www.Bestwayfinder.com
The 'hotel of doom'
Kempinski is set to manage Pyongyang's unfinished landmark hotel -- the tallest unoccupied building in the world
The North Koreans started erecting the 330-meter Ryugyong Hotel, the tallest hotel at the time, in 1987.
Almost three decades later, the ambitious project is finally looking to open for business, spelling a possible end for the Ryugyong Hotel laying claim to the being the tallest unoccupied building in the world.
Kempinski Hotels & Resorts is due to be the operator of the 105-story hotel. Construction of the hotel has cost North Korea an estimated US$750 million or 2 percent of the GDP.
The German hotel group said earlier this month it is in negotiation to manage the pyramid-shaped skyscraper, dubbed by media as "the hotel of doom," which has stood unfinished and completely empty in Pyongyang for 20 years, according to Hotelsmag.
This could mark Kempinski, which operates 74 five-star hotels in 32 countries, the first Western hospitality company to run a business in the mysterious Asian nation.
The Ryugyong Hotel is expected to open -- partially -- as early as summer 2013, but it is not clear whether or not it will keep its original name or operate under the Kempinski brand.
Sunday, March 31, 2013
www.Bestwayfinder.com
Saturday, March 16, 2013
Los Angeles
www.bestwayfinder.com-Los Angeles
www.bestwayfinder.com--Best Way Travel, Vacations, Cheap Flights, Hotels http://www.bestwayfinder.com/ Plan your trip with Best way finder. Buy airline tickets, read reviews & reserve a hotel...
Los Angeles is the entertainment capital of the Western world
Los Angeles
But it’s also among the world's most diverse metropolitan areas and is the United States' second-most populous city, with roughly 80 interconnected neighborhoods. Los Angeles county has almost 10 million residents.
Or, as Dorothy Parker once called it, “72 suburbs in search of a city.”
From the cool-casual vibe of Santa Monica’s Main Street to the Mid-City meccas of excess spanning Beverly Hills and the Sunset Strip, to the hipster’s paradise of the East Side, Angelenos have a wide range of tastes and options.
The catch?
Unless you like sitting in five lanes of bumper-to-bumper traffic, you’ve got to pick your best of Los Angeles priorities and plan accordingly.
Here's how to enjoy star treatment in the City of Angels -- with or without the celebrity checkbook
Hotels-Luxury Los Angeles
Breezing through the double doors at Shutters feels like joining Oprah (and all of her favorite things) at her estate in Montecito.
There’s usually a roaring fire in the lobby lounge. Good thing, too: with the exception of the high summer months (July through September), it’s surprisingly chilly at the
Los Angeles
www.bestwayfinder.com- Los Angeles
www.bestwayfinder.com--Best Way Travel, Vacations, Cheap Flights, Hotels http://www.bestwayfinder.com/ Plan your trip with Best way finder. Buy airline tickets, read reviews & reserve a hotel...
Los Angeles Restaurants
Los Angeles
.jpg)
Los Angeles may be known for its beach living and celebrity-infused backdrop, but it was once a farm town. The hillsides were covered in citrus orchards and dairy farms, and agriculture was a major industry. These days, although L.A. is urbanized, the city's culinary landscape has re-embraced a local, sustainable, and seasonal philosophy at many levels—from fine dining to street snacks.
