• 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

Senior tourist dies at Grand Canyon after fall

April 24, 2019 by Forimmediaterelease

A 70-year-old tourist fell to her death yesterday, Tuesday, April 23, 2019, at the Grand Canyon in the US state of Arizona. She is the second person to die at this popular tourist destination this year. The Grand Canyon national park sees 6 million visitors every year.

A call went out to park rangers that someone needed  help at the South Rim of the canyon, but by the time responders arrived, the person had fallen 200 feet below the rim. Her body was recovered using a helicopter. It is not known how the woman fell.

The Grand Canyon has designated trails and walkways as well as railings and fences at overlooks that will keep visitors at a safe distance from the rim’s edge. Anyone who chooses to venture beyond that is literally taking their lives into their own hands.

In 2015, 8 men were hopping from one rock to another or posing for pictures, including a 38-year-old father from Texas who was pretending to fall to scare his daughter, but then really did fall 400 feet to his death.

On March 14, 2017,  30-year-old Gom Dang, of Ankeny, Iowa, fell to his death off the rim west of Mather Point as he was posing for a photo when he lost his balance and fell backward to his death. His body was recovered approximately 280 feet below the rim.

In this day and age of the selfie, many people have lost their lives trying to get the perfect picture. A tourist from Hong Kong died falling into the canyon on the Hualapai reservation, just outside the park’s boundaries, on March 28, 2017. He was taking a photo at the time.

In that same year, 20 people fell to their death at the Grand Canyon. A 67-year-old man fell 400 feet from the South Rim and died on April 3. There were 290 search-and-rescues and 1,135 emergency medical service incidents.

Dying from heat or dehydration is more common than falling off the edge in the Grand Canyon, but it is still a major concern. On average, 2 to 3 deaths per year are from falls over the rim.

Travel News | eTurboNews

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook

Filed Under: Press Release Tagged With: American Travel News, and, April, Arizona, average, balance, body, Breaking Travel News, Canyon, concern, daughter, day, death, deaths, Destination, die, died, dies, distance, Edge, emergency, fall, falling, falls, father, feet, fences, Grand, Grand Canyon, Heat, helicopter, help, Hong, Hong Kong, in, incidents, including, Iowa, IT, just, keep, known, Kong, lost, major, man, march, medical, men, million, million visitors, national, national park, needed, News articles, out, outside, over, park, People, photo, picture, pictures, popular, posing, rangers, recovered, reservation, rock, s, safe, scare, search, second, senior, service, South, State, taking, Texas, time, to, tourism, tourist, tourist destination, trails, Travel Destination News, Travel Disaster & Emergency News, Travelwire News, trying, US, using, venture, visitors, went, were, West, WHO, woman, year, yesterday

Top Easter season destinations for US travelers revealed

April 18, 2019 by Forimmediaterelease

Mexico, Canada and the United Kingdom are among the most popular destinations for travelers in the U.S.1 this Easter period, according to analysis conducted by travel experts.

As of 7 April 2019, more than 95,000 advanced bookings had been made2 in the U.S. through all global distribution systems (GDS) for return flights to Mexico scheduled between 16 April and 22 April 2019. Flight bookings to second placed Canada and third placed U.K stood at 44,975 and 32,515, respectively.

Amongst the top 10 most popular destinations, the ones which had seen the greatest year-on-year increase in Easter flight bookings were Spain, up 33.6% (+4615 bookings in 2018), Canada, up 25.7% (+9198 bookings in 2018) and a close third, Puerto Rico, up 25.6% (+4279 bookings in 2018).

Global distribution systems (GDS) are vast hi-tech reservation networks that allow travel agents, travel management companies and large corporations, among others, to search and book airline seats, hotel rooms, rental cars, and other travel related items.

“Mexico remains by far the most attractive destination in terms of volume, for travelers in the U.S. over the Easter period. A big reason for this is the proximity and great weather all-year round. The proximity, and some great tourist attractions land Canada at the second place. Breathtaking festive celebrations and shopping sales in U.K, boosted by affordable flight options, definitely make it a top destination.

Top Easter season destinations for travelers in Spain booked through global distribution systems

Destination Flight Bookings

Mexico 96,451
Canada 44,975
United Kingdom 32,515
Dominican Republic 32,229
Italy 25,311
China 24,636
Puerto Rico 21,008
France 20,780
Jamaica 19,215
Spain 18,369

Travel News | eTurboNews

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook

Filed Under: Press Release Tagged With: American Travel News, and, April, attractions, attractive, Aviation News, big, book, booked, bookings, Breaking Travel News, Canada, Canada Travel News, cars, celebrations, China, close, companies, Destination, Destinations, Distribution, Dominican, Dominican Republic, Easter, experts, far, festive, flight, flight bookings, flights, flights to Mexico, France, free, GDS, Global, greatest, Hospitality News, hotel, hotel rooms, Hotel Travel News, in, increase, International Travel News, IT, Italy, items, Jamaica, Kingdom, Land, Make, management, Mexico, Mexico travel news, most, most popular, most popular destinations, networks, News articles, options, over, period, Place, popular, Puerto, Puerto Rico, reason, related, remains, rental, republic, reservation, Resort News, return, revealed, RICO, rooms, Round, s, Sales, scheduled, search, season, seats, second, second place, shopping, Spain, tech, terms, through, to, top, top 10, top destination, tourism, tourist, tourist attractions, Transportation News, Travel, travel agents, Travel Destination News, Travel Experts, travel management, travelers, Travelwire News, U.S, UK Travel News, United, United Kingdom, up, US, US travelers, weather, were, World News, year

