is scheduled to launch its first commercial flights into space before the year is out. The third supersonic test flight of its "passenger-carrying reusable space vehicle" SpaceShipTwo (SS2) took place in January and all of its test objectives were successfully completed.

YOUR IPHONE - YOUR ROOM KEY

SMART PHONE THE NEW ROOM KEY!

Global travelers will soon be able to use their own mobile phone as a room key and bypass the front desk using any of the 6.8 billion cell phones or smartphones worldwide with any mobile carrier worldwide.

OpenWays, a supplier of mobile key services for hotels, has announced its 

Mobile Key DUAL Bluetooth Smart, which is built on a multi-technology platform. 

It combines OpenWays' Crypto Acoustic Credential (CAC) Technology and Bluetooth 4.0 Bluetooth Low Energy to enable all travelers to bypass traditional hotel check-in/-out processes and proceed straight to their rooms upon arrival and securely open their room locks (existing locks supplied by the major electronic lock vendors) with any mobile phone, including non-smartphones.

"OpenWays is leveraging the Bluetooth Smart technology platform utilized by our new residential line of smart devices, OKIDOKEYS, which launched earlier this month at the 2014 Consumer Electronics Show," said Pascal Metivier, OpenWays founder and CEO. "Mobile Key DUAL with Bluetooth Smart can be deployed globally by hotels without having to worry about which mobile phone device or mobile operating system their guests are using or which electronic lock vendor installed their door hardware."

It combines OpenWays' Crypto Acoustic Credential (CAC) Technology and Bluetooth 4.0 Bluetooth Low Energy to enable all travelers to bypass traditional hotel check-in/-out processes and proceed straight to their rooms upon arrival and securely open their room locks (existing locks supplied by the major electronic lock vendors) with any mobile phone, including non-smartphones.

"OpenWays is leveraging the Bluetooth Smart technology platform utilized by our new residential line of smart devices, OKIDOKEYS, which launched earlier this month at the 2014 Consumer Electronics Show," said Pascal Metivier, OpenWays founder and CEO. "Mobile Key DUAL with Bluetooth Smart can be deployed globally by hotels without having to worry about which mobile phone device or mobile operating system their guests are using or which electronic lock vendor installed their door hardware."

Mobile Key involves a portfolio of intellectual property including 27 patents, design patents and pending patents. It is based on a multi-technology platform including Bluetooth 4.0 (BLE), Near Field Communication (NFC), RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) and Crypto Acoustic Credential (CACTM).



Mobile Key by OpenWays securely delivers an encrypted Mobile Key "credential" to the right user anywhere in the world. Installation of the technology at hotels involves a simple and cost efficient upgrade to the hotel's existing room locks to include an OpenWays DUAL decoding device. The solution does not require any door modification (drilling) which protects the fire rating of a hotel's room doors. New locks that are factory made with the OpenWays DUAL module built in are also provided by major electronic lock vendors.

Mobile Key DUAL with Bluetooth Smart enables hotels to offer a front-desk bypass solution that contains Bluetooth Smart technologies while still being fully carrier and lock provider independent. It is highly secured and operates on trusted networks. Apple's iBeacon is also supported as part of the Bluetooth 4.0 BLE release.

"Mobile Key DUAL with Bluetooth Smart is guest centric while building a strong competitive advantage for any hotel," Metivier said. "Fewer guest transactions at the front desk means lower transaction costs and the ability to streamline staff to other areas of the hotel where guest-facing services are needed most. It also reduces costs associated with purchasing plastic keycards; because Mobile Key is made only of data, it is the greenest key on the planet. In addition to its interoperable nature, Mobile Key DUAL with Bluetooth Smart is user friendly, and it is helping hotels deliver heightened customer satisfaction, guest loyalty and brand recognition."

JANUARY FOOD NEWS

Tonics to lift the Spirits - Roots & Bulbs - London

With row upon row of fresh, vibrantly coloured, cold-pressed vegetable juices, Roots and Bulbs’ first store, designed by architecture firm K-Studio, will surely be welcome among the foodie boutiques of London’s Marylebone. But the ethos of this entrepreneurial new health brand might come as a surprise. Standing firmly against the culture of detox and rapid-weight-loss cleanses that juicing is usually associated with, Roots and Bulbs wants people to integrate vegetable juice as a sustainable and super-healthy daily habit, long-term. 

Avoiding the sugar overload many other juice brands are currently under fire for, these juices are predominantly green - fruit is added to some but not all. Roots and Bulbs is a simple proposition, with refreshingly humble promises. And whether or not you believe that beauty comes from within, the packaging (transparent, of course), conceived by Construct, is sweet enough to seduce the staunchest of skeptics.

http://www.rootsandbulbs.com

TURN SOCIAL MEDIA INTO SOCIAL REVENUE!

How to turn social media into social revenue

by Riley Smith

As hotels start to assemble social marketing teams, it is important to understand how to integrate social media in hotels. Being clear about how you see it being used, will only help your customers understand how to use it.

The bad news: Social media in hotels is not a primary tool. It can not on its own - at this time - lead the charge in driving your desired results. For example, you can not walk into any meeting and say "Don't worry about our[sales goals, front desk service, food taste], our Facebook strategies will/can take care of this."