Los AngelesLos Angeles
With a growing interest in farm-to-fork, the city's farmers' market scene has exploded, becoming popular at big-name restaurants and small eateries alike. In Hollywood and Santa Monica you can often find high-profile chefs scouring farm stands for fresh produce.Yet the cache of the celebrity chef continues to carry weight around this town. People follow the culinary zeitgeist with the same fervor as celebrity gossip. You can queue up with the hungry hordes at Mozza to catch a glimpse of Mario Batali or Nancy Silverton, or snag a seat at Street to chat with chef Susan Feniger—also of Border Grill. Elsewhere, Zoe Nathan has caused a huge ripple with her seasonally driven bakery Huckleberry in Santa Monica, and in Culver City chef Roy Choi (of Kogi BBQ fame) has turned a run-down International House of Pancakes into the DJ thumping and ski chalet inspired A-Frame Tavern. The newest addition into the "who's who" of celebrity chefs is Thomas Keller who opened Bouchon Bistro in Beverly Hills.Ethnic eats continue to be a backbone to the L.A. dining scene. People head to the San Gabriel Valley for dim sum and ramen, Koreatown for epic Korean cooking, and West L.A. for phenomenal sushi. Latin food is well represented in the city, making it tough to choose between Guatemalan eateries, Peruvian restaurants, nouveau Mexican bistros, and Tijuana-style taco trucks. With so many dining options, sometimes the best strategy is simply to drive and explore. Just don't mind the traffic. Los Angeles
www.bestwayfinder.com-Los Angeles
www.bestwayfinder.com--Best Way Travel, Vacations, Cheap Flights, Hotels http://www.bestwayfinder.com/ Plan your trip with Best way finder. Buy airline tickets, read reviews & reserve a hotel...
www.bestwayfinder.com--Best Way Travel, Vacations, Cheap Flights, Hotels http://www.bestwayfinder.com/ Plan your trip with Best way finder. Buy airline tickets, read reviews & reserve a hotel...
Los Angeles is the entertainment capital of the Western world
Los Angeles
www.bestwayfinder.comBut it’s also among the world's most diverse metropolitan areas and is the United States' second-most populous city, with roughly 80 interconnected neighborhoods. Los Angeles county has almost 10 million residents.
Or, as Dorothy Parker once called it, “72 suburbs in search of a city.”
From the cool-casual vibe of Santa Monica’s Main Street to the Mid-City meccas of excess spanning Beverly Hills and the Sunset Strip, to the hipster’s paradise of the East Side, Angelenos have a wide range of tastes and options.
The catch?
Unless you like sitting in five lanes of bumper-to-bumper traffic, you’ve got to pick your best of Los Angeles priorities and plan accordingly.
Here's how to enjoy star treatment in the City of Angels -- with or without the celebrity checkbook
Hotels-Luxury Los Angeles
Los Angeles
When it comes to finding a place to stay, travelers have never been more spoiled for choice in today's Los Angeles. From luxurious digs in Beverly Hills to budget boutiques along the coast, hotels are stepping up service, upgrading amenities, and throwing in perks like free Wi-Fi, in-room espresso makers, and spa-quality bath products.
The ambitious revitalization of the city's downtown, anchored around the L.A. Live complex, includes a new 54-tower that holds both a Ritz-Carlton and JW Marriott offering a new set of grand hotel restaurants and services close to the convention center. Other downtown hotels, such as the Westin Bonaventure Hotel & Suites and the Omni Los Angeles Hotel at California Plaza, have upgraded their rooms and lobbies to rival this newly built competition.
Along with the bigger multistory hotels, smaller inns and lodges have also opened for low-key, eco-minded stays, built via green construction, as sustainable stays become an increasing trend. Consider booking one of the three charming Venice Beach Eco-Cottages, or a homey casita at the Loz Feliz Lodge, where innkeepers stock the kitchen with organic mint tea and the bathrooms with bamboo-fiber towels.
Hollywood's already trendy nightlife scene now has party-friendly hotels in the W Hollywood and The Redbury. Both offer full bars in-room as well as vibrant restaurants that appeal to a younger crowd. The W also has a rooftop nightclub Drai's that brings Vegas glitz to the heart of Hollywood and comes with dramatic city views. Rooftop socializing continues at The London West Hollywood where the backdrop is spectacular vistas of downtown Los Angeles and Century City.
For the best in-town getaway, the new resort at Terranea's oceanfront spa promises relaxation within sight of frolicking dolphins and seasonally migrating whales. While newer hotels kick it up, classics like the splendidly refreshed Four Seasons Los Angeles, and even more storied Beverly Hills Hotel seem to only get better with time, anticipating all a guest might need and want with seamless perfection.