Centara identifies technological and social trends that will shape the hospitality industry in the next 10 years

April 18, 2019 by Forimmediaterelease

Global hospitality is at a crossroads. In the last 20 years, technology has transformed every aspect of the guest journey, from online bookings to in-room services to post-stay feedback. But as technology continues to evolve and advance, what will the hotel industry look like 10 years in the future?

In the past, digitalization was largely driven by companies, as new solutions were introduced to enhance efficiency and target customers more effectively. In the modern era however, it is customers who are demanding greater connectivity. This is especially true in the hotel industry, which is driven by modern lifestyle trends and the “always-on” mindset of millennial travelers.

In light of these trends, Markland Blaiklock, Centara’s Deputy Chief Executive Officer, explains his vision for the future of the hospitality industry in the next decade:

“Ten years from now, I’m sure we will look back and see that the hospitality industry changed much more than predicted, and Asia will continue to be a major catalyst for change. This evolution will be part social and part technological, but the overall goal will be the same: to meet and exceed guests’ expectations,” he commented.

According to Mr. Blaiklock, Centara foresees three significant trends shaping its business, and the entire industry, going forward:

Travel and work life will become inseparable thanks to improved technology and faster connectivity. This trend will occur in all countries but will be led by China and the rest of Asia, which are currently driving the growth in overseas travel. The launch of Centara’s new “Meetings Redesigned” MICE initiative will help to accommodate this shift, by allowing companies to be more flexible and creative with their event agendas.

Robotics and artificial intelligence will create hyper-connected hotel experiences. The Internet of Things (IoT) will seamlessly connect every hotel touchpoint, which will be personalized to the unique preferences every guest. In addition, big data insights will enable hotel staff to improve service quality in real time.

Delivering emotional experiences will be the ultimate goal of hotels. As technology takes over, many guests will go in search of authenticity, human interaction and genuine hospitality. The ability to predict and identify human emotions will be key to the success of hotels in the coming decades.

The big question for hoteliers now and in the future will be: how do we successfully integrate technology to improve the guest’s entire journey, whilst also retaining our distinct personality and brand loyalty?

For Centara Hotels & Resorts, Thailand’s leading hotel operator, this balance is at the core of its strategic vision. In the coming years decades, the group will focus delivering warm Thai hospitality in line with the latest social and technological trends to create exceptional customer experiences.

Centara has proven adept at developing new brands that embrace innovation. The most recent example is COSI, which caters for young-minded and tech-savvy travelers with friendly, simple and affordable accommodation and state-of-the-art amenities like smartphone integration, self-service check-in and a 24-hour lifestyle café concept. It is no surprise that this contemporary concept, which made its debut in Koh Samui in 2017, is now a key driving force behind Centara’s expansion strategy.

In many ways, COSI represents the future of hospitality. Its combination of connectivity, comfort and convenience enables guests to blend business and leisure travel, a key trend identified by Mr. Blaiklock. Across all of Centara’s six brands however, the group continues to roll out innovative new digital experiences.

Recent initiatives range from revamping the Centara website and mobile app for a seamless online experience, to launching a new central reservation system and revenue management system for global coordination. The new Chinese language, China-hosted website, social media pages and payment solutions are also positioning Centara to compete successfully in the world’s largest travel market.

Technology, however, is only one element of a successful strategy. Hotel guests will always be human beings, and the majority of humans visit a destination to experience its charm and culture, not to look at a screen. For Centara, the ability to deliver authentic Thai hospitality is something that can never be replaced by technology. By harnessing big data and personalization tools however, hoteliers can enhance every human interaction. Intuitive and rewarding loyalty programs like CentaraThe1 will play a major part in anticipating and delivering tailored experiences.

So digitalization really is the key; by using smart technology to identify and satisfy guest preferences, the hoteliers of the future will be able to create truly bespoke experiences for every guest.

Centara Hotels & Resorts is Thailand’s leading hotel operator. Its 68 properties span all major Thai destinations plus the Maldives, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Laos, China, Oman, Qatar and the UAE. Centara’s portfolio comprises six brands -Centara Grand Hotels & Resorts, Centara Hotels & Resorts, Centara Boutique Collection, Centra by Centara, Centara Residences & Suites and COSI Hotels – ranging from 5-star city hotels and luxurious island retreats to family resorts and affordable lifestyle concepts supported by innovative technology. It also operates state-of-the-art convention centers and has its own award-winning spa brand, Cenvaree. Throughout the collection, Centara delivers and celebrates the hospitality and values Thailand is famous for including gracious service, exceptional food, pampering spas and the importance of families. Centara’s distinctive culture and diversity of formats allow it to serve and satisfy travelers of nearly every age and lifestyle.

