• Home
  • Post a press-release
  • Visibility packages
  • Subscribe email updates
  • Event Calendar
  • Contact

For Immediate Release | Official News Wire for the Travel Industry

Where press releases are breaking news

  • Home
  • Post a press-release
  • Visibility packages
  • Subscribe email updates
  • Event Calendar
  • Contact

TSA: New airport security scanner poses “privacy risks” to passengers

April 24, 2019 by Forimmediaterelease

US Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is demanding modifications of a new airport security system because it poses “privacy risks” to passengers by showing too much of them on display, a newly published document has revealed.

Following a demonstration, the Transportation Security Administration has requested changes to the contract because the scanner they received “has privacy risks associated with the Graphical User Interface,” says the document dated March 26 and made public by Quartz on Monday.

While the document provides no further details on the exact nature of the privacy risks, the TSA required the scanner’s manufacturer to add additional security features before it would consider using the device in a “live environment.”

Using another government database, Quartz identified the contractor – whose name is redacted in the document – as Virginia security firm ThruVision. The document refers to ThruVision’s TAC scanner, which the company describes as a “proven people-screening camera that sees any type of item.”

The device is supposed to be part of TSA’s “Future Lane Experience” (FLEx), an effort to speed up security checks that have become a major headache for passengers in many airports.

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority partnered with the TSA last year to deploy ThruVision’s portable TS4 scanner, which the TSA claims to have vetted “extensively” prior to using it on LA commuters. It is unclear whether the TSA had similar concerns about the TS4 before the device was used in the field.

Revelations about the TSA concerns over the new scanner come after last week’s report by ProPublica that accused the agency’s current hardware of “discriminating” against African-Americans by misreading their hair, requiring a disproportionate number of pat-downs.

The ACLU slammed the TSA in 2009 for using scanning technology to conduct “virtual strip searches” that provided TSA employees with photos of passengers’ genitals, breasts and buttocks. More was revealed in 2010, when the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) published TSA documents which further detail the scanners’ invasiveness.

Travel News | eTurboNews

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook

Filed Under: Press Release Tagged With: American Travel News, Americans, and, Angeles, authority, Aviation News, aviation-website, Breaking Travel News, camera, center, changes, checks, claims, come, company, concerns, contract, contractor, County, current, demonstration, display, document, documents, effort, electronic, employees, environment, Epic, experience, Feature, Features,, firm, following, free, future, government, Government Affairs, in, information, information center, International Travel News, IT, LA, last, live, Los Angeles, major, march, Metropolitan, name, nature, New, new airport, newly, News articles, number, over, passengers, PAT, pat-downs, People, photos, Privacy, provides, public, published, received, report, revealed, risks, s, says, screening, searches, Security, showing, slammed, strip, strip searches, system, Technology, to, TO BE, tourism, Transportation, Transportation News, transportation security, Transportation Security Administration, Travel Technology News, Travelwire News, TSA, Type, unclear, up, US, used, using, Virginia, virtual, virtual strip searches, week, year

Thomas Cook selling its travel business: Chinese investment fund interested

April 22, 2019 by Forimmediaterelease

Thomas Cook is the world’s oldest tour operator and was founded in Market Harborough in 1841 by businessman Thomas Cook. It started off with organized railway outings for members of the local temperance movement.

The travel company received approaches for parts of its business and the company as a whole, according to reports. The business put its airline up for sale in February and it said last month it would close 21 stores across the country and cut more than 300 jobs.

Chinese investment firm Fosun International could be a bidder for the company’s tour operating business, which runs a joint venture with Thomas Cook in China. It could be months before any formal offer is lodged, and there is no guarantee one will be made.

Thomas Cook now has annual sales of £9bn, 19 million customers a year and 22,000 staff operating in 16 countries.

In September, Thomas Cook said profits would be hit after the summer heat wave saw many take their holidays in the UK. It issued a second profit warning in November, when it said winter bookings were also down.

The shop closures will take the number of Thomas Cook outlets down to 566. It said a consultation with staff and unions had begun.

Travel News | eTurboNews

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook

Filed Under: Press Release Tagged With: and, annual, bidder, bookings, Breaking Travel News, Business, businessman, China, China Travel News, Chinese, close, closures, company, Cook, countries, country, customers, cut, down, firm, fund, guarantee, Heat, heat wave, hit, holidays, in, In February, interested, International, Investment, issued, IT, Jobs, joint, joint venture, last, local, Market, members, million, million customers, month, months, movement, News articles, November, number, offer, Operating, operator, Outlets, profit, profit warning, profits, railway, received, reports, s, said, sale, Sales, second, selling, September, Shop, staff, started, stores, summer, The World, Thomas, Thomas Cook, to, tour, tour operator, tourism, Tourism Investment News, Travel, Travel & Tourism Organizations News, travel business, travel company, Travelwire News, UK, unions, up, venture, warning, wave, were, winter, World, year

No surprises: New York, London and Tokyo top the list of world’s 15 richest cities

April 20, 2019 by Forimmediaterelease

Boston, Calgary, Perth and Macau – all associated with material wealth – have failed to make this list of the 15 richest cities in the world, compiled by market research firm New World Wealth.

The data gathered by the researchers reflects the total amount of private wealth held by all the individuals living in each of the cities on the list. Unlike traditional ratings, this top 15 is not based on Gross Domestic Product (GDP), but reflects analysis that covers all assets, such as property, cash, equities and business interests, excluding liabilities. Government funds are included.

1. New York City – $3 trillion

2. London – $2.7 trillion

3. Tokyo – $2.5 trillion

4. San Francisco Bay Area – 2.3 trillion

5. Beijing – $2.2 trillion

6. Shanghai – $2 trillion

7. Los Angeles – $1.4 trillion

8. Hong Kong – $1.3 trillion

9. Sydney – $1 trillion

10. Singapore – $1 trillion

11. Chicago – $988 billion

12. Mumbai – $950 billion

13. Toronto – $944 billion

14 Frankfurt – $912 billion

15. Paris – $860 billion

According to New World Wealth, wealth is a measure that differs from a GDP indicator, which is another common metric used to gauge economic power. The research firm revealed that Houston, Geneva, Osaka, Seoul, Shenzhen, Melbourne, Zurich and Dallas had just missed out on the top 15.