The hotel describes the vibe at Shutters as high style but low-key, an appropriate mindset for experiencing Los Angeles.
With its proximity overlooking the Pacific Ocean and room appointments like John Robshaw comforters, in-room libraries and whirlpool tubs, however, L.A. will have to work double time to lure you out of your room.When it comes to finding a place to stay, travelers have never been more spoiled for choice in today's Los Angeles. From luxurious digs in Beverly Hills to budget boutiques along the coast, hotels are stepping up service, upgrading amenities, and throwing in perks like free Wi-Fi, in-room espresso makers, and spa-quality bath products.
The ambitious revitalization of the city's downtown, anchored around the L.A. Live complex, includes a new 54-tower that holds both a Ritz-Carlton and JW Marriott offering a new set of grand hotel restaurants and services close to the convention center. Other downtown hotels, such as the Westin Bonaventure Hotel & Suites and the Omni Los Angeles Hotel at California Plaza, have upgraded their rooms and lobbies to rival this newly built competition.
Along with the bigger multistory hotels, smaller inns and lodges have also opened for low-key, eco-minded stays, built via green construction, as sustainable stays become an increasing trend. Consider booking one of the three charming Venice Beach Eco-Cottages, or a homey casita at the Loz Feliz Lodge, where innkeepers stock the kitchen with organic mint tea and the bathrooms with bamboo-fiber towels.
Hollywood's already trendy nightlife scene now has party-friendly hotels in the W Hollywood and The Redbury. Both offer full bars in-room as well as vibrant restaurants that appeal to a younger crowd. The W also has a rooftop nightclub Drai's that brings Vegas glitz to the heart of Hollywood and comes with dramatic city views. Rooftop socializing continues at The London West Hollywood where the backdrop is spectacular vistas of downtown Los Angeles and Century City.
For the best in-town getaway, the new resort at Terranea's oceanfront spa promises relaxation within sight of frolicking dolphins and seasonally migrating whales. While newer hotels kick it up, classics like the splendidly refreshed Four Seasons Los Angeles, and even more storied Beverly Hills Hotel seem to only get better with time, anticipating all a guest might need and want with seamless perfection.
The hotel describes the vibe at Shutters as high style but low-key, an appropriate mindset for experiencing Los Angeles.
Breezing through the double doors at Shutters feels like joining Oprah (and all of her favorite things) at her estate in Montecito.
There’s usually a roaring fire in the lobby lounge. Good thing, too: with the exception of the high summer months (July through September), it’s surprisingly chilly at the
Los Angeles
www.bestwayfinder.com- Los Angeles
www.bestwayfinder.comwww.bestwayfinder.com--Best Way Travel, Vacations, Cheap Flights, Hotels http://www.bestwayfinder.com/ Plan your trip with Best way finder. Buy airline tickets, read reviews & reserve a hotel...
Los Angeles Restaurants
Los Angeles
Los Angeles may be known for its beach living and celebrity-infused backdrop, but it was once a farm town. The hillsides were covered in citrus orchards and dairy farms, and agriculture was a major industry. These days, although L.A. is urbanized, the city's culinary landscape has re-embraced a local, sustainable, and seasonal philosophy at many levels—from fine dining to street snacks.
