Accor Hotels has been on a roll, with a number of acquisitions including Fairmont, Moevenpick and most recently the Mantra Group in Australia, adding hundreds of new hotels to their portfolio. They have now announced that they are planning to step up the pace even more, adding one new hotel every day by 2020 with […]
Best Western announced the launch of two new boutique hotel brands, Sadie Hotels for the upscale segment and Aiden Hotels for the upper mid-scale segment. Both brands are positioned as stylish, independent hotel options with a local flavor, targeting conversions of existing hotels. The details at this point are very slim, but Best Western released
Hotel Zelos, the former Kimpton Palomar, has a great location in the heart of San Francisco with easy access to the city. Stylish rooms, friendly service and a nice restaurant and gym offer a good base to explore the city. If you can snatch a good deal, Hotel Zelos can be great value, but prices
Copa Airlines is based in Panama and serves destinations across America. With it’s hub in Panama City, it can reach all of North and South America with their fleet of single-aisle Boeing B737 and Embraer E-jets. They are now introducing the latest Boeing B737 MAX9 planes with a reconfigured cabin, including fully flat business class seats
Choice Hotels, the second largest hotel chain in the world by number of properties, is launching Clarion Pointe, a sub-brand to their existing Clarion brand, in the mid-scale, select-service segment. It is targeting conversions of existing hotels and already has 50 properties in the pipeline, so you will see them in the market quickly!
One of my favorite things to do in Ubud is to hike along the many trails through the rice paddies. It takes only a few minutes walk to escape the crowds in Ubud and you are walking among the rice fields and forests, with few people around. A few small restaurants cater to visitors, so
The Novotel Paris Gare de Lyon offers a location convenient for public transport right next to the train station, modern rooms in the latest Novotel design and a gym and pool that are rare in the center of Paris. While the service wasn’t great, with prices much lower than elsewhere, this is great value and worth
Singapore Airline (SQ) is my personal favorite and I have praised them on this blog in many reviews. But the story of how Singapore Airlines handled the delay of one of their flights is exemplary of the outstanding service they provide. Marvin Tomandao had taken his niece from Manila to Singapore to celebrate her birthday last
There are a lot of choices for Italian food on Bali and, at least according to former US President Obama, the best pizza can be found at Colosseum in Seminyak, Bali. I tend to agree, the pizza is very good – add friendly service and reasonable prices and you have the makings of a star
Turkish Airlines is installing new business class seats on the Boeing B787 and Airbus A350 long haul planes they will be receiving starting in 2019, finally moving to a 1-2-1 layout with more privacy. They are also installing new business class seats on their single-aisle short-haul planes and are opening a new lounge at their
The Pullman Kuching offers large rooms and full amenities including a pool, professional gym, spa, bar and restaurant, all at a very low price. You also get a great location and friendly service, making it to see the sights of Sarawak, Borneo. The Executive Lounge is the icing on the cake with nice happy hour
Grab is the uber of South East Asia, offering ride hail services, food delivery and courier services in a growing number of cities across Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines and other countries in the region. And while it was certainly inspired by uber, it has made adjustments to the local needs and using the