Over the next five years Centara aims to double its size with additional properties in Thailand and new international markets, while spreading its footprint into new continents and market niches. As Centara continues to expand, a growing base of loyal customers will find the company’s unique style of hospitality in more locations. Centara’s global loyalty program, Centara The1, reinforces their loyalty with rewards, privileges and special member pricing.

For more information about Centara, please visit centarahotelsresorts.com.
Facebook                    LinkedIn                      Instagram                    Twitter

Travel News | eTurboNews

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook

Filed Under: Press Release Tagged With: amp, and, App, art, Asia, authentic, award, award-winning, balance, base, big, big data, bookings, boutique, Boutique Collection, brand, brands, Breaking Travel News, Business, business and leisure travel, celebrates, centara, Centara Boutique Collection, Centara Grand, centara hotels, Centara The, centara website, centarahotelsresorts.com, Centaras, Centers, Centra, Central, change, changed, charm, check, check-in, chief, chief executive, chief executive officer, China, Chinese, city, collection, comfort, coming, companies, company, concept, connect, connectivity, continue, continues, convention, convention centers, COSI, COSI Hotels, countries, create, creative, CROSSROADS, culture, currently, customer, customers, Data, debut, decade, decades, deliver, deputy, Destination, Destinations, digital, diversity, double, driving, efficiency, Element, embrace, event, executive, expand, expansion, expectations, experience, experiences, Facebook, families, Family, famous, find, food, force, Forward, friendly, future, Global, global loyalty program, GO!, goal, Grand, greater, Group, Growing, Growth, guests, help, hospitality, hospitality industry, Hospitality News, hotel, hotel guests, hotel industry, hotel operator, Hotel Travel News, hoteliers, Hotels, Hour, Human, importance, improve, improved, in, including, Industry, information, initiative, initiatives, innovation, innovative, Insights, Instagram, integration, intelligence, interaction, International, international markets, Internet, introduced, IoT, island, IT, journey, key, Koh Samui, language, Lanka, Laos, largest, largest Travel, last, LATEST, launch, launching, leading, leading hotel, LED, Leisure, leisure travel, life, Lifestyle, light, like, line, locations, loyal, loyalty, loyalty program, loyalty programs, luxurious, M, major, maldives, management, Market, markets, media, meet, meetings, member, mice, mobile, mobile app, modern, most, Mr, nearly, New, News articles, officer, Oman, online, online bookings, only, operator, out, over, overseas, Overseas travel, pampering, past, payment, play, portfolio, POST, preferences, pricing, privileges, program, programs, properties, Qatar, quality, range, ranging, real, recent, redesigned, represents, reservation, reservation system, residences, resorts, retreats, revamping, Revenue, Revenue Management, rewards, room, s, samui, Satisfy, savvy, seamless, search, see, self-service, serve, service, service quality, services, shift, significant, Size, social, social media, solutions, spa, spas, Special, Sri, Sri Lanka, staff, Star, State, stay, strategic, strategy, Style, success, successful, successfully, suites, supported, sure, system, target, tech, tech savvy, Technology, Thai, Thai hospitality, thailand, Thailand Travel News, The World, things, time, to, TO BE, tools, tourism, Travel, Travel Destination News, travel market, travelers, Travelwire News, trend, Trends, twitter, UAE, unique, using, Vietnam, vision, visit, ways, We, website, were, WHO, work, World, years, young

Indian Hotels Company launches new hotel brand

April 12, 2019 by Forimmediaterelease

The Indian Hotels Company Limited (IHCL), South Asia’s largest hospitality company, today, announced the launch of a new hotel brand – “SeleQtions”, which is a collection of named and distinctive properties.

SeleQtions was launched with 12 hotels across the country. The vision for the brand is to celebrate individuality, by offering unique experiences through landmark hotels that have their own legacy and charm.

Speaking on the occasion, Puneet Chhatwal, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, IHCL said, “SeleQtions will allow IHCL to cater to a broader audience of travelers who prefer staying in hotels with a distinctive character. SeleQtions also includes hotels that have a slice of history, defining location or a differentiated theme. We believe the brand has immense potential to grow.”

The 12 hotels in the first phase include properties present in seven key lodging markets of India: President, Mumbai; Ambassador, New Delhi; The Connaught, New Delhi; Blue Diamond, Pune; Cidade de Goa; Tajview, Agra and Devi Ratn, Jaipur. The other hotels are Pratap Mahal Ajmer; Savoy, Ooty; Gateway Coonoor; Gateway Chikmagalur and Gateway Varkala.

For those hotels which are independent – IHCL offers its robust infrastructure including global reservation systems, Taj InnerCircle loyalty program and sales and marketing support.