Los AngelesLos Angeles
With a growing interest in farm-to-fork, the city's farmers' market scene has exploded, becoming popular at big-name restaurants and small eateries alike. In Hollywood and Santa Monica you can often find high-profile chefs scouring farm stands for fresh produce.Yet the cache of the celebrity chef continues to carry weight around this town. People follow the culinary zeitgeist with the same fervor as celebrity gossip. You can queue up with the hungry hordes at Mozza to catch a glimpse of Mario Batali or Nancy Silverton, or snag a seat at Street to chat with chef Susan Feniger—also of Border Grill. Elsewhere, Zoe Nathan has caused a huge ripple with her seasonally driven bakery Huckleberry in Santa Monica, and in Culver City chef Roy Choi (of Kogi BBQ fame) has turned a run-down International House of Pancakes into the DJ thumping and ski chalet inspired A-Frame Tavern. The newest addition into the "who's who" of celebrity chefs is Thomas Keller who opened Bouchon Bistro in Beverly Hills.Ethnic eats continue to be a backbone to the L.A. dining scene. People head to the San Gabriel Valley for dim sum and ramen, Koreatown for epic Korean cooking, and West L.A. for phenomenal sushi. Latin food is well represented in the city, making it tough to choose between Guatemalan eateries, Peruvian restaurants, nouveau Mexican bistros, and Tijuana-style taco trucks. With so many dining options, sometimes the best strategy is simply to drive and explore. Just don't mind the traffic. Los Angeles
WWW.BESTWAYBINDER.COMwww.bestwayfinder.com--Best Way Travel, Vacations, Cheap Flights, Hotels http://www.bestwayfinder.com/ Plan your trip with Best way finder. Buy airline tickets, read reviews & reserve a hotel...
Germany-What to do in Berlin
www.bestwayfinder.com--Best Way Travel, Vacations, Cheap Flights, Hotels
Germany-Whether you're here for the world-class museums or non-stop nightclubbing, Berlin is as fascinating as it is ever-evolving
Germany
Long known as a city that’s always becoming, never being, Germany-Berlin is ever in a state of flux.
Filled with historic relics that mark its role as imperial capital, seedy Weimar stomp, Nazi hive, Soviet stronghold and liberal bastion of the West, Berlin's latest transformation has been from post-Wall bohemian free-for-all to culture capital with global cred and a booming tech industry.
Whether you’re here for the world-class museums or fringy techno saturnalia, Berlin is as fascinating as it is protean.
For anyone who knows where to look -- us, for example -- it’s also full of surprises: contemporary art in a converted Nazi bunker, Michelin-starred restaurants, the massive “Little Istanbul” area and a vast system of navigable waterways that allows visitors to take it all in by boat.
Wondering what to do in Berlin? Start here.
Like seemingly everything in the German capital, it has an unexpected back story: as the central bank of the German Democatic Republic, it likely played host to even more backroom deals than it does today.
In the mid-2000s, the elegant neo-Classical building was converted by British hotelier Sir Rocco Forte, a one-time playboy who decked out the former bank in imperial reds and blues, installing flat screens and black marble and filling the old vault with a swimming pool and spa
Germany
In 2010, the Soho House Germany-Berlin, a 40-room hotel and private club aimed at the city’s upwardly mobile “creative” class, became the newest tenant on Torstraße, a street in central Berlin once peppered with squats and illegal art spaces.
Housed in an imposing late-Bauhaus structure that opened as a department store in 1928 and was seized by the Nazis and, later, the postwar Communist regime, Soho House underwent a €40-million renovation and now includes a movie theater, spa, state-of-the-art gym and heated rooftop pool.
Comfortable rooms include heated floors, fresh-baked cookies and, in true bohemian-bourgeois fashion, an old-time gramophone and selection of vinyl LPs.
Germany
Touted as “the city’s smallest hotel,” this quirky, two-room Pension Germany-Berlin opened in August 2011 in Kreuzberg’s tree-lined and swiftly gentrifying Graefekiez neighborhood.
Part gallery, part art studio, Pension hosts rotating exhibitions by local artists in the reception area and even houses an art shop and a cinema.
A gilded motif accentuates the cozy, single-occupancy “Gold” room, while the larger “Fassbinder Alexanderplatz'” room features a wall collage of stills from the director’s seminal miniseries, a double bed and an electric fireplace.
Germany-Whether you're here for the world-class museums or non-stop nightclubbing, Berlin is as fascinating as it is ever-evolving
www.bestwayfinder.comGermany
Long known as a city that’s always becoming, never being, Germany-Berlin is ever in a state of flux.
Filled with historic relics that mark its role as imperial capital, seedy Weimar stomp, Nazi hive, Soviet stronghold and liberal bastion of the West, Berlin's latest transformation has been from post-Wall bohemian free-for-all to culture capital with global cred and a booming tech industry.
