Corporate Travel e-Newsletter - Sept 07

We imagine most of our readers will not be surprised that a study of business passengers by a major airline has found 83% believe travelling is more stressful than a year ago because of heightened security. 80% of those questioned said their journeys would be made less stressful by improved fast-track security measures.

After polling some 2500 travellers, the survey found they are time conscious and impatient and feel guilty about spending time away from the home and office.

Travelling executives are also under pressure to ensure 24/7 availability, are technologically aware and security conscious.

65% of the respondents reported support for onboard telephony with just over one third of the group claiming that they would definitely make use of their mobile phones during flights for making calls or texting. But 92% of respondents claimed that they would expect airlines to introduce and enforce etiquette for onboard mobile use to avoid causing annoyance to other passengers.

Many said they enjoy being 'un-contactable' whilst onboard and value the opportunity to work without interruptions.

Brand loyalty among business travellers ranked low on the list of priorities when choosing a carrier, whereas choice of airport was the primary motivator, with three out of every four respondents ranking airport choice as more important than carrier selection.

We, at Medway Travel, are very aware of the stress caused by corporate travel, and will be pleased to make those extra arrangements that help to minimise this, by for example booking Meet & Greet car parking, arranging Executive Lounge passes for economy class passengers at your departure airport or an Airport Hotel for the evening before an early flight.

Therefore, do ask us to set up your trip for you and we will advise you on and will gladly arrange a number of low cost but excellent value services so you arrive more relaxed to face the challenges you are travelling to meet.

Unlike the big majority of travel companies, all Medway Travel consultants have undergone the necessary training to allow them to sell travel insurance under the new regulations.

We now offer a wide range of travel insurance packages to cater for the precise needs of our clients' travel requirements.

Our annual multi-trip policies are particularly good value, especially when arranged to cover a client's whole group of frequent travellers in one policy. This may be set up to include your staff's partners and dependants as well, if required, for a modest increase in premium.
 
If you would like more information, please either  contact us or use our online insurance quotation system.

 

The airline industry looks set to be forced to offer financial protection for its passengers after the European Parliament voted in favour of new regulations recently.

Like tour operators and agents, airlines will have to protect their customers against the possibility of their company failure.

They will also be forced to provide fares inclusive of taxes, fees and charges and give equal access to fares across the whole of Europe.

Before being officially put into place, the regulations have to be ratified by the European Council, which is set to meet on October 1. It is then likely to be another two to three months before the new regulations come into force.

ABTA has been lobbying on these issues for a number of years, but with a marked lack of success in convincing the UK Government. So this cannot be anything other than a step in the right direction, according to an ABTA spokesman.

He went on to say "The transparent pricing issue basically supports steps already taken by ourselves and the Office of Fair Trading, although there are certain amendments that were rejected and we need to sit and look at these in more detail. "With regards to the opening up of access to fares, the fact that we have amongst the most competitive prices in Europe means agents will be presented with a great commercial opportunity."

We at Medway Travel also welcome the move. If this does become law, not only will it become clearer that many offers on the internet are not as competitive as one is at first sight, lead to believe, but also there will be a level playing field as regards airline failure insurance, and responsible agents will now longer have to bear the relatively heavy cost of ATOL bonding.

Medway Travel has access to one of the largest portfolios of specially negotiated contract fares open to any travel agent in the country. This means we can - subject to availability at the time of booking - offer unusually low prices for many long-haul and certain European routes.

This month's examples are:

Economy Class Fares

Business Class Fares

Each month we bring you a small selection of the 9 million such fares, to illustrate the level of fares you can enjoy as a result of our extensive connections and research.

So if your next destination isn't on the above small list of examples, please do contact us. There is every chance we will have a real bargain to offer you!

Azia Resort and Spa Cyprus

The Azia is fully equipped for hosting corporate meetings and conferences, offering a variety of areas and function rooms. For Corporate events the hotel also offers the latest in audiovisual equipment and simultaneous interpretation systems through the local providers.

