WOW Air was one of the low-cost carriers that sparked the fare wars over the North Atlantic, with one-way fares as low as $69 one-way, forcing competitors to respond. From their base in Iceland, they were able to fly across the Atlantic with narrow-body planes, which made for cheap, if uncomfortable flights. Now, their local competitor […]
Hilton is launching their newest brand, motto, inspired by urban boutique or pod hotels and offering small rooms in big cities at affordable prices. They are following the lead of small chains like citizenM or Marriott’s moxy, targeting the millenial mindset. While the Hilton CEO called it a “hostel on steroids”, Hilton is back-paddling from
Wizz Air (read my snapshot review here) the Eastern European low-cost carrier, is adjusting their baggage policy to match the recently tightened policy of Ryan Air. But, in this case its actually an improvement over their even more stringent and costly policy before! They are introducing a new 10kg check-in bag at a lower fee,
Cathay Pacific announced the introduction of new seats for their regional business class seats with the launch of the new Airbus A321neo at their subsidiary Cathay Dragon. The airline has ordered 32 A321 and starts receiving them as early as the end of 2019. Surprisingly, Cathay Pacific is planning to implement recliner seats, focusing instead
Hyatt Hotels has announced that they are acquiring Two Roads Hospitality, adding up to 85 hotels in 8 countries with 23 destinations to their portfolio. This purchase includes the brands Joie de Vivre Hotels, Thompson Hotels, Destination Hotels, tommie and Alila Hotels & Resorts. All of these brands are marketed as “lifestyle” or “boutique” hotels and
Turkish Airlines is launching improved dining services for business class passengers on long-haul intercontinental flights. Passengers will be able to view and select meal choices online prior to their flight. They will also be able to dine at any time they wish during the flight, making meal services even more personal and convenient!
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
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!
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
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
Ryan Air has earned a reputation for customer-unfriendly policies and, after an attempt to do better, they are back to being the worst: They have eliminated the free carry-on bag and are now limiting customers to one small bag to be stored under the seat only Anybody traveling with a regular-sized laptop will now have