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Four Seasons Hotel Madrid welcomes new General Manager

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In advance of the highly anticipated opening of the first Four Seasons hotel in Spain, Christoph Schmidinger has been appointed opening General Manager to oversee the new luxury hotel set to open in late 2019. Four Seasons Hotel and Private Residences Madrid will be located in the heart of the historical city center, converting several spectacular heritage buildings into a 200-room hotel and 22 Private Residences.

Schmidinger started his Four Seasons career 25 years ago, and after a series of international assignments in Singapore, Chicago, Atlanta, Jakarta and Kuala Lumpur, he assumed leadership at the landmark Four Seasons Hotel New York in Midtown Manhattan, overseeing several other properties as Regional Vice President. His ascent in the company continued when he was appointed General Manager and Regional Vice President to the company’s flagship property in Asia, Four Seasons Hotel Hong Kong, where he has been since 2014.

Under his leadership, Four Seasons Hotel Hong Kong, home to the first Cantonese restaurant in the world to earn three Michelin stars, set the global record for the most Michelin stars at a single hotel. The Hotel has also been widely regarded as one of the finest luxury hotels in China, and around the globe.

“Christoph is an incredibly experienced and talented hotelier, and we are very lucky to have had him lead some of our most notable properties around the world,” said Simon Casson, President, Hotel Operations, Europe, Middle East and Africa, Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts. “His experience and expertise are what make him the perfect candidate for our new hotel in Madrid, a project that is incredibly important to Four Seasons growth as it will mark our entry into Spain in a thriving international city, and a key destination for luxury travelers.”

“I am very proud to be part of such a significant milestone in our company’s history, and to lead the team as we introduce the Four Seasons brand to Spain with this exquisite hotel,” said Schmidinger. “This project is exceptional in every way, from its location to the destination, the product and our partners at OHL Desarrollos and Mohari Hospitality, and I cannot wait to welcome guests to see for themselves and to experience this great city in a new way together with Four Seasons.”

Truly an international individual, Schmidinger has travelled extensively, starting at a young age with his family, and speaks four languages. Combining his love for travel and hospitality, he studied at the Certificate of Hotel and Tourism Administration Academy in Salzburg, Austria before holding managerial positions at renowned hotels around the world, and then joining Four Seasons.

Casson continues, “Christoph is already hard at work preparing for the upcoming opening of Four Seasons Hotel and Private Residences Madrid, and I have no doubt that he is the ideal leader to introduce the Four Seasons culture, brand, and people to this great city, positioning yet another iconic Four Seasons property for great success.”

Travel News | eTurboNews

Radisson Hotel expanding in South Asia

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With the support of hotel company Jin Jiang, Radisson Hotel Group is positioning itself in South Asia at the Hotel Investment Conference South Asia (HICSA) 2019.

With the recent appointment of Zubin Saxena as Managing Director and Vice President Operations, South Asia, the region is steadfast towards providing value add to owners through strong relationships with an increased focus on operational excellence, both the region’s core pillars of success.

As the group enters the second year of Destination 2022, its 5-year strategic roadmap, extensive expansion is underway across the region. Radisson Hotel Group signed 15 hotels in India in 2018, and it has already signed 4 more properties in 2019: Park Plaza Amritsar, Radisson Greater Noida, Radisson Gurugram Sohna Road City Center, and Park Inn by Radisson Kashipur.

Seven new hotels were opened in India in 2018, and the group is on track to reach the landmark of opening its 100th hotel in India this year. Radisson Hotel Group intends to introduce international hospitality to a series of fast-growing Tier II and III cities, as well as emerging areas such as North East and Central India.

New hotels set to open within the next 12 months include India’s first Radisson RED hotel, located in Mohali, which will usher in an exciting new era of contemporary, creative hospitality to India.

Travel News | eTurboNews

Mobility of the Future: Fraport and Volocopter

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Fraport AG and Volocopter GmbH are pioneering mobility ofthe future. Together, they are developing concepts for ground infrastructure and operations required for air taxi services at airports. This cooperation focuses on smooth passenger handling and efficient integration into the existing transport infrastructure. This will be examined using a so-called Volocopter Port. In the future, Volocopter Ports could link existing urban transportation junctions with one another and provide connections to and from Frankfurt Airport (FRA).

Fraport is a globally active airport manager with many years of expertise in airport operations – particularly in ground infrastructure, ground handling, and terminal and passenger services. Fraport can also leverage its extensive experience in unmanned flying. Via its FraDrones program, Fraport has already tested various scenarios for using drones for operational purposes. Volocopter has already proven that its electrically-powered vertical take-off multicopters meet the requirements of Urban Aerial Mobility in various test flights, most notably in Dubai. Based on drone technology, the Volocopter offers space for two people and is a suitable urban transport solution thanks to its quiet and zero-emissions flying. Frankfurt Airport, Germany’s most important aviation hub with more than 69.5 million passengers last year, offers the ideal conditions for this innovative partnership.

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Anke Giesen, Fraport AG’s executive board member for operations (COO), explained: “Autonomous flying will fundamentally change aviation in the years to come. We want to be the first airport in Europe to harness the potential of electric air taxis in partnership with pioneer Volocopter – for the benefit of our passengers and the Frankfurt/Rhine-Main region. This partnership underscores Fraport AG’s role as a key driver of innovation in diverse fields.”

Florian Reuter, CEO of Volocopter GmbH, said: “Providing the ideal connection between the city center and the airport poses a huge challenge for the world’s major cities. Together with Fraport AG, we are excited to pioneer the implementation of an air taxi service at one of Europe’s most important airports. We will be tapping into Fraport’s wealth of experience to integrate the Volocopter Service safely and efficiently into the complex array of processes required at a major international airport.”