Travel & Hotels

On Tuesday, 15th May, 2012 in Dubai, Six Senses Zighy Bay received three new accolades from the Middle East Hotel Awards and renewed a fourth from the Middle East Spa Awards.  The Middle East Spa Awards were held in the morning, honouring the Six Senses Spa as standalone winner of Best Sustainable Initiative, an award also won the year prior.

Wellness Manager Steve Harvey accepted the award on behalf of the team, thanking them for their commitment to environmental friendly practices, “We have a rich environment in Oman, and preserving her is fundamental to our philosophy.”  General Manager Axel Jarosch added, “The renewal of this title demonstrates we are consistently the Best Sustainable Spa. We are very proud.”

• Arab world’s largest low-cost carrier to provide three weekly flights starting June 2, 2012

• New service marks seventh destination in the Kingdom, 74th worldwide

Sharjah, UAE; May 12, 2012: Air Arabia (PJSC), the Middle East and North Africa’s first and largest low-cost carrier, today announced introduction of services to Taif, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, from the carrier’s primary hub in Sharjah, UAE.

Dubai, UAE – 6th May 2012 – Following the worldwide box office success of Stephen Spielberg’s ‘ The Adventures of Tintin: Secret of the Unicorn’, Rocco Forte’s Hotel Amigo in Brussels has teamed up with leading DMC Ovation Belgium and Moulinsart to create a  unique Tintin-themed treasure hunt in Brussels.

The Belgian author Hergé first created ‘The Adventures of Tintin’ in 1929. The imaginative stories of the brave reporter’s courageous expeditions went on to become one of the most successful and loved children’s series in the world.

New Platforms Give Brides Everywhere Access to Experts, Advice and Inspiration

May 6, 2012 – Today, brides everywhere are invited to experience the best the bridal world has to offer: Weddings at Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts.  With the introduction of the company’s new glossy Weddings magazine, its online version and tablet application, as well as dedicated social channels on Twitter and Pinterest, brides-to-be can access insights from a global network of experts, view key trends from the hottest players and get inspiration from the stories of real weddings taking place at Four Seasons hotels and resorts around the world.

“Four Seasons has long been considered an expert in all things bridal because it has always offered couples weddings beyond compare down to the smallest detail and customized to their unique needs and desires,” says Susan Helstab, Executive Vice President Marketing, Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts.  “With the introduction of these new content platforms, everyone can now get a glimpse of what makes a Four Seasons wedding so special and can get inspired to partner with us to make this very special day their own.”

The Company is also releasing the first Four Seasons Wedding LuxGraph, a global snapshot of insights culled from more than 4500 weddings that took place at hotels and resorts in 2011. To view all of the findings, click here.

How App-ropos: Weddings Go Digital
The inaugural issue of Four Seasons Weddings magazine and its online counterpart showcases glamorous bridal gowns and accessories; floral inspirations from Paris; gorgeous wedding cakes representing sweet traditions around the world; beach, city and countryside weddings in global destinations; insider tips from Four Seasons on-property experts - all to help couples plan a special day. Contributors and stylists from leading bridal, fashion and travel magazines will bring new wedding stories to the site, including tips, trends, fashion and innovations.

The glossy print edition of Four Seasons Weddings magazine is distributed at the company’s 86 properties.  On-the-go brides-to-be can draw inspiration via the online edition on the new weddings channel at FourSeasonsMagazine.com/weddings and the iPad or Android App.  The iPad app is available for download now from the iTunes App Store and the Android version will be available on Google Play later this month.

@FSBridal: The Voice of Real Four Seasons Brides
Four Seasons will launch a new Twitter feed where real Four Seasons brides from around the world will share their stories at various stages of bridal planning. Brides will be encouraged to share photos and messages leading up to their big day. Initially, three brides who will be married this year at Four Seasons properties in Beirut, Boston and Toronto will be featured. As they taste their cakes, mail the first invitation and choose their wedding bands, @FSBridal will record their memorable journey. The feed will also highlight trends and information helpful to anyone who is planning a wedding.

Four Seasons Hotels across the Middle East offer some of the most inspirational wedding locations and personalised attention to ensure that a couple’s happily ever-after begins with style and ease.

Four Seasons Hotel Beirut
A lavish Ballroom wedding where the bride can play the princess in her own fairytale, a wedding night overlooking the Mediterranean to begin a lifetime of perfect memories and a dedicated team of wedding specialists to make sure every detail is in place – that’s the Four Seasons Hotel Beirut promise to every bride and groom.

