The business of travel
And in the hotel market
Good to see the Irish market moving with the Burlington, Morrison, Jurys Inn Parnell Street, Cork International Hotel and Clare Inn all changing hands, though at very low prices.
London grabbed the headlines for the most new hotel openings in such a short space of time, adding lots more choices since the Olympics.
The oddest room was also in London, a boat perched on the roof of the Queen Elizabeth Hall on the South Bank, courtesy of Living Architecture.
The five tallest hotels in the world are now all in Dubai with the addition of JW Marriott Marquis to the Rose Rayhaan by Rotana, Burj al Arab, Jumeirah Emirates Tower and the Address Downtown.
Steady growth for agencies
The biggest travel account in the country moved agencies after more than 20 years when Carlson Wagonlit Travel wrested it from Club Travel.
All the major business travel agencies and travel management companies in Ireland have reported steady growth this year.
Let them entertain you
Virgin America’s in-flight entertainment system Red was rated the best by the Passenger Choice Awards, with lots of films, video games, interactive Google maps, seat to seat messaging and drink ordering, and great prices too.
Meanwhile, US business hotels rated by Men’s Health Magazine for their gyms were the Mark and W New York, Radisson Blu, Chicago, Ritz Carlton, Boston, and the Park Hyatt, Philadelphia.
Airlines in full flight during a busy year
After years of speculation, Emirates Airlines arrived in Dublin on January 9th with a daily service on an A330-200, switching to the bigger capacity 777-300ER on May 1st.
Despite speculation, Emirates did not undermine the market for Etihad; the Abu Dhabi-based carrier will increase capacity in July with a 412-seater 777-300 in two classes.
Sad to see the departure of British Midland Airways or bmi as it was latterly known when it was sold by Lufthansa to IAG owners of British Airways.
But happy to welcome back British Airways to the Dublin London route after a gap of 21 years.
Sad also to see the Continental name disappear as it merged with United Airlines, but thanks for the Washington route: it makes life easier for doing business.
Not sure that Delta SkyMiles will be worth as much as Virgin Flying Club miles now that Delta will be a major shareholder. The rewards certainly won’t be as exciting as a trip to space with Virgin Galactic.
Thanks also to Virgin Atlantic, America and Australia for the first movie shot at 35,000 feet, over three continents – Departure Date starred Ben Feldman from Mad Men.
And in other travel news . . .
Deutsche Bahn or Bahn.combecame the world's leading rail transport system with access to fares and ticketing for most of Europe.
Dublin outperformed London in the battle of the cities by TripAdvisor users for friendliest locals, best taxi drivers, cleanest streets, value for money and safest cities.
Well done Datalex, the Dublin-headquartered travel booking software company, for winning two awards at the World Travel Awards held in Delhi last week.