Thraki Palace Thalasso Spa Hotel organizes B2B event in Istanbul

Thraki Palace Thalasso Spa Hotel & Conference Center located in Alexandrapoli, Greece organizes a B2B meeting in Istanbul on 9 and 10 January 2014 in order to explore the possibilities of cooperation with local travel agents. 

The meeting will be held at the Dosso Dossi Hotel in Sultanahmet, Istanbul at the Tulip Meeting Room on January 9 between 11.00am and 7.00pm and on January 10 from 10.00am to 6.00pm.

For more information about Thraki Palace Thalasso Spa Hotel & Conference Center visitwww.thrakipalace.gr

Colombia hopes to welcome more U.S. and Canadian visitors than ever in 2014

MIAMI - Seasonal increases in the number of flights between North America and Colombia will allow more visitors than ever to experience that Colombia Is Magical Realism, Proexport Colombia announced. Proexport, the government agency charged with promoting tourism, foreign investment and trade with Colombia, is eager to share its exciting calendar of events with international travelers and to welcome visitors to the country by air and sea.

As of December 15, JetBlue increased its New York-Cartagena weekly flight frequencies from three flights to five, allowing for a total of 750 more passengers to escape the winter weather during the 2013-2014 tourism season. In just five hours, U.S. and Canadian travelers leaving from and connecting through New York City can be on the sunny beaches of one of Colombia's top coastal cities.

In addition to a number of other U.S. nonstop flights, American Airlines began direct Dallas-Bogota service in November. Canadians can reach Bogota via five weekly direct flights from Toronto on Air Canada, and via connecting flights on Avianca, Copa and others.

"According to Colombia's Immigration Department, the year-end season is when the majority of Americans and Canadians travel to Colombia," said the president of Proexport, Maria Claudia Lacouture. "We hope that demand for the increased frequency will remain high, leading to additional permanent flights to our vibrant country."

Colombia expects 2014 to be a busy year for tourism. In January, Cartagena will host the International Music Festival, welcoming classical artists and opera singers from all over the world. In February, more than 600 international buyers from the leisure, meetings and tourism industries will convene in Bogota for Colombia Travel Mart, the country's most important tourism industry event. Later, in March, thousands of international visitors will travel to Baranquilla for the city's famous Carnaval festival.

These events represent just a fraction of the exciting opportunities available for international travelers. Proexport Colombia launched its "Colombia Is Magical Realism" tourism campaign earlier this year to showcase all of its different, magical, unique and inspiring vacation destinations, from beaches to mountains, deserts, cities and jungles. With more than 800 direct flights from 20 different countries and 27 cruise lines stopping in three major ports of call, there are many ways for visitors to experience the country.

Colombia welcomed more than 864,000 foreign visitors in the first half of 2013, with the largest number visiting from the U.S. and the tenth largest visiting from Canada.

IHG opens Holiday Inn Express Hotel Mountain View close to South Palo Alto

ATLANTA - InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) announces the opening of the Holiday Inn Express Hotel Mountain View – S Palo Alto. The three-story 46-room hotel adds to the IHG portfolio in the Mountain View and Palo Alto areas and is opening after significant investments of over $1 million in renovations by the ownership.

"Holiday Inn Express hotels are designed to be the smart choice for value-conscious business and leisure travelers," said Heather Balsley, SVP, Americas Holiday Inn brand family. "With more than 2,200 properties worldwide and 450 more in the pipeline, the Holiday Inn Express portfolio continues to provide our guests with an enhanced-stay experience at a great value.”

The renovated hotel is designed with the Holiday Inn brand family’s $1 billion global brand relaunch in mind, the largest project of its kind in hospitality history. The relaunch continues to drive increased quality and consistency across the global portfolio. The hotel features a contemporary image with emphasis on arrival and welcome services, guestroom and guest bath comfort and a redesigned logo and signage.

“We are very excited to join the Holiday Inn brand family,” said Roshan Patel, general manager. “Our hotel is in close proximity to the many technology companies in the Mountain View and Palo Alto areas and very convenient for business travelers to the area.”

