HOSPITALITY TRENDS
SH Hotels & Resorts | May 29, 2023
1 Hotels, the nature-inspired luxury lifestyle hotel brand founded by hospitality visionary Barry Sternlicht, announces that its UK flagship and first European destination, located in the heart of London's historic Mayfair, is now accepting reservations with an anticipated opening date of July 13, 2023. The nine-story sustainable sanctuary overlooks the stately trees and verdant lawns of magnificent Green Park, just steps away from the world-class galleries, sophisticated boutiques, first-class restaurants and renowned emporia of Bond Street, Berkeley Square and Piccadilly.
1 Hotel Mayfair consciously creates an unexpected fusion of sustainability and luxury in the fashionable heart of London's most exclusive hospitality district. The hotel brings a fresh breath of air enlivened by a deep love of and respect for nature within easy strolling distance of capital highlights such as The Royal Academy, the West End theatre district, and Buckingham Palace.
"We are delighted to bring nature and our mission of sustainable luxury to Mayfair, the very heart of London, one of the most important travel markets in the world," said Barry Sternlicht, 1 Hotels Founder and Chairman of SH Hotels & Resorts. "We are thrilled to bring our unique fusion of fresh comfort, conscious sustainability, exceptional bespoke service, understated elegance, wellness and nutrition to London."
"We've reimagined the traditional luxury hotel experience for Mayfair by infusing our love for nature with effortless sophistication," said SH Hotels & Resorts Chief Executive Officer Raul Leal. "With this opening we celebrate our distinctive brand's entry into Europe and the dynamic and culturally rich city of London."
Opting for reconstruction over new construction, this urban oasis, built to BREEAM Excellent standards, utilised 80% of the existing structure, which was repurposed to minimise adverse environmental impact. Living green-trellised exterior walls transform former hard surfaces into natural vertical landscapes. A freshly cobbled and pedestrianised previous parking lot creates a harmonious outdoor public space, now gifted to the neighbourhood, where passing Londoners can connect to nature and the surrounding community.
Atop the building, two new complete floors were added and introduce 35 stunning suites with floor-to-ceiling windows and expansive outdoor spaces, inviting guests to entertain or relax while overlooking Green Park, one of London's eight Royal Parks. The double height Green Park Penthouse Suite features a sprawling footprint of 274 square metres which makes it the largest 1 Bedroom Suite in Mayfair. The Green Park Penthouse can be further expanded to 2 bedrooms at 304 square metres and 3 bedrooms at 340 square metres. It features a wrap-around terrace and retractable sliding doors that open fully to sweeping and dramatic park views. All 181 rooms including 44 suites invite guests to rest, revive and restore in an enveloping nest, warmly welcomed by walls lined with native British moss and more than 200 local and regional plant species thriving throughout the property. At every interior turn, guests encounter works exclusively commissioned from nature-influenced local artists designed to provoke a sense of closer connection to the venerable landscape of Britain.
Dovetale, the ground-floor restaurant from internationally renowned two Michelin starred chef Tom Sellers will feature seasonal, organic, locally sourced quality fare from hand-dived scallops to farm-raised lamb. The signature cocktail bar is named after Dover Yard, which has been painstakingly revitalised as part of the project. The menu offers creative concoctions rooted in local traditions. Neighbours Cafe offers light snacks and barista-made ethical fair-trade coffee at a central communal table. The Bamford Wellness Spa offers the best of bespoke treatments following in full faith Lady Bamford's holistic approach to health and wellness.
1 Hotel Mayfair effortlessly fuses the finest natural sources, resources and artisanal products inspired by British heritage with the buzzy creativity and contemporary charm of 21st Century London's most vibrant neighbourhood.
ABOUT SH HOTELS & RESORTS
SH Hotels & Resorts, an affiliate of global private investment firm Starwood Capital Group, is a sustainable hotel brand management company that operates 1 Hotels, a nature-inspired lifestyle brand that launched in 2015 with properties in South Beach and Manhattan and now includes Brooklyn Bridge, West Hollywood, Sanya (China), Toronto, San Francisco, Nashville and the recently opened Hanalei Bay flagship property with projects in development in London, Cabo San Lucas, Paris, Elounda Hills (Crete), Austin, Copenhagen, Riyadh and Melbourne; Baccarat Hotels & Resorts, a luxury brand that made its debut in March 2015 with the opening of its flagship property in New York, with projects under development in Brickell (Miami), Florence, Riyadh, Dubai and Rome; and Treehouse Hotels, which premiered in London in 2019 and with projects under development in Manchester, Sunnyvale, Brickell (Miami) and Riyadh. Leveraging its marketing, design, operational and technological expertise, SH Hotels & Resorts is the force behind some of the most groundbreaking and dynamic hotel brands in the world.
