Best Western is known for it’s US road side motels and economy and mid-scale hotels worldwide, but they have been trying to go upscale. Now, they have acquired the WorldHotels, a chain of 300 upscale and luxury hotels, based in Frannkfurt, Germany. While the focus of WorldHotels has been Europe, they have a number of […]
InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) is buying Six Senses Hotels, Resorts and Spas for $300 million. The luxury chain based in Thailand has 17 luxury resorts around the world, as well as high-end spas, and they have contracts to open 18 more and discussions for 50. IHG is planning to expand to 60 Six Senses resorts
The FAA announced that Vietnam has been granted a Category 1 rating after successfully passing an audit in August 2018 to assess the countries air traffic safety. According to the FAA Audit, Vietnam meets the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) standards for personnel licensing, operations and airworthiness. That will allow Airlines based in Vietnam to
It has been a tough time for European airlines – after the bankruptcies of Air Berlin and Alitalia and the collapse of Monarch and Primera, another low-cost carrier has abruptly stopped operations, stranding thousands of passengers. German leisure airline Germania declared bankruptcy on Monday, halting all operations. Passengers who are booked on a flight as
ANA Holdings plans to buy 10% of Philippine Airlines Holdings, the parent company of Philippine Airlines (PAL). The two airlines have had a partnership and code-share flights for years. This investment could give ANA increased access to the fast-growing market in South East Asia, help PAL’s growth. It could also assist PAL’s plans to become
AirAsia, the world’s best low-cost carrier, is based in Malaysia, but already has subsidiaries in Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines, Japan and India. They’ve now signed a Memorandum of Cooperation with Vietnamese businessman Tran Trong Kien to build a low-cost carrier following the AirAsia blueprint based in Vietnam. Find out more about there plans below!
Earlier this year Turkish Airlines (TK) announced that they’d be installing new business class seats on new Airbus A350 and Boeing B787 to be delivered starting in 2019. But they were coy about the details and didn’t provide a seat manufacturer or photos. Now, a photo of the seats was (accidentally?) published in a Turkish
Trivago is one of the leading meta-search sites for hotel bookings. They were sued in Australia earlier this year for misleading advertisements and now have admitted that their “best deal” isn’t really the best deal, but the deal that earns them the highest commission! Find out what happened and how to make sure you find the
Singapore Airlines is shuffling the routes served by their subsidiaries full-service Silk Air and low-cost Scoot, prior to integrating Silk Air into Singapore Airlines. They are also cancelling the Scoot flights to Honolulu due to weak demand, the budget carriers only route to the USA. The reorganization makes sense to me. Check out the impacted
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
Conde Nast conducts a reader survey each year to determine the best islands in the world. This year, the Philippines, my home in Asia, score the top 3 slots and I very much agree with the chosen islands as wonderful beach destinations. Find out which islands scored top honors, read my personal tips and start planning