Travel News | eTurboNews

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook

Filed Under: Press Release Tagged With: and, Angeles, area, assets, based, Bay, Bay area, Beijing, billion, Boston, Breaking Travel News, Business, business interests, Calgary, cash, Chicago, cities, city, Dallas, Data, domestic, economic, Feature, firm, Francisco, Frankfurt, free, funds, GDP, Geneva, government, gross domestic product, held, Hong, Hong Kong, Houston, in, included, International Travel News, just, Kong, list, Living, London, Los Angeles, Luxury Travel News, Macau, Make, Market, measure, Melbourne, metric, Mumbai, New, new york, New York City, News articles, osaka, out, Paris, Perth, power, private, product, property, ratings, research, researchers, revealed, richest, s, San Francisco, Seoul, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Singapore, Sydney, The World, to, Tokyo, top, Toronto, total, tourism, traditional, Travel Destination News, Travelwire News, trillion, used, wealth, World, World News, York, York City, Zurich

Mr. C Coconut Grove: South Florida’s newest boutique hotel officially opens

April 18, 2019 by Forimmediaterelease

Mr. C Coconut Grove, the first Mr. C hotel to debut in Florida, has officially opened its doors to begin welcoming guests. Mr. C Coconut Grove is the third property operated by the Cipriani brothers, who currently operate a 138 key luxury property in Beverly Hills, California and a 66 key luxury property located in the lower Manhattan neighborhood of the Seaport District New York.

“We are excited to officially welcome guests to experience Mr. C Coconut Grove and Bellini in the heart of one of Miami’s most culturally-rich neighborhoods,” said Ignazio Cipriani, Founder/President of Mr. C Hotels. “Our partners, staff, and management are proud to contribute to the revitalization of the Coconut Grove community.”

Accommodations at the well-appointed hotel include 100 guestrooms and suites with unmatched views of Biscayne Bay and the Coconut Grove skyline from the furnished room terraces. From its interior, the hotel draws inspiration from Italy’s iconic coastal style and hints at the aesthetic elements of a classic yacht. Interior design includes high gloss timber paneling, leather-upholstered blue and caramel headboards, nautical style dressers, playful and comfortable sofas and armchairs in a range of soft and airy blue and white fabrics throughout the space. Acclaimed architecture and design firm, Arquitectonica, in conjunction with the Martin Brudnizki Design Studio, combined the stylish European glamour and nautical aesthetic Mr. C Hotels are best known for with the tropical surroundings of South Florida.

Travel News | eTurboNews

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook

Filed Under: Press Release Tagged With: American Travel News, and, appointed, Architecture, Bay, begin, best, Beverly, Beverly Hills, boutique, boutique hotel, Breaking Travel News, c, C Coconut, C Coconut Grove, C Hotels, California, classic, Coastal, Coconut, Coconut Grove, community, currently, debut, design, District, elements, European, experience, firm, first, Florida, founder, free, Grove, guestrooms, guests, heart, high, Hills, Hospitality News, hotel, Hotel Travel News, Hotels, iconic, in, includes, inspiration, interior, Interior Design, Italy, key, known, located, lower, Luxury, luxury property, Luxury Travel News, management, Manhattan, Martin, Miami, most, Mr, Nautical, neighborhood, New, new york, newest, News articles, officially, opened, operate, operated, partners, president, property, proud, range, Resort News, rich, room, s, said, SeaPort, skyline, South, South Florida, space, staff, Studio, Style, suites, timber, to, tourism, Travel Destination News, Travelwire News, tropical, views, We, welcome, welcoming, white, WHO, yacht, York

Tallest modular hotel in the world will be built in New York City

April 18, 2019 by Forimmediaterelease

The world’s tallest modular hotel – which will carry a brand of Marriott International – is on track to be stacked in late fall in New York City with prefabricated and pre-furnished guestrooms. Once erected over a 90-day period, the 360-foot-tall tower will represent a milestone for Marriott’s ongoing initiative to encourage hotel developers in North America to embrace modular for new construction projects. To be topped with a modular roof and modular rooftop bar, the world’s tallest modular hotel is expected to open in late 2020 as the AC Hotel New York NoMad.

“In North America, the construction process hasn’t changed significantly in 150 years and it’s ripe for innovation,” said Eric Jacobs, Marriott International, Chief Development Officer, North America, Select and Extended Stay Brands. “The world’s tallest modular hotel in one of the world’s greatest destinations will act as a game-changing symbol to ignite even greater interest in modular among the real estate and lending industries.”

Fully finished guest rooms

The 168-room, 26-story AC Hotel New York NoMad is scheduled to rise at 842 Sixth Avenue with prefabricated guestrooms arriving at the hotel site fully constructed, inside and out. Besides finished, painted walls, each “module” will contain a fully outfitted guest room – with beds, sheets, pillows, flooring and even toiletries. The hotel’s roof and rooftop bar are expected to be produced using modular construction, and its more customized public areas such as the restaurant and lobby are expected to be constructed using traditional methods.

Prefabrication is a process that Marriott has found typically reduces the construction timeline, curbs site waste and noise, and results in a higher-quality product produced with factory level precision. The time savings comes from the ability to perform two crucial functions simultaneously – building the public spaces on site while manufacturing the guest rooms offsite.

“This is the moment where modular construction takes center stage,” says Danny Forster, a leading modular building advocate whose firm, Danny Forster & Architecture, designed the project. As he explains it, “This hotel takes every advantage of off-site manufacturing, as you might expect. But it does so in a way that defies expectation. We wanted to demonstrate that modular building can do more than just harness the efficiencies of the factory. It can produce a graceful and iconic tower. And yes, it can do so at the rate of an entire floor a day.”

Marriott sees a modular future

Marriott, which has the largest pipeline of hotels in North America, began researching modular construction in 2014 to offset lengthening hotel construction times – a trend attributed to the nation’s building boom and resulting labor shortages. Since 2011, Marriott has seen the average time to build and open a hotel in North America increase by as much 50 percent, depending on factors such as location and size of property.