The good news: Social media may be the only tool that can effect multiple points within your hotel. While it can not be a primary driver, it can be a secondary or tertiary driver of results for multiple areas. For my golfers out there, it is a 'utility club' ... I can rely on it to contribute in various ways.

With that being said, here are 3 key ways that you should execute social media in hotels:

1. Create unique, photo-worthy experiencesIf you are a destination, we get it, you don't have to do much. Your location and surroundings provide you this awesome resource. But if you are a hotel without the best setting, create experiences within your property that have 'wow' value. For example, this could be a food/beverage item, a human sized chessboard on the patio, or an item that changes with the season (ex. Cupid's Arrow, hanging from the lobby during Valentine's Day). This will take your guest's expectations and experience to a new level.

2. Extend your concierge and front desk services with TwitterThe landline disappeared because of it's cord. Now that we are used to ‘tapping away' on our phones, some of us have forgotten that our cell phones can actually be used to talk to people. Mobile users often find it more convenient to text, tweet, or email someone rather than call them. With this in mind, educate your guests that you can be contacted for ‘concierge' or 'customer service' purposes by Twitter. Make sure to give them your Twitter handle, and any expectations (ex. your Twitter hours (8am - 11pm).

3. Socialize the guest room
Just because your guest rooms look similar, doesn't mean that your guests experience has to be. Implement different 'social cues' in your hotel that provoke your guest to 'socialize'. For example, the Sol Wave House placed stickers on their room fridges with #FillMyFridge, where the hotel would bring you any desired food/beverage item (hello, social revenue). Brainstorming such creative interactions will help drive traffic to your favorite social channels.

Embedding these social strategies into the hotel will take commitment and planning. Educating your guests through signage or staff is important. Ensuring that you have the proper operational logistics in place to ‘socialize' with your guests is also paramount. Take each project one at a time and consider rolling out in installments. For example, implement your customer service via Twitter during specific hours. Or roll out your in-room project to only your Rewards members. This will help you ramp up your efforts.

About the authorRiley Smith is the Social Marketing Manager of Stanford Hotels. Riley has spent the past 2 years directing, engaging, and writing for 13 hotels on various platforms, including Facebook, Twitter, TripAdvisor, Yelp, Expedia, YouTube, this blog, and more. When not working, he tries to get away from his phone and into the woods.

SUPER BOWL - OLYMPICS - CHAMPIONS LEAGUE

Major sporting events drive surge in hotel rates

Hoteliers in host markets have seen booking increases of as much as 200 percent and rates doubling ahead of the US Super Bowl, Winter Olympics Champions League Final 2014 (Lisbon - Portugal) and the FIFA World Cup.

Pegasus Solutions conducted a comparison of net reservations made in 2014 and 2013 for the same January 20 cut-off for same day-of-week arrivals in each region. The processor of electronic hotel transactions reports affected hoteliers have smartly managed inventory ahead of the expected surges in demand.

"We reviewed bookings made through online sites for destinations that would see leisure travel for the Super Bowl in the US, Winter Olympics in Russia, and FIFA World Cup in Brazil," said David Millili, chief executive officer of Pegasus Solutions. "Some booking increases were registered in destinations like Sao Paulo, which are not traditionally considered major leisure hubs. Other booking growth was not as evident because many hoteliers strategically limited room inventory allocated to third party sites to drive more bookings through the brand site. Hotels that were prepared with a website designed to sell to a global audience will have benefitted greatly from this approach."

New York City will host most of those attending the National Football League's Super Bowl on Sunday, February 2. Rates for arrivals on Wednesday, January 29 have climbed by +41% over 2013. This rises to +77% the following day, reaching a high of +97% that Friday, and +83% on Saturday, February 1. Booked rates for the day of the event remain elevated by +45%, but will begin to taper as Seattle Seahawks and Denver Broncos fans return home.

Rates in Russia during the Winter Olympics, which run February 7 to 23, were less consistently inflated. To overcome the potentially prohibitive cost of attending that includes international travel and event admission, hoteliers have worked to keep rates from being a deterrent, with many also offering inventory in travel packages. Sporadic spikes in rates compared to same day last year did occur on select dates, peaking mid-way through the Games, including the 6th (+66%), 7th (+41%), 11th (+56%), 12th (+154%), 17th (+97%), 23rd (+83%) and 24th (+58%).

FIFA's World Cup from June 12 through July 13 at various venues in Brazil, has boosted rates in already popular leisure destination Rio de Janeiro. Sao Paulo, however, has seen reservations jump by more than 200% from what would normally be booked this far in advance for stays during this time period. Rates have been comparable to prior year, which may be due to the five-month booking lead time. One day, July 8, shows an uptick in rates equal to double what would be expected otherwise.

Data reported by Pegasus Solutions comes from billions of transactions processed monthly for nearly 100,000 hotel clients, facilitating more than $16 billion a year. The Pegasus View, produced quarterly, is an industry report that reflects data drawn from both GDS and ADS transactions, representing the business and leisure markets respectively.