INDUSTRY PARTNER UPDATES
Accor introduces Handwritten Collection a global portfolio of hotels curated with passion
THE NEW BRAND LAUNCHES WITH AN IMMEDIATE FOOTPRINT OF 12 COMMITTED HOTELS AROUND THE WORLD; PROPERTIES WILL CONNECT GUESTS WITH THE CHARM, CHARACTER, AND WARMTH OF THEIR HOTELIERS
With the creation of Handwritten Collection, Accor is broadening its unrivalled brand portfolio and midscale hotel offerings and will look to replicate the success it has achieved with the Group's other collection brands across other segments. This includes the MGallery Hotel Collection, a storied portfolio in the upper upscale brand segment that now counts more than 100 boutique hotels worldwide and Emblems Collection, Accor’s first luxury collection brand, a carefully curated selection of distinctivehotelsthat areemblematicof their destination, designer or place in history. With a similar bespoke approach, Handwritten Collection will bring together hotels with individual personalities, intimately reflecting the character and warmth of the people who love and look after them. Like a handwritten note, each host’s individual touches will be subtly encountered at select moments throughout the guest journey. From a warm welcome that cascades into conversation, to freshly baked treats that have guests sneaking seconds into their pockets, no two hotels or stays will be the same.
Handwritten Collection gathers charming and stylish places curated by thoughtful people. Each distinctive in its own right, Handwritten Collection hotels intimately reflect the warmth and personality of the people who look after them. As a guest, experience a refreshingly human stay— the host’s heart-warming welcome and personal touches, the intimate and stylish design - igniting real conversations and connections.
ANA announces new SAF Agreement
ANA has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with ITOCHU Corporation and Raven SR Inc for the production and procurement of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) Raven SR, which owns patented steam/CO2 reforming technology for converting various types of local waste, is set to begin commercial hydrogen production in 2024 Q1 Raven SR plans to begin production of SAF in California by 2025, with annual incremental increases to 200,000 tons by 2034 The supply will be produced by Raven SR at facilities planned for major global markets in the US and Europe
AirJapan Unveils Inaugural Products and Services
AirJapan, the new airline brand revealed in March 2022 for medium-haul international routes under ANA HOLDINGS INC., unveiled select products and services to be introduced on its inaugural flights
AirJapan intends to begin operating flights in February 2024 and expand its network over time, focusing on destinations in Asia The cabin will be configured with 324 economy class seats made of premium Japanese faux leather, renowned for its lightweight, durable, and soft texture With a generous seat pitch of 32 inches and recline feature, the seat design will allow passengers to unwind and experience optimal comfort in-flight.
AirJapan will offer menus for a set fee that may be reserved online in advance, and in addition, provide meals and snacks that can be purchased onboard the flight
Air Japan’s boarding music titled “Ai” with the traditional Japanese sounds of shakuhachi and koto was created in collaboration with the Tokyo University of the Arts
AirJapan brand site URL: https://www flyairjapan com/en
Air Transport World Names American Airlines 2023 Eco-Airline of the Year
Recognizes American’s industry-leading commitment to reducing emissions operation-wide
FORT WORTH, Texas Air Transport World (ATW), the leading media brand serving the information needs of the global airline and commercial air transport communities, announced today American Airlines was named the 2023 Eco-Airline of the Year The award marks the latest recognition of American’s progress toward its ambitious sustainability goals
“American is actively incorporating sustainability at every level of our business, from the fuel we buy to the food we serve our customers,” American CEO Robert Isom said “And our all-the-above approach is just getting started As Eco-Airline of the Year, we will continue to lead the industry as an innovator in this space and affirm our unyielding commitment to build an American Airlines that will thrive forever ”
More information on American’s approach to ESG is available at aa com/esg, and details on the airline’s sustainability strategy are available at aa com/sustainability
Amadeus and Microsoft explore how to help travellers get the most out of every trip.