The hotel is located just a mile and a half from numerous prominent technology companies. Nearby attractions also include the Levi’s Stadium – the new home of the San Francisco 49ers – and the aptly-named Computer History Museum, in the heart of Silicon Valley.

All rooms at the hotel are equipped with refrigerators and microwave ovens. The new hotel offers guests a comfortable, yet affordable, stay with innovative, preferred guest upgrades to ensure a pleasurable experience with amenities that include a 24-hour fitness center, swimming pool, complimentary high-speed Internet access and a business center with PC computers. Business travelers will find large desks with ergonomic chairs, free local phone and toll free, phones with private voicemail and complimentary USA TODAY newspapers.

The Holiday Inn Express Mountain View – S Palo Alto, owned and managed by RPK Investment is franchised by an affiliate of IHG. The scale and diversity of the IHG family of brands means that our hotels can meet our guests’ needs whatever the occasion. Holiday Inn Express hotels participate in IHG’s guest loyalty program IHG Rewards Club which is the industry’s first and largest guest loyalty program with more than 76 million members. 

Hotel rates in Florida rise strongly for New Year's Eve

MIAMI - End-of-year revelers who are looking for a hotel room at one of Florida's top beaches for New Year's Eve can expect to pay sharply more than usual. That's according to a new survey from MiamiHotels.org, which compared hotel rates for 20 popular destinations in the Sunshine State. The time period of December 30, 2013 through January 2, 2014 served as the basis of comparison.

The most expensive Floridian destination, by far, is Key West. There hotel guests will have to spend $472 per night for the most affordable double room. That figure represents 161% more than they would regularly have to pay. In the other Florida Keys, the increase is more moderate, only 69%; however, travelers will still have to spend $270 per night.

Coming in second and third most expensive according to the survey are Miami Beach and Sanibel Island. At these popular destinations, the most affordable room will cost New Year's celebrators $309 and $287, respectively. Miami Beach also happens to be the destination with the biggest percentage rate increase for New Year's Eve: +178%.

Rates have also risen sharply in Fort Myers Beach (+157%) while they have gone up a bit more moderately in Fort Lauderdale Beach (+79%) and St. Pete Beach (+84%). Among the cities considered by this survey, rates in Orlando around Disney World have more than doubled (+114%), while in Tallahassee, Tampa and Jacksonville they have actually decreased. In these latter cities, New Year's Eve revelers can find rooms that are –35%, –15% and –30%, respectively, less than usual.

The following table shows the 10 Florida destinations with the highest hotel rates over New Year's Eve, as well as a comparison with regular rates. The rates indicated reflect the nightly price for the most affordable double room (minimum: 3-star hotel) for the New Year's period spanning December 30 through January 2. 
Key West $472 (+161%)
Miami Beach $309 (+178%)
Sanibel Island $287 (+88%)
Florida Keys $270 (+69%)
Longboat Key $259 (+72%)
Fort Myers Beach $252 (+157%)
Miami Downtown $242 (+92%)
Anna Maria Island $229 (+62%)
St. Augustine $179 (+50%)
Fort Lauderdale Beach $178 (+79%).

Excitement over European cruises continues to grow on the high seas and in river cruising

MINNEAPOLIS - Excitement over river cruising is adding to Europe's overall allure for those taking cruise vacations in 2014; combined with European deep water cruises, the continent's cruise destinations rank second only to the Caribbean among Cruise Holidays clientele. Furthermore, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, and Budapest, Hungary, are emerging as river cruising's top destinations. Additionally, cruisers will eagerly wait 11 more months until the most anticipated ship of 2014 begins welcoming cruise passengers. These are just some of the highlights of Cruise Holidays International's 2014 Cruise Trends survey. Cruise Holidays is a network of cruise-specialty travel agencies based in North America, and its cruise experts across the United States and Canada participated in the survey.