A small Cyprus hotel may have all the charm in the world, yet what the discerning guest will sometimes miss is the variety of experience to make their stay an unforgettable pleasure. This is the thinking behind the concept of the Azia Resort, a foray into sophisticated escapism that offers stylish barefoot living, understated luxury and casual unobtrusive service.

The properties also cater to fully customizable corporate incentive programs.

Nights can come alive with your chosen theme night at the Azia Resort & Spa. With our beautiful setting, many venue options and grand gardens we are able to organize almost any type of theme night for a group - choose anything from a Cyprus night including live music and a 45' folklore show; BBQ night with live music; Italian night with live guitarist playing; Chinese night with live music; Flambé night with live classic music; Fish night with live music or a Gala dinner including a spectacular cabaret show.

Built as three different hotels on adjacent grounds, with a plethora of magnificent spaces for carefree living, the Azia Resort has all the desired diversity to keep its guests contented for a week or longer. Each element of the three-in-one boutique Cyprus hotel concept has its own character and fulfils different aspirations of the visitor.

• The Azia Blue is about sophisticated, spacious living and family luxury hotel.
• The Azia Club and Spa is ideal for privacy and indulgence.
• The Residence is a haven of individual pampering and innovative style.

The Azia Resort is situated a few kilometres from Paphos centre and is privileged to share close proximity to the finest locations and treasures of the island. One of the few resorts or Cyprus hotels with a west-facing outlook, the Azia hotel provides guests with a sublime view of blazing indescribable sunsets.

The sophisticated design of the trio owes as much to edgy London design as to Cyprus local influences. The result an atmosphere that is sensuous yet earthy, shaped by the whole history of Cyprus and by the natural beauty of the island.

The Azia provides a variety of produce bursting with unspoiled freshness, harvested daily from the trees of the Morokambos plantation which covers an area of 530.000sqm and includes 15,000 Mediterranean and tropical plants. Your hosts, the Economides family, invite guests to explore the plantation, pick their own fruits, and enjoy a satisfying picnic in the shade of the walnut groves.

If you are facing the challenge of organsing a conference, and want somewhere effective but different, please do contact Stephen who specialises in arranging such events. See also the Groups and Events section on our website.

 

August saw the opening of the first Yotel, offering low-cost cabin-style accommodation at Gatwick's South Terminal.

Founded by Simon Woodroffe, owner of the Yo! Sushi chain of restaurants, the Yotel is located landside at the South Terminal, next to the Continental and US Airways' arrival lounges. The hotel has 46 "cabins" with 36 Standard and eight Premium rooms (plus two accessible rooms for less able guests).
 
Guests obtain their key card via self-service kiosks at the entrance to the Yotel and proceed to either a 7sqm Standard cabin, or a relatively spacious 10sqm Premium cabin. There is also a galley area manned 24-hours per day in case there are any queries.
 
Standard cabins are either "upper" or "lower" and the bed in the upper cabin is directly above that of the lower cabin next door, although Yotel says that each cabin is individually soundproofed.
 
Standard cabins have a large single bed, (2x1m), apparently big enough for two people, a flat screen TV at the end of the bed with 63 channels and paid for movies, plus a Juke Box with an impressive 5,000 songs.
There is also a small pull-down desk and foldable chair and overhead storage space. The toilet and shower take up around a third of the room space, equivalent (in percentage terms), to the amount of time guests spend in the average hotel bathroom during their stay, according to research by Yotel.
 
Premium cabins feature a double bed, which converts electrically into a sofa (the inspiration for which came from Woodroffe's experience of BAs First cabin). There is plenty of storage space, both underneath and next to the bed, and Premium cabins also have an i-pod docking system connected to the TV speakers, plus a larger work desk.
 
While none of the rooms have natural daylight, they have windows looking on to the corridors and feature mood lighting, individually controlled air conditioning, complimentary wifi access, UK and EU electrical sockets and a hair dryer. Snacks and drinks can be ordered through the TV menu and delivery time specified in 15-minute intervals.
 