Travel News | eTurboNews

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook

Filed Under: Press Release Tagged With: and, announced, Asia, audience, brand, Breaking Travel News, cater, celebrate, charm, chief, chief executive, chief executive officer, collection, company, Corporate News, country, Delhi, Diamond, differentiated, director, executive, experiences, first, free, gateway, Global, Goa, grow, history, hospitality, hospitality company, Hospitality News, hotel, hotel brand, Hotel Travel News, Hotels, IHCL, in, includes, including, independent, India, India Travel News, Indian, Indian Hotels Company Limited, infrastructure, International Travel News, Jaipur, key, landmark, largest, launch, launched, launches, legacy, Limited, location, lodging, loyalty, loyalty program, Managing, managing director, Marketing, markets, Mumbai, named, New, New Delhi, new hotel, News articles, offering, offers, officer, Ooty, potential, present, president, program, properties, Pune, reservation, Resort News, s, said, Sales, sales and marketing, Savoy, seven, South, South Asia, support, Taj, theme, through, to, today, tourism, travelers, Travelwire News, unique, unique experiences, vision, We, WHO, World News

St. Kitts shines in US Roadshow 2019

April 10, 2019 by Forimmediaterelease

A signature activity in US, the St. Kitts Tourism Authority conducted its 2nd annual Destination St. Kitts & Nevis US Roadshow 2019 from Monday, March 25 to Friday, March 29. The week-long series of 6 events were held in New York, New Jersey, Atlanta, Houston, Farmer’s Branch (Texas) and Dallas in order to grow visitor arrivals from these gateway markets and supporting flow markets. These events were designed to educate travel agents, tour operators, MICE buyers, wedding and honeymoon planners, media and experiential lifestyle consumers about everything the destination has to offer both business and leisure travelers.

“This year’s US Roadshow was a resounding success with record numbers of attendees for each event,” said the Hon. Lindsay F.P. Grant, Minister of Tourism for St. Kitts & Nevis. “Having attracted the sheer number of travel agents, MICE buyers, media and more who sell or publicize business and/or leisure travel demonstrates that there is growing interest and demand in these gateway markets for the tourism product that St. Kitts & Nevis has to offer.”

The first event was a brunch held at The Castle Hotel & Spa in Tarrytown, New York, an affluent suburb north of New York City on Monday, March 25. The second event was a dinner held at the Pleasantdale Chateau in West Orange, New Jersey, an upscale neighborhood in the northern part of the state, also on March 25. On Tuesday, March 26, the third event was a dinner held at the Westin Buckhead, located in an affluent suburb just north of Atlanta. The fourth event was a luncheon held on Wednesday, March 27, at the Hess Club in Houston. A cocktail reception held on Thursday, March 27 at the Brookhaven Country Club in Farmer’s Branch, an affluent suburb of Dallas, Texas, was the fifth event in the Roadshow, while the sixth and final event was a luncheon held at III Forks Restaurant in Dallas.

All events supported St. Kitts’ non-stop flights and attracted a total of 300 attendees combined, all of whom were travel agents, MICE buyers, tour operators, wedding and honeymoon planners, media or experiential lifestyle consumers. Attendees were top travel professionals representing some of the most respected organizations in the business, including Maritz Travel, Cox Enterprises, Pro Travel International, Meetings Plus, Valerie Wilson Travel, Houston Style Magazine, Frosch, Questex LLC, Travel Impressions, and Westchester magazine.

“Developing lasting relationships with top travel professionals in our key gateway markets is a key component of our overall marketing strategy for the destination and our Roadshow provides us with the opportunity to connect with these individuals face-to-face,” added Racquel Brown, CEO of the St. Kitts Tourism Authority. “In order to continue growing arrivals, we need to maintain and expand our base of sellers to help fill our non-stop flights as we continue to build out new and increased airlift from the US.”

In addition to being treated to a meal and lively conversation with representatives from St. Kitts, the individuals played games, listened to presentations and won a variety of prizes from hotel stays to bottles of St. Kitts’ own Brinley Gold Shipwreck rum that were provided by participating local island tourism stakeholders. In addition, attending travel agents were offered a special $150 incentive for booking clients’ air only on the non-stop flights to St. Kitts or air in combination with a hotel reservation at participating destination hotels, all offering special Summer Sunsation rates, between now and May 17, 2019 for clients’ travel through August 17, 2019 when they log their productivity on St. Kitts’ website or via the Destination Specialist program with Travel Agent University. As a result, many attendees are now adding St. Kitts & Nevis as a featured destination they will sell to their clients.

The delegation from St. Kitts inclded: the Hon. Lindsay F. P. Grant, Minister of Tourism for St. Kitts & Nevis; Racquel Brown, CEO of the St. Kitts Tourism Authority; Ambassador Jonel Powell, Chairman of the Artist Selection Committee for the St. Kitts Music Festival; Annie Sinzinger, US Marketing Manager for the St. Kitts Tourism Authority; Denise Zimber, Christina Mucha and Shayna White, Marketing Consultants for the St. Kitts Tourism Authority; Tom Jaronski, Golf Consultant for the St. Kitts Tourism Authority; and Candice Kimmel, CEO and Founder of Adams Unlimited, PR & Marketing Agency in North America for the St. Kitts Tourism Authority.