Top 10 Cruise Destinations

With its diverse itineraries, the Caribbean continues to hold the top spot in cruise bookings for the year ahead, by a wide margin. Thanks to its nearly year-round sunny weather and convenient access from the southern and eastern United States, the Caribbean drives the majority of all cruise bookings. Here is the full list of the Top 10 cruise destinations being booked by Cruise Holidays professionals across North America:

1. Caribbean (includes Bahamas): 54.8%

2. European Deep Water Cruises (includes Mediterranean, Baltic, Scandinavia and Greek Isles): 10.4%

3. Alaska: 9.1%

4. European Rivers: 5.7%

5. Bermuda: 3.5%

6. Panama Canal: 2.6%

7. Trans-Atlantic: 2.5%

8. Hawaiian Islands: 2.1%

9. South Pacific (includes Australia/New Zealand): 1.8%

10. Canada/New England: 1.2%

Overall, there is little change in the list of top 10 destinations year over year. However, it should be noted that this is the first time "European Rivers" have been broken out as their own category in Cruise Holidays' report. Had it been a separate category, European Rivers would have ranked fifth last year, just behind Bermuda. This year, they edge out Bermuda as the fourth most popular cruise destination. In the Caribbean, Western Caribbean sailings are most popular, followed by Eastern Caribbean and Southern Caribbean, respectively.

"The enthusiasm over river cruising, particularly in Europe, continues to add a new dynamic to the vacation market. Even travelers who have never cruised before seem particularly drawn to river cruises as an attractive alternative to a land tour," said Kevin Weisner, Senior Vice President, Cruise Holidays International.

Cruise Holidays analyzed data from across its network of agencies to see where most river cruise passengers are heading in 2014. The windmills and tulips of The Netherlands, as well as cruises along the Danube and "Grand Tour" cruises of the Rhine, Main and Danube lead the way in popularity. Below is a list of the top five river cruise cities, where voyages either begin or end. The rivers or waterways most commonly associated with these cities are listed below each port, and commonly-booked itinerary lengths are also included:

City, Country	% of River Cruise Bookings
1. Amsterdam, The Netherlands "Windmills & Tulips" Rhine (7-day), Dutch waterways (if roundtrip), some Mosel, Rhine/Main/Danube (14-day)	19.3
2. Budapest, Hungary "Grand Tour" Danube (7-day), Rhine/Main/Danube (14-day)	16.8
3. Paris, France "Normandy" Seine (7-day), Rhone (8-10 day), Seine/Rhone (14-day)	9.7
4. Basel, Switzerland "Rhine River Valley" Rhine	8.5
5. Nuremberg, Germany Main/Danube	5. 4

Most Anticipated Ship

While river cruising proliferates, interest in large, new ocean-going (i.e. deep water) ships is also soaring. In fact, when Cruise Holidays experts were asked which new ship they are anticipating the most in 2014, the overwhelming response was Royal Caribbean International's Quantum of the Seas.

This ship will not debut until November 2014, but it opened for booking in May 2013; bookings have been very impressive, according to Cruise Holidays. In fact, the ship accounts for nearly 20% of all Cruise Holidays cruise bookings looking into 2015, the ship's first full year in service.

Best Value in Cruising

Cruise Holidays experts were asked: "In which region do you anticipate the best value in cruising during 2014?" The Caribbean again placed first, with European deep water cruises and European river cruises following. Alaska and the Pacific Northwest sit comfortably in fourth place, followed by trans-Atlantic cruising.

On the topic of pricing, each year, Cruise Holidays experts are asked what their clients' top reasons are for booking a particular cruise. For the fourth consecutive year, itinerary is the most popular response, followed by pricing. But compared to 2013, a full 10% fewer respondents answered that price is a major factor in their cruise decision. This gap has continued to widen each year dating back to 2011.

Results are based on a survey of 133 Cruise Holidays agents from December 5 – December 22, 2013, as well as from actual booking data taken directly from more than 600 Cruise Holidays agents.

Hilton Queenstown Resort & Spa Debuts Spa And Golf Package

QUEENSTOWN, New Zealand - While PGA Tour organizers gear up for the New Zealand Open from February 27 to March 2, 2014, Hilton Queenstown Resort & Spa is sharpening its appeal to the fan base with a limited-time golf and spa package.

