World News | forimmediaterelease.net

... press releases & Breaking World News

New sales leader at Kimpton Hotel Monaco Washington DC & Kimpton George Hotel

by

Kimpton Hotel Monaco Washington DC and Kimpton George Hotel announced the hire of Katherine Saad-Loman as director of sales and marketing for both boutique hotels in Washington, DC. Saad-Loman brings a strong resort, catering, and luxury hotel background to the position, as well as nearly 30 years of experience in the hospitality industry.

In her new role, Saad-Loman will drive all sales and marketing activities for Kimpton’s Hotel Monaco Washington DC and Hotel George. Saad-Loman’s day to day as director of sales and marketing for the two hotels will be spent with an emphasis on working with key corporate accounts while also leading the hotels’ expert sales, catering, and events staff. Under her guidance, the team will continue to create ridiculously personalized meetings, weddings, and creative event experiences, offering seasonally-inspired food and beverage in partnership with the hotels’ talented restaurant teams. Saad-Loman will also spearhead strategy for all sales segments and oversee the approach toward revenue, digital marketing, advertising and public relations efforts for the hotels.

Saad-Loman joins Kimpton with varied and impressive experience. She began her career at Hilton Singer Island Ocean Front Resort where she increased catering sales 350% across her three year term. After learning the ropes of a conference hotel, Saad-Loman gained experience as a director of food and beverage at Imperial Lake Golf and Country Club in Mulberry, Florida. She then cut her teeth in a number sales and operations roles throughout central Florida and Baltimore before joining the team at Walt Disney World’s Grand Floridian Resort as a senior sales and catering manager. She continued to advance her career at top hotels in the Florida market before returning to the Mid-Atlantic as a director of sales and marketing at Bethany Beach Ocean Suites in Delaware. Prior to joining the team at Kimpton, she was task force director of sales and marketing with Crestline Hotels & Resorts in Fairfax, Virginia.

GOT NEWS? click here

possible to reach millions worldwide
Google News, Bing News, Yahoo News, 200+ publications

A world traveler and graduate of Catham College in Pittsburgh, Saad-Loman has called the greater DC area home for the past seven months. Outside of work, she can be found planning her next trip, finding places to use her fluent French and recommends everyone live abroad at least once in their lives. Saad-Loman is a member of Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International (HSMAI) with a passion for mentoring those looking to hone their sales and leadership skills, and she also volunteers, teaching financial literacy, work readiness, and entrepreneurship to first graders through Junior Achievement of Greater Washington in her spare time. Saad-Loman brings a stylish sense of leadership and a wide range of sales and marketing experience to both Hotel George and Hotel Monaco Washington DC.

Travel News | eTurboNews

National child safety advocate calls for ban on Airbnb hidden cameras

by

National child safety advocacy group, Stop Child Predators, called on state and local government leaders in the U.S. today to ban hidden cameras in Airbnbs and other short-term rentals, and enact regulations and criminal penalties for violators. The group says enough is enough after a string of recent news stories regarding hidden cameras found in Airbnbs, including a story last week of a mother and young daughter potentially being filmed undressing.

“Week after week Airbnb finds themselves the subject of yet another hidden camera nightmare. These horrific accounts from Airbnb guests demonstrate how unsettling it is for guests that find themselves being filmed without their knowledge or consent – a scenario especially frightening for those traveling with children,” said Stacie Rumenap, President of Stop Child Predators. “Airbnb is allowing families to become sitting ducks for potentially predatory hosts who exploit guests by filming them and their children for personal viewing, or even wider audiences on the web.”

Rumenap points to a series of recent news stories involving hidden cameras discovered in Airbnbs and says the occurrence of incidents is on the rise.

• “Airbnb Has A Hidden-Camera Problem” (The Atlantic, 3/26/19)
• “They Were Settling Into Their Airbnb. Then They Found A Hidden Camera” (The Washington Post, 4/6/2019)
• “California Couple Finds Hidden Camera Above Bed At Airbnb Rental” (ABC News Channel 7, 3/29/19)
• “Man Discovers Hidden Cameras Inside Of Miami Airbnb” (WTNH News, 1/21/19)
• “At An Airbnb? You Might Be On Camera, Whether You Like It Or Not” (NBC News, 3/7/19)

“Airbnb already poses a problem for parents by allowing strangers, and even potential sex-offenders, into short-term rentals in residential family neighborhoods. With a revolving door of strangers coming and going from short-term rental properties, tools like sex offender lists are becoming obsolete as there is no safeguard in place to stop a child predator from renting an Airbnb property next door. Now, parents need to consider the added stress of worrying that their children may be filmed and exploited while staying inside an Airbnb on vacation,” stated Rumenap.

Stop Child Predators urges government leaders, especially in states and localities with major tourism destinations, to step in and protect traveling families whose privacy and safety should be safeguarded while vacationing in their jurisdiction.”

“Airbnb’s inability to manage the users, and abusers, of their platform is unacceptable. It’s time for government leaders to step in to protect our children,” stated Rumenap.

Travel News | eTurboNews

Qatar Airways: Investment in Air Italy fully compliant with US-Qatar Open Skies Agreement

by

Following recent false accusations relating to Qatar Airways’ shareholding in Air Italy, such baseless statements and consistent inaccuracies need addressing as a matter of urgency.

Qatar Airways holds a 49 percent stake in Air Italy’s parent company, AQA. This minority investment is at the same level that Delta holds in both Virgin Atlantic and Aeromexico, and that Etihad held in Alitalia.

Qatar Airways’ investment in Air Italy, and operations to the United States, are fully compliant with the U.S.-Qatar Open Skies Agreement, the January 2018 U.S.-Qatar Understandings, and a side letter that accompanied the discussions.

