After the acquisition of 100% of Carlson and 70% of Rezidor by Chinese Investors HNA in 2016/2017, changes have been in the air and they now seem to come to fruition. They are planning to re-brand the hotel group to Radisson Hotel Group, leveraging their best known brand. The are also going to re-brand the […]
Alitalia, the Italian flag carrier is now offering a stop-over in the Italian capital, Rome, for up to three days at no charge. You can store your luggage at the airport or book a hotel at a discount. I love stop-overs: They give you a chance to add a new destination to your trip and
After the bankruptcy of airberlin, Alitalia and Monarch in 2017, the new year 2018 is off to a better start with the (re-)launch of Air Italy, bringing new planes, new livery and new destinations for travelers to, from and through Italy. It also comes with the great ambition to replace bankrupt Alitalia as the Italian
Boracay is famous for it’s soft, white sand beaches and clear warm water and has won plenty of “best island” awards. It’s the most popular tourist destination in the Philippines and has welcomed millions of visitors! I’ve been to Boracay several times and found it to have some of the finest sand, warm water and friendly
The Philippine flag carrier, Philippine Airlines, has been certified as a 4-star airline, passing 3-star airlines like United or Delta and joining 40 other premium airlines with this ranking, like Thai Airways or China Airlines. In 2016 set out the ambitious target to become a 5-star airline and while they have not achieved that goal
InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) acquired Kimpton Hotels in 2014, planning to integrate the small group of boutique hotels into one of the largest hotel companies in the world. Now, that integration is complete and Kimpton hotels Karma loyalty program has been folded into IHG Rewards Club, making it possible to book hotels through IHG’s website,
Wyndham announced an acquisition agreement with LaQuinta, purchasing the hotel franchise and management business for $1.95B in cash. That will add 900 mid-scale properties in the US for a total of 9,000 hotels in the largest hotel company in the world! The deal is expected to close in the second quarter of 2018!
The 2460m high Mayon Volcano, on the Philippine island of Luzon, has started to erupt, with lava flows down the slopes of the mountain visible at night. More than 12,000 people in the immediate danger zone have evacuated and many more in the area are on alert. A more powerful eruption with stronger lava flows,
A Pegasus Airlines Boeing B737 skidded of the runway at Trabzon Airport in Northern turkey on landing and went over the cliffs edge, nose forward towards the ocean. Luckily, the plane’s landing gear got stuck in the mud before the plane plunged into the ocean. It’s a miracle that all 162 passengers and 6 crew
After a 26-year project costing $10Billion, the new train line from Munich to Berlin was opened and the new ICE train made it’s inaugural journey of 4 hours to the German capital at speeds of 300kph, cutting the travel time from 6 hours! Despite the long built, high cost and technical issues, this is a
Singapore Airlines (SQ) is making changes at a furious pace. After rolling out a new A380 First Suite and Business Class, increasing the amount of KrisFlyer miles needed for many flights and making StarAlliance award bookings available online, my favorite airline is changing Economy Class fare categories and the KrisFlyer award miles you earn! They
I have reviewed the risks of fake TripAdvisor reviews before and a Fortune story highlights the issue again: A London-based writer created a fake restaurant, marketed it on social media – and it shot up to the Number 1 spot of London restaurants on TripAdvisor. Similar to the ranking of Bangkok’s SkyTrain as a top