A number of tourism stakeholders from St. Kitts & Nevis were also part of the delegation, including: Troy Hendrickson, Carib Journey Masters; Tawanna Wigley, Sales Representative, Ocean Terrace Inn; Richard Berridge, General Manager, Kayanjet; Jaana Kuntonen, Sunlinc; Christine Marshall, Sales Manager, Park Hyatt St. Kitts; Sylvia Martinez, Director of Sales and Marketing, St. Kitts Marriott; Tim Thuell, Nisbet Plantation; Cyndi Miller-Aird, President, Miller + Aird Destination Marketing for Belle Mont Farm; Jamar Wilkins, Travel Industry Sales Manager, Four Seasons Resort Nevis; and Darren Thompson, General Manager, Royal St. Kitts.

Travel News | eTurboNews

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook

Filed Under: Press Release Tagged With: American Travel News, and, annual, arrivals, Atlanta, attendees, August, authority, base, Booking, branch, Breaking Travel News, brown, brunch, build, Business, buyers, castle, CEO, Chairman, Chateau, Christine, city, clients, club, cocktail reception, Committee, connect, consultant, consumers, continue, conversation, country, Cox, Dallas, delegation, demand, designed, Destination, Destination marketing, Dinner, director, director of sales and marketing, event, Events, expand, face, Festival, first, flights, Forks, founder, Four Seasons, free, games, gateway, general, general manager, gold, golf, Government Affairs, grant, grow, Growing, held, help, Hon, Honeymoon, Hospitality News, hotel, hotel stays, Hotels, Houston, Hyatt, III, in, Incentive, including, increased, Industry, inn, interest, International, International Travel News, island, island tourism, journey, just, key, Kitts, Kitts Tourism, Kitts Tourism Authority, Leisure, leisure travel, leisure travelers, Lifestyle, LLC, local, luncheon, magazine, maintain, manager, march, Maritz Travel, Marketing, markets, Marriott, Masters, May, meal, media, meetings, mice, mice buyers, MICE Industry News, minister, Minister of Tourism, most, music, Music Festival, need, neighborhood, Nevis, New, New Jersey, new york, New York City, News articles, Non, non-stop, non-stop flights, North, North America, Northern, number, numbers, ocean, offer, offering, only, operators, opportunity, order, organizations, out, park, Planners, plantation, PR, presentations, president, prizes, product, productivity, professionals, program, provides, rates, reception, record, record numbers, relationships, representative, representing, reservation, resort, restaurant, roadshow, royal, rum, s, said, Saint Kitts and Nevis travel news, Sales, sales and marketing, Seasons, second, selection, sell-off, series, shipwreck, signature, spa, Special, St, St. Kitts, St. Kitts & Nevis, St. Kitts Tourism Authority, stakeholders, State, stays, stop, strategy, Style, success, summer, supported, supporting, Texas, The Castle Hotel, Thompson, through, to, top, total, tour, Tour Operators, tourism, tourism authority, tourism product, tourism stakeholders, Travel, Travel & Tourism Organizations News, travel agent, travel agents, Travel Destination News, Travel Industry, travel professionals, travelers, Travelwire News, university, upscale, US, variety, visitor, visitor arrivals, We, website, Wedding, week, were, West, Westin, white, WHO, won, World News, year, York, York City

New GM appointed at Le Meridien Kota Kinabalu

April 8, 2019 by Forimmediaterelease

Le Méridien Kota Kinabalu announced the appointment of Mr. Kanit Sangmookda as the new General Manager responsible for all areas in the Malaysian hotel including product development, financial performance, brand compliance, and guest satisfaction.

Born in Thailand, Mr. Kanit holds a master’s degree in International Business Management majoring in Management and Economics from Wollongong University in Australia. He brings with him more than 19 years of experience, working in leading international chain hotels including Marriott International, Minor Hotel Group and former Starwood Hotels and Resorts. His first taste of the hospitality industry was as a Reservation Agent in JW Marriott Hotel Bangkok. Through continuous learning and self-development, he has proven himself to be proficient and competent with his appointment as the Director of Revenue Management at Bangkok Marriott Resorts & Spa and The Westin Kuala Lumpur, as well as the Regional Director of Revenue Management for Starwood Hotels & Resorts – Southeast Asia.

Mr. Kanit is no stranger to the hospitality industry in Sabah where he served as the General Manager of Four Points by Sheraton Sandakan for almost three years. Prior to his appointment at Le Méridien Kota Kinabalu, Mr. Kanit was the General Manager for Le Méridien Jakarta where he spearheaded the renovation of the hotel rooms and their lobby lounge as well as the migration to Marriott International after the acquisition of Starwood.

Passionate, articulate and personable, Mr. Kanit is a creative leader who believes the success of an organization comes from a competent and innovative team. He drives his team to efficiently achieve their business goal by mentoring them to fulfill their full potential both professionally and personally.