Amadeus and Microsoft have joined forces to co-author a new report exploring how new technologies will make the experience of travel better Entitled ‘Delivering Traveller Value: Inspiring, understanding and fulfilling expectations throughout the travel experience and beyond,’ the report looks at how a focus on the ‘ purpose ’ and ‘context’ of each trip will allow the industry to maximize value
The report unveils latest tools, solutions, and data applications to help the travel sector better understand the traveller and some of the latest milestones of the global strategic partnership between Microsoft and Amadeus Together, the two technology leaders are working to deliver a new set of tools, solutions, and data applications to offer a next-generation experience for travellers, travel sellers and providers
Report includes findings from survey by Northstar Research Partners of 2,400 business and leisure travellers across six key markets
CMAC GROUP EXPANDS QUALITY AND TRAINING EXPERTISE WITH ADDITION OF SINEAD BLACKLEDGE AND RYAN COOPER
CMAC Group, the UK’s fastest growing managed ground transport and accommodation specialist, has expanded its Quality and Training expertise with the addition of two new team members, Sinead Blackledge and Ryan Cooper, in managerial positions.
Sinead Blackledge brings over a decade’s experience as a business educator and course director to her new role. Sinead’s expertise, broad range of skills, and her adaptability is evident in a career that has seen her teaching at every level from college through graduate to post graduate and professional development.
Prior to joining CMAC, Sinead had returned as a course leader to Hugh Baird College, one of the largest providers of college and University-level education in the Merseyside area, where she’d previously spent over four years as a business and finance tutor.
Sinead has an MA in Education, a BA (Hons) in Business and Finance and a Post Graduate Diploma in Education (PGDE) She also has an Advanced Teacher accreditation from the Society of Education and Training.
Ryan Cooper joins CMAC’s Q&T team after nine years on the customer service front line of CMAC’s Operations Team, with the last 3 years spent managing a front-line team within Operations He has a uniquely informed understanding of CMAC’s systems, clients’ needs, and those of their staff and passengers, which will be invaluable in a fast-developing Q&T department setting. Ryan also has first-hand knowledge of the hard work involved in securing an Investor in Customers Gold award for the second year running.
Frequency Increases
As business travel continues to grow, we are delighted to make low-cost business travel easy by increasing schedule frequencies across our top business routes We now fly
With nearly 9000 flights per week, there is now more opportunity to maximise travel budgets and take advantage of our fares.
Flights for our Winter schedule are also now on sale to 23 March 2024
The Gateway Lounge at Gatwick North Terminal
Access to The Gateway Lounge at Gatwick’s North Terminal is now a permanent inclusion when booking FLEXI fares Travellers will simply need to show their FLEXI boarding pass for entry to the lounge. For customers travelling without a FLEXI fare, access to The Gateway can be pre-booked here or they can just drop in and pay on arrival
Why bother with Face to Face when you can go virtual now?
Well, recent research has shown that face to face has invaluable benefits!
Virtual meetings became a necessity during the pandemic, and many have continued since – but we all know how easy it is to be distracted in those online meetings or conferences, where the opportunity to multitask can lead to distraction.
Data from an article on Zippia.com indicated that “employees multitask in at least 41% of meetings” and the most common multitasking behaviours in virtual meetings were checking e-mails (55%) texting (51%) snacking (45%) and social media (39%) *
The BTA commissioned the Confederation of British Industry’s (CBI) Economics team to prepare a report, issued this week, to understand the benefits of business travel and in person meetings
It showed that over three quarters of those businesses interviewed found face to face meetings beneficial Afterall we all find it easier to pick up the tone of our meetings when we can see each other in person The report is available on The BTA website now!
