Rosie Schaap on Dublin’s Coziest Watering Hole
11.17.14 Whenever I’m in Dublin—and I try to get there once a year—my first stop is always Grogan’s Castle Lounge. It was my local in 1991 when I was a student at Trinity College, and I still can’t help thinking of it that way. Later I’ll hit the Stag’s Head for a pint and brief communion with its taxidermied namesake....
Majestic Northern Lights, Reykjavik, Iceland
What are Northern Lights?
The bright dancing lights of the aurora are actually collisions between electrically charged particles from the sun that enter the earth's atmosphere. The lights are seen above the magnetic poles of the northern and southern hemispheres. They are known as 'Aurora borealis' in the north and 'Aurora australis' in the south..
Auroral displays appear in many colours...
The Wonder Of The Falls, Niagra Falls, Ontario
The world has been beating a path to the Buffalo Niagara region since shortly after Father Louis Hennepin became the first European to describe the “prodigious cadence of water” that is the mighty Falls in 1678. That early trickle of tourists became a steady stream after the completion of the Erie Canal in 1825 and a torrent when the railroad linked...
Luxury sector drives visitor numbers in Dubai
6 hours ago
Tower 2 at JW Marriott Marquis Dubai opened earlier this year in Dubai
The new tourism season is an exciting one with a number of world class and internationally renowned hotel brands coming up in Dubai. During 2014 the emirate experienced a 10.6 per cent visitor increase from the 11 million guests in 2013. By building more hotels that...
Hotelrez appoints global sales director
Global hotel representation company HotelREZ Hotels & Resorts has appointed Salvatore Lauretta as Global Sales Director. Lauretta will take responsibility for the development of HotelREZ’s demand generation strategy, with a view to increasing reservations and revenue for HotelREZ member hotels. Lauretta will work to develop new demand partnerships, and nurture existing partnerships with consortia, corporate, MICE and leisure booking agencies as...
Starwood Hotels links with Emirates for loyalty programme
3 days ago Starwood Hotels & Resorts and Emirates Airline are announcing a new partnership providing reciprocal benefits to Starwood Preferred Guests and Emirates Skywards members. The programme, Your World Rewards, begins on November 19th and allows SPG and Skywards elite members who register for the programme, to elevate their earnings and benefits when they fly with Emirates or stay with...
Sewol ferry captain jailed for gross negligence
Nearly 500 people were on board the ferry when it sank on April 16th
Lee Joon-seok, the captain of the Sewol ferry which sank of South Korea in April, has been jailed for gross negligence. He was handed a sentence of 36 years in prison following the disaster, which claimed more than 300 lives. The ferry had been carrying 476 people...
Casa de Campo recognised by the World Travel Awards
5 days ago Rafael Torres, president of Casa de Campo Resort, left, with World Travel Awards president Graham Cooke
Casa de Campo, the 7,000-acre luxury resort in La Romana, Dominican Republic, is thrilled to announce recent recognitions as the Dominican Republic’s Leading Resort and the Dominican Republic’s Leading Spa Resort at the World Travel Awards. Celebrating its 21st anniversary this year,...
TAP Portugal secures codeshare deal with GOL
TAP Portugal and Brazilian GOL – Linhas Aéreas Inteligentes, the largest low cost airline in Latin America, have agreed on an operational codeshare partnership, which will provide greater convenience for those looking to travel from Europe to a number of different destinations in Brazil. This will result in improved services to customers of both companies. TAP is now able to offer...
Rocco Forte secures funding from Italian sovereign wealth fund
5 days ago Rocco Forte Hotels has announced a strategic partnership with Fondo Strategico Italiano Spa, the Italian State-backed sovereign fund 80 per cent controlled by Cassa Depositi e Prestiti and 20 per cent by Bank of Italy. It has a paid-up share capital of €4.4 billion. FSI will inject £60 million into Rocco Forte and Family in exchange for an equity...
Mövenpick Resort Laem Yai Beach Samui set for December opening
6 days ago Mövenpick Hotels set to open new boutique hideaway in Koh Samui Famed for Swiss excellence and exceptional customer service, the upscale hotel group Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts, is set to open a new boutique property in Koh Samui, Thailand. Scheduled to open in December 2014, Mövenpick Resort Laem Yai Beach Samui boasts 50 intimate rooms, a beachfront restaurant serving...
Carnival Corporation to welcome four new ships to fleet
Regal Princess will be welcomed to the Princess Cruises fleet
Carnival Corporation has announced it will increase fleet capacity by nearly ten percent from 2014 through 2016, fuelled largely by the addition of four new ships across four brands in less than 18 months. This week, Carnival Corporation is christening two new ships in the span of three days as...
DFDS Seaways commits to Newhaven-Dieppe ferry service
DFDS Seaways and the Syndicat Mixte de Promotion de L’Activité Transmanche, which is responsible for the promotion of cross Channel activities for the Seine-Maritime region, have reached an agreement in principle to extend DFDS Seaways’ operation and marketing of the Newhaven-Dieppe ferry service for an additional year. The agreement was reached between Nicolas Rouly, chairman of the General Council of...
Fraser Residence Menteng expands serviced apartment sector in Indonesia
11th Nov 2014 Frasers Hospitality has opened its second property, Fraser Residence Menteng, in Jakarta, adding 128 Gold-standard serviced units to the capital’s business and diplomatic centre. The hospitality arm of the Frasers Centrepoint Group plans to grow its footprint in Indonesia with the opening of another six properties in the nation’s capital by 2017. Properties outside Jakarta are also in the...
Kyoto welcomes increase in transatlantic flights
The Kyoto Convention & Visitors Bureau has welcomed the announcement of a new international flights between Kyoto and the US and Canada. Japan Airlines recently announced its expansion plans include the addition of a non-stop daily flight between Los Angeles and Kansai International Airport, which will start in March 2015. And, from May 2015, Air Canada will introduce a direct non-stop...
Rotana launches online check-in facilities to guests
11th Nov 2014 Rotana has advanced its guest services with the introduction of new online check-in facilities with the aim of boosting business via customer driven smart technology. Since launching the Rotana Mobile App two years ago, Rotana has posted a 20 per cent increase in monthly mobile bookings, delivering a significant return on investment in developing the mobility platform. Rotana is...