The overall feel of the cabins is ultra-modern, with a white and purple colour scheme, and it is no surprise to hear that the capsules were designed by Priestman Goode, of the Virgin Upper Class Suite.
 
Prices at the Yotel Gatwick start from £25 for a minimum four-hour stay in a Standard cabin, up to £55 for 24 hours and from £40 for four hours in the Premium cabins up to £80 overnight.
 
Nigel Buchanan, operations director for Yotel, and formally of Hotel du Vin said that so far the most popular length of stay had been between eight to 10 hours, followed by four-hour stays. 50 per cent of bookings have been from North America, many of these were transit passengers, and 25 per cent of bookings have been for single female travellers.
 
So will the Yotel work? Japan has long had the "pod" hotel concept aimed at the business market, although Yotel is keen to play down the similarities between its offering and the even smaller Japanese capsule - as Woodroffe joked: "You can swing a cat in our Premium cabins, but you'll have to put the bed away first."
 
The company hopes to achieve occupancy rates of up to 250 per cent (ED: How's that for achieving the impossible through lateral thinking!), with cabins being rented several times a day, and it will no doubt provide stiff competition for the only other on-airport hotels at Gatwick, the Hilton at the South Terminal, and the Sofitel at the North Terminal.
 
Contact us for your airport hotel bookings and we will gladly advise on the best available within your budget.

 

Corporate hospitality does not have to solely for team building or sport related.  Many companies today are looking to the Entertainment Industry to offer corporate hospitality and a number of hospitality packages are being offered. The following two examples may be helpful:

Royal Opera House

This landmark theatre has a range of hospitality options that have entertained the likes of Estee Lauder, Waitrose, Audi and BP.  Options include an evening in the Royal Box, which comprises a personal welcome, private butler, use of the royal retiring room for hospitality, a private backstage tour and the option of watching the cast take curtain calls from the wings.
Evening sponsorship entitles groups to 30 tickets and programmes, priority booking for guaranteed best seats, use of entertainment spaces for hospitality, backstage tours, introduction to the production by a member of the company, the option to invite the cast to post-performance receptions and dinners, and event management from the in house team.

English National Opera

ENO have hosted hospitality for the likes of Ernst and Young, Royal Sun Alliance, Pricewaterhousecoopers, Morgan Stanley and Coutts.  Bespoke hospitality packages, combining tickets, meals and backstage tours, are available.  A three course dinner or buffet in a private dinning room, hampers in a private box and canapé receptions are among the catering options on offer fro groups of six to 250.

 

 

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Alternative packages include West End theatre evenings and Summer concerts at some of the most well known historic houses in the country.

Please contact us for more details of these or indeed to consider with you any plan you may have for Corporate hospitality. We have a specialist consultant who will gladly provide ideas and proposals to fit your objectives and budget and then negotiate best rates for your chosen solution.

You may also like to visit our Groups and Events section in our website and take a free subscription to our Quarterly Groups & Events e-Newsletter

Rules limiting air passengers to a single piece of hand luggage may be lifted - but not until after the summer peak travel period.

Aviation minister Jim Fitzpatrick is quoted by the Financial Times as saying that security rules imposed at UK airports following last summer's terrorism alert could be soon relaxed. At the time of writing, it is thought this could be by November.

Passengers are likely to be allowed to take two pieces of hand luggage onto aircraft, although a ban on carrying liquids will remain, the FT reported.

The minister reportedly said prior to a tour of Heathrow to discuss the airport's delays recently, that the one-bag rule will be lifted without any problem, providing he and the BAA are all convinced that they can get the throughput without reducing the levels of safety and security.

Eos opens 'club' at Stansted

Eos Airlines has opened Club 48, a new gate-side departure lounge at London Stansted Airport.

Furnished with leather seating, granite and frosted glass counters and tables, natural walnut veneers and artwork, it has two 50-inch widescreen televisions, individual computer workstations, WiFi access, and bar and food services.