Whether you’re here for the world-class museums or fringy techno saturnalia, Berlin is as fascinating as it is protean.
For anyone who knows where to look -- us, for example -- it’s also full of surprises: contemporary art in a converted Nazi bunker, Michelin-starred restaurants, the massive “Little Istanbul” area and a vast system of navigable waterways that allows visitors to take it all in by boat.
Wondering what to do in Berlin? Start here.
Hotels-Luxury
Just off Germany-Berlin’s grand royal boulevard of Unter den Linden, the imposing Hotel de Rome is popular with visiting diplomats and politicians.Like seemingly everything in the German capital, it has an unexpected back story: as the central bank of the German Democatic Republic, it likely played host to even more backroom deals than it does today.
In the mid-2000s, the elegant neo-Classical building was converted by British hotelier Sir Rocco Forte, a one-time playboy who decked out the former bank in imperial reds and blues, installing flat screens and black marble and filling the old vault with a swimming pool and spa
www.bestwayfinder.comGermany
In 2010, the Soho House Germany-Berlin, a 40-room hotel and private club aimed at the city’s upwardly mobile “creative” class, became the newest tenant on Torstraße, a street in central Berlin once peppered with squats and illegal art spaces.
Housed in an imposing late-Bauhaus structure that opened as a department store in 1928 and was seized by the Nazis and, later, the postwar Communist regime, Soho House underwent a €40-million renovation and now includes a movie theater, spa, state-of-the-art gym and heated rooftop pool.
Comfortable rooms include heated floors, fresh-baked cookies and, in true bohemian-bourgeois fashion, an old-time gramophone and selection of vinyl LPs.
www.bestwayfinder.comGermany
Touted as “the city’s smallest hotel,” this quirky, two-room Pension Germany-Berlin opened in August 2011 in Kreuzberg’s tree-lined and swiftly gentrifying Graefekiez neighborhood.
Part gallery, part art studio, Pension hosts rotating exhibitions by local artists in the reception area and even houses an art shop and a cinema.
A gilded motif accentuates the cozy, single-occupancy “Gold” room, while the larger “Fassbinder Alexanderplatz'” room features a wall collage of stills from the director’s seminal miniseries, a double bed and an electric fireplace.
www.bestwayfinder.comWednesday, March 13, 2013
Greek -See Santorini Without the Crowds
www.bestwayfinder.com
Greek island
The Greek island of Santorini is nothing short of spectacular during any time of the year, but it can be perfect for honeymooners in January, especially if they are in search of seclusion.
Many of the big hotels in the Greek inland are closed during the winter, which means that there are far fewer tourists on the island overall.
Although the weather is certainly cooler in January than it is in the summer, it is far from cold. Visitors can still tour through the city’s amazing architecture, take long walks on the stunning white sand beaches and enjoy some of the best Greek food imaginable. In addition, they get to enjoy all of this in solitude, which makes it perfect for intimacy and romance. The Greek island
Want better sex ? Travel more with bestwayfinder.com
www.bestwayfinder.com
A new survey suggests that substituting boarding passes for roses or jewelry could improve couples' sex lives
Couples who travel together report more intimacy and romance.
A new survey suggests that substituting boarding passes for roses or jewelry could improve couples' sex lives
 |
| www.bestwayfinder.com |
If the fallout from Valentine’s Day is hitting you hard, maybe it’s time to take that special vacation you’ve been planning.
According to a new Valentine's survey commissioned by the U.S. Travel Association, traveling together will improve a couple's sex life.
And not just during the travel period -- the survey found that the romance and better sex enjoyed during travel lasts long after the trip is over.
“Couples who travel together are significantly more likely to report that their relationship is more romantic, more intimate and more balanced,” Roger Dow, president and CEO of the U.S. Travel Association, said in news release.
For the survey, Edge Research interviewed 1,100 adults. Some 72 percent of the couples said travel inspires romance, and 63 percent said a weekend getaway is more romantic than receiving large or small gifts.