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COMMERCIAL TRAVEL
Sabre Corporation | May 17, 2023
Sabre Corporation, a leading software and technology provider that powers the global travel industry, today announced a long-term technology renewal with one of Taiwan's biggest travel agencies. The agreement means that South East Travel will continue to benefit from advanced Sabre solutions to support business expansion.
South East Travel has chosen to continue to deploy an extensive suite of Sabre products, including Sabre Red 360, which unlocks a full spectrum of bookable content to enable agents to create, sell, and service tailored trip experiences. The Taipei-headquartered agency is also using Sabre's Ticket Express, Automated Exchanges, Automated Refunds, and Bargain Finder Max. It will continue to use Sabre technology to automate repetitive tasks, increase productivity, reduce operational costs, understand customer preferences, and help agents to create optimum offers for both leisure and corporate travelers.
"We're delighted to extend and expand upon our strategic technology agreement with Sabre," said Joe Huang, General Manager, Ticketing Division of South East Travel. "Sabre has been our valued travel technology provider for more than 30 years, and we've already seen the benefits to our own business, and to our travelers, brought by a combination of technology and local support. It is essential for us to have continued seamless access to the advanced Sabre solutions we need to support our business expansion plans."
South East Travel was established more than 60 years ago. The group's services include domestic and international group travel, independent travel, air tickets, cruises, and business travel. It has more than 70 outlets across Taiwan, China, Japan and the United States.
"As Taiwan accelerates its recovery to pre-pandemic levels, we're thrilled that Sabre products will continue to support South East Travel so it can play an important role in the recovery and growth of the travel ecosystem in Taiwan, and beyond," said Brett Thorstad, vice president, Sabre Travel Solutions, agency sales - Asia Pacific. "This strategic agreement will support South East Travel to meet its diverse customer needs while scaling its business, and is a testament to its confidence in Sabre, and the ability of our advanced technology and our team to drive agency growth."
"Given the long-term relationship between South East Travel and Sabre Taiwan, we are incredibly excited by this expanded cooperation between the two companies. Sabre Taiwan will continue to work with South East Travel to optimize their operational efficiency and business growth with Sabre's automation solutions and localized products as well as our rapid and high quality service level," added Simon Lee, General Manager, Sabre Taiwan.
About Sabre Corporation
Sabre Corporation is a leading software and technology company that powers the global travel industry, serving a wide range of travel companies including airlines, hoteliers, travel agencies and other suppliers. The company provides retailing, distribution and fulfilment solutions that help its customers operate more efficiently, drive revenue and offer personalized traveler experiences. Through its leading travel marketplace, Sabre connects travel suppliers with buyers from around the globe. Sabre's technology platform manages more than $260B worth of global travel spend annually. Headquartered in Southlake, Texas, USA, Sabre serves customers in more than 160 countries around the world.
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DESTINATION AND TOURISM
GetYourGuide | March 09, 2023
GetYourGuide, an online travel booking platform, has recently launched the 'Originals by GetYourGuide' platform, an exclusive travel experience for discovery. It is a part of GetYourGuide's first global campaign called 'Make Memories,' proving that formative events in life like traveling beat positive memories.
The platform is a collection of travel experiences for a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to discover famous destinations, sights, cultures and history. The selected group of visitors would also get exclusive access to travel to spaces that are not open to the public. Its 'Make Memories' campaign was launched to prove that formative events in life, like traveling beat positive memories. With the popularity of its 'Turning the Lights on at the Vatican Museums' experience, where travelers visit the Vatican Museums before sunrise, it has added more offerings for a more enhanced travel experience. With a diverse team of travel enthusiasts, experts, and technologists, it connects travelers with their destinations. It helps them with the destination's best cultural activities and attractions for an authentic and extraordinary travel experience.
VP of Brand at GetYourGuide, Jean-Gabriel Duveau said, "For years, GetYourGuide has helped travelers create lasting memories on every trip they take. This year, we are gearing up to unlock even more unforgettable experiences with the launch of Originals by GetYourGuide, where travelers will get a rare glimpse into unique spaces and moments, and discover their treasures in a way no other visitor can." He added, "Together with the 75,000+ experiences we offer, Originals by GetYourGuide will help us to live up to our promise to unlock unforgettable travel experiences, and help more travelers experience moments that will leave them filled with wonder and awe for years to come."
(Source – Cision PR Newswire)
About GetYourGuide
Headquartered in Berlin, Germany, GetYourGuide, a travel booking platform, specializes in online travel, tours, attractions and local activities, tourism, e-commerce, technology, the hospitality industry, engineering, sales management, account management, marketing, and travel experiences. It has been transforming travel experiences for explorers since 2009. It accelerates growth for experience creators through access to data-driven insights, technology and a market expert. It focuses on simplifying the digital travel reality. It provides meaningful moments of discovery for travelers. It has leading venture capital investors for funding and support and various local offices worldwide.
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