Please don't forget that our consultants research and offer where appropriate, all "No Frills" airlines fares as options to conventional airlines, on longhaul routes as well as in Europe. 

American Airlines to fly Stansted to JFK from October

American Airlines has announced that it will launch daily services from London Stansted to New York's JFK from October 29, 2007. The new service will be operated by a two-class Boeing 767-300 aircraft with 221 seats including 30 new business class seats in a 2-2-2 configuration.

The Stansted departure opens up the possibility of passengers flying out of Stansted to JFK, while returning from that airport to Heathrow. This is something that corporate clients, particularly those based in the City of London and Docklands, have apparently indicated would be welcome.

Stansted already has New York services in the form of business-class-only airlines Maxjet and Eos, but American will be the first to offer an economy product from the Essex airport to New York. In addition, the new $1.3billion American Airlines terminal at JFK will allow passengers to connect directly onward to over 200 destinations across America, on both American and American Eagle services.

American plans to build a dedicated premium lounge at Stansted, but the facility will not be completed in time for the launch of the new service, so passengers will initially be using the facility that's already there. The dedicated lounge will be ready for when the second daily flight starts in Spring 2008.

Europe bans all Indonesia's airlines, including Garuda

Every airline in Indonesia has been banned from flying to Europe after a series of fatal crashes.

The move, covering 51 registered airlines, is designed to raise awareness of Indonesia's poor safety standards.

Although none of Indonesia's airlines currently has scheduled flights to the EU, travellers are being told to think twice about booking a cheap local flight when hopping between the country's many islands, including the popular destination of Bali.

An EU official said: "European citizens should avoid flying with these carriers. They are really unsafe." Indonesia's national carrier, Garuda, stopped flying to Europe this year but the blacklisting by the European Commission will hamper its plans to resume flights to Amsterdam.

EU travel agencies selling package tours involving carriers based in Indonesia are required to inform customers that the nation's airlines are blacklisted.

The ban flies in the face of an Indonesian government report which cleared almost all the country's airlines to continue flying, after a safety audit in the wake of recent disasters.

The national carrier, Garuda Indonesia, was promoted to the top safety category, three months after one of its planes crashed, killing 21 people.

The stress of passengers passing through Heathrow airport reached higher levels than some victims of knifepoint muggings, according to an experiment conducted by a leading neuropsychologist.

As part of the experiment, carried out last weekend on behalf of Silverjet, four passengers had chest monitors fitted to record increases in their heart rate, pressure pads attached to their arms to monitor changes in blood pressure and sensors attached to their finger-tips to measure changes in physiological stress.

According to Dr David Lewis, who oversaw the experiment at Heathrow Airport, passenger heart rates peaked at four times their resting levels and physiological stress levels exceeded those recorded amongst Formula 1 racing drivers or free-fall parachutists. Some parts of the experience even proved to be more stressful than being mugged at knife point.

"We have measured people in all kinds of situations from riot policemen confronting a stone throwing mob to racing drivers and sky-divers and these are among the highest peaks in heart rate and blood pressure that we have ever seen," said Dr Lewis.

The experiment was carried out between July 21 and 22, 2007 on a return journey from London Heathrow to Amsterdam.

Whilst the sponsor of the experiment may have an axe to grind - in that Silverjet doesn't use Heathrow - the medical evidence is unlikely to have been doctored (if you'll forgive the pun!). Lawrence Hunt, CEO, Silverjet, comments: "These findings help us to understand the stress points in the customer journey and enable us completely to remove them from the Silverjet service."

Medway Travel consultants are happy to book clients on to Silverjet and can recommend their service, but the number of routes it serves are very limited. For travellers to other destinations, we recommend including stress relieving extras on your trips, such as:

• Meet & Greet airport parking,
• Taking a taxi/chauffeur driven car to and from the airport, 
• Staying overnight at an airport hotel before an early flight.
• Booking an Executive Lounge pass can also afford the opportunity to relax after checking in.

Ask us to arrange these good value extras - you owe yourself a duty of care, as does your employer!