Approximately 77 percent of respondents who traveled with a significant other reported a good sex life, compared with 63 percent of couples who don't travel as a couple.
“Couples who travel together feel closer to one another and are more likely to report that they are best friends,” said Dow.
To that we say: awww …Sex !
Do you agree with the survey results? Has travel improved your sex life? Let us know in the comments. www.bestwayfinder.com
According to a new Valentine's survey commissioned by the U.S. Travel Association, traveling together will improve a couple's sex life.
And not just during the travel period -- the survey found that the romance and better sex enjoyed during travel lasts long after the trip is over.
“Couples who travel together are significantly more likely to report that their relationship is more romantic, more intimate and more balanced,” Roger Dow, president and CEO of the U.S. Travel Association, said in news release.
For the survey, Edge Research interviewed 1,100 adults. Some 72 percent of the couples said travel inspires romance, and 63 percent said a weekend getaway is more romantic than receiving large or small gifts.
Approximately 77 percent of respondents who traveled with a significant other reported a good sex life, compared with 63 percent of couples who don't travel as a couple.
“Couples who travel together feel closer to one another and are more likely to report that they are best friends,” said Dow.
To that we say: awww …Sex !
www.bestwayfinder.comDo you agree with the survey results? Has travel improved your sex life? Let us know in the comments. www.bestwayfinder.com
Tuesday, March 12, 2013
Hotel in Malaysia
www.bestwayfinder.com
Gaya Island Resort is a 15-minute boat ride from Kota Kinabalu, Borneo.
Set amid the Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine Park with stunning views of Mount Kinabalu, the resort’s 120 villas are perched on a pristine rainforest hillside.
The resort offers several eating options, including Fisherman’s Cove, which has a grand view of the bay. Visitors can also enjoy a picnic at the private Tavajun Bay, a five-minute boat ride from the resort.
Gaya Island Resort is a 15-minute boat ride from Kota Kinabalu, Borneo.
Set amid the Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine Park with stunning views of Mount Kinabalu, the resort’s 120 villas are perched on a pristine rainforest hillside.
The resort offers several eating options, including Fisherman’s Cove, which has a grand view of the bay. Visitors can also enjoy a picnic at the private Tavajun Bay, a five-minute boat ride from the resort.
.jpg)
www.bestwayfinder.comSunday, March 10, 2013
Airlines Service Vs Hotel Room Service
www.bestwayfinder.com
A flight is too often a stressful storm before the calm of a hotel room. Here's how the former could be more like the latter
www.bestwayfinder.com
Air travel, for many, is something to be endured rather than enjoyed.
The aviation industry “has been in survival mode for as long as we can remember,” says Eric Léopold, director of the passenger program at the International Air Transport Association (IATA).
Fairly or not, the industry's triage mentality has undermined public perception.
But does it have to be that way?
The hotel industry, so connected to air travel and yet worlds apart when it comes to reputation, could prove an inspiration, if only airlines would change.
With the help of experts in both the airline and hotel industries, we’ve put together a list of ideas that could make flying fun again.
One of the first things potential hotel guests check is the star-rating of their hotel.
It helps to manage customer expectations and provides a clear sense of the value, rather than simply the cost, of a stay.
Airlines don't employ this system.
Although one already exists -- the Skytrax Global Airline Ranking -- few air travelers know about it.
This means airline customers are often unsure of what to expect and may feel entitled to an unrealistic level of comfort.
"No one expects to go back to the glamour days of Pan Am, especially if they're flying economy," says Lori Lincoln, director of corporate communications at Shangri-La International Hotel Management. "But major airlines could improve by addressing the lack of consistency in terms of product and service. When you fly certain airlines, you never know what you're going to get."
Tokyo hotel staff line up greet the International Olympic Committee.
Ask any top-end hotel executive for the secret of the brand's success, and you'll invariably get the answer: the people.
Airlines will agree. Skytrax CEO Edward Plaisted says that staff service is “critical” to achieving five-star status in a company’s rankings.
And yet staff service after you board an airplane is often a poor substitute for what you receive when you check in at a good hotel.