Since 2015, Marriott has been educating owners, franchisees, architects, lenders, consultants, general contractors and other stakeholders across the industry about the benefits of modular by hosting town halls, factory tours and stacking events. The company also worked with leading modular manufacturers to help them better understand the untapped demand that hotel development companies represent.

Since the launch of Marriott’s initiative, the company’s development partners in North America have opened 31 Marriott-brand hotels – all low-rise structures – that incorporate prefabricated guestrooms and/or bathrooms, including a Fairfield by Marriott Inn & Suites in Folsom, Calif.; a Courtyard by Marriott in Pullman, Wash., and three AC Hotels in Oklahoma City, Louisville, Ky., and Chapel Hill, N.C. To date, the largest Marriott-branded modular-built to open is the 354-room, dual-brand Courtyard and TownePlace Suites by Marriott property in Hawthorne, Calif., while the first to also incorporate a prefabricated elevator bank was the Fairfield by Marriott Inn & Suites in Prairie, Wisc. Later this year, a developer will start stacking the first modular-built Moxy hotel in the United States in downtown Oakland, Calif.

The company continues efforts to support developers interested in leveraging prefabrication, most recently launching modular versions of its prototypes for four of its higher-volume brands: Courtyard by Marriott, Fairfield by Marriott, SpringHill Suites by Marriott and TownePlace Suites by Marriott. Underscoring its commitment to igniting demand for modular construction, Marriott this year is offering an incentive to development companies that leverage prefabrication for guestroom construction.

Travel News | eTurboNews

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook

Filed Under: Press Release Tagged With: American Travel News, and, Architecture, areas, arriving, Avenue, average, bank, bar, bathrooms, beds, benefits, better, boom, brand, brands, Breaking Travel News, build, building, built, c, center, center stage, changed, Chapel, Chapel Hill, chief, Chief Development Officer, city, commitment, companies, company, construction, contain, continues, Corporate News, Courtyard, Courtyard by Marriott, date, day, demand, designed, Destinations, developers, development, Downtown, efforts, embrace, estate, even, Events, expect, expected, extended stay, factors, factory tours, fall, firm, first, floor, foot, found, free, future, game, general, greater, greatest, guestrooms, help, higher, Hospitality News, hosting, hotel, hotel development, Hotel Travel News, Hotels, iconic, in, Incentive, including, increase, Industries, Industry, initiative, inn, innovation, inside, interest, interested, International, IT, just, labor, largest, late, later, launch, launching, leading, lenders, lobby, location, Louisville, low, Luxury Travel News, Manufacturers, Marriott, Marriott International, milestone, module, most, Moxy, N, nation, New, new york, New York City, News articles, noise, North, North America, Oakland, offering, officer, offset, Oklahoma, ongoing, open, opened, out, over, owners, painted, partners, percent, perform, period, pillows, pipeline, Pre, prefabrication, product, project, projects, property, prototypes, public, Pullman, quality, rate, real, Real Estate, represent, Resort News, restaurant, results, rise, roof, room, rooms, s, said, savings, says, scheduled, significantly, site, Size, spaces, stakeholders, start, states, stay, story, suites, support, the United States, The World, time, timeline, times, to, TO BE, tourism, Tourism Investment News, Tours, tower, town, traditional, Travel Destination News, Travelwire News, trend, United, United States, untapped, using, waste, way, We, worked, World, world's tallest, year, years, York, York City

New team member at The Pod Hotels

April 17, 2019 by Forimmediaterelease

The Pod Hotels is striving to address the rapidly-increasing demand for affordable lifestyle hotels targeted at progressive-minded and budget-conscious travelers who are creative and ambitious and who maintain high expectations when it comes to authentic experiences, smart design and intuitive technology.

As part of this progress, BD Hotels today announced the appointment of Rani Gharbie as the Head of Acquisitions & Development for The Pod Hotels, BD Hotel’s highly profitable micro-hotel concept to replicate this successful business model in even more key markets including Miami, San Francisco, Chicago, Austin, Boston, Nashville, Seattle, Montreal, Toronto, and Mexico City, amongst others.

Gharbie formerly oversaw development and acquisitions for North America at Virgin Hotels where he actively contributed to grow the brand’s footprint in key markets.

As Head of Acquisitions & Development working closely with BD Hotels owners Richard Born and Ira Drukier, Gharbie will be responsible for identifying potential investment opportunities and bringing together strategic partners and investors to fund future projects in numerous markets. He will leverage BD Hotels’ expertise in hotel development, investment and operations to expand The Pod Hotels brand across the country and eventually globally.

“Rani joins us at a pivotal time as we scale The Pod Hotels portfolio exponentially in North America” said Richard Born, Owner of BD Hotels. “He will undoubtedly be a tremendous asset as he brings over 20 years of experience in hotel acquisitions, development and operation.”

“I’m looking forward to expanding the profitable model Richard and Ira created to key markets nationwide,” said Gharbie. “I see great growth potential for the brand as there is an increased desire from today’s travelers to stay at smart, innovative brands like The Pod Hotels.”

Prior to joining Virgin Hotels, Gharbie was the Managing Director and Founder at Cedar Funds, a New York City based development and investment firm with a focus on progressive hotel and real estate assets, as well as regional Director of Development with InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG). In addition, Gharbie is an Adjunct Professor at Columbia’s Masters in Real Estate Development program, where he teaches the spring course Private Equity Development, Hotel Focus. He holds a Masters Degree from the program, an MBA from the HEC Business School in Montreal, a Bachelor degree in Hotel Management from the Glion Hotel School in Switzerland, and a Certificate in Hotel Real Estate Investments and Asset Management from Cornell University in New York.

The Pod Hotels currently has five properties in the portfolio, three of which opened over the past two years (the brand’s flagship Pod Times Square opened in January 2018; Pod DC and Pod Brooklyn opened in 2017), with the brand recently announcing two more hotels in the direct pipeline (Pod Philly opening in fall 2019 and Pod LA slated for 2020). With its functional guestrooms, vibrant communal space and flexible design, The Pod Hotels presents superior investment returns when compared to legacy hotel brands of similar positioning.