In the weeks leading up to and following the tournament, the resort, with 220 rooms and suites on the shores of Lake Wakatipu, will offer a special deal for a mid-week escape. Designed for couples, the package includes:

• Champagne on arrival
• Overnight accommodation in a Lakeview Room with buffet breakfast
• One round of golf at Jack's Point Golf Course
• eforea spa's signature 90-minute Full Body Repair treatment
• 15 percent off additional spa treatments
• Complimentary late check-out based on availability

Hilton Queenstown Resort & Spa is within a 15-minute drive to the two venues co-hosting the tournament. The Hills Golf Course is spread over 500 acres and marked with colossal sculptures - including 111 wolves from Chinese artist Liu Ruowang and Wellington-based Max Patte's towering cast iron horses. Even closer is Millbrook Resort, with three distinct 18- hole combinations. Both are within a 15-minute drive from the hotel.

In addition, Hilton is also the nearest accommodation to Jack's Point, another 18-hole course featuring tussock grasslands and boasting stunning views of emerald-hued Lake Wakatipu and the aptly named Remarkables mountain range. The resort is also conveniently located near Queenstown Golf Club on the shores of Lake Wakatipu. "Queenstown has long been known as an adventure capital, but there's a lot more here than just bungee jumping and jet boating," said Andrew Nisbet, general manager of HiltonQueenstown Resort & Spa. "The New Zealand Open gives us the chance to highlight the world-class courses that Queenstown offers, in some of the world's most scenic surroundings."

The Golf Escape Package is priced at NZ$695 per night and is available Monday through Thursday. Contact Hilton Queenstown Resort & Spa for more details and availability buy calling +64 3 450 9400 or visiting www.queenstown.hilton.com.

A New Year’s Eve To Remember At London Hilton On Park Lane

LONDON - London Hilton on Park Lane is kicking off 2014 in style with the launch of its New Year's Eve Dinner menus. Guests can enjoy a taste of the world in the new look paradise of Trader Vic's, or choose from a delicious selection of traditional, seasonal courses at Podium Restaurant and Bar. Located in the very heart of fashionable Mayfair, London Hilton on Park Lane has everything you need for a truly memorable New Year's Eve.

PODIUM RESTAURANT AND BARWith a delicious selection of seasonal menus, Podium Restaurant and Bar has everything covered for an unforgettable New Year's Eve celebration. Guests will ring in the New Year in style with a decadent three-course feast, starting with an amuse-bouche of tempura prawns with a wasabi dressing.

Starters include smoked salmon ballotine, stuffed with pickled vegetables and a mint coriander dressing; and pan seared beef salad with marinated vegetables, enoki mushrooms and a sesame dressing. Mains include lamb rack with pancetta rolled potatoes, aubergine purée and rosemary jus; and steamed monkfish, mash potatoes with braised leek and Nantua sauce. For dessert, guests can enjoy treats such as chocolate and banana soufflé with peanut ice cream; and pink Champagne panacotta. The New Year's Eve Dinner menu is priced at £120 per person; the perfect festive treat to share with friends, family or loved ones.

TRADER VIC'SFor an exotic getaway, guests can escape to Trader Vic's to 'Taste The World®' through exotic cuisines, tropical cocktails and an unforgettable dining experience. With a celebratory Champagne welcome and a five-course Pacific Islands-inspired banquet, Trader Vic's has New Year's Eve covered, from £125 per person.

Courses include seared scallops with sorrel coulis and candied lemon; and seared loin of Angus beef with morel mushrooms, cognac cream, sprouted onion seeds and truffle vinaigrette. Guests with a sweet tooth can indulge in the Meyer lemon cheesecake with Meyer lemon curd filling and Graham cracker crust.

After dinner, diners can enjoy a celebratory drink or two, at the newly refurbished Trader Vic's Tiki bar. Home to the original Mai Tai for the past 50 years, guests can choose from a tempting array of over 80 signature cocktails.

