HOSPITALITY TRENDS
Four Seasons Hotels | February 16, 2022
Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts, one of the world's leading luxury hospitality companies, announces plans for an innovative resort concept focusing on highly customizable itineraries led by personal guides, sustainable design and programming inspired by the nature and history of Mexico. The new luxury tented resort will be an expansion of the existing Four Seasons Resort Punta Mita in an untouched enclave within the Resort community.Set to open in late 2022, Naviva®, A Four Seasons Resort, Punta Mita, Mexico will offer a collection of 15 luxury tents nestled in the lush forests of the Riviera Nayarit with sweeping views of the Pacific Ocean. Inspired by the idea of naturaleza viva, or "live naturally," the Resort is deeply integrated into its natural surroundings, inviting guests to connect with the land, sea, fellow guests, and most importantly, themselves.
"The Naviva Resort will be an exceptional retreat for those seeking highly individualized service, curated wellness experiences and artful culinary offerings that reflect the culture and character of Mexico,This is an ambitious and innovative new project for our brand, with every detail focused on the wellbeing of the guests, the sustainability of the design and the celebration of the destination."
-Bart Carnahan, President, Global Business Development and Portfolio Management, Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts.
The Naviva Resort Experience
Ahead of arrival, guests will be matched with a personal guide to create a bespoke itinerary based on their specific needs and desires, choosing from a range of experiences or simply relaxing in their beautiful surroundings. The resort guides have been selected for their care, intuition and discernment, along with their knowledge of the destination. The guides will assist in creating custom itineraries and personalizing experiences, while also providing the space and freedom for guests to unwind and explore on their own.
Guests will be immersed in the natural design from the moment of arrival, meeting their guides on a cocoon-inspired bamboo bridge overlooking a 30-foot (9 metre) ravine. The design aesthetic continues with butterfly-inspired guest tents perched on hillsides, each with private pools and expansive decks, and many with outdoor gardens.
The onsite programming has been thoughtfully curated with the support of local experts and has been designed to allow for heightened personalization – such as one-on-one interactions with the Resort executive chef; personal training sessions in the outdoor gym experience; private dinners with sweeping ocean views and bespoke menus; or exploring Mexico's hidden wine and spirits scene. Guides offer intuitive partnership and knowledge to help guests truly understand and connect with their experiences.
The Naviva Resort is perfect for solo travellers, couples or those travelling with close friends and loved ones. With most offerings included as part of the stay, and digital disconnection highly encouraged, guests will be able to fully relax, rejuvenate, explore and get the most out of their journey.
About Naviva, A Four Seasons Resort
The property will celebrate its natural surroundings through an organic aesthetic and design, with sustainable elements including solar panels, efficient water systems and natural drainage, electric vehicles, upcycled artwork and locally sourced products, materials, produce and ingredients.
Luxury Frontiers, international experts in the design of innovative and experiential resorts, has been selected to help bring the Naviva Resort to life and create a sustainable, low-impact sanctuary. The design of the property will allow for seamless movement between indoor and outdoor living, ultimately creating an environment that is ideal for an immersive and transformational journey.
The Resort will feature an expansive pool inspired by the enveloping jungle, access to a secluded beach, spa pods that offer customizable treatments featuring products made from local ingredients, a cliffside yoga pavilion and an outdoor gym. In addition, supported by knowledgeable guides, guests will be able to experience the restorative power of an onsite temazcal.
The onsite restaurant, Copal, will be a farm-to-table open-air Mexican grill house overlooking the seascapes of Punta Mita, and will serve fresh homegrown produce and bountiful sea catches on a rotating seasonal menu. With the open kitchen as the epicentre of the space, guests will be able to witness traditional cooking techniques at work.
In addition to onsite programming and experiences, guests will have full access to Four Seasons Resort Punta Mita, including the restaurant and bar offerings, additional spa and fitness facilities, and beach and pool access.
Naviva, A Four Seasons Resort, Punta Mita, Mexico will be located less than an hour's drive from Puerto Vallarta International Airport, where daily inbound and outbound international flights are available. The Naviva Resort will be an expansion of Four Seasons Resort Punta Mita and joins Four Seasons growing collection of properties in Mexico, which include Four Seasons Hotel Mexico City, Four Seasons Resort Los Cabos at Costa Palmas and the upcoming Four Seasons Resort Tamarindo and Four Seasons Resort and Residences Cabo San Lucas at Cabo Del Sol.
About Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts
Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts opened its first hotel in 1961, and since that time has been dedicated to perfecting the travel experience through continual innovation and the highest standards of hospitality. Currently operating 122 hotels and resorts, and 48 residential properties in major city centres and resort destinations in 47 countries, and with more than 50 projects under planning or development, Four Seasons consistently ranks among the world's best hotels and most prestigious brands in reader polls, traveller reviews and industry awards. For more information and reservations, visit fourseasons.com. For the latest news, visit press.fourseasons.com and follow @FourSeasonsPR on Twitter.
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TRAVEL TECHNOLOGY
Qatar Airways | February 19, 2021
Qatar Airways is featuring its steps towards offering full touchless in-flight technology onboard its aircraft in a further indication of how airlines are adapting their product and marketing in light of customer sensitivities to flying in the post-pandemic environment.
The Gulf carrier is introducing technology enabling passengers to navigate the onboard IFE across its Airbus A350 fleet utilizing their own electronic devices, just as the offering the option to utilize their own headphones to get to access onboard through Bluetooth technology on its Boeing 787 fleet.
Qatar Airways chief executive Akbar Al Baker says: “The introduction of the state-of-the-art zero-touch technology, and enabling passengers to use their personal Bluetooth headset on board is an important step in taking our already rigorous and stringent Covid-19 precautions to another level, limiting passenger surface contact and preventing any possible spread of infection on board.
“We hope it provides yet further assurance of the safety of air travel, as well as offering passengers on board increased confidence that they are enjoying the most consistently advanced customer experience available in the sky.”
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TRAVEL TECHNOLOGY
Launchtrip | September 30, 2021
Launchtrip the world's first Together-Travel company, today releases its group-centric travel booking app. Available on iOS now, Launchtrip removes the roadblocks historically associated with group-travel by allowing users to plan and book travel based on destination city or event, and the ability to divide costs and pay separately, taking the awkwardness out of invites and chasing down money - all within the native platform's ecosystem.
Launchtrip is the first application to address a longstanding challenge for consumers and the hospitality industry: the need to facilitate group bookings in one application including payment processing and soon, with an industry first: fair and transparent pricing. From today, users will be able to:
Search by city or event to book accommodation and restaurants close to major sports, music, and entertainment events across the country, with more events being added regularly
Book hotel accommodations from a curated selection of 3 - 5 star properties across the country. From independent boutique hotels to 5-star luxury properties and everything in between, Launchtrip offers thousands of hotels across 8 major US cities to start (including New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, Miami, Orlando, Austin, Phoenix and Las Vegas), with more becoming available every month
Review thousands of highly recommended restaurants and book right in the app using Resy as Launchtrip's official restaurant booking partner
Split and manage payments of your group trips (available for group trips of 3 or more people)
Receive scaling group discounts with partnered hotels
Take advantage of Launchtrip's signature 24/7 concierge service - online and with text-driven customer support, powered by humans
Ground transportation and travel insurance will be available by the end of the year
Google Play store availability will launch in Winter 2021
Customers will also benefit from Launchtrip's 'My Trip' feature, where users can manage all of their group reservations and guest list, meaning they won't be stuck with reservation emails from multiple vendors. Within this feature, users can name their trip, check the trip's guest list and whether they've paid or not, and send reminders to anyone who hasn't yet paid.
Launchtrip recently surveyed 1,000 US adults to find that for 25% of Americans, dealing with payment is the most painful part of planning any group trip. A third (34%) of respondents even said they spend hours figuring out how to split costs. To reward these Group Trip 'Heroes' who've had to deal with organizing woes for far too long, Launchtrip is giving away an all-expenses paid vacation (including accomodation at select luxury hotel properties across the country) to one lucky 'Hero' plus three friends.
Launchtrip CEO and Founder Julian Ing is dedicated to providing a better travel experience for groups a category that he believes has experienced little innovation in nearly 25 years.
"Launchtrip is a new kind of travel booking company and one that we believe will transform the travel and hospitality space. From group travel to complete transparency for consumers and partners, we are committed to creating the best experience possible for our users and are thrilled to open to the public today."
SaidJulian Ing,Launchtrip CEO and Founder
Looking ahead, Launchtrip will roll out additional features dedicated to creating a seamless travel experience, including curated trip recommendations, an AI-driven rewards system and more
About Launchtrip
Launchtrip is the Together-Travel company that makes booking group trips easy and rewarding. Founded by entrepreneur Julian Ing, Launchtrip's ethos is to make every experience outstanding, from end to end. Launchtrip's team of advisors include some of the industry's top experts with previous leadership roles within HomeAway (Expedia), MealPal and Tripping.com to name a few. This includes Traci Mercer, Taleeb Noormohamed, Michael Drever, Kathleen Reaume, Terry McBride and Mark Spencer.
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