Travel News | eTurboNews

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook

Filed Under: Press Release Tagged With: American Travel News, amp, and, announced, appointment, assets, Austin, authentic, Bachelor, based, BD, BD Hotels, Boston, brand, brands, Breaking Travel News, bringing, Brooklyn, budget, Business, business model, certificate, Chicago, city, columbia, compared, concept, Cornell, country, course, created, creative, currently, D.C., demand, design, development, development program, direct, director, equity, estate, even, expand, expanding, expectations, experience, experiences, expertise, fall, firm, flagship, Forward, founder, Francisco, fund, funds, future, globally, Group, grow, Growth, guestrooms, head, high, Hospitality News, hotel, Hotel brands, hotel development, Hotel Focus, hotel management, hotel school, Hotel Travel News, Hotels, Hotels The Pod Hotels, IHG, in, including, increased, increasing, increasing demand, innovative, InterContinental, Intercontinental Hotels Group, Investment, investment opportunities, investments, investors, IT, January, joining, joins, key, key markets, LA, legacy, Lifestyle, like, looking, M, maintain, management, Managing, managing director, markets, Masters, MBA, member, Mexico, Mexico City, Miami, model, Montreal, Nationwide, New, new york, New York City, News articles, North, North America, numerous, opened, opening, operation, operations, opportunities, over, owner, owners, partners, past, People in Travel, pipeline, Pod, Pod Hotels, portfolio, potential, private, Professor, profitable, program, progress, projects, properties, Rani Gharbie, real, Real Estate, regional, regional director, responsible, returns, Richard Born, s, said, San Francisco, scale, school, Seattle, see, slated, space, spring, Square, stay, strategic, successful, Switzerland, team, Technology, The Pod Hotels, time, times, Times Square, to, today, Toronto, travelers, Travelwire News, university, US, virgin, We, WHO, working, years, York, York City

IMEX to deliver surprise and creativity with new Discovery Zone

April 15, 2019 by Forimmediaterelease

Holograms, robots, magic, music and art are among the surprises set to inspire and delight attendees at IMEX in Frankfurt, taking place 21- 23 May.

The show’s new Discovery Zone is packed with education and experiences to fire up the imagination of event planners and exhibitors alike. It’s designed to help them to question the conventional and explore fresh approaches to business events, with a strong emphasis on ‘experiential’.

Carina Bauer, CEO of the IMEX Group, explains: “There are some surprises in store for attendees this year! We don’t believe in ‘business as usual’ and are always evolving and looking for new and engaging ways to encourage innovation in the industry – our new Discovery Zone is the perfect way to do this.”

Robots and holograms

Many innovations at the Discovery Zone turn conventional thinking on its head. Think a piano is played using hands? Think again! ‘Mister Piano’ is a walking piano played using the feet and attendees can put their fancy footwork to the test to hit the right notes. Attendees can also go hands-on and tap into their inner artist at a painting party, craft their own bespoke luggage tags and even take part in fire-infused magic tricks. A talking robot, holographic show and 360degree photography booth are also among the engaging experiences this year.

Practical applications of event tech, diversity and a firm focus on future-thinking all form part of a packed program of sessions at The ZEUS Innovators Club. Attendees will also find the Inspiration Hub – the show’s learning powerhouse – in the Discovery Zone, with sessions covering hot topics such as sustainability and diversity to business skills and creative learning.

Tap into your creative streak at the new Discovery Zone

Fresh green grass and a swing

Prepare for sensory overload and explore the great outdoors while dining indoors at the show’s food court – this has been transformed into Central Park, complete with trees, grass and even a swing! Attendees can also kick back with table football, table tennis and other games for some purposeful rest and relaxation.

Carina Bauer continues: “We know our show delivers significant business benefit to buyers and exhibitors. We also know it’s important for them to have the time and space to experiment, discover new experiences and gather fuel for fresh, innovative ideas. Our new Discovery Zone is set to deliver a huge dose of creativity, with a few surprises along the way. Inspired by this year’s Imagination Talking Point, we asked….what if we wove more experiential and fun elements into the show? What if that translated into more business benefit for everyone attending?”

As well as exploring the new corners of the show, attendees can explore new corners of host city, Frankfurt, thanks to a new interactive accommodation booking map. The map on the IMEX website, powered by Stay 22, provides a simple and efficient overview of many of the independent accommodation options in and around the German city.

Some of the IMEX team took an extended day trip to Frankfurt earlier this year to sample hidden coffee shops, bars, museums and parks in the city. They share memories and tips here.

IMEX in Frankfurt takes place 21 -23 May 2019. Registration for the show is free of charge and open to all who work in the meetings, events and incentive travel industry. EduMonday, its pre-show day of learning and development, is on 20 May (no charge to attend) at Kap Europa next to Messe Frankfurt. 

 

Travel News | eTurboNews

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook

Filed Under: Press Release Tagged With: and, applications, art, attend, attendees, bars, benefit, Booking, Breaking Travel News, Business, business as usual, business events, buyers, caption, Central, Central Park, CEO, charge, city, club, Coffee, coffee shops, complete, continues, Corporate News, court, craft, creative, creativity, Cultural Travel News, day, day trip, deliver, designed, development, dining, Discovery, diversity, earlier, Education, Educational Travel News, elements, Europa, even, event, Events, exhibitors, experiences, explore, feet, find, fire, firm, food, food court, football, For immediate Release, form, Frankfurt, free, Fresh, fuel, fun, future, games, gather, German, Germany Travel News, GO!, grass, green, Group, hands-on, head, help, hidden, hit, Hospitality News, host, host city, Hot, hot topics, hub, ID, ideas, imagination, IMEX, IMEX Group, important, in, Incentive, incentive travel, independent, Industry, Inner, innovation, innovations, innovative, inspiration, inspired, interactive, International Travel News, IT, learning, looking, luggage, magic, map, May, meetings, meetings.travel, memories, Messe, Messe Frankfurt, MICE Industry News, museums, music, nbsp, New, News articles, notes, open, options, outdoors, packed, painting, park, parks, party, People in Travel, photography, Place, Planners, powered, Pre, program, provides, registration, relaxation, Responsible Tourism News, right, s, sessions, Set, Share, shops, show, significant, skills, space, stay, strong, Sustainability, taking, talking, TAP, team, tech, tennis, test, think, time, Tips, to, TO DO, tourism, Tourism Investment News, Travel, Travel & Tourism Organizations News, Travel Destination News, Travel Industry, Travel Technology News, Travelwire News, trees, trip, turn, up, using, usual, walking, way, ways, We, website, WHO, work, World News, year