For more information or to book, please call +44 207 208 4127 or email christmas.parklane@hilton.com

Kinzie Hotel Set to Open in Chicago

CHICAGO—The Kinzie Hotel is slated to open here in February following the conversion of the Amalfi Hotel.

The design project, led by Gettys Design Group Chicago was inspired by the city’s first settler and explorer, John Kinzie. All elements, from branding to design, pay tribute to Kinzie’s historical role. Vintage imagery of 19th century Chicago maps and compasses are displayed throughout guestroom wall coverings, paying tribute to the hotel’s exploratory namesake. The navigational branding also speaks to the hotel’s tagline, “Chicago Starts Here,” encouraging guests to explore the city as John Kinzie once did in the early 1800s.

"The Kinzie Hotel is a quintessential Chicago hotel...the hotel incorporates Chicago concepts throughout the design, from intricate vintage map work in the guestrooms, to the carpeting which features a modern interpretation of the city grid,” stated Design Director Ben Nicholas of Gettys Group. “We are excited about the opening of this city-centric hotel – a place where guests can experience a little bit of Chicago with every turn.

”

The hotel features three intimate, concierge-style guest check-in desks as well as sofa niches along each wall. In the newly renovated 1,500-sq.-ft. lobby, there are spherical, central lighting fixtures that brighten the tone-on-tone gray palette that features metallic grey iridescent tile.

Both the lobby and common areas feature artwork commissioned by local artists, including a gallery component, displaying interpretations of Chicago’s urban landscape. Navy blue and gray colors are on the corridor walls, with deep tones on one wall side and lighter accents on the other.

Kinzie Hotel themed colors and textiles are featured throughout three renovated meeting spaces. Named after Kinzie’s close friend and colleague, Billy Caldwell aka “Sauganash,” the Sauganash Room is a fixed boardroom. A nod to Kinzie’s many pivotal moments at Fort Dearborn, the Dearborn Room is a fixed boardroom. The largest room is Wolf Point, 848 sq. ft. with its name inspired from James Kinzie, the son John Kinzie, who built a tavern by the same name on the west bank of the river at Wolf Point in 1828.

The hotel features 210 standard guestrooms and five suites displaying a color palatte of bright teal, cobalt, crimson and pumpkin. A navigational map representing Chicago in the early 1800s is blended throughout the wall covering above the bed. Adding to the room are the navy blue carpet floors, outlined with hexagonal detailing inspired by Chicago’s cobblestone streets and city grid of Kinzie’s time period. Guestroom lighting is outfitted with sconces resembling city lamp posts, situated adjacent to the king and queen beds.

The guestrooms also feature long, counter-height multipurpose desk units that serve as storage, a desk, and media piece. Renovated bathrooms have new granite countertops, fixtures and portable vanity mirrors.

The Kinzie Hotel is managed by Portfolio Hotels & Resorts

Frankfurt Airport: Lower Charges for Airlines Achieving Passenger Growth with Quieter Aircraft

Fraport AG, the Frankfurt Airport (FRA) company, will reward airlines at FRA – if they deploy modern, low-noise aircraft on international routes and achieve passenger growth of more than one percent per year – with retroactive reductions in airport charges during 2014 and 2015.  Furthermore, each subsequent year will be rewarded with an additional incentive sum, if the airline maintains the previous year’s growth in terms of the absolute number of passengers.  Fraport’s new incentive program has been approved by the Hessian Ministry of Economics, Transport and Urban Development.  Effective January 1, 2014, this program will become an official part of FRA’s Airport Charges Regulation.

“Fraport is already a global leader in establishing a greater range in airport charges based on noise categories. Quiet aircraft are charged less, while loud aircraft pay significantly more. This additional incentive program underscores how we consistently use airport charges as a way to reward airlines that deploy the quietest aircraft possible,” explained Fraport AG’s executive board chairman Dr. Stefan Schulte. Domestic traffic has been intentionally excluded from the new program, because FRA intends to strengthen European and international traffic and hence its role as an intercontinental hub.