Besides the dedicated contribution to the internal companies, his team and hotel owner, Mr. Kanit is also passionate in serving the tourism and hospitality industry in almost every market he presented as he believes in giving back to community and pay it forward to the next generation. Back in Thailand, he spent his weekend being part time lecturer at Hotel Management Faculty of Assumption University. During his time in Sandakan, he was part of the pioneer Executive Committee team of Sandakan Tourism Association (STAN) which established in 2015. While at the same time, he also represented Sandakan hotels as Executive Committee in Malaysia Hotels Association (MAH) – Sabah/Labuan chapter as well. When he moved to Jakarta, Indonesia; he also joined Jakarta Hotel Association as Executive Committee which he spearheaded Education and CSR sector and driven multiple activities for the organization.

As the new General Manager, Mr. Kanit looks forward to bringing new ideas and initiatives to revive the existing Le Méridien Kota Kinabalu to a new level. “With a different pair of eyes and my experiences, some things are better when seen from a new perspective,” he said.

When not on hotel grounds, Mr. Kanit is a family man who enjoys music, sports and fitness activities as well as photography.

Travel News | eTurboNews

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook

Filed Under: Press Release Tagged With: amp, and, announced, appointed, appointment, areas, Asia, association, Assumption, Australia, bangkok, better, brand, Breaking Travel News, bringing, Business, Chapter, Committee, community, companies, Compliance, contribution, creative, CSR, development, different, director, economics, Education, executive, executive committee, existing, experience, experiences, Family, financial, first, fitness, Forward, Four Points, full, general, general manager, giving, giving back, gm, goal, grounds, Group, hospitality, hospitality industry, Hospitality News, hotel, Hotel Group, hotel management, hotel owner, hotel rooms, Hotel Travel News, Hotels, hotels and resorts, ideas, in, including, Indonesia, Industry, initiatives, innovative, International, IT, Jakarta, joined, JW Marriott, Kanit, Kinabalu, Kota Kinabalu, Kuala Lumpur, Le Meridien, leader, leading, learning, lobby, lounge, Lumpur, Malaysia, Malaysia travel news, Malaysian, man, management, manager, Market, Marriott, Marriott Hotel, Marriott International, Master, Méridien, Méridien Kota Kinabalu, migration, Minor, minor hotel group, moved, Mr, music, New, new General Manager, News articles, next generation, organization, owner, pay, People in Travel, performance, photography, pioneer, points, potential, product, regional, regional director, renovation, represented, reservation, resorts, responsible, Revenue, Revenue Management, revive, rooms, s, Sabah, said, satisfaction, sector, serving, Sheraton, Southeast, Southeast Asia, spa, sports, Starwood, Starwood Hotels, success, Taste, team, thailand, things, through, time, to, TO BE, tourism, tourism and hospitality, tourism association, Travel Destination News, Travelwire News, university, weekend, Westin, WHO, working, years

Is there a right way to take a Staycation?

March 25, 2019 by Forimmediaterelease

Can you really not go anywhere and call it a vacation? Even more importantly, can you take time off, stay at home or go away, and unplug from the office? As the Staycation enters its second decade, what’s changed and made it an attractive alternative for many families?

“The Staycation became a thing after the 2008 crash when many families simply didn’t have the resources to take that trip to Disney World or the rental fee for that lakeside cabin or ocean cottage, so they stayed at home for vacation,” said Peter Hans, president of Discovery Map International since 2005. “This year, there are a number of families who didn’t quite get as large a tax return as they had in years past. Consequently, the Staycation is back on the table for some families.”

While the Staycation may be in its second decade, the ground rules for fun and stress-free breaks remain pretty much the same. For starters, no contact with your office allowed. Just because you’re not going away for an extended trip is no reason to be calling in to the office. Time off is meant for you to rest up and recharge your batteries. You can’t do that if you’re never mentally away.

Hans said: “You also want to limit your computer time. Remember, you’re on vacation. Restrict your computer time to researching potential day trips. NO E-MAIL, unless you’re being sent a confirmation or reservation number.”

He also recommends not setting an alarm if you don’t have to. Remember, you are on nobody’s schedule but your own. You also want to limit your household chores that week unless you’re specifically taking the week off to complete a project, e.g. painting your house, keep your home chores to a minimum. That doesn’t mean let the dishes in the sink stack up. Just don’t sweat it if the lawn goes a few days without being cut.

Additionally, a rather bold suggestion for your Staycation is: Leave your cell phone off unless you need to use it. Said Hans, “Your phone can be handy if you’re traveling with other families or your group splits off into two’s. So, leaving it home is not practical. Just make sure you don’t take calls from anybody not in your vacation group. If you’re curious or worried about an emergency, just check the voice mail they leave.”

Continued Hans, “If you were on a cruise ship you wouldn’t answer a call from the office. Your Staycation deserves that same respect. Remember, you work hard for your time off and you owe it to yourself — your family and — believe it or not, your employer to come back rested and ready with your batteries fully recharged.”