BD Hotels plans rapid expansion, hires Head Of Acquisitions & Development

April 11, 2019 by Forimmediaterelease

BD Hotels today announces the appointment of Rani Gharbie as the Head of Acquisitions & Development for The Pod Hotels, BD Hotel’s highly profitable micro-hotel concept. The Pod Hotels currently has five properties in the portfolio, three of which opened over the past two years (the brand’s flagship Pod Times Square opened in January 2018; Pod DC and Pod Brooklyn opened in 2017), with the brand recently announcing two more hotels in the direct pipeline (Pod Philly opening in fall 2019 and Pod LA slated for 2020). Now, The Pod Hotels hires Gharbie to replicate this successful business model in even more key markets including Miami, San Francisco, Chicago, Austin, Boston, Nashville, Seattle, Montreal, Toronto, and Mexico City, amongst others. Gharbie formerly oversaw development and acquisitions for North America at Virgin Hotels where he actively contributed to grow the brand’s footprint in key markets.

The Pod Hotels addresses the rapidly increasing demand for affordable lifestyle hotels targeted at progressive minded and budget conscious travelers who are creative and ambitious and who maintain high expectations when it comes to authentic experiences, smart design and intuitive technology. With its functional guestrooms, vibrant communal space and flexible design, The Pod Hotels presents superior investment returns when compared to legacy hotel brands of similar positioning.

As Head of Acquisitions & Development working closely with BD Hotels owners Richard Born and Ira Drukier, Gharbie will be responsible for identifying potential investment opportunities and bringing together strategic partners and investors to fund future projects in numerous markets. He will leverage BD Hotels’ expertise in hotel development, investment and operations to expand The Pod Hotels brand across the country and eventually globally.

“Rani joins us at a pivotal time as we scale The Pod Hotels portfolio exponentially in North America” said Richard Born, Owner of BD Hotels. “He will undoubtedly be a tremendous asset as he brings over 20 years of experience in hotel acquisitions, development and operation.”

“I’m looking forward to expanding the profitable model Richard and Ira created to key markets nationwide,” said Gharbie. “I see great growth potential for the brand as there is an increased desire from today’s travelers to stay at smart, innovative brands like The Pod Hotels.”

Prior to joining Virgin Hotels, Gharbie was the Managing Director and Founder at Cedar Funds, a New York City based development and investment firm with a focus on progressive hotel and real estate assets, as well as regional Director of Development with InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG). In addition, Gharbie is an Adjunct Professor at Columbia’s Masters in Real Estate Development program, where he teaches the spring course Private Equity Development, Hotel Focus. He holds a Masters Degree from the program, an MBA from the HEC Business School in Montreal, a Bachelor degree in Hotel Management from the Glion Hotel School in Switzerland, and a Certificate in Hotel Real Estate Investments and Asset Management from Cornell University in New York.

Travel News | eTurboNews

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook

Filed Under: Press Release Tagged With: American Travel News, and, announces, appointment, assets, Austin, authentic, Bachelor, based, Boston, brand, brands, Breaking Travel News, bringing, Brooklyn, budget, Business, business model, certificate, Chicago, city, columbia, compared, concept, Cornell, Corporate News, country, course, created, creative, currently, D.C., demand, design, development, development program, direct, director, equity, estate, even, expand, expanding, expansion, expectations, experience, experiences, expertise, fall, firm, flagship, Forward, founder, Francisco, free, fund, funds, future, globally, Group, grow, Growth, guestrooms, head, high, Hospitality News, hotel, Hotel brands, hotel development, hotel management, hotel school, Hotel Travel News, Hotels, IHG, in, including, increased, increasing, increasing demand, innovative, InterContinental, Intercontinental Hotels Group, Investment, investment opportunities, investments, investors, IT, January, joining, joins, key, key markets, LA, legacy, Lifestyle, like, looking, M, maintain, management, Managing, managing director, markets, Masters, MBA, Mexico, Mexico City, Miami, model, Montreal, Nationwide, New, new york, New York City, News articles, North, North America, numerous, opened, opening, operation, operations, opportunities, over, owner, owners, partners, past, People in Travel, pipeline, plans, Pod, Pod Hotels, portfolio, potential, private, Professor, profitable, program, projects, properties, Rani Gharbie, real, Real Estate, regional, regional director, Resort News, responsible, returns, s, said, San Francisco, scale, school, Seattle, see, slated, space, spring, Square, stay, strategic, successful, Switzerland, Technology, The Pod Hotels, time, times, Times Square, to, today, Toronto, tourism, travelers, Travelwire News, university, US, virgin, We, WHO, working, years, York, York City

Saudi tourism sector worth over $70 billion in 2019

April 10, 2019 by Forimmediaterelease

Saudi Arabia’s travel and tourism sector is expected to contribute $70.9 billion (SAR 263.1 billion) in total to the country’s GDP in 2019, according to data from the World Travel and Tourism Council, as exhibitors prepare to showcase what the Kingdom has to offer at this year’s Arabian Travel Market (ATM), which is being held at the Dubai World Trade Centre from 28 April – 1 May 2019.

According to data from ATM’s research partner Colliers, international arrivals to Saudi Arabia are expected to increase 5.6% per year from 17.7 million in 2018 to 23.3 million in 2023. Religious tourism is expected to remain the bedrock of the sector over the next decade, with a goal of attracting 30 million pilgrims to the Kingdom by 2030, an increase of 11 million from the 19 million Hajj and Umrah pilgrims that visited the country in 2017.

Danielle Curtis, Exhibition Director ME, Arabian Travel Market, said: “At ATM, we are witnessing this growth first hand with the total number of delegates arriving from Saudi Arabia increasing 42% between 2017 and 2018, while 33% of delegates, exhibitors and attendees were interested in doing business with the Kingdom.