A tailor-made Wedding Package combines everything a happy couple looks for in a place to say “I do” – from a private room for an intimate wedding of 20 people, to a sunlit wedding on The Roof or an opulent ballroom setup for up to 500 guests, there’s a place for every party at Four Seasons Hotel Beirut. From a lush Four Seasons signature wedding cake, special bride & groom spa packages to ease the stress in the run up to the big day and advise and execution on all the little details – a delicious menu, fragrant flowers and themed décor to suit the bouquet – no request is too much for the Hotel’s talented wedding team. And when it’s over, a complimentary night in a Sea View Suite and breakfast in bed the next morning complete the magical experience.

Four Seasons Hotel Amman
Romantic, elegant, dramatic – there couldn’t be a more picturesque setting for a wedding in Amman than at the Four Seasons. Perched on one of the city’s prettiest hills and with a Romanesque colonnaded façade, stately high-ceilinged ballroom, grand staircase and charming outdoor courtyards, couples celebrating the start of their lives together couldn’t pick a more photogenic place than Four Seasons Hotel Amman to create those magical memories.

The Hotel’s seasoned wedding specialists can create the wedding to fulfill every dream – from picking the most appropriate location, devising a memorable menu sure to impress guests and creating an atmospheric set-up that brings the wedding theme to life. Special spa treatments for the bride and a dedicated team of experts offer all the elements necessary to strip the stress from the wedding preparations, leaving the couple with only the happy glow.

Four Seasons Hotel Cairo at Nile Plaza
What better way to start a life together than with a view of the eternal Nile? Perched on the eastern bank of the river, Four Seasons Hotel Cairo at Nile Plaza offers intimate and expansive space to celebrate a dream wedding. From the popular Plaza Ballroom to the grand Nile Ballroom which occupies the Hotel’s entire first-floor and is prized for its floor-to-ceiling river views, weddings at Four Seasons Hotel Cairo at Nile Plaza can’t be anything but atmospheric. Whatever the format – whether an intimate family brunch, a sophisticated buffet or a grand reception banquet for up to 1,000 guests – the Hotel’s team will be on hand to help at every stage, from planning to execution.

Results of new study unveiled at Arabian Travel Market a must-have for destinations targeting Gulf travelers - Qataris are highest spenders abroad with daily average of U.S $4,100 followed by KSA $3,360 and UAE $3,280

The findings of a recent study on the outbound travel habits of GCC nationals were revealed today (Wednesday 2 May) during a session held as part of the Arabian Travel Market (ATM) 2012 seminar series.

Authored by Sunil Malhotra, senior lecturer at the Emirates Aviation College, the study, entitled ‘The Outbound GCC Travel Market - Unique Trends and Characteristics of GCC Nationals’, interviewed 2,500 GCC nationals about their travel habits over a 12-month period from January to December 2011.

Landmark Dubai hotel says 87% occupancy a positive indicator for the year ahead

Dubai, April 30, 2012: Kempinski Hotel Mall of the Emirates announced occupancy in the first quarter of 2012 was on par with peak years, a very positive indicator for the year ahead.

In line with reports from key industry sources such as STR Global, Kempinski Hotel Mall of the Emirates announced that occupancy during the first quarter stood at 87% YTD with an average room rate of AED 1,200

New classification framework designed to meet all consumer needs

Jointly developed by DTCM and tourism industry   

Scheme to facilitate further marketing of the destination  

Dubai, April 30, 2012:  The Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM) has announced the soft launch of the new Hotel Classification Checklists for all categories as part of the new Classification Scheme. 

Mr. Majid Al Marri, DTCM Director of Classification, said: “Dubai has experienced phenomenal growth in tourism product supply and visitors volume in its journey to become a leading global destination. The resulting increase in visitors’ awareness and visitation has driven unprecedented development of Dubai’s accommodation portfolio.”

•    Oman’s Ministry of Tourism will tender for creative design services in coming weeks.
•    Her Excellency Maitha Al Mahrouqi, Undersecretary of the Ministry said, “Arabian Travel Market 2012 is an opportune time to signal that we will be issuing a tender for creative design services to take Oman’s Beauty has an address campaigns to a higher level. The successful agency will need to have a strong strategic capability to build awareness in Destination Oman and to shape our consumer-direct campaigns. We are interested to hear from agencies that can communicate Oman’s values and attributes in an informed and compelling way. Most importantly, we want to build on Oman’s distinctive and elegant brand position because, from a destination marketing viewpoint, we believe Beauty has an address.”
•    Oman’s tourism campaigns position the country as a destination for high-end cultural, heritage, nature and adventure travelers looking for an immersive and authentic Arabian experience. Business and incentive tourism are also on the horizon with Oman’s 3,000 seat Convention and Exhibition Centre due for completion in 2015.
•    Last November, the Ministry of Tourism launched Oman’s Beauty has an address global campaign on BBC Worldwide television and web sites.