So, if you do need to travel, and there are clearly good reasons to attend those conferences in person, then let us sort out your travel
Give our expert team a call today on 0345 528 0270
* Source: https://www zippia com/advice/meeting-statistics/
HotelREZ has over 2,500 independent properties worldwide in 100+ countries. We are proud to present to you Greene King Inns, a collection of over 130 inns across the UK that draw on a heritage that stretches back to a bygone age
We’re delighted to share details of the 15 most recent refurbishment projects within the Greene King estate These refurbishments have been completed within the last year – I hope you’ll agree that the hotels are looking fantastic! All of the hotels are attached to Greene King pubs, which offer an excellent variety of value for money food options for your clients with menus changing every three months WiFi and free parking are also included in all of our rates
Available to book on the GDS under the HO chain code
The Longshoot
Apollo/Galileo: HO C3853, Worldspan: HO 28062, Amadeus: ΗΟ XNVAAB, Sabre: HO 263002
Carnwood Arms
Apollo/Galileo: HO AH522, Worldspan: HO 28101, Amadeus: ΗΟ QEWAAR, Sabre: HO 309765
The Highwayman
Apollo/Galileo: HO 30397, Worldspan: HO LTNHI, Amadeus: ΗΟ LTNHIG, Sabre: HO 74912
The Highfield Hotel
Apollo/Galileo: HO 45127, Worldspan: HO 83850, Amadeus: ΗΟ MME850, Sabre: HO 5877
The Mill On Soar
Apollo/Galileo: HO B6684, Worldspan: HO 27989, Amadeus: ΗΟ QEWMOS, Sabre: HO 283657
The Caledonian
Apollo/Galileo: HO E1961, Worldspan: HO EDICH, Amadeus: ΗΟ EDICNH, Sabre: HO 317761
The Bay Horse
Apollo/Galileo: HO C3905 Worldspan: HO 28070 Amadeus: ΗΟ XWIATY Sabre: HO 256927
The Ardencaple
Apollo/Galileo: HO C4902, Worldspan: HO 28087, Amadeus: ΗΟ GLAAFC, Sabre: HO 413960
The Holmfield
Apollo/Galileo: HO F7559, Worldspan: HO XWANR, Amadeus: ΗΟ XWDHAR, Sabre: HO 381211
The Ely
Apollo/Galileo: HO 29173, Worldspan: HO XRETR, Amadeus: ΗΟ XRETRZ, Sabre: HO 74852
The Riverside
Apollo/Galileo: HO 33845, Worldspan: HO BHXHB, Amadeus: ΗΟ BHXTVT, Sabre: HO 108950
The Red Lion
Apollo/Galileo: HO 33724, Worldspan: HO EMARL, Amadeus: ΗΟ LBARLT, Sabre: HO 108357
The Feathers
Apollo/Galileo: HO 31362, Worldspan: HO STNHW, Amadeus: ΗΟ STNFHW, Sabre: HO 108865
The Green Man
Apollo/Galileo: HO C3834 Worldspan: HO 28060 Amadeus: ΗΟ LTNACO Sabre: HO 249742
The Berkshire Arms
Apollo/Galileo: HO C3901, Worldspan: HO 28066, Amadeus: ΗΟ XQBAAR, Sabre: HO 307912
Read more https://www hotelrez net/Greene King Recently Invested Hotels
Virgin Atlantic for business It’s business that’s personal
There’s a new generation of people and businesses transforming the world of work, prioritising people, creativity and imagination Doing business on their own terms And they want to fly in much the same way. And that’s where Virgin Atlantic for business comes in.
Virgin Atlantic for business is the new face of corporate travel that embraces the dynamism of business today It means that every traveller has their personal needs met, just as much as their business ones And for our partners – it’s about ensuring you have all the right content, tools and support you need.
Virgin Atlantic for Business is centred around six pillars, rooted in the latest customer insights:
1. An exceptional business travel experience
With thoughtful experiences that feel brilliantly different at every opportunity, travelling for business with Virgin Atlantic doesn’t ever feel like work
2. Business as a force for good
As trailblazers for positive change, we challenge the status quo and continuously push boundaries to make the industry more sustainable, inclusive and diverse
3 Corporate recognition
From booking through to post-flight, we provide dedicated support to ensure our business travel partners feel equally as important as their people who fly with us.
4. Rewarding loyalty
With Sky High Club and Virgin Atlantic Flying Club, the perks of business travel go way beyond the 9-5, meaning personal time – as well as work time – is made better by flying with us
5. Global connectivity
The global network we ’ ve created with our partners ensures seamless global connectivity so that our travellers get to where they need to be, in time for that all-important meeting
6 Technology and content
Our personalised service means that we can create bespoke contracts that best suit you And it’s all powered by seamless technology - giving 360 access, right around the clock
Under our technology and service excellence pillar, we ’ re thrilled to announce a new selfservice portal will launch in the autumn. This exciting development will consist of a range of benefits for our partners, including:
Increased self-serve capabilities including beyond contract value reporting, sustainability reporting, managing waivers, favours and much more A new suite of assets and tools for partners to access improved marketing support Tailored content and communication improvements, including personalised newsletters, access to live chat function and enhanced WhatsApp.
Bespoke, flexible and brilliantly different. It’s business that’s personal.