“More relaxed access to visas, through online portals such as the ‘Sharek’ and the growth of the Umrah plus market – combining religious and leisure travel – are expected to be key drivers in the growth of international tourism in the Kingdom.”

Vision 2030 has set aside $64 billion to invest in culture, leisure and entertainment projects over the next decade, which will significantly add to the attractiveness of the country as a touristic destination, according to a recent report from real estate firm Savills.

The first phase of the Red Sea project, which is estimated to grow the kingdom’s GDP by US$5.86 billion (SAR22 billion) and will consist of an airport, marinas, up to 3,000 hotel rooms and various recreational activities, is expected to complete during 2022.

Additionally, last year Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund announced the development of Amaala, a new ultra-luxury tourism megaproject which is earmarked for completion in 2028. The development will add 2,500 hotel rooms – further boosting the accommodation offering for both domestic and international visitors alike.

“Saudi Arabia will see a vast expansion of its hotel and resort inventory during 2019, with over 9,000 keys of three, four and five-star international supply expected to enter the market despite major cities such as Riyadh and Jeddah experiencing an overall drop in ADR during 2018.

“While, this new supply will place additional competitive pressure on hotels performance across the country, the projected growth in visitor numbers in both the domestic and international markets is expected to boost occupancy levels throughout 2019,” added Curtis.

Looking ahead to ATM 2019, Saudi exhibitors, who will highlight what the Kingdom has to offer and the exciting developments in the pipeline, include The Red Sea Development Company, Saudia – Saudi Arabian Airlines, Makarem Hotels, AlfaOne Concierge – and of course the Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage who will have a major presence too.

A focused seminar titled ‘Why Tourism is Saudi’s new ‘White Oil’ will take place on the Global Stage on Monday 29th April between 14.50 – 15:50.  The session will discuss Saudi Arabia’s tourism potential as the Kingdom undergoes a period of rapid economic diversification and forges ahead with its Vision 2030 blueprint.

The upbeat tourism forecast is also being driven, by domestic tourism with the number of local tourist trips inside Saudi Arabia exceeding 47 million in 2018. The latest research from Colliers forecasts this figure to increase 8% per year to 70.5 million by 2023.

“Plans are already afoot in Saudi, to achieve the projected increase in domestic visitors, with the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 blueprint forecast to double the number of UNESCO heritage sites and increase household spending on cultural and entertainment activities inside the country from 2.9% to 6%.

“Meanwhile, the Quality of Life Vision Realisation Programme (VRP) and the General Entertainment Authority are both working to create new attractions and recreational activities within the country,” added Curtis.

ATM, considered by industry professionals as a barometer for the Middle East and North Africa tourism sector, welcomed over 39,000 people to its 2018 event, showcasing the largest exhibition in the history of the show, with hotels comprising 20% of the floor area.

Brand new for this year’s show will be the launch of Arabian Travel Week, an umbrella brand comprising four co-located shows including ATM 2019, ILTM Arabia, CONNECT Middle East, India & Africa – a new route development forum and new consumer-led event ATM Holiday Shopper. Arabian Travel Week will take place at Dubai World Trade Centre from 27 April – 1 May 2019.

For more news about ATM, please visit: https://arabiantravelmarket.wtm.com/media-centre/Press-Releases/.

About Arabian Travel Market (ATM)

Arabian Travel Market is the leading, international travel and tourism event in the Middle East for inbound and outbound tourism professionals. ATM 2018 attracted almost 40,000 industry professionals, with representation from 141 countries over the four days. The 25th edition of ATM showcased over 2,500 exhibiting companies across 12 halls at Dubai World Trade Centre.  Arabian Travel Market 2019 will take place in Dubai from Sunday, 28th April to Wednesday, 1st May 2019. To find out more, please visit: www.arabiantravelmarket.wtm.com.

MEDIA CONTACT: NATHALIE VISELE, Director, Shamal Communications, Arjaan Office Tower, Dubai Media City, Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Tel: +971 4 365 2711 | Mobile: +971 50 457 6525, E-mail: nathalie.visele@shamalcomms.com , Website: www.shamalcomms.com

Travel News | eTurboNews

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook

Filed Under: Press Release Tagged With: and, announced, April, arabia, Arabian, Arabian Travel Market, Arabian Travel Week, Arabias, area, arrivals, arriving, ATM, attendees, attracting, attractions, authority, barometer, billion, boost, boosting, brand, Breaking Travel News, Business, Centre, cities, Colliers, commission, company, competitive, complete, Completion, concierge, connect, council, country, course, create, cultural, culture, Data, decade, delegates, Destination, development, developments, director, Discuss, doing, domestic, domestic tourism, double, drivers, drop, Dubai, Dubai World, Dubai World Trade Centre, East, economic, entertainment, estate, event, exceeding, exhibition, exhibitors, expansion, expected, firm, first, five star, floor, Forecast, forecasts, forum, free, fund, GDP, general, Global, Global Stage, goal, grow, Growth, Hajj, hand, held, heritage, highlight, history, holiday, Hospitality News, hotel, hotel rooms, Hotels, ILTM, ILTM Arabia, in, including, increase, increasing, India, Industry, inside, interested, International, international arrivals, international markets, international tourism, International Travel News, international visitors, inventory, invest, Investment, jeddah, key, Keys, Kingdom, largest, last, LATEST, launch, LED, Leisure, leisure travel, life, local, looking, Luxury, major, Market, markets, May, meetings.travel, MICE Industry News, Middle, Middle East, Middle East and North Africa, million, million Hajj, million pilgrims, national, New, new attractions, new route, News articles, North, North Africa, number, numbers, occupancy, offer, offering, Oil, online, over, partner, People, performance, period, pilgrims, pipeline, Place, plans, portals, potential, presence, pressure, professionals, Programme, project, projected, projected growth, projects, public, quality, quality of life, real, Real Estate, recent, recreational, Red, Red Sea, Red Sea Development Company, religious, religious tourism, report, research, resort, Riyadh, rooms, route, route development, s, said, SAR, Saudi, Saudi Arabia travel news, Saudi Arabia. (, Saudi Arabian, Saudi Arabian Airlines, saudi commission, Saudi tourism, saudia, sea, sector, see, seminar, Set, show, showcase, showcasing, shows, significantly, sites, spending, Star, supply, The World, through, to, TO BE, total, tourism, tourism council, tourism forecast, Tourism Investment News, tourism potential, tourism sector, tourist, touristic, Trade, Travel, Travel & Tourism Organizations News, travel and tourism, Travel Destination News, travel market, Travel Week, Travelwire News, trips, UAE travel news, ultra, Umrah, UNESCO, up, upbeat, US, visas, vision, vision 2030, visited, visitor, visitor numbers, visitors, We, week, welcomed, were, white, WHO, Why, working, World, World News, world travel, world travel and tourism, World Travel and Tourism Council, worth, year