Unfounded claims that Qatar Airways’ investment in Air Italy violates the Understandings are entirely false.

As a factual matter, the investment preceded the January 2018 U.S.-Qatar Understandings.

· The investment was announced in a July 2016 press release and was approved in writing by the European Commission (DG Competition) in March 2017.

· The transaction was closed in September 2017.

· The discussions surrounding the Understandings took place in December 2017 and January 2018.

Qatar Airways’ investment in Air Italy was a matter of public knowledge (as were Qatar Airways’ investments in other airlines) at the time of the U.S.-Qatar discussions; airline investments were not raised as a point of concern during those talks. The Understandings do not mention or prohibit cross-border investments of any type.

Furthermore, Qatar Airways does not codeshare on any of Air Italy’s flights to the United States, and has no plans to do so. Qatar Airways is not operating any Fifth Freedom scheduled air services to the U.S.

The “Big 3” U.S. carriers have consistently demonstrated their hostility to new entrants into the U.S.-Europe market, and their attacks on Air Italy based on the identity of its minority shareholder are just another manifestation of this hostility. Air Italy, the carrier the “Big 3” cite as a major “threat” to their survival, has a fleet of just 15 aircraft and only serves one U.S. city – New York – with a daily service while other routes, Miami, Los Angeles and San Francisco are operated at a lower frequency.

The U.S.-Qatar Open Skies Agreement has brought enormous benefits to U.S. and Qatari consumers, businesses and communities. Qatar Airways’ services to the United States contribute to U.S. tourism and business. Qatar Airways is a long-term and loyal customer of Boeing, Gulfstream and General Electric, helping to secure tens of thousands of U.S. jobs through our continued investment in their products and is a valued partner to many other U.S. businesses.

Travel News | eTurboNews

No tsunami threat after strong earthquake rocks South Sandwich Islands

by

Powerful magnitude of 6.5 earthquake has struck the South Atlantic Ocean near the South Sandwich Islands today.

“Based on all available data, there is no tsunami threat from this earthquake. No action is required,” the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said in a bulletin.

Preliminary Earthquake Report:

Magnitude 6.5

Date-Time • 9 Apr 2019 17:54:00 UTC
• 9 Apr 2019 15:54:00 near epicenter

Location 58.614S 25.357W

Depth 47 km

Distances • 2568.8 km (1592.6 mi) E of Tolhuin, Argentina
• 2576.4 km (1597.3 mi) SSW of Edinburgh of the Seven Seas, Saint Helena
• 2617.5 km (1622.9 mi) E of Ushuaia, Argentina
• 2636.3 km (1634.5 mi) E of R�o Grande, Argentina
• 2847.9 km (1765.7 mi) E of R�o Gallegos, Argentina

Location Uncertainty Horizontal: 5.1 km; Vertical 5.0 km

Parameters Nph = 119; Dmin = 838.2 km; Rmss = 0.93 seconds; Gp = 31°

Travel News | eTurboNews

Boston-Logan Airport: New international routes

by

The last 24 hours have brought 2 new international flights to Boston Logan International Airport, thanks to Delta joint venture partners KLM and Virgin Atlantic – setting the stage for a year of growth and expansion for Delta in the Northeast.

Delta Air Lines and its partners KLM, Virgin Atlantic, and Korean Air will offer up to 149 daily departures to more than 50 destinations from Boston-Logan Airport in 2019, an increase of nearly 30 daily departures compared to 2018. New routes include Amsterdam, London-Heathrow, Lisbon, Edinburgh, and Seoul.

KLM – Amsterdam

On March 31, KLM began flying between Boston and Amsterdam, adding to the two daily flights to Amsterdam already operated at Logan Airport by Delta. KLM CEO Pieter Elbers joined officials from Massport, Delta leaders, customers and employees at the airport in a ribbon-cutting ceremony ahead of the outbound flight across the Atlantic.

Virgin Atlantic – London-Heathrow

And on April 1, Virgin Atlantic launched its daytime service from Boston to London-Heathrow – a morning departure that will better enable in-flight workday productivity for London-bound business travelers. Virgin and Delta together now offer three daily flights to Heathrow Airport from Boston.

Delta – Lisbon and Edinburgh

Later this spring, Delta will begin its own seasonal Boston service to Lisbon and Edinburgh, rounding out a full slate of new international destinations now directly accessible to Boston customers. Through this and an extended summer season to Dublin, by May Delta and its partners will offer the most international seats from Boston with flights to up to 19 international destinations — more than ever before.

Korean Air – Seoul-Incheon

A third partner, Korean Air, will start new service in Boston on April 12, when it begins nonstop flights to Seoul, one of the first additions to that joint venture’s transpacific network since Delta and Korean Air launched their partnership last May.

This new Boston flying comes as Delta continues to reinforce its position as the city’s leading carrier and deepen its investment at Logan Airport and in the greater Boston community. Overall, the airline and its partners will offer up to 149 daily departures to more than 50 destinations from Logan in 2019, an increase of nearly 30 daily departures compared to 2018.

Delta has doubled domestic daily departures out of Boston since 2013 and this year will serve four additional domestic destinations — Cleveland, Chicago, Washington-Reagan, and Newark-Liberty — while also adding more frequencies in another seven key domestic markets. Overall, the airline and its partners will offer up to 149 daily departures to more than 50 destinations from Logan in 2019, an increase of nearly 30 daily departures compared to 2018.

In addition to Delta’s network growth, the airline is also investing in Boston in other ways. With Massport’s partnership, Delta plans to assume operations at all gates at Logan’s Terminal A by the third quarter of 2019, growing its airport footprint by five gates. Delta also plans by 2020 the expansion of one of its Delta Sky Clubs, including new showers, expanded seating and a reimagined food and beverage area.

Travel News | eTurboNews