For more information on Discovery Map, visit discoverymap.com.

Travel News | eTurboNews

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook

Filed Under: Press Release Tagged With: and, attractive, batteries, bold, Breaking Travel News, breaks, cabin, cell phone, changed, check, come, complete, Computer, confirmation, contact, continued, crash, Cruise ship, Cruise,, cut, day, decade, Discovery, Disney, Disney World, e-mail, emergency, employer, even, families, Family, fee, free, fun, G, GO!, ground, Group, Hans, home, house, in, information, International, International Travel News, IT, just, keep, leave, leaving, Let, limit, mail, Make, map, May, need, number, ocean, office, painting, past, Paywall articles, Peter Hans, phone, potential, premium, president, project, ready, reason, recommends, rental, reservation, resources, respect, return, right, rules, s, said, schedule, second, setting, ship, sink, stay, staycation, stress, stress-free, taking, tax, time, time off, to, TO BE, traveling, trip, trips, up, use, vacation, visit, way, week, were, WHO, work, World, worried, year, years

Any WOW Air reservation may not materialize: Airline has major problems

March 25, 2019 by Forimmediaterelease

“Bummer that WOW Air is potentially going under – had a very flawless experience with them. But does this mean fewer tourists in Iceland?”, a disappointed passenger posted to twitter.

Icelandic tourism professionals did not yet comment on the hopeless sounding situation of Wow Air.  The airline was founded by an Icelandic entrepreneur, Skúli Mogensen. It first flew to Paris on 31 May 2012 and later that year took over an existing airline, Iceland Express.

WOW Air based in Iceland is fighting for survival. On Sunday evening rival IcelandAir, the potential rescuer announced  that Icelandair Group has decided that its possible involvement in WOW air’s operations, as announced on 20 March 2019, will not materialize. Therefore, all discussions between the parties have been canceled.

Today Indigo Partners Will Not be Investing in WOW Air According to a recent statement made by the company, Indigo will not be negotiating further with WOW Air and instead will be opening talks with Icelandair Group.

The 9:30am flight from London Gatwick to Reykjavik in Iceland was canceled this morning at short notice, with more flights canceled later in the day according to its website.

Wow Air then issued its own statement saying: A majority of WOW air Bond Holders and other creditors of WOW air are in advance discussions with the aim of reaching an agreement on a voluntary restructuring including an agreement of converting current debt into equity and fund the company towards long term sustainability. Further information will be given tomorrow.

Within hours, Wow Air started canceling flights – including the early morning trip from Reykjavik to Gatwick, due to leave at 6.20am on Monday. The return leg to the Icelandic capital, due to leave Gatwick at 9.30am, was also grounded.

Wow Air has also canceled trips from Reykjavik to Chicago and Pittsburgh on Monday, with links to Brussels and Barcelona grounded on Tuesday.

 

Travel News | eTurboNews

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook

Filed Under: Press Release Tagged With: and, announced, Aviation News, aviation-website, Barcelona, based, bond, Breaking Travel News, Brussels, canceled, canceling, canceling flights, capital, Chicago, comment, company, creditors, current, day, debt, decided, due, early, entrepreneur, equity, existing, experience, express, Feature, fewer, fewer tourists, fighting, first, flight, flights, flights canceled, fund, Gatwick, grounded, Group, hours, Iceland, Iceland Express, Iceland travel news, Icelandair, Icelandair Group, Icelandic, in, including, IndiGo, information, Instead, Investing, issued, IT, later, leave, links, London, London Gatwick, long term sustainability, march, materialize, May, more flights, nbsp, notice, opening, operations, over, Paris, parties, partners, passenger, pittsburgh, posted, potential, problems, professionals, recent, reservation, restructuring, return, Reykjavik, rival, s, saying, short, situation, statement, survival, Sustainability, talks, term, to, today, tourism, Tourism Investment News, tourism professionals, tourists, Transportation News, Travelwire News, trip, trips, twitter, voluntary, website, WOW, wow air, year

An Evening in Full Swing with Biggles Big Band at Centara Grand Beach Resort & Villas Huahin

March 25, 2019 by Forimmediaterelease

The swing excitement has recently revisited Hua Hin as Centara Grand Beach Resort & Villas Hua Hin welcomed Biggles Big Band to delight Thai fans with hits from the golden era of jazz.

The beautiful city of Hua Hin was in excitement as an Amsterdam-based 25-piece jazz orchestra, Biggles Big Band, recently revisited the iconic Centara Grand Beach Resort & Villas Hua Hin as part of their 2019’s Thailand Tour.

Attended by hundreds of guests and all jazz lovers from across the globe, the event “A Big Night With Biggles Big Band” was a great success with Jan Weisheit (third from right), the hotel’s Resident Manager, personally welcoming and greeting Adrie Braat (third from left), the talented conductor, and the big band with the management team prior to the recreation of the magical sounds from the swinging-and-dancing era.