Incentive is an important factor. While a hotel receptionist or porter could rise to a management position over the course of a career, the ceiling is lower for flight attendants.
Timothy Wright, general manager of the Kowloon Shangri-La hotel in Hong Kong, says that “thorough training and development opportunities throughout the employee’s career” are crucial to maintaining a high level of service.
For example, staff at Shangri-La are carefully chosen for their ability to engage customers and extend genuine care and hospitality.
“The core values of helpfulness, flexibility, anticipation and honesty are very important,” says Wright.
At hotels, this might be achieved with something as simple as a hand-written welcome note, or having the bar staff remember a guest’s drink from one cocktail hour to the next.
This kind of attention to detail might be easier to sustain in a hotel environment, but airlines could certainly do more to make passengers feel like individuals and less like numbers on a manifest.
American low-cost carrier JetBlue, for one, had a mission to bring humanity back to air travel. Now, says Lincoln, some people will give up miles they can earn on major carriers to fly JetBlue, “because they prefer the experience.”
“From the very beginning we understood something was fundamentally inadequate with the service in our industry and knew that we had to be the change if we wanted to succeed,” says Allison Steinberg, spokesperson for JetBlue.
This ad campaign for the airline outlines some of these changes, which include offering more legroom in economy class and giving passengers the whole can of soda instead of just a cup.
Good hotels avoid the perception of commodifying the travel product by focusing on personalized guest service.
Wright, at Shangri-La, says, "We keep extensive records of guests’ preferences so that we can make them feel at home.”
Loyalty programs and, potentially, social media should allow airlines to do the same, but they rarely do.
"As an airline passenger, you often feel like a widget being shuttled about instead of a person," says Lincoln.
She also observes that while airlines expect flexibility from customers, they rarely reciprocate.
Small offerings, such as a personal greeting and a bottle of water for frequent fliers in economy class, could make a big difference.
In a "white paper" released at the World Passenger Symposium in Abu Dhabi in October 2012, IATA’s Simplifying the Business (StB) think tank even describes an onboard concierge as a feature of air travel in 2020.
"With all the technological advances to support customer service, airlines should be able to make flight experiences just a little more personal," says Lincoln. "That could go a long way to making flying more hospitable."
Lufthansa's quick self check-ins. Could this be standardized throughout the industry?
While hotels can influence their customers’ experience from the moment they disembark -- for example, with a meet and greet service at the airport and shuttle or limousine transfer -- airlines have comparatively little control over what happens between check-in and boarding.
IATA recognized this in the StB paper, which introduces a new program and a vision of how efficiently people might travel in the future.
Its “vision 2020” for the airport experience is fast and seamless, as well as “predictable, secure and globally consistent."
IATA is the organization that introduced e-tickets and bar-coded boarding passes to streamline the passenger experience.
In response to its recent Global Passenger Survey, new initiatives at IATA aim to provide more self-service options across the journey, phase out the check-in process, develop a "risk-based" security model that "minimizes the need to unpack or disrobe" and standardize automated border control.
The goal is to make flying simple and satisfying.
A flight is too often a stressful storm before the calm of a hotel room. Here's how the former could be more like the latter
www.bestwayfinder.comAir travel, for many, is something to be endured rather than enjoyed.
The aviation industry “has been in survival mode for as long as we can remember,” says Eric Léopold, director of the passenger program at the International Air Transport Association (IATA).
Fairly or not, the industry's triage mentality has undermined public perception.
But does it have to be that way?
The hotel industry, so connected to air travel and yet worlds apart when it comes to reputation, could prove an inspiration, if only airlines would change.
With the help of experts in both the airline and hotel industries, we’ve put together a list of ideas that could make flying fun again.
1. A recognized rating system
Skytrax rates Emirates a four-star airline -- we'd call its A380 business class lounge five-star.One of the first things potential hotel guests check is the star-rating of their hotel.
It helps to manage customer expectations and provides a clear sense of the value, rather than simply the cost, of a stay.
Airlines don't employ this system.