How safe is travel to Africa? African Tourism Board appoints SaferTourism

April 8, 2019 by Forimmediaterelease

African Tourism Board, (ATB)  has travel and security on its top agenda when attracting visitors to the continent.

At the upcoming ATB Launch on April 11, the organization will be announcing their appointment of SaferTourism.com to provide support and guidance to keep African Tourism Safe.

The man behind SaferTourism.com is no other than one of the best global experts available in this field.

Dr. Peter Tarlow, seen as a world-renowned expert in travel and tourism will be the keynote speaker at the African Tourism Board Launch Event on April 11.

ATB members and WTM visitors will be able to meet Dr. Tarlow at the African Tourism Board Stand (AP 12). His goal is to provide proactive guidance and hands-on approach to keep African destinations, hotels and attractions safe and available specifically for North American Visitors.

Dr. Tarlow is leading SaferTourism’s  Visitor Surety approach, meaning:

• The providing of a safe and secure environment for visitors and for those who work in its visitor industry
• Protection of tourism sites and infrastructure
• Perceptions, including how these perceptions impact its reputation
• The Protection of the economy vis-à-vis its tourism industry

Dr. Tarlow has been working on projects around the world and is known to include feedback from the US State Department in many of his international projects.

Dr. Peter Tarlow will be a speaker at the ATB Launch event on April 11,2019 during WTM Cape Town.

He is a world-renowned speaker and expert specializing in the impact of crime and terrorism on the tourism industry, event and tourism risk management, and tourism and economic development.  Since 1990, Tarlow has been aiding the tourism community with issues such as travel safety and security, economic development, creative marketing, and creative thought.

Tarlow has worked with numerous US government agencies including the US Bureau of Reclamation, US Customs, the FBI, the US Park Service, the Department of Justice, the Speakers Bureau of the US Department of State, the Center for Disease, US Supreme Court police, and the US Department of Homeland Security.  He has worked with such US iconic locations as the Statue of Liberty, Philadelphia’s Independence Hall and Liberty Bell, the Empire State Building, St. Louis’ arch, and the Smithsonian’s Institution’s Office of Protection Services in Washington, DC.

Tarlow has been a keynote speaker for governors’ tourism conferences around the nation including those for Illinois, South Carolina, South Dakota, Washington State and Wyoming.

He has addresses large-scale US government meetings for such agencies as:

  • The Bureau of Reclamation
  • The US Center for Disease Control
  • The US Park Service,
  • The International Olympic Committee

On the international scene, he has addressed conferences such as:

  • The Organization of American States (Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, Panama City, Panama),
  • The Latin American Hotel Association (Quito Ecuador, San Salvador, El Salvador and Puebla, Mexico),
  • The Caribbean Chiefs of Police Association (Barbados),
  • The International Organization for Security and Intelligence – IOSI  ((Vancouver, Canada),
  • The Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Ottowa
  • The French Hotel Association CNI-SYNHORCAT (Paris)

Additionally, Tarlow is a featured speaker for numerous US embassies and with foreign tourism ministries around the world. For example, in his role as an expert in tourism security he has worked with:

  • Vancouver’s Justice Institute  (2010 Olympic games)
  • The police departments of the state of Rio de Janeiro (2014 World Cup Games)
  • The Royal Canadian Mounted Police,
  • The United Nation’s WTO (World Tourism Organization),
  • The Panama Canal Authority,
  • Police forces in Aruba, Bolivia, Brazil, Curaçao, Colombia, Croatia, Dominican Republic, Mexico, Serbia, and Trinidad & Tobago.

In 2013 the Chancellor of the Texas A&M system named him his Special Envoy.  In 2015 the Faculty of Medicine of Texas A&M University asked Tarlow to “translate” his tourism skills into practical courses for new physicians.  As such he teaches courses in customer service, creative thinking and medical ethics at the Texas A&M medical school

In 2016 the international engineering firm Gannet-Fleming appointed Tarlow its Senior Security and Safety Specialist  Also in 2016, Governor Gregg Abbot of Texas named Tarlow as the Chairman of the Texas Holocaust and Genocide Commission. As such he has wide experience in dealing with protest marches and other public events that touch upon that theme.

Tarlow organizes tourism security conferences around the world, including the International Tourism Safety Conference in Las Vegas along with conferences in St. Kitts, Charleston (South Carolina), Bogota, Colombia, Panama City, Croatia, and Curaçao

Tarlow lectures and trains tourism professionals and security personnel in multiple languages on a wide range of current and future trends in the tourism industry, rural tourism economic development, the gaming industry, issues of crime and terrorism, the role of police departments in urban economic development, and international trade.  Some of the other topics about which he speaks are: the sociology of terrorism, its impact on tourism security and risk management, the US government’s role in post terrorism recovery, and how communities and businesses must face a major paradigm shift in the way they do business.

Tarlow publishes extensively in these areas and writes numerous professional reports for US government agencies and for businesses throughout the world.  He has been asked to be an expert witness in courts throughout the United States on matters concerning tourism security and safety, and issues of risk management.

As a well-known author in the field of tourism security, Tarlow is a contributing author to multiple books on tourism security and publishes numerous academic and applied research articles regarding issues of security including articles published in The Futurist, the Journal of Travel Research and Security Management.  Tarlow’s wide range of professional and scholarly articles includes articles on subjects such as: “dark tourism”, theories of terrorism, and economic development through tourism, religion and terrorism and cruise tourism.  Tarlow also writes and publishes the popular online tourism newsletter Tourism Tidbits read by thousands of tourism and travel professionals around the world in its English, Spanish, and Portuguese language editions.