Highlights of the glittering evening included tunes from their amazing musical repertoire such as In The Mood, Come By Me, Fly Me To The Moon, and many more famous jazz classics recreated with their well-known contemporary styles, all perfectly complimenting a wonderful atmosphere of the hotel.

For more information or to make a reservation, please call +66 (0) 3251 2021

 

 

Travel News | eTurboNews

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook

Filed Under: Press Release Tagged With: amp, Amsterdam, and, band, based, beach, Beach Resort, beautiful, big, Biggles, Biggles Big Band, Breaking Travel News, centara, Centara Grand, centara grand beach resort, city, come, conductor, Corporate News, Dancing, event, famous, fans, fly by, full, Globe, golden, Grand, grand beach resort, guests, Hospitality News, hotel, Hotel Travel News, Hua Hin, iconic, in, included, information, Jan, Jazz, lovers, Make, management, manager, Moon, musical, nbsp, News articles, night, recreation, reservation, resort, right, s, success, team, Thai, thailand, Thailand Travel News, to, tour, Travel Destination News, Travelwire News, villas, Villas Hua Hin, welcomed, welcoming

Iberostar Hotels & Resorts launches voice bookings with ‘Google Assistant’

March 19, 2019 by Forimmediaterelease

Iberostar Hotels & Resorts has launched an innovative option enabling guests to book rooms through voice commands thanks to an integration with Google Assistant. This is a major step forward for customers, who, from now on, will be able to explore this option from their assistant-enabled devices using voice search. When a customer says, “Hey Google, I want to book a room at,” followed by the name of an Iberostar hotel, its location and the desired dates, Google will provide the details of that hotel’s availability and rates and finalize the booking using Google Pay credentials. In turn, the hotel will be notified of the booking via the channel selected by the user.

Voice bookings through Google Assistant is the latest addition to Iberostar’s innovation plan to provide its guests a great experience, even before their stay. The feature is already available in English for users in the US on Android and Apple smartphones, as well as household devices. During the initial stage, customers will be able to book the following Iberostar city hotels immediately with no advance reservation restrictions in various locations around the world: Iberostar Las Letras Gran Vía (Madrid), Iberostar Lisboa (Lisbon), Iberostar 70 Park Avenue (New York), Iberostar Paseo de Gracia (Barcelona), Iberostar Grand Budapest (Budapest), Iberostar Grand Mencey (Santa Cruz de Tenerife) and the Iberostar Berkeley (Miami).

“We strive to provide our guests not only with a platform to create great memories during their stay at any of the destinations where we operate, but also with services that cater to their needs,” said Javier Delgado Muerza, Iberostar Group’s Chief Digital Officer. “We are working on connecting with them and facilitating their experience with us. This is a step forward in the company’s current digitalization plan, which is centered on users and innovation, while remaining committed to providing an outstanding hotel experience”.

Iberostar has entered into a strategic alliance with Mirai for the development of this project, aimed at boosting sales thanks to multi-channel connectivity, which includes this cutting-edge voice recognition-based solution that positions the brand amongst the world’s leading international chains.

Travel News | eTurboNews

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook

Filed Under: Press Release Tagged With: and, Android, Apple, around the world, Assistant, Avenue, Barcelona, based, book, Booking, bookings, boosting, brand, Breaking Travel News, Budapest, cater, chains, Channel, chief, city, company, connecting, connectivity, create, current, customer, customers, cutting, Destinations, development, devices, digital, Edge, English, even, experience, explore, Feature, following, Forward, free, Google, Google Assistant, Google Pay, Grand, Group, guests, Hospitality News, hotel, Hotel Travel News, Hotels, Iberostar Grand Mencey, Iberostar Group, Iberostar Paseo, immediately, in, innovation, innovative, integration, International, International Travel News, las, LATEST, launched, launches, leading, Lisbon, location, locations, Luxury Travel News, Madrid, memories, Miami, name, needs, New, new york, News articles, officer, only, operate, option, outstanding, park, Paseo, pay, plan, platform, positions, project, rates, recognition, reservation, Resort News, resorts, restrictions, room, rooms, s, said, Sales, Santa, says, search, selected, services, smartphones, stay, strategic, Tenerife, The World, through, to, tourism, Tourism Investment News, Travel Technology News, Travelwire News, turn, US, using, We, WHO, working, World, World News, York

Search



Recent Articles

  • Fraport Traffic Figures 2020: Passenger Numbers Fall to Historic Low Due to the Covid-19 Pandemic
  • Seychelles opens to visitors from anywhere, but….
  • Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) situation in Thailand as of 18 January 2021, 11.30 Hrs.
  • Grand Hyatt Al Khobar Hotel and Residences Opens, Bringing Luxury Experiences to the Middle East
  • Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) situation in Thailand as of 17 January 2021, 11.30 Hrs.
  • TAT extends work from home to 31 January 2021
  • Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) situation in Thailand as of 16 January 2021, 11.30 Hrs.
  • Redefining the way the world goes on vacation
  • Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) situation in Thailand as of 15 January 2021, 11.30 Hrs.
  • Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) situation in Thailand as of 15 January 2021, 11.30 Hrs.

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