Passenger growth is measured in each case on the basis of the previous year’s volume – with continental and intercontinental traffic treated separately.  In the respective traffic segment, an airline is required to transport at least 7,500 departing passengers and achieve at least one percent growth each year.  If these criteria are met, Fraport AG will refund at the end of 2014 and/or 2015 a certain growth-dependent amount to the airline as an incentive for each additional passenger.  Incentives are awarded on a sliding scale from 4 to 10 euros per passenger.  The higher an airline’s passenger growth increase, the higher the amount of the incentive per passenger to be paid.  Furthermore, the incentive amount is higher for intercontinental passengers than for continental passengers.

Fraport only takes into consideration the portion of passenger growth that the airline achieves using low-noise aircraft types.  For continental routes, this means aircraft types classified within noise categories 1 through 11. For intercontinental routes, this means aircraft types grouped in noise categories 1 through 12.  Frankfurt Airport has a total of 16 aircraft noise categories.  Airlines that did not fly to Frankfurt Airport during the past two consecutive timetables are considered “new entrants”.  Thus, for each new route in the FRA schedule these airlines will receive the maximum incentive for each departing passenger exceeding the minimum of 7,500 passengers in the first year.   When these “new entrants” serve an existing route, the amount of the incentive reduces by 50 percent.  Existing routes are defined as all routes that have already been served by any airline in the Summer Timetable 2013 or Winter Timetable 2013/2014.

Transaero Airlines Launches Low Cost Service

In the run-up to the New Year holidays Transaero Airlines has prepared a special present to its clients: in 2014 Transaero will offer a new low cost product called Discount Class.
 
Starting January 14, 2014 Transaero will offer Discount Class of travel on its flights from Moscow Domodedovo airport to a number of popular destinations including those to Barcelona, Berlin, Vienna, Vilnius, Milan, Rome, Tel Aviv, Yekaterinburg, Kazan, Kaliningrad, Kemerovo, Krasnodar, Mineralnye Vody, Novosibirsk, Novy Urengoy, Omsk, Perm, Rostov-on-Don, Samara, Saint Petersburg, Sochi, Stavropol, Tomsk, Ufa, Khanty-Mansiysk, Kiev, Donetsk, Dnepropetrovsk, Odessa, Astana, Almaty, Karaganda, Yerevan.
 
Transaero will operate Boeing 737-300/400/500 aircraft on the mentioned routes.
 
Discount Class tickets will include from 10 to 20 kg free luggage allowance, the amount of luggage allowance will depend on the ticket fare.
 
The low cost services in Discount Class will be provided in accordance with the Federal Aviation Rules of the Russian Federation and will include free onboard meals and drinks which will vary depending on the flight duration (the maximal duration is up to four and half hours). In particular, on all Discount Class flights all passengers will be served refreshing drinks, tea and coffee. On flights lasting no longer than two hours passengers will be served sweet snacks in addition to drinks. On flights operating up to four hours passengers will be served cold meals. On flights with duration longer than four hours passengers will be able to choose among two options of hot meals.
 
As the airline will operate aircraft in standard two-class configuration, passengers with Discount Class tickets purchased at highest available airfare can enjoy air travel in the Business Class cabin or in the Economy Class cabin with a vacant seat next to his/her seat. They also will be invited to purchase a ticket to the airline’s business lounge at Domodedovo airport at discounted fare.
 
Discount Class ticket refunds will be made in accordance with the norms and rules set in the Air Code of the Russian Federation.
 
Discount Class passengers will be offered a choice of free newspapers. The airline will also offer for sale duty free goods on its international flights.
 
The new product by Transaero Airlines will guarantee the reasonable balance of comfort and affordable ticket prices.
 
Apart from Discount Class flights Transaero Airlines will continue offering full service on all of its flights operated from Moscow Vnukovo Airport including Imperial, Business, Premium, Economy and Tourist classes of service.
 
For more information please visit Transaero Airline’s official web-site: www.transaero.ru/en.