Among the books that Tarlow has authored are:

  • Event Risk Management and Safety (2002).
  • Twenty Years of Tourism Tidbits: The Book (2011)
  • Abordagem Multdisciplinar dos Cruzeiros Turísticos (co-written 2014, in Portuguese)
  • Tourism Security: Strategies for Effective Managing Travel Risk and Safety (2014)
  • A Segurança: Um desafío para os setores de lazer, viagens e turismo, 2016 published (in Portuguese) and republished in English
  • Sports Travel Security  (2017)

At numerous universities around the world Tarlow lectures on security issues, life safety issues, and event risk management. These universities include institutions in the United States, Latin America, Europe, the Pacific Islands, and the Middle East.  Tarlow earned his Ph.D. in sociology from Texas A&M University.  He also holds degrees in history, in Spanish and Hebrew literatures, and in psychotherapy.

Tarlow has appeared on national televised programs such as Dateline: NBC and on CNBC and is a regular guest on radio stations around the US.   He is the recipient of the International Chiefs of Police highest civilian honor in recognition for his work in tourism security.

Tarlow is a founder and president of Tourism & More Inc. (T&M).  He is a past president of the Texas Chapter of the Travel and Tourism Research Association (TTRA).  Tarlow is a member of the International Editorial Boards around the world.

Travel News | eTurboNews

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook

Filed Under: Press Release Tagged With: amp, and, Ap, appointed, appointment, appoints, April, areas, around the world, Aruba, association, ATB, attracting, attractions, author, authority, Barbados, Bell, best, board, boards, Bogota, Bolivia, book, Books, Brazil, Breaking Travel News, building, bureau, Business, businesses, Canada, Canadian, Cape, Cape Town, Caribbean, Carolina, center, Center for Disease Control, Chairman, chancellor, Chapter, Charleston, city, civilian, Colombia, commission, Committee, communities, community, conference, conferences, continent, contributing, control, Corporate News, courses, court, courts, creative, crime, Croatia, cruise tourism, Cruise,, current, customer, customer service, customs, D.C., Dakota, dark, dark tourism, department, Department of Homeland Security, Department of Justice, Department of State, Destinations, development, disease, Dominican, Dominican Republic, Dr, Dr. Peter Tarlow, East, economic, economic development, Economy, Ecuador, editorial, El Salvador, embassies, Empire State, Empire State Building, Engineering, English, environment, ethics, Europe, event, Events, experience, expert, experts, face, FBI, Feature, firm, For immediate Release, Forces, foreign, foreign tourism, founder, French, future, futurist, games, gaming, genocide, Global, goal, government, Government Affairs, Governor, governors, guidance, Hall, hands-on, highest, history, Homeland Security, honor, hotel, Hotels, iconic, Illinois, impact, impact on tourism, in, Inc, includes, including, independence, Industry, infrastructure, Institute, institution, intelligence, International, International Olympic Committee, international tourism, international trade, islands, issues, Janeiro, justice, keep, keynote, keynote speaker, Kitts, known, language, languages, las, Las Vegas, Latin, Latin America, Latin American, launch, leading, life, locations, M, major, man, management, Managing, Marketing, meaning, medical, meet, meetings, member, members, Mexico, Middle, Middle East, ministries, mounted, named, nation, national, NBC, New, News articles, newsletter, North, North American, numerous, office, Olympic, Olympic Games, online, organization, organization of american states, Ottowa, Pacific, Pacific Islands, Panama, Panama City, Paris, park, Park Service, past, People in Travel, personnel, Philadelphia, police, popular, portuguese, POST, president, Press releases, professional, professionals, programs, projects, protection, protest, public, published, Puebla, range, recognition, recovery, regular, religion, reports, republic, reputation, research, Rio, Rio de Janeiro, Risk, risk management, role, royal, rural, rural tourism, s, safe, Safety, safety and security, safety issues, Salvador, San Salvador, Santo Domingo, scale, scene, school, secure, Security, security personnel, senior, Serbia, service, services, shift, sites, skills, South, South Africa travel news, South Carolina, Spanish, speaker, speakers, Special, sports, St, St. Kitts, St. Louis, State, State Department, states, stations, statue, Statue of Liberty, strategies, support, Supreme, Supreme Court, system, Tarlow, terrorism, Texas, the Caribbean, the United States, The World, theme, thousands, through, Tidbits, to, TO BE, Tobago, top, tourism, tourism and travel, tourism board, Tourism Industry, tourism professionals, tourism research, tourism safety, tourism security, tourism security and safety, Tourism Tidbits, town, Trade, trains, translate, Travel, travel and tourism, Travel Destination News, Travel Disaster & Emergency News, travel professionals, travel research, Travel Safety, travel security, Travelwire News, Trends, Trinidad, turismo, United, United Nation, United States, university, urban, US, US Customs, US Department of Homeland Security, US Department of State, US embassies, US government, US State Department, Vancouver, Vegas, visitor, visitor industry, visitors, Washington, Washington state, way, WHO, witness, work, worked, working, World, World Cup, World Tourism, World Tourism Organization, WTM, WTM Visitors, WTO, Wyoming, years

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • Next Page »

Search




Recent Articles

  • Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) situation in Thailand as of 19 April 2021, 11.30 Hrs.
  • Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) situation in Thailand as of 18 April 2021, 11.30 Hrs.
  • The Unbound Collection by Hyatt Brand Expands in China With The Opening of Commune by The Great Wall
  • Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) situation in Thailand as of 17 April 2021, 11.30 Hrs.
  • Thailand strengthens measures to contain new wave of COVID-19 infections
  • Aeroflot adds third frequency on Seychelles route
  • Spanish Ambassador to Jamaica pays courtesy call on Jamaica’s Tourism Minister
  • CAAT announces COVID-19 control guidelines on domestic flights
  • Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) situation in Thailand as of 13 April 2021, 11.30 Hrs.
  • Royal Palaces temporarily close from 13 April 2021 until further notice

Copyright © 2021 · Metro Pro on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in