Although one already exists -- the Skytrax Global Airline Ranking -- few air travelers know about it.
This means airline customers are often unsure of what to expect and may feel entitled to an unrealistic level of comfort.
"No one expects to go back to the glamour days of Pan Am, especially if they're flying economy," says Lori Lincoln, director of corporate communications at Shangri-La International Hotel Management. "But major airlines could improve by addressing the lack of consistency in terms of product and service. When you fly certain airlines, you never know what you're going to get."
2. Dedicated staff
Ask any top-end hotel executive for the secret of the brand's success, and you'll invariably get the answer: the people.
Airlines will agree. Skytrax CEO Edward Plaisted says that staff service is “critical” to achieving five-star status in a company’s rankings.
And yet staff service after you board an airplane is often a poor substitute for what you receive when you check in at a good hotel.
Incentive is an important factor. While a hotel receptionist or porter could rise to a management position over the course of a career, the ceiling is lower for flight attendants.
Timothy Wright, general manager of the Kowloon Shangri-La hotel in Hong Kong, says that “thorough training and development opportunities throughout the employee’s career” are crucial to maintaining a high level of service.
For example, staff at Shangri-La are carefully chosen for their ability to engage customers and extend genuine care and hospitality.
“The core values of helpfulness, flexibility, anticipation and honesty are very important,” says Wright.
3. Restore the human touch
A can of soda is vastly superior to a small plastic cup of soda.
Humanity in modern travel means making sure the customer feels properly looked after.At hotels, this might be achieved with something as simple as a hand-written welcome note, or having the bar staff remember a guest’s drink from one cocktail hour to the next.
American low-cost carrier JetBlue, for one, had a mission to bring humanity back to air travel. Now, says Lincoln, some people will give up miles they can earn on major carriers to fly JetBlue, “because they prefer the experience.”
“From the very beginning we understood something was fundamentally inadequate with the service in our industry and knew that we had to be the change if we wanted to succeed,” says Allison Steinberg, spokesperson for JetBlue.
This ad campaign for the airline outlines some of these changes, which include offering more legroom in economy class and giving passengers the whole can of soda instead of just a cup.
4. Personalized experiences
Airlines might take a cue from Mandarin Oriental's personal butler service.
www.bestwayfinder.comGood hotels avoid the perception of commodifying the travel product by focusing on personalized guest service.
Wright, at Shangri-La, says, "We keep extensive records of guests’ preferences so that we can make them feel at home.”
Loyalty programs and, potentially, social media should allow airlines to do the same, but they rarely do.
"As an airline passenger, you often feel like a widget being shuttled about instead of a person," says Lincoln.
She also observes that while airlines expect flexibility from customers, they rarely reciprocate.
Small offerings, such as a personal greeting and a bottle of water for frequent fliers in economy class, could make a big difference.
In a "white paper" released at the World Passenger Symposium in Abu Dhabi in October 2012, IATA’s Simplifying the Business (StB) think tank even describes an onboard concierge as a feature of air travel in 2020.
"With all the technological advances to support customer service, airlines should be able to make flight experiences just a little more personal," says Lincoln. "That could go a long way to making flying more hospitable."
5. Improved efficiency
While hotels can influence their customers’ experience from the moment they disembark -- for example, with a meet and greet service at the airport and shuttle or limousine transfer -- airlines have comparatively little control over what happens between check-in and boarding.
IATA recognized this in the StB paper, which introduces a new program and a vision of how efficiently people might travel in the future.
Its “vision 2020” for the airport experience is fast and seamless, as well as “predictable, secure and globally consistent."
IATA is the organization that introduced e-tickets and bar-coded boarding passes to streamline the passenger experience.
In response to its recent Global Passenger Survey, new initiatives at IATA aim to provide more self-service options across the journey, phase out the check-in process, develop a "risk-based" security model that "minimizes the need to unpack or disrobe" and standardize automated border control.
The goal is to make flying simple and satisfying.
If airlines could adopt a few of these measures, perhaps it could be. www